You had to be dreaming. Obviously you were still sleep deprived from that late night yesterdayโand now that was eating away at your dream, forcing you to hallucinate.
Not like that would have been the first time, anyways. A gunshot embedded with some drug had hit you once, and the worst thing that had happened was that Dream's Mask song started to play on repeat in your head. As did James Charles's voice. Then you had suddenly seen Colleen Ballinger moving towards you at startling speedโ
"Are you actually Arata?" You blinked, "I mean, AI is getting scary right now..."
Well, you doubted that AI would be able to capture his true essence. Even doing nothing, Arata had the unmistakable charm and charisma that all, if not most, idols possessed.
"Are you thinking about that hallucination you had a while back?" Arata sighed, "that must have been rough."
See, Arata truly knew you. He knew everything about you; you knew everything about him.
Daichi cleared his throat.
"So, seeing how you two actually know each other, then I trust that you will be able to help Arata assimilate into the school once more."
"You're asking him?"
"You're asking me?"
Both of you turned to look at Daichi with incredulous looks on your faceโand Daichi raised an eyebrow. You two were undoubtedly in sync, and the student council president didn't know whether to be alarmed or amused by it.
"Arata is very popularโeven before he was an idol trainee. While you, [Name]..." Daichi paused, "you tend to create the opposite effect."
"How unpopular are you, [Name]?" Arata furrowed his eyebrows, mirth evident on his featuresโ"you used to be very popular back in Sora, if I remember correctly. I mean, look at your face. You could have joined me to become an idol."
You scowled. Sora was some high level assassin-spy academy you two had once attendedโit wasn't exactly fun, what with the brutal missions and the injuries, but there weren't cowards. Who even was scared of a snake? They had dealt with other animals before.
"Terry the snake happened. And the person who pulled me to the forest started this whole mess. I don't think I'm unpopular, per se, and it's not exactly like they dislike me. I think...they think I'm scary." You explained, frowning. The details of the incident was still etched in your memory. If only you could remember your biology half as well as you remembered your embarrassing moments.
"Some school lab incident," you told him, with a look that read I'll tell you more later.
"Forest? I thought that was a school garden," Arata interrupted you, confused.
"That's what I thought too!"
Daichi looked extremely concerned and simply done. He pinched his nose bridge, exhaling a long breath.
"You twoโ"
"There's a burn on your wrist. It's going to scar." Arata seemed to ignore whatever words you just told him, and instead touched your hand gingerly, with some sort of...tenderness you couldn't quite place your finger on. It had been extremely long since you two had last seen each otherโbut so far you two hadn't done anything but exchange smatterings of words. But his gaze always lingered on you, soft and sweet like you remembered.
"Whatever it is, I don't care. My point is, perhaps you two would like to catch up while directing one another around the school. [Name] always gets lost. He shows up for Mathematics with Chemistry textbooks, he shows up to the science labโwhich he is temporarily banned from, by the wayโwith his English textbooks."
"Typical."
"You haven't been in the school for ages," you accused, "what right do you have?"
"Well, I had idol work," Arata furrowed his eyebrows, before dropping his voice. "And in the meantime, I had to also look up suspicious activities from idols. The Burning Sun scandal was already enough."
"Oh. But Wonyoung's safe, right?" You blinked your eyes.
"Yes, yes, she's safe." His voice was fondly exasperated. "I bet you own Miu Miu and Innisfree products, since she advertises those."
"Mm, not much. Not really," you shrugged. "I think I just have, uh, flawless skin."
"Okay." Arata shot you a suspicious look. "But well, about the living arrangement in this school..."
"Hm?"
"You mentioned you lived with a council member?"
"Oh, Jun," you said dismissively, "it's kind of funny, actuallyโsince he made a bet with me on academics."
"That's like a death wish. No one ever has the guts to compare results with you. Yours are...inhuman."
"That's really nice," you rolled your eyes, "whatever. It's his fault."
"Have you even started studying?" Arata raised an eyebrow.
Um, no, actually. You hadn't.
