Day 133

[from I Watch You Sleeping]

Once Raiden has obtained his usual mapo tofu, and I get my usual soba noodles, we sit down at a mostly-empty table and start eating. "Oh, right, I almost forgot!" says Raiden suddenly, lowering his voice. "You remember you sent me on that errand? I managed to track down the girl from the photography club and get a handwriting sample from her. Here you go."

Raiden places a scrap of paper on the table in front of me. An old proverb is written on it, in what I assume is the photography club member's handwriting. I can't help wondering how Raiden got hold of the sample, but that's not really important. What's important is that, even at a glance, I can tell this doesn't match the stalker's handwriting.

"Does it match?" asks Raiden.

"Nope," I tell him.

Raiden frowns. "So we're back to square one, then," he says.

"Yeah, I guess so," I admit.

"Darn," says Raiden. "Well, at least we ruled her out as a suspect, I guess."

"True," I say, nodding. "But now we need to find some other line of inquiry."

Raiden opens his mouth to reply, but quickly closes it again as a familiar voice rings out from behind him. "Excuse me, may I sit with you both?" asks Sakura.

Raiden and I nod in agreement. "Of course," I say.

"Thank you," says Sakura, who promptly sits down next to Raiden and begins eating. Sakura Hatoyama is a girl from Class 3-1. Her younger sister, Shiori, is best friends with Natsume. Because of that, we've known each other for a few years now.

"I don't think we've spoken in a while, have we, Kentaro?" asks Sakura. "How have you been recently?"

"I've been pretty good, thanks." Up until this morning, that is. "How about you?"

"I can't complain," says Sakura. "How about you, Raiden?"

"Eh. The usual," mumbles Raiden through a mouthful of mapo tofu.

Sakura scowls disapprovingly at Raiden. "Please don't talk with your mouth full, Raiden," she says.

Raiden's response is to roll his eyes and make a motion with his chopsticks, in a crude imitation of a talking mouth. Sakura just ignores him, and we carry on eating our lunch, pausing every now and again to talk about nothing in particular. Sakura's calm, relaxed pace, and insistence that we all wait until we've finished out mouthfuls before speaking, means it takes us longer than usual. We've only just finished when the bell goes to signal the end of lunch.

"Lunch is over already?" remarks Sakura, as the bell rings out. "Gosh, that was fast."

"Yeah, we'd better get going," I say as I stand up. "See you later, Sakura."

"Until we meet again, Kentaro. Raiden." Sakura stands up and bows to each of us in turn, then heads off back to her own classroom as we head back to ours. I have to admire how polite and well-mannered Sakura is. Shiori's much the same, from what little I've seen of her. I wish Natsume was as polite as those two.

***

The afternoon lessons pass rather uneventfully. Before I know it, it's the end of the school day. While a number of students will be sticking around for club activities, I'm heading straight home as usual.

While the school day may have drawn to a close, it seems my ordeal is far from over. As I make my way through the grounds, towards the front gate, I receive another text message. It's the stalker again:

"YOU NOTICED ME! I KNEW YOU WOULD! I'LL FOREVER CHERISH THOSE MOMENTS WE SPENT TOGETHER TODAY~ THANK YOU, KEN-CHAN. XXXXXXX"

I guess that confirms it, then. The stalker really is one of my fellow classmates. I don't understand it… why go to all this trouble? If this person really loves me, why don't they just come up to me and say it to my face? Why send these letters and text messages? And… why send me photos of myself in my sleep?!

I shake my head wearily. None of this makes any sense at all. As far as I can see, the only way to make sense of this is to track the stalker down. I just… don't know how.

***

As I embark on the short walk home, I continue to go over the letter and the text messages in my mind. Especially this latest one. "You noticed me"… from that, I can only assume that I must have actually talked to my stalker at some point today. It's a horrifying thought. Having a stalker is bad enough, but knowing that you know them, that you see them and maybe even converse with them on a regular basis… dear God. It's like being the heroine of a magical girl show, and knowing your arch-nemesis is one of your classmates, but you have no idea who they are or how to prove it.

However, I think I have a way to narrow it down. I think it's fair to assume that the stalker is female. In that case, if I really did talk to them today, I can just run through the names of every girl I talked to. Meiko… Aiko… Sakura… Mizuki… Harumi. As unlikely as it seems, any one of them could possibly be the stalker.

If it's Mizuki or Harumi, then they're most likely doing it out of spite. As for Meiko, Aiko, or Sakura, I can't imagine what their motivations could possibly be. Least of all Aiko. But then, nobody ever knows her motivations for anything, as she never says anything.

I pause suddenly, realizing I already passed my house a couple of blocks ago. I was so preoccupied with everything that I didn't realize. As I turn and walk back towards my house, I silently resolve not to tell my parents about any of this. This doesn't concern them, and I don't want them worrying about it constantly, which they will do if I tell them. This is my problem. I'll deal with it myself.

