[-x-]
"Another shift, another pain…" Hajime groaned as he reluctantly pushed the door open to Va11-Hall-A.
Heading to work immediately after finishing the homework Yukizome-sensei gave the class nabbed his small respite that he got in between.
Seriously, what was researching his classmates' hobbies going to do in the long run? Nothing much from the surface, and it kinda has a bit of a stalkery vibe attached to it. To be fair, he'd be with them for three whole years so it's logical to learn about them now more than later.
Nevertheless, couldn't she be a bit more relaxed about the work? She literally gave them a same-day deadline where if you didn't do it, you'd get punished the second she sees you in class. She pulled out her swords in this part of the speech/explanation for good measure.
He doesn't even want to consider the nasty plots she's going to unleash. The thought of it gives him chills.
To his credit, he did it that afternoon solely because he wanted to sleep all night and all day tomorrow; which is a Sunday, the only day when he wouldn't be breaking his back. Suffer now, downtime later.
About the work, it's an essay about how their class could coalesce into something 'youthful' by researching everyone's talents and how they could 'merge into something beautiful'. Very much a nonsensical description, but his hopes for his teacher having the mental sanity of a sensible human being is non-existent.
Oh boy, he couldn't imagine Komaeda's delight from this project….
Aside from a few exceptions, everyone he's met in school has either had a screw loose or batshit insane, probably only having two people as exceptions(maybe three if he pushed it). And thank god there was a small light in this delirious hell, imagining that he was the only reasonable person struck terror in his soul. The only ending he'll have in that situation would be a mental asylum.
Moving on, he wagered that he was one of the few that actually gave a shit and did it properly and those same people can be counted on one hand. Half the class would probably turn in a paragraph worth of information that she would accept. Hajime would too if it wasn't for the principles that actually made him work in a bar in the first place.
"Yo, Hajime!" Dana greeted.
"G'd evenin', Boss..." he sloppily waved.
"Lighten up! You won't survive with that attitude," Crossing her arms, one of which was a prosthetic, "C'mon, you're the person people are willing to visit this bar for, get your gears oiled up and goin'!"
"Yeah, yeah…" he yawned, stepping into the counter and putting on his apron.
"I'm serious this time though," she added, "Jill called in sick and Gil is only coming back tomorrow, you're pretty much alone and helpless tonight."
"Oh, c'mon man…" he slumped his shoulders, "why'd it have to be today…"
"Hm?" that piqued her interest, "You got somethin' goin' on this evening? You usually don't complain about these things."
"Nah, nothing." he tried to shrug off, looking down on the ground.
"Spill it, Hinata-chan~."
"I swear there's nothing."
"Is there anyone special you invited from school~? Hajime, it's only been a week since that teacher of yours dragged you back-"
"No!" he maybe yelled a bit too loudly, "No one special, just a few friends that wanted to spend some time." he finally gave in.
"A few?" her mischievous grin rising, "That means there's more than one, you sly dog~."
"Boss, I am telling you, I didn't invite anyone to woo them with my above average bartending." attempting to apply some logic into the mix, "They're just here because my schedule doesn't have much space for hanging out."
"Kill joy." she pouted.
"Better than you teasing me for being a fuck boy," he reasoned, "Seriously, I've worked here for years, did you not get the memo that I don't attract women?"
"Tsk tsk tsk, Hinata-kun…" Dana shook her head, "You're literally as dense as a brick, flirtation literally flies over your head."
"No, I'm not." he deadpanned, "That's the one thing I can say I'm good at."
"Pfft, what? Avoiding women that display interest?" she was close to burst out laughing.
"No! Not that, picking up on cues."
His boss laughed at that statement. "You can make pretty funny jokes sometimes, no wonder you get more chicks than Gil."
"It's not even a joke…"
"This is also not adding the fact that you're a tsundere. Girls love those."
"What the hell do you mean tsundere?!" that certainly got his attention, scowling.
"Oh, Hajime…" she sighed, "You'll never get over that fact."
"It's not a fact, it's baseless as all hell." he slowly returned to his neutral state.
"Yup, sure, keep fooling yourself." finally walking into her office, a grin still spread on her face.
'The hell does she mean by that…'
It sounded so ridiculous in his mind. Him? A tsundere? Nah, it couldn't be. There was just no way. How can a cynical person like him have a tender side?
He chalked it up to another one of his Boss' antics to mess with him. Hajime shook his head and finally decided to set up the bar.
[-x-]
"Yo!" Soda's voice echoed from the entrance. "Hinata!"
"Welcome to Valhalla." the bartender greeted and indicated a seat in front of him.
"Sheesh, never seen you so professional." walking up towards his classmate, still clad in the blue jumpsuit that Hajime always saw him on.
"Yeah, it's a habit I got from a co-worker." he explained. "Take a seat and I'll get you what you want."
