"What are you waiting for Soma? It's time for breakfast!" I heard my mom calling my name from downstairs, probably confused about why I haven't left my minimalistic room yet.
My schedule was supposed to wake up at 8 when the alarm clock rings, eat breakfast as soon as possible, and then go job hunting all for the sake of getting on with my day quickly. No parent wants a layabout of a son just taking up space and not contributing to society in the slightest after all.
Of course, I do have a reason why I'm just sitting up in my bed. It was just the fact that I was paralyzed by the thing in front of me that had to have been nothing more than an illusion or a delusion. I'm not old enough to drink, nor did I take any drugs.
So, why did this thing just pop up in front of me not even a minute after I woke up?
Say Status.
A white, transparent rectangle with those 2 words bolded in black text sitting right in the center of my vision. I rubbed my eyes and blinked rapidly only for the same rectangular text box to currently still exist within my vision. I stretched out my hand and slowly nodded when my arm passed through it, like a shellshocked victim of a crime acknowledging, but not understanding what happened.
It wants me to say status?
There was a part of me that wanted to follow the directions, but the more sensible part of me ignored this nonsense that was real and went back to reality. I'll happily ignore this because I'm not prepared enough to deal with whatever this is.
I left my bedroom and headed through the open door, descending down the wood stairs while scratching an itch beneath my white t-shirt.
At the foot of the steps was my wonderful mom whose youthful face is slightly marred by wrinkles is thankfully not blocked by my personal adware. Her brown hair matches my own light shade of hair.
Advanced Housewife
LV5
Genji Shiori
My eyes noticeably widened at what I saw. There was a name and level above her head. What do I even say to that?
"What's wrong? Didn't have a good night's sleep?" she asked in a voice tinged with concern. I must've been staring blankly for a bit longer than I expected for her to ask that.
"Think I drank too much last night," I joke with a smirk. She playfully hit my back immediately after saying that.
"I know no son of mine would ever break the law. I have breakfast ready for you and Seijuro." I trailed behind her towards the dining room where the meals were already laid out. Already there was my dad. I then started rubbing my eyes furiously.
Hard Worker
LV8
Genji Seijuro
Once is happenstance, twice is a coincidence, and now this is the third time something out of the ordinary jumped out at me. Am I the only one who's seeing this...what am I saying, of course I'm the only one.
Mom would've been wide-eyed all morning and dad would be a lot more talkative if something like this was happening to him.
Speaking of dad, he looked up at me, his dark eyes staring into my own and then let a smile ease his countenance. Both my mom and I sit down at the table.
"Thanks for the meal," we say in unison. I look down at my plate.
Toast and scrambled eggs, huh. Also, some orange juice to go along with it. I couldn't have a better mother because only she would understand the best food for breakfast.
Breaking my chopsticks with hidden glee, I start with the golden, scrambled eggs that had a fluffy appearance, but a meaty, tender texture that just melted in my mouth. "Delicious as always. Can't really see even a five star chef beating you in the kitchen," I compliment.
"Oh, you flatter me like usual." She took my praise with a slight amount of joy. This is the normal morning. Me enjoying breakfast, my mom taking my daily praise with ease, and my father slowly savoring his meal quietly while looking at our byplay. There's not supposed to be words sitting above people's heads like an MMO.
It was during my pointless contemplation that my dad started a conversation in his typical stoic manner. "You seem strange today. Did you get enough rest?" I nearly sigh.
My ability to tell if any of my family is acting oddly is unfortunately not limited to just me.
I would be heartily devouring my meal after the first bite, but here I am sitting here and thinking about what I should do. Guess it's time for me to do something I really don't like doing to my family.
Hide the truth.
"Was just thinking about going job hunting today. Yesterday didn't go too well, but now I narrowed down the best places for me to work." My dad and mom took the deception very easily as it was something I did have on my mind for a while now.
