'Today is the day Mako-chan will be mine! You're finally at your peak now! You got this!'
This is the singular thought belonging to a tall, good-looking, love-struck Romeo of the young teenage boy.
After putting the final touches on his attire and looks, he entered the hotel and sat there to order. He planned to wait for Mako to come to his table, play customer, grab her hand, confess to her in an opera-esque manner, win her heart, and live happily ever after.
Feeling giddy about the number of children he wants to be a father of, he absent-mindedly grabbed the hand lying on the table. His rose-tinted eyes met with 'hers', ready to confess, but alas, his soul flung itself away when he saw...
A bald man whose face is caked up, wearing a dazzling kimono, and a signboard hanging from his neck, reading 'Nuisance'. It was indeed that man from the trio who got bashed up by Tamako when they tried to invoke trouble for Jun. As a punishment, he and his friends are forced to play as geishas for an entire day.
"Who the fuck are you?!" He stood startled, swatting the man's hand away in disgust.
"I should be saying that, you fucking brat!" The bald man roared back. Both the boy and the Geisha Man started to quarrel each other for different reasons, growing louder and louder.
The quarrel stopped when a clap echoed in the hall. The source of that thunderclap was Tamako. Behind her back were Danōki and Junkitsu, having their ears covered to shield themselves from the sound. Although the cousins were curious to see the ruckus quietly, she forced her eyes shut in disappointment as she realised who the quarreling boy was.
"Friend of yours?" Dan whispered Tamako as he glanced over the boy. The boy immediately displayed a subtle tone of intimidation with his eyes, as if he was instructing Dan to distance himself away from Tamako.
"The greatest pain in the ass this world has ever seen" Tamako whispered back with disdain. On understanding that she has bad blood with the boy, Jun called her and signed 'to go wild.' Tamako signed back 'Roger' with a smile and went to the boy.
The boy pushed the Geisha Man aside rudely and composed himself as Tamako walking towards him. The boy clasped her shoulders in delight and love, about to talk, when she simply took one of his hands by the wrist and started to twist back, bringing him down to his knees and drawing out his fearful screams.
"Hold on! It hurts, Mako-chan! Surely, we can talk about thi--- AAHHHH!!"
"Well, you should've come and talked to me straight away, instead of making such a scene, Yōnikasa. Surely, it's not that 'urgent', right?" Tamako smiled, but her eyes did not.
"Yeah, it's really urgen-- OWWW!!!" Yōnikasa's fuschia eyes started to shimmer with tears as his pain increased exponentially.
"For the last time, I'm not going out with you! Now, here's what going to happen: you stop making a scene and move out. While you have still some dignity left." With that stern warning carved onto the wood, Tamako let Yōnikasa go and turned her back to him.
But Yōnikasa had other plans. He stood up with a smirk on his face, clutching his right arm and provoked her in a loud voice: "Don't tell me... you're still crushing on that gambler's brother, huh?!"
That line shot a nerve within Tamako, who turned about, sprinted, jumped and gave a concussive dropkick to Yōnikasa's face. He flew across the room and tumbled away further.
The customers who were about to enter the dining hall got startled when a still tumbling Yōnikasa shot out of the room like a critter and lied on the floor like a corpse. They could see his swollen, bruised face with bleeding nose and a tooth missing from his set.
Tamako scratches her head in frustration and called the Geisha Man.
"You're pardoned. Clean up and pay twice the bill and get lost. I repeat, do not get caught in my or mother's sight. Got it?" She instructed in a cold, bold voice.
"But what about my pals?" The Geisha Man asked.
"They'll be out soon. The same warning applies to them too. It's your responsibility to relay them."
"Yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am!" The Geisha Man ran away like an impala, despite his size.
"Sorry you had to see that. If you're both curious about that jerk, please don't ask..." Tamako shakes her head in disappointment of the choas ensued.
"We don't even care about that prick anyway. If you ain't interested, we aren't too. Still, kudos for the dropkick." Junkitsu patted her shoulder with a little grin on his face.
"I agree, that dropkick was dope! Who taught you that?" Dan's enthusiasm made Tamako chuckle in delight and pride.
"Why, it's Mom, of course! She's a policewoman, after all! Besides, let's continue chatting in your room, Danōki-san!" She suggested.
"Well, aren't you supposed to help your parents?" Dan asked.
> "It's alright! They're the captains of this ship! Nothing will change even if I slack off! Maybe, slow things down... I guess."
>
> "Then, go help them, first mate! It's festive season, right? Customers will be swarming around like piranhas and your parents will be sinking down, at this rate."
>
> "Come on, have faith in my parents, will ya?"
