The fourth day Harue got admitted.....
In a dark room, which was dimly lit by just a monitor of a computer, there were empty bags of chips and other snacks that were scattered all around.
The messiness of this room could not be unveiled to its fullest due to the poor visibility.
In front of the white computer screen, the sounds of keyboard tapping and the mouse clicking was partially shrouding the dark room.
*Tap* Tap* Tap* *Click* *Click* Tap*
Sounds of scream for help and the malicious laughter of a terrifying killer came out of the speakers beside the monitor. It was on the computer screen that all of this was generated from.
A video game so to speak.
A young lad was sitting on a very comfortable chair but nevertheless, he did not lay back. The amount of concentration that was usurping all of his mind's needless thoughts, was all being shown on the video game.
His only focus was on the video game. It was really important to him. His eyes seemed indifferent, however, his body language could not hide his excitement.
The intensity of the game being played was not at an ordinary level.
"Tsk! Where the fuck are you slipping to!?"
The gaming headphones on the boys head was preventing him from hearing how loud he was shouting at the screen.
The game composed of two sides. One side are survivors and one side are killers. In a match, there are twice the number of survivors compared to the number of killers.
The survivors have to do enough tasks before truly winning the game in their favour. They had to reach their objective while not being caught and killed by the killer.
There was one factor that made this game popular in this era. There are multiple types of killers and survivor, which each one of them has different unique perks and skills.
Since it was an asymmetrical game, it can be considered a game that is highly advantageous for the survivors. The survivors also have multiples ways to escape from the killer or even fight them, which further supports the assertion for unfairness.
But if someone really knows how to use a killer in this game, then the perspective of the game will drastically change.
Even the young boy who was intensely concentrating on catching the survivors, it seemed easy as he always predicted the next move of the survivors.
After 15 minutes, the game was finished with a result of all the survivors dead.
The killers, which the boy was playing the role of one of them, was bestowed with extremely decent achievements and rewards. The satisfaction was there and the boy expressed it extravagantly by making a victory pose.
Due to the quick sudden movement, he unintentionally knocked down his chair. Luckily for him, it did not break or have any scratches. After having celebrated the win, he composed himself, placed the chair upright and sat on it.
His triumphant smirk was still plastered as he typed something and clicked his mouse.
He entered a page for the leaderboard of killers. And not to his surprise, the boy put his arms up and stretched himself.
The 5th best killer in this game worldwide.
That is the achievement that he wanted after playing this match. The previous 5th best killer overall points was marginally not far from the boy's 6th position.
Before the match started, he noticed that he was playing as killer alongside the previous 5th place killer. He could never forget the player's names who were above him. That was what got him riled up.
He was more aggressive and before the other killer got any chance to even catch someone, he killed them. He aced the game in the killer's perspective. As a result, he got more points than the other players, surpassing his rival for the game, which was his own teammate.
Today, for him, it was one of the good days he got to experience. Nevertheless, if someone was to take a peek at his room, it did not seem that he was living a good life.
Despite all types of empty snacks and crumbs of junk food was littered all around the room, the boy was not obese at all. Instead, he was slim.
That leads to one thing or another.
Either he has been exercising, or he has some kind of disease that counters the obesity or he has just started to become a shut-in.
"Onii-chan..."
The knock from the door of this boy's room was left unanswered. It was because the headphones were preventing him from hearing anything other than sounds from the game.
*Knock* *Knock*
"Onii-chan."
Another was left unanswered.
This time, the door opened and the light invaded the room. That caught the boy and he turned his head to that direction.
He saw a girl wearing a middle school uniform. White uniform, a red ribbon and a dark blue collar accompanied with a pale blue checkered skirt. Her short black hair was swaying with little movement due to the fan in the room.
The facial feature of the girl can be determined to be beautiful but right now, a little fear intruded her expression. The boy side glanced at the little terrified girl.
The smirk he had slowly dissipated as he saw the sight of that girl. He slid his one side of his headphone away from his ear and listened to what the girl has to say.
She mustered the courage and spoke to the boy but stuttered.
"I-I am going to Mom. B-Breakfast is on the table....."
"....."
A cold stare that can make your body rigid, thrust at the little girl. She clenched her hands in fear as she stepped back from the terror.
"Fuck off."
He returned his sight back to the monitor.
The bad language that the boy voiced to her was not rare. She was used to all the cussing she received from that boy.
The girl looked down on the floor and then tried for a last push to engage in a longer conversation. Every time she sees him, she tried to make their interaction longer.
But she was afraid.
Today was a little different as she steeled herself. Her resolve for a little selfish favour was there.
"Onii-chan-"
The boy veered his head immediately at the little girl and shouted at her furiously.
"I am NOT your FUCKING BROTHER!!!!!"
That made the girl squeal from the sudden outburst of the boy. She was shivering and upon that, the boy took advantage of it.
"Get out!!"
The girl obediently shut the door weakly. Her pitiful sight was nowhere to be seen now. The boy composed himself and turned to his computer screen.
His smirk did not appear again and instead, the indifferent expression emerged on his entire face.
"Tsk! My mood is completely ruined."
"Then shall I raise it?"
Swiftly, the boy shifted his sight to the direction of that unknown voice.
"Well hello young boy. It is nice to meet you."
A usual greeting at an unusual place with an unusual position. The strange man was sitting on the edge of the opened window, which invaded more sun rays into the room.
The boy was stunned and obviously confused. He opened his mouth as he was about to presumptively shout at him about who the stranger is.
However, the reality was clearly off the mark.
"What the fuck are you wearing?"
"......Pfffft!!"
The strange man let out a small chuckle before murmuring, "Should I say that I kind of expected that?"
He put his hand on his mask as if he was facepalming. In reality, behind the mask, there was a subtle sneer. He spoke with a confident tone.