***

The subject of this morning's letter isn't raised until dinner time. "So, Ken, dear, what was that letter from this morning about?" my mother asks me. "Anything important?"

I've had more than enough time to come up with a convincing lie, but I don't find one necessary. Instead, I just respond, "No. Nothing important, really," and to my relief, nobody seems to question it.

"Who was it from?" asks my mother. "One of your classmates, I assume?"

This time I don't need to lie. "Yeah," I say. "Yeah, it was." I just wish I knew which classmate.

"Speaking of your classmates, how's Raiden?" asks my mother. "He hasn't come over for a while now."

"Nah, he's been kinda busy lately, catching up with homework…" The conversation carries on from there, and the letter is not mentioned again. Indeed, for a while I can pretend I don't have a stalker at all. Until I get up to my bedroom, that is.

I'd left my cellphone upstairs on my desk when I got home. Checking it now, I have 38 messages. One is from Raiden:

"2DAY WAS TOUGH 4 U, I BET. DON’T WORRY, MAN. I'M HERE 4 U. OH, & WORD OF ADVICE: DONT TALK 2 ANY GURLZ. THE STALKER WILL KILL THEM. L8R~!"

What an idiot. Still, I can't help feeling better, knowing that I'm not going through this alone. The other 37 texts are all from the stalker. No, wait… make that 38. A vibration heralds yet another text from them. Guess I'm gonna be hearing from them at all hours of the day. I check the messages with a sense of foreboding that's already starting to become uncomfortably familiar.

The first message reads, "WHY AREN'T YOU ANSWERING MY MESSAGES, KEN-CHAN?" The second reads, "ARE YOU ILL? ARE YOU BUSY?" The third reads, "ARE YOU WITH ANOTHER GIRL?!!" The fourth simple reads, "ANSWER ME!" As does the fifth. And the sixth. Scrolling down, the rest of the messages all say the same thing: "ANSWER ME!" She's sent it over and over again, every other minute, as though it would actually get me to respond. I get the feeling she won't stop until I do… but I don't want to…

I guess I don't have much of a choice, though. I hit Reply, and just stare at the keypad for a while, trying to think of what I could possibly say to this person. I guess… maybe… sigh. No good. I can't do it. I can't respond to them. I just can't.

I switch off my cellphone and put it back on the desk. I can only hope that the stalker gets the message and stops texting me, though I know that isn't likely. This is all getting too much for me. If things continue to escalate like this… what next?

I sit down on the end of my bed and let out a heavy sigh. At this rate, never mind the obvious danger to myself, there's a danger other people could be affected by this. It's like Raiden said: if any other girl tries to hit on me, the stalker might well try and attack them out of jealousy. That's the last thing I want.

I don't know how, but when I finally go to bed, I fall asleep as I usually do. At least the stalker can't hurt me in my dreams.

Day 132

[from Sonic the Hedgehog Returns]

With the Death Egg's main generator disabled, its propulsion systems were now offline. Momentum kept it moving forwards for the moment, but without anything keeping it in the air, it slowly began to plummet towards the lake below. Alarms began to blare in Robotnik's control room, warning him of the impending disaster.

"What's going on?!" the dictator bellowed, pounding a fist on the control panel. "Don't tell me that hedgehog managed to shut down the generator!"

"It looks like he removed the power source," said Snively.

Robotnik growled. "What is that prototype doing?! There's no way it should have let Sonic through!" He quickly jabbed a button on the control panel. "Attention, Metal Sonic Mk.I! Destroy that hedgehog and retrieve the power source!"

***

As Sonic rushed out of the generator room, Sally contacted him once again. "Looks like the generator's down," she said. "Nice job, Sonic."

"Piece of cake," said Sonic. "Now to haul haunch outta here before- UGH!"

Metal Sonic Mk.I slammed into Sonic just as he passed through the doorway back into the corridors, knocking him backwards. A strange object tumbled out of Sonic's hand: a bright green gem that he had found inside the generator room. It appeared to have been the power source. No doubt the machine had come to put it back, just as soon as it had disposed of him.

"What now?" asked Sally, in a tone of resignation.

"Looks like that copy of me has come back for the power source," said Sonic. "I'm gonna hafta fight my way past it this time."

"I see," said Sally. "Well, good luck, Sonic. I'm sure you can defeat it."

"Oh, don't you worry, Sal," said Sonic, focusing his attention on the machine. "I got this."

The spines on the robot's back opened up, revealing thrusters that suddenly propelled it towards the fallen power source. Sonic quickly darted forward and just managed to snatch it up before the robot could reach it, racing round it and heading off on his way. Unfazed, the machine promptly turned round and dashed off through the corridors in pursuit.

