Hey everyone, and just so you all know, the next chapter may come out at minimal in 1 month, hopefully sooner but well, studies and assignments.
Thank you all again for the support.
A0: The Isekai Protagonist
Chapter 3: The Second Year
It is the second year. At least to my awareness. And time sure fly by very fast cause before I know it, it's already January. So far, things have been very well. On one hand, I did have the freedom to do anything I want, considering I am no longer restricted due to my financial income.
Working in LDS is similar to how my work life was during my previous life. At least when I was not caring for kids. During my off time, as in when I was not teaching, I would usually prepare my lessons for my classes. At first, it took some time to do it all, but eventually, I've established a basis on how to conduct my classes to the point where I no longer need to prepare too explicitly. That was of course, my first job.
My second was in the same building where I designed cards. Due to how well received my cards have been, I was given the full position to do it all. At least when I was not assigned the teaching role. Ever since LDS gave me an additional task of creating cards for the masses, I've been raking in DPs like no tomorrow.
Thank you cheat skill.
Looking at my bank account, it is in the hundred thousand figures. Oh wait, I miscounted. It was in the million digits. Honest, that is a lot of money. To put it in comparison, where I came from, a day's worth of newspaper costs around RM1 (Malaysian Ringgit). That is like 25 cents in US currency…
Oh, wait they don't do newspapers here. It is all free digital media.
To take another example, a loaf of bread, usually packed into a plastic bag with its sliced yup sandwich pieces. Those less than RM 5. In this world, those kinds of bread costs around 50 to 60 DPs depending on branding. So yes, I am rich.
Yet, despite my income, I took to living the humble simple life. I do not splurge on unnecessary luxuries and is more than happy to have the bare minimum. I learned that the hard way in my previous life when I splurged on gacha and then stopped playing them…
A stain in my life that I swore away from then on.
In any case, I live a minimalistic life and that also includes walking to work. The second reason as to why is simply because the place is not far from my abode. Even more so, I can keep myself fit just by walking to work. In my previous life, I don't exercise but I also don't eat much. That and I've had haemorrhoids from sitting too long…
On another note, walking to work does have another advantage. Namely how I miss out a lot when I drove to work in my previous life. Now that I walk, I can take in my surroundings much easier…
Sniff.
On second thought, had it not been for the cold season, I would find this more enjoyable. Truth be told, my old home is in Malaysia and we never really have changing weathers. The only climate there is either sunny, rainy or a monsoon. Meanwhile in Maiami City, the climate is similar to Japan with its four seasons. And right now, it is the winter season… and I am having a runny nose no thanks to that.
Well… the weather is not as hot. If it's the summer… I would go for a cold drink or two when I get to work. That will wait.
Huh… I don't know much about the weather in foreign countries much but… is it always this cold during Januarys?
"Kyou Yuuki!" I heard someone calling me. Looking up, I find a man with teal hair and wearing glasses. His teal hair had a grey highlight on. He also wore the same uniform as I am but with the added scarf due to winter. "We meet at last! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sakuri Haisu!"
Sakuri Haisu? That's a name that circulated around the faculty. So far, I've only know a handful of people in LDS, mainly the teaching faculty. The place is huge, therefore there are many different branches. Although, the name did stood out as many people has been gossiping about it.
One such example included how Haisu have been antagonizing some of the students lately. How the students avoids him. How the higher ups couldn't do anything about him since there were no concrete evidence. The lists went on.
Right now, I am standing before such culprit.
"Mwahahahaha!" That's a stereotypical villain laugh right there, "As your senior, it is my duty to teach fresh meat like you on how we at LDS really do things!"
"I… see, I understand. Then I will be in your care then senpai." I calm myself down and try not to jump to conclusion yet. If he tries anything funny, then I will act.
"Eh, sen- I mean, Yes, your senpai will take REAL good care of you!"
…
What was that stutter just now?
"Considering you're new, it is my job to ensure that YOU gets to settle in nicely without any problems whatsoever!"
…
That did not sound so bad? But why is he speaking in such a sinister tone. I mean, his eyes are wide and he even had an evil grin-
"Achoo!" Sniff.