But it wouldn't hurt him to know.
.
.
"I'll even pay you a few hundred, [Name]."
You stared unconvincingly at Arata, who was currently on his knees with his wallet out invitingly. Admittedly, that was an attractive offer, but a few hundred was too little โ considering how you would have to spend almost a whole month โ only if you were lucky โ to get Arata's stupid little account up to level 50. It was going to be a tedious process, especially when Arata was only at level 13.
"Don't you have better things to do? Go tweet something and feed your rabid fans." You waved your hand dismissively, "plus, I have my own things to do. Don't bother me. I have to study for the bet, for example."
"I know you have nothing to do."
"I have work," You lied.
You were unemployed.
Okay, maybe not unemployed. You were a freelance (fanfiction) writer, meaning technically you were employed, but since you hadn't been getting any job offers except one of erotica novelsโwhich you had declinedโyou had nothing better to do. And in truth, a few hundred dollars would be very welcoming considering your current financial situation. Missions were scarce here. Whatever killing here would simply be considered murder, and that wasn't the most ideal.
"Right." Arata brushed it off, "work. Or whatever you call sitting and reading manga all day long. I know you have the time."
"Why are you so desperate, anyways?" You pinched the bridge of your nose in exasperation, letting out a heavy sigh, "and why do you want to bring your account to level 50?"
"Because I told my fans I was at level 50," Arata admitted, "and they want me to stream, and probably want to see my accountโbut uh, I haven't played that game in ages."
When you didn't respond, Arata continued his ramble. "And," Arata winked, "and, you get to release stress the non sexual, non STD way. Isn't it a win-win?"
"Playing a MMORPG game isn't releasing stress," you grumbled, "in fact, I get even more so worked up when playing itโthe monsters and everything are so stupid."
"Well, uh, maybe make new friends?"
"Increase the money offer." You narrowed your eyes, "then maybe I'll consider."
"I'm broke. You know that."
"Yeah, right." Arata being broke was like being told the earth was flat. You didn't know what fishy job Arata did, but it sure paid a lot. In fact, you wouldย want to be hired for that job (Arata had offered) but after careful consideration, perhaps it wasn't a good idea. You didn't want police knocking on your door at 5am as you desperately tried to wash off blood stains from a piece of clothing with a dead body buried messily in his backyard. Well, that certainly brought back memories, and while you also did know how to cover tracks along with get rid of police...
Yeah, a normal school life.
"Okay, fine," Arata breathed out, "a thousand?"
"I can't actually believe we reunited after months and this is happening."
Fuck yes.
"Alright then," You purposefully kept your voice to one of boredom, so as to not give away the enthusiasm that he's currently feeling โ "send it over now."
"Damn. That was fast. So you were going to take up the offer." Arata frowned โ or at least, attempted toโhe seemed much to be more relieved than anything.
"That will teach you not to lie to your fans." You shrugged, "I mean, you got yourself in that situation, didn't you?"
"Heartless."
"Liar."
"Broke."
You had nothing to say to that. Arata was telling the truth, anyways โ though it contradicted his earlier accusation of calling you a liar.
"What's the username? And password. You can't just merrily skip away without telling me your account information."
"Oh, right. I forgot." Arata scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, "uh. You're gonna laugh." At this, you raised an amused eyebrow.
"It can't be that bad."
"ihaveapisskink," Arata said glumly, "I don't know. I told my mother to make an account for me, and this happened. I think she did it on purpose. The main reason why I remained at level 13 was because no one wanted to co-op with me. And anyways, the password should be my birthday."
"Oh." You said, blinking your eyes, "oh. That is a bad name. Should I be demanding more money from you?"
"Can't. The rest is going to these ridiculous school fees. And myself. And you, of course."
"Ooh, sugar daddy." You perked up.
"If you don't know how to play this game, you can always watch those streams online," Arata suggested, "I recommend that Saito streamer. He's extremely popularโ though, it might also have to do with the fact he has an aesthetic advantage."
Saito... oh, wasn't he that guy... student council guy...