"I see Robotnik managed to capture my best feature, at least," Sonic remarked, glancing back at the robot as it pursued him. "Alright then! Catch me if you can, ya heap o' junk!"

SWATbots and Badniks began to block Sonic's path, trying to pen him in. Sonic effortlessly dodged a volley of laser fire from a group of SWATbots ahead of him and barrelled straight through them with a Spin Dash, obliterating them. Metal Sonic Mk.I continued onwards, straight through the smoke and debris thrown up by the explosion, and kept going.

***

 "Sir, our auxiliary power supply is almost depleted," said Snively. "We have to leave now, otherwise the escape pods will lose power. I hate to admit it, but… it looks like the Death Egg is lost."

"Impossible!" roared Robotnik, slamming his fists against the controller. "There's no way that hedgehog could have-"

Robotnik cut himself off as the lights in the control room suddenly flickered and died. There was no longer enough power left to run everything, and the lights had the lowest priority. It was no use. Snively was right. He had to abandon the station, for now at least. There was still the chance that Metal Sonic Mk.I could retrieve the power source and put it back, but time was running short. In only a few minutes, the station would strike the lake's surface, and even if the impact didn't tear it apart, it would still sink straight to the bottom and be lost. For now, he had no choice.

"Alright, fine!" said Robotnik. "Activate the escape pods, and order all SWATbots to fire on Tails' plane! Even if he somehow manages to defeat Metal Sonic Mk.I, there's no way he can make it off this station without that plane!" Robotnik let out an evil laugh as he and Snively made their way to the Death Egg's escape pods, hoping that Metal Sonic would fulfil its design purpose and rid them of the real Sonic once and for all.

Day 131

[from Aishiteru! Hikikomori-san]

"Hey! Let's go on date!"

Yuuichi, who was busy playing on his Vii Q, jumped slightly as Ilana suddenly threw her arms around him from behind. "Eh? A date?" he repeated.

"Yes!" said Ilana, who seemed excited by the prospect. "We are married couple. We should do married couple things, like go out on date, feed ducks, drink from same glass."

"I thought "married couple things" were all to do with children and taxes," remarked Yuuichi.

"We have not those things!" replied Ilana cheerfully.

"We still have to pay taxes, you know!" said Yuuichi indignantly.

Ilana shrugged, turning her attention to the TV screen. "What you are playing?" she asked.

"It's called Splashoot," said Yuuichi. "It just came out the other day. I'd been so hyped for it, and I gotta say, it's amazing."

"What it is?" asked Ilana.

"Basically, you play as kids that can transform into squids, and you battle other players to try and paint the most territory. Look, now I'm a kid…" Yuuichi pressed a button and his character dived down into the ink beneath him. "Now I'm a squid!"

Ilana suddenly grabbed the remote control and switched the TV off. "Now you are dead," she said. "Now we go on date."

Yuuichi cried out in shock. "Hey, I was playing that!" he moaned, reaching out for the remote. "Switch it back on!"

Ilana smirked. "You promise we go on date when you finish?"

"Yes, yes, I promise!" said Yuuichi in a panic. "Now please, switch it back on!"

Ilana giggled, and switched the TV back on. "You so cute when am - how you say - fluster," she said, as Yuuichi found that to his relief he had not been killed.

"Please don't do that again," said Yuuichi. "You almost ruined my kill-death ratio!"

"I know not what that is," said Ilana, "but I sorry. I just want do things with you. You are husband, after all. We should go on proper date."

"I know," said Yuuichi. "Tonight, I promise. Once I'm done playing."

Ilana smiled widely. "Thank you, Yuuichi," she said.

Yuuichi suddenly blushed nervously. "You know… I've never really been on a date before," he said.

Ilana seemed surprised by this. "Really?" she repeated. "Not ever?"

"Yeah," said Yuuichi. "Like I told you before, I'd never had a girlfriend or even kissed anyone before you turned up."

"Oh yeah, you said that…" muttered Ilana thoughtfully. "Well, I make sure first date is good one, then. Should we go fancy restaurant, dine like tsars? Or should we do simple thing like go for walk, eat ice cream, watch sunset?"

Yuuichi thought about it for a moment. He didn't really have any clothing appropriate for a fancy restaurant, and he had this feeling in his gut that if the two of them were to visit such an establishment, it would most likely end in disaster. Surely nothing could go wrong from just a simple walk through town. "A walk sounds nice," he said.

"Okay," said Ilana, nodding. "We go for walk, then. You show me all nice things around town."

Yuuichi rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Uhh, Ilana… you do remember I've barely left my apartment in three years or so, right? I don't really know much of the town at all."

"Then we just walk wherever, and see where path takes us," said Ilana. "Might be better. We not know what we about to see, so it make good surprise for us when we see it."

