Keiichi and his computer

Keiichi and his computer

The sound of the cooling fans springing to action physically relaxes me as I allow my body to melt into my comfortable gaming chair. The system is pretty high spec and it took a great deal of help around the house to get dad to sponsor it. By the time I’ve put my gaming headset on my ears, the computer is already done booting and ready to serve me for the remainder of the day. A sigh escapes my mouth as the plainness of my activities once more find a way into my awareness. But there’s only so much you can do if you don’t have a friend in a small village without any fun attractions, right?

Speaking of friends…

People often claim that online friends aren’t the real deal but that’s an opinion I can’t share. After all, are your real friends just a click away? Moving my mouse across my computer screen feels as natural as setting a foot in front of the other. With precise aim, the cursor lands on a program called Ciscord which opens promptly upon my command. I take a quick glance into the menu.

Figured he’d be online.

My hands quickly dance across the keyboard.

~So about this doujin you recommended to me…~

I’m not even greeting him but such formalities usually aren’t necessary online.

~Told you it’s a must-read. Enjoyed it, Kei?~

His reply pops up immediately on my screen. I have more urgent matters to ask though.

~Is it normal to wake up with cum in your boxers?~

A question which, if asked IRL, would probably make me wanna die. I never met Jun though. We just kind of started chatting after being in the same guild in an RPG game. The game is no longer online but our connection remains.

~So you DID enjoy it, always knew you would, Kei.~

He’s 13 too and our opinions on many things line up such as our favorite games and anime. However, occasionally he can be a bit of an idiot…

~Stop avoiding my question, I’m being serious here.~

Just the thought of having to somehow wash those boxers before mom finds them is giving me mild anxiety… thank god she rarely enters my room.

~Is it normal? If you don’t ‘do it’ every now and then it’s no surprise dude.~

Actually, forget what I said, he’s a massive prick…

Jun, as it turns out, is also a LOT more perverted than I am. Tired of the conversation, I decide to change the topic.

~Wanna play some Gunshot Online?~

~Sorry, can’t. I’m grinding mats for my sweet Lisa in Waifu Impact, boosted drop rate today.~

My hand touches my face for a quick facepalm. My friend sure loves his gacha games. His taste in waifus is basically ‘the bigger the better’. Can’t exactly feel the same - those g-cups in my dream were scary…

~Alright then, have fun.~

~You too.~

Feeling like I just wasted some minutes of my life, I turn on the aforementioned game. Gunshot Online is a highly competitive Battle Royale Shooter in a realistic setting. Thanks to a large e-sports community, it’s currently the largest game of its genre on the market. A ranking system separates players according to their skill which includes both killing and injuring other players as well as surviving for as long as possible. Once a certain rank has been reached, players can participate in tournaments streamed live on the internet with decent prizes waiting for the top ranking players. A small entry fee is required but I’m fairly sure that cosmetics, ads and product placements make up most of the money being made with the game. Ever since turning 13 in spring, I’ve become eligible to participate, however there’s a small issue left…

Rank: Gold I, 26%

I would have to reach Diamond I rank to gain access to the lowest of those tournaments but I still have a long way to go. Making some quick buck by winning a couple games each month sounds like a dream come true. Mom hasn’t agreed to raise my allowance so I’m stuck with very little money for my otaku needs. If only I could raise my rank…

Jun and I often play as a team. He isn’t any better or worse than me but just being able to coordinate in voice chat drastically improves the odds of winning. Instead, I ready up without a team partner which, in practice, means getting assigned one at random as the game only allows duos to enter.

Trust me, playing with randoms is the worst.

While the first game goes pretty well, every game that follows doesn’t. Incompetent teammates, bad loot, controller players whose aim assist leads to guaranteed hits at close range and getting spawn killed are just some of the many factors dropping my rank below the gold threshold within little more than an hour.

“F*ck off!” I catch myself yelling at no one in particular after yet another defeat caused by a guy with a shotgun camping in a building. My anger is rising with every wasted game. If the throbbing of the vein on my sleeve is any indication, the next defeat might have me slamming my keyboard straight onto my desk at this rate. Angrily, I decide to try another tactic. While kills are vastly more valuable, what’s their worth if your ranking drops from dying too early? Thankfully, the map isn’t all cities and buildings. My teammate decides to land in one of those but this time I refuse to play along. Instead, I’m landing somewhere on the edge of the map. Little loot, little danger. Non-surprisingly, my teammate dies early. Screw that guy.

Thankfully, I find a rather strong Sniper rifle while traversing a tight forest and manage to take out two teams while on the run from a circular zone that gradually forces players to engage in an ever shrinking area. I’m hiding in a bush after barely making it out alive, using the healing loot I managed to acquire.

*ding dong*

Huh?