"So..." You trailed off, half confused, "aesthetic advantage, as in, he's hot?"
"All he does is playโor I think demolish is a more fitting wordโthe games; give scathing remarks in his apparent hot voice, though he hardly talks, and all the fangirls go crazy over him." Arata complained, "he's overrated. People call him Saito but apparently a friend uses that name and he isn't actually Saito. I hate him."
"Yet you're recommending him."
"Well, he does play well," Arata said, annoyed, "though sometimes I wished he embarrassed himself in front of everyone."
"How harsh."
"You haven't met that guy yet, [Name]. If trash could have a personality," Arata paused for dramatic effect, "that's him."
Oh. Maybe you should watch his streams, just for fun. You know, just to spite Arata's obvious repulsion of him.
"Okay," Arata amended, "he's not that bad. But still, I would avoid him. He has a really foul and vicious tongue." He shuddered. "And I have been at the receiving end of his insults for far too long in game. Like, once in a server. Have fun playing. Personally, that game gives me PTSD, more than that gunshot to the arm. I'm going to go nowโand trust me, don't skip any of the daily quests. I know when you have skipped one."
You just cheerfully waved him off, ignoring all his comments about the streamer Arata was blabbering about and all those annoying little reminders. Instead, you focused on the fact you were now a thousand dollars richer. You wouldn't have to worry about rent this month, and could focus you efforts...on a video game.
You sighed, watching as the computer screen slowly came to life. Putting your headphones on, you readied yourself for an uneventful, repetitive, and boring evening that would mostly involve you killing random bosses to pick up the same scroll a few hundred times.
.
.
[ Collect 300 scrolls to obtain 15000 EXP. ]
[ EXP will be deducted with each failure to kill the monsters. ]
[ Quest: Help Grandma Ming to build a library. ]
[ Items missing:
251/300 scrolls
5/5 wood ]
It was a tedious task. Stupid, even. Games like this meant countless grinding โ more of time than actual skill, and you were bored out of your mind. You would have used an auto clicker, if not for the fact you would get banned and Arata's money would disappear.
And the fifty minutes you spent killing zombies would also disappear too.
Was there a way to quickly get the stupid quests over and done with? You wonderedโyou didn't know how long he could deal with this. In the fifty minutes, you had not even leveled up once. Well, technically there wasโbut dungeons required parties of 2-4 to complete, and because of the stupid username, no one wanted to group with you. And Arata didn't have any in his friend list.
I should just wait in the forest near the dungeon for some lonely player to appear.
The path leading to the dungeon was very quietโand you was the only player there. All had already progressed past that particular stage, and while you enjoyed wandering around aimlessly and exploring the map, picking up miscellaneous items, it did not bode well for yourย questing prospects.
Finally, there was a sheaf of a blade, and you quickly turned to see a game characterโa girl character, at thatโruthlessly and viciously smashing up a tree. The tree finally gave way to the brutalness, and it withered and disappeared into the girl's inventory. She didn't look like she had anyone with herโso you decided to take this opportunity.
You read her display name: 1256717. While that wasn't as embarrassing as the name Arata had left him with, it wasn't exactly the best. At most, it was a scramble of unintelligible numbers that if you bothered enough, would have deciphered for the fun of it Hmm. Maybe both could unite in some sort of 'stop discriminating against bad usernames' campaign. But it gave you a reason to reach out to the girl.
[ ihaveapisskink: hi ]
[ ihaveapisskink: bad username too? ]
You patiently waited for the girl to reply.
After a minute, there was a short ping! sound and you checked your inbox.
[ user 1256717 has invited you into their party[ . <Accept> or <Decline> ]
Blinking his eyes in bewilderment, You immediately clicked the <Accept> button, watching as you could now enter the dungeon.
[ ihaveapisskink: I see you sent me a party inviteโ here to lament about the cons of having a stupid username too? ]
[ 1256717: I only sent you a party invite to clear the dungeon. ]
Wow. How specific.