Excuse me, that was me. Ugh, now my nose feels clogged.
"Oh my… are you okay? Are you cold?" he asked.
"Yeah. Sorry about that, the weather today is colder than usual." I answered.
"That won't do. Let's get you inside. Let's go to the administration office since it's the closest."
He escorted me across the streets and we eventually arrived at LDS. We greeted our colleagues along the way and he led me into the office in question. Which is, as he said, the closest because it was at the entrance.
I was ushered to sit down as he put on the heater. Even prepared a cup of warm tea.
"Thanks." I responded as I can feel warmer now.
"Alright, let me introduce myself. I am Sakuri Haisu, your senior in LDS!" He reverts to his evil talk. His 'closed eyes' are now wide open and evil. His thin lips are now wide with an evil grin. "As your senpai, I MUST welcome you!"
It sounded threatening but…
I looked around and noticed how the room was warm. The tea in my hands was also warm. It flavourful too. My nose is noticeably running smoother now. All because this guy… is really an angel.
Let's find out some more, for all you know, he could be acting.
"This admin office is… not bad."
"Hm? Oh right, the person in charge of this place usually cleans it the first thing he came in after all. And of course, I HELPED!" It's actually somewhat entertaining watching him switch personalities. "And after I help them, they must pay a high price for my help. After all, I'm a senior and I am expected to be compensated-"
So… it wasn't for free then. Is what I was thinking as I sipped the tea.
"With a sincere 'THANK YOU' from the heart!"
PFFT. COUGH!
Sorry, I chocked.
"Oh no, are you alright!" He asked in… concerned?
"Yes, I'm alright. Just swallowed too fast." I answered and Haisu… is now patting my back…
…
So that's why… there were no concrete evidence of his… evil doings.
He's an adorkable villain…
Another month had passed, and just recently, I got a raise from my teaching job too so that is another plus to my net worth and living standards. With that, I decided to go to my local supermarket and splurge a little in daily necessities and groceries for the week. I can afford to reward myself to this happy occasion once in a while. Maybe make something for myself with that dainty small kitchen of mine.
Inhaling the evening cool breeze, I walk back home as usual. Maybe I should grab a bite first before going back with my groceries.
Should I drop by my usual place?
Since last year, around 2 to 3 months ago, a new ramen store opened near my neighbourhood, and I have been a regular patron of the place. Simply because the food was great. Not luxurious but simple and savoury. Thinking about their ramen… the broth, the aroma, the chewy noodles, the toppings, the garnishes…
Slurp…
…
On second thought, maybe I should try something else for tonight.
And something else did showed up as my nose caught a whiff of a seasoned meat… it smelled… burnt.
Too burnt…
But my curiosity got the better of me.
Following the smell, I ended up before a dimly lit food stall on the corner. The stall… looked broken down. It had seen better days. No doubt, the appearance of the stall had repelled customers…
…
I had nothing to lose anyways.
"Welcome!" I was greeted by a lone chef who looked completely out of place. His attire is that of a chef, don't get me wrong… but the attire would suit a high-class western restaurant, not a dingy shabby stall. He had short red hair and a rugged face. But despite his rather shabby appearance, he had on the widest smile ever.
But that wasn't the only thing about this stall that is charming… it was a piece of paper stuck to the wall behind him that caught my eye. It said: "Help us stay open!"
I was ushered to a seat and given a menu. The menu is western. A rarity in these parts for sure. It is like going into a famous fast-food joint because the menu lists out burgers.
Oh, why not. I have not had one for a long time.
"One cheeseburger set, please," I ordered, smiling at the chef, who perked up slightly.
A few minutes later, the burger and fries arrived, modestly plated.
…
The food did appear nice and looked edible too so what was the problem?
It took one bit for me to understand why…
The bread is cold and stale but the onions and salad are fine…
Those are the only best parts because the next parts tho…
The patty is overcooked, and it tasted like burnt coal.
And dear god, the cheese is runny and watery!
Suffice to say, I choked and coughed as I take a few sips of the root beer that came with to clear my palette. The patty and cheese kind of killed it for me.
Other than that, the fries are fine.