"I know that you won't know what this is so I'll tell you. This is a traditional fox mask. It is called a Kitsune mask."
The man was indeed masquerading his face with a fox mask, undisclosing his identity. He wore a red long-sleeve T-shirt with a pair of black jeans.
"...Oh, thank you for the information. Now get out of my room."
"Not so fast boy."
He got down from the edge of the window, which led to even more light to shed on this room. As a result, the visibility of the boy's appearance was more perceptible.
A bit long blonde hair on his head, a handsome face could be made out if his expression would be better in showing positive emotion, and his complexion was so attractive that it did seem unfitting for this environment.
Such a shut-in could not be considered a shut-in.
"It feels like I'm quite the old man if I keep calling you 'boy'. I should change my way to address you, isn't that right, Hoga-kun?"
He squinted his slight blue eyes towards the fox mask. He was concerned when the man referred to him with his name.
"What? You want something from me?"
"Yeah. I want to recruit you to a team."
"What, a soccer team? Sorry, but I am physically weak. Get out now!"
He scoffed as he was about to return to play the game on his computer.
"No. It is a team of villains."
".....The fuck are you on about?"
"That is exactly what I meant."
The boy, Hoga, stared with confusion with a tinge of seriousness that tardily became more apparent.
The fox mask man continued, trying to entice Hoga into pulling him in the team.
"I am recruiting people to form a group of villains that are going to fulfil a certain mission. Do you follow?"
"...."
No answer from Hoga but he was not concealing his interest from the man's words. The man continued as he approached Hoga, reducing the distance between them.
"I'm going to need you because you are someone that can take on one of the major roles in this squad."
".....I am not sure how I can be of any help with your...what the fuck am I supposed to call this?.....this 'join the dark side' bullshit. Besides, I'm just an ordinary shut-in."
The silence the fox mask gave was not that shuddery to Hoga. Hoga was only thinking about how to let him leave him alone in his room.
The masked man approached Hoga, more specifically to his desk where the computer is.
He leaned forward to the monitor as his eyes scrolled over all the information that was displayed. Hoga looked at him annoyingly as he wanted to shove him away from his personal computer.
He would do it if he could. But that was not the case here.
Hoga read the man's figure and there were some things that he could discern. He was more strong than Hoga. So Hoga could only stare at him if he does some irritating things to all his belongings.
After all, how could a slim boy win against such a strong foe that was well built?
"Wow, you are the 5th best killer in the whole world?"
Impressed as the man was, Hoga replied to him annoyingly.
"Yeah, so what?"
"...I find it strange though?"
"....What are you getting at?"
"I mean..."
The fox mask pondered as his hand supported his chin, apparently in deep thought.
"Shouldn't you have easily overtaken first place?"
"I-"
"Does that mean your hacking skill is getting rusty?"
That got Hoga to eat up his own words. Seeing the austere expression on Hoga, the sneer behind the fox mask became wider.
The man also detected his clenched fists that were trembling with the anger.
'Oh my, a hot-tempered teenager this one it seems.' The man thought.
"Now, it would be foolish to deny what I am talking about. You are smart, and I know it."
The fox masked man got Hoga good as Hoga himself was speechless, he could not even argue with him about the fact that he is a hacker.
".....How did you find me..?"
Hoga's curiosity converted into a question.
The man did a common gesture that most people know about. The way the man spoke was as if that it is evident.
"Money. It was pretty costly for you. I have to say that you are the costliest member on the team to search."
".....What? How?"
"Someone had to hire at least 20 elite hackers to just get your location. That seems like a hard job for them to do. Pretty much, for each of them, let's just say their wage was abnormal."
"...Fair enough."
The fox mask crossed his arms and sighed.
"Haaa.....Seriously, I can't believe one of the most talented hackers, Virus, is such a handsome and young boy like you."
Hoga disgustingly looked at him as if the man was a piece of trash.
"What is this. Are you going to turn into a pedophile by just getting entranced by my appearance?"
".....What is this? You are starting to throw some shitty joke?"
Hoga went to his computer and clicked on a cross so that the game he was playing was off. He then later turned off his computer. The monitor was heating and that pretty much shows how much he has been playing that game.
"I still do not understand why you don't just hack the game and reach to the top."
Hoga glared at the fox masked man.
"That is my favourite game. If I hack it, I won't have fun. Robbing the game's initial and major purpose, now that seems like a shitty joke to me."
"....Fair enough."
The fox masked man chuckled, seeing Hoga glowering at him for just over a game.
But soon after, the atmosphere around Hoga changed. He opened his mouth with a tad bit of furiousness that coated his voice.
".....Let me get something straight you fox bastard."
"And what that might be Hoga-kun."
"My skills are not rusty. It is just starting to bloom."
His attitude got the vibe of someone picking a fight with him. Such confidence was backing his statement and Hoga accepted the challenge.
"Oh, I'm appalled at your determination. Then I am going to slightly raise your morale. This mission is on an international level. Did I get your attention?"
To that, Hoga simply smirked at the fox mask.
"That's cute."
Condescending and overwhelmingly fearless as he aimed his fury eyes to the man.
Somehow, for the fox masked man, there was an instant in his heart that he felt something tingling. Something that beckoned him as if this was neither a bad feeling nor a good one.
"Alright then, how about you help me and show me your skills. View it as the first objective for the team."
Arrogance displayed as if to provoke Hoga, however, Hoga convincingly declared.
"Consider it already done. So? What is my 'first mission'?"
The fox masked man relaxed himself as he sat on Hoga's messy bed. The man took out his phone and fiddle with it.
Then after a few seconds, he stopped and showed it to the still sitting Hoga, waiting to receive his orders.
The man with a serious tone, spoke casually as if that was a normal request.
"Find all the other future members of the team."