Impractical Friends

Iroko entered the elevator and Kuroki pressed the button for the top floor. Iroko was amazed.

Iroko: "I love elevators!"

Kuroki: "Is there anything you don't love?"

Iroko: "Boredom."

Kuroki: "Facing death isn't the cure for boredom..."

Iroko: "For me it is."

They exited the elevator, Iroko following his friend to his apartment. Kuroki unlocked the door and went inside.

— Oh, Kuroki!

Iroko walked in, excited yet afraid to meet new friends. Both were sitting on different sofas: a guy and a girl.

The guy who greeted Kuroki was blond, with short hair that gave him a cool look. He was playing something on his phone.

The girl had long, purple hair and wore a large black robe and glasses. Her expression was blank as she typed something on her cell phone, distracted. Even sitting down, she seemed very tall.

— And... a new friend!

Iroko: "Hi..."

He was somewhat nervous.

— It's pretty rare for you to bring new people here, Kuroki. Which means he's trustworthy, right?

Kuroki: "Yes, he convinced me to invite him to the party. Iroko, this is Kasugo, and she is Minako."

Iroko waved to them, too nervous to say anything. Minako didn't take her eyes off her phone.

Kasugo: "Don't mind her, she's a little shy. And mute."

Kuroki: "Just to be sure, what power do you wish to have, Iroko?"

Iroko: "Something related to firearms. I love them."

Kasugo: "Oh, that's really cool! They're banned in Japan, but the game allows you to materialize them whenever you want, if that's your power."

Kuroki: "Iroko, you're really into killing people..."

Iroko: "It's part of the game, isn't it?"

Kuroki: "You could choose something smarter or more versatile."

Iroko: "Nah, I've always dreamed of using a gun."

Kasugo: "Do you have a preference?"

Iroko: "A sniper rifle! That way I can eliminate high-value targets without being seen!"

Kuroki: "It won't be that easy. The game lets you choose your power, but it must have weaknesses and drawbacks."

Iroko: "Wait, really? Can I choose my power that easily?"

Kasugo: "Yeah, but as you level up, you can choose an additional one or improve the one you already have."

Iroko: "Then I'm ready to kill!"

Kuroki: "Don't say that out loud! What if someone hears us?"

Iroko: "I want my power! How can I get it?"

Kuroki: "Right, I'll forward the email to you. What's your address?"

Iroko: "I don't really have an adress, as-"

Kuroki: "Your email address, not your home location..."

Iroko: "Oh, I'm sorry, boss!"

Kuroki sent him the message with the link to download the game app. Iroko opened the app and it immediately asked for permission to use the camera.

Kuroki: "They use facial recognition to register your profile."

Iroko: "Can't other players use this data?"

Kuroki: "If they have a related power, perhaps."

Iroko looked hesitantly at the camera, the app analyzing his face.

Kasugo: "Don't worry, man, every company holds our data hostage anyway."

Iroko: "Is that supposed to reassure me...?"

The profile was made with all his personal info. His hair turned dark blue.

Kasugo: "Blue? It suits you well."

Iroko: "Why is my hair blue? And more importantly, how does this app have all this information about me?!"

Kasugo: "Are you hiding something dirty in there?"

Iroko: "O-Of course not!"

Kuroki: "We can use magic, and what impresses you is that a company has all your personal information?"

Iroko: "I mean, if they know all this, the game master can't just kill us all whenever they want?"

Kasugo: "Probably. But we don't even know their identity yet, so why bother?"

Kuroki: "Come on, choose your power."

Iroko: "Alright..."

There was an option where he could specify the desired power. He wrote it as simply as he could.

Kuroki: "So you can summon a sniper rifle whenever you want. What are the suggested drawbacks?"

Iroko: "The shot is way louder and has much more recoil than an usual rifle... Wait a minute, doesn't that make it useless? Aren't sniper rifles supposed to be stealthy?"

Kasugo: "Before you take the shot, yes. After that, you need to protect yourself."

Iroko: "But the recoil is also scary... what if I lose my collarbone?"

Kuroki: "We'll go to a shooting range soon so you can train your power. Also, you'll be able to remove those drawbacks after leveling up enough."

Iroko: "I'm going to need some earbuds..."

