Chapter 66 - Down Time XIX
...
Despite my excursion to Red Winter being a vacation, it ended quickly due to the springs drying up, and so the next day I was back to paperwork hell.
Fuck this shit.
ding ding
OH THANK GOD!
Huh, it's always when I'm suffering though this shit that one of my students texts me to hang out. I wonder why.
Shaking that thought away, I read the first text from Aris.
Ba-ba-ba-bam! Bam bam!
I have levelled up! I am much stronger than before!
Oh yeah? Congrats.
I wonder if you can level up any more Sensei.
If I could, it'd probably take a million XP to just get half a level.
That makes sense. Sensei is the Legendary Warrior, so he must be at, or near max level.
But if you can level up, that means when I go on my next adventure, you have to join the party!
You going on one now?
Indeed. Would you like to join me?
Sure, why not? This paperwork's killing me.
Great. I will be waiting for you.
An adventure, huh? I wonder what we're gonna do this time...
Checking the second text, I find it's from Neru. Wonder what she's up to.
Akane... Can you... contact everyone for me?
I can't believe this, but... I think I caught a cold.
I think... I'm gonna be late.
You've got the wrong number, Neru.
I say that, but I still forward her text to Akane. Maybe I should go pay her a visit later. But for now, I oughta go see Aris.
Sure enough, I soon found Aris once I neared our meeting place, a street corner in Millennium.
"There you are, Sensei!" Aris says, smiling her usual blindingly-bright smile as she runs up to me.
"Here I am!" I joke, smiling as I hold my arms out.
"Today is an excellent day to go on an adventure!" The android girl chirps. "Aris has unlocked many more features after levelling up."
"Oh? Like what?" I ask, curious.
"Item looting." She answers simply.
"Item wha?"
"Let Aris show you." She says, walking to a nearby trash can and-
bang
-proceeding to kick it, knocking it over.
"Aris?"
"Yes, Sensei?"
"Why... Why are you kicking a trash can?" I ask, slowly.
"You can usually get a lot of items by doing this." She explains.
"I-I guess you aren't wrong." I say, taken aback. "People do throw away a bunch of stuff."
"Yup. This is just like how it was in the RPG Aris just played, as well as the side-scrolling action game from a few days ago." The long haired girl explains, before looking down as something catches her eye from the knocked over bin. "Oh! Aris has found a recovery item in the pile of trash."
"Don't touch that, Aris." I cringe as her hand stops mere inches away from a half-eaten hamburger, looking to me with a confused expression. "That's disgusting. If you eat stuff out of the trash, it'll probably cause your HP to decrease."
"Eh? Are you sure?" She asks, standing back up. "That must mean... that it is secretly poison. Aris does not like poison."
"Yeah, food poisoning." I confirm. "Plus who-knows-what else is in that thing."
"Yes, Aris cannot waste a recovery spell on something like this." She nods, sure of herself.
"It's fine to take some objects out of the trash, so long as they can be cleaned, but never take out food." I lecture. "I don't know just how sick one could get doing that."
"Very well." Aris says. "We should keep moving."
"We goin' on another walk?" I ask.
"Yes. Aris would like to go somewhere completely new to her today." She confirms, before making her usual beaming smile. "And Aris would like you to come with her, naturally."
I let out a chuckle. "If that's what you want." I say, walking up to her and patting her head with a smile on my face. "Then let's go."
Her smile somehow grows even bigger from my words.
Soon, we end up reaching the edge of the Millennium district.
"We have managed to come very far." Aris comments, looking around at everything like a tourist. "Though Aris does not know exactly where we are. Do you know?" She asks me, a tad worried.
"Yeah, we're at the edge of Millennium's district." I answer. "Though this area does look a bit sketchy."
"Check it out!" A girl yells. "Fresh meat!"
Turning around, we see two delinquent girls, wearing masks.
The taller blonde girl chuckles.
Aris recoils, frightened.
I groan in frustration.
"Who'da thunk we'd find such prime targets all the way out here?" The shorter girl asks her pal, likely smirking under her mask as she points her gun at us. "It must be our lucky day!"
"Hand over everything you've got or you'll be sorry." The second girl, the blonde one, threatens, pointing her gun at us.
I just sigh. But Aris comes to her own conclusion.
"Aris understands now. This must be a random monster encounter in the field." The robotic girl muses, unholstering her railgun from her back, causing the thugs to recoil.
"Huh?" The first girl asks.
"Wh-What kind of weapon is that?!" The blonde asks, frightened.
"It's a railgun." I comment.
