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Chapter 1
X-X-X-X
I silently listened to my...friend, rant about some bastards who mistook him for a girl...again. Well, it's not like I'm much better, considering people often said I'm 'handsome' or rather 'dashing' even though I'm a girl. While I didn't care how people saw me, my friend did. That's why my friend Zhou Ming Bin, or Zhou Ming as I liked to call him, wore his hair short and...tried to wear masculine clothing. Not that it worked out very well, his face is quite feminine after all. More often than not did he take his anger out on me since I'm apparently his ideal version of a man.
"Zhou Ming, stop your rant and sit down already. You're starting to annoy me." I said staring at him blankly.
"Yu Li Xia! Why is it you're a girl, but you act as if being treated as a man doesn't bother you?!" Zhou Ming shouted at me.
"..." I stared up at the ceiling for a moment thinking about it. I turned back to the feminine male in front of me, shaking my head "Not a bit." I said with a blank stare.
And there is another rant from my dear friend, cursing included this time around. I stifled a small yawn before waiting for him to finish. By the time he did, he was back to normal...or as normal as Zhou Ming Bin can get. I began going through my usual online forums while Zhou Ming was checking out the status of his package. He managed to order the game Second Life and he planned on playing it as soon as it had arrived.
"Ah, someone got mad at me." I said staring at the screen.
"What is it this time around?" Zhou Ming asked moving over to see the screen.
"Since I said I would be leaving the World for Second Life, everyone that knows me is wondering if I'll use the name Yue as usual. It's not like I would use any other name...unless someone out there is being a bastard." I said leaning against him.
"So who-" Zhou Ming stopped talking and stared at the screen with blank eyes. "What is with this forum? This is all women isn't it?"
"Now that you mention it..."
"You bastard! Aren't you a woman?! Stop rubbing in the fact you have a handsome face!"
"If I had a choice, I wouldn't have minded a feminine face like you. By the way, isn't your package here yet?"
As if right on cue, there was someone ringing the doorbell. Zhou Ming jumped to his feet and ran to the door while I exited out of all my tabs. I stood up, grabbing my bag. If he's going to play Second Life right away then I should just head home. No point in staying if he's just going to be sleeping. I headed for the door just as Zhou Ming finished signing for the package. The moment he turned around, he glanced from my bag then back to my face.
"Heading back already? You don't want to play a bit longer?" Zhou Ming asked with a raised brow.
"Even if I stay, you'll want to play right away." I grabbed my shoes and I tugged them on. "I have to get home anyways, my uncle is returning home for the first time in years so I have to salvage my house before he destroys it." I said opening the front door.
"What's the point in coming over then?" Zhou Ming asked giving me a frown.
"Because if I didn't then you'll just yell at me later on. I'll see you later."
"Yeah, later."
I left and I broke out into a light jog in order to catch the next shuttle. I boarded and I leaned against a pole, trying to avoid running into others onboard. It didn't take too long until my stop came and I headed straight for my apartment...only to see the inside looked as if a wild animal ran through it. I dropped my bag on the ground, leaving my shoes by the door as well. There was one thing I hated about my uncle...it was the fact that he makes a mess whenever he tries to clean.
"UNCLE!"
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I stared at the...admittedly handsome and rather youthful man across from me. The two of us looked so much alike from our dark green eyes to our light brown hair, although I prefer to keep my hair somewhat long and kept half of it tied up behind my head. My uncle on the other hand, prefers to slick his hair back, but when it's down he looks a lot younger than he actually is. Now if only the looks match the personality.
"Li Xia, are you angry?" Uncle asked with a weak smile.
"This is the first time you returned since you left two years ago. If you remember, I said that even if I am not home, do not attempt to cook or clean." I said leaning back in my seat.
"Yes, I'm sorry."
"Another thing, send a message once in a while instead of letting your secretaries deal with sending me a monthly report."
"Yes, you're right."
"Also..." I pointed my thumb behind the sofa I was sitting at. "If you're coming home, don't come back with a pile of presents. This doesn't lessen my anger one bit."
"Well, those aren't for you..."
"That's fine with me." It's not like I wanted clothing. Uncle has always tried to dress me cutely, but it never works since...I'm more handsome than cute. "So, what is for me?
"This is."
"Hm?" How rare, uncle tends to purchase a box with clothing I would never use. Instead of a fancy box, I got a large bag with a familiar logo. "...Second Life?"
"You love playing games so I thought this would be a good present...do you like it?"
"Yeah, I do."
"That's great bec-"
"If you try to leave before dinner, I'll strangle you."
My uncle quickly shut up with these words. So, he's only back to return to work. Seriously, this guardian...after the disappearance of my parents soon after I turned ten, my uncle was the only one who was willing to take me in. Although just like the first day we met...I should never expect him to remain home for long, I have to learn to take care of myself quickly, and I must maintain above average grades. So long as I fulfill these three conditions, I was free to do as I pleased. At first, he was only gone for a few weeks or a month until I learned how to cook and clean...seeing as he couldn't. It almost immediately became years after I started high school, not that I was complaining about it.
"S-So, Li Xia, how is everything? Did you get a girlfriend or maybe a boyfriend?" Uncle asked with a weak grin during dinner.
"I don't have much of an interest in that kind of thing." I said still eating.
"T-Then what about a marriage partner in your games?"
"Not interested. Having a woman hanging off you while fighting is annoying. If it's a man, they would only get angry when they realize how much stronger I am compared to them. Also, it's annoying when they start complaining about not playing with them."
"S-Sounds quite tough."
"Even if it isn't that, Zhou Ming Bin ends up getting angry at them for hindering us during our hunts and kicks them out of the party. More than once did he help me break off marriages I stupidly got into, but I learned my lesson after four marriages in games."