"You actually thought I brought cash?" Soda's eyes sparkled as he took a seat, "That's so nice of you!"
"No, this drink's on the house." he laid the menu in front of the pink-haired boy.
"Ooh, fancy~," observing it, "I owe ya one for this."
Meanwhile, Hajime exited the counter and walked in front of the jukebox. Setting up the playlist for the night, he kneeled and chose which songs would set up the perfect mood for a lesson.
"You guys have a jukebox here?" Hinata saw his friend turned towards his direction, Soda's face showing a look of interest.
"Yeah, my Boss bought this thing way before I started working here." clicking on 'Every Day is Night' and 'Welcome to Va11-Hall-A', some of his personal favorites.
"I've been tryin' to dig up one of these in the junkyard for a while now, they're rare as hell to find these days. Been wonderin' what kind of goodies they have inside." his expression showing a sense of bliss.
"Can't you just buy one and open it up?"
"Dude, do you not know how expensive these types are?" the mechanic questioned, "They almost cost a million yen per unit!"
Hajime's eyes widened in surprise, "Seriously? They're that pricey?" Now the teen wondered where his Boss actually got the money to burn on that machine.
"Yep," scratching his cheek, "'Rock-ola' jukeboxes are nothing to sneeze at. Though, they mostly rely on collectors to buy their overpriced nostalgia boxes."
"Damn, never would've imagined…" getting up, he heard the track start. "I guess my Boss is a collector for these things if the furniture here is anything but for flaunting."
"What kinda songs you guys got there?" the other boy's ears picked up on it as well.
"Pretty sure it's mostly specially commissioned with one exception being a Kira Miki song."
"Man, you guys have a budget here... I hope your bar has enough to pay for all of these." the mechanic adopted a pitied look.
"You're gonna have to ask someone else, I'm just a bartender here." he shrugged while entering the counter.
"No way in hell I'm asking your Boss." shaking his head rapidly.
"You haven't even met her yet." the bartender pointed out.
"Dude, she clotheslined someone. That's enough to make anyone back out."
"I think you'll change your mind once you meet her," Hinata reasoned. "She's practically harmless unprovoked."
"Even still, what if I actually piss her off?" Soda contemplated but quickly moved on, "Anyways… how are we gonna start the lesson?"
"Which drink do you want first?" tapping his finger on the menu, "And before you ask, you can only choose from the non-alcoholic section."
"Yeah yeah, ya don't gotta worry about that, I got enough alcoholics in my family." putting up a near unnoticeable strained grin, "Ooh, this sounds cool, one Crevice Spike please."
"Coming right up."
Hajime grabbed a clean shaker and popped it open. Scooping up two grams of Powdered Delta and placing it inside. Then, he measured two ounces of Flanergide indicated by his jigger, flicking it sideways for a smooth pour. He sealed it up, held it properly and dry shaked it.
Afterwards, he grabbed an old-fashioned glass and coolly poured the lime-colored drink in.
"Here ya go." he pushed the glass towards the mechanic, wiping the non-existent spills as a habit.
"Damn man, you didn't have to be all fancy on me."
"What do you mean 'fancy'? I did what any normal bartender could do." Hinata argued.
"I dunno… it just looks better than what I've seen on TV."
"Thanks…?"
"I got you, fam." Soda offered a fist-bump that he awkwardly returned. "Alrighty... how do we start this?"
"No clue." Hajime admitted, he figured it was better to be honest, "That's our first step I guess. Our goal here is to allow you to talk to girls well enough that you don't break down in their presence. Did I get that wrong?"
"Dude," holding on to his chest, as well as the tears in his eyes, "You didn't have to assault me like that…"
"Ah shit, my bad…" he apologized.
'I'm already failing miserably as a mentor… great start.'
"Uhh, how 'bout we think of who you're actually trying to woo." Hajime tried again.
"You're never gonna guess who it is, hehe." confidently chuckling to himself.
"Dude, you already told me." the bartender impassively said, "And even if you haven't, there's like a hundred damn clues you never even tried to hide." 'Like acting like a creepy stalker…'
"Man… you don't gotta be that blunt." his shoulders sinking.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I'm still trying to figure out how to teach you something that comes naturally to me."
"It's cool, at least you're tryin' to help me." Soda smiled, "Feels nice to have someone on your side for once."
'Rough territory here Hajime, tread lightly.' he warned himself.
"You asked so I'll help you the best I can." giving his classmate a thumbs up.
"Thanks, soul bro." Soda produced his own while winking at the brown-haired boy. There was a slight pause before Hajime picked on what his friend said.
"...Is that what you're gonna call me from now on?" He asked, curious.
"I mean, if you like it enough, then yeah" grabbing his glass.
"I don't hate it." Hajime then saw his friend's pleading eyes, just begging for him to give in, "Fine… just don't go spouting it everywhere."
