I got my hands on a game called The King's Avatar: Childhood Friend Simulator. The game screen read:
Dear player, welcome to Childhood Friend Simulator. You will play the childhood friend of a character from The King's Avatar, growing up alongside him as his dearest companion.
My memories after that are hazy. I only remember having the same dream over and over.
In my dreams, I had lots of childhood friends. They all played Glory, and my actual childhood friend, Fang Minghua, was a professional Glory player too.
One day, the blurred shadows finally came into focus. I saw:
Sun Zheping suddenly took my hand, ignoring the protests behind us as he ran toward the blazing summer beyond the window. We exchanged smiles, like we were eloping in a grand, dramatic escape.
I lowered my head and bent down to look at Zhang Jiale's flushed face. I noticed the faint traces of tears and asked him, "Were you really crying?" He covered his eyes, trying to hide the truth, and snapped in embarrassment, "I wasn't!"
Fang Rui was playing Truth or Dare, and his voice came through the phone, distorted by static. "Give me a kiss." I agreed at once, and the laughter and playful commotion on the other end grew louder.
Ye Xiu smiled lazily around a lollipop. The dim room was suddenly plunged into the deep-sea blue glow of a screen. We squeezed into a single gaming chair, and the Glory login screen reflected our silent kiss.
The doorbell clanged wildly as Huang Shaotian rushed into my house, his hair soaking wet. He insisted on proving he could handle spicy food, but his ears turned bright red when he took my hand.
Cicadas sang against the glass facade of the Blue Rain training base. I crouched in front of the vending machine, agonizing over whether to choose Coca-Cola or Sprite. In the end, I picked the Pepsi I hated most and gave it to Yu Wenzhou, who had been patiently waiting beside me.
In the lobby of the Tiny Herb training camp, I leaped onto Wang Jiexi's back and shouted, "Jessica, let's go!" He caught me securely, then shook his head helplessly. "Why are you still such a child?"
Zhou Zekai clutched my sleeve. After a long, silent look between us, he asked pitifully, "Why don't you call me baby?" I burst out laughing and comforted my neglected little penguin.
*
I opened the Glory screen. As my finger hovered over the start button, the game I'd seen countless times inexplicably made my heart skip a beat.
I thought I'd gone crazy from making games, and the dreams had long since faded. But after I returned to China for work, the Alliance's professional players all started acting strangely.
They said, "I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."
They said, "You remind me of the childhood friend in my dreams."
But I only have one childhood friend: Fang Minghua.
Routes:
Sun Zheping: What Do I Do If My Boyfriend Suddenly Controls Gravity?
Zhang Jiale: The Clingy Boyfriend of a Sickly Childhood Friend
Fang Rui: Can a Good Girl Meet a Little Mouse?
Liu Xiaobie: In the End, You're Not My Hirotaka Nifuji
Sun Xiang: Don't Go, My Biggest Fan
Ye Xiu: My Childhood Friend Ran Away from Home and Got a Fiancé
Ye Qiu: A Triangle Is the Most Stable Shape
Huang Shaotian: The Talkative Guy Next Door Is a Bit Annoying
Wei Chen: I Became an Older, Uncle-Type Guy at a Young Age
Lin Jingyan: What Should I Do When My Little Sister Keeps Trying to Leave Me? (Not Actually Related)
Tang Hao: I Started Being Blunt After Falling for My Rival
Zhao Yuzhe: Everyday Life of a Competitive Couple
Yu Wenzhou: You Can Only Hate Me for the Rest of Your Life
Li Xuan: The Honest Childhood Friend Who Was Bullied Suddenly Turns Into an S
Wang Jiexi: My Spoiled Childhood Friend Turns Into a Beagle
Fang Shiqian: The Cutest Childhood Friend in the World
Jiang Botao: Can an Invisible Nobody Be Loved by Someone's One True Love?
Zhou Zekai: She's Always So Popular
Su Muxiu: The Girlfriend Who Disappeared
Content warnings:
1. All routes feature the female protagonist. First-person narration, told in reverse chronological order. The protagonist is affected by the previous route in each new one, and the final route is a chaotic, all-out showdown.
2. The female protagonist's character traits were decided by a dice bot. Her sickly debuff gradually improves with each world until she reaches normal health, and her condition varies in each route.
3. More guests to be added. Our goal: make the entire Alliance childhood friends!
Theme: Face hardship with courage.