"Mako-san, Dan's right. Go help your parents out. We'll talk later when you're free." Jun told her sternly as if he was her elder brother. The eyebrow markings on Tamako's mask flashed bright purple.
"Okay, Sensei! See ya later!" She bowed and sprinted away for work.
Jun's ears twitched when Tamako called him Sensei. 'Sensei? Sounds kinda weird but has a nice ring to it...' He thought to himself and grins a bit.
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[Balthazar and Amica, rebellion against Angels, long fighting, casualties from the angels' side, unstoppable rampage of the power couple, powerful Ego-fact specialized in sealing and binding unleashed and preparing to fire, sealing and imprisonment of the couple, separation and individual torture of the couple, finally distilling their souls into Ego-facts, past finally fleshed out, Kazan and Mulan crying out of empathy, resolve steeled, Kazan x Mulan training starts soon.]
"Finally, buffer done... now what should be the title?" Junkitsu was pondering deeply when Danōki snapped him out of the zone by landing on the bed like a cannonball.
Jun turned about abruptly like a ghost and slapped hard on Dan's back, which shot a burning sensation up his spine. Dan cried out in pain, hung up his phone call and pounced on Jun with a warcry for putting the hurt on him.
The cousins rolled around the bed in a fierce scuffle with no care about the surroundings, when a whistle pierced their ears and they turned to the source. It was Tamako standing by the door, who is covering her mouth and blushing at the scene before her.
"Don't mind me... you guys carry on. I'll come later., buh-bye!" She chuckled slyly as she backed away slowly from the room when Danōki dragged her back in, denying her fantasies vehemently and wanted to ensure that she doesn't spread any rumours.
"I got to say though, really scandalous, Sensei..." Tamako purred on the word 'scandalous' and wasn't letting go of the teasing and grew mischievous by the second.
"Come on, Mako-san! It's not like that! Jun, bro, you tell her please! She listens to you for some reason and I don't know why! Just make her stop, please..." Dan was on the verge of tears at this point.
"Mako-san, please quit it. He's gonna cry because of you, can't you see that?" Jun chided Mako in a boring tone. The eyebrow markings on her mask flashed bright purple.
"Your wish is my command, Sensei!" Tamako proclaimed jovially. Her whiskers and eyebrow markings shone bright purple and pink, back-to-back.
"And enough with the Sensei, too. We're the same age, you know..."
"Woah, so you're 19 too? That's awesome! But then, people like writers, musicians, etc, are also called Sensei out of respect... so, it suits you!"
"Alright... your wi--- Hold on. You're 19 years old?!" Jun felt a bit flabbergasted.
"Yup! My birthday just passed by last month, April 6th. You missed the feast here..." Tamako reminisced about the different types of cakes and sweets for her birthday. Her sweet tooth was tingling, just from the thought of those desserts. Dan immediately joined in, with his list of favorite sweets and both of them drifted into their own world of cakes, creams and toppings.
"But... Dan and I... we're 21, though..." Jun's mind descended into a spiral, barely continuing the conversation until Tamako stole the wheel.
"Wow, could've fooled me! You're both handsome for 21, to be honest." Her sunny compliment made Dan wriggle bashfully, grinning from ear to ear. But Jun giggled in an odd way suddenly. He requested Tamako to move aside and went towards the window-sill and climbed deftly on it.
"Danōki, I've lived a good life. Thank you for being my brother. I love you and farewell." Jun's body leaned outward and he was about to fall when Dan grabbed his back and started to pull him in.
> "Let me go, Dan... My departure is here, now..."
>
> "Departure my ass! You're going nowhere, you melodramatic jackass!"
Soon, the cousins were in a comically yet deadly tug-of-war with Jun's life at stake, voluntarily.
> "Forget it, man. I, a former minor, pushed another minor into a cesspit called Smut! I'm a shitty role model, aren't I?"
>
> "And like she said earlier, it's all in the past...! Water under the bridge! What part of that... don't you understand?!"
>
> "Even though she forgave us, the fact that I broke her mind still doesn't change at all! Not now, not ever! Now let me go, Dan!"
>
> "No need to beat... yourself up like that...! Now, stop making a scene and get over here!!"
With this back-and-forth laboring banter, Tamako interjected: "Hold on a second, Sensei! I have something to say!"
She moved smoothly and sat by the window-sill and started to talk.
"By your logic, I did something bad too. Looking back into our duel, I choked you on purpose, trying to take advantage of your natural lust. I made an indecent deed that sullied my Sensei and put you in shame. Therefore, it's appropriate that I jump out..." With that, she rested her case and her back leaned outwards.