"Well now," my wonderful mother began. "I wish for your success, and so does your father." I gently smile at my mom's comforting words.
"What are the places you narrowed down?" I turned to my father when he asked that. I shoved a large piece of scrambled eggs into my mouth while thinking.
"There're two convenience stores. The closer one is a Family Mart and the further one is a Seven Eleven. I'll hit up Family Mart first." After I found out they were hiring, I immediately sent emails to the respective local managers.
Just have to get lucky and stay calm during the interview.
"I recommend Seven Eleven," my father said strongly. "The pay is usually better than other convenience store chains and the longer distance shouldn't be any trouble with your bike."
I drink my orange juice to that advice.
With the topic over, we finished eating our food in silence. It's usually this quiet in the house. Dad's not a talkative person, and my mom and I don't mind silence, so this is peaceful in a way.
"Alright, I'll clean this up and head out." I can't bear looking at the stuff above their heads. It just keeps coming into view whenever I look up at them.
I stand up and grab my plate and empty glass, but then my mother places her hand over mine with a smirk. "Ah, just leave that to me. You go and get your job hunt over with. I know how rough it is to land your first job after all."
"Thanks." I'm truly blessed to have understanding parents.
With a purpose behind my steps, I march upstairs to get dressed. I replaced the pajamas of mine with a gray dress shirt and black slacks. It's a bit more formal than how I usually dress, but it's necessary.
I walk back downstairs in my gray socks, going towards the exit where my shoes are located. "Heading out."
"Have a good day!" My dad said nothing, but I could feel his silent sentiments nonetheless. I slap on the black sneakers and move the bicycle from the wide exit to right outside the house. Wish I had some dress shoes instead.
"Wallet check, phone check, keys check…" I lock the door behind me and hop on my bike. Should take about five minutes by bike to reach the closer convenience store, so I make that my initial destination.
"This should go pretty well," I say with a slightly hopeful smile plastered on my face.
"That didn't go well." An interview that has an average time of about an hour lasted only about thirty minutes before they told me I wasn't acceptable.
I was outside the convenience store by my bike. It was secured by a lock that cost around four thousand yen, so there was no need to worry about it getting jacked by some random person.
If somebody were to pass me by while going to make a purchase, they'd see an unsightly grimace on my face. I really failed that interview hard.
"Third day of looking for jobs and still failing." I need a job to get experience and experience to get a job.
Real life really sucks sometimes. Wonder if my little brother in Academy City has it easier? "What am I thinking? Of course, he has it easier. He's still in school while I'm here taking in the hard dose of reality."
I'll admit that the reason for me failing the interview can be mostly attributed to me. I do not have any job experience in the slightest, while the other people I was competing with did. There was also the fact of me getting distracted by all those damn pop ups. I was slapped around by this game-induced delusion probably from me messing around on my PSP too much.
And I might've been a little bit too nervous.
I sigh. "I can't ignore this anymore."
A white screen with bolded black text popped up once more, probably due to my acceptance.
Say Status.
I'm not drunk or under the influence of any narcotics or hallucinogens. Ignoring reality and plastering over a fake reality in a deluded manner is not healthy, so it's time to confront what this thing really is. I do have some suspicions of what this could be because of all the unintentional hints I've been seeing.
"Status." The screen vanishes and is instantly replaced by a larger screen that shows something pretty interesting if I do say so myself.
Name: Genji Soma
Title: Ex-Delinquent
Level: 1 (Next Level 0/100 EXP)
HP: 150/150
MP: 90/90
STR: 13
VIT: 15
DEX: 11
INT: 9
WIS: 10
LCK: 1
Points: 0
Money: 0 Yen
"You can't be serious, right?" I almost felt like laughing, but that would be the wrong thing to do. Retreating to a defensive laughter to deny something that's real even though it shouldn't be real to my current worldview is stupid.
I have to adjust to this even if I don't like it, but that's much easier said than done. Besides…
I glare at my status screen.
