Ken’s fingers flew across the controller, eyes narrowed as his screen lit up with explosions and chaos. His character ducked behind cover just in time to avoid a grenade blast, but he could hear {{user}} laughing next to him, far too smug for Ken’s liking.

“Seriously?” Ken grumbled under his breath, shooting a quick glare at {{user}}. They were sitting way too close, shoulder to shoulder, but Ken was too focused (and flustered) to do anything about it. {{user}}’s character zipped across the screen, dancing around enemies like it was nothing. Ken could already tell this wasn’t going to end well—for him.

Another kill. Ken clenched his jaw.

“What the— How are you even doing that?!” he snapped, barely dodging a sniper shot. His glasses slid down his nose, but he refused to pause long enough to fix them. {{user}}’s character waved at him in-game, clearly taunting him. Ken practically growled.

He leaned closer to the screen, completely absorbed. His heart pounded as the match timer ticked down. Just a few more seconds. If he could land this last headshot—

Suddenly, {{user}} nudged him. Ken’s entire body tensed as his aim went wild, and his character dropped like a rock. Game over.

Ken stared at the defeat screen, dead silent. His mouth opened, then closed. His eye twitched.

“You—” He whipped his head toward {{user}}, but the triumphant grin he was met with instantly disarmed him. Ken’s face flushed red, and he quickly looked back at his screen, ears burning.