2: Respite, Part 1
"Well now! It's been a few months since I've seen you. Almost thought you'd left Shibuya!" Ken Doi extended an arm to Neku, who shook it heartily in return.
"City's in my blood. Besides, you're not getting rid of me that easily."
"Too true," Doi chuckled, "So what is it you'd like to order?" He beckoned to a large blackboard above the counter. Despite the aroma of spice, curry, and a fragrant mixture of various types of fish, grilled meat and other ingredients Doi mixed into his meals, Fret noticed this place was stylistically more ramen joint than Indian restaurant. The stools, the hardwood counter, the menu… guess old habits died hard for the Don. His eyes flitted between the biryani and Triple Triad Plate and continued to even when Rindo tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hey, Fret?"
"Hm? What is it, dude?" His eyes had still not left the blackboard.
"Uh… well it's just… Doi mentioned Neku's been gone for months and–" Shoka tugged his ear. "Ow! One fish curry please, Don." Doi nodded in response.
"Oh and a Japanified biryani for me, my man." Another nod from the bossman.
"Yeah, so like I was saying, hasn't he been gone for three years?"
"I think that was what he told… huh." Fret thought back a while, to when they had returned to the RG. People around them acted as if they hadn't been missing for 3 straight weeks. Classes in school had just picked up right where everyone else had left off leaving Fret and Rindo scrambling to catch up on everything from History to English. Nagi had even called him one night before a progress report was due to tell him that she was having to catch up on lecture content and couldn't make it, hanging up before he could get a word in. She had later apologised for her abruptness but Fret knew that everyone was being overworked… except Neku, who had graduated without lifting a finger. Still… he'd been shot twice, so maybe he deserved it.
"…and that's why nothing nowadays will ever top Tin Pin." Neku set his glass down with an air of finality. "You guys don't know what society's missing out on now it's moved past it." By now everyone had scraped their plates clean and were making light conversation.
"Think I'll just stick to FanGO. Bit less taxing than hauling some board around with you all day hoping someone else has pins."
"Seconded."
"I'm more of an EleStra guy myself."
"Shiki, tell them. Please, back me up here. This world is so cold without fellow Pinthusiasts to help fight your battles…"
"Well, I was kinda reluctant to throw my board back at home out, especially after what Beat had told me when it came to your skills with it…"
"See?" Neku stared the three Tin Pin outsiders down. "I've got the support of a city-famous fashion designer on my side, everyone."
"Hey, she would've taken your side anyway!" Rindo smiled. "Well, I've got Shoka's support so how about we call this a tie and declare Fret the loser."
"Wha- I can't believe you Rindude! Stabbed in the back by my own best friend, right at my lowest point! The humanity!" Fret pretended to dry his eyes with his scarf. "If boss was here, things would be going way differently for you guys right now!"
"Heh, if Nagi was here we'd all be sitting down to a 30-minute lecture about the finer points of Elegant Strategy," Shoka smirked.
"Uh, yeah, and you'd love it!"
"Probably. She has a way of going on about that game that's infectious."
"I think it's admirable, really." Shiki piped up, "I mean… taking something you personally love and sharing that passion because you think it could help others. Gatto Nero was built on an idea like that… though I guess you could say I'm only half the brain behind it."
"Tin Pin and talk about fashion design…" the Don mused, picking up the now empty plates. "Somehow, Ms. Misaki, the last three years haven't changed what you come in here to talk about. Not that I mind that. Speaking of, played a mean game of Tin Pin back when it was in vogue, you know?" Neku perked up at the mention of the Don's old slam skills.
"Ugh, don't remind me… Remember that tournament held a few years back near Tipsy Tose Hall? At Stride?" Neku asked.
"3 years ago at Stride…" A flash of recognition passed over the Don's face. "Oh my! You were there?!"
"Yeah, you probably don't remember because you kicked my ass so badly I had to leave within 30 seconds. I was so stunned I didn't even have time to be a sore loser."
"I… um… well now. I'm sorry." the Don's embarrassed expression caused Shiki and Neku to laugh.
"Mr. Doi, you really don't have to apologise…" Shiki spoke between giggles.