"What does this thing mean by 'Ex-Delinquent?' Just because I was a little rambunctious when I was young and stupid…" It's even calling me a broke person when I have cash on me! Also, what's with that depressing luck stat?
Well, I'm probably still young and stupid looking at the disheartening INT stat of mine, which definitely stands for Intelligence. I ignored my luck because thinking about that would be fruitless.
I let out yet another sigh. Why can't the world be normal for me.
Well, time to analyze this in full.
Something like this isn't completely foreign to me, though it still kind of is. I've played a bunch of games when I was younger. Ranged from first-person shooters to RPGs, which this seems to be referencing.
"Status, huh. Probably my stat sheet then?" There was a space on the right side that listed skills, traits, and quests.
Huh, when did I start smiling? I'm really getting into something ridiculous like this. Tapping skills revealed an almost barren extra white box over the first one.
Gamer's Soul (Passive) LV1 EXP 0.00%
"That's it?" I say, surprised at the lack of explanation of this skill. Tapping it didn't reveal anything about it, but it had a level. The most I can say is that this skill confirmed that i turned into a game character basically.
I rubbed my head in confusion before moving onto the next skills.
Riding (Passive) LV3 EXP 7.64%
The expertise and knowledge of commanding vehicles ranging from lowly bikes to gargantuan planes.
Brawling (Passive) LV5 88.45%
Allows the user to fight their way through the streets with finesse.
10% Increase in damage of unarmed attacks.
5% Increase in attack speed of unarmed attacks.
Well, it's not like I expected something fantastic from all my skills. With the exception of Gamer's Soul, I know where these already established skills come from.
Riding came from biking and Brawling came from my…less than illustrious past of being a delinquent that I've already grown out of. Now it's time for traits.
Lazily hitting the traits like I had all the time in the world, I was greeted by an empty white screen that pretty much told me I had zero traits without having to say anything. How efficient and slightly disappointing.
"Now it's just the quests section...huh?" The single quest that seemed to have already been accepted for some reason even though there was no prompt for it, like how games should offer, was staring me right in the face.
"I forgot!" I nearly yelled. Thankfully there was nobody outside in the parking lot to hear my panicking. "Oh hell, I have to get going right now!" I undid the lock and immediately got on my bike. I turned out of the lot as fast as I could and pumped the pedals at full speed without regard to my stamina.
I lost my mind because of the quest that reminded me of why I was here to begin with.
Current Quests (1):
Get a Job, You Layabout!
You need to get a job if you want your weak wallet to be filled up with cash. There are two places you know of that are hiring people like you, so don't screw this up! Time Limit: Today.
Reward: 100 EXP. A Salary.
Failure: Disappointment in yourself. Disappointment from parents.
I do not want that failure at all. Obviously I'd feel disappointed, but feeling the disappointment from my parents would be too much. I know they love me and all and they would never disown me over something like this, but I still don't want that failure.
Plus I need to get some money and move out of the place, so I'll be able to call myself a human being properly.
Safe to say, I was panicking just a tad bit.
I need to go faster though. Even though I won't be late for the interview, I want to be as early as possible to set a good first impression. I need every advantage I can get because Seven Eleven's my last shot for today. I wasted enough time fooling around with this real life game.
"Nearly there...!" Going at max speed without stopping was starting to get to me.
Through strenuous exercise, you have increased your VIT by 1.
I ignored that pop-up and continued pedalling. I finally reached my destination. I jumped off my bike without even bothering to lock it and entered the automatic doors. It seemed to be a slow day. Better for me then.
"Hey, uh." I was breathing heavily. Not the best first impression, much to my disgruntlement. The customer making his payment at the register paid me little mind before going back to what he was doing with the cashier.
What did I rush for again? I let out a powerful sigh as I felt the urge to just sit down on the floor. Fortunately, I held it in and stood strong, though winded. I waited for the guy at the register to finish making his payment before walking up there myself.