"Okay, sounds good to me," said Yuuichi. "I'm looking forward to it. I never thought I'd be saying this six months ago, but… I guess it'd be good to get out of the house sometime."

Ilana smiled. "You see? " she said. "Do same thing every day is boring. Must try new things. Is important."

Yuuichi nodded. "Yeah. I'm starting to realize that now. And it's all thanks to you, Ilana. That being said…" Yuuichi effortlessly dispatched yet another squid-like enemy, causing them to explode in a shower of ink. "I'm not going to give up video games and anime completely. They're just too good!"

"I not ask you to," said Ilana. "They part of you. Yuuichi without anime is like Russia without vodka. Is not thinkable."

"I see," said Yuuichi. "Okay then."

Ilana suddenly leaned forward, peering curiously at the TV screen. There was an odd piece of graffiti painted on the wall Yuuichi's character was currently standing in front of. "What that say? 'Bush do 9/11'?" repeated Ilana, confused.

Once more Yuuichi nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Ehhh… there's some weird people on Wintendo Direct…"

***

As Yuuichi and Ilana strolled peacefully along the riverbank, the sun was starting to sink low in the horizon, a cool late-afternoon breeze rustling through the grass. Ilana's hand slid gracefully along the iron railings separating them from the waters below, her hair glowing a fiery scarlet in the evening light. Yuuichi found the whole scene remarkably tranquil and relaxing. For the first time in a very long time, he felt glad to be out of his apartment.

"Hey, something's just occurred to me," he said. "If you were a mail-order bride, then there must have been some reason you wanted to leave Russia, right? What was it?"

Ilana sighed, as though she had hoped they wouldn't had to have had this conversation. "I not have good life in Russia," she said. "Growing up, family was always poor, weather was always cold. No money for fun things. Was hard life, but was only life I know, so I endure it. Best friend at school was a girl named Katarina. She was, uhh, how you say… she like girls like you like girls."

"She was a lesbian?" asked Yuuichi.

"Yes, that is word," said Ilana. "She was lesbian. And we were good friends. Not lovers. I was not her type. Also am not lesbian. Anyway, Putin not like lesbians. He say, "You lesbian, you go to jail". So Katarina go to jail. And then I realize: Russia is not good country. I talk to family, and they agree: Russia is not good country. So I decide to leave, make good life elsewhere. However, I not have money to buy house in other country, and I not have skills to get work in other country. Only have enough money for plane ticket. So I decide to marry foreign man, move in with him, and start new life that way. Was only choice."

"So that's why you became a mail-order bride," said Yuuichi. "That's actually rather sad."

Ilana nodded. "I hope Katarina is okay in jail," said Ilana. "I never tell her I leave the country. When she get out, she will look for me but not find me…"

"I'm sure someone will tell her where you went," said Yuuichi.

"I know," said Ilana. "I just regret not saying goodbye. She was best friend, after all."

"And then after all that, you come over here, and find that the guy who "bought" you knew nothing about it, and was just a lazy otaku with no job," said Yuuichi. "Damn, now I feel even worse."

Ilana stopped and leaned back against the railings, smiling at Yuuichi. "I tell you many time, Yuuichi," she said. "You are good man. You are honest man. You willing to change, and you are changing. I lucky to have been bought by you. When I signed up to be mail-order bride, I was… nervous, I think is word. Yes, nervous. I heard bad things. Mail-order brides trying to leave bad life behind, and finding even worse life waiting for them when they step off plane. But I lucky. I have very good life now, in very good country, with very good man. I am happy."

Yuuichi smiled back at her. "I'm glad you feel that way," he said. "Japan certainly is a great country, isn't it?"

Ilana nodded. "Yes. When your friend bought me, I look up information on Japan. The technology, the nature, the culture, the riches… I loved it all. I thought, "Japan is good country to live in". And I was right. Is good country. Am glad to be here with you."

Yuuichi glanced up at the golden sky, as the sun continued to sink lower and lower. "Thanks, Ilana," he said. "I… I like having you around as well."

Ilana giggled, moving away from the railings and hugging Yuuichi from behind. "Of course you do," she said. "I am pretty wife who cooks and cleans for you. Of course you like me."

Yuuichi blushed but did not resist as Ilana hugged him close to her, her breasts pressing against his back. He nodded. "Yeah. I think… I think we make a good couple."

Ilana nodded, nestling her head against Yuuichi's shoulder. "I think so too," she said. The pair of them stood this way for some time, silently enjoying each other's warmth, until the sun had finally disappeared completely below the horizon and the sky faded into the blue-black of twilight. As the first stars appeared, the pair looked up at them, watching them twinkle beautifully.

"You know," said Ilana, "there is saying in West that if you wish on first star you see at night, your wish will come true."