""A RAILGUN?!"" The thugs shout.
"Then Aris will show you no mercy!" The long haired girl declares, her railgun beginning to glow. "Blinding Light!"
As she shouts the name of her attack, said attack sends the thugs flying away from us, their bodies smacking into a wall. They slide to the ground and crumple.
"Huh." I muse. "Even low power did a number on 'em."
"That is strange." Aris comments.
"What is?"
"Aris defeated them, but she did not receive any EXP. And there are no rewards." She says, upset. "Perhaps I am to loot them manually."
"Well... They were trying to loot you, so..." I shrug. "Still, maybe you should take it easy next time. Just scare 'em off instead of blasting them."
"Hm... Perhaps that will earn me a different reward." Aris muses.
I let out a chuckle. "C'mon, let's get some food. That can be your reward."
She immediately perks up.
Aris and I parted ways after eating some early lunch. I'm still a tad surprised Aris, being a robot, can eat and drink. She's got all the same functions as a human, far as I'm aware.
My good mood is interrupted by an odd text from Maki.
Sensei, I'm sorry... but do you have a minute?
Sure, what's up?
Um, can you come pick me up?
They said I need a guarantor to get out of here, but I don't want to contact the Student Council.
Where are you at, Maki?
...A police station.
...
I'll be right there.
What the fuck, Maki?
'Better hurry.' I tell myself as I begin to run to the police station here in Millennium after seeing Maki's text location.
"Waaah! Sensei!" Maki cries, hugging onto me after entering the station. "The police arrested me even though I'm innocent..."
"You know exactly why we arrested you!" A robot man snaps, causing the redhead hacker to recoil and let me go.
"Waaah, Sensei! The cops are bullying me!" She whines again.
I can only let out a groan.
"Are you this child's guardian?" The man asks.
"I'm her teacher." I answer.
"Are you aware of what this young lady has been doing?" He asks, upset.
"I didn't do anything wrong! I did what I had to do!" Maki argues.
"Why you!" The man seethes, moving slightly toward Maki. I tense, ready to punch him if he thinks about hurting her at all. Fortunately for him, he holds himself back and lets out a long, calming sigh. "This girl was caught trespassing on private property, not to mention vandalizing it!"
"Vandalism?" I ask, confused.
"Graffiti isn't vandalism! It's an art form!" Maki snaps.
"Try explaining that to the property owner, young lady!" He retorts.
"Once again, vandalism?" I reiterate.
"Precisely. Vandalism, or 'graffiti' as this miscreant refers to it." He says, upset. I'm starting to not like the tone of his voice. "She was caught painting images on the property's wall."
"But the owner said it was fine!" The hacker argues.
"He only said that he forgave you, not that you were given permission in the first place." He points out. "This also isn't the first instance." He says, holding his hand out and raising a finger. "The overpass of the KV highway-" He raises another finger. "-, the back alley of the Kuro Neko Market... You're always tagging places where there aren't a lot of people around. Do you have any idea how hard it is to clean up the messes you leave behind?"
"They're not messes!" Maki shouts. "They're art!"
"Alright, enough." I shout, breaking the two up. "I'm sorry about her."
He dares to scoff in my face. "She should be the one apologizing, not you."
"What?! All I'm doing is adding some liveliness to this gloomy city!" The redhead argues.
I sigh. "You really should just apologize, Maki." And get this over with.
"But...! Ugh..." She groans, relenting. "Fine. I'm... sorry about all of this." She says to the policeman.
He harumphs. "I'll let you off with a warning this time. Don't think you'll get so lucky if I catch you again!"
Fuckin' cops.
Not long after, Maki and I leave the building, both in a worse mood than we were when we came in.
"Hey, Sensei." She asks, shyly. "Are you... angry with me?"
"Nah." I answer quickly.
"Don't lie. You are angry, aren't you?" She asks, still down. "B-But that grey wall was calling out to me! It wanted to be tagged in bright, pretty colors!"
"I just said I wasn't angry, Maki." I deadpan. "I'm a bit upset you did this somewhere you didn't have permission for, but I'd be a hypocrite if I was angry at you for just tagging up places."
"Huh...?" She asks, her blue eyes widening.
"I grew up in a shit neighborhood. I was tagging all kinds of places back then, places I really shouldn't have been." I explain. "Only difference is that the cops here actually give a shit. Next time just get permission to do this stuff."
She seems surprised by my confession, but that quickly fades back to shame. "I-I know that tagging someone else's property isn't right, okay...?" She asks. "But I couldn't contain the burning artistic passion within me... I'm sorry. The last thing I want to do is make you angry. Graffiti means a lot to me, but not more than our friendship."