"Ayyy, knew you would've had a change of heart." finally taking a swig of the drink. His eyes widened as the liquid touched his tongue, his gulps didn't stop until he emptied the glass till the last drop, "Goddamn, that's some good stuff, Hajime."
"Glad you liked it, Kazuichi."
The mechanic flinched, "Oh god, that sounds weird coming from you."
"Ouch. What d'you mean by that?"
"Never had anyone call me by Kazuichi before besides my old man. Maybe shortenin' it up to Kaz would sound better, try that."
"Yo Kaz, how's it goin'?"
"Much better. Definitely. Dunno what I should call you though."
"Just stick with Hajime, sounds alright to my ears."
"Aight, back to my unrequited but totally deserved love from Sonia-san."
"Yeah, deserved…" the bartender cringed.
"What was that?" Kaz asked.
"Nothing nothing," he waved off and he finally got an idea, "How 'bout we do what those movies usually do?"
"What do you mean?"
"Like, the other person pretends to be the love interest while the protagonist tries their best to engage in a conversation."
"Oh those, yeah sure why not. Not like it could hurt anyway." he nodded.
"Though, those things usually don't result in anything other than a throwaway gag… we'll try our best anyways."
"I doubt I can ever see you as a woman though, let alone a perfect blonde bombshell like Sonia-san." the mechanic sharply said.
"Jesus man, you didn't have to brutalize me like that, beggars can't be choosers y'know?" trying his best to convince his 'bro.'
Hajime was ready to bring out his high-pitched voice when the entrance door opened. Both boys turned around to see a pink-haired woman with a cigarette at the edge of her mount standing by the door frame.
"Hajime-cchi!" she greeted with a laid-back grin, "Long time no see."
'Wow, talk about perfect timing.' he quipped.
"Long time no see, Hagakure-san. Welcome to Valhalla." Hinata smiled.
"I see you still got new customers comin', ya checked his ID yet?" she asked.
"Nah, don't worry. He's not here for alcohol."
The mechanic simply stared curiously at the woman.
"Good, good." nodding to his response.
Hiroko Hagakure was one of the standout clients Hajime got. She was a middle-aged woman (at least from what he assumed, she doesn't look a year above 30) with fair skin and light-pink hair, usually wearing ripped jeans, a stadium jacket and a tank top underneath.
Her attitude was something he wished he had; calm, relaxed and open-minded. She won't mess with you unless you mess with her. Although, she has to get rid of her smoking problem.
"So, what brought you here today?" he asked.
"Figured I'd drop by while I wait till they release my son," flicking her the burnt ashes atop a trash can, "Hiro-chan got caught up in some teeny tiny trouble earlier, police are interrogating him right now."
"That shouldn't take too long then," already preparing clean utensils but inquired despite already knowing the answer, "Care for a drink?"
"You already know what I want." she grinned, inhaling the rest of the tobacco and throwing away the butt.
Hajime grabbed from the aged section. An ounce and a half of Adelhyde as well Bronson Extract with the same measurement, two grams of Powdered Delta, three-quarters of Flanergide and Karmotrine each. With all those ingredients together, he shook it to the exactitude needed for the perfect version of a Piano Woman.
"Don't forget to pay for it like last time." he voiced.
"No worries, Hajime-cchi." she brought out a worn out pouch, "I remembered." setting down a thousand yen bill.
"Now, who exactly is this other kid?" Hagakure-san she finally asked.
"A classmate of mine from Hope's Peak," explaining it as concisely as he can, "he wanted some tips on how to talk to girls so he went here tonight for those lessons."
"Interesting…" sipping on her glass, "How's the progress goin'?"
"We kinda just started so… none."
"He's been pretty quiet, is that a normal thing?" glancing at the boy beside her.
"I… don't think so," he snapped his fingers in front of his friend's face, "Oi, Kaz, come back down to Earth."
"O-Oh! My bad, was just imaginin' somethin'." and returned to Earth he did.
"Which is…?" Hajime asked.
"N-Nothin' important," he said with a disjointed smile, proceeding to stare off for a few more seconds before returning.
'Weird… never seen him act like this.' the brown-haired boy thought.
"Aight kid, you do you." she shrugged.
"Anyways, we were about to do that schtick that movies do when the friend tries to act like the love interest," Hajime continued on.
"But?" requesting elaboration.
"Kaz says that it won't work cuz he can't see me as a woman," leaving out the blonde bombshell detail, "So... I figured you could help us since you're an actual woman."
"I guess I got some spare time," she shrugged.
"Okay, great." clapping his hands together, "Yo, loverboy. You down to talk to her instead?"
"Uhh, yeah sure." the mechanic agreed.
"You don't sound too sure there, Kaz." Hagakure-san pointed out, "got the hots for me?"
