-o-o-o-

Chapter 2: Missed Event

-o-o-o-

Sasuke scowled to himself. Dinner was drab and banal. It was always the same thing. Over and over. The same mind-numbingly tedious and mindless ceremony where Itachi was placed on a pedestal while he was ignored, with a simple how are you from his mother who quickly got distracted by Itachi's new conquests. It appeared that Uchiha corps has partnered with Sannin industries, a frontier tech company that have been making strides in virtual realities. Sasuke rolled his eyes, eating his tomato salad absent-mindedly as he tuned out the conversation at the dinner table. What's the use in listening in anyway? When all their attention would go to his brother? What use is a talentless alpha like him who lived in the shadow of his brother; a talented beta, the envy of the business world?

His mind wandered back to the lithe figure that seemed to fit so perfectly in his hands, eyes, piercing golden with soft velvety hair the he'd been dying to run his fingers in. He wondered how that hair would smell, how that long muscled neck would taste as it glistened beautifully with sweat.

Sasuke pinched his forearm, remembering that for all intents and purposes, he's still at the dinner table and his mind is wandering to less than appropriate territory. Narushiki has affected him in many ways than he thought. And how could he not? With Narushiki, Sasuke felt needed for once. Though their interaction was brief, the way that the man would brighten and exude a magnetic aura of warmth is beyond what any of the omega of this world can give him. There's a strange charm to the character that transcends biology; to the point that Sasuke wondered if the feedback system of the virtual suit had the power to affect his own hormones, though that's impossible right? He's positive, however, that there's definitely this inescapable pull that he felt from the A.I.

Not just in the way that Narushiki looks and felt right in his arms, but in the way he spoke, the way his eyes would light up and the way he swayed his hips when he moved. Everything about the character was screaming to Sasuke and it's driving him mad.

He has to see him now.

Abruptly, he stood up despite his unfinished food.

"Sasuke, dear, where are you going?"

"I'm not feeling well mother. Please excuse me." And without even waiting for his family's reply, Sasuke rushed to his room, locked his door and switched on his computer. His phone vibrated in his pocket while his PC was booting up.

[Dinner Event Ending in 15 minutes]

Dark eyes widened. He completely forgot about the event! It would appear that Bijuu Online is synced with real time clocks rather than an in-game one because the event was set to expire at exactly 11:00 pm

"Come on! Load, you piece of junk!" He growled at his computer, but it was too late. As soon as Windows XZ booted up and scanned his retina, his phone vibrated again.

[Dinner Event has expired.]

His heart sank. He quickly loaded the Veam app to start the game. Feeling desperate, as if a big part of him doesn't want to disappoint Narushiki. Chalk it to his inner alpha or personal pride. But the idea of inviting someone to dinner and missing it, even if it was in a game was simply unacceptable to him.

In his haste, he didn't wear the full body suit this time, only the vest, the gloves and the boots. But he didn't care. He was anxious. He was desperate. He was ANGRY. His inner alpha rages at the thought of missing a plan that he initiated.

As the game launched, he was thrust back into his office and immediately, he noticed that Narushiki is missing. He growled angrily, slamming his fisted hands on the desk as he growled savagely against the notification. It was brief. It wasn't anything that flashed in the center of his vision, like the previous prompts. But it was enough to elicit raw unbridled anger within him. It appeared at the upper right corner, a red X icon taunting him, flashing a simple "Event Missed" message before it quickly disappeared.

"Damn it! Damn it to hell!" He growled as he sank in his chair as he ran a hand through his hair, exasperated and defeated.

"Karin!" He bellowed. And immediately the A.I assistant appeared in front of him.

"How may I help you, Hokage-sama?"

"Narushiki? Where is he?"

"Searching…" Karin paused for a while before facing him as she shook her head. "My apologies, sir. The user in question cannot be found for the mean time. However, recent data logs indicated his involvement in a missed event."

Sasuke growled. In his anger and exasperation, he completely missed the fact that the A.I mentioned "user" rather than an NPC. Before he can contemplate the message further, Karin continued.

"Missed event logged. Repeatable daily quest: Dinner Event. No further logs detected."

Sasuke's eyes widened, his desperation turned to hope at the A.I's revelation.

"Repeatable daily quest?" He asked. He should not have skipped the tutorial after all. It appears that there's more to Bijuu online than what NAO has offered. Palming his face for his error, he immediately asked Karin again.