That... actually made my heart skip a beat. I wasn't expecting something so nice.
"This is a predicament." Maki bemoans, running a hand through her red hair. "How can I continue expressing myself with graffiti without making Sensei angry...?"
"Like I said, get permission." I say. "Or... we could just get you a massive canvas."
"A... massive canvas?" She asks, blinking. "Wait, I get it. If we stacked several canvases together, I could use that instead of the side of a building! Maybe it won't be the same as using a real wall, but I'm sure it'd be fun regardless. But..." She pauses, shyly. "I'm sure it'd be more fun if we did it together, so... if I put a huge canvas together, will you be there to help me paint?"
"Sure." I say, shrugging. "I've never painted anything before... I don't think I have, at least."
"You promise, right?" Maki asks, eyes sparkling.
"Yup." I say with a smile.
"Thanks, Sensei!" The redhead hacker chirps.
After spending a bit more time with Maki, she suggested coming by Veritas sometime. Having nothing else to do for the moment, aside from back to the paperwork hell, I decide to go there.
That was the plan, at least. Momoi texted me.
Sensei...
What do you think you need for the perfect story in a retro game?
Perfect story? What's the problem?
It's nothing...
Those dummies!
They're just blabbing away!
The story is boring, the game mechanics aren't tight... Yada, yada, yada...
I can't stand it. Meet me in the Game Development Department club room, Sensei!
The fuck?
Uh, sure. I'm already in Millennium, so I'll be there soon.
Assholes on the internet got her down again? Nothing really new there, sadly. People will always be assholes online.
...Guess I'd better go check on her.
As I go to pocket my phone, Maki texts me again.
Thank you for your help today, Sensei.
I thought I was gonna get dragged into the Millennium Student Council.
Just don't go causing anymore trouble, yeah?
Okay. From now on I won't tag in public.
Next time we'll paint on a canvas together!
We made a promise, after all.
Yup!
Glad to see she's in better spirits, at least. Let's hope I can do the same for Momoi.
Not long after, I make it to the Game Dev club room where I found the pink-eyed girl staring at a laptop's screen angrily.
"So, what's the problem?" I ask, closing the door behind me.
"These guys!" She shouts, pointing at the screen.
Looking at the screen, I find what I expected.
Gamemaniac: Are stories really important in retro games?
Waga-mama: Really... Old-school stories are so lame lol
ikusa007: When does the heroine show up?
tensaiko: No plot twist? I could probably write better than this.
Looking back at the blonde girl, I raise my eyebrow and ask, "So what's all this about, Momoi?"
"It's just some crackpot criticism from internet trolls." She groans, leaning back into her seat.
"Criticism?" I ask.
"Um, so..." Momoi stutters, trying to find the words. "Some retro games are being remade because of the recent boom in crowdfunding. Personally, I'd like to support this movement and commend them for taking on the challenge. But look...!" She points at the screen again. "Everyone is badmouthing the retro game we just released!"
"Y'all made another one that quick?" I ask, impressed.
"Well, it was kinda already in our backlog. Plus we used some stuff we left out of TSC-Two." She explains.
"Still, you should know as well as I that deliberately looking for negative comments like this isn't a good idea." I chide.
"Well, you could say they unintentionally caught my attention..." She weakly argues, looking away from me. "Like how you might open a wrapped piece of cheese, only to find it moldy."
"Bit of a weird analogy, but I get it." I comment.
"I-I didn't search for them because I like them!" She shouts, a bit to defensively. "It was all part of my market research. More then that, these guys have garbage opinions to begin with! Saying stuff like, 'Stories aren't important in retro games', or, 'When does the heroine show up?', or, 'No plot twist?'."
"Depends on the genre and type of game, I suppose." I muse. "Even some new games can get really big and have no story at all, but some of the most popular retro games back home had great stories. Even though I've never played it, people to this day, thirty years later, can't stop talking about how good Final Fantasy Seven's story is. As for the heroine and plot twist bit, that's just nitpicking."
"I know, right! Their standards are so shallow!" Momoi shouts, beginning to rant. "Is a conventional story where a her ventures out to defeat the Demon King bad just because it's conventional? It's nonsense to think following a cliche is stupid, and that a story is only good when it breaks convention with a plot twist! Those arrogant fools say that a good game story is 'one that leaves a strong impression on the player Anybody with a pulse could say that! If you know game stories so well, write one yourself!"
