A/N:Yes, I know everyone lives in different parts of Japan. But for the sake of ease in writing this fanfiction, they all live relatively close to Tokyo. In some cases, in Tokyo. Otherwise, I'd have such a problem getting the kids from Hokkaido there. Just go along with it, okay?
Chapter five
Yuuichi sat on the bench of the table, waiting for people to arrive. He hadn't brought any food; if they were hungry, they'd think of something they would want, and get it. It was the way of the teenaged soul, Yuuichi thought nostagically, to find and scavange food when and where you could. His teenaged years were drifting away to the sad, nihilistic world of adults. But the World will keep me a teenager forever in my mind, he thought with a grin. He didn't get anything to eat, but he did go to the store to get two bottles of Ramune and to the stationary store on the way to the park and bought the least amount of nametags they sold in a pack. One hundred. Far more than what they would use today, but it would be fun. So that everyone knew who they were really talking to. He already opened the package, scribbled 'Silabus' on the first one, and slapped it on his chest. Although anyone could easily see the similarity between himself and his character. He had similar colored hair to what Silabus had, and he also had a small ponytail at the nape of his neck, that held a small amount of hair that was a little longer than the rest of his hair length. He even went so far as to put on his bright green blazer. He would be recognized.
A small group of teens entered the park and milled around near someone who was playing with a very large dog. One went up to the person, spoke for a moment, then bowed and left the man alone. This spiked his attention. That, and the fact that they were an odd-looking bunch, very brightly colored and one was wearing a chim hat. Maybe...?
Yuuichi sat for a moment, then stood up, knowing that if he didn't he would be wondering about it for the rest of the day. Walking over, he noticed the small things in life he often noticed on his daily jogs; how nice the air smelled, how the grass felt underneath his feet, how blue the sky was, nearly blinding. The teens had noticed him coming when he was within speaking distance.
"Hello. Are you here for The World?" He put on his 'happy-ta-help-ya' smile that worked wonders in the virtual world.
The group visibly brightened.
"Yes," one outspoken girl said. She had shoulder length black hair, and Yuuichi immediately recognized her voice, so different it was.
"Alkaid!" Yuuichi said happily.
She got a 'I'm-creeped-out' look on her face. "How do you know my name?"
"I'm Silabus." Simultaneously, Alkaid and another girl gasped.
"Silabus. Oh, wow. It really is you, isn't it?" Alkaid said.
"Yeah, but here, I'm just plain old Yuuichi."
Yuuichi... Such a nice name... Yuasa thought. She was blushing like crazy, but the other students didn't notice, because they were all focused on Silabus, friend of Haseo.
"Well, I've set up shop other this way. Will you come?" Yuuichi asked, getting a scarily resounding "YES!" from all involved, and began walking to the table areas, wondering, If Alkaid brought this many people, how many will everyone else bring?
They all crowded in at the tables. There were already so many people that they took up one table, and one kid brought out a blanket, where the leftover three sat.
Counting me... Yuuichi thought, mildly fearing for his life now, that makes eight. Already more than what we began with... Oh, well.
Yuuichi showed everyone the name tags that he bought, and asked if anyone wanted one.
All but one asked for one, not being able to get over the novelty of having a "Hello, My Name Is..." and then having their Character names on them. He looked to the last one, the quietest one there, sitting on the edge of the blanket.
"Would you like one?" Yuuichi asked, politely.
She began to get very red in the face. Her classmates joked behind Yuuichi, "Look, her glasses are fogging up."
Yuuichi turned to face them. "That isn't very nice." He felt kind of bad for causing the uncomfortable looks of guilt he glimpsed on the teens faces, but when he turned back to offer the tag to the one girl, she smiled and took it. Then, when she took the offered pen, she hesitated. Everyone must be staring. Yuuichi thought, and turned quickly to Chika Alkaid.
"What grade are you all in?" Yuuichi asked. While he kept the others attention with talk of grades and work, she wrote quickly, 'Sophora' on the tag, peeled off the back, and put it on carefully. No one noticed. She had decided on her newest character, although not her favorite, because it would cause the least, 'I've met you!' reactions from her classmates. Expecially Chika. Her in-game and out-of-game rival. Well, Nanase's rival in the game. The one that really showed she had a BAD crush on Silabus. This one might get a few reactions, but not so bad.
