On the Way Back. You Guys Again?
Sometimes, when you play games for a long time, you lose all track of time. That was exactly the case right now. Rain's winning streak had already surpassed thirty consecutive victories. The game I was playing had also completely moved past the early stages of the story. That was despite Shine constantly eating up our time by arranging her alchemy item combinations in the strangest ways.
Lucy on the screen screamed. Her hair stood on end like a startled cat, crackling and shooting toward the ceiling. It looked like a side effect of the potion she had just brewed.
"Hehe," Shine giggled, looking thoroughly amused by Lucy's plight.
"Hey, Rain."
"Yeah?" Rain replied without even turning her head. Her hands moved relentlessly, continuing to pummel her opponent's character. They were supposed to be in the same tier, but the gap in their skill was astronomical.
Rain's character, having secured yet another win, struck a pose and punched the air.
"Don't you think we should head back soon?"
Rain just nodded half-heartedly at my words. It was clear proof that her mind was entirely consumed by the game. Growing anxious, I tugged on her arm.
"Rain~"
"Just one more round!" Rain shook off my hand and locked her eyes back onto the screen.
I let out a sigh and popped a chocolate into my mouth. As the sweet aroma spread, my anxiety began to soothe slightly. It had already been an hour since we slipped in here. Is Amy worried about us? With that thought, I began rummaging through Rain's bag. I reached my hand deep into the mouth of the plump, stuffed chick bag, searching around.
Eventually, my hand found what it was looking for: Rain's phone. The yellow chick case on it looked incredibly cute. When I tapped the screen, the pattern lock screen lit up. But my goal wasn't to actually use her phone. I checked the very top of the screen. If there were any missed calls, a red phone icon should have been displayed. However, Rain's screen was perfectly clean. Seeing only a stack of push notifications from her mobile games, it seemed Amy hadn't noticed our disappearance yet.
"Hmm..." Rain, who was in the middle of her match, wore a rare expression of struggle. Intrigued by her reaction, I peered at the screen. Rain's character was being pushed back. Her opponent's reaction speed was insane—they were parrying Rain's skills, blocking her attacks, and even landing counters. Consequently, both players' health bars were rapidly depleting. It was a neck-and-neck battle. Rain's fingers flew across the controller. *Tap, tap-tap-tap.* But in the midst of her rapid movements, her finger slipped for a split second. Ultimately, her character ran out of health and collapsed onto the ground.
"Ah!" Rain let out a short shriek. I promptly popped a small chocolate into her wide-open mouth. *Nom, nom.* She chewed and swallowed it without a second thought.
"Did you lose?"
"There's still more." The game was a best-of-three. The opponent had only taken one round. The match was far from over.
"I need to focus a bit more." Rain was getting serious. A strange light flickered in her blue eyes. Her pale, glowing skin began to take on a faint pink hue.
"Uh... Rain?"
The "serious mode" that Rain had only shown for a brief moment during our past training was now activating.
Rain's tiny hands moved even faster, and her character on the screen responded with matching speed. She parried every single attack, fluid as flowing water. She anticipated her opponent's moves, acting a step ahead. The opponent's panic was palpable through their character's erratic movements. A deep smile began to spread across Rain's lips. The neck-and-neck struggle from the first round was completely gone. Her character's fists flew again. Rain's attacks sliced through the air, landing clean hits on her opponent. A flashy combo unfolded. *Thud, thud!* Amidst the screen-filling visual effects, the opponent's character was launched into the air. Rain won the round. After the second round ended, the third round began immediately. This match was no different. Having parried every attack, Rain's character pummeled the opponent while keeping her own health bar virtually untouched.
"Yes!" Having knocked down her opponent with a final blow, Rain cheered, pumping her fist in the air. I clapped beside her and popped another chocolate into her mouth. She happily munched on it.
"Is it over now?"
"Yeah." Rain set the controller down with a satisfied expression. I handed her phone back and said, "It looks like Amy hasn't noticed yet. But we should probably head back, don't you think?"
"I think so too."
I wonder what Shine thinks. With that thought, I glanced at her profile. Shine was completely absorbed in her game. Surprisingly, she had actually started to enjoy it. The virtual shop, which had been in shambles from her repeated failures, was now neat and tidy, and the items she newly synthesized boasted impressive quality grades.
"Hey, Shine."
"Yeah?"
It pained me a little to interrupt Shine now that she was finally enjoying herself, but it was best to head back before Amy caught us.
"Should we head back now?"
"Already?"
"What do you mean 'already'? We've been here for well over an hour."
"Hmm..." Shine reluctantly set her controller down. I had always thought Shine had no interest in games, but it seemed she simply hadn't known how fun they could be. Once we got back to our room, I'd have to ask Amy to buy us a console.
"Let's ask Amy to buy us one later."
"Okay."
Shine cast aside her lingering regrets and began packing her bag. "We should put the disc back where it belongs, right?"
