[Stray]: Oh, no thanks. Your reputation isn't worth my time.
Those words pierced the proud young master's ego like a needle.
The top of the chat box repeatedly flashed "the other person is typing…" yet no new message came through.
She could almost picture him on the other side of the screen, jaw tight, struggling to hold back his anger.
Just as Elena Bennett thought he would lose his temper and unfriend her, a new message popped up — his tone surprisingly milder.
[Damon]: … Dude, let's make a deal? I've been stuck in this rank for ages. My random teammates are completely useless.
[Damon]: Carry me a few games, and I'll send you cash offline. Any amount you want. Or whatever skins or gear you want — name it.
Losing streak had clearly worn him down; he was resorting to bribery.
Elena Bennett judged the timing right and replied, feigning hesitation.
[Stray]: … Fine. You look pathetic enough. I'll carry you for three games.
[Damon]: Great, hurry up and start!
Elena Bennett then slowly sent a party invite.
Watching the notification that [Damon] had joined the room instantly, she let out a quiet breath.
Step one: complete.
Next, she would use her flawless skills under the ID "Stray" to grip the attention of this irritable young competitive gaming prodigy.
Inside the game lobby, tension hung thick in the air.
Damon Vega's frustration practically seeped through the headphones. "Dammit! Can this support play at all? No wards at all! The enemy jungle player is definitely camping!"
Elena Bennett was about to turn on her mic to take command when her gaze fell on her gender-neutral game ID: [Stray].
Recalling how Damon Vega had called her "bro" over and over, a cunning idea flashed through her mind.
What if… she didn't reveal she was female? Letting Damon Vega keep thinking she was a guy might work even better.
That way, she could approach him freely as a pure "bro" and "teammate."
Free from gender stereotypes and initial wariness, she could build solid "comradely friendship" in the virtual world using only skill and game sense.
When the time was right, she would let him "accidentally" discover that his idolized "pro gamer" was actually a girl…
The shock of having his whole perception overturned would hit far harder than ordinary flirting!
Imagining that scene, Elena Bennett's lips curled into a faint smile.
She quickly opened her built-in voice changer, adjusted a few settings, and then turned on her mic slowly.
Her modified voice was cool and steady, neutral: "Shut up. Come top. Tower dive."
Her commands were short and precise.
Damon Vega instinctively moved his hero to the top lane, still talking back: "Who do you think you are, telling me what to do? … Wow, whatever. This play actually works."
After a perfectly coordinated tower dive kill, Damon Vega stared at the kill pop-up on his screen. A flicker of surprise mixed into his irritable tone.
"… Not bad, bro. You calculated the damage perfectly."
Elena Bennett didn't reply. She simply marked the map: "Take the Rift Herald."
The next two games became her one-woman command show.
She always made the sharpest calls in chaotic team fights and turned battles around with极限 plays.
Damon Vega went from complaining and resisting at first, to following her orders occasionally, and finally —
"Hey! You! Do they have vision on the Baron? Can I steal it?"
"Go for it. Their jungle player just showed bot."
"Nice! Stole it!"
"Stop laughing. Recall. Enemies are coming."
Against all odds, they won all three games in a row.
When the final victory sound played, Damon Vega exhaled deeply, as if letting out a full day of frustration.
His voice was lighter than ever: "Finally won! Three in a row! Dude, you're actually cracked!"
Elena Bennett answered calmly: "Just for fun."
"For fun? Playing like that?" Damon Vega was clearly skeptical, but the thrill of winning made him brush it off. "Add my social media? Let's queue again next time! I won't feed, I promise!"
This was Elena Bennett's real goal — turning a temporary in-game connection into something more personal.
But she couldn't agree too quickly.
[Stray]: I don't add strangers.
[Damon]: … The hell! We just played three games together and I'm still a stranger?
[Stray]: You're the one who begged me to carry you.
[Damon]: … Fine! You're good! What'll it take for you to add me?
Elena Bennett watched his flustered, helpless messages and knew she still had the upper hand.
[Stray]: We'll see how you perform next time. I'm logging off.
Without waiting for Damon Vega to respond, she exited the game sharply, leaving her profile picture grayed out.
At his computer, Damon Vega stared at the suddenly darkened friends list, froze for a second, then nearly laughed in exasperation.
"Wow, you're something else!"
When had the young master Vega ever begged anyone so humbly — only to be brushed off?
Yet the other's god-tier skills left him craving more.
A carry like this was way better than teammates who only sucked up!
He stared at the ID [Stray], gritting his teeth slightly, and made up his mind: he was going to be friends with this person. Next time they logged on, he would wait for them no matter what!
Meanwhile, Elena Bennett took off her headphones with a confident, knowing smile.
Playing hard to get was always the best way to draw someone close.
She opened the system panel in her mind:
[Target 2: Damon Vega]
[Current Affection: 0% (Unrecognized)]
Elena Bennett frowned at "Unrecognized" and silently asked the system: "What does unrecognized mean?"
[The "Unrecognized" status means the target does not yet see you as a potential romantic interest.]
[Because the target (Damon Vega) believes you are a male player, based on your voice and game ID.]
[The "interest" and "fondness" he currently feels are only admiration for a skilled pro gamer — essentially competitive respect and brotherhood between males, with no romantic attraction.]
[Therefore, the affection meter cannot activate and shows Unrecognized.]
I see!
"So as long as he doesn't find out I'm a girl, the affection meter will stay unrecognized forever?"
[Theoretically… yes.]
Elena Bennett didn't catch the tiny, subtle pause in the system's mechanical voice.