"No! My heart is already reserved for one person!" he denied.
"I admire your enthusiasm," she smirked, "Why don't you tell me your full name? I doubt your name's just 'Kaz'."
"Kazuichi Soda, at your service." offering her a shaky hand.
"Nice to meet you, Kazuichi-cchi." eagerly accepting it, "Nah, I don't think that works… I'll just call you Kaz-cchi."
Kaz looked confused at the attachment, turning his attention to the bartender for answers. "It's a thing she does to everyone," he explained.
The mechanic accepted it. "So, how do we start?"
"Tell me how this crush of yours acts." the pink-haired woman asked as she took another swig.
"Oh, she's amazing!"
'Here comes his skewed-ass view…'
"She's a princess from a European country! Even if she's a part noble, she still manages to act polite towards everyone, which I disagree on, she should boss everyone around including me, but I digress. She can basically do anything! She's perfect!"
'Huh, much better than I anticipated, thought he'd bring up some of his creepy fantasies about her. Maybe I should give him a bit more respect...'
"Hajime-cchi, is anything he said accurate?" she caught on.
"He could've toned it down a little bit," pointing out the obvious, "Sonia acts like any teenager would. She's kinda like a tourist who came to Japan for the sole purpose of being in tune with it's anime culture. Though, she has the speech pattern of a noble and her expressions can fall flat." Hajime gave as much detail as he could.
"I think I got all that. What does she call Kaz-cchi?" she asked.
"'Soda-san'."
"Okay, let's start." Hagakure-san drank the rest of her beverage, "You ready?"
"You bet I am." the mechanic flicking his nose with his thumb.
And so the lesson began.
They started off fairly well. Their introduction was pretty smooth all things considered.
Hagakure-san captured Sonia's invigorating naivety to sell the image. Performing as accurately as she could imitating a teenage princess from a foreign country. Even adding Sonia's weird phrasing, where has she hidden all this talent from him?
Kaz on the other hand tried his best not to be distracted by the well-endowed chest in front of him. His lack of interaction with females was proving to be a difficult hurdle to leap across, stuttering every few words that came from his mouth.
Then, the two immediately ran into a brick wall.
"H-Hehe, the weather's nice today huh?"
Hajime mentally facepalmed. His job was to oversee so the conversation doesn't crash and burn while he gives his pointers and thoughts on the matter. Awkward moments like these are when he steps in to mend it.
"Kaz, unless you have another jumping point topic, don't bring that cliche out of nowhere." he instructed.
"Oh, okay, gotcha," he nodded and got back into the conversation, "what kind of hobbies do you have?"
"I view anime and j-drama on my spare occasions." the pink-haired woman answered in a pitch higher than her usual one.
'Bingo, something both are interested in. Should be smooth sailing for a while.'
"Me too!" he enthusiastically said, "w-what anime have you watched?"
'Not bad so far…"
"I've had the opportunity to watch masterpieces such as 'Cattleman Jazz' and 'Lunar Witch,' those are what I rank the highest in my list." she replied.
"Ooh, I see that you like the classics Sonia-san." nodding in reverence, "I respect it."
"I am grateful, Soda-san."
"H-Have you watched any of the recent ones that came out?"
"No, not at the moment," she said, "I am more in tune with the era of animation in the olden days, would you be kind and propose some of your own favorites?"
"Re:Nil just got a new season, a very anticipated one at that. The new Attacking Behemoths season is all that's everyone's talking these days, for good reason though."
"Oh yes, the forums I lurk in have had several pages of discussion about it."
"Heh, I'm not that smart in that." he dejectedly laughed, "Analysis and all that character deconstruction stuff, I'll leave that up to the nerds."
"Shouldn't you be deemed one considering your current title?" Hagakure-san pointed out.
"I'm only good at building machines," Kaz explained, "Nothing else."
"You shouldn't put yourself down like that," laying her arm on top of his, "You can be much more as long as you strive for more than what you currently have."
"Thanks." he smiled gratefully.
"You are welcome."
[-x-]
"I think that's enough roleplay for the night," the woman said getting up from her seat, "gotta get my baby back from his confinement."
"Thank you, Hagakure-san." Hajime bowed, encouraging his friend to do the same.
"Thanks for helping us." Kaz in turn bowed.
"While I appreciate the gesture, you boys are making me feel older." she deadpanned. "Not a good way of saying goodbye."
"O-Oh! We're sorry!"
"W-We didn't mean it! I swear!"
"Hehe," she chuckled, "Look how cute you two are, being flustered… don't worry, I was kidding."
Both did a sigh of relief.
"I forgot to bring it up because you two were so into it," Hajime started, "How are you so good at acting, Hagakure-san? Where'd you learn all that? Did you take acting classes?"
She winked as a response and said, "Trade secret."
"C'mon… what's there to hide anyways?" he pried.
