Kaz didn't know how he ended up in an arcade game shop with this annoying guy, Louis.
With this guy stuck to him, he couldn't go about with his previous plan anymore—it was too risky.
However, for some reason, he also felt relieved. It was an odd feeling.
"Damn, you're absolutely terrible in first person shooters!" Kaz heard an exclamation from his side.
He realized that once again, his character died, and Louis was sweating bullets trying to clear the stage solo when it was a difficulty setting for a duo.
Yes, this guy was very good at video games.
Kaz seemed to understand why that class president was so pessimistic about Louis' grades.
All of a sudden, he hooked his arm around Louis' shoulder—which caused the latter to lag in response to a spawned enemy, which easily killed him as a result.
"What the fuck, dude!!!!" Louis lost himself in the mood and slammed the dashboard with both hands.
He sprung to his feet, grabbed Kaz by the collar, and a string of remarkable profanities almost drowned the noise in the arcade game shop.
All Kaz could hear was: @$"@/$;"-!!
He suddenly found himself laughing, and although he could beat Louis to the ground without a sweat, he just raised his hands in mock surrender, laughing.
"Hahaha!"
"Fuck!" Louis was exhausted, so he tossed Kaz back into his seat. "This is like the ninth game, but you're really a fucking noob… pant, pant…"
Louis slumped back into his seat.
But in all honesty, it had been such a long time since he had this much fun. All the kids in his class were either trying hard to study or trying even harder to study.
A bunch of nerds.
If he knew earlier, he would have went on the lookout for dropouts to make new friends.
"I'll make it up to you in a bit, don't sweat it over such trifles," Kaz finally caught himself and threw his arm over Louis shoulder once again. "Do you know how to ride a bike?"
Louis grabbed a bottle of water, uncapped it and chugged down a few mouthfuls to satiate his dehydration while gazing inquisitively at this guy.
"Yeah, probably not," Kaz had an 'as expected' look in his eyes, patting Louis back.
At this moment, Kaz felt his phone vibrating.
He took it out to have a look, and his expression changed slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he got up and said, "How about I take you for a spin later? I got to bounce real quick."
Louis felt the spike of anxiety in Kaz's emotions so he grabbed his shoulder and asked, "What happened? After killing so many of my brain cells, you at least owe me this much."
Kaz hesitated for a moment then sighed, "It's my little sister…"
…
This was how Louis found himself in the ICU's waiting area with Kaz, who was anxiously pacing about.
"So, your little sister was caught up in a crossfire between gangs in that neighborhood?" Louis finally realized.
It seemed that Kaz was worried some innocent kid would get hurt just like his sister was.
Kaz realized that perhaps walking around in circles didn't do anyone any good so he slumped back in the seat next to Louis.
"We don't have insurance, so we can't afford the treatment. Soon, she will be removed from the life support system because… Heh, hospitals aren't charity."
"Oh," Louis nodded, but it sounded so indifferent it almost ticked Kaz off, but he froze the next moment as Louis handed him a credit card.
"Use the money in here," he said lazily after tossing the card on Kaz's lap.
"You…" Kaz was stunned. "Do you know how expensive a surgery is?!"
Louis waved his hand. "I don't know and I'm not interested, I once sold my parents' gold and jewelry when… Don't mind, I think the money in there should be enough."
Kaz gripped the credit card with a weird expression as he asked, "So… you're rich?"
"I wouldn't say rich," Louis shook his head and scoffed. "I have no income whatsoever, so it could only be considered wealth at best, not riches. Once the balance is out, I'd have to find myself a job."
Kaz hesitated, but he didn't say anything and hurriedly left. He didn't know how much money was in the card, nor was he sure whether it was sufficient for the cost and operations.
He didn't ask how much money was in the card either.
Kaz soon found himself talking with the deputy director, who returned from a side room with the credit card in hand.
"This is your receipt," the middle-aged man with gray hair said, handing both the card and a slip of paper.
Kaz's hands shook slightly, and his lips trembled.
Didn't this mean that the transaction was successful?
Kaz didn't dare to look at the string of numbers on the receipt, feeling both scared, guilty, and utterly grateful.
On the other side, Louis received two notifications.
The first was from the bank.
- [Current Credit: $179.99]
The second was from the catalog of connections—Kaz's points maxed out at 100, and he received a dream seed.
Louis didn't know if it was worth exchanging hundreds of thousands of dollars for one dream seed, nor did he know why he went out of his way to help a guy he'd just met.
Anyway, he definitely wouldn't get pussy out of this.
However, he didn't think too much of it.
Soon, a host of doctors in white, like angels of salvation, filed into the ICU before escorting an unconscious girl, about fourteen years old, to the operating room.
Thirty minutes later, Kaz silently entered the hallway and sat by Louis' side, tossing the credit card into the latter's lap.
Louis didn't ask about the receipt and took the card, storing it away and closing his eyes.
The two sat there silently for a moment without saying a word until Louis opened his mouth and said, "So… about that bike?"
Kaz chuckled, his voice seemingly a little hoarse as he replied dryly, "Yeah. I'll take you for a spin later. Promise."