"Yeah." We ejected the disc from the console and neatly tucked it back into its case. After throwing all the chocolate, snack, and candy wrappers into a nearby trash can, the table looked just as clean as it had when we first walked in. I smiled with satisfaction, slung my bag over my shoulder, and stood up. "Let's go."
The moment we packed everything and walked toward the door to leave, a strange, inexplicable anxiety surged within me. What should I call this? A danger instinct? As Rain gently turned the doorknob, the door began to swing open with a soft *click*. The first thing that came into view was a pair of long legs. A familiar shape. Familiar clothes. A familiar scent. With trembling, anxious eyes, I began to look up. Tracing up those shapely legs, my gaze registered a familiar waistline. The dread was compounding. The moment I confirmed the waist, my eyes shot upward. My gaze reached the very top, taking in the person's face. Pink. A pair of pink eyes was staring down at me. And they looked exceptionally, rarely furious.
"Gasp..." Rain let out a deflated squeak and collapsed onto her butt. The game case she was holding fell to the floor with a soft thud. The strength drained from my own legs, and I slid down to the floor as well. "A-Amy..."
"Did you girls have fun?"
At Amy's question, I could only nod blankly. Just then, Shine, who had been standing behind me, stepped forward to shield me. "Shine...?"
"Don't worry, Jeff. I'll make sure we don't get in trouble." Shine spoke with absolute confidence as she began to approach Amy. Amy remained leaned against the wall, arms crossed, looking down at Shine.
"Amy. We weren't playing. We were..."
Bonk! Amy's fist moved in a flash, coming down hard on Shine's head. As if hit by a massive shockwave, Shine's eyes went wide and round, and her body instantly crumpled.
"Aaaah!" Shine shrieked in pain, tiny tears beginning to well up in the corners of her eyes. Watching her, Rain immediately clutched her own head. Her trembling body showed she knew exactly what was coming next.
"Do you have any idea how worried I was when you suddenly vanished?" Amy growled, glaring down at Shine. No, it wasn't just Shine. I, standing right behind her, was also subjected to that terrifying gaze.
"T-That's right, Amy. We weren't playing. We were just trying to check on something." Rain, desperately racking her brain, began to scramble for an excuse. She didn't even think to hide her trembling hands as she pressed them firmly against her head.
"Oh? And what were you trying to check?"
"W-Well... the welfare of the staff here. And how good the quality of the food they serve is!"
"Is that so?"
"Yes, yes! Exactly! We came down here to inspect those things with that very intention!" Rain pleaded desperately. Seeing her like that, Amy's expression slowly began to soften. And then, at that exact moment, as Rain stepped closer to explain, Amy's hand swept over Rain's head.
Bonk! With a loud thud, Rain collapsed.
"Is that really true?" Amy's gaze shifted toward me. I shut my mouth tight at her question. I hated lying. I really, truly despised it. But right now, if I didn't lie, I was going to get punished. I'd get a noogie just like Shine. I'd get a noogie just like Rain, and it would definitely stunt my growth. I swallowed hard. Gulp. The loud sound echoed in my own ears. I could feel cold sweat dripping down my neck. I darted my eyes around, nervously stroking my forehead.
"Well, you see..."
"Jeff. Answer me." As I hesitated, Amy pressed for an answer. I watched her expression closely and stammered. Since her anger seemed to have subsided a bit, I figured it was better to just tell the truth.
"I... I was the one who wanted to come out. I was so bored, so I asked Rain to take me somewhere fun."
Hearing the truth spill from my mouth, Rain wore a look of utter betrayal. Amy, however, gave me a small smile. Thank goodness. Amy wasn't mad. I felt the anxiety that had been gripping my chest finally melt away.
"That's how we got out. We sneaked past you and Victor. Like this, like this." I crouched low, demonstrating exactly how we had slipped out of the room. Like a ninja, I moved silently and swiftly around the room. "See?" I looked up at Amy. The smile remained on her face.
"So that's how you snuck out?"
"Yes!" I answered energetically.
"Alright. Come here, Jeff." Amy nodded and gestured for me to come over as I hovered in the middle of the room. I almost instinctively ran to her, but caught myself and stopped. "W-Why?"
"Aren't you coming?"
"I am, but..."
"Hurry up." The smile was still plastered on Amy's face. Like a puppy trying to read its master's mood, I hugged the wall and crept toward her. I felt a bit uneasy. The moment I got close, the smile vanished from Amy's face. Her hand shot out. Startled, I leaped into the air.
Crackle! In my panic, my ability flared up. It was an unconscious reaction born of a desperate desire to escape. In my mind, all the calculations for using my power finished in an instant. But the moment blue currents of electricity wrapped around my body, a white light erupted from Amy's hand.
"Ah!" My entire body was enveloped in light. Immediately after, the blue electricity flowing through me vanished without a trace. Unable to withstand the backlash of my interrupted power, my body went completely limp. Amy caught my sagging body, pulling me down into her embrace. Bonk! At the same time, a massive impact struck the top of my head. I saw stars.