"Really?" said Yuuichi. "Then, I wish for-"

Before he could complete his wish, Ilana placed a finger over his lips to silence him, causing him to blush harder. "Is also saying that if you say wish out loud, it not come true," said Ilana. "So say it not."

Yuuichi nodded, and the pair silently made their wishes. "So, uhh… should we head back to the apartment now?" asked Yuuichi. "It's getting dark."

"We should, yes," said Ilana. "Was good first date, yes?"

Yuuichi nodded. "Yeah, it was," he said. Then, he paused and looked around. "Uhh… which way exactly is the apartment?"

Day 130

[from Electron]

The marble steps of City Hall cracked slightly beneath Titus' weight as he watched Electron approaching. Yesterday the mayor had publicly announced the superhero's impending arrival in SIlverburg, and had boldly declared that the super's crime wave was now over. Titus begged to differ, and he was ready to take the superhero down in front of the whole city and prove once and for all that he could not be stopped. Not by the police, not by SHRED, not by anyone.

As Electron descended towards the pristine City Hall building, he couldn't help but be slightly intimidated by the sheer physique of the man before him. He was over six feet tall, powerful muscles rippling and gleaming all over his body, his solid steel skin shining sinisterly in the sunlight. It seemed like a very difficult first assignment, but Electron tried to remain calm and not let his nerves get the better of him. He had the advantage here. He had all the equipment and training that SHRED had given him, and he also had a plan.

Electron landed neatly at the bottom of the steps, and from this position, Titus seemed even larger as he stood thirteen steps above the superhero, looming menacingly over him. "So, you're Electron, huh?" he said. His voice was loud, deep, and gruff, but with a slightly metallic quality to it. "You're shorter than I thought you'd be."

At this point, many superheroes would have come up with some sort of witty riposte, deflecting the insult right back at the villain. Most superheroes, however, were not on their first day on the job, and feeling rather intimidated by the giant metal man standing before them. A hesitant "I guess" was Electron's only reply.

Titus smirked. "You don't seem like much of a hero to me," he said. "But if you really wanna get your ass kicked that badly, then come at me!" Titus spread his arms wide, challenging Electron. "I'm right here, hero!"

Electron knew that his suit wasn't going to provide much protection against Titus' herculean punches. One blow to the face would probably knock his head clean off his shoulders. But for his plan to work, he needed to get in close. And in any case, perhaps he wouldn’t need the suit's protection. If his electromagnetic force fields could stop a bullet, they could stop one of Titus' punches. Probably. Possibly.

Nervously, Electron started to make his way slowly up the grand staircase, never once taking his eyes off of Titus. After a moment, Titus also began to descend, closing in on the superhero. As soon as Electron was within arm's reach, Titus roared out and swung at Electron with a mighty right hook. It was well-telegraphed, and Electron ducked out of the way easily, but before he could do anything else, Titus suddenly kicked him hard in the face, sending him tumbling back down the stairs. The hero fell to a heap at the bottom but quickly scrambled onto his hands and knees, grimacing in pain as blood began to spurt from a broken nose.

"Is that all you got?" shouted Titus, taunting the hero from up high. "I thought you had more in you than that!"

Shakily, Electron climbed back to his feet, staggering a little before turning to face Titus with renewed confidence. "I'm just getting started," he said.

"Really?" said Titus. "Looks to me more like you're about to be finished!" Titus charged down the steps, each one cracking under his weight as he stormed towards the shaken hero. This time, Electron was ready, and as Titus swung another almighty blow at him, he focused a magnetic force field directly in front of himself, ready to block the hit. Titus' fist still connected with Electron's chest, but all the force had been taken out of the blow and Electron did not feel a thing.

As Titus stood there flabbergasted, trying to understand why his punch hadn't sent Electron flying across the street, Electron quickly placed a hand on Titus' arm, and in a shower of sparks the villain was completely immobilized. "Wh… what the… I can't move!" he exclaimed. "That's… that's impossible!"

"Actually… oww…" Pinching his broken nose between the forefinger and thumb of his free hand, to try and stem the blood flow, Electron carried on speaking in a voice that now sounded rather nasally. "Actually, it isn't. It's to do with… electromagnetism and stuff. I dunno, I'm a little dizzy, but…"

Titus tried vainly to move himself, even an inch, but he could not. "There's… no way I could be taken down by a bunch of magnets… argh!"

"Actually, you are the magnet," said Electron. "The electricity flowing through your metal skin creates an electromagnetic field, which I'm able to manipulate at will. I'm using that to hold you still, and that's why you can't move."

"I see," said Titus. "So, as long as you're holding onto me, I can't move?"

"Pretty much," said Electron. "SHRED are on their way, and they'll take things from here. You'll be off to Black Rock, and this city will be safe."

"Maybe for now," said Titus threateningly. "But for how long? Another me will come along soon enough. You may have defeated me, but how many more can you defeat?"

