Chapitre 11: More Than a Phone Screen
The cold winds blew as Arata walked around the city that late night. He spent the precious day without doing anything as if he could not log in for one day; then again, it was not the case in his new life. Every day he spent in a counted day in the playthrough, and he had lost the ability to pause. He should at least attend to matters that required little to no interaction at all.
Going from one place to another without doing activities do not cost him action points, and so he was free to roam around. He managed to gather revenue and check the two spots Hideki told him about. He also managed to not run into anyone, making it easier to swing back up... even though he should just have called either of his Hands. With silence and peace in mind, the king grumbled as he realized where his feet had took him.
The Lumen Park had always been a tranquil place at night. There was nothing to do here since it was just a [DS] during daytime. However, with Usagi being adapted as a date-able, interacting with the fairy where her home was had become the sense of this location. Arata strayed around, hoping to find the fairy who gave him amazing gifts.
"There you are!" The king waved at the fairy who he startled by then. "Usagi!" He received a wide grin as he walked towards her and sat next to her by the bench where she sat. "Not expecting me this time?"
"Yeah, a bit." Usagi chuckled. "How's Arata doing? Are you still happy playing the game?"
"Of course I am, this game is heavenly!" The king moved his arms around to add to the passion he was trying to show. Then again, he dropped his arms and shoulders with a loud sigh. "I can't access the event from here. My absence was creating an object of mockery out there in the forum." He leaned against the seat. "Then again, I don't care about that. I had bigger problems."
Usagi patted his shoulder. "Don't worry about the CM! It's Hideki so it should be fine!" She giggled, but she dropped it with a hum. "If you're that worried, you should stop talking to people outside the campaign, Arata. They're causing you to panic." She pouted. "Wouldn't it be fun to live like you're really in this world than a person who's just playing a game?"
Arata stared at her before scratching his head. "I... I guess..."
The fairy rose from her seat and flew around him, scattering magical dust from her shining wings. She started dancing in mid-air as she laughed out in the middle of the night. "Arata! This is your world now! Can't you see how real they all are right now!?" She went to hover in front of the man. Usagi held his face with both of her hands. "Arata, forget about the leaderboards. Forget about the forums." She kissed his forehead. "Forget about who... you were."
Even with a suspicious heart, Arata decided to go by the fairy's words. He just gave her a nod before reaching out his arms as if inviting her. He then watched the fairy giggle and sat on his lap sideways, with her arms around his neck. "Well, Top player or not, I still need to see the patch notes. can you help me with that?"
"Telling you about it makes your claim a lie, you know." Usagi pouted. "Why do you want to see it?"
"Because I need to know the new contents. I didn't know there was a hotel now, and the restaurant. Even the new items." Arata scratched his cheek a little. "Look, Usagi. If I want to give the best to my date-ables, then I should be able to play this game like I always had. You don't have to make me feel bad by talking about the event and other things. Just the new content for the Campaign mode should be enough."
"Well, if that's the case." The girl raised a finger as she counted. "One, there's the hotel. Two, there's the restaurant. Three, there's the Challenge Mode. Four, there's the hundred-twenty level ceiling. Five, there are new stat-raising activities." She then chuckled. "Well, aside from the event, I think you bumped into everything else already!"
"How convenient." His eye twitched. Then again, he just sighed and patted her head. "Alright, alright. Guess it's better to just burn the bridge when I get there." He soon smiled at the fairy on his lap. "Thanks for talking to me tonight, Usagi."
"I didn't do anything, but sure, no problem!" She flew off of him and hovered around him as he got off his seat. "Thank you for seeing me tonight, Arata." The fairy waved before turning into a small ball of light and darted towards her pretty flowery bush.
He walked out of the park, and the king was staring out at the empty street before him. He looked around to find no one but the moths flying around the streetlights. He crossed the pedestrian lane and continued to walk around the blocks to get home. He passed by the house of his best friend, whose lights were still on despite the supposed lateness of the night. He reached his very own front yard and stared at it. He held the gate and swung it open so her could enter. He locked it behind him and opened the front door with his pass code. Arata opened the door and stepped in nonchalantly.