"More than you would think, young summer child." she smirked, "anyways, I really gotta go now, see you boys!" exiting the bar.
"Bye!" Kaz waved, "Thanks for the help!"
"Come again!"
Once the door closed, the mechanic said, "Sheesh, what a wild woman."
"She really is…" he agreed.
"How'd you even meet her?"
"Dunno, she just randomly came in the bar one day," putting the empty glass in the sink, "after a few nights spent drinking, she just became a part of my regulars."
"Damn, she got in the inner circle that easy?"
"You saw for yourself how smooth she is."
"Yeah, you're right."
Hajime washed the used glasses and placed them on the dryer, meanwhile Kaz was busy tinkering with a remote he brought along to probably pass time with.
"Hello? Is anyone here?" a soft but familiar voice echoed from the entrance.
The boy turned to see their class' Ultimate Gamer holding her E-Handbook.
"Welcome to Valhalla." Hajime announced.
"Yo, Nanami!" Kaz greeted, "Wacha doin' here?"
"Hinata-kun told me I could come here and play the arcade machine." tucking her Handbook in her cat-like backpack and walking towards them.
"It's right there in the corner," pointing at the black machine, "I don't think I need to help the Ultimate Gamer on how to use an arcade cabinet, so I'll leave you be."
"Okay!" Fast-walking in its direction.
Hajime grabbed a towel below the sink and rinsed it. Squeezing the rag before wiping the counter clean. Then, he washed the rag and wiped the display bottles on the shelves.
"Psst, Hajime," the mechanic got his attention, "You sure you don't wanna chat with your crush?"
"She isn't my crush." he rebutted.
"Not yours huh~?" he had a glint in his eye. "So is it another chick in class?" grinning like a lunatic, "Surely, not the particular redhead I'm thinking about~?"
"Kaz, get your head out of your ass." he picked up a clean glass to wipe.
"What?" he seized the opportunity to mess with his friend longer, "Am I wrong?"
"Yes. Dead wrong." putting the glass down and picking up another.
"You still haven't proved to me otherwise." laying his chin on his palm, the grin intact.
"*sigh* this is a lost cause." he exited the counter.
"Where ya goin'?" the mechanic asked.
"Since there aren't any clients, I might as well tidy up the place." he opened the cleaning closet.
"Is that just an excuse so you can avoid my question?" raising an eyebrow.
"No, but you're free to think that it is." he grabbed the broom and dustpan.
He started at the doorstep of the manager's office, sweeping most of the dirt around it while gathering it up with the pan. As he slowly cleaned towards the center, the office's door opened.
"Oh wow, not many clients today huh." Dana rested a hand on her hip, "So rare these days."
His Boss cracked her bones as she rotated her hips, "Yo, Hajime, did you do anything to scare the customers? I don't wanna be losin' money."
"I don't think so…" he answered, "I bet it's just another accident outside the bar."
"Yeah," the overall silence allowed the soft-spoken gamer to be heard, "There was a robbery at a nearby bank, I think."
"When'd that happen?" the wrestler pried.
"A few minutes before I came here, that's what I heard from the passersby and the police in the area." Nanami responded while simultaneously crushing the game.
"Odd…" the white-haired woman voiced.
"What do you mean?" Hajime inquired.
"An info broker told me that the heist wasn't till tomorrow." she said to everyone's surprise. A few seconds of silence till-
"What?!" Kaz broke the ice. "Why do you have that information?"
"Is that risky info needed for your quest line?" Nanami turned her head in her direction, costing the pink-haired girl her final life.
"Who tipped you, Boss?" he fired, already knowing parts about her somewhat shady past.
"Some guy named Orihara." furrowing her brows before shrugging it off, "Man… what a bummer… guy's a double agent. Guess I won't trust his advice next time."
"What were you going to do with the tip?" Nanami leaned on the machine, "Beat the robbers for exp?"
"Exactly that, young lady!" she punched her palm, "I was gonna beat those guys senseless because I wanna show someone that I still got it."
"Who are we talkin' about?" the pink-haired boy shakily asked.
"No one you need to know about." crossing her arms, ending that subject.
"Man, this is scaring me…" Kaz shivered, "Aren't you worried that they'd attack you here?"
"Nah, those bastards won't even dare step into my territory."
"How are you so sure?" the gamer held up a finger, "You could get a bad roll and invade you."
"I don't think they will." Hajime backed her up.
"How am I so sure?" she huffed, "Cuz they already know who they're messing with."
…
…
"...I'm sorry, but who are you exactly?" Nanami's eyebrows rose.
"Does the name 'Red Comet' ring any bells?"
"Oh shit!" Kaz yelled, "You're the Red Comet?!"
"The one and only." she smirked.
"No fucking way-" his eyes widened in awe.