"That's a good point, let them write up a script." I agree. "Let 'em put their money where their mouth is."
The pink twin sighs in frustration. "This is so infuriating! I'm infuriated! I just wanna punch those jerks right through their monitor! But I can't seem to write the way I want to!"
"Another deadline, huh?" I guess.
"...Sorry, Sensei. I got really worked up and dumped it all at you." She apologizes, head hung.
"It's fine." I wave her off. "Everyone needs to vent every now and again. If anything, it kinda makes me happy."
"Huh? Why do you think that?" She asks.
" 'Cause it means you trust me enough to turn to me when you're goin' through a tough time." I explain.
"Oh... gosh." She stills, her face red. "O-Okay. Thank you, Sensei." She then slaps her palms against her cheeks. "Honestly, I don't know what I should write or how I should write it. At this rate, I don't think I'm qualified to be the scenario writer for the Game Development Department..."
"Eh, writer's block is nothing new, but I know there's no such thing as a perfect story." I pause, smiling. "But I know whatever you write'll be damn good, maybe even the best ever told."
"I..." She attempts to speak, her face red again. "I-I see... Yes, that's the kind of story I want to write, the best story ever told!" She declares, happily. "Yeah, after hearing you out, I think I kinda get it. All right! My motivation is maxed out! I think I came up with a great idea talking to you!'
"Oh?" I ask, curious.
"A special story that is rooted in conventions, but also goes far beyond that!" She proclaims. "So when you come by next, read the script for my new story and let me know what you think, Sensei!"
"Gladly." I reply without hesitation.
Momoi immediately went back to work, so I left, letting her focus.
As I left the room, I got a text from Midori, funnily enough.
The Millennium game artwork exhibit is opening today, Sensei!
It'll just be you and me at the exhibition...
...I mean!
I have to do extensive research when I'm working on a new game!
Research is important, after all.
R-Right?
Yeah, so...
Could you come with me to see it this afternoon?
Why not, I'm already in the area.
Looks like I've got more plans after I swing by Veritas.
Entering the dimly lit room, I find Hare sitting in front of one of the monitors.
"Yo." I call out.
"Huh?" Hare's green eyes widen as she fumbles a bit in surprise, before locking eyes with me. "S-Sensei?"
"Hey."
"Why are you here?" She asks.
"I talked to Maki earlier, she said I should visit some time, so here I am." I explain. "What're you up to?"
"W-Well..." She begins, still a bit surprised from my sudden appearance. "I just got back from watching Eliminator Four at the movie theater. But something about it was... a bit..."
"Was it not good?" I ask, leaning against the door frame.
"Hmm... Should I say that the movie wasn't fun? Or perhaps it was more that there was a part I didn't like." She muses, picking up a nearby can. It's taller than usual soda cans, is it an energy drink? "The movie itself was alright. The special effects were flashy, the characters stood out, and the audience enjoyed it. It was mostly fine, except..." She sighs. "The way they depicted hackers in the movie sucked!" She exclaims, taking a sip of her drink.
"Eh, you can't always get an expert to give advice on this stuff." I shrug, walking into the room. "That or they just didn't care to get extra input from someone who knows what they're doing."
"That makes sense, they got almost everything wrong." Hare says, upset, as she sits the can back down.
"That bad, huh?"
Hare groans. "You don't even know. If I had to point out a few things... I'd start off with the costume design. It's true that hackers prefer comfy clothes, but what's with that sloppy hoodie that the hacker in the movie was wearing? They made it look like every hacker is a computer nerd who doesn't know how to dress. Also, the hacking scenes in the movie looked so fake. Do you think it makes sense that a huge corporation's security, locked down with all kinds of security programs, could all be breached at once by a single hacker? Even the most talented hackers have their limits."
Is this just 'Rant to Sensei' day or something? Because this just happened a few minutes ago.
"Eh, not the first time I've seen that used in a movie." I muse. "The super-genius hacker who can get past anything and is a be-all, end-all to be used as little more than a plot device for the others to sneak in or something. It's overused, honestly."
I feel like Fast and the Furious did that shit... I think. It's been years since I saw those movies.
"On top of that, who puts up an ASCII skull after a hack? Talk about corny." She adds.
"Sounds like an edgy calling card." I joke, earning a rather cute laugh from the wavy haired hacker.
