Invitation

“Basically, I have a world under my complete control.”

Hearing my words that were perhaps uttered a bit too cheerfully, Kai gave me an unamused glance. Oh, come on. It was just a little joke.

“So let me get this straight, C,” said Kai, crossing his arms and giving me this sort of indignant look that didn’t fit his handsome features. “This thing you’ve been hyping up for months… is just another VR game?”

The classroom around us was already empty; the gentle rays of the afternoon sun came through the window, dyeing the classroom in an almost melancholic orange.

Or was it simply a reflection of my own mood?

“It’s not just a game. It’s my magnum opus, the finest among my oeuvre,” I explained, adding an exaggerated flourish with my hand.

“Bet about half of it is AI-made anyway,” he said dismissively, running his finger through his semi-long hair that seemed to be viewed by our female classmates as cool for some reason.

Why was I socializing with this jerk, again?

Probably because I had no one else.

“No, it’s not! I busted my ass creating that world. Well, it’s only a limited area, for now, but still. I’ve got some major plans for the future. So? Are you in or not? I’m offering you the chance of a lifetime here.”

At this, Kai’s expression softened a little at last. “Yeah, yeah. I admit I am a bit curious, even if it’s all just empty boasting. How’s it any different from other games on the market, though?”

The VR game market was still relatively young, but there were new developments every day. My family worked in the industry so I was able to tinker with things much more than the average boy. I was about to explain the exact mechanical specifications and techniques I used… before I realized there’d be no point.

“You’d just call it boring if I explained,” I said at last, shrugging. And you wouldn’t understand half of the terms, anyway, I added in my heart. “I’ll just say I cranked up the realism.”

“Fair enough, that does sound boring,” he said with a smile.

His chiseled face looked so punchable at the moment that I actually felt my fist clenching and had to will it to unclench.

I could just blast him in-game instead… yeah, that would be a much sweeter revenge.

“Is it really that great, though?” the other boy continued as if he wanted to force me to punch him after all.

I sighed. “Look, it’s still in the early stages, so don’t go expecting too much, okay?” I said, trying to sound humble. “That being said, and I’m saying this for real, I can assure you it’s definitely much more realistic than either Mecha Mayhem II or even Divine Hunting Grounds. I guarantee that.”

Kai wasn’t much of a gamer, but I chose titles that anyone would know. And I really was confident about this; this wasn’t me just being vain for the heck of it.

The other boy opened his mouth, probably to disparage me in some form again, but a new voice ended up surprising us both.

“Hah, better than those two? Seriously?”

I turned to find a surprising individual standing there. All our classmates already left some time ago, but she apparently came back for some reason.

She had very dark, nearly black hair tied into a tight braid hanging over one shoulder, and wore square glasses over her cold eyes. She had the image of some uptight honors student, and the attitude to match. She stood there, gazing at us with eyes that could cause plants to wither.

“…Were you eavesdropping on us?” I mumbled.

The girl’s expression remained unchanged at this accusation. “Hah. Do you really think I’m that interested in you? I forgot something and just so happened to overhear you while coming back. That’s all.”

She walked toward her own seat, where a notebook of some sort had indeed been left.

“So?” she continued. “What was that about a game even more realistic than DHG or MM2?”

Were my ears playing tricks on me? Using their abbreviated names like that implied she was familiar with them. Possibly meaning that…

“What? Have you played those, Saga?” asked Kai, sounding no less surprised than me.

Saga—probably the most outstanding student in our class for various reasons, both good and bad.

She had good grades. She was both smart and athletic. And if one ignored that awful hairstyle of hers and the boring glasses, she was probably the prettiest girl in class, if not the entire school.

However, the fact she was so unsocial and taciturn meant that in spite of all of this, she remained unpopular with both guys and girls. Or rather, she seemed to actively push everyone away. In a certain sense she was lower on the food chain than even me.

With that being said, I remembered hearing from Kai that they knew each other from a while back. So-called childhood friends. Not even that privilege seemed to change anything about the way she treated him, however.

“Yes,” she said, as low on words as always. “So? Is it true?”

She now directed her eyes that were icy cold in both color and temperament back to me. My throat felt dry all of a sudden. It was a combination of the fact I wasn’t much for speaking to girls, as well as the fact it felt like I was being watched by some hungry predator.

And then I did possibly the stupidest thing I could’ve done.

“Yup. My game’s simply that awesome,” I boasted with a forced smile. “Wanna try it?”

Look at me—resident nerd and loner who could claim to have only one friend at best (with major doubts this was reciprocated)—talking to the prettiest girl in class, when it felt like she could kill me with a glance. Or possibly a single kick from those shapely legs of her, too.

I had no idea what possessed me to make this move. Even Kai looked shocked.

“Hah. Probably a waste of time, but if it’s even a fraction as good as you claim it to be…”

“Fine. Tomorrow’s a weekend, so come over to my house. Let’s exchange contact info so I c-can give you the address.” Now that the train left the station, it couldn’t be stopped! Even though I stuttered a bit there and my face felt hot, I actually did it.

A few moments later, after the girl had already left, I found myself frozen from shock.

Realization slowly dawned on me.

“…Did I just invite Saga to my house?” I said aloud, looking to the side.

“Sure did, C,” confirmed Kai, slightly nodding.

“Huh. Am I amazing or what.”

“Nah, just reckless.”

I sighed. “Do you think she’s going to kill me or something?” I asked, looking back at him. “You’ve known her since kindergarten or something, right?”

“Just late elementary school. I mean, she does have those intense stares… but it’s all bark, no bite. To be honest, I never knew she was into stuff like that.”

At that point, Kai rose from his seat, took his bag to his hand and smiled at me.

“Well, if nothing else, it’s bound to be interesting, isn’t it?” he said with a voice dripping with both sarcasm and excitement. “Anyway, gotta head for my archery practice… See you tomorrow, C.”

I said nothing as he left me alone with my thoughts as the school grew darker and darker by the minute. I found myself staring at a strange stain on the ceiling for a few minutes.

“What have I gotten myself into?” I mumbled to no one in particular.

Hopefully the beginning of something great, but the world often wasn’t as nice to me as that.