I couldn't stand him. We went to the same elementary school, and I clearly remembered how he treated Yuki back then. Even as a kid, Koki was aware of his good looks, and he had joined the others in mocking Yuki when she was heavier. But as soon as she slimmed down and transformed into a beautiful girl in middle school, he suddenly started showering her with sweet words.
Of course, Yuki remembered how he treated her, so she couldn't openly express her dislike, but it was obvious. And like many pretty boys, he lacked the ability to read the room, constantly trying to get close to Yuki with his ulterior motives.
"Sorry, Shiba, but I can only make enough bento for Suzukun," Yuki replied.
"In that case, just stop making it for Ogami and make one for me instead."
"That's not going to happen. To me, Suzukun is special."
Her words hung in the air, leaving the whole class buzzing, as they hinted at a possible romantic relationship.
Among the students, some mutter curses under their breath, while others let out shrill voices.
"If Yuki is special, then I'm here, aren't I? To me, Yuki is special, and I'm sure I'm special to Yuki as well."
This guy really doesn't know how to read the room. Or maybe he just insists on his own preferences, thinking he's the center of the universe? Suddenly, Hikaru looks my way as if he's just realized something.
"Oh, there you are, bug. Still lingering around Yuki, I see. You're a nuisance, so why don't you just disappear?"
"It's you who should read the room and vanish! You never listen to anyone, do you?"
"Hmph. It's only fitting that someone as dazzling as me stands by the beautiful jewel that is Yuki. You're the one who needs to pick up on the atmosphere."
"You're delusional. You're no jewel; you're just a pebble lying around."
I project an aura of intimidation, but he continues to call me 'bug' and whispers sweet nothings into Yuki's ear.
"Uh, I appreciate your concern, Shiba-kun, but Yuki thinks the world of Suzu-kun..."
"How sad. You're being swayed by this bug. Well, whatever. I'll step back for today, but I'll eventually open Yuki's eyes."
With that, Hikaru struts out of the classroom, flanked by a group of girls.
"What's wrong with that guy... repeating the same thing over and over?"
Since entering high school a month ago, he's been stuck in this loop. Tomorrow, he'll probably spout the same line again, as if today never happened.
"Ahaha... Shiba-kun isn't a bad person, though!"
Where's the evidence of that? If he's not a bad person, at least learn to read the room!
◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
After school, Yuki heads home with her friends while I make my way to my uncle's dojo. You'd think that after school, Kokki would pounce on Yuki, but he's busy with the soccer club and takes his practice seriously, so I don't worry about it.
I walk for a while before entering the run-down dojo. Since my uncle does this as a hobby, he's not always there. His approach is to let the students train independently, which means those lacking motivation have dwindled, leaving just me.
As a result, I hold the key to the dojo, and I'm responsible for its upkeep, including cleaning. After quickly tidying up, I change into my gi and begin practicing the standard karate forms, followed by the unique techniques of the Shippuujinryuu.
That said, Shippuujinryuu focuses mainly on footwork, so my training consists mostly of walking through the dojo.
The training focused solely on walking, distinct from typical karate, may be seen as dull, contributing to a decline in students. Yet, while walking might seem simple, the rigorous practice of carefully placing each foot like a slow-moving cow, or executing steps akin to a dance, is far from easy.
After finishing my walking drills and wiping away streams of sweat, I took a shower, locked up the dojo, and headed home. Another day went by without seeing that old man. When was the last time I took instruction from him...?
"I'm back!"
"Welcome home."
To my surprise, my dad was home earlier than usual.
"Hey, where's Mom?"
"Oh, she said something about a girls' night out and went out to dinner."
"What?! A girls' night?! She's hardly a girl anymore!"
I could easily picture my mother excitedly heading out, pretending to be a carefree young woman.
"…You might wanna be careful with that comment; she'd kill you if she heard."
"I'm not that clueless. What's for dinner, then?"
"Don't worry, I prepared everything before I left. You just need to heat it up in the microwave."
While I changed, the doorbell rang. Anticipating that my dad was too busy to answer, I walked to the door to greet the visitor.
"Yes, who is it?"
When I opened the door, I found a girl standing there, about 160 cm tall, slender, with a decent bust and long black hair tied back in a ponytail. Though she looked like a high school student, there was a calm, mature aura about her that suggested otherwise.
"Good evening. Um, could you be... Suzanne? Wow, you've grown quite a bit!"
She began to touch my arms familiarly, like a relative I hadn't seen in ages. I was taken aback by her boldness.
"Wait! Who are you? And don't call me 'chan'!"
"Oh, I'm sorry! I just got a bit nostalgic. I'm Ichinose Amy, a friend of your father—Taiga. I've even held you when you were a baby."
Huh!?
Her words momentarily stunned me. Hold on. My dad is friends with someone like her? Wait, she said she held me as a baby, which means she must be at least twenty years older than me! With that appearance!?
"What's wrong, Suzanne? Did something happen?"
Just then, my dad appeared, clearly drawn by the commotion of the unexpected guest.
"Oh, it's been a while, Taiga!"
"Oh, Amy? You're already here? Didn't you say you'd be a bit later?"
"I didn't come flying here just to see Taiga and Suzu," she said.
"Oh no, bad timing. Suzu is out today," I replied.
"Really? I was planning to surprise her, but it backfired..."
It seemed clear that she was an acquaintance of my dad's. However, despite my reluctance to judge based on appearances, I found it hard to believe that she was just a friend of his. They looked more like mother and child—or perhaps they had a questionable relationship.