[ ihaveapisskink: that's good i needes someune to clear the levecl 2]
[ 1256717: *needed *someone *level ]
[ ihaveapisskink: what are you, an English major? Pardon me, your highness. It seemed I have offended your literate ass with my foolish typos. ]
[ 1256717: shut up and help u fucking dimwit ]
[ ihaveapisskink: where's my pretty please with a cherry on top? y'know, you're my beloved partner in this game, shouldn't you ask me with nicer manners? ]
[ 1256717: do you want me to kick you out from this party or not? ]
You debated sending another annoying reply to the bossy and curt girl, but instead refrained from it. At least she was willing to put up with your stupid username. Who knew? Maybe this could even be the start of a blooming friendship.
[ ihaveapisskink: ok fine ]
[ ihaveapisskink: so do we enter now?]
[ 1256717: . ]
[ ihaveapisskink: ?? what does that mean ]
[ 1256717: hurry up ]
[ ihaveapisskink: what the fuck was that dot for ]
[ 1256717: I was telling you to hurry up, you dumb shit. ]
[ ihaveapisskink: aw, my feelings are hurt :') I think I need a kiss to make it better. Also, a dot doesn't even mean anything. ]
[ 1256717: we are in a game. We can't kiss. But now you know what I mean when I send. I will fucking find your IP address . ]
[ ihaveapisskink: I was just joking around. Don't take it so literally. Thanks for englihtening me on what you actually meant. ]
[ 1256717: *enlightening ]
[ ihaveapisskink: so you have enough time to point up my spelling mistakes but don't have enough to write 'hurry up'? ]
[ 1256717: . ]
[ ihaveapisskink: okay fine I'm coming ]
What pissed him off was that you had to skip the dialogue of the cave NPC to catch up to her, which made you annoyed. Lore is important, you thought with a scowl, people should learn to appreciate all the hard work that goes in the dialogue.
[ ihaveapisskink: Listening to the dialogue is important. You should learn to listen to it. You never know when it come in handy ]
[ ihaveapisskink: Hello? ]
[ ihaveapisskink: Uh ]
[ ihaveapisskink: Where did you go ]
[ ihaveapisskink: I guess this isn't working ]
[ ihaveapisskink: hm ]
[ ihaveapisskink: okay how about ]
[ ihaveapisskink: Fun fact! Honeybees flap their wings 230 times every second. At birth, a panda cub is smaller than a mouse and weighs only four ounces. Horses and cows can sleep standing up, but they can only dream when lying down. ]
[ ihaveapisskink: okay looks like this isn't working ]
[ ihaveapisskink: I have another way ]
[ ihaveapisskink: Ronaldo is better than Messi. ]
[ 1256717: shut up ]
[ ihaveapisskink: looks like you finally replied, do you really think Ronaldo is better than Messi? ]
[ 1256717: I'm busy killing bosses and you r spamming the chat ]
[ ihaveapisskink: thanks for carrying me ]
[ 1256717: . ok ]
Well, it was true that the girl had helped carry you throughout. Your screen flashed with various in-game notifications, thanks to her heartless assault of those poor goblins.
[ You have gained EXP! ]
[ You have gained EXP! ]
[ You have gained EXP! ]
[ You have gained EXP! ]
[ You have gained EXP! ]
[ ihaveapisskink: wow, how much damage did you deal? ]
[ ihaveapisskink: okay nvm back to ignoring ]
[ ihaveapisskink: I'll let you do your own thing, then. ]
You tapped yourย mouse impatiently. Your co-op partner didn't bother to update you on what was happening, and she moved too fast for you to keep up with her. Though she was around the same level as him, you suspected the girl had some secret professional account she used on other days.
[ ihaveapisskink: what can I do? ]
[ 1256717: just shut up. I can't play properly when my screen is flooded from unwanted messages from you. ]
[ ihaveapisskink: how blunt. ]
[ 1256717: . ]
You kept your mouth shut, but you wereย internally grateful to the girl for letting you gain XP so fast. But you suspected that tomorrow you might not be so lucky in getting a co-op partner who, firstly, didn't care about your questionable username, and secondlyโcould carry you in-game.