"Uhh, who's Red Comet?" Nanami cut through Kaz's enthusiasm like butter, "are they a celebrity, a streamer maybe?"
'This girl's lack of social knowledge baffles me.' he almost chuckled.
"How do you not know the woman that won against a group of bears single-handedly?!" the mechanic pulled his hair in confusion. "How bout that one time she dominated the MMA free for all with her hands tied?"
"I'm not big on anything that doesn't involve games." Nanami succinctly stated.
"That's a fair point, I guess." Hajime laid his head on the broomstick.
"Anyways," the wrestler transitioned before another yell fest from Kaz spawned, "That doesn't matter right now, watch out for a guy with black hair wearing a black coat with fur lining. He's settled around Akihabara so keep an eye around that area." she warned.
"Got it, Boss." he casually saluted with his fingers.
"I'll make sure to turn on eagle eye!" the pink-haired girl huffed.
"Man, I think I learned something I shouldn't've…" Kaz shook his head vehemently
"I'll leave you kids be," putting both hands behind her head and walking off, "back to the office I go!"
Once the door shut off, the gamer asked a question, "Uhh, Hinata-kun?"
"Yeah?" he turned his head towards her.
"Do you wanna play multiplayer? I wanna try getting the highscore there." she dominated his personal space once again.
"Ayo, Hinata-kun~, I don't think you can reject her offer." his friend slyly commented.
"Zip it, Kaz," he snapped his fingers and drew a line across his lips, "Yeah, sure, I'm down. No one's prolly gonna come in a while." backing up to keep his space.
"Thought so." the mechanic grinned.
Then the bartender thought of something to keep the bullshit divided equally, "Oh! I got an idea, Nanami."
"What is it?" Tilting her head.
"Why don't me and Kaz over there switch everytime we lose a life?" he proposed, "Just to make it more interesting."
"Ooh! Great thinking, Hinata-kun!" she jumped for joy and rushed towards the machine.
"Seems like the lady has made her decisions huh, Kaz?"
"Man… why'd you have to drag me into this?"
"Dude, you're the one who put me into this position."
"True, true. But do you realize we're just gonna get shat on by her?"
"Can we really do anything about that?"
"Nope."
"Then, let's go do our best."
"Yay…"
Nanami fired up the cabinet and inserted a 500 yen coin on both separate stations, "Who's going first?"
Kaz immediately pushed Hinata forward, "Go get 'em, tiger."
"Fine…" he grabbed the joystick and prepared himself, "Ready when you are."
Nanami pressed start and the show began.
The first 10 waves were pretty simple to deal with, especially with a teammate that can carry you like a princess from a fairy tale. He shot the enemies down, barrel rolled through the barrage of bullets that the game threw and used his super whenever he was stuck with no way out.
His teammate on the other hand hasn't used her super once and kept accumulating them. Presumably because she knew she could simply dodge anything that the game launched at her. She didn't seem fazed by anything that happened.
More waves came and went, Hajime started to feel the heat. Barely being able to dodge the projectiles despite putting all his concentration into it. He didn't even check where he was shooting, blind shots were all he could manage now.
Eventually, his ship got destroyed and his side of the screen displayed a game over.
"God, that was hard…" he flexed his fingers to ease the muscle tension.
"Aw man, was hopin' you wouldn't get past 10. There's no way I can make it that far…" the pink-haired slumped his shoulders.
"It doesn't matter how far you can make it," the gamer countered while nonchalantly annihilating everything in her path, "All that matters is that you have fun while playing."
"Isn't it more fun the further you make it?" Kaz replied curiously.
"If that's what you find as 'fun' then sure," narrowly dodging the boss' rockets with a swerve, "But not everyone finds fun in difficulty. For example, 'Dark Spirit' isn't for everybody, but certain people find enjoyment out of it."
"Masochists, they are." the mechanic quipped.
"Maybe," she unleashed her first super, "But, at the very least, they had fun." she turned around to face them and warmly smiled.
"Hinata!" his friend whispered, "How does someone respond to that?"
"Don't ask me, man… Why don't you use your knowledge from earlier?"
"This is a different chick! How would I know how?"
Once Nanami died(intentionally of course), she passed Kaz a yen coin to insert.
He honestly didn't expect his friend to be this bad at games. Immediately after starting, Kaz's ship got blown up by a near-stationary mine and all he could say was "I couldn't see it, it's too dark!" despite the background being pure black and the models having bright colors.
The pink-haired boy asked if he could try again and Hajime gave him another shot for redemption. They restarted and the mechanic performed a little bit better. He lasted past the 10th wave boss but he died immediately afterwards from another pair of mines.
"Damn, shit's harder than it looks." the mechanic sighed and Nanami intentionally dive bombed again.
"It really is…" he concurred, "After you get past the beginner's learning curve, it only gets more and more agonizing."
"Shit… yeah, unless I come here every night, no way in hell I even get past that first curve."