I looked back at the chef, who watched me nervously, and something about the man's anxious expression just made me wanted to help.
…
I slipped behind the counter, rolling up my sleeves as I surveyed the ingredients. It had been a while since I had stepped into a kitchen. At least, I don't remember stepping into one in this world. But it did bring out nostalgia of my previous life when I would make something for my parents during my free time.
I began shaping a fresh patty, ground beef and seasoning it with small amounts of salt and pepper as a primer. Placing the ball of meat on the grill, I pressed the ball flat with a tenderizer before applying another sprinkle of seasonings on top of the one I previously added. While this one sizzles, I slice a bun in half, apply a small coat of butter on its soft interior and toasted it on the same grill until it turned slightly golden brown.
Moments after the patty has been sizzled, I flipped the patty around to sizzle the other side so that both sides are equally cooked. Despite the simplicity of that action, the aroma of the cooking meat filled the air, blending with the faint, earthy scent of the fryer.
Taking out a packet of cheese from my groceries, American cheese to be precise, I drape it over the patty while the uncooked part is sizzling. Its solid shapely chunk melted slowly over time into a smooth creamy layer.
The onions and salad were also cooked to dry off the moisture. Once all is done, they are assembled, placing it alongside a pile of perfectly crisp fries, golden and lightly salted, on a fresh plate. I handed the meal to the chef, who stared at it in awe, as if seeing a REAL cheeseburger for the first time.
The chef took a bite. He chewed. And chewed. Then took another after swallowing. This process repeated over and over and eventually, tears flowed down his cheeks.
"This is… a cheeseburger," he murmured, almost to himself. His tears still streaming down from his eyes.
This scene… kind of reminded me of the first time I made something delicious myself. All the hard work paid out. I remembered how I had to overcome the high temperatures of gas stoves, NOT those weak induction stoves. Then handling of the knives, where one careless move could make me lose a finger. Or the aftermath where I need to clean all the utensil after the disasters I have had.
Seeing someone else enjoying the food you made for them is the greatest reward a chef could ever have. And, in a way, I understood my mother a lot more thanks to this.
I would occasionally cook something for… someone…
Someone?
Strange… who did I made it for again?
This body is… a mystery to me.
The next day, same time, I am back from work and is going down the same street home. Only this time, I am assaulted by the fresh aroma of patty combined with cheese.
Taking a short detour to check on a certain restaurant, I simply smiled at the results of my intervention because it had turned from a struggling derelict, into a noisy and happy little restaurant.
This evening, I dragged my reluctant co-worker to a place that will help him boost his confidence.
Kishiga Marco, came up to me day one and complimented on my creation of Gem-Knights. Ever since its debut, he's in love with the deck. Eventually, more and more of the faculty starts using my designed cards and then mastering them. In a few more months, the place will undergo a restructuring whereby classes will be changed and include the 3 Extra deck summoning method classes. And I am the centrepiece of that change.
Prior to it all, all classes and its structures are the same. The key difference is the grades. I am placed in the highest grading class where the best students go into. Lower grades classes do exist but I've yet to experience any of them, only rumours pertaining to behaviour, struggles and questions about their cards.
…
To make a long story short… I am paid to teach these duellists about names, card effects, attributes, attack points and the likes. So, I am teaching them trivias.
…
Oh, who am I kidding, let me describe how the tests are done in LDS.
It is very similar to an exam site where you are not allowed to bring your personal belongings into the exam venue as they are all prepared in advanced. Pencils, erasers, note papers and lastly the test papers. Very reminiscent of my high school time during exams.
The exams however, if you can call it exams…
Basically, the questions are all trivia questions.
I am not kidding. All the exams in LDS, from newcomer to senior, bad to excellent grades, all do their exams by answering trivia.
I would know, I've marked their exam answers… only to find how BLATANTLY EASY everything is. Allow me to explain how easy it all was. Basically, the test has 50 questions and all of them are multiple choice questions. For anyone who had played a Yu-Gi-Oh! Game that includes a mini game of answering trivia questions, yes this is basically the test.
