Why'd I Have to be Called into Work?

There are plenty of activities for people to do in order to enjoy a night off. Watching a movie, their favorite shows, maybe reading a book, or even cuddling with their significant other as they enjoy each other’s company. Perfectly normal and acceptable things to do.

I am not one of those people, however. Sure, I am sitting back on the couch watching my television, but it’s not the normal content one would expect for someone hanging out in their studio apartment on an evening like this.

For right now, I’m watching a VTuber play a silly horror game while acting all scared in dramatic fashion. Yes that’s right, I spend my free time watching VTubers on my TV. I’ll even admit to spending probably more than I should on donations. It’s shameful, but it’s not like anyone else has to know other than me and my bank.

Tonight’s even better too since my favorite’s streaming right now too. So what better way to spend a relaxing evening by kicking back with some drinks and watching a cute, fictional, girl play a video game? Especially when it’s popular VTuber Mimie Misumi too?

Just wish my neighbor upstairs wasn’t so loud while I’m watching here. I hear muffled yelling half the time, like they might be playing some games or something. Then there’s also all the stomping their feet which is worse for someone like me who lives directly below. Must be someone’s kid and I wish they’d tell them to be more considerate of their neighbors.

Not that it matter this time as my phone rings. It’s my boss and he’s got some bad news.

“I need you to come fill in for the rest of the night.” He tells me. For some reason I still can’t understand, the store I work at stays open til real late. For context, we’re a computer tech store. Most people are not shopping for something related to computers into the late hours of the night. It’s equally as unlikely anyone needs to run over to ask for a quick fix.

“Yes sir.” I respond, turning off my television despondently. It may be stupid, but I still work here. I’m not being paid to ask questions.

Oh well, it’s a shame to miss a live show, but at least I can always catch up on it tomorrow. Since I’ll be missing the rest of it tonight, I’ll just send a small donation lamenting my situation on being called to work late.

After that’s all taken care of and I get on my work uniform. I head on over to the store where the boss greets me and then leaves shortly after. Which is another reason why I’m against the late hours. It’s usually just one of us left to run the place seeing as it gets so little traffic at this time. I guess the person who had this shift had something come up, and unfortunately I’m considered one of the best choices for a fill in on short notice.

He’s not wrong to think that, seeing as all I was doing was watching some online stream. Just that I’d like to enjoy my free time without any worry. Oh well, at least since I’m all alone, I can just watch the stream on my phone.

It’s convenient, but hardly what I’d consider a great experience. I love watching these things on the big screen so much more, especially compared to something that’s barely bigger than my hand. However when I load onto her channel, it says the stream I was just watching has apparently come to an end. Strange, seeing as it’s far earlier compared to when she’d normally shut down her stream.

Reading the comments left behind, it seems to be filled with confusion on the sudden cut off. Based on my personal experience, I’d guess she ran into technical problems that caused the stream to end. Maybe her internet cut out? Or perhaps just some issues with the streaming software she’s using.

Either way, from my position it means no stream is on now. I guess it ultimately didn’t matter that I got called for work then. Still would’ve been nice to be relaxing at home, but at least I can use the excuse of making money to make this worthwhile. Though it’s not like I’d use it for much. Just paying some rent and sending more than I should in donations.

I put down my phone and sigh. “Isn’t that a shame?” I say aloud to myself as my eyes wonder about the store. Surrounded by all these electronics and I can’t even enjoy some of the wonders of our future advances. Not how I imagined what it would be like working at this store when I applied straight out of high school, but at least it’s kind of fun working with people who have computer troubles.

Like if Mimie Misumi’s got any troubles with her personal set up, I’d be able to get it back and running in no time. But it’s not because I’m a fan, er, well it’s partially that, but I mean in the way that I don’t want to meet the person who plays her character.