"How is this quest activated again?"

"Searching query…"

"F.A.Q. located. Repeatable Daily Quest: Dinner Event. Prerequisite: Invite a character to dinner. Second prerequisite: Character must be in a friendly faction. Third prerequisite: Character must be tagged in previously encountered character list."

Sasuke's eyes shone with hope. Thank goodness. There might be a chance just yet. He flicked his hand and opened his menu. And true enough in the allies list, the name Narushiki came up. He immediately selected the NPC's name, and ignoring his shaking hands, he pressed the invite button.

[Invite character to: Party, Guild, Actions]

He pressed actions and it revealed various choices. [Fishing, Dinner, Training, Spar…] Without scrolling down, he pressed the Dinner option and breathed a sigh of relief when the A.I. confirmed his actions. After exiting the menu however, a prompt popped up.

[Hint: You have a previously missed event. To avoid missing future in-game events, download the smartphone app and sync your account. It is also possible to interact with the game world without the virtual suit but you won't have access to the haptic and biosensory feedback systems. Load more tips? Yes or No?]

Curiosity got the better of him. He wanted to learn more of the game now that he's invested in getting to know Narushiki more. He pressed Yes before he was diverted to an article. After a brief scan, he learned that it is possible to interact with Bijuu Online the old fashioned way, like an ordinary game, or even through the notification system in a synced phone. He also knew that with the right permissions, Karin or a similar A.I purchasable at the game shop can run in his phone's background and allow him to interact with the game that way, too.

But what drove his attention was the tip at the bottom.

[Hint: You can wear your virtual suit underneath your normal clothes. For best results, order the untethered set accessory at our online shop to connect with your virtual self in game, whenever or wherever you are as long as you have access to a nearby power supply. WARNING: for legal purposes, there is a limit of eight hours in-game when in an untethered mode, and you cannot wear the isolation helmet in this mode. Use the virtual eyeglass and earpiece addon for this purpose.]

He wasted no time. He ordered the necessary hardware and even splurged a bit on some in game items, like a dinner set and some flowers. He doesn't really know why but he's compelled by some force; wanting to make the second dinner as perfect as possible. And he'll be damned if anything will interfere like the first. He clicked priority next day shipping for the hardware before finalizing his transaction.

Satisfied with his purchase, he relaxed for a bit, explored the game for a while as he upgraded Konoha's military and his character's stats, learning more of the game world's lore and mechanics along the way. Before he grew sleepy. When he took off his isolation helmet, he realized that his clock now reads 4:00 a.m.

He sighed. He might have gone overboard there. But he's ready to meet Narushiki again. And this time, no one will stop him. Sure, he still have to go to work by 9 am later today. But whatever. As long as he have those hardware shipped to his office, he definitely won't have problem even if he has to work overtime at work.

He pulled up his calendar and was thankful that there are no important meeting for the day. Without even cleaning after his game room, he collapsed on his bed, exhausted, but content, a small smile on his lips as his eyes finally succumbed to the call of sleep.

-o-o-o-

"Bijuu Online's reception has been a big hit. We're already working on three different expansions and has expanded Ninshu studio with our in-house devs. Furthermore, the board has approved your proposal to partner with Uchiha corps and apply our virtual technologies for augmented reality applications. However, I'd like you to review some of the revisions I made when it comes to the contract with Itachi and his team." Naruto gave his assistant, Shikamaru a small smile. As an enigma, he's used to getting his way. Everyone in the room, both alpha and beta have no problem saying yes to him.

This contributed to the rapid growth of Sannin Industries, once a start-up company co-started by his godparents, Tsunade and Jiraiya and their colleague Orochimaru. While he's not privy to the circumstances why the team broke up, the company have been passed to him when his twin brother Menma acquired the start-up through an investor named Kurama.

However, after Menma, an omega got pregnant with Kurama's children, his twin decided to bequeath the reigns to him. And the company have been thriving ever since, especially after Naruto presented as an Enigma, the alpha among alpha. While his status as an Enigma definitely helped, his blood as a Namikaze contributed too. For his father, Minato was known as a business legend and his mother Kushina hailed from the Uzumaki clan, an equally powerful business lineage.

And so, at the early age of twenty, Naruto have been the sole CEO and owner of the company, while a team of board members helped him in managing the growing hardware and software divisions.

