"How lucky! Today I get to team up with Saichi."
As soon as I pressed the start button for the match, a familiar name immediately appeared before my eyes. It was my friend I met through the Chronicles of Heroes, Saichi - a real monster. Since we both ranked in the Japanese leaderboard, we often encountered each other, sometimes as teammates but mostly as enemies.
I have to admit that I really dread facing this guy, he has such unusual moves that I can never predict. Especially when he plays jungle, Saichi transforms into a predator, ready to jump in and take down the enemy's main damage dealer with the slightest opening. Besides his individual skills, this guy also has an astonishing ability to coordinate the game. Every time I face him, my teammates and I feel like we're trapped in a maze with no way out, where all paths to victory are blocked. As a result, most matches against Saichi end with my team suffering a crushing defeat, or even if we win, we have to fight tooth and nail. No wonder this guy is currently ranked 3rd on the Japanese server.
And since we frequently meet, we also often exchange messages through the chat feature of the Chronicles of Heroes and discovered that we are the same age. There have been several times I considered asking for his line to make it easier to invite him to play together, but then I thought, isn't it more fun to meet randomly like this?
"Looks like you're slacking off today Saichi, holding the strongest hero in the game while letting the enemy invade the jungle continuously, and you can't even support the other lanes."
"Shut up! You're in the top lane and can't even watch my jungle while you keep blabbering."
"At least I managed to take down the enemy top lane a few times in direct confrontations, while you haven't even secured a kill, so just shut up and play."
"Just wait, after this match, I'll get back at you."
After that match, my team won quite "easily" and Saichi earned the MVP title - the best player of the match.
"Getting taken down continuously but still getting MVP? The game's scoring system is really broken."
"Shut up, you got taken down before the combat even started. If it weren't for me sneaking in to push the base, you wouldn't even be able to talk right now."
Our relationship remained like that, although we had never met in real life and knew nothing about each other, we could still chat and insult each other freely. That's how guys are.
"By the way, I still haven't found teammates to form a team for the summer tournament. What kind of school is this where I can't find anyone who plays Chronicles of Heroes?"
"With your personality, you'll probably just peek into a few classes and then go back to complaining. Oh, and are you even familiar with the school layout to go looking? You're lost in the game, after all."
That damn guy, if I ever meet you in real life, you're dead.
I often tell him about my daily life, and he does the same. He said he doesn't talk much with friends in class and is quite reserved. No one who is reserved would claim to be reserved, my friend. Besides, he insults me all day in the game too, who would believe that?
Speaking of which, I wonder if Saichi goes to the same school as me? Although we've been chatting for a while, we've never shared personal information, and I'm suddenly curious about this guy's identity.
"Hey, what school are you studying at?"
"Did you hit your head or something to suddenly ask me what school I go to?"
"I'm just curious, what if we go to the same school?"
"What for? What if we really do, are you planning to meet me at the school gate to fight?"
The first thing I would do if I met him in real life would definitely be to punch him a few times.
"Now, are you going to tell me or not?"
"Fine, fine, I'll tell you. Naga high school, is that enough for you?"
"Naga high school?"
In an instant, my face froze.
"You go to Naga high school?"
"You've repeated that twice already. You probably don't even know where Naga High School is, right? Typical of someone who's lost."
"It's not that... I also go to Naga high school."
Saichi's typing indicator immediately stopped.
"You? You also go to Naga high school?"
"That's right, I'm in class A. What about you?"
"I'm in class S."
Hearing that, my face couldn't hide my surprise. Class S is the specialized class of my school, reserved for outstanding students. There was a time I thought he was just another gaming addict like me, but who would have thought Saichi was so good at hiding his talents?
But wait, why should I care about that? The fact that he goes to Naga high school means...
"Hey, are you free tomorrow? Let's meet up."
"What for? Are you really planning to set up a fight?"
"No no, let's form a team for the summer tournament, we're in the same school."
"Who said that just because we're in the same school, I would team up with you? Dream on!"
"Anyway, let's just meet tomorrow, and we can discuss it. Tomorrow at 5 PM, I'll bring my friend along too."
"Did you even hear what I said?"
"Oh, and give me your line too, make sure to send it."