You watched as the girl character slashed mercilessly at the last boss, effectively killing it.
[ You have successfully defeated the dungeon boss! ]
[ You have gained EXP! ]
[ You have gained EXP! ]
[ You have gained EXP! ]
[ You have gained EXP! ]
[ You have gained EXP! ]
[ You have gained EXP! ]
[ You have gained EXP! ]
[ You have gained EXP! ]
[ You have gained EXP! ]
[ ihaveapisskink: You know, I think this arrangement could work. ]
[ ihaveapisskink: we should friend each other. ]
[ You have sent a friend request to <1256717> ]
[ <1256717> has declined your request ]
[ You have sent a friend request to <1256717> ]
[ <1256717> has declined your request ]
[ You have sent a friend request to <1256717> ]
[ <1256717> has declined your request ]
[ You have sent a friend request to <1256717> ]
[ <1256717> has declined your request ]
[ You have sent a friend request to <1256717> ]
[ <1256717> has declined your request ]
[ 1256717: stop. ]
[ ihaveapisskink: I have been taught perseverance is key. ]
[ You have sent a friend request to <1256717> ]
[ <1256717> has declined your request ]
[ You have sent a friend request to <1256717> ]
[ <1256717> has declined your request ]
[ You have sent a friend request to <1256717> ]
[ <1256717> has declined your request ]
[ You have sent a friend request to <1256717> ]
[ <1256717> has accepted your request ]
You blinked in disbelief at your screen. Did the girl really..?
You smiled smugly, satisfaction oozing off you.
Eat that, Arata.
[ ihaveapisskink: I think we would made wonderful friends. ]
.
.
[ 1256717: why is your name so weird ]
[ ihaveapisskink: sorry? ]
You sighed at the screen. You knew such a question was inevitable โ you were practically asking for it. But you were just surprised that the girl โ whose name you still had yet to get โ was actually talking to you, and not just giving you short, curt answers. It had been about three hours since you two had started playing, and apart from that question, you had seen no progress with this new friendship.
[ You have gained EXP! ]
[ You have gained EXP! ]
[ You have gained EXP! ]
[ You have gained EXP! ]
[ You have leveled up! ]
[ ihaveapisskink: this is my friend's account. ]
[ 1256717: well it's time to dump that friend ]
[ ihaveapisskink: wow ]
[ 1256717: what ]
[ ihaveapisskink: no like you actually spoke a full sentence ]
[ ihaveapisskink: all this time I thought the only vocabulary you had was '.' ]
[ 1256717: speaking to you was a waste of time ]
[ ihaveapisskink: you hurt me. ]
[ 1256717: good. next I'll get your info and post it on social media ]
[ ihaveapisskink: you still accepted my friend request though? ]
[ 1256717: mainly because I wanted to stop those notifications ]
[ ihaveapisskink: fair point. ]
[ ihaveapisskink: but anyways ]
[ ihaveapisskink: I have a question ]
[ 1256717: if u ask something stupid I'll kill you ]
[ ihaveapisskink: don't worry about that ]
[ ihaveapisskink: it's a very meaningful question ]
[ ihaveapisskink: one that determines the fate of our friendship ]
[ 1256717: what friendship ]
[ ihaveapisskink: ignoring what you just said ]
[ ihaveapisskink: am i your favourite friend in this game ]
[ 1256717: what ]
[ 1256717: i don't need friends on this game ]
[ ihaveapisskink : friendless. ah, that's sad. don't worry, I can be your friend. ]
[ ihaveapisskink: kinda sad u don't regard me as a friend already though ]
[ ihaveapisskink: i think we shared a very passionate 3 hours together. it's so romantic watching you slaughter those goblins. ]
[ 1256717: can u just shut up ]
[ ihaveapisskink: I'm too bored ]
[ 1256717: then go do something ]
[ ihaveapisskink: you are not letting me do anything ]
You watched in amusement as the girl tossed you an axe โ a refined, valuable one at that. Your character scrambled to pick it up.