Some of the questions tests on how the game mechanics work. As an Isekai character, I knew the entire mechanics of the game by heart. Heck, even casual players can answer them easily. The other portion of the tests is answering what the card shown is about. Only thing about these types of question… is that the card pertaining to the question is also printed into it…
The first time I looked at the question, I thought there was some kind of misprinting but no. There wasn't. And the worst part is… people get it wrong!
Say for example, based on the card shown above, which of the following is the name of the card.
A. Goblin Attack Force
B. Goblin Elite Attack Force
C. Goblin Recon Squad
D. Goblin Decoy Squad
Above the question is the full UNCENSORED card of Goblin Attack Force is printed for all to see. Name and all… yet…
Needless to say, when we teachers were placed into an evaluation test, I got the perfect 100% score.
And with such an achievement came fame. Wherever I go (in LDS), people have talks about me. Some revered me. Others called cheating. I 'proved' the latter wrong by offering to retake the test, but with supervision from 5 different people in close proximity of my actions.
Ahem.
In any case, Marco passed his evaluation test, especially when he scored high marks for the Fusion summoning portion of the test. In a few months, after restructuring, he will be assigned to Fusion classes. But there's one problem, the new intakes will have 90% female students. I don't know, somehow fusion classes are rather popular with female students in this dimension.
And Marco will be teaching in a class filled with a lot of female students.
While Marco has a sister, Kishiga Ai, he a bit of a trainwreck when face to face with a group of females. One time, when a group of female students came up to ask him about homework, he stuttered. A lot. This is not to say that he is afraid or have a phobia, rather he seems to seize up when in proximity of a group of girls, regardless of age.
Which brought us to where we are now, in front of a rather colourful neon light sign, with a wide doorway. To the left and right of the door, pictures of beautiful women are hung. The neon sign shows the name of the place, Sevens Heaven.
…
Where have I heard that name before…
Leaning back in my seat, sitting next to me was none other than the nervous wreck of a man whose supposedly Masumi's future teacher in like 5 years in the future. The man was squirming uncomfortably as he steals glances at me. Then again, the place was grand.
Red velvet and gold accents filled with opulent yet cozy charm. Gilded mirrors and abstract paintings adorn the walls between each column framed by crimson curtains that drapes elegantly and matches the aesthetic of the place. Jazz music serenades the ears combined with light laughter, murmurs and occasional champagne bottle popping sound.
We were seated in a dingy corner away from the grand stage, the center of attention of the club. Despite being far away from the lights in the centre, the illumination did reach us. Waiters, patrons and call girls, would occasionally pass by us.
This is the first time I came to a place like this. Back home, I doubt I can afford to even come to a place like this. I mean, when you look at the menu… the cheapest you can order (a bowl of nuts) is around 1000 DP. Combined with our entry fee (10 thousand DP PER PERSON), I'm sure I am not coming back again.
In any case, the entry fee also includes a girl we can order for ourselves. Since Marco is hesitant on all of these, I did it for him instead.
"Uh… Kyou-sen… -san, I don't think I should be here." I heard Marco's whimper.
"Calm down Kishiga-san, think of it like a duel yeah? But with words."
He continued his fidgets.
A host came by, delivering our cabaret girls to the table.
I've ordered for a young woman in a chic purple dress. She introduced herself as Elenor before sitting down besides my companion.
As for me…
"Thank you for selecting me, I am Fuuko."
Fuuko, her cabaret identity, is a rather young woman with long pink hair. She wore a somewhat exposed red bodycon that exposes her shoulders and arms. Her skirt reached down to her knees only and she is wearing a pair of stilettos. Another notable thing about her is a pair of ear hoops on both ears.
Even her name sounded cute. Fuuko. It sounded like wind child.
I ordered some drinks, the heavy kind and the waiter brought over a champagne bottle.
"Kanpai."
I took a sip… ugh, bitter. How do people drink these. The cabaret girls seem fine doing it and surprisingly, Marco. And as one can guess, I don't drink. Maybe that's why. Still, it burns! Like really burn. Guess hard beverages does not suit me at all.
"You don't drink do you?" Fuuko stated in a rather graceful manner.