I've never been to this convenience store before, though all of them basically have the same structure.
"Can I help you sir?" What the fresh hell am I looking at?
Magician
Yamamoto Jin
LV44
"I..." Magician? Like party tricks? How does that get him to level forty-four? That's very fucking high compared to everyone else I ran into! The customer that left was only level 4!
No really. What the fuck?! The guy had swept-back black hair and was dressed in a white t-shirt with a large 7 Eleven plastered in the center of it and black slacks. He looks like a regular employee rather than a super boss waiting for somebody to trigger his trap.
Before he gets annoyed at me taking too long to get to the point, I shove my confusion and shock into a separate part of my brain and speak with a confidence I don't actually feel. "I am here for the interview. Do you know where your manager is?"
Apparently, the world isn't done throwing surprises at me because the man in front of me bursts into tears on the spot like it was a rehearsed magic act and nearly leaps over the counter to hug me. I was quick enough to avoid his grasp, meaning that my clothes are thankfully untouched by tears and snot.
"Woah, calm down. I know that being a cashier is rough and all, but I'll lighten the load for you if I do get hired." Maybe saying that will calm him down. Plus, saying something like that, might make him put in a good word for me.
"You're already hired!" Those three words made me shocked, happy, and confused all at the same time. I wasn't happy enough to burst into tears on the spot and my confusion did dampen my positive emotions enough to be skeptical.
"Do you have the permission from the manager to hire prospective employees like that?" He rubbed his bare arm over his face and cleaned up the mess left behind. After that, he let loose a tirade backed by heavy emotion.
"I am the manager! Do you understand how miserable it was for me to run a whole damn store by myself?! The previous manager left for some reason and left me to cover everything by myself. I've had little free time and little sleep and I was on the verge of quitting! Nobody wanted to take this position either because it's further from the neighborhoods and it's been so miserable for me. I had to do inventory, restocking, cleaning, cashiering, managing, and customer service! Please, oh please just accept this job and I'll give you a good salary!"
This man has suffered too much. His tale nearly brought me to tears. I don't care if he was a digimon in disguise, the least I could do was ease his pain.
I stretch out my hand. "You got yourself an employee, buddy." At lightning speed, his hand clasped mine. The pure joy on his face was undeniably pure. I made someone happy, got myself a job, and completed this quest, which means that my parents will be happy.
Perfect.
Quest Complete!
You have leveled up.
Feels a little tingly, but nothing painful. Guess this strange ability of mine is a pure benefit then.
I'm just now noticing that the man still hasn't let go of my hand. I am now trying to pry it loose but he kept his grip tight. He looked up at me with a solemn countenance before asking me a question.
"When do you start?" I shrugged my shoulders and spoke lightly.
"I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to ask you that question, though today's fine for me. Let me just notify my parents and then you can give me one of those obligatory employee shirts." He finally let my hand go.
I pull out my phone and start texting my mom. Dad's on the job right now and a phone call would distract him. Best to just text my mom then.
-Hey, I got the job and I'm immediately starting a shift. I'll see you in a bit.
There. Text done.
I mute my phone and pocket it. I look up to see the manager who found a light leading him out of the suffering darkness handing me a shirt. "I'll go change in the back," I respond while grabbing the shirt. He nodded with a heavy, exhausted sigh filled with nothing but relief.
There were a couple of doors leading to different areas in the back. The one I chose led to a space that I presume is the manager's office. I go inside and close the door before stripping off my shirt and leaving it on a table.
This 7 Eleven shirt is a pretty snug and comfortable fit, something I would wear around the house if it wasn't necessary to keep it pristine for my new job.
"It'd be nice if I had something like an inventory to..." I trailed off because a white box appeared right in front of me labeled my last word. I just nod to it because I'm already starting to get accustomed to this. I pick up my shirt and stuff it inside.