"Yeah, it probably set me on the path to understanding that being a huge kid about losing non-important stuff like that wasn't really healthy. Even something as small as a game of Tin Pin can change the way you think about things." That last comment… though conversations continued on both sides of Fret, he began to wonder about it, staring intently at the wooden countertop beneath him. Changing the way you think about things… even something as small as that?
August 4th
"Lord Tosai, your notes please." Fret and Nagi sat at a small table near the back corner of Bubblevision. Fret's choice, of course. According to Nagi far too many "light-dwellers" came to eat here, whatever that meant. Their drinks were damn good, so what did it matter?
"Right… just gimme a quick second." Fret quickly opened his notes app, aware all the while that the boss was staring him down in cold silence, something even more noticeable by the fact every other table was lively with conversation. "So… what did you wanna start with?"
"Hm…" Nagi consulted her own phone, staring at her EleStra account and the cluttered UI on the homescreen Fret still wasn't used to yet. "Let's begin this report with your thoughts on the plot so far, provided you did as I recommended and progressed to the midpoint of Chapter 2."
Fret felt the hairs on his neck stand on end. Was that where she'd told him to get up to? He hadn't even really finished Chapter 1 yet… not because the game was bad or anything, actually it was pretty enjoyable, but between his evermore frequent trips to Shibuya and his growing amounts of schoolwork he was trying to keep up on he hadn't really found the time. Still… he'd feel bad about disappointing boss.
"Oh, uh, I mean I didn't exactly get up to there but I'm loving what I'm playing so far! It's not exactly the most eventful thing ever but it's pretty great, y'know? I mean, I can totally see how people get hooked on it. Oh, and Lord Tomonami is super cool!" Fret had been… mostly honest with his response. Skipping the part where a lot of the dialogue between Tomonami and Æthelred, that Beat lookalike guy who seemed to be fighting Tomonami for Fret's attention, was kinda lame and cringeworthy and how a lot of the stuff that was being told to him about Yamato went over his head or was really dry, of course.
"Okay then… how about gameplay?" Nagi had already slightly raised an eyebrow – either she'd caught on Fret was sugarcoating things a little too heavily or she was interested in hearing more. Fret prayed it was the latter.
"Well… It's still sorta confusing sometimes. A lot of the time. But that doesn't mean I don't like it! I'm just not used to the weird grids… and the elemental weaknesses… and the different unit types… but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it, just haven't been able to yet." A bit more frankness this time. The way boss could read him was scary and he didn't want to get chewed out by her because he was lying.
"I see… Any other observations?" Nagi was clearly hesitant. Had he messed up?
"Uh, the mu–"
"Here you go!" Akira Ishiwa handed the two their drinks – Matcha for the boss, Muscovado for Fret – "Just the two of you this time? Bit less than the gang of seven you brought in a few days ago. What's the occasion?" A lot of the shopkeeps around Shibuya had begun to recognise the Twisters' faces due to how often they entered every establishment around the area since the Game had begun. Though, near the latter stages of the game they had entered noticeably fewer restaurants – there was less incentive to hop into battles with Noise when the Plague was spreading, after all.
"Mobile games."
"Not just mobile games, Elegant Strategy. Perhaps the quintessential mobile game."
"Oh, EleStra? I'm a bit too familiar with it."
"You play too, Ms. Ishiwa?"
"No, but I can't pull my girlfriend away from the thing sometimes… ah, but it's endearing how she raves to me about all these names I can't understand like 'Lord Tenji' or 'Lady Hortensia', so I'll allow it." Ishiwa fiddled with her hair and daydreamed for just a moment before standing alert, "I… should probably get back to my job."
"Hm… Bonuses against troops from Yudian and unique oratory healing not reliant on an MP pool… a formidable counter against teams running Lord Gongsun and his MP draining proclivities…" Fret wondered what half of that meant and why she was whispering it mid-conversation. Was he going to end up like this if he played EleStra for too long?
"Thanks for the boba, Ms. Ishiwa!" Fret said, putting that thought out of his mind entirely.
"Verily." Nagi took a sip of her drink and returned her attention to Fret.