"Zhou Ming Bin?"
"Hm? That's right, you don't know about him. He and I became friends shortly after I began high school. The two of us have been friends for quite some time."
"A...boy...?"
"Un, the same age as me. I stayed at his place a few times too. I'm good friends with his elder brother too."
"Do you...like him?"
"He's not bad as a friend, a bit annoying with his rants, but he's more bark than bite."
"I see..."
"Are you done eating?"
"Yeah. I have to get back to the office. I won't be ho-"
"Home for god knows how many days since you'll be cooped up in the lab or the office. If you plan on joining for dinner at least send me a message so I can prepare another plate."
"Right."
"Well, I'm going to bed. If you have laundry, leave it in the bin in your room and I'll take care of it. If you need your clothing ironed or ready for you, just tell me and I can do it."
"Yes."
"Ah, right. Your bedroom is cleaned and your sheets were washed yesterday. If you want me to wash or change them, just tell me and I can handle it."
"Okay."
"Night then."
"Good...night..."
Uncle was acting strange. He had this weird look on his face before I left to go to my room to start playing Second Life as I slept. I immediately set up the game and when I activated it...I found myself in the area where I would create my character. I turned my gaze up to the person who would assist me in creating my avatar.
"Welcome, to Second Life."
"What a lifeless response." This guy was probably saying the usual introduction to new players for the last few hour since the game started. "I already know what I need to know. Can I see the following races, Celestial, Elf, and Demon?"
"Got it."
"Hm..." No matter how I look at it...each one made me look very manly and I wasn't too sure how I had felt about that. "When it comes down to it I suppose I should just mimic my usual race...Got anything similar to a Kitsune?"
"Kitsune?"
"You don't?"
"Give me a moment to speak with my superiors."
"Sure."
"The race 'Kitsune' is not a class we have prepared. For that very reason, my superiors will immediately get to work on creating the closest image you desire so we will mix various races together in order to create the image you want and then we shall use this as a base for the race Kitsune. While we are creating your character, my superiors shall decide on what kind of powers would suit your new race best."
"Alright."
"Along the way, you may gain strange powers to best match the image of a Kitsune so please be prepared."
"No problem."
"Shall we begin?"
"Alright."
I began a long-winded explanation what a Kitsune should be like. I gained a very human like character with a pair of fluffy fox ears on the head and nine fluffy tails, but was quickly reduced to one after I told them about how the tail of a Kitsune will only split after growing stronger. So far, my character looks like a handsome young man with fox like features since I was busy answering any questions the GM had.
"Hm...How long can I make the hair?" I asked pointing at my avatar.
"The length doesn't matter."
"Hm...Try waist first." Not bad, if the tails were nine in total it'd look very cool...but the color is off. "If I'm going as Yue then...Change the color to a sliver color."
"Done."
"Dye the tips of the ears and tail black."
"Got it."
"...Can I change the shape and way the eyes look?"
"Anything you want."
"Make the eyes a bit more narrowed and I want the pupils similar to that of a cat. Can I see the eyes as an amber color?" The eyes narrowed, gaining a scarier look about them and I must admit...I rather like this. "This looks pretty good..."
"Are you done?"
"Just one last thing, the nails of the hands, make them a bit sharper looking. Also make the teeth a bit more fanged, elongate the canines a bit more."
"How's that?"
"Good."
"So, what is your name going to be?"
"Yue."
"Moon?"
"It's a name I've used for a long time."
"Fine then. What continent do you wish to be born in?"
"Central." That's where Zhou Ming Bin is anyways, someone has to keep out of trouble when his brother can't. The GM is giving me a strange look. "What is it?"
"Are you a man or a woman?"
"Why?"
"It registered you as a female even though you look like a man."
"I'm female in real life."
"..."
"What is it?"
"No, you just...don't look to be a woman."
"I've been told that quite often."
"You're pretty interesting. Good luck then, Yue."
I blinked and I felt as if I was being...dropped? I wasn't too sure what happened, but by the time I came to...I was in Second Life. I must admit...the coding for this place is incredibly high if it is able to feel so realistic.
"YUE! YOU BASTARD! YOU BETTER BE ONLINE BY NOW!"
"Ah, Zhou Ming."
"Finally you're here! You're late!"
"Don't start nagging at me now. I just started. So, where are you now?"
"Grinding monsters to become a mage. The damn line was long as fuck."
"I wonder if it's possible to end up banned for cursing...Give me an hour or so, I'll become a level 10 and become a warrior or something."
"What, you manage to convince a GM that you're actually a man?"
"Why the hell would I do that? I'll talk to you later, Zhou Ming. What's your avatar's name?"
"Ming Huang."
"Ming Huang...I'll just call you Miwa. I'll talk to you after I get my class changed then we can meet up."
"Got it. Don't go joining a different party, Yue! I don't want to have to deal with pests chasing after your ass again!"
"I got it, I got it. Geez."
Sometimes I wondered what I would do without Zhou Ming. Soon after we met, we began playing the same games together to the point that the two of us knew each other's habits and fighting style. While I helped him get revenge on those who pissed him off, he helped me in getting rid of the 'pests' as he likes to call them. I was too lazy sometimes to deal with them so I let them do as they pleased...to the point it pissed Zhou Ming when it began to affect him instead of just me. We were friends after all.
"Okay, time to grind."
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Chapter 1 Ends
I really love Half Prince. It's not only funny, it's an awesome story in my favorite genres. Yue is going to be hanging with Ming Huang, but she is more of a solo player than a team player...no pun intended. Yue is more of a 'I'll do as I want and I don't care what you think' type of person. A relaxed and going at my own pace type of person...that can make others cringe at times. Welp! That's it for today, until next time my dears! Bye-bye~!