"Oh! Soda-kun gave me an idea," Nanami eyes gleamed, "How 'bout I let you borrow my GameGirl?"
"...You sure about this?" the mechanic's brows knitted, "We're practically strangers."
"Yep! I trust you. Even if you lose it, I have three to spare," she rummaged her backpack and pulled out a pink device, "Here."
"Aight, thanks! I'll make sure to practice tomorrow so I last longer next time."
"That's what she said." Hajime couldn't resist.
"Shut up, Hajime." he glanced at him.
"Heh, couldn't help it."
All three of them played for more than an hour and had so much fun that they were surprised that the time passed so quickly to the point that it was almost midnight. From Nanami teaching them some important mechanics in the game, to exploits she discovered on her own while simply playing, there clearly was a lot to learn in this one game.
Even for Hajime, a veteran in his own opinion, didn't know about the easier glitches anyone can perform, like what the Ultimate Gamer dubbed the triple dash invi-super. It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue but the literal naming scheme helped, your ship basically gains i-frames while firing a super and practically the safest way to unload everything you have.
Kaz was having a hard time soaking in all the info dump and concluded that he'd simply develop muscle memory after he's played enough. Not a bad way to learn a game with techs that rise into the fifties.
"I think it's time for us to go home, Soda-kun." the gamer said while putting her yen coin pouch inside her bag.
"Yeah, last train's gonna leave in…shit, fifteen minutes." checking the schedule on his E-Handbook.
"You guys better start running if you wanna catch that." Hajime pointed out.
"I know, I know. Suck's that I live all the way in Aki though. I'm scared I'm gonna meet that broker." pocketing his device.
"Soda-kun, can you accompany me to the station?" Nanami asked, "It's already late and I don't really want to risk getting my pouch and another GameGirl stolen."
"Yep, I gotchu. I'll walk ya there." he flashed a thumbs up.
"Thank you."
"Alright, thanks for having us, soul bro!" he wrapped his arm on the brunet's shoulders, "You think we can do this next time again?"
"Can't see why not." he smiled.
"Ayyy, you wanna do this again, Nanami?" the pink-haired boy returned it.
"Absolutely!" she cheered uncharacteristically.
"You guys wanna make a group chat in the message boards so we can talk online?" the bartender asked.
"Sure!" Kaz pulled his E-Handbook once again and after a few seconds, both Nanami's and Hajime's dinged.
You've been added to " The Galaga Club"., it read.
"I know it isn't the most creative name but it's the best I can come up with right now."
"It's actually pretty good." the brown-haired boy complimented.
"I like it." she followed up.
"Aww, thanks guys." scratching his head.
"Forreal though, you guys have to go now or else you'd be forced to walk home."
"Aight aight," he let go and started walking off, "See ya, Hajime!"
"Bye bye, Hinata-kun!" she waved.
"See you in school!" he saluted.
The door closed and Hajime sighed in amusement. Tonight felt tiring but in a good way, he had formed a friend group. Now that he thought about it, he was never actually in any groups in his previous highschool, always the loner type because of circumstances.
People either invited him out because they either felt bad or they needed another pair of hands. He didn't wanna gamble with that hand so he always refused their offers, sometimes lowering his already rock-bottom social reputation in the school.
At least they let him have his nap, well until a certain incident including his future school happened. He just had to ruin his streak by letting his tongue slip. Not like it matters now since he's already out of the woods.
He shook his head to get rid of the trivial things he usually overthinks about and directed his focus on his current job. Sweeping the floor and making some more batches of ingredients the bar was lacking.
After a while, more customers finally came in and flooded the place up. It was damn lucky that he was freed up to hang out with the other two. This shift took more out of him for the particular reason that he was the only one serving drinks to the amount of people that he couldn't count with both hands. Why did his co-workers leave him to undergo torment?
Could his luck be any worse?
[-x-]
An hour left before his shift was done, the rat just had to come stop by and slap his complaints in the face.
"Yoo, how's it goin', kid?" Kizakura slyly asked.
"It was going great till a certain someone came in the bar." narrowing his eyes to prepare for anything.
"Jeez, relax there," holding up his hands, "I'm not here for my revenge, the opposite actually."
"And what makes you think I trust you enough to even believe a shred of what you just said?" still in full alert.
"Man… you got some real trust issues." the scout sighed and sat down.
"Wonder who's fault that is." crossing his arms.
"I'll admit," laying his chin a fist, "I really didn't think it was a great idea to dupe your teacher and make her drag you to class."
"You forgot the humiliation I got from being seen in public."
"True… you'll hate me for this but it still makes me chuckle every time I visualize that." he grinned, "I saw a post online with you and Mitarai being dragged without mercy and I laughed for about an hour."
"Fuck off, just leave if you're here to piss me off." jerking his thumb towards the exit, his fuse diminishing faster than sound.