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
"Oi, oi, oi, that's just a tactic you pulled on me! You shouldn't beat yourself up like that! Your life is precious, y'know!" Jun panicked and pulled Tamako in, but her mask's markings showed flames, darkened with violet hues.
"Then what about your life, Sensei?! Isn't it precious too?! After everything I've said, you overreacted again and about to do something drastic!" Then, the kitten went on rebuking Jun as Dan enjoyed the scene before him, before Tamako wound up tired and panting. Dan helped her quench her thirst with some water, while smirking at Jun vilely.
Jun curled up on the bed, grumbling about his life and getting scolded by a cat. 'Woe is me...' he thought to himself and curled up even further like an unborn child.
Feeling satisfied that Jun had learnt his lesson, Dan requested Tamako a favor.
"If you don't mind, could you take us here?" He showed a location on his Holo-Slab that read Teibō Apartments. The location gave sparkles in Tamako's eyes and she jumped out of the bed.
"I'll take you both in a jiffy. Get ready before me, okay?" She ran away downstairs like a storm.
Dan called Jun to get ready but he is not budging from his corner. So, Dan threatened to trim his hair, which spurned Jun into a frenzy and pounced on his neck.
After begging for mercy, Jun let him go and started grooming, while Dan grumbled and followed suit. Soon, they got ready and were taken away by Tamako on her bike.
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Screeches of the bike tires shot across the street as Tamako braked deftly to drift into the parking space in front of her. She and her pillion riders, Jun and Dan hopped off the bike.
Tamako immediately chatted jovially with the kids playing on the street, while Jun tended to Dan's motion sickness quickly.
After a deluge of apologies from Tamako and Dan catching second wind, the three finally entered into the apartment. Climbing some flights of stairs and dodging from darting kids, Tamako successfully escorted the cousins to the room numbered 301.
She knocked on the door and waited. Seconds later, the door opened, revealing a woman wearing an eagle-mask, who was very elated to see Tamako and hugged her tight.
"Darling! What a pleasant surprise! Did you miss me a lot?" The eagle-mask woman started to tease her.
"Nah, it's nothing like that. Few weeks ago, you mentioned to Mom that Harumado-san fixed the house with someone and that she recommended your place for temporary stay, right?"
"Wait, are they here now?"
"Yep!" Tamako introduced the cousins to the eagle-mask woman. "These are my Sensei!"
The cousins bowed down and introduced themselves. The woman introduced herself as Kinuhime Washiyama and invited them all in.
"Please, take a seat." She beckoned the cousins over to the navy blue sofa to sit on. Meanwhile, Tamako went to the fridge and took some cartons of cookies and brought to the living room, where Kinuhime and the cousins sat.
Kinuhime kept her Holo-Slab on the table and leaned a bit forward.
"May I know who Danōki is?" she asked.
Jun immediately pointed Dan out and she turned towards him.
"Hello, Dan-kun. I've some updates regarding the house from Rinka-chan. She said the construction and final touches will be finished somewhen between February and March. She also said that she'll share any extra details after the house gets done."
"Oh, thank you!"
"Meanwhile, here's the list of vacant rooms available now." She tapped on her Holo-Slab, which projected holograms of the apartment and additional images.
"You need to press the room number to check out the interiors and the room plan. If you decided, you can ask for the key and move in right away." Kinuhime's feather markings rustled to-and-fro.
Soon, the four of them got busy in their own conversations. The cousins were busy finding the perfect unit, pinching, zooming and scrolling the holograms. Meanwhile Tamako was playfully twirling her hair, discussing with Kinuhime's son.
"Excuse me, ma'am. We'll take this." Dan decided the unit numbered 602.
"Wonderful! That's a good room, in my opinion. Now, I need your Holo-Cards." Kinuhime requested.
"Isn't Holo-Slab enough for a key?" Dan questioned about the apparent and 'needless' caution about getting keys for the unit.
"That's Bad Idea 101! Although it feels convenient and easy to have all your keys, digital or not, in your slab, they are actually prone to theft and bad things can happen to you anytime, digitally. So, the Slabs come along with the Cards to have back-ups. Say No to Cybercrime!"
"Might as well ask for thumbprints for back-ups to those back-ups." Jun joked nonchalantly.
Kinuhime's mask's feather markings stood on end, flashing in golden brown, which made Jun feel on guard.
"It's just a joke. No need to freak out like that, Kinuhime-san."
"No, no, it's not like that. I was just surprised you knew it. But then again, it shouldn't be surprising if Mako-chan explained to you beforehand, right?"