"Indeed, I don't, this is the first time I had alcohol." I admitted. I then cover the side of my mouth as I try to convey a hidden message to her, "I'm here for my friend here, so help me out and bring him out of his shell, eh?"
The woman heard it and she glanced to her co-worker, who seemed to get the hidden message when their eyes met. Elenor seems to have stepped up her game and try to get my fidgety companion to open up.
I watched how the girl patiently pried each layer of his defenses and it was quite eye opening to see the man turn from his initial shyness to now openly engage with her. The same can be said for mine as well as she seems to know the right things to say to get me to open up too.
By the end of it all, Marco inevitably became a little bit of a lady killer himself as he is now showing the face of charming prince. I can see his partner swoon over him. Also let's not forget some other factors in play. Firstly, Marco is hammered as this is the second bottle of champagne and the last one that I am willing to splurge. Secondly, he finished an entire bottle all on his own. Going by that logic, it would seems that liquid courage is also a factor here as his personality had shifted.
As for Elenor… well I cannot say about her. For all we know she could be acting out of professionalism due to her work.
After all, a cabaret club is by no means a raunchy business. In other words, it is like a counselling session where you lay out your inner turmoil to the counsellor. Only instead of counselling, it is more so entertainment. The host or hostess are like companions for hire and they entertain you by complimenting, chatting and accompanying you by the table. That's all. No funny businesses because those can get you banned from the club for harassment.
Speaking of hostess, mine however went by like this.
We chat, she complimented me. She then talked about how she is rarely called and even accidentally reveal her troubles. To which she apologized because hostesses should not trouble the customers with their worries. I did not mind at all. She asked me why I picked her, and I honestly answered that her hair was unique and beautiful. I wasn't lying and that elicited a reaction from her as I can see her blushing.
She then wondered how old I am to be this smooth with speaking. To which I answered my age honestly and it surprised her…
21.
On top of that, I earned like 7 digits for my first year.
…
I shouldn't have said that because now I can see money signs on her eyes and a trail of saliva…
I think I am seeing the real Fuuko right now…
Because what followed up were more so… interrogation about my lifestyle and income…
I have never been to a cabaret club before… but I am sure that these kinds of questions are not normally asked…
Fortunately, tomorrow's the start of the weekend and we have time to recover before our work begin once again on Monday. I dragged Marco's drunk body across the streets as I brought him to his home. We took a taxi and now I am carrying this mess up the elevator to get to his unit.
Marco is humming the jazz music from the club. He even got the girl's phone number too…
So, did I.
As I got to the unit where Marco live in, the door opens automatically for us. Not, it was not some advanced technology this world have that mine don't, rather it was opened by a woman around Marco's age. And I recognize her easily, especially her brown curly hair and eyes seething with cold silent rage. Despite her lips curled up in a slight smile, her expression was less than amused.
"Welcome back~" That is by far the most foreboding 'welcome back' I have personally heard and experienced in person. "So… where have you been?" she asked, eyeing the man on my shoulder, who gave her a wide bleary grin.
"A men night out." I replied honestly and she was not amused despite my honesty. Then again, its best to face the music now rather than delaying and worrying for the inevitable.
The woman grabbed Marco's collar and took a deep whiff.
"I smell a BLEEP."
Hang on, I don't think I am drunk but why do I hear a bleep? Am I watching a comedy anime now where they are censoring some words?
"Look at me when I'm talking to you!" She said in a low but threatening tone.
…
Yeah, I got chewed up that night.
The very same night, which is around 3 AM, I am finally free. Last time I check, I dragged Marco back at around 11…
Women really have a pair of lungs to them do they. Then again, that might explain why their chests are so big. Pfft.
Jokes aside, here I am. Home sweet home. The same home that I started my life here despite beginning at 20. Ah yes, the age of adulthood in Japan is 20, not 18 like most other countries. Which may be the reason why I started late at 20 but what do I know… guess that is a mystery I need to find out over time.
Climbing up the stairs to my unit, I saw pink…
Leaning against the railings in front of the entrance near my unit, was the very same pink haired call girl I requested earlier today. She is smoking a cigarette and looking distant. What is she doing here?
