Ryuuji

Virtual streamers. A niche for those who clung to the far edges of dreams, almost abandoning reality. Often, a tidbit of their past forms the base of their persona; these internet celebrities suspended their audience's disbelief through fun and in-character engagements.

There were the braver, more confident ones who bared their faces to the world. And while this type had its charms, the man panting heavily at the 2-dimensional character would beg to differ.

Giggles and squealing leaked out from his headphones and into his quiet apartment. The air-conditioning was at full blast, yet he's sweating as hard as he's panting.

He loved her.

No. That was an understatement. A dedicated part of his studio-type apartment was cleaner than the rest. A poster of a female character hung from the wall. Meanwhile, blue, violet, and black-hued plush toys, keychains, and other merchandise resembling the girl decorated the cabinet he placed there. There's a can of an open energy drink there too, placed like an offering—it was an offering.

This was the most sacred part of his room. The altar he created to worship his favorite streamer; the form the person on the other side of the screen took to interact with him and the world.

The figure composed of moving pixels behind the computer monitor was adored by millions of people...most of whom were people like him, like Ryuuji. Normally, they express their love with paid chats, a way for fans to keep their idol from doing something else, but some took it a level further. With a focus rivalling that of a patient sniper, Ryuuji's mind was calm despite his body's reactions.

"Kya!"

Just in time for that split-second yelp from the streamer, Ryuuji released the mental latch he painstakingly trained to hold.

He moaned.

He groaned.

Then, with an involuntary muscle contraction, he accidentally kicked the edge of the desk with his shin. The monitor trembled. With pain and toe-curling pleasure intermingling in his pounding head, waves upon waves of pure ecstasy washed over his senses. The feeling oscillating, pulsating, like a heartbeat, like a pendulum, it lasted for about ten long seconds—the exact time didn't matter.

Once he could hear himself huff and puff again, he knew it was over. Sure enough, strength left his body. Ryuuji slumped to the floor like wet, soggy noodles.

The 2-dimensional character was laughing, but God knows Ryuuji couldn't care less at the moment. After that high, that glimpse of euphoria, everything was bound to come crashing down. As with physics, and like how the poets would say, what goes up must come down.

To put it bluntly, for those who preferred it, Ryuuji was now at the afterglow of orgasm. The phase where even his beloved streamer would temporarily lose her charm. It's fine, though. Ryuuji's love for her surpassed the confines of the flesh...neverminding the furious manner he expressed his carnal love earlier, of course.

This was Sato Ryuuji's life.

A filthy room full of trash reeking of dried squid. He never had one today, or the days preceding this, but it always smelled like that.

After blankly staring at the ceiling until his back lying on the floor turned cold, Ryuuji cracked a tiny grin.

"Thanks as always, Marumin (God)."

A NEET without any hopes and dreams. Ryuuji wore that insult as praise as he lived in his tiny apartment. 'Live' surely wasn't the proper word for his situation; the crumpled tissues and dirty clothes mixed with the trash littered everywhere were enough indicators of him rotting alive. Without purpose, without direction, Ryuuji wasted his days fantasizing about the streamer behind the screen.

He's not as stupid as to leave his PC uncleaned, though. While the rest of his place was left to their fate, the part he religiously maintained aside from Marumin, his bias' altar, was the area where the computer sat. A beast with specs he painstakingly built piece by piece, this might perhaps qualify as something akin to treasure.

However, unlike the common idea of putting decors and lights, Ryuuji chose to assemble it like a beat-up machine. "Kind of like myself," he used to say (to himself). "A seemingly useless thing that always had unlimited potential."

He knew he could be someone great if he just put his mind to it. Ryuuji believed he's holding himself back to avoid the pitfall of success. The internet had no shortage of stories involving famous personalities sinking into the abyss as the height of fame and power got the better of them. With their foolishness as example, Ryuuji knew the path he must take, and that was of a NEET.

Not in education, employment, or training. The way of the truly learned, of the handful who spat at the norms built by society. Never mind building an empire and ruling the world; no, those who couldn't afford to be content at the now would never be content anytime in the future.

"ACHOO!" The cold of the air-conditioning seeped through his core, making him sneeze. That's when it dawned on him that it's almost time for the visitor who always brought him food... among other benefits.

Ah, the power of money. Unfortunately, Ryuuji was too caught up with his ideals to truly understand.

Ding dong! The bell rang almost as if on cue. Ryuuji didn't move a muscle and stared at the light as his nose felt itchy.

"Good afternoon, Sato-sama—"

"ACHOO!"

The attractive young lady that just arrived was called Ena. While a face mask hid half her emotionless face, she's very hardworking and cleaned up after Ryuuji's disgusting balls of tissue and collected his underwear to be taken for laundry without batting an eye.

"Seriously, please remember to lock up," Ena said. "Always."

"Nah, you're the only visitor I ever had anyway, so... Hm, maybe an intruder could be a nice change of pace, now that I think about it..."

"It's not my business to say this but please don't wish for that."

She then threw a blanket over her client. Ryuuji then realized he's flashing his lower half, now shriveled to a pathetic size, to an undeage girl.

Ryuuji let her do her job while he gobbled the convenience store food she brought. He always paid her back and some whenever she bought food or whatever he asked, but he also thought of ways to elicit a reaction from her stoic face. Will an adult magazine still do the trick? Condoms? He had succeeded on this endeavor, mind you, yet the thrill of doing it again was the next fun thing he could think of.

The thought of seeing her face contort in disgust again...

The possibilities were there, and thinking indecent thoughts to a high school girl made him tingle with excitement.

"I'll change the temperature," Ena said as she operated the remote.

Ryuuji was relieved that she thought he's cold and not horny. He even repositioned himself so his erection poking from underneath the blanket wouldn't be visible. "G-Good work out there, Ena-chan."

"I'm far from done, Sato-sama. Kindly finish your meal so I can continue."

"Not yet. I'll be bored while you clean so," he stretched out his hand. "Give me the usual."

"Surprisingly, I don't have homework today."

"WHAAAAAT?? Then, what am I supposed to do while you... tch," His eyes scanned his surroundings. It often took her a lot of time. Worse, she forbade him from turning the PC on as it distracts her. He's the boss, true, but he couldn't afford to have another, not to mention ugly, housekeeper if Ena got fed up and quit.

She needed the money, so maybe she wouldn't quit. I mean, she put up with all the shit I asked her...hmm...

"Oh, that reminds me," he said. "What happened to your test?"

"The usual."

"You didn't lose the notes I gave you, right?"

Ena didn't answer. Instead, she placed a stack of papers beside the unfinished food. "Today is English."

Ryuuji lazily picked one up and cocked his head. "Grammar, huh. As if you'd use this stuff after graduation."

"Well, the college entrance exams would definitely have grammar."

"That shouldn't be your concern right now. No, I mean after that. Once you start..."

Job hunting.

A foreign word.

Not in education, employment, or training. A NEET. In other words, a bum. Trash of society.

Turned out, democracy was a tough opponent. With how the majority shaped society, deviants like Ryuuji would forever have a hard time facing the norms.

The truth.

And ultimately...