Tamako shook her head in denial, which made Kinuhime's eyebrow markings curve sharply, pushing her surprise into awe for Jun's uncanny prediction.
"Looks like someone's into mystery.." She started to tease Jun. "What are your favorite detectives, Takeshi-kun?"
"Hmm... Hemlock and Vorpalina, those two are the closest to favorites." Jun answered after some pondering.
> "Oohh! Vorpalina's my favorite! That moment when she pulls her sword out and it slid out easily after solving the case, that puts me in Fangirl mode!"
>
> "I know! The energy in her transition from judge to executioner does not dissipate at all! The hype and revelation of her verdict on the spot is simply cathartic!"
After some bonding and banter over the detective Vorpalina, the process was done and the cousins got their keys for the unit.
They entered into the unit and checked out the bedroom immediately. The atmosphere instantly lulled them for sleeping time, but Jun flew into the bathroom and washed his face before admiring the spaciousness and the facilites in the bathroom.
A knock on the door alerted Dan and he jumped out of the bed to see who it was. Before the threshold stood a fair-skinned blonde with a skinny figure, fidgeting and clenching his hands alternatingly.
"Yes, do you need help?" Dan asked with courtesy.
"Aha, you stole my line. It should be the other way around..." The blonde chuckled nervously.
"Oh, haha, my bad. Um... Kobayashi Danōki!" He threw his hand for a shake, which startled the blonde a bit and he flinched a step away.
"Washiyama Kingumo, nice to meet you, haha..." He shook Dan's hand a bit nervously. "So, how's the unit?"
On hearing the surname, Dan realised that he is Kinuhime's son and he was sent to check on them.
> "Oh, the unit's pretty great! We love it! But we only checked the bedroom and the bathroom, so far."
>
> "Glad to hear you're satisfied and... where's the other person?"
>
> "He's still in there, I guess... Hey, Jun! Come on out, fast! We've got someone!"
"Yeah, yeah, now what?" Jun entered into the living hall and saw Dan and Kingumo standing together. On seeing Kingumo, he turned about and curled down.
Dan rushed to Jun with concern, leaving Kingumo's side. Kingumo saw the cousins from a distance, his green eyes dulled with concern. Dan glanced at him and burst out laughing. Jun joined in the laughter, rolling on the floor.
The sudden change in the atmosphere made Kingumo feel queasy in the head. He could not understand why the cousins sprawl on the floor, cackling like possessed people, but he has a hunch that the joke's on him.
"Guys, what's so funny? Even I wanna join the fun too..."
Dan and Jun struggled to respond when they are wheezing and giggling out of control. Finally, they held back in and gestured 'Glasses'. They burst out laughing again. Kingumo's realisation earned him a face-palm.
Hating himself that his hunch was right, Kingumo sighed in frustration. "Real mature... Trainee-san." Kingumo crossed his arms for a dominant stance.
> "Oi, you better take it back."
>
> "Not unless you take it back first."
>
> "What did I say, though?"
>
> "You called me Four-Eyes, didn't you? Take that back!"
>
> "I never said that."
>
> "Then, what's with the sign, huh?!"
"Oh.. that's just an oversimplification. I meant to say you are an eagle with goggles." Junkitsu guffawed and resumed his laughter, keeling over beside Kingumo's feet.
"Hey! That's even worse!" Kingumo yelled nervously.
"How so?"
"You're dragging my family name down, that's how!" Kingumo shook Jun back and forth in tears, begging him to stop. But he could only see an eaglet with a mask covered in gold, flapping his wings frantically, amusing him further, grinning and giggling like a mad jester.
"King, I'm sorry on his behalf! His outlook is just unique, don't take it to heart." Dan apologized while barely struggling to hold back his chuckles too.
"Me? King? You're too kind... but I don't want the nickname. It just sounds weird for someone like me..." Kingumo felt dejected over his looks and the irony contained in his name.
"Bro, look at yourself in the mirror! You have such cool wavy hair, a bright color in your eyes and stylish glasses on your nose. In my opinion, I wouldn't be surprised if you're revealed to be a royal's descendant!" Dan slid his arm over Kingumo's shoulder and pulled him closer. "You are the King. Remember that."
"A word of advice, King. Don't refuse his nickname." Jun slid his arm over King's shoulder and pulled himself closer. "He won't let you sleep unless you make it yours."
"On second thoughts... Call me King." He put thumbs-up shyly, while Jun and Dan put a high-five in celebration. King felt overwhelmed over Dan's sunny attitude that he broke away from the cousins and took a breather.
"Hey, King, we need to ask something." Jun called him.
"Yes, do you need help?" King adjusted his goggles nervously.