"I find it hard to believe that a franchise as popular as Eliminator would make such rookie mistakes." She says, almost sadly. "It's also a problem for Veritas, too. Popular movies showing hackers in such inaccurate ways is the reason why the public image of white-hat hackers like us is going down the drain. We don't do our hacking for grudges or personal gain. All of Veritas only seeks truth and freedom. But..." She growls. "They portrayed hackers as some third-rate script kiddies, simply because that's easier for them to show in their movie. Unforgivable..."
"I get what you're sayin'." I add. "Still, I didn't know y'all were 'hackers for good', though I suppose it makes sense, given that y'all helped us with the Mirror thing."
"Hm." Hare hums with a nod and a small, pleased smile. "Still, I should leave a pointed warning for the company that produced Eliminator."
"Oi." I warn.
"Oh, I'm not going to contact the production company directly." Hare waves me off, leaning towards her monitor. "It's simple, really. I just need to hack into their servers."
"OI." I warn, more strongly.
"I'll use this opportunity to show them how real-life hackers differ from their fictional ones." She continues, beginning to type at a rapid pace.
"Yeah, they both hack big companies for their own gain, not for 'truth and freedom', as you put it." I point out, sarcastic, as she stops typing. "You see the hypocrisy here, yeah?"
"I'm sure she does." A new voice says, causing Hare to violently freeze and I to turn and see who spoke.
Leaning against the door frame of the club's entrance is a new girl. She has very dark blue hair done in a bob cut with some of her bangs covering her right eye, along with a pair of light blue glasses framing her sea-green eyes and a yellow hairclip holding her bangs behind her left ear. She wears a white shirt with the collar undone and a sky blue tie under a blue, button-up vest which is under a white baseball jacket that has black sleeves. On her wrist is a black watch, around her neck is a lanyard with her Millennium ID on the end, around her waist is a dark grey fanny pack, slid to cover her hip.
It has a cute, yellow bunny mascot thing attached to it.
She wears a black skirt, some of it covered by her untucked shirt and vest, both having the last few buttons undone. Her feet are covered by large, white, hi-top sneakers and short, black socks. She carries a black assault rifle along with her. Her halo's another 3D one, consisting of a grey outer ring with doesn't make a full circle, that gap is instead filled with a bright blue partial ring. Within the ring is a second, smaller, bright blue ring with a similarly colored cross within that.
All in all, she's really cute.
"After all, this isn't the first time I've had to put a stop to my juniors' shenanigans." The bespectacled girl says. "I'm just glad I had someone else to do it for me."
She's a tard wrangler, got it.
"We don't get up to shenanigans, Chihiro." Hare weakly protests.
"Of course you don't, at least not as often as Kotama does." The new girl sighs. "Anyway, you're the Sensei of Schale, right?"
"That's me. Joshua, nice to meetcha." I greet with a nod.
"Kagami Chihiro, Veritas' deputy director." She introduces.
"Ah, I was wondering when I'd get a chance to meet this 'Chii' girl." I tease.
Chihiro sighs, but a small smile betrays her feelings. "I should've known you met Himari. I'm sorry about her."
"Don't be." I wave her off. "She's a riot."
"I can't deny that." The dark haired girl agrees.
I take a quick glance at my watch and- "Oh, crap. I'm gonna be late at this rate." I say, shocked at how fast time has flown. "Nice meetin' ya, Chihiro, and nice seein' ya again, Hare, but I gotta go." I say, leaving the room quickly.
"Bye, Sensei." Hare calls out.
"Later." Chihiro adds.
Crap, I don't wanna be late for my little get-together with Midori.
"Well he's certainly interesting." Chihiro muses, watching the man rush off. "I can see why Himari's taken an interest in him."
"Not that surprising." Hare muses, taking a sip of her energy drink. "They're both kinda strange, y'know?"
The bespectacled girl nods, humming in thought.
I run to our meeting place, finding Midori standing in front of the building. She's rummaging through a lunch box with a strap and completely focused on her task. As I draw closer, I can hear her mumbling to herself.
"The sandwich I made earlier... check." She mumbles. Inventory check, huh? "I brought the oolong tea and snacks to share with Sensei... I have the notepad and sketchbook... Did I forget anything? Preparation is essential to clear a dungeon." She zips up the small box before slowly inhaling and exhaling to calm her nerves. "This artwork exhibition is an opportunity for me to show Sensei just how mature I am."
Seriously? She's wants to be seen as more mature? Better change that.
"What're ya mumblin' about?" I ask, moving closer to her.
"WHAAA?!" The green twin shrieks, leaping away from me in fright. "S-Sensei! You scared me!"
"Sorry, you seemed so tense I couldn't help myself." I say, unable to hide my smile.