She turned to my direction and paused…
…
"Eh, Kyou-san?" Yeah, I've introduced myself to her back in the club before, thus why she knows my name… then again, she even interrogated about my earnings… As she flustered, she stomped on the ignited cigarette. As she did, she stumbled.
I quickly held her hand in response to prevent her from falling. Soft…
"T-Thank you…" she said. We were looking at each other's eyes and despite our earlier professionalism… I can't help but be mesmerized by her hair. She's beautiful… heck, even when she retracted her hand and turned away demurely, I can't help but want to… protect this girl.
I put two and two together as I observed the woman, my unit and where she is standing. And my conclusion here is… she is coincidentally my neighbour.
What a small world we live in.
Come to think about it… I rarely see my neighbours considering how often I wake up early at around 5 and get to work. I even go to bed early too. Considering my work hours… and her profession… I guess I can see why I did not know about her being my neighbour.
"Want to hang out sometimes?" I did not know what made me say it but I just did. Who do you think I am? Some dense protagonists? There's no harm in trying. The worst she can say is no.
I can see her delighted face when she was responding to me and without hesitations too… but I am not sure if this is comedic timing or what not. Because the moment she answers, and even with her mouth moving to convey her answer… it was drown out by the sounds of a loud 'BOOM' in the background.
…
If this was my first year, I would be panicking, considering it is a huge explosion in the middle of a night.
In my old world, explosions of this magnitude can be attributed to some manner of problem that happens in the area, like a powerplant failure, or chemical reaction in the area… That is in my old world. But this is the Yu-Gi-Oh! World where people duel with monsters… and monsters either roared… or explode.
The first few months were tough… considering how I'm being woken up time and again…
I really wanted to file a noise complaint at the time… but I had unfortunately grown used to the noise that I can drown it all out like some superpower called… Selective hearing.
"Sorry, can you repeat that?" I asked again and fortunately this time, the pink haired woman is audible.
"Yorokonde (Sure)!" Now… that send some red flags. Because the typical response would be the 'Ii' or 'Hai' for yes or the typical affirmation. However, by using 'yorokonde'… it gave me some flashback to certain women with… strong desires. But the way how she delivers that is… somehow charming cause it was soft. Even her expression is soft…
To hell with the harem route then. She's perfect as she is. She's the one and all I needed.
My neighbour, my girlfriend, the love of my life. Her actual name is Fukou Akemi. At first when I hear it, I thought she had… bad luck because the word Fukou (不幸) is quickly associated with it. But no, despite what it sounds like, the kanji is a different kanji (富光明美). In a way, her name can also be read as Tomiko Akemi. I asked her out of curiosity as to why she's called Fukou and not Tomikou, and according to her, just a family name. But I knew better somehow. Then again, I just call her Akemi-chan since Fukou sounds… horrible.
Initially, I had thought she was one of those stereotypes where she is attracted to a man who… makes a lot of money. I mean, initially she did show signs of that. But the longer I stay with her, the more I discover of my girlfriend.
Akemi-chan was surprisingly a former faculty member of LDS. What a damn small world. I questioned her once as to why she is no longer working there. According to her, a scandal and she did not elaborate further. I dropped it out of respect and consideration because the subject is still sore for her.
As for us…
It was sailing for sure. During our off times, we would hang out and go on dates. Although we did not progress as fast since we wanted to know each other more. Akemi-chan is also surprisingly innocent despite her age that is like… 5 to 10 years older than I am. Even more so when she told me how much fun she had for her first date.
Reason was simple, she was a workaholic and did not have much on her down time. It does makes me more curious about what had happened during her younger days in LDS. What kind of scandal has caused this woman to leave the place and work in the entertainment industry? How different her life would be if it had never happened? So many questions.
Although… I did have my hunch when I noticed certain clues about her situation.
Like say, one time when she told me about her income, I noticed how fast it would disappear. And no, I've seen how her living standards are, and it is a huge contrary to her spendings. She would always compare prices. She would always go for the cheapest brands. Even preserving and maintaining things that are old and worn like some T-shirts of hers that have patchworks on.