"I dunno," said Electron, shrugging his shoulders. "I guess we'll find out, one way or the other. But hopefully, I can defeat as many as I have to in order to keep this city safe."

Titus sneered. "We'll see," he said.

Day 129

[from CC BattleGrid]

"Hey Corey, you got your CC System installed? Come on, let's battle! I wanna see if you're as good as your sister! You have a BattleGrid Chip stack, right?"

Corey sighed. "You're the fifth person who's asked today," he said. "Can I at least finish my lunch first?" Corey was currently sat in the cafeteria, a half-eaten sandwich in his hand. This was his first day back at school after getting his CC System installed, and it had naturally caused quite a stir among his classmates.

The kid currently challenging him was Brendan, a boy in his class, and it seemed he wasn't going to take no for an answer. "Come on, Corey!" he said. "It'll only take a couple of minutes! You know how short BattleGrid games are!"

"They're not always short," said Corey. "Not if you have the right Chips."

"And do you have the right Chips?" asked Brendan.

"Not yet," conceded Corey, "but-"

"Then let's battle!" insisted Brendan.

"Yeah, come on, Corey!" said a girl from the next table. "We wanna see you battle!"

"Yeah, battle!" called out another student.

Students all over the cafeteria started chiming in, expressing their wish to see Corey battle.  At this point, Corey realized that it just couldn't be helped: they weren't going to leave him alone until he gave them what they wanted and started a battle. "Okay, fine," he said. "But just one battle. Anyone else will have to wait until I've finished my lunch."

"That's fine with me!" said Brendan, who was already fishing his stack out of his pocket. "I'm gonna be the first person in school to play Alexa's younger brother! I bet I can beat him!"

"We'll see," said Corey, putting down his sandwich.

As Corey was getting off his seat, however, a teacher quickly made their way over. "No BattleGrid games inside the building!" she insisted. "If you want to play BattleGrid, you'll have to go outside!"

"Fair enough," said Brendan. "Come on, Corey, let's take this outside!"

Corey nodded, his hand slipping inside his pocket and gently clutching his Chip stack. The pair made their way out of the cafeteria and outside into the grounds, and most of the cafeteria's inhabitants followed them out. Even a couple of the teachers couldn't help but go outside to watch; after all, this was the younger brother of one of the country's greatest BattleGrid players. It was sure to be a spectacle.

Once they were safely out in the playground, with the expectant crowd gathered around them, the pair took out their Chip stacks, shuffled them, and placed the first six Chips into the slots on their arms. Their holovisors whirred into life, projecting a heads-up display directly into their vision. The game had begun.

Corey glanced at the six Chips he had installed and nodded, satisfied. "Tell you what," he said. "I'll let you go first, Brendan."

Brendan smiled, showing his confidence. "You sure about that?" he asked.

Corey nodded. "I'm sure," he said. "You're the challenger, you should go first."

Brendan's smile grew into a grin. "Too bad, Corey," he said. "You just let me win. "First, I'll activate Gradual Repair and Blaze Shield, not that I'll need them." Through Corey's holovisor, a green aura seemed to envelop Brendan, followed by a fiery shield. Gradual Repair, like Blaze Shield, was a Passive Chip that would gradually restore 750 CP every turn. Looks like he has every reason to be confident, thought Corey. But then again…

"And now," said Brendan, "I activate Ultima Overclock!"

The assembled crowd gasped. This was the strongest and rarest attack in the entire game, capable of dealing 6,000 CP of damage, but at the cost of burning out all the user's installed Chips. This mattered not to Brendan; he thought that with this early blow, victory was almost assured. But there was something he wasn't counting on.

Corey almost chuckled as the intense white beam shot towards him. This was too perfect. "I activate Perfect Reflection!" he said, an instant before the beam struck an invisible barrier inches in front of him and came to a halt.

If the crowd had been shocked by Brendan's move, then this one bowled them for six. Perfect Reflection was a Dormant Chip that doubled the power of any attacking move and then reflected it back at its user. Those who could quickly do the math in their heads realized that the reflected Ultima Overclock would now deal 12,000 CP of damage to Brendan. His Blaze Shield and Gradual Repair would be useless. In only a single move, he had lost the match.

"What?!" exclaimed Brendan, as the reflected beam shot back at him twofold. "There's no way a beginner like you could have a Chip like that!"

"You forget who my sister is," said Corey.

Indeed, before Corey had left for school that morning, Alexa had given him one of her own professional decks. "I'm sure a lot of people at your school will want to battle you today, given my own reputation," she had said. "So, what the heck. I'll let you borrow my own deck for today, so you can take 'em all to the cleaners. You can thank me when you get home~"

Brendan stood stock-still in utter shock as the massive beam of light engulfed him, draining his Chip Points to nothing. The battle was over before it had even begun, and the crowd were left speechless. After a moment or two, however, a great cheer erupted as those gathered in the playground began to celebrate Corey's victory. "That was incredible!" "You beat him in one move!" "That's Alexa's brother, all right!" "Way to go, Corey!"