"How many people are you expecting here?" One guy asked Yuuichi.
"Honestly, I don't have a clue." Cue the raised eyebrows. "I was expecting only three, at the beginning. But then it sort of... grew."
"Who's gonna be here?" A girl to his left asked.
"Well, Gaspard--"
"The Crimson Versus Champion?" A girl asked.
"Yes, him. And Atoli--"
All at once,
"You mean the girl that follows Sakaki around?"
"The recruiter for Moon Tree?"
"Haseo's girlfriend?"
His eye twitched. "No, not Haseo's girlfriend. But the others, yes." He thought for a second, then continued, "Haseo..."
He waited for an interruption there, and surprisingly got none. They were all in thrall.
"And maybe Kuhn--"
The interruption this time was a collective sigh from all the girls, besides the quiet one and Alkaid, and groans from the men.
"I've heard Endurance will come, too."
"Wow, so... many Emperors." One guy said, utterly shell-shocked.
"Hey!" Chika leaned over and smacked the guy. It sounded like it hurt. "I was an Emperor, too, ya know."
"Yeah, well..." Obviously, Chika packed a punch outside of The World, too, as the guy rubbed the back of his head.
"Anyone else we might know?" A girl asked.
"Um, well, hm..." Yuuichi knawed on his knuckle. "No." He said. "That's all, I think..."
An idea popped into his head. "Oh, Zelkova, if he can."
Two girls squeed. Moon Tree members. Yuuichi could feel the rant starting in, then noticed a man standing off a ways, staring at them. Assuming he was another member of The World, Yuuichi waved him over. He came over cautiously, as if he wasn't sure he should be there.
"Hello. Are you here for The World?" Yuuichi asked again.
The man had an odd whispery way of speaking, as if he had respiratory troubles. "Yes..."
Yuuichi wasn't that much of a fool to not know who the man was.
"Endrance?"
The man smiled. "It is nice to meet you, Silabus."
The kids were in shock, besides Chika, who might as well have thrown herself at Endrance. She didn't tackle him, but stopped frighteningly close and said, "Endrance! You really are a man in the real world."
Silence.
"Why would you think otherwise?" He said, softly, taking a few steps backward to distance himself from the girl.
"Well, because of how often you hit on Haseo, of course!" Chika said.
"I don't do anything so crude as to hit on Haseo..."
"Well, what do you call it, then?" Chika wanted to know.
"Devoted affection." Endrance said, looking off into the distance. Chika coughed, choked, and Yuuichi could feel the others thinking, 'it's like a shojo manga, all's we need is the sparkles.'
"Well, um, Endrance?" Yuuichi broke into the silence that befell everyone.
"Yes?" Endrance was very good at the raised eyebrow look. His long light hair fell onto one of his eyes.
"What's your name?"
He paused. "Kaoru..."
"Do you want a name tag?"
Another pause. Yuuichi was getting a little uncomfortable under his gaze.
"Of course." Kaoru Endrance said.
"Alright." Yuuchi scribbled 'Endrance' on a tag and offered it to him. Kaoru didn't step forward, though. He was eyeing the girls, and not in the way Kuhn would be eyeing girls. He watched them warily, as if they were going to attack. Yuuichi stood, walked over and handed it to him.
"Thank you." Yuuichi felt as if he were being thanked for something more than giving him the name tag.
"NO NEED TO FEAR!" A loud yell from the parking lot made everyone turn to the parking lot. A man in glasses with a woman and a toddler walked toward them. Actually the man ran toward them, and proclaimed, "Piros the third, the silver white is here!"
Yuuichi introduced him more properly as his wife and child walked slowly towards the group. "This is Piros, a graphics designer for The World."
A collective 'oh' came over the group. They know this one, the one that runs around and shouting and stuff. Fun.
"And this is my lovely wife and fine son!" Piros said, introducing them to the woman and child.
Yuuichi could just feel it in his bones. This will end in catastrophe.