He thanked Shikamaru for his hard work and accepted the portfolio containing the proposal.

Shikamaru is among the few beta impervious to his Enigma charms. And so he can always count on the man to be unbiased and impartial when it comes to business advise.

"Oh and Naruto, inform me as soon as you can if you approve of the proposal, so I can inform Itachi-san and his team. I'd be wary of their conditions though. While Itachi was a reasonable man, and seem to be on the level, he did conquer most of Konoha's non-tech businesses. And he is backed by Akatsuki. I circled some dubious conditions in the contract and made some suggestions. So feel free to read through them as well."

"Yeah, yeah. Will do, Shika. Thanks, again!"

Naruto smiled as he made his way back to his office. He was about to peruse his document when his phone buzzed on his pocket.

[Bijuu Online: Taka invites you for a dinner event. Accept? Yes or No?]

Blue sapphire eyes widened at the message. He was sure that Taka had ditched him when he missed their initial event. But it would appear that the man wants to set up another meeting. Despite his initial disappointment at the missed event, he still pressed Yes. And was given the time for the event.

Maybe it's wise to wear his virtual suit and carry the eyewear in his pocket after all, just in case the meetings for tomorrow run late into the night. He contemplated his eagerness. Why was he so excited anyway? He barely knew the guy.

But deep down, he knew the answer.

Unlike the people around him, Taka doesn't know him, isn't exposed to his pheromones and natural allure as an Enigma. So whatever connection they can establish even just inside the game, he's sure that it would be more genuine, more meaningful. And maybe… just maybe…

His eyes flicked to the photo on his desk.

In it was Kurama hugging a grinning Menma from behind.

He, too can have the happiness that his twin brother have. Maybe he can pursue real friendship at the very least. While his brother often commented how he envied his Enigma status, Naruto hated it.

For he knew that the people around him only got close to him due to his pheromones. The friendship and relationships he garnered over the years were superficial at best. This is the reason why he took a particular interest in the Bijuu Online game. He wanted to develop it not just as a game that players all around the world can enjoy but as a platform where meaningful conversations, friendships and relationships can take place.

In a world where scent blockers are not 100% effective, in a world where Enigma like him exist, surely, the reality of genuine friendships can be attained if the biological allure of the sub-sexes is barred by technology.

He smiled fondly at the thought. That had been his dream since childhood after all.

And if Bijuu Online is the platform where the sub-sexes dissolve, then he'd accomplish his dream at last.

"Nii-san…" He chuckled sardonically. "You envied my Enigma sub-sex. But sometimes… I envy you more for finding your soul mate." He slapped his face with his palms and shook his head.

"I shouldn't think like this. At least Menma's happy, right?" But what about you, Naruto? A voice within him spoke out.

He left the thought hanging as he pocketed his phone and opened his laptop. He has a lot of work to do today. But for some reason, his thoughts kept coming back to Taka and their incoming dinner. Maybe this really is his chance to be happy.

-o-o-o-

Sasuke awoke with a start. Still groggy from lack of sleep, but the anticipation for the day fueled his body as he jumped out of bed. He made his way downstairs to see Itachi in a pink apron, making breakfast and was surprised at the sight.

"Niisan?"

"Good morning, Otouto. You mentioned you weren't feeling well last night. So I canceled my morning engagements and pushed my meetings for the afternoon. Come have breakfast with us?" Sasuke saw his father sipping coffee at the far end of the table while his mother was smiling at him from the table, holding her morning tea as Itachi placed perfectly fried eggs, the yolk runny just as Sasuke liked it.

The sight of his family, complete in the kitchen invited a huge smile on the young alpha as he took his seat beside his mother, who gave him a small kiss.

"Mom!" He complained as he tried to push her away.

"What, can't I greet my pup in the morning?"

"I'm not a pup anymore, mom! I'm 27 for goodness' sake. I'm pushing thirty!"

"So? That doesn't mean you stopped being my son."

Sasuke face-faulted but deep down, he was thankful. He's not so invisible after all. As the small family ate their breakfast together, something warm was spreading deep within Sasuke's chest. Maybe this day won't be so bad after all.

-o-o-o-

A/N: Yay, an update. Shorter, but I wanted to push this out before I go to bed for the night. Just because I'm so happy with the feedback I received for this fic. Thank you for your support and see you in the next one. :)