"S-Sensei, when did you get here? How much did you hear?!" She shouts.
"Enough to know you need to calm yourself, Midori." I say seriously, causing her panicked expression to fade. "You don't have to force yourself to be more mature to impress me or anythin'."
"Th-That's..." She attempts to say something, but stops herself and smiles. "Thanks, Sensei."
"Though I am glad to see how excited you are." I point out.
"Well, that's because this is a game artwork exhibition that only happens once a year." Midori explains. "I plan to take this opportunity to do lots of research."
'Of course, that's not the only reason I was looking forward to today...' Midori muses to herself.
"We shouldn't just stand around here." Midori says, slinging the lunch box over her shoulder before she boldly grabs a hold of my hand. "Let's go, Sensei!" She says, pulling me along while facing away from me in an attempt to hide her red face.
We enter the venue, filled with lots of art and lots of people. The fact this place is basically a mall doesn't help us move around easily, it's massive. Midori and I look at a plaque on the wall, depicting a map of the venue.
"Um... It looks like the latest game booths are on the first floor, and each floor is divided by genre." Midori explains. "Oh, the classic game artwork exhibition starts on the third floor."
"I figured there'd be a lotta people, but damn." I muse, surveying the massive crowd inside the building.
"Yeah, I think this is the biggest attraction in gaming." Midori explains. "Everyone here played different genres of games at different places at different times in their lives. In the end, we all can gather in a place like this and share memories." She says, looking wistful.
"That's... a good point." I muse. "Wanna go to the third floor?"
"Sure. There must be lots of cool artwork." The green twin says, smiling before boldly grabbing my hand again as we walk up to the third floor.
Midori's face burns a bright red, but her face is one of determination as she remembers her 'plan'.
'I came here with Sensei alone, which is a success in and of itself. Now, to complete the mission...' She thinks to herself.
"We've been walking for a while, Sensei. Are you getting thirsty?" Midori suddenly asks. "I brought some oolong tea from home."
"Erm, sure. I-" I begin to say, but something catches my eye. "That's..."
"Huh? What is it?" She asks, following my gaze to a particular piece of art.
It depicts a barren, sandy desert with mountains in the back. Within the blue sky above is a falling, blue crystal.
"Oh, it's a piece of art that conveys a strong sense of desolation, showing no signs of life..." Midori comments.
This piece... reminds me of myself a bit. I was alone for a long time... no friends, seeing as how they all died, no family, no-one. I start to feel kinda... melancholic?
Midori continues, recognition appearing on her face. "This desert painting... could it be...? Right! I knew it! A run-and-gun shooting game considered a masterpiece among the classics! It's artwork of the wasteland map from Metal Snail Two! Awesome!"
Metal... Snail? Not Metal Slug?
"Oh, that's not all. Look over there!" The green twin excitedly says, pointing at another piece. She runs over to it, with me following her quickly.
This one depicts a decrepit city, grey and destroyed. Kinda reminds me of the Millennium Ruins, actually.
"This one is the artwork of the infamous zombie city from Denizen Evil, Rodent City!" She exclaims. "All of them are classic game masterpieces!"
Deni... Rodent? I... what?
Snapping out of my stupor, I call out to Midori. "Calm down, girl."
"How can I stay calm right now?!" Midori shouts, whirling around and closing in on me, causing myself to reel back. "Oh!" She exclaims, running off again. "That's the artwork from Stage One-One in the famous classic platforming game, Ultra Marine Sisters!"
...Super Mario Brothers? Bit of a stretch in the name.
"Sensei, Sensei! Do you know that the bushes and clouds from Ultra Marine Sisters have the exact same pixel design?" The green twin asks, excitedly. "Ah!" She continues before I can answer. "I'm too excited! Ideas are filling my head! It's... overload!" She quickly and furiously opens her lunchbox. "N-Notepad...! Where did I put my notepad?! I have to sketch!"
She found the notepad pretty quickly and began to sketch with furious abandon. The rest of my time at the exhibit was spent following Midori as she sketched and sketched drawing from various, semi-recognizable games, her hands somehow not getting tired one bit.
Ah well, so long as she's happy.
But the day soon turned to evening and the exhibition ended.
"I don't know what to say. I got too excited again..." Midori says, an apologetic look on her face as we leave the large venue, stepping out into the orange-bathed world. "Sensei, I'm sorry. I dragged you around everywhere without thinking about how you might feel."
'I got excited like a kid in a candy store.' Midori thinks to herself, feeling nothing but self-loathing. 'My plan to show Sensei my mature side went down the drain...'