"Then I guess I'm stayin'." he shrugged impishly, "Look, I'm sorry that I took it too far."
"Oh?" raising his brow, an apology coming from Kizakura? Impossible.
"I can already feel the scepticism," he frowned, "But I can't really blame ya."
"No shit."
"I went too far and I take full responsibility." offering his hand, "Do you accept it? It's 100% fine if you don't."
'And man am I tempted not to but I think this might be a good place to restart. He better not fuck it up again.' he clutched it and they firmly shook.
"Now that that's out of the way," 'The nonchalance on this guy…' "why the hell did you think banning me from alcohol was a good thing?"
'Oh that's why you actually came here for…'
"Cuz it's the worst punishment I could think of without pulling too many stunts like you did." Hajime justified.
"God, I hate people that use their brains." the blonde grumbled. "Can you give me my usual?"
"No."
"C'mon now, Hinata."
"Don't they send people to verify that you're not drinking alcohol?" he reasoned.
"Man…" the scout shrunk in his seat and gave up, "...Just give me some orange juice then."
"Fine by me." he sighed, he couldn't really refuse serving someone the nectar of the gods, "Pulp or no pulp?"
"What do you take me for?" Kizakura took offence in that, apparently.
'If only I can tell you all of it…' he thought.
"I'm not a savage. No pulp."
Grabbing some fresh oranges from the crisper and slicing them in half. He took a pair of squeezers out and extracted the liquid while having a strainer to prevent the pulp from transferring to the glass.
"Here's an actual good drink for your liver." sliding it to the man's forearm.
"Thanks." Kizakura sipped once and already looked disappointed.
"You'll get used to it eventually." Hajime offered some optimism.
"I don't like it..." the man bemoaned.
"Then cry more." he snapped back.
"Y'know, you really got a sharp tongue for a teenager."
"Your dying livers are gonna thank me for a year long break."
"Really doubt that… they love getting overworked."
"You're a lost cause…"
"Finally got you to realize that?"
"Nah, just trying to hope for the best for someone who somehow made me care for them."
"That's... " the man appeared genuinely surprised.
"I'm not throwing you another bone," he added.
The room was nothing but silence, even the background noise from the jukebox seemed absent. There simply was a boy and a man contemplating on how they should go about their situation.
Hajime was screaming internally at how lackadaisical he said those words or perhaps why he even uttered them in the first place. He tried to regain some of his pride by adding a filler statement that he most certainly will break. Hating himself for what already happened was pointless so he braced for the man's inevitable reaction.
Kizakura on the other hand seemed pleased at the boy's words. Thinking that his usual attitude and pranks were nothing but a nuisance to a working class minor trying to support his father and himself but being proven wrong. He felt joy and a pit of his stomach drop, what the hell should he say now?!
"While I appreciate you trying to lead me to a better path," the blonde started, "You don't really gotta do more than what you already do."
"Like serving you drinks?"
"Not exactly," his expression hardened, "Giving it your all in the chance I gave you."
"The Hope's Peak invitation?"
"Bingo," downing the rest of the juice, "I already trust that you won't mess it up, but give it your all by letting loose a lil' bit. Have some fun in your class' chaos, they might look insane on the outside but there's still a whole new person you haven't met on the inside."
Hajime took in every word coming out of the man's mouth.
"Chisa's already doing her magic by bringing out the madness, all you have to do is group them in one circle."
"Are you saying that I should be the class' representative?"
"Right on point, kid," he grinned, "I know damn well you have the capability, just gotta harness it y'know?"
"But why me?"
"A feeling." Kizakura shrugged.
"...This isn't gonna end well." he said.
"Pretty sure Chisa's gonna ask on Monday so you better show off your leadership skills." giving the brunet a wink.
"I'm gonna go insane from this." his shoulders slumped. "Didn't think the school of hope would make me wanna quit halfway…"
"Meh, you'll make it through, after all, you've handled drunk me. Anyways, gotta go now. Jin asked me to come today for a meeting, so I'll get some snooze in."
"Alright then, see ya."
"I'm still gonna get my revenge by the way. Better watch your back." Kizakura announced with a smirk and Hajime never felt so relieved and scared at the same time. On one hand, Kizakura came back to his normal state from acting like a genuine mentor. But on the other, what the hell was the man going to pull this time?
The door shut and Hajime sighed. This next week wouldn't be pretty for his sanity. Since everything seemed to line up this next week, he might as well ask his Boss for a favor. Time to get the breathing space he desperately needed.
[-x-]
OJ with pulp is ass, I'll fight anyone who says otherwise.
Anyways, howdy do? Been a while since I updated this, remember when I said I won't take months? Yeah… me neither. So uhh, I think this chapter turned out pretty decently but the ending was a bit lackluster in my opinion.