After the final school bell rang, signaling the end of the day, Roselle, Sarah, and Michigo gathered together he school gates.

  "I've got to head to karate practiow," Michigo said with a sigh. "I 't my training regimen, you know."

  Roselle and Sarah nodded uandingly

  "Of course, Michigo," Roselle replied. "Thanks for helping us talk to Tori and for sharing what you've heard."

  Michigo waved goodbye and headed off to her training, leaving Roselle and Sarah standing there. With Michigo gone, Roselle turo Sarah.

  "So, Sarah," Roselle began, "should we share what we learned with Harty, or do you think we should iigate Hashta first?"

  Sarah raised one hand to the side of her face. “That’s a tough one for iigator Sarah. On one hand, sharing what we've learned with Harty could help us gather more information faster. But oher hand, Hashta might have some insights or knowledge that we don't want to miss out on."

  Roselle nodded in agreement. “You know what, maybe we should try to reach out to Hashta first and see what she knows. Then, once we have more information, we decide whether to involve Harty or not."

  Sarah agreed with the pn. "Sounds like a pn, Roselle. Let's try to find Hashta and see where that leads us. We always bring Harty in ter if we o."

  With their deade, Roselle and Sarah set off on their quest to find Hashta and uncover more about the mysterious impersonator who had disrupted their lives.

  Roselle and Sarah decided to ask around for Hashta, their friend on the list, after leaving school. They wahe school grounds, but nobody seemed to have any information about her whereabouts. It was as if Hashta had disappeared.

  Just as they were starting to feel disced, they spotted someoanding by the school's gate. It was a girl who stood out with her unique gamer-girl appearance. Her ized school uniform and array of game-reted patches and pins immediately caught their attention.

  Roselle and Sarah approached the gamer-girl, who seemed engrossed in her handheld gaming device. Her knee-high socks and sneakers pleted the gamer look.

  "Excuse me," Roselle began, "we're looking for someone named Hashta. Have you seen her around?"

  The gamer-girl gnced up from her game and adjusted her gsses. "Hashta? Yeah, I know her. She's pretty active in the gaming unity here."

  Sarah chimed in, "Do you know where we find her? We o talk to her about something important."

  The gamer-girl, adjusting her gsses once more, houghtfully. "You usually find Hashta at the arcades after school. Silver Star Arcade is her favorite spot. She practically lives there."

  At the mention of that particur location, Sarah froze iracks. Her face whice were lively and asking for questions now became fearful for some reason.

  Roselle, notig Sarah's sudden ge in demeanor, was ed. "Sarah, is something wrong?”

  Sarah hesitated for a moment, her mind rag. Finally, she spoke. "Silver Star Arcade...”

  Sarah quickly shook off her momentary unease, putting on a reassuring smile. "It's nothing, Roselle. Just a strange deja vu moment. Let's go to Silver Star Arcade and find Hashta. Maybe she shed some light on what's been happening."

  Roselle and Sarah tiheir journey and made their way towards the location. They passed by a peaceful park. It was at that moment that Roselle noticed that Sarah had started to slow down. ed, Roselle slowed her pace as well and g her friend with a frown.

  "Sarah, is something b you?: You’ve been ag a bit strange since we mentioned Silver Star Arcade."

  Sarah hesitated for a moment, her gaze fixed on something in the park. Finally, she sighed and turo Roselle looking flicted. Sarah motioned for Roselle to join her on a nearby park bench, and they both sat down. Sarah took a deep breath, her eyes sing the peaceful park around them.

  "Roselle, i've heard a lot of rumors about Silver Star Arcade. People say it's a popur spot, but it's also kinda run down. Some shady characters hang out there, and there have been stories of fights and trouble. I don't want to jump to clusions, but you know? If Hashta’s been spending a lot of time there, who knows what kind of people she's been around?"

  Roselle took in the information and then smiled. "I see what you mean, Sarah. You’re worried we might get into trouble,but there’s o worry! All we have to do is keep uard up while trying to find Hashta. We do o talk to her and figure out what's been going on."

  Roselle couldn't help but notice Sarah's nervous demeanor, Beads of sweat went down Sarahs face.

  "Sarah, you're a little jittery there," Roselle said with a gentle smile, giving her friend a pat on the shoulder. "Are you really that worked up about Silver Star Arcade? I mean, you imagine Hashta as some kind of secret arcade overlord? Picture it: Hashta, the benevolent ruler of the arcade realm, making sure everyone's high scores are in order."

  She chuckled lightly, hoping to lighten the mood and ease Sarah's apprehension

  Sarah chuckled at Roselle's pyful imagination.

  "Oh, absolutely! Hashta, the mastermind behind the joystick, leading her arcade minions to victory and high scores."

  The two friends shared a good-natured ugh. Roselle pced a reassuring hand on Sarah's shoulder and smiled warmly. "You know, even if Hashta has bee the queen of the arcade underworld, she's still our friend. Let’s just focus oing there and finding her."

  Sarah’s gradually rexed, and she returned Roselle's smile. "You're right, Roselle. Our friendship is strohan any arcade gang nonsense. Let's go find Hashta and make sure she's okay."

