Chapter 4 / Kyousuke

Thursday 20th June / 6:45 / Kyousuke's room

100,000 separate views... I can barely believe the number I see in front of me. My blog's barely been up a week, and already 10,000 people have visited. Nothing I've done has ever been as popular as this. Even that tutorial I put up last year has half that number.

I have to write about this.

I pull my PSP from my hoodie pocket and flick to the notes section. A long line of entries is already on the screen, several from today. I waste no time in updating:

6:45 100,000 views in just a week! Popularity is the mark of a true hero. I wonder what the future will hold...?

I grin as I run my eyes over the words I've just typed. It's a kind of game I play with myself yeah, right! More like a sorcerer's enchantment to bring me down. But either way, it spells good news for me. No school, no worrying over pointless studies ice cream, chocolate, sweets, whatever. In fact, my mum should be back from the supermarket anytime soon.

I spot a bowl I'd been using for popcorn earlier next to my computer, and pick it up to scrape away at the sugary bits stuck to the bottom. Healthy, I know, though I've never really been one for any kind of figure. But hey, I'm not completely useless, like the first years seem to think. I can write (reasonably well) and draw (I think)... But hey, some people seem to think so. 100,000 people, in fact. My page on how to design a graphic novel has proved pretty popular amongst the Internet. Who knows? They may even check out the link to my first chapter. I could be famous! Or not... I laugh down the thought.

Damn, my head hurts... When I think about it, I probably could have gone into school today, if I'd have really pushed myself, but what would be the point in that? Hours trapped in the heat of a classroom, probably make myself worse and have to stay at home until the weekend. I groan when I remember that I'm probably going to have to go in tomorrow. Still, it's not all bad. At least now I have something to brag about.

Speaking of which, I turn back to my computer to check the counter again, when something takes me aback. A single grey message flashes up on the screen.

Hi, Kyousuke! I've read your chapter. It's really good. Fancy meeting up at the school at 7:00 tonight? I have something important to tell you.

7:00? That's five minutes. I'm in two minds whether to laugh at this anonymous message and ask the sender how they managed to find me through my computer, but I'm curious now. Are they from school? My instincts are telling me to ignore this message and get on with something else. Only a complete idiot would obey some anonymous message.

An idiotic hero. Sounds like someone I know all too well.

A/N: I feel bad for adding another boring / introductory chapter, but I had to throw this is at some time. Kyousuke Natsuno... Another diary holder?! He's your classic graphic novel / videogame nerd, with the term 'graphic novel' used specifically because he's more into American media culture than Japanese - The Elder Scrolls over Final Fantasy, Spiderman over Naruto, and all that. Next chapter returns to Aria and Elliot. Please drop a comment and look out for it!

-VoRTeX