"Nah, it's fine." I say, smiling, causing Midori to stop. "So long as you had fun, it's all good. If anything, this just went to show just how much you like retro games."
"Ah. Well, at first I didn't understand why so many people played retro games. I got curious about them." She explains, gaining a wistful look. "I started playing them when I got into the Game Development Department, and discovered I like them a lot. Some games have rules that are difficult to understand, like that one game where you climb while breaking ice. Why do I die when I go off the screen?! Why doesn't it wait for me?!" She says, venting a bit.
"Yeah, I can see how that can be annoying." I say, letting out a chuckle. "I'm just glad to see ya so happy."
"Oh..." Midori says, averting her gaze from me, her face red. "Sensei, you always say that kind of stuff." She muses, unable to hide her smile. "But, yeah, I really enjoyed today."
"Then let's hang out again sometime." I suggest.
Midori's green eyes light up as her smile grows. "Yes, let's do that, Sensei."
The two of us split up soon after. Remembering the text I got from the sick maid earlier, I run over to the convenience story before going to Neru's place. Fortunately, student addresses are in their files, so I won't be sent on a wild goose chase looking for Neru.
Inside a decently-sized apartment, a red-haired girl rests on the couch in her living room, her face scrunched up. She's clearly not feeling too good.
"Urgh." She groans. "A-ACHOOO!"
Like I said, she's clearly not feeling too good. Her red face is a tell-tale sign of that.
Neru sighs. "Dammit... A cold... I haven't caught a cold since, like, elementary school." She curses. "ACHOOO!" She pauses after sneezing to wipe her nose with a tissue. "Fuck." She curses, tossing the tissue into a nearby trash can. "This sucks! My attendance is bad enough as it is."
Her cursing is interrupted by a simple sound.
ding dong
A doorbell.
"Uuuugh." She groans loudly, not wanting to deal with anyone today. "Who is it...? I'm too sick right now."
ding dong
"Go away!" She shouts. "If it's the newspaper or a solicitor, then you can get lost!"
ding dong ding dong
"...Well, then." She growls. "Whoever you are, you've got some guts."
ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong
"All right. This means war." She gets up, her face sporting a look that promises pain. "Don't move a muscle! It's time to take out the trash." She grins, savagely.
"OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR, NERU!" A familiar, male voice shouts.
"Huh...? Isn't that...?" She asks herself, walking to the door.
I stopped by the convenience store to grab some stuff that might help her. I could text Neru that I'm coming, but since she didn't respond earlier...
It might be better to just knock.
Soon I find her apartment as the world dims and ring the doorbell with my free hand, the other holding a shopping bag.
ding dong
I hear Neru groan inside, her voice muffled by the wall. After waiting a bit, she doesn't open the door, so I ring the bell again.
ding dong
"Go away!" I hear her shout, followed by more muffled words.
ding dong ding dong
More muffled words. I'm getting a bit annoyed.
ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong
More muffled words, followed by a pissed-off Neru saying, "Don't move a muscle!", and more muffled words after.
Okay, you know what? Fuck it.
"OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR, NERU!" I shout, fed up.
A few more muffled words, followed by footsteps closing in on the door. It finally opens, revealing the tomboyish maid.
"What the?!" She shrieks, her face red either from sickness or shock. She's wearing a pair of red short shorts along with her usual white shirt, unbuttoned, and her usual black and white jacket worn over it. I also notice her eyes and nose are red, likely been sneezing a lot.
"Hi." I greet, smiling innocently.
"S-Sensei?!" She shouts, taken aback. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"You texted me instead of Akane this morning." I explain. "I tried to text back, but you didn't answer, so I just forwarded it to her. Regardless of that, I felt like I should come check on ya."
"And you checking up on me involves ringing my doorbell a million times?" Neru growls, clearly upset.
"You weren't gonna answer your phone." I point out. "You didn't earlier."
"Ah, right... Ugh, this cold has got me all kinds of messed up." She curses.
'Ugh. I can't believe I'm letting Sensei see me like this.' Neru curses to herself. "I'm just glad I'm not in my pajamas, since I passed out pretty quick yesterday after getting back.'
"W-Well..." She stutters. "You're already here. Don't just stand there... Come in." She says, moving aside to let me in.
"Thanks." I say, entering, closing the door behind me. Her apartment is small, yet quite tidy. "Nice place." I compliment.
"Thanks." Neru says, a bit awkward. She lets out a sigh. "You don't need a full explanation."
"For what?" I ask, confused.