[ ihaveapisskink: that's so romantic ]
[ ihaveapisskink: did u just give me such an expensive item ]
[ 1256717: you have a weapon now ]
[ 1256717: go do something for once, you useless vermin. ]
[ ihaveapisskink: woahh your vocab expanding??? ]
[ ihaveapisskink: omg I feel like a mother hen?? ]
The girl paused noticeably in her steps. You didn't know a game character could change facesโor if it was just your imagination, but a menacing aura seemed to be clouding her. You gulped, deciding to cease with the teasing and actually help.
Youย picked up the scrolls nearby, chopped some wood, and decided to start interacting with some of the NPCs โ an action you couldn't do earlier thanks to this girl.
[ 1256717: what are you doing ]
You stopped.
[ ihaveapisskink: huh? I'm helping? Didn't know your inability to speak has affected your eyesight. ]
[ 1256717: why are you talking with the NPCs? ]
You usually weren't talkative โ but something about the promise of anonymity had awakened a long lost personality you thought you had dumped away. Strangely, it was fun to talk to [1256717], but also partially because it was fun to annoy her.
[ ihaveapisskink: the dialogue is interesting. And it helps with the quest. It gives subtle little hints, you know? It's really useful ]
[ 1256717: what do I call you ]
You blinked in surprise.
[ ihaveapisskink: that's a sudden subject change ]
[ 1256717: it's annoying calling 'you' all the time ]
[ ihaveapisskink: that's fair ]
[ ihaveapisskink: u can call me [Name], I guess. ]
[ 1256717: k. ]
You watched as the girl proceeded to wipe out half the population of goblins. Inwardly, you despaired at how the ecosystem was now unbalanced. You had half a mind to sabotage [1256717] by going to the portal to restart things, but that would affect your own progress too โ and you doubted you would find anyone as efficient as her.
[ You have gained EXP! ]
[ You have gained EXP! ]
[ You have levelled up! ]
[ ihaveapisskink: wbu? what do I call u? ]
[ ihaveapisskink: it's hard calling you dumbass in my head ]
[ 1256717: aki ]
[ ihaveapisskink: ah. that's a cute name... like chainsaw man ]
[1256717] didn't reply after that.
Aki? That was a strangely mild and sweet name for someone so...unhinged. You tilted your head in puzzlement, wondering how such a person with a name turned out...
You watched again as a cacophony of shrieks and slashes filled your computer screen.
Amongst it, there was the familiar but rare ping! sound.
[ 1256717: collect, [Name] ]
[ ihaveapisskink: I think I just got butterflies from you saying my name ]
[ ihaveapisskink: but thanks. I needed this to level up. ]
[ You have gained EXP! ]
[ You have gained EXP! ]
[ 1256717: just hurry up ]
[ ihaveapisskink: evolving from the full stop? I'm getting prouder and prouder every day ]
[ 1256717: . ]
[ ihaveapisskink: to think I had a good impression of you for like 5 seconds, aki. ]
[ 1256717: i don't really care ]
[ ihaveapisskink: ok... oh and I recommend u break the bricks on the right and not the left, the NPCS hinted at it in their conversations so ]
You just navigated your character, starting to smash the trees next to you. Work was a lot easier once you had the ax, and you were comforted by the influx of coins that had poured in. Money was the way of mutual understanding. You felt your mood brighten more.
[ You have earned money! Redeem items in <Shop> ]
[ You have earned money! Redeem items in <Shop> ]
[ You have earned money! Redeem items in <Shop> ]
[ You have earned money! Redeem items in <Shop> ]
Finally, the girl character decided to take heed of his advice, and used the ax to swing hard at the bricks. It exploded in a myriad of colors, and gold coins dropped out from it, along with a shining stone. Aki seemed to hesitate โ as if she was pondering whether she should pick it up.
[ ihaveapisskink: it's okay ]
[ ihaveapisskink: u can collect it, no worries ]
[ ihaveapisskink: but I'll take the coins~ ]
[ You have earned money! Redeem items in <Shop> ]
[ You have earned money! Redeem items in <Shop> ]
[ You have earned money! Redeem items in <Shop> ]
Ah, money. Even if it was only game currency, your heart swelled seeing it.