"I'm home."
The next thing he knew was that bright lights stung his eyes as he found himself sleeping on his bed. He got up and saw the clock, telling him that it was, again, 6 AM. He yawned widely and long enough for his outstretched arms to make a full shoulder rotation. He slipped off of the bed and walked into the shower, planning for school today. He could go see Tohru later at the park or walk home with Yukari. Then again, he could just tell Tohru to meet him at a later time.
A simple plan began to hatch, and soon school was in front of him. His best friend sped to his side and bumping into him as a greeting. He stifled the yelp and the cry for help. Arata glared at the girl who stuck her tongue out at him.
"Good morning, Arata!" Yukari flashed a grin before walking at the same pace as him. "Are you okay now? You kinda sparkle again after a whole day."
"Really? Well, I guess I just... got over it." He made a bitter grin before waving at the girls calling out his name.
Yukari grabbed his wrist from the front and spun him to face her. She growled in protest. "If I get trampled by those women, I swear to-" Kiss. She flushed red and grabbed Arata by the collar and shook him. "Stop pecking me every! Single! Time!"
"Someone's having fun." A familiar voice sounded from the end of the hallway, and the figure made the swooning girls inch away from them. Ruby walked towards the king with her hair swaying as much as her hips did. "Good morning, Arata. How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay now." The man flashed a grin as he felt Yukari step away from them. He glanced at the hesitant best friend at the side before gazing at the president. "Thank you for letting me pass the meeting yesterday. Did everything go well?"
"Mhm. Then again, the cultural fest is something I can fix. You, however, you made me worried." She combed her fingers through Arata's hair which he did not textured today. "How dare you make me worry?" She grinned as if she was asking for a compensation through intimate contact. She slid her hand off of his face and assumed a pose with her arms wrapped together, holding her elbows. "Don't miss the next meeting." Ruby almost scoffed and walked away.
Arata made a curious expression as he watched her leave in a different fashion than he remembered. Then he felt arms wrap around his waist and a soft bust got pressed against his back. He gasped in surprise, but the hold did not give so he turned behind him.
"So surprised?" Attori grinned at him with a malicious smirk before letting go of him and twirling to stand before the king. "Weren't you supposed to expect me?"
"Sorry, I was talking to her about the council meeting." Arata just laughed out, reaching out to cradle Attori's face with his hands. He did for a few seconds before murmuring something the two were not supposed to hear. "I used to think there's nothing I wouldn't give to hold you..."
"So... what now?" The mad girl held his hands that were on her face. "Are you planning to go back somewhere?" Her voice rolled on the 'somewhere' part, and she made this worried look on her face.
Yukari stepped into his sight and waved as if getting his attention. "Hey, Arata, are you getting nightmares lately? You keep on saying weird stuff." She then smiled at him again. "If you'd like, I'll treat you to some ramen later! I haven't repaid your kindness even just for a bit so wanna hang out later?"
"I wanna go, too!" Attori turned to the newbie athlete behind her. "Let's hit that store Tohru was talking about!"
"Eh? Are you sure it's not pricey?"
"No, she said she saw the menu!"
The two girls kept on planning about the hang out later, and Arata was only left watching them. He turned to the direction of the other girls who were still there and gawking at them. He then turned his body towards the direction Ruby took when she left, finding her at the distance, discussing with another member of the council. He then moved his head to look at the two girls again, who noticed his silence. Attori just smiled at him while Yukari frowned at his behavior.
"Ah, sorry, I just felt like I lost myself for a while." Arata laughed out and walked through them, scooping them each in one arm. "You were saying something about ramen?"
"Geez, yeah. So? Are we going?"
"Sure!"
L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
droopyghost
droopyghost Hi! I'm sorry to have it cut short. My mother's sick, and I have to take care of her and help in the house more. Tomorrow's chapter might be delayed a little.