"We went over this once before, with the can." She says, warningly. "Sensei, if a single word comes out about me coming down with a cold..."
"Why would I tell anyone?" I ask. "This kinda thing wouldn't come up in casual conversation. 'Oh hey, tonight we're having steak, also Neru got a cold'."
Despite her serious face a moment ago, Neru lets out a small laugh with a smile before schooling her expression. "R-Right. Good, you're catching on." She says, continuing along quickly. "The reason I don't want word to get out is-"
" 'Cause it'd ruin your rep of being strong and stuff." I say, finishing her sentence.
"Grr... Th-That's not true!" She exclaims suddenly, her face red. "Well, it's something like that, but it's different! Totally different!"
"Okay, okay. Geez." I say, holding my hands out placatingly.
"I'm Millennium's top agent, okay?" The short maid begins. "W-Well... Ugh." She groans once more, before her eyes land on something. "What's that stuff anyway?" She asks, looking at the shopping bag in my hand.
"Just some stuff I figured might help ya out." I say simply, handing her the bag.
She rummages through its contents. "Medicine and... a can of oats?"
"I used to eat oatmeal when I was sick. I also got some cinnamon and sugar to put in there like I used to." I explain. "I'm sure you've already got water and butter to add as well."
"Er, I might have butter..." She admits. "Though, I certainly wasn't expectin' ya to come take care of me like this."
"No-one should have to suffer through sickness alone." I shrug.
"Well... I never catch colds, so I don't exactly have any medicine lying around." Neru explains.
"Now that ain't good at all. Better to have it and not need it, and all that." I advise, smiling.
"Yeah, yeah." She says, rolling her eyes, a smile on her face. "Still, thanks for this, Sensei."
"Anytime, Neru." I say. "Still, I didn't know exactly what ya got that's making ya sick, so I got some liquid ibuprofen and some cold pills with acetaminophen. They should clear ya up."
"Ibu-what?" Neru says, looking me dead in the eye with a befuddled look.
"Ibuprofen's used for headaches and fever, acetaminophen's used to help open your nose up and help that stuff drain." I explain.
"Huh..." She says, inspecting the bottles. "Well, you seem to know what you're talkin' about. And after I take this crap, I can go back to school, yeah?"
"If you take it as instructed on the bottle, then yeah, you should get to feeling better." I advise, brokering no argument.
She pauses, looking at the bottle of liquid medicine. "Hang on... this is kid's stuff!" She shouts, indignant.
"Yeah? And?" I ask, eyebrow raised. "It does its job all the same."
"That... Ugh, fine." She groans, relenting.
A minute later, Neru downs a small cup of liquid medicine, her face scrunching as she swallows. "Yuck. What do they put in this stuff."
I let out a chuckle. "Be glad you ain't taking cough medicine. Codeine is fucking foul."
"Codeine?" She asks. "Is it that bad?"
"It's easily some of the worst shit I've ever tasted." I say, completely serious. "It used to take me a half hour to work up the courage to drink as much cough syrup as you just downed, afraid of that shit. I could throw down with guys twice my age without hesitating, but that shit made me pause."
"Shit, it must be gross." She muses.
"Understatement, but yes." I add.
She then pours a small cup of water and downs two pills with ease, before taking a few more sips to ensure the pill goes all the way down.
"I'm gonna lie down for a bit." Neru says. "I'll probably make some oatmeal later. And..." She pauses, her face turning a vibrant red suddenly. "C-Could you stay by my side... until I fall asleep?"
I'm really surprised by the sudden request, but I smile. "I'd be glad to."
I sat on a chair as I watched Neru fall asleep on her bed, making sure to stick around for a minute or two. After making sure she fell asleep, I quietly left the apartment.
I hope she gets to feeling better.
After making it back to Schale and eating some dinner, Neru texted me.
Hey Sensei, the oatmeal kinda sucked.
You put in butter?
Yeah.
What about the sugar and cinnamon?
...
I knew I was forgetting something.
Eh, use it next time you eat some.
But, um... Thanks for visiting me while I was sick.
I'll be sure to pay you back, okay?
You can pay me back by getting better.
Er, sure.
Get well, Neru.
Thus ends yet another day in Kivotos.
A few days later, Momoi texted me.
What should I do, Sensei?
I finally came up with an idea, and it's completely contradictory!
I can't think of anything else!
Please help me!
I'm not even surprised at this point...
AN
Yet another Down Time, but next time is something different.
Also, it'll be around 5-6 more chapters before we start Volume 3. Just a forewarning.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next!