"That," she began, "is what I mean when I say EleStra brings people together. Charming characters… addicting gameplay… easily talked about… yes, not just the lesson the game intrinsically dictates to us through its themes and ideas, but that which it extrinsically effects lend it to being a powerful communicative tool. Even a simple observer of an EleStraniac can understand the happiness it brings to them and, as such, that emotion spreads and proliferates. Be it detractor or begrudging semi-fan, it brings out genuine emotion in people. Which is why…" Oh, brother, Fret thought, here we go. "I am not satisfied with some of what you told me. It did not feel genuine, it felt as if you were… trying to spare my feelings." Fret sighed in response to this.
"You can read everyone like a book… it's not fair."
"Fret." He tried to avoid her gaze but couldn't. He didn't get why he felt so bad; it was just a mobile game after all, it shouldn't matter to most anyone in the slightest. But… this was the boss and she had gone out of her way to try and help him be a better communicator through it. It felt like he was spitting at her feet, in a way. When he finally looked up to see her face fully, he was surprised that rather than wearing a stern or stormy expression, she instead looked serene and… gentle, even. "Listen, I understand how hard these last three weeks were. You hid away your emotions out of grief, once. Stifled your inner self, until you couldn't any longer. And then, it was forced out of you because of things you couldn't possibly control or even comprehend. But that's not your fault, okay? And now, you stifle your emotions for the opposite reason. Even if it's small, it's not grief to yourself you wish to avoid. It's the grief of others you wish not to cause, no matter how minor." Fret sat there, absorbing her words. He felt like crying. Not out of sadness, but because someone other than Rindo had finally tried to understand him fully. He didn't want to push them away, to move the topic over to something else like he used to do with his best friend. "Is it bad? Of course it is; in fact it is what I have been attempting to exorcise from you since you took your internal vow to change. But… the fact remains, Fret. You have changed. And still have the capacity to change further. For good. You are undeniably human."
For a while, it seemed as if the buzz of the establishment had faded away and all was silent. If he had wanted to take a sip from his boba, he couldn't have, for his throat was tight and felt constricted. When he spoke, his voice was husky.
"Thanks… boss. Guess I just needed reassurance, huh? I don't know what else to say… I…"
"You needn't say anything more. I can see what I have said has affected you. If you act upon this, then surely I have done what is necessary for your growth." Fret sat there again, the conversation they had just had replaying in his head until finally he shook it and cleared his throat.
"Well then… do you wanna hear my actual thoughts on EleStra? From the top?"
"I have a better idea." Nagi rose from the other side of the gaudy pink table between them and sat down next to him, close enough to see his phone screen. "I shall observe your actions from here and grasp an understanding of your thoughts this way."
"Well, if you say so. Prepare to watch the Fretster work his magic!"
"Ugh, this encounter sucks… And you're not that willing to part with advice are you, boss?" Fret had been stuck on this battle for ages and his troops weren't up to beating back the enemy army, which was led by that Beat-alike guy, Æthelred.
"Well, I believe one must come to grasp the gameplay of EleStra on their own. Any advice would sully the experience of overcoming a particularly nasty challenge." Nagi put her thumb and index finger to her chin, thinking. "However… the first encounter with Æthelred is known to be a gruelling difficulty spike. Hm, a conundrum has presented itself." More thinking. Fret had nearly run out of stamina fighting this one encounter alone. The bookend to the midpoint of Chapter 2, from what he could gather it was where the leader of the nation of Albion launched an attack upon Yamato, with Lord Tomonami bravely riding out to the front lines – not to protect his country, but rather, seeking a challenge. "Very well. I shall offer you assistance." Nagi finally concluded. "The trick to any Albion leader is that while stat-wise they are exceptional, their leader abilities nearly always uniformly are underwhelming, taking many turns to build up for little reward. Thus, against any leader from their nation there are a variety of strategies involving overwhelming them – provided of course they do not have any Gallian or Helladian troops or leaders assisting them, though naturally due to 2-15's nature as an introductory stage…
"Um, the condensed version? This is all getting a bit too much."
"Ah, my apologies. Focus everything you have on getting to Æthelred." Following Nagi's advice, and a retry or two later, Fret had finally felled the invader and sent him packing back to his Forward Operating Base.
"Whew. Tough battle, huh? Thanks for the info, boss."
"It was nothing. You executed the strategy yourself with that advice to guide you."
"Heh, I guess I did. Feels good." Fret's phone buzzed. A text from Rindo.
_9:42_
Rindude: fret wtf where
r u?