"Hey, Dad... did you bring her over while Mom's away?"
"What? Me? Cheat? With her? I'd happily take you up on that offer!"
"What nonsense are you spouting? And Amy, don't take that seriously. By the way, have you eaten dinner yet? If you'd like, you can stay and eat with us."
"Well, since you insist, I'll take advantage of your offer. I came straight here from the airport, and I'm starving."
Wait a minute... did Amy come from overseas?
Later, we sat down to dinner, enjoying a meal prepared by my mom. It turned out that Amy had been working for a cybersecurity firm in America. This company specialized in dealing with cyber incidents, fully entrusted by the police with handling such cases. The American cybersecurity firm was at the forefront of fighting cybercrime, boasting some of the best computer experts in the world.
When Amy was in Japan, she was part of the cyber police and reportedly made quite an impact against hackers. Hearing about her accomplishments, an American cybersecurity firm recruited her. To prevent incidents like the Angel In case from 23 years ago, Amy resolved to go to America, the epicenter of cyber warfare, to hone her skills. I didn't understand the mention of the Angel In incident at the time, but I would learn more about it later.
"So, why did Amy come all the way from America? Surely it's not just to see her parents?" I asked.
"Hmm? Can I say this? I can't give too many details, but she's here to help Oigawa with his work," came the reply.
"For an American cybersecurity firm to lend a hand... Is something serious happening at ICE?" I inquired.
"That's not something you need to worry about. We called Amy in case of emergencies. By the way, she's the president of ICE's daughter. We brought her back through those connections," he said casually.
Wait, really?
I couldn't help but glance at Amy. That's right, the president of ICE was named Ichinose. So Amy was actually the daughter of the company's president…
Dinner was lively with Amy and my father reminiscing about old stories. Naturally, I felt a bit left out during their banter. Thus, the Ohgami family dinner unfolded as usual, albeit with a somewhat unusual guest.
After dinner, Amy left the house to prepare for her trip to ICE tomorrow. But this routine of everyday life ended with that day. It was Amy's arrival that set things in motion. Or perhaps, it was already in motion without my knowledge. One of those changes was unfolding right around me. The next morning, Yuki didn't come to pick me up.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
Alive In World Online Chat Thread 931
565: Depuko: 2059/05/01 (Thu) 16:09:23 ID: Dpbl16Slv
I invited my childhood friend to AIWOn, but she turned me down…
566: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/01 (Thu) 16:10:11 ID: HkOj33sSn
Why did she refuse? I don't understand why anyone would turn down the trendy AIWOn.
567: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/01 (Thu) 16:10:56 ID: aIzNuk2zz
Huh? Why refuse? It's so much fun!
568: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/01 (Thu) 16:12:01 ID: Td105OUkb
Maybe her invitation was poorly worded or something?
569: Depuko: 2059/05/01 (Thu) 16:15:03 ID: Dpbl16Slv
If I'm struggling in reality, why do I have to face the same struggles in a game?
570: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/01 (Thu) 16:15:43 ID: OkitSitLow
Ah, so that's the reason for the rejection.
571: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/01 (Thu) 16:17:55 ID: HkOj33sSn
AIWOn has specs nearly identical to reality. I totally understand what that childhood friend is getting at.
572: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/01 (Thu) 16:18:56 ID: BltzPl202P
That's true, haha. Especially when it comes to magic; you might as well just memorize some English vocabulary instead!
573: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/01 (Thu) 16:20:09 ID: eRleNAaD4
The princess just wanted to play with her childhood friend, that's all. Poor thing! (´・ω・)ノ
574: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/01 (Thu) 16:20:46 ID: KLsT410bl
It's definitely a niche system, but once you're hooked, there's no turning back. It's like you can truly feel yourself becoming stronger, unlike other games.
575: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/01 (Thu) 16:21:43 ID: OkitSitLow
Yeah, I get it. Other VRMMOs only reflect growth through statistics, just numbers on a screen.
576: Adventurer: 2059/05/01(Thu) 16:22:56 ID: BltzPl202P
In that regard, everything in AIWON is designed to feel real, haha.
If you train in AIWON, it's like training in real life!
577: Depko: 2059/05/01(Thu) 16:24:03 ID: Dpbl16Slv
But trained muscles don't get affected in real life!
578: Adventurer: 2059/05/01(Thu) 16:26:09 ID: eRleNAaD4
You hit a sore spot there, didn't you?＾＾;
579: Adventurer: 2059/05/01(Thu) 16:27:11 ID: HkOj33sSn
Remember, what you're really training is just your body control and knowledge.
580: Adventurer: 2059/05/01(Thu) 16:28:01 ID: Td105OUkb
By the way, isn't the princess just about to finish the Angel Quest?
581: Adventurer: 2059/05/01(Thu) 16:28:56 ID: aIzNuk2zz
True, but even just remembering how to move your body gives you a significant edge in real life.
582: Depko: 2059/05/01(Thu) 16:30:03 ID: Dpbl16Slv
Exactly!
There's only one task left in the Angel Quest.
If all goes well, I'll clear it today and head to Arcadia!
--- Friday, May 2, 2059 ---
"Yuki, you're really late today. Is something wrong?" My mother fretted as she cleaned up the breakfast table, glancing at the clock. Yuki was usually here by now.
"It's not weird for me not to pick her up every day just because we're childhood friends. We're not in elementary school anymore. Yuki should have her own time too, instead of always focusing on me."