My arm went inside the white box. It felt like entering a pool of water without the feeling of wetness or weight of the liquid on me. I let go of the grip on my shirt and pull my hand out.
"This is really convenient," I say, fully aware of the oddity of this. I've been to Academy City a few times with my family to visit my younger brother and it makes me wonder if having an Esper ability is a little something like this.
"Nevermind that." I slap my cheeks and leave the room, ready to get to work. The manager turns around and spots me, his brown eyes filled with light.
"Ready to get to work?" he asks with a grin. I respond with a nod and a smile as he makes his way for me to reach the cashier. "I'll be in the back taking stock and...doing the rest of the miserable jobs."
He walked with a slump. Poor guy.
He didn't even interview me or see if I was qualified enough to handle a cashier.
I shrug my shoulders.
It's not like he has anything to worry about. I graduated high school with pretty decent grades.
"I'm exhausted..." How did the manager do it? All those positions he had to fill by himself. Meanwhile, I was sitting here resting my head on my hand staring at the aisles bereft of anyone. It was a slow day and the position of the sun has noticeably changed.
The strain on my mind was due to the fact that I had to sit here for a while; I think it's been 6 hours. I check the clock and yep, it's been 6 hours.
The boss came in and gave me permission to go on break, but I foolishly refused, thinking that I could handle something simple like this.
I was an idiot. I underestimated the power of boredom and overestimated my tenacity and determination to keep up my willpower doing a boring job like this.
"Thanks for handling this for me." My happy manager came out from the back, his eyes baggy, but looking just as excitable as when I took up this position. I just wave my hand in response.
I was just too tired to speak up.
"My bad, my bad. I shouldn't have been so pushy to make you start today. I'll give you a bonus today." He rubbed his index finger and thumb together, the universal sign of money. Betraying my exhaustion, I stood up fully and extended a hand with the palm facing upwards.
"Gimme." This is the reason why I got a job in the first place, the reason why anyone gets a job. I want that cash, the dough, the bucks. I really, really want that money!
"Y-yeah, just give me a second." Huh, wonder why he looked strange. Almost like he was creeped out by me or something.
"Here." He slapped the wad of money into my hands and I began counting. "One thousand, two thousand, three thousand...eight thousand yen?" I looked up at him with a smile on my face. His response was a smile that matched my own.
I stuff it in my wallet. "So, does that mean I'm done for today?" I queried. "Because if so, I'll be heading home right now."
"Actually, could you do one more thing for me?" He quickly spoke up before I left the counter.
Not really seeing any disadvantage in helping out my boss, plus the fact that he's been suffering for who knows how long by himself, I acquiesced to his request without thought.
"Yeah sure. You don't even have to pay me extra for this." That simple statement made him burst into tears again.
"You truly are..." He rubbed his face clean, but only more tears started flowing down. If I had to be perfectly honest, this trait of his is pretty creepy. "...The nicest guy in the world. Just follow me to the storage."
"So, what is this extra thing you want me to do?" I ask while trailing behind him. He spoke without turning around.
"Ah, There're some heavy boxes lying around and I'm too tired to muster the energy to move them around. I need you to just unstack them and lay them to the side." I nod. Organizing things then.
Moving heavy stuff shouldn't be that difficult for me. I haven't been working out as much as I used to, but I think I'm still pretty strong.
"Alright, here we are!" Manager Yamamoto opens a door and turns on the light.
There are dozens of boxes, sealed tight, but sprawled out in the weirdest crop circle formation I've ever seen. It just looks so damn weird...and he wants me to line them up neatly. Some boxes are even stacked upon each other and not evenly either.
But more than that...
"Holy shit, this place is huge!" There's no way that the phrase "bigger on the inside" can account for something like this.
"I'll leave this to you!" He beamed at me, thankful for having an extra pair of hands around. I instantly want to reject this job now, but that would make the man cry. I sigh as I watch him leave and go do whatever.