Kuroki: "Minako, could you ask one of the staff to open the rooftop door?"

She stood up and left without saying a word.

Iroko: "She's kinda scary..."

Kasugo: "Nah, you get used to it."

Kuroki: "Kasugo, you're going to fight Minako on the rooftop as a demonstration."

Kasugo: "M-Me, fight her? I don't know, man..."

Kuroki: "It's just a training exercise to demonstrate your powers and how to use them, to serve as inspiration for Iroko."

Kasugo: "Don't blame me if she knocks me out..."

They went up to the rooftop, with a building employee supervising everything, in case they planned something drastic.

Kuroki: "We're just practicing some moves for an upcoming show. We're going to use special effects."

— I see. Please don't stay too close to the edge.

Kuroki: "Naturally. Iroko, watch and learn."

Kasugo and Minako stood facing each other, far enough away from the others so as not to hurt them.

Kasugo: "It's just training, okay? Please, let's keep this at a sporting level..."

Minako advanced, throwing kicks and punches, which Kasugo narrowly dodged. Then, he began to materialize something that covered his entire body, except above his nose. It was a futuristic black armor and a face mask. Minako continued advancing, landing some blows, but causing less damage as his armor appeared.

Something emerged from Kasugo's shadow: a humanoid figure resembling him. She punched the creature's head, damaging the original. He pointed his palm at the figure, releasing a yellow spray paint that covered its surface. Minako's blows began to do less damage.

Kasugo ran while spraying her with the same paint, covering her body and clothes in yellow. He approached her and delivered a flying kick, which she blocked with both arms, but was still pushed back and staggered, falling to a sitting position.

Kuroki: "That's enough."

They stopped. Kasugo offered a helping hand, which she ignored, getting up on her own.

Kuroki: "Iroko, can you tell what their powers are?"

Iroko: "Minako can create shadow clones of people and damage them; Kasugo has an armor and yellow spray paint to..."

Kasugo: "Increase or decrease a surface's durability."

Iroko: "Oh, right, I couldn't really tell what that thing did."

Kuroki: "Can you deduce their weaknesses?"

Iroko: "Minako can't use her power without any shadows... Kasugo takes time to armor up?"

Kasugo: "I also can't use my spray without my armor."

Iroko: "But if you level up..."

Kuroki: "We can all remove these weaknesses or add others to increase our strengths."

Iroko: "I can't wait to test my power..."

Kuroki: "Since your drawbacks are greater than ours, we'll help you train before you make mistakes on the battlefield. Let's go."

Iroko: "Wait, right now?"

Kuroki: "Yes, and you're driving."

Iroko: "What?!"

They got into the car without Minako, because she stayed home most of the time.

Iroko: "Is this car yours?"

Kuroki: "It's rented. We players can afford a lot of things, remember? But owning a car isn't worth it, since someone could blow it up at any moment."

Iroko: "Referring to someone specific?"

Kuroki: "Many players have destructive powers, not just Blazy. She's simply the strongest known."

Iroko: "So..."

Kasugo: "Don't fret about the unknown, pal. None of us have powers to predict the future."

Kuroki: "I wanted you to drive so you could better memorize this part of the city. And because we'll need a driver in case of emergency."

Iroko: "The thing is... I have a driver's license, but I haven't driven in a long time..."

Kuroki: "How do you go to work?"

Iroko: "The company covers transportation expenses, so I take taxis and such."

Kuroki: "Well, this is also a test of endurance; if you take your eyes off the road, you might end up crashing or something. You need concentration to use a sniper rifle."

Iroko: "You're right..."

He took a deep breath, started the car, engaged the gears, and released the handbrake. The car began to move slowly, its speed varying erratically. He turned the steering wheel toward the exit of the underground parking lot.

Kasugo: "You're doing great, my friend. Driving downtown requires a lot of focus, so as long as you don't get distracted, everything will go buttery smooth."

They pulled out of the parking lot, stopping before turning onto the street.

Iroko: "Ugh, I hate this part."

He changed gears before stopping, and then increased the gear again after traveling a few meters.

Kasugo: "Have you ever been to a shooting range? I used to practice with airsoft guns from time to time."

Iroko: "Nah, first time."