"I should go back and finish my lunch now," said Corey. Ejecting his Chips and pocketing them again, he headed off back to the cafeteria with the joyful crowd in tow, leaving a stunned Brendan standing alone in the middle of the playground, the "YOU LOSE" message still flashing endlessly on his holovisor.

Day 128

[from Sapporo Lilies]

"Aagh! I think one of my contact lenses came out!"

Naomi is lying sprawled on the ground, having just endured a tough tackle from Tomoko that was evidently strong enough to knock out one of her contact lenses. Tomoko has already scrambled to her feet, and a couple of the other girls are now rushing over to help. "Are you alright, Naomi?" asks Fiona.

Naomi rather unsteadily starts to get to her feet. "I'm fine," she says, "but my right contact's come out."

"Sorry!" said Tomoko. "It's hard to control your tackles with all this mud."

It's only a few days until our first game of the season, against Kobe Leonessa. We've had a couple more friendly matches since our 1-0 victory over Saitama, and we won all of them. Now we just have to remain focused, keep up our training, and go for the best results we can. Kobe Leonessa recently enjoyed a period of total domination, winning three consecutive titles and four consecutive Empress' Cups, so it's going to be a tough first game for us.

Our preparations haven't exactly been plain sailing, either. Our training ground doesn't seem to have good drainage, and it's been raining a lot over the past few days, with the result being that the pitch is now rather chewed-up and muddy. It's not a great playing surface, but it's all we've got. We can't use the Sapporo Dome itself except on match days. The end result of all this is that Naomi is now missing a contact lens.

"Do you want us to help you look for it?" asks Konoko.

Naomi shakes her head. "Nah, it's okay," she says. "I always bring spares, just in case something like this happens. They're disposables, anyway, so it doesn't really matter if I lose one." I have to admire Naomi's maturity. She's only 19, but she already has a very professional mentality. Bringing spare contact lenses with her in case she loses one is a very sensible thing to do. It also makes me wonder if this has happened to her before.

Fiona nods, acknowledging Naomi's decision, then calls out to me. "Hey, Katsumi! Naomi needs to go put a new contact lens in, should we keep going in the meantime?"

I nod curtly. "Yes please," I say, before addressing Naomi. "Do you need any help getting to the changing rooms?"

"No, I'm fine," says Naomi. "Thanks anyway." She covers her right eye with her hand, blocking out the blurred part of her vision. She should be able to see normally like that, but at the cost of her depth perception. I'm sure that won't be too much of a problem for her, though.

As Naomi passes me, heading towards the changing rooms, the rest of the girls carry on with their exercises. Currently we're doing a practice match, with nine players on either side. Because there are nineteen players overall, that means someone has to sit out; however, to make it fair, the player sitting out rotates every five minutes. Conveniently, this works out so that everyone gets ninety minutes' worth of playing time, with a fifteen-minute break in the middle as well as the five-minute breaks everyone gets when they sit out.

Right now it's Ritsu sitting out, and as the game begins again in earnest, she's sat on the bench beside me, her leg constantly jittering as she watches the others play. I'm not sure if the leg-jittering is a sort of unconscious tic, or if she's just anxious to get out there and resume playing again. If she is, she's being quiet about it. I'd been half-expecting her to ask if she could go back on again while Naomi was out.

[AUTHOR NOTE: At this point you will be given the choice whether or not to let Ritsu back onto the pitch]

I decide I might as well ask. "Wanna go back on for a minute while Naomi's putting her contact lens in?" I ask.

Ritsu smiles and nods. "Thanks, Katsumi," she says. "I wanted to go on, but I didn't want to sound impatient."

"Alright," I say, smiling. "Your five minutes will probably be up by the time she comes out anyway."

Ritsu nods, and heads back on to join the game while Naomi is busy putting her spare contact lens in. In the meantime, the team with the one-woman advantage have been mounting an attack, with Yura tearing through their defence like a hot knife through butter. From about ten yards out, she strikes a vicious shot, but Miyuki makes a daring leap and manages to just palm it wide for a corner. Not a bad save. Aliona may be out first-choice goalkeeper by some margin, but that's not to say Miyuki isn't talented. In fact, having been training with them for over a month now, I'd say all our players are fairly talented. We might have a shot at a top-three finish after all, if we play our cards right.

Day 127

[from Aura of Chaos]

The nearest settlement to Tirera was Palent, a small village to the north. Xeron and Tara decided to rest there for the night, staying at the local inn, before moving on in the morning. At Xeron's suggestion, the pair entered the inn separately and rented separate rooms, lest their visit be mistaken for some sort of illicit tryst.