"Might as well get started..." Leaving a job unfinished won't look good on my resume for other jobs. I roll my right shoulder and lift the first box that's stacked on another. Placing my hands on the sides and underneath, I lift with my back and immediately feel the weight of a whole bookcase on me.
"What...the hell...is in this thing...?!" With every last bit of my strength, all I was able to manage was moving it off the first box and onto the floor.
I fall on top of the box due to a complete lack of energy.
Through nearly tearing your muscles, you have increased your STR by 1.
Muscle tearing? "Ugh." I can already feel the pain in my arms and back and it's not going away.
"How do I complete this...?" The boxes are extremely heavy, but I did get a point increase to strength. Even with that though, I doubt just a single point would be enough to move them.
Wait.
"Status," I call aloud. An epiphany just hit me, one I should've had a while ago.
Name: Genji Soma
Title: Ex-Delinquent
Level: 2 (Next Level 0/300 EXP)
HP: 160/160
MP: 90/90
STR: 14
VIT: 16
DEX: 11
INT: 9
WIS: 10
LCK: 1
Points: 5
Money: 0 Yen
I'm not normal. Not anymore. This status sheet proves it all.
I take the five points I gained from leveling up and put them all into strength, bringing it up to a nice and acceptable nineteen. I don't feel any different in the slightest, but I'm going to put these boxes in a neat row if it's the last thing I do.
With determination fueling my body, I lift up the box in front of me.
"It's easier," I say almost unconsciously. The extra points to strength made this much easier. I felt a grin make its way to my face as I dropped this box on the leftmost side of the storage.
"Alright!" I roll my shoulder with extreme confidence. The cracks were music to my ears. The weight of that box was rough to handle, but I could lift it without much pain. This job is doable.
1 Box down. 47 boxes left.
I lifted the next box, which was noticeably lighter than the other one. Thankfully, not all the boxes are obscenely heavy like that last one was. Makes me wonder what was in that.
I set the cardboard box next to the previous one. "Guess I should form a row of them." I'll speed this up as well by sliding the boxes instead of lifting them.
"Wait, huh?" Something changed a little. I didn't even notice earlier when I first entered the room, but earlier, the air felt a little damp and smelled rusty. Now that feeling is gone for some inexplicable reason.
As much as I want to focus on moving these boxes, I can't just forget about Yamamoto's level and his title.
He's a magician. Probably means he can cast magic...there's no probably about that. I have an MP bar. Magic certainly exists regardless of what I think.
I never would've thought about something like that had I not been playing the game of real life right now. Disregarding something like that because 'it's not real due to magic being fake' is just self-delusion now.
That previous worldview has been irrevocably warped into something that accepts supernatural as commonplace and I no longer even question if it's fake. I now know this is real.
I nod to myself. "Doesn't matter how ridiculous this gets, it's not like anything bad is happening." The magician has been in this place for who knows how long and hasn't done anything bad as far as I know. Plus, he's not that bad of a guy.
Well, time to push more boxes.
I systematically slid all the boxes mindlessly. I pushed them all against the side and basically extended the wall forward with boxes. With the first line done, I built up a second line, then the third. I could feel the sweat starting to build, but I was almost done.
"Even though they aren't all heavy as shit, they're not light at all. What's actually in these things?" My curiosity was driving me to tear off the duct tape and open up one of the boxes. I had to know what was making my arms and back so miserable.
"Should I?" Respecting people's privacy is a good virtue, but…
I crouch down near one of few boxes left to move. The material is just pure cardboard, so it can't be something liquid. It's most likely wrapped in something to keep the material inside protected though.
A skill has been created through an action.
Through continuous observation to uncover an object's information, 'Observe' has been created.
"Observe?" I say, surprised by an extra function of this. The skill I just made activated from just saying the word.
A cardboard box holding stuff inside.
A text box popped up slightly above the box. I tilt my head to the side and digest what just happened before standing up.