Fret: wym
Rindude: uhh its 9
nearly 10 actually
It was 9 pm? Had he really spent 4 hours playing EleStra?
"Oh goodness, is that the time? We had best be leaving, wouldn't you agree?" Nagi grabbed their empty drink cups to dispose of them before shouldering her backpack-slash-ita bag.
"Yeah just… gimme a moment."
_9:43_
Fret: rindude give me like
10 minutes
we'll be able to catch the
10.10 train then
Rindude: sure thing man
but wtf were u doing?
Fret: uhhhhh playing
elestra
Rindude: for that long?!
Fret: uhhhhh yeah
Rindude: well
i mean
guess its whatever but
please hurry up man
Fret: will do! see you
soon
"I take it you shall be headed to Shibuya Station?" Nagi and Fret stepped out into the hot night air after saying goodbye to Ms. Iwami – after all, she was the one who'd allowed them to stay there so long. It was a particularly hot night, with no breeze blowing through even the narrow streets of Spain Hill. Foot traffic was oddly light for this time of year too, despite both the summer holidays and calm weather, though he supposed it being a Monday had something to do with it.
"Um, actually, I have to head to Natural Puppy first. Promised to pick something up for someone."
"Ah… okay." Did Nagi sound… disappointed? Or was the heat making Fret go slightly insane? "Until our next meeting, Lord Tosai!"
"See ya then, Nagirl!" And with a parting signalled by his finger guns, Fret made his way up the steps of Spain Hill to the wide street leading to Tipsy Tose Hall and Tower Records. He leaned against a wall, facing the building the Twisters frequented during the day, now lit up. He could almost hear the fluorescent buzz from here. Fret wouldn't forget this place, ever. It was the second time he'd failed to save someone after he did all he could. Here, the universe had played some sick practical joke on him and took away Kanon before her time. The streets were quiet today. Shibuya was usually so loud. But this place, even when it was alive with people, would always seem still and silent to Fret. Tonight, that was the truth. Any other day and it would just be another lie he told himself, to fool himself into thinking that the world, much like he did, still grieved Kanon. But they did not. No-one would ever remember her name or her face again, now that she was erased. Would she allow him to indulge in this lie he stepped into whenever he came to this place, he wondered. She always was telling him to be more genuine… just like boss. Even if he just thought this place was still… that more than a handful of people still knew who she was and just how amazing she could be… would that lie be acceptable to her? Not that it mattered. She was gone. The only person who could answer that question was himself, and he was unsure if he would ever find the answer.
"Hey, Kanon," Fret's voice was sharp and clear in his head, helped by the silence of Shibuya, both real and illusory, around him. "I told a lie to a friend to get here and talk to you. I'm… really sorry about that. The person I told it to, boss – no, Nagi, you remember her right? Short, purple hair, cute little green bows? She could probably tell I was lying too. Has that sixth sense you had going on whenever I complimented you. She and you… I'd be screwed if you ganged up on me and asked me about my 'feelings' or whatever. Heh." Fret audibly sighed. This was pathetic. "I… started playing a mobile game recently. I wasn't too hot on it this morning – I-I mean, I thought I liked it but I wasn't too sure but… it's great. It really is. Uh, what else? Oh, how about I tell you about my friends? Well Shoka, cat hoodie Shoka, she apparently lives in some… café on Cat Street now? I don't get it myself. Beat's little sister, yeah, he has a little sister, is in the running for a scholarship. Computer Science, of course. He's been apparently trying to convince his folks to let her take it if she gets it, the big softie. Look, I don't know if… any of this is what you would've wanted to hear but… it's me. Being genuine. The real… Tosai Furesawa." His voice stopped ringing in his head and Fret felt his energy slowly slip away and sunk to his knees. He didn't care if people would stare, he just felt exhausted. Why did she have to die? To leave him without a guide on how to express things like this? No, she was so much more than just someone he could use to better himself. She was a person, with her own life, own goals, and own friends; confident and amazing and… real. Everything was trying so hard to be but just falling short of. What was he doing sulking like this? Kanon would've told him to get up. He rose to his feet again, ready to depart Spain Hill to meet up with Rindo. "Until next time… Kanon."
These words came out of his mouth, were heard by no-one, and dissipated into the night sky.