At the end of the day, I know that pretty much all VTubers are just playing a character. Usually ones that are entertaining and lovable, but it’s not like I’m watching for the actual person. If that were the case, then the use of avatars and unique names would be nearly pointless.

As I’m staring off into space, bored out of my mind, something snaps me back into reality. There’s a woman, who appears to be in her mid-thirties, running up to the door while lugging an entire computer.

This woman is rather unremarkable at first glance, even more so the more you look at her. Her outfit is full on casual, meant for a comfortable stay inside, while most of her physical appearance is what many would call plain.

She struggles a bit as she walked through the automated doors from the sheer weight of her PC. With a loud thud, she slams it onto the counter out-of-breath.

“Can you fix this?” She asks once she catches her breath. There’s urgency in her voice to indicate this is a time sensitive task. Lucky for her we’re open then. This would be the case my boss and store owner would point to on why we’re open such late hours. Even though this type of situation occurs rarely.

“I’ll take a look.” I tell her with a calm voice to try and keep her from stressing the two us out. I work much better when I’m not pressured.

Just a quick cursory look at her computer, it seems to be on the older side. Something someone would’ve bought prebuilt without thinking of anything in regards to performance. Hence the design lacking smart details such as attention to air flow. “Did anything happen to cause it to stop working?” I ask while continuing to look around, grabbing my screwdriver to open this case up.

“It just went poof.” She answered, not being helpful in the slightest.

“Can you describe this… Poof?” I ask as I pop off the side panel, revealing the inner workings of a computer. As annoying as it can be to have someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about. I try to be patient, especially seeing as she’s older than me. Not like she’s some grandma though, she’s most definitely on the edge of someone who should’ve figured this stuff out by now.

“I heard a loud pop, then everything just shut off.” That gives me more details, and also some concern.

“You should take a step back then.” I warn her. From her words, it could be something dangerous like one of the electrical capacitors breaking to the point of exploding. This looks like an old computer, and the inside certainly proves it with how much dust is caked inside. So it’s no surprise to see some parts worn down. “I see the problem now.”

Taking a quick look around, it’s pretty obvious where the source of that popping sound was. I pull out the graphics card and sure enough there’s a black spot on the card itself. “Must’ve just hit the end of its life, so you’ll need to get a new one.” I hope that’s the only problem with this computer.

“Whatever it takes, I’ll buy a new one.” She said, whipping out a ton of cash. We’re talking literally over a hundred thousand yen. Way more than the value of that old card I just pulled out.

“Lady, we don’t need that much money to replace it.” I inform her. It’s a lot more cash than I’d expect from someone like her. When I first saw her, I assumed she was just some plain old office lady. Maybe she is, but could be one of those work from home types. That might be the reason why she’s so rushed, as this could be her job on the line. I should respect that and pick up the pace too.

Given her obvious lack of computing knowledge, I quickly browse through our inventory to find a suitable, modern replacement. The one I grab out is much faster than the one she used to have. While she might not be someone who plays games, and therefore wouldn’t need that much horsepower, at least she’ll notice the upgrade in day-to-day use. “… And this should be how much the GPU is, plus the cost for me installing it.”

“Actually, can I also call on you to just set it up at my place?” She added a coy request at the last second. Her nervous tone seems to indicate mixed feelings, like she doesn’t actually want me in her home, but doesn’t have a choice.

“Didn’t you take this apart yourself? Surely you have an idea on where all the cable go.” I replied.

“I just kind of yanked everything out when I went to take it here.” She laughs nervously, knowing that someone like me is judging her. Which I am, by the way, quite hardcore in fact. “But I have a lot of other things that need to be connected to this computer and a family member set it up for me in the first place. So I don’t know how or why everything goes where it does.”

I know I should decline, as this would leave the store unmanned for the grand total of no one else coming in for our services. However I’m pretty certain she needs this quickly fixed for the sake of work. So knowing that, there’s really no other choice for me.

“Okay fine, I’ll get it set up for you in no time.”