On screen, Ranma wasn’t fighting a rival or running from a forced engagement. He was standing in the middle of a silent Nerima, looking directly at the camera.
The character on the screen sighed, a plume of animated steam rising into the cold air. "Because you aren't watching a stream. You're watching a mirror."
Suddenly, the "gogo" watermark in the corner began to rotate, faster and faster, until it became a swirling vortex of pixels. A splash of cold water hit Leo’s face—real water, smelling of ancient springs and cedar wood.
It was 2:00 AM, and the blue light of the laptop was the only thing keeping Leo awake. He had been chasing nostalgia all night, finally landing on a grainy, ad-heavy page: Ranma ½ (Dub) Episode 82.
Leo froze. His mouse cursor drifted across the screen without him touching it. "How do you know my name?" he whispered to the empty room.
The episode timer ticked toward zero, and the tab finally closed itself.
He lunged to close the tab, but the "X" button retreated from his cursor. The screen began to stretch, the plastic bezel of the monitor melting like wax. A hand, drawn in bold ink lines with a red sleeve, reached out from the display and grabbed Leo’s collar.