As everyone knows, high-skill female gaming partners are the scarcest resource in the companion industry.
The comments on her profile page were overwhelmingly positive, all saying the young lady's skills were unmatched and she could carry reliably. The only downside was her personality was a bit too cold—she didn't even call clients "boss," only engaging in the most basic polite communication.
Overall, the price seemed reasonable.
Arden didn't care.
As long as her voice was pleasant and she could carry him, that was all Arden needed. His ultimate goal was to spend money lavishly.
BlakeOutCurtains happened to be online, so Arden clicked on her private chat and immediately asked a very mysterious question:
[WestOfEden]: Hey, can I subscribe to your services monthly?
[BlakeOutCurtains]: ?
[WestOfEden]: It's like this—I'm looking for a long-term, stable gaming partner. I need a pleasant voice and the ability to carry. Your profile perfectly matches what I'm looking for.
[BlakeOutCurtains]: Okay.
[BlakeOutCurtains]: Specific details?
[WestOfEden]: Monthly billing, no more than two hours per day. We can negotiate the specific game times.
[BlakeOutCurtains]: Okay.
Done!
Arden smiled slightly.
Before messaging her privately, he'd researched BlakeOutCurtains's order history.
An average of two hours a day should be no problem for her.
At $30 per hour, two hours a day would be $60, and a month would be $1,800.
[WestOfEden]: [Transfer: $1,800]
[BlakeOutCurtains]: ?
[BlakeOutCurtains]: What's this?
[WestOfEden]: Payment for next month.
[BlakeOutCurtains]: Shouldn't we try it out first...?
[WestOfEden]: No need. I trust you.
[BlakeOutCurtains]: Let's play one game as a trial first, in case you don't like it.
[BlakeOutCurtains]: That's a lot of money. You should be careful.
[WestOfEden]: You'll like it, don't worry. No matter what, I'm not refunding. This amount of money is nothing to me.
[BlakeOutCurtains]: Oh.
[BlakeOutCurtains]: [Accepted Transfer]
At the same time, Arden's system reacted.
[Ding! Host subscribed to a monthly gaming companion service, spent $1,800, triggered 3x cashback, reward: +$5,400!]
After deducting the payment cost, that meant he'd earned $3,600.
Arden happily logged into the game and added BlakeOutCurtains as an in-game friend.
Both opened voice chat through the companion app.
"Hello."
A clear, mature female voice—exactly as displayed on her profile.
"Hey, let's start ranked," Arden said.
"Mm."
She really was cold...
Whatever, as long as she could carry.
This cool little voice actually sounded pretty appealing, Arden mused.
Then he entered the ranked queue.
He discovered an extremely awkward problem.
BlakeOutCurtains's game account rank was Platinum 2.
According to the rules, in solo/duo ranked, Silver players could queue with Iron, Bronze, Silver, and Gold players.
Platinum was one tier above Gold, which meant...
BlakeOutCurtains's account was clearly a smurf used for companion services.
But she still couldn't queue with Arden.
Damn it, couldn't this world be any fairer?!
Silver players' lives mattered too!
Maybe because the situation was too awkward, silence fell over the voice chat.
After more than ten seconds, BlakeOutCurtains suddenly said, "I just remembered—I have another Gold smurf account. Hold on while I switch."
"...Go ahead."
Two minutes later, Arden added her Gold smurf.
"This one can queue together. I didn't realize your rank was so low before."
"Hahaha!"
"...Sorry, did I offend you? I'm not very good with words. If I upset you, just tell me off directly."
"It's fine. I've got thick skin."
"Oh."
Arden's lips curved into a silent smile.
This young lady seemed not just cold, but also kind of adorable deep down.
However, once in-game, BlakeOutCurtains showed no sign of being adorable at all.
She picked Nidalee jungle—a classic smurf champion.
Ganking, counter-jungling, controlling the map.
She carried four others, dominating the enemy team.
Arden felt like he just AFK'd and won.
Tsk tsk, zero gameplay experience, negative review! (Just kidding)
Give me more easy wins like this!
Over the next two hours, BlakeOutCurtains led WestOfEden on a triumphant march.
The last game started when there were only five minutes left until the two-hour mark, but BlakeOutCurtains still finished it, showing extreme professionalism.
Overall, Arden's experience was excellent. Though BlakeOutCurtains's voice was flat and completely lacked the usual flirty tactics of female companions, her pleasant voice was a major plus, making him feel comfortable.
Combined with her rare high skill level among female companions, it was totally worth it.
"Time's up," BlakeOutCurtains reminded him after the last game ended.
"Okay, I had a great time today. Let's continue tomorrow—I'll contact you then."
"Mm."
"Let's add each other on Instagram for easier contact."
"...I don't add clients on Instagram."
"But I'm a long-term client. Adding me makes it easier to contact, and you can send me your Venmo directly in the future, saving on platform fees."
After a moment's hesitation, perhaps swayed by saving fees and Arden's status as a premium client, she agreed to add him.
BlakeOutCurtains's profile picture was an anime girl with purple hair, giving off a cold yet slightly cute vibe, much like the personality her voice conveyed.
Arden's was simple: a stick-figure emoji.
Both, by unspoken agreement, checked each other's Instagram feeds.
Emmmm...
Both showed nothing—private accounts with minimal posts visible.
Classic.
Neither seemed to be the type who posted much.
Also at Pennbrook University, in a girls' dorm.
Imogen Blake took off her headphones and closed her laptop.
Her graceful long legs, wrapped in black tights.