Okay, I got it. I'm understanding this thing more and more now.
I quickly finish moving all the boxes. I wipe the accumulated sweat off my forehead before another text box appears in front of me.
Through moving heavy objects, you have increased your STR by 1.
"There's really nothing to be surprised about anymore." It's pretty amazing how quickly a person can adapt to weirdness. I shrug my shoulders and head to the exit.
I turn off the light and exit the door.
My boss was at the cash register and the store was empty. "Did we get any more customers?" I ask. He turned around, a bit surprised at my appearance for some reason.
"You're...done already?" He studied me while speaking slowly. "I'm a bit surprised you moved all that heavy stuff already. You're a good employee!" He gave me a thumbs up.
I just had a thought.
What if the reason he gave me the bonus pay before asking me an extra favor not related to my current position was to soften my resistance to assisting him? If that's true, I got played like a fiddle.
Through forming a plausible theory with a bit of deduction, you have increased your INT by 1.
"Can I leave now?" I ask, not really bothered by the possible manipulation. I got money and a job now, so I've completed what I set out to do. I'm still riding a high from the success. That's why I'm not really all that bothered maybe.
"Yep! You did a fantastic job for me. Give me your number and I'll text you your shift." We exchange numbers and he gives me the days and hours I work. I nod my head, satisfied at this, and leave the convenience store.
"Ah." I did actually leave my bike unsteady when I ran in here like a crazy dumbass. Didn't even lock it or keep it standing up at all, so it fell like this. I nearly facepalm. I shouldn't be stupid like this or something bad might happen.
Through being fortunate enough that nobody stole your bicycle, you have increased your LCK by 1.
I want to disable these pop-ups now.
I didn't need the text box. I know that I did something stupid due to carelessness and poor thought. I sigh and take the reprimand and reward for what it is and pedal off.
I've been out for a total of eight hours and evening is approaching. I got some extra cash. Should I spend it on something? "Nah, I'll just head home and let my parents know how everything went."
It's been a pretty good day so far.
Quest Alert.
Novem.
Discover who Yamamoto Jin really is. Time Limit: End of April.
"Huh?" That was it? No reward for succeeding or penalty for failing? The name of the quest is pretty weird as well.
I shrug my shoulders. It doesn't look like it's a high priority quest, so I got nothing to worry about for now. If I tried to do quest after quest and lose myself just for this game, I wouldn't be enjoying life.
Yes. The purpose of life is to simply enjoy it.
I smile with that thought filling my head and continue biking back home. Should probably give my younger brother a call to tell him the good news.
"Yo, I'm back!" I took off my shoes and called out. My parents are probably in the living room, so I head over there after setting my bike to the side and taking off my shoes. "Ah. almost forgot to lock the door." I stop and turn around to remedy that problem.
With everything necessary done, now I can go and greet mom and dad face-to-face. I am a bit surprised that my mom didn't come strolling over here with a smile on her face. Wonder if she's taking a nap or something.
Entering the spacious living room, the view of my mom sitting on the burgundy leather couch came into view. The TV was on and she was simply staring at it.
She doesn't look amused at all. Makes me wonder what bothered her today.
"Hey," I speak up to get her attention even though she definitely heard me from the entrance. She muted the TV and turned to me, the silence between us louder than the TV was previously.
She then spoke up. "'Hey, I got the job and I'm immediately starting a shift. I'll see you in a bit.' So, what unit of time is 'a bit' to you?" Ah, so that's what was bothering her. I chuckle a little bit, making her frown, which only made me want to burst into a full-blown laughter. It wasn't really anything to worry about after all then.
"Sorry, sorry. I was just too excited to work at my first job, and my boss fortunately accepted my request to get started right away." She seemed to notice my shirt. Her frown turned upside down almost instantaneously.
"That's fantastic!" The tense air born from her being upset dissipated like a shimmering heat haze. I grinned at that and pulled out my wallet.