Tara slept in late that morning, as she recovered physically and mentally from the previous night's events. By the time she had woken up, washed her face, and proceeded downstairs to the inn's lobby, Xeron was already there waiting for her. He was sitting at a table, dressed in his full armour with his spear embedded point-down in the floorboards next to him. "Good morning, Tara," he said. "Did you sleep well?"

"I guess," said Tara, stretching a little. "I'll go and get myself some breakfast, and then we can be off."

Xeron, who had already eaten, nodded. "Take your time," he said. "I don't have anywhere to be in particular."

Tara spent the last of her money on a hearty breakfast, washed down with a pint of weak ale. Feeling refreshed, and ready to put the past behind her, she set off with Xeron to begin her new life. "So, where are we headed to first?" she asked.

"Well, if we head through the valleys to the west, we'll reach Hilston," said Xeron. "It's a pretty big town, so we're guaranteed to find some kind of work there. I should warn you, though: it's not just a straight path there. From this point on, we'll be encountering all sorts of wild creatures, and if necessary, we may have to fight. You're prepared for that, right?"

Tara nodded. "I want to be useful to you," she said. "I don't want to be a burden to you. So if we have to fight, then I'll help you."

Xeron smiled at her. "Good," he said. "Thank you. I just want to make sure you know what you're getting yourself into. This isn't an easy life."

"I know," said Tara. "But in a way, neither was my old life. And right now, this is the only life I have."

Xeron nodded. "Alright then," he said. "Speaking of which…" He lowered his voice slightly, as they hadn't quite left the village yet. "What magic spells do you know, exactly?"

Tara glanced around uneasily, understandably quite paranoid that somebody might overhear this conversation. She moved closer to Xeron and spoke in a voice barely louder than a whisper. "Well, my spell books were all destroyed in the fire, and I'd only memorized a few of the incantations in them, the ones I used the most often. As you already know, I'm very good at healing magic, and I also know a couple of water and light-based spells."

"So you're a White Witch¹?" asked Xeron.

Tara nodded. "That's right," she said. "I tried learning some black magic once, but it seems I don't have an affinity for it."

"Fair enough," said Xeron. "Healing spells should come in more handy than fire spells anyway. They'll save me a fortune in health potions."

Tara truly smiled for the first time since Xeron had woken up the previous day. "I suppose they will," she said. "They might even safe your life again."

"I hope it doesn't come to that," said Xeron, "but if so, then yeah."

The pair fell silent for a while as they made their way along the valley trail that snaked its way westwards towards Hilston. It was an easy enough trail to follow, without too many steep inclines, but at the same time there wasn't a lot to do or see on the journey, only the occasional bird passing overhead or the occasional trinket lying on the ground. "Finders keepers" was very much the rule among adventurers, and when Xeron came across an abandoned purse with 50 gold pieces in it, he pocketed the money without a second thought. There was no way of tracking down the owner to return it, and in any case, it was entirely possible that the owner had been killed by a pack of wild animals or something.

Just after midday, Hilston finally started to appear on the horizon. But the journey wasn't quite over yet. Xeron suddenly threw up an arm, signalling for Tara to halt. To his right, he could make out the unmistakeable low snarl of an approaching wolf. He readied his spear, shifting into a combat stance. "Get ready, Tara," he said. "You're about to get your first taste of battle."

"What is it?" she asked warily. "Bandits?"

"No," said Xeron. "A wolf. Or rather… two wolves," he added, as the pair of wolves sprang forwards from out of the bushes. They sized up the two adventurers for a moment, then the larger of the two pounced, headed in Tara's direction. The young Witch gasped, flinching back at the sharp fangs lunged at her.

The wolf never reached her. Xeron turned and hurled his spear in the nick of time, impaling the wolf right through its midriff. The stricken wolf collapsed to the ground mere inches from Tara, its fur matted with blood. Tara was shocked for a moment, but realized that she could not let her guard down, as the second wolf was still at large and ready to pounce.

Xeron tugged on the spear to try and pull it out of the dead wolf, but it seemed to be stuck. "This might take a while," he said. "Sorry, Tara, but could you help me out with the other one, please?"

Tara nodded. She wasn't sure what good her spells would be against the wolf, but she had no choice but to try. As the other wolf set its sights on her, Tara began to mutter an incantation under her breath, preparing one of her light spells. However, before she could finish the incantation, and before Xeron could tuck his spear free, the wolf pounced…

[FOOTNOTES]

¹A "White Witch" is a Witch that specializes in healing and non-offensive magic. A "Black Witch" is a Witch that specializes in offensive, often destructive magic, such as fire, lightning, and earth. "Silver Witches", who are adept at both non-offensive and offensive magic, are very rare.