[ ihaveapisskink: honestly speaking, how old r u? ]
[1256717] was astoundingly good at the game. You wouldn't have been surprised if she managed to clear the game in 24 hours. In fact, you were mostly dragging her pace down. All you were really doing was keeping a +1 headcount. But when you logged into the game, her progress was more or less the same as yours โ which meant she was probably either working, or someone still in school, like you.
[ ihaveapisskink: don't lie ]
[ 1256717: I'm nineteen ]
[ ihaveapisskink: ah, so you are my senior, then. ]
[ ihaveapisskink: I'm eighteen. ]
[ 1256717 went offline ]
[ 1256717 went online ]
[ 1256717: I got to go ]
[ ihaveapisskink: oh, okay. bye aki ]
You didn't really expect much โ in fact, [1256717] was probably just going to leave you on read. You turned his computer off, deciding to take a rest โ most importantly for your poor, sore eyes.
Unknown to him, the game gave a little ping! sound, signaling you had a new message.
[ 1256717: bye, [Name]. ]
.
.
Akio closed his laptop, narrowing his eyes. Saito had made him play his accountโand to Akio's mortification, it was a girl avatar. Saito had played a trick on him, no doubt...
And that person he had been in the same party with....what a fucking off username. Akio could guess that that person was a lone salaryman who was earning minimum age, balding and sitting behind a computer screen.
But well, he was eighteenโso perhaps he wasn't balding. If so, that would be rather pitiable.
The person he had been playing with was annoying, and he shared the same name as someone he hated, but...
That wasn't that bad, he thought.
.
.
You sighed, opening another can of coffee. Luckily, it seemed that you and [1256717] shared the same time zone โ so you two wouldn't have to worry about whether one could log in at similar times. But still, since you were ignoring the request of the erotica novel on your computer, you decided to wake up in the wee hours to play this game.
"[Name]? Daichi wants to see you."
"Huh? Tell him I say no." You grumped, "I'm tired."
"Hmm." Inei shrugged, "same, I guess. I'm too lazy to pass your message over, though."
"Okay." You wrinkled your nose, sighing. "I'll go, I'll go... what could he possibly want, though?"
"Relationship advice?" Inei guessed.
"Yeah, right," you scoffed, "that's as likely as you ever getting shot by a pistol. I calculated the odds. It's still possible, you know."
"A thrilling end to a boring life."
"Concerning, but well, you do you. Could you show Arata around the school while you're at it?"
"No."
"I get it, you're just lazy, butโ"
"I don't like him." Inei said, and his firm tone surprised you. He never sounded so decisive about a matter beforeโand to be extremely frank, it amused you more than anything.
"He hasn't even done anything to you."
"He doesn't like me either." Inei said as a matter of factly, rolling over to face you where you stood, "isn't it obvious? He doesn't like any of us."
Well, you had kinda noticed that. You had bumped into several of them when you were giving Arata a tour of the school (you had gotten lost, by the way) and all he received were wary, cold looks. And from the other students, looks of envy and pure adoration. Was Arata a threat to the student council, because of his influence? Because of his sheer popularity?
He was an idol...
"Give it time." You murmured. "I'll get going to Daichi. Just rest or something."
"Mm."
Inei looked at you as you retreated, dislike bubbling in his stomach. Noโnot targeted at youโnever at youโbut towards Arata. He was supposed to be the one to have known you from the past, so why was Arata...why was Arata claiming that position? It was annoying, really, to accept the simple fact that Arata probably knew more about you then he did. That Arata could easily fill in the crevices and holes of the information he lacked from you; which was admirably a lot.
Who were you?
Were your parents hitmen?
Were they responsible for his mother's death?
And...
Inei closed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. Now this was why he absolutely despised thinking.
And why was he so captured by you?
.
.
gaming part heavily inspired by joongdok fic on the internet no one knows you are a dog fic on a03