"Haizz... you're really something."
A few minutes later, Saichi sent me his line contact. Let's see.
Sato Kaito - a second-year student at Naga high school, doesn't seem to use social media much, but that's okay. I quickly added him as a friend and sent several messages at once.
"Hey! 5 PM tomorrow at the café in front of the school, okay?"
"We can discuss our team plans and chat about random stuff until evening. Oh, and I'll bring a friend along too, your future teammate."
"If I don't see you by the meeting time, I'll personally come to class S to find you. So don't even think about bailing."
After sending the messages, I didn't care whether he replied or not and jumped straight into bed to sleep. Tomorrow, I definitely need to be in good shape. However, it wasn't easy to fall asleep like that; perhaps the thought of finding another member had stimulated my nerves.
"This is truly a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity. I can't believe Saichi is in the same school as me, I must convince him to join the team at all costs."
I can't wait for tomorrow.
_____________
Meanwhile, at Saichi's house.
"This guy... just a few minutes ago, he was cursing like crazy, and now he's all buddy-buddy."
To be honest, there was a time when I thought it was possible for us to attend the same school, but when I found out it was true, I couldn't hide my surprise.
"The summer tournament, huh..."
How should I put it? To say I'm not interested would be a lie because I've always dreamed of participating in a big tournament, standing on stage with the cheers of the audience to prove to everyone that I am the best. And I can confidently say that when it comes to dedication to the Chronicles of Heroes, no one can compare to me, not even the guy who's trying to recruit me for the team.
But can I really stand on that prestigious stage? Someone like me... can I?
"Well, I might not even live to see tomorrow, overthinking doesn't help. Time to sleep."
With that, I turned off my computer and settled into my comfortable bed.
What could happen tomorrow?
_________________
Even though I tried hard to get to school early, just like every other day, I ended up being late again.
During recess, Nakamura approached me with a bored expression.
"Looking like this, you probably played the game until dawn again, huh? I can tell..."
Before Nakamura could finish his sentence, I quickly grabbed his shoulders and excitedly said.
"Wrong! But let's put that aside, I found a new member!"
Startled by my sudden closeness, Nakamura blushed and turned away, mumbling.
"First, get away from me, you're too close!"
Realizing the distance was too short between us, I quickly stepped back and spoke up.
"Sorry, I got too excited and lost control."
"Forget about that. You just said you found a new member, what do you mean?"
Hearing him say that, my eyes lit up, and I continued to explain.
"Do you remember that guy Saichi I always talk about? I can't believe he's in our school."
"Saichi... the guy who always messes with you in ranked matches? Even made you quit the game halfway through, right? I remember you complaining about him all the time."
"Forget about that! I just scheduled to meet him this afternoon at 5 PM at the café across from the school, so clear your plans for today and come."
"Hey, you're being too pushy! Why should I listen to you?"
"Please! This is about the survival of our team, at least come to say hi."
"Haizz... fine, I'm free this afternoon so I guess I can go. Just remember to call me when it's time."
"Absolutely! Oh, why don't we just go to his class and pick him up together? That way, we can chat and get to know each other before heading to the café for the main topic. Perfect!"
"Do you realize you're being a bit intrusive?"
"Not at all! We're friends, so it'll be fine."
Saying that, I immediately took out my phone to send a message to Saichi.
"Saichi! You don't need to bother going to the café, we'll come to your class to pick you up, be grateful."
Very quickly, I received a reply.
"Do you want to meet me that badly that you have to come to my class? And what do you mean by 'we'?"
"Of course, it's me and our teammates! I told you about this yesterday. Don't be shy, just feel free to get to know each other."
"Sometimes I really don't know what expression to show you... if I stop you now, you'll still come, right? Just remember not to be too noisy."
"Of course, trust me. I may look like this, but I'm really introverted. But I'm still coming to meet you, so be grateful, Saichi."
"Get lost! And I'm Sato, not Saichi. Now that you know my name, remember to call me correctly."
"Same difference! I actually prefer your nickname, Saichi!"
"Haizz just leave me alone, class is starting soon."
"Alright bro! See you this afternoon."
Contrary to Saichi's bored demeanor, I started the lesson with full energy.