บท 2: Transported
"Well, you see. I had this debate with my coworkers." She said, shrugging nonchalantly. "I told them that you are a gamer, no matter what game it is, you are able to play them. And they told me about this game.
" 'He will not be able to beat this one.' They said. 'He is a boy.' "
"Isn't that a little bit sexist?" The boy asked as the maid poured him a cup of green tea. He had hated it at first but now, he can't feel like he finished eating without drinking it.
"Right?" She laughed. "That is the reason why I bought the game."
She reached into her bag hanging on the back of her chair and handed him a console.
"You bought the game?" The boy asked, looking at the console back and forth. It is really, really new.
"Yeah. I bet with them that you would be able to clear this game before your summer vacation ends."
"No thanks." He said, sliding the console back at her. "This is not something I signed up for. Besides, I need to still get into the other events that are coming up, not to mention the raids. I am booked."
"I have not finished." She said, raising her hand. "You see, when we adults bet, we bet big. So, if you do fulfil this bet, they will each give five hundred dollars to you."
"To me?" The boy asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why would they give it to me?"
"Because they are betting on whether or not you will be able to do it."
"Five hundred dollars per person?"
"Yes."
"How many people betted against me?" He asked, leaning in though he tried not to show any interest.
"Around … fifty of them." She said a smile coming on her face once again.
"Fifty?" He could feel the wind get knocked out of his lungs. "Fifty into five hundred would be … a ton of money. What am I even going to do with all that money?"
"Anything you want." She said, standing up as she held the console while she stood up. "Last chance."
The boy looked at the console in her hands, contemplating his decisions before sighing and reaching his hands out.
"They will give me everything?" He asked once again, looking over at the console.
It is completely pink in colour and decorated with cherry blossoms all over it. There is even a cute character at the bottom right, that looks almost like a fox with ears bigger than its face, smiling at him.
The colour of the fox is pretty. He thought but that is all he could say about this console.
"Yes." She said, "Have I ever lied to you?"
"No." He answered smiling at her. "I will take care of this from today then. That means I have … a week and a half to get this done?"
"Sure, you do that." She waved and began to walk up the stairs.
"Aren't you going to work?" He called to her.
She didn't answer and instead just pointed at the clock on the wall.
10:55 p.m.
Huh? Then … what day is it?
His eyes flew to the calendar and he began to freak out once he saw the date.
"What??" he shouted, running up the stairs and into his room to check on the calendars there.
They told him the same thing.
"I have … just seven and a half days to complete this." He said, sighing to himself as the computers on his table began to light up with notifications.
Walking to the table, he placed the console down and took his headphones, putting them on before picking up the calls.
"Hello?"
"Hey man, where are you? The raid is about to start." One voice called into the microphone.
"Sorry, I don't think I will be able to join you guys tonight." He said, playing with the console in his hands.
"Why not?" A slew of voices broke out and he couldn't help but chuckle.
"I am busy making cash." He said, flopping onto the bed as he turned the console on.
"What kind of cash?" Another voice said as the sound of the console turning on filled the room.
"Don't tell me you are doing what I think you are doing."
"Do you really think he is going to be able to do that?"
"True. He can't even see a girl without seeming like a douchebag."
"Hey, it's not my fault people find me intimidating." He laughed into the mic.
"Right. But you never cared about those things anyway. Remember how you were so engrossed in your game that you missed that celebrity walking in front of you?"
"I was able to pull an SSR card though." He said, looking at the screen as it finally turned on completely. "I wish it was a UR or UR plus but SSR is fine too."
Even on the screen, it is full of cherry blossoms all around as there showed a school in the distance before showing five characters on screen.
Where did she buy this from? Why is it so … bright?
He looked around the console to see if he could turn the brightness down but it refused to and he was stuck with this brightness that felt like it was going to blind him.
"Right man?"
"What?" he asked only to be answered by laughs as one of the characters began to speak.
"I missed you, my dear." A blond-haired boy's voice broke out, flirty and oozing charisma. Almost making him want to gag.
"He defiantly has a girlfriend."
"Yup. Who were you talking to just then, your girlfriend?"
"I didn't think you would say things like that man."
"That was not me." He tried to say but no one believed him.
"So, you expect us to believe that voice was not yours?"
"Of course. My voice doesn't sound like that." He is spinning on his chair now.
"Come up with a better reasoning next time." His friend laughed as they heard an explosion. "Oh, the event is staring. Sure you don't want to join? This raid might drop that rare item you wanted so bad."
"You all have fun."
"Sure, man."
"Try not to have too much fun with your girlfriend."
"You are disgusting." Another friend said and they could hear him practically rolling his eyes.
"Then we will see you some other time. Peace!"
"Bye." He took off his headphone and sighed before staring at the console again.
Staring at the blonde boy at the very front, he pressed him and listened as he repeated those words.
"That does not sound like me." He said, frowning before his eyes darted to the clock on his wall. "Whatever. I need to start now if I want to finish in time."
Jumping on the bed, he pressed the side of it as a small compartment opened up and there were several rows of snacks there.
Banana chips, seaweed chips, juice, you name it. What do you think you are, some health nut? Bleh.
Just thinking about them going to make my mouth water again. Anyway, so, he set out to conquer this stupid game that his sister told him to.
This game is pretty well known in the gaming world though it is more catered towards girls, a number of boys have played it as well.
You are given several guys and try to win their affection towards you by choosing proper dresses and words to say according to the situation, also playing some mini-games here and there and collecting character cards. Fairly simple.
It was relatively easy at first. He just clicked any of the choices and randomly picked anything on the screen.
But what he did not realise was that there is such a thing as a bad ending in this game and he ended up getting one of the guys being executed by some kind of monarchy.
"Oh, that is brutal." He said, looking at the HD disembodied head and body on the screen. "I didn't know it would do that."
Then it flashed across the screen, "Retry?"
"Of course." He could not help but feel a little wounded that he would lose in a game like this and decided to take it a little bit more seriously.
His sister bought the entire thing so he did not have to worry about choosing the most expensive choices for the character he was playing.
It did bother him that the other characters would always have a better wardrobe as compared to his character's but that is not important right now.
He needed to get the good ending for every one of the boys there and he is determined to do it in seven days or less.
Seven days later,
"Finished!" He declared, holding the console up in the air as the sun began to rise and the screen flashed, 'congratulations'.
He jumped off the bed and quickly rushed to take a bath. Having not moved anywhere in seven days made his body sorer than he would have liked.
But he finished it. He won the bet and he is going to get all that money.
I will just stop by her office after orientation today. He thought.
The first day of classes was never important and it passed him like a breeze.
_______________
"Hey, where are you going?" One boy put his arms around his friend as he was making his way out of the school grounds. "Let's go to the arcade."
"I will pass." He said, taking his arm off his shoulders.
"Why?" His friend asked, looking slightly offended.
"I have work to do. Remember? I am trying to earn cash?" He asked as his friend only shook his head.
"Fine. Fine. Tomorrow then?"
"You know it." He said, walking in the opposite direction of his friends as he waited at the side of the road to cross.
Just then, the console made a sound and something like his voice came from it once again.
Taking the console out of his bag, he looked at it, confused.
On the screen were words, 'Bonus side quest. Wish to play?'
He stared at the road and then the console again just as the lights turned red and began to walk subconsciously with the crowd.
"Sure, I guess." He said, pressing the 'Ok' button.
The screen went blank and he paused, shaking the console, worried that all his hard work might have been erased.
Suddenly he heard a scream and bright lights flashing in front of his eyes before he felt a huge force crash into his body and he felt very light before his eyes shut close and another impact knocked the wind out of his lungs.
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