  Wanting to find their friend intact, Roselle and Sarah got up from the park bend tiheir jouroward Silver Star Arcade.

  Roselle and Sarah finally arrived at the Silver Star Arcade after several mihey could immediately tell that it was an active area. The neon lights from the entrance illumihe night and the sound of maes, ughter, aed chatter was all about. It was an ued full house with people of all ages gathered to enjoy the games aertai.

  Roselle g Sarah. "Looks like we've found the pce."

  Sarah looked around curiously. “There’s a big crowd today …”

  Roselle raised both of her fists up to her face. “Let’s see if we find Hashta in this crowd!”

  With a pn in mind, Roselle and Sarah ventured into the lively area. While Roselle sed around, her eyes became drawn to a thrilling rag game in the er. A young gamer girl was engaged in an intense rag game. She skillfully maneuvered the virtual car through the twists and turns of the track. It looked like a lot of fun!

  Roselle moved towards one vat seat in front of the rag game; however, before she could sit down and grab the steering wheel, Sarah gently but firmly pulled her away.

  "Roselle, we're not here to py games," Sarah reminded. "We o find Hashta and talk to her. Remember why we're here."

  Roselle sighed in agreement, realizing that they had a mission to aplish. She tore her gaze away from the tempting rag game and Sarah.

  Roselle in her searentarily lost sight of Sarah amidst the sea of people engrossed in their games.

  “Sarah? Sarah where did you go?”

  Roselle began to navigate through the crowd, hoping to spot her friend. All of a sudeen, she actally bumped into a group of guys who were engaged in a heated discussion about a game. Startled by the collision, the guys turheir attention to her with angry gres.

  "Ey, Yo! Watch where yoing, eh,” the rgest among them grumbled.

  Roselle turned quickly and bowed her head to them, "I'm so sorry. My bad," she said, making eye tact with each of the guys before each bow she made.

  The guys looked at each other and then shook their head. One of them turo face her and said, "No worries, just be more careful ime."

  Relieved that the situation dide, Roselle tio look around for the friend who disappeared within this crowd. Roselle tio navigate through area until her eyes fell upon an intriguing figure. The girl before her wore a school uniform, but it had been ized in a unique way, with her shirt open in a fashion that revealed her bra underh. Her cat headphones had a greenish glow to them.

  With her attire fitting of a gamer-girl, it was clear that this girl was deeply engrossed in the game she ying. Roselle watched in awe as the girl's fingers danced across the trols, exeg precise moves and bos with incredible speed and accuracy.

  Moments ter, the game s fshed with the words "NEW HIGH SCORE" as the girl had mao somehow surpass 1 million points.

  1 million points in that game? She must be some type of gaming prodigy if those eveed. She sidered approag the girl to strike up a versation but sighed and made the decision to tinue her search for Sarah. ‘I o find out where Sarah went first’ she thought to herself.

  When Roselle turo leave, the girl with the cat headphones and green hair suddenly called out,

  “Roselle!”

  Surprised, Roselle stopped iracks and turned back to face the gaming prodigy.

  Roselle was suprised when the girl with the cat headphones and green hair called out her name. She turo face her with surprise and curiosity. The girl, seemingly unfazed by Roselle's presence, pyed with her hair and addressed her.

  "Roselle," she begaoinged with amusement, "you're ag like you haven't just stumbled upon a friend. Is this about what happened a couple of days ago? Are y to get back at me by showing up here?"

  Roselle blinked in astonishment. She quickly shook her head, a friendly smile appearing on her face. "No, no, nothing like that," she replied, “I’m not here for any grudges. Actually, I'm looking for someone named Hashta, and I thought you might know her. Have you seen her around?"

  The girl with the cat headphones and green hair tio tease Roselle with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Oh, so you really are here for revenge, huh? I k!"

  But then, she dropped from that look to a smile and leaned in closer to Roselle to the point where their faces almost touched. She let out a small ugh. "Alright, I'm just messing with you. You got me. I am Hashta."

  Roselle gasped in surprise. "Hashta? Is that really you? You're the one I've been looking for! We o talk to you about something important."

  Hashta nodded, her curiosity piqued. "Alright, let's chat. But first, follow me. We 't really talk in the middle of all this noise."

  She led Roselle away from the cacophony of games to a quieter er of the establishment where they could have a more private versation.

  Ohey were in a quieter er of the establishment, Hashta wasted no time and asked her first question. She leaned in slightly, her green hair falling gracefully over her shoulder as she spoke.

  "I know you’re still mad about what happehe other day, Roselle," Hashta begaone sincere. "And holy, you have every right to be mad at me and the others, but here's what's been b me: if you're not here for revenge, why did you fet who I was altogether? It's like you erased all memories of me. You and I used to be friends, and you looked at me like I was a total strao you."

  Roselle sighed, realizing that this was a versation she o have. She looked into Hashta's eyes, her own filled with of guilt and uainty.

  “Look…this isn’t something iv’e told a...”