Yuki Means Yuki

„Where the fork am I? Where is Shino? What is this absurd update? Why am I talking to myself?

"Ah!“, Yuki remembers he can talk to someone other than him. He opens his chat. He sees that the message to Nanami is still not delivered. He looks up Houta on his friends list and texts him.

„Houta? u there?“, Yuki realises that's a silly question.

„that's a silly question“, Houta responds mere moments later.

„Houta!“, Yuki shouts, happy.

„Houta!“, Yuki types, happy. It's strange, typing in the air. „what you make of dis thing? feels lika glitch. moon wasnt diff yesterday“

„a lot of things in this game feel like a glitch, including you, most of the time. about the location thing, i don't know. are we just gonna randomly teleport to a new location every day? was this just today? did it happen to everyone? and why, what's the purpose...“

„im even more confused now!“

„did you talk to Shino?“

„i dont have her on my friends list“

„DUDE

"honestly i'm not surprised you don't

"but why don't i?“

„y are u askin me? myb she put a spell on u, haha“

Houta stops replying.

„I was just joking!“, Yuki shouts. „Why are you so sensitive!“ He gets bored and irritated, and after a couple of minutes of waiting, he decides to text. He opens back the chat with Houta, but as he does, Houta sends him a message.

„you might be onto something“, Yuki gets so excited at this text, as if no one spoke to him in weeks.

„it's also possible she put a tracking spell on both of us. as far as i'm concerned, shino did this. but let's just see what happens. what's the worst that can happen. we can't die, anyway.“

„how do u know“

„i know.“

„do u wanna fight some monsters together? i wanna show u of my new sword!“

„sorry, i still need some time. but keep up the monster killing.“

„hey

do u think nanami is looking for me?“

„if she is, i hope she's more clever than us.“

Yuki closes the chat interface and takes out Love Returned. „It's grindin' time! I guess...“, he looks for nearby monsters and enemies to fight and gain more experience points.

Next day, he wakes up at a completely different location. He can see his breath, and it's snowy. He's surrounded by a dense forest – a perfect spot to get ambushed. But this is not that kind of a game.

„Snow, huh.“, says Yuki, not caring anymore about talking to himself.

„SNOW!“

He opens his chat with Houta.

„SNOW!“, Yuki types.

„I heard you the first time, you know.“, Houta's voice comes from behind Yuki.

Yuki turns around. Houta is wearing his old, ragged outfit, but on top of it is a majestic fur coat. There is a basic level greatsword resting on Houta's shoulder and a smug grin on his face.

„That's what you been up to!?“, Yuki runs to him and inspects him. „Wow, that coat is so fluffly and soft. And lightweight!“ Then he side-eyes the greatsword. „I can do better. Oh sheeeeee, this is where you put yours?!", he says in disbelief, pointing at Houta's tattoo on his neck. „So whoever sees you immediately knows you're a Disorder, I mean I knew because of the sword of course... You are seriously OP now!“

Yuki hears growls. They're coming from all around them.

„Uhhh, another update?“, asks Yuki.

„No.“

An army of the undead slowly reveals itself. At least 300 skeletons limp their way closer to Yuki and Houta, their bones clicking and snapping. Most of them are plain, some are covered in dirty rags, some are missing a limb or two. But, inside each one's ribcage glows a purple heart-shaped flame.

Houta sighs. „I hope this works.“, and hands Yuki a piece of paper.

„What's this? Instructions?“

Some of the undead are faster than others and make Houta jumpy. „Take it! Now!“, and Yuki does. As soon as he touches the paper, purple flames disappear and skeletons fall apart.

„Whoa! Is this magic paper?“

„Kind of.“

Yuki reads it. „Give this one to Yuki.“

„Look at the back.“

„Nanami!“, Nanami's paper face is looking at Yuki. It's the missing person's poster.

„This was lying next to me as I woke up today. I got two, the other one shows your location.“

„You also got the poster?“, Houta nods in response. „So weird.“ Houta nods again.

„Basically, if we both keep to those papers, we're safe from these guys.“, he points at the bones that are now almost completely gone. „and safe from the new update. Now we both wake up at the same uhhhh, we... We don't get separated. Won't get.“

„It's so good to see you, Houta!“

„Yeah anyway, Yuki!“

„Yuki means –“

* * *

„Snow!“, Yuki shouts, admiring the snowy scenery. Him and Houta had teleported to the tree – Yuki's and Nanami's – and Houta had used his newly acquired Thermo Disorder magic perk and made it snow. A lot.

Yuki opens his map. „It really did appear!

"But what are the chances Nanami will look at this exact spot and think 'Yuki! Means Yuki! It's Yuki!' and come here?"

„We'll just have to do it until she does. I mean, I will.

"In the meantime, you'll level up enough to compete in the arena. Once you're a Disorder, you can spell a message to Nanami using land.“, Houta says only half ironically.

„A message...“

„You have enough time to think of something.“

Next morning, Yuki and Houta wake up at another location. Sure enough, the spell is working and they are not separated. Yuki opens his map to teleport to the tree spot.

„Teleporting is off!“

„Again? I am not walking –“

Yuki gasps loudly.

„What!?“

„Where is your tattoo?“

Houta touches his neck as if he'll feel the difference. „No way! This is the worst update!“

„Hey if you say that... It'll get even worse.“, Yuki warns Houta. „But... Yeah... It's like...

„Someone doesn't want me to find Nanami!“