"Eight thousand yen for the first day. Feels really great honestly. Soon I'll have enough money to move out and live on my own!" I was looking down in my hands at the money I acquired, so I missed my mother's expression at my words.
"Do...you really want to leave us that badly?" Oh hell. My eyes widened at the act of her misinterpreting my words. I thought she'd be happy at my success, but she's feeling sad that I'm soon to leave the nest. Gotta fix this.
"No, no! It's nothing like that. It's more like...you know...everyone has to leave their parents sometime and go out into the wide world to experience life and all, right?" She sighed at my words, probably not feeling better in the slightest by them.
I'm at a loss what to do in cheering her up.
"Well, Yuuji is in Academy City and soon you'll be away from us soon. Just the fact that it'll be me and Seijuro feels a little lonely, like we're getting old." I rolled my eyes at this.
"Come on. It's not like we don't visit him and he doesn't visit us. I'll do the same thing once I'm living in a new place." I pause for a bit, thinking about the perfect thing to say. I snap my fingers at a stray thought running through my head that I latched onto. "I'll move in an apartment close by. So close that I could even walk here in a jiffy. How about that?"
She cheerfully smiles and clasps her hands. "That sounds wonderful."
Well, that's a relief. She'll probably be upset when I do prepare to move out with all my things, but I'll deal with that when the time comes. For now, there's something I have to do. "I'm gonna change clothes and go to the hospital now," I state my intentions.
Mom nods then I go up the wooden creaky stairs. I open the door to my room and close it. Hopefully mom doesn't come in here while I'm using these game powers.
"Inventory." A small square in the white box appeared. Looking closer, it seems to be the dress shirt I put in there earlier. That's pretty convenient.
I pull out the shirt and dump it on my bland bed. I strip off the 7 Eleven shirt from my body and dump it in my inventory to replace the gray dress shirt.
"Guess I'll put this in the laundry basket." It's already halfway full, so I'll have to wash my clothes soon.
I turned my half-naked body to my closet and opened it without a word. I just picked out the first thing I saw, which was a long-sleeved black shirt. "Good enough for the cold weather, I guess." Actually, I'm glad I picked it out. It's pretty cold right now, even for January.
Time to let mom know I'm going out.
After I left the house again, I stuffed my keys and wallet into my inventory. It's a nice, simple way of storing things because it protects from getting stolen from and I don't have to worry about the weight in my pockets no matter how minor it is. Of course, I kept my phone in my pocket with vibration on just in case somebody calls me.
"Speaking of calling, I forgot to let my little brother hear the good news. Oh well." I shrugged my shoulders and carried on to the hospital. There was no need to bring my bike because the distance wasn't that far. It wasn't a short walk away, but it wasn't really that long either. Ten minutes at best that gives me some time to think. Specifically, the time to think about who exactly I'm visiting.
I sigh.
It's cold enough to snow, but the sky's so blue.
Eventually I reach the hospital. There was a part of me that wanted to turn back, but I made a promise to visit Ayumi at least three times a week. Today's Thursday, and this would be the third time. I could turn back now and just procrastinate til the last minute, but that's no damn good at all.
I take a deep breath to prepare myself and pass through the doors.
"Hello," a receptionist greeted me as I stepped up to the desk. I nodded to him. "Are you checking in or visiting?"
"Visiting." I was a bit muffled with my hand over my face, but he got the message.
"And the name of the person you're visiting?" I opened my mouth and spoke.
I opened the door to a certain patient's room. The patient was a frail girl whose hair had already gone white from the tip to the base. She gave off the aura of a person that would break apart like glass if you touched them. A sight that caused me internal anguish, yet I could only put up a fake smile when she smiled weakly at me.
My one and only friend from high school that's given me grief and happiness in equal measures.
The Sick One
LV2
Arakawa Ayumi
Even you're filtered by this game-like perspective, huh.