"Yeah, a little help. We've been told that you're an expert Guide when it comes to Wildborn. Could you show us the ropes?"
King's eye markings flashed bright green when he heard it. "You can count on me, Takeshi-san! Where do you want to start? Lore, mechanics, secret moves, systems---" He rambled out with passion, his nervousness vanished, to which Jun found it a bit overwhelming.
"Uhh... Raids and Runs. I've already done PvP with Tamako today. So, I want to try them out."
"I see... In that case, we should go to the Hub."
"The Hub?" Dan's curiosity flared up.
King simply nodded. "Yes! Imagine the Hub as a gateway to the game world. Primarily, Wildborn is an open-world MMORPG, so you should know that a game like this is not fit for small screens like the Slab, aesthetically speaking. You should log in via a Pod and let your senses dive into a sensual feast!"
"I get it, but do we need to go somewhere else when you can just install a Pod in your home?"
"You wouldn't be talking like this if you had seen the price, Kobayashi-san." King smiled widely at his oblivion. Dan immediately realised that it would be too costly and he doesn't want to find out. He knew that he can't handle the reality.
Then, he turned to see Jun, who stood shell-shocked with his Slab in his hand. His mouth was wide open in shock at the sight of the price and slowly put the Slab in his pocket, trembling at the thought of the price once again.
"It seems like Takeshi-san got a taste of reality." King glanced over Jun, checking to see whether he was alright.
"Tastes bitter and spicy..." Jun came out of his shock and voiced his decision to go to the Hub. The other two jumped in excitement and went out.
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In the centre of Momoboshi stood a tall, glass tower that reflected the blue sky with clarity. From afar, the tower would barely be visible as it blends seamlessly into the sky's hue. And now, at the foot of that tower, among the bustling crowd moving in and out, a voice broke out: "Welcome to the Hub!"
The cousins stood in awe, staring at the tower. King ushered the cousins inside the tower and the three saw a big crowd of people in costumes and stalls displaying merchandise including artwork, clothes and props.
"Guys, stick close with me! It's easy for newbies to get lost in here!" King clasped the cousins' shoulders and tried to guide them across the crowd to reach the column in the middle of the area. Although Dan was engrossed about his surroundings, Jun looked down to the ground, feeling overwhelmed about the people.
"Feels like the entire archipelago is partying here!" Dan remarked, observing the cliques of cosplayers shooting photos and enjoying the Founding Festival as well.
"Well, that's the point of this whole floor! They don't call this place the 'Con Floor' for nothing!" King said while pressing the buttons on the wall, glancing on the elevator doors and stepping aside to wait. "Look over there."
The cousins turned their heads to where his finger pointed and they saw big, parabolic screens live-broadcasting events conducted in other Hubs, displaying the festive fever among the participants vibrantly.
Suddenly, the screens displayed an advertisment about a concert hosting somewhere else. Soon, the people started cheering, hollering and hooting at the sight of the woman who appeared in the screen. Even Dan was infected by the crowd's frenzy, as if he was put in a trance by the woman, but Jun couldn't care less.
Afterwards, Dan's trance was broken when the elevator doors shut on him. "Nooo! Christina Sandstone! I want to see more of her!" He started to scratch on the doors like a forlorn cat, seeking freedom. But Jun pulled him back out of second-hand embarassment.
Seconds later, the three reached the 10th floor and exited from the elevator. The cousins were greeted with dozens of slanting capsular beds and were fascinated about the design and the controls beside them. The men became little children as they gaze at the technological marvels and visually stunning holograms, displaying each player's gameplay.
"Takeshi-san, Kobayashi-san! Over here!" King called them over to a vacant Pod and gestured Jun to lie in one.
"Kobayashi-san, all the Pods are occupied now. But you can check out gameplay at the V-Sphere there. I'm sorry you couldn't join with us." King lowered his head down in sadness.
"It's alright, King. I can join any other time. You go help him in there." Dan patted his shoulder and walked away towards a group of people gathered around an LED sphere, that shows videos currently streaming.
This spherical structure, the V-Sphere, is comparable to that of a television. Except they display gameplays of the occupied Pods. Players who are waiting for their turn can wait and watch the dozen channels featured on the screen for entertainment. Each of the video streaming displays an individual player in their run, whether it's a quest, exploration or even a fight.
Suddenly, there's a notification saying that a new player has arrived. The players' attention shifted to the notice and put up the new player's screen. All of them saw a fox standing on a floating piece of plateau with an eagle perching on his shoulder. They all welcomed him by cheering, excited about his first dungeon run.
[To be continued]