Next, she had a rather obsessive interests with the upper management of LDS. One time when I talked about work, she then diverts the conversation about the upper managements. Initially, I was rather clueless about this topic but thanks or no thanks to her, I've learned more about the department, namely the Finance Department.
LDS is separated from various departments. Like for one, I belong in the lower department that consists of the usual blue collared service workers like education, production, customer services and the likes. The upper department or managements are the ones who the public do not meet but manages the lower department. They would consists of finance, archive, data retrieval, analysist etc. Akemi-chan's advice for me is to be very cautious of the upper managements, specifically the finance department as they are the shadiest.
…
Now that she mentioned it, I did encounter 1 or 2 of those blokes before. A bunch of pompous fools.
I remember the time one of them storms into my workshop and demanded I 'reimburse' for destroying the cards he created. The rest also follows with the cards or decks they created. Since I have full control of the cards creation, I literally told them how pathetic their cards are. I mean… the cards they created have very unfair effects to them. Imagine role playing with children and you use like a power of some kind, the child would always go like, "My powers are better" or "I can block your ultimate power" or the like. That is basically them right now… man child with kindergarten imaginations and mentality.
But the difference between them and innocent children is that they HAVE money and influence.
There is no point arguing with stupid. Even when I explain the hows and whys their cards are not allowed, they just fire back at me with their very own narrowmindedness along with their selective hearing.
Of all the negative things that could somehow transcends reality and worlds, it just had to be Karens.
I get the feeling that they are somehow the ones involved with what had happened to her. Something tells me that those blokes will be a pain to deal with.
We are on a little shopping date at a grand mall. Akemi held my hand as we do a little window shopping. The mall's ceiling was very high and the floors stretches out brightly. We are surrounded by rows of shops with all the imaginable – shiny electronics, boutique, knick knacks, shiny displays that occasionally catches our eyes once a while.
Akemi pulled me gently towards the window of a boutique, where we stop to look at some cute animal-shaped phone cases. She laughs, holding up one that resembles a nerdy cat with glasses and mockingly tries to compare it to my face. I roll my eyes, but I'm grinning. It's hard not to feel a little lighter with Akemi practically bouncing with excitement at every other shop we pass. I feel her squeeze my arm closer as we move on, her eyes scanning each store window as if she's on a treasure hunt.
Soon, we find ourselves at the entrance of a large bookstore. It's quiet and cool inside, the air filled with the comforting smell of paper and coffee from a nearby café. We wander through the aisles, Akemi leading the way as she scans each shelf with a curious gleam in her eyes. She lets go of my hand briefly to pick up a book with a bright cover and flips through the pages.
"Yuuki! Look at this!" She's holding a stack of books from the BL section, grinning in a way that can only be described as mischievous. I saw the front most cover that has… two pretty boys looking into each other's eyes… no… the worst part of it all is one of the male character featured on the cover looked… EXTREMELY FAMILIAR.
"Oi!"
My yelp of surprise garnered a chuckle from her. She picked that book and continue browsing some more…
Oh boy…
I find myself wandering a few steps away as my girl decided to take her time here. Scanning a nearby shelf at random—anything to distract myself from the thought of the book she's so enthusiastically holding.
That's when my eyes catch a title that actually interests me. A rather thick tome in blue cover, wrapped in thin plastics to prevent unauthorized photo taking or free reading. The cover even have hexagonal patterns on it… but the real kicker was the title:
Circuit Combine: The Playmaker's Guide to Electronics.
…
Who wrote this book? No seriously, who wrote this book? Is this guy a time traveller? I don't see the author's name in the cover, so I assume it is in the glossary…
…
I checked the price… 2500 DP is rather expensive for a book. Compared to the one that Akemi bought… that has my doppelganger on, costs like 400 DP.
"You really wanted that book, huh?" she asked rhetorically, "Are you going to be some Tech Genius now?"
She wouldn't understand even if I explain the real reason. But I confirmed her question with a simple, "Yes".
…
The book was written by some guy called Kusayuu Kijifu.
Why did that name sound familiar and weird at the same time.
Despite the name of the title, it was actually about electronics, hardware, operating systems, software and codes. No links to the future sadly but it is a good study.
Thanks to that, I know a little more about the thing we always have on our arm.