Mai Yaozu arrived at the event venue, only to see a crowd of people standing in the parking lot, all staring up at the sky.
"What are they all looking at? What's so interesting?"
Mai Yaozu followed their gaze and looked up. He instantly sucked in a sharp breath of air.
A massive hot-air balloon was floating in the sky, with the word "ATLAS" clearly emblazoned on it. From this height, he couldn't see the entire balloon, but the spelling of "ATLAS" was still strikingly clear.
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Mai Yaozu's sharp eyes caught a detail—there was actually a pilot inside.
"That's insane!"
He marveled, staring up for a long while until the hot-air balloon gradually drifted away. Only then did he sigh and walk off.
The venue was packed with people, yet strangely, even though Mai Yaozu didn't know Japanese, he knew exactly where to go.
Arrows had been taped to the ground as guides, with the routes marked in Chinese, English, and Japanese. They simply indicated which direction led to which area.
Up ahead, a large crowd was lined up. Mai Yaozu glanced down and saw a few words on an arrow on the floor.
Oh, it's a public restroom. No wonder there are so many people.
Since it was the first day and the esports tournament hadn't officially started, Mai Yaozu decided to just act like a regular tourist and wander around.
Dining area? A place to eat? Perfect, I'm starving!
He'd skipped breakfast that morning, and having heard that the food on-site was cheaper than outside, he figured it was the perfect chance to check it out.
He made his way to the dining area, which was filled with long tables and chairs. But the crowd was even bigger—there were almost no empty seats, meaning he'd have to share a table with strangers.
Mai Yaozu picked the nearest window and noticed that even the menu items were labeled in different languages.
This makes communication even smoother.
Although he didn't speak Japanese, he could still get his point across just by gesturing.
"How much is it all together?"
The elderly woman serving the food replied with a number.
Seeing that Mai Yaozu didn't seem to understand, she rephrased.
"540 yen."
"Wow, so cheap!"
Mai Yaozu was a bit incredulous.
Food at events like this is usually more expensive than outside. I never expected it to be cheaper here.
His first meal in Tokyo yesterday had cost him over 1,000 Yen, and even then, he'd had to use a combination of words and gestures to order. He felt he'd barely eaten anything, and the food had been utterly tasteless.
Yet today, a full plate cost only 540 Yen.
Mai Yaozu couldn't help but wonder: How does the organizer even make a profit? They're probably losing so much money they'll have to take the bus home!
Following the example of those around him, Mai Yaozu bowed politely, picked up his tray, and walked away, feeling that the trip had already paid for itself.
After eating and drinking his fill, he followed the arrows and wandered into the entertainment area. It was filled with arcade machines, each attended by a staff member who offered guidance.
As Mai Yaozu approached, an Atlas employee bowed. "This is the arcade area. If you'd like to play, here's how you operate the machines."
Mai Yaozu waved him off. "Thanks, man, but I don't speak Japanese. I do know how to play Street Fighter, though—I'm a pro!"
He took a seat, grabbed the joystick, and dove right in. The employee had even provided a few free game coins.
Once the trial coins were spent, he'd have to pay for his own.
Mai Yaozu played a few rounds, absolutely crushing his opponents until they were practically begging for mercy.
It wasn't just him boasting. Although Tsim Sha Tsui wasn't that large, he'd made a name for himself in such a densely populated area. Mai Yaozu considered his skills to be, if not the absolute best in all of Hong Kong, then at least a strong contender for second or third place.
He wanted to play more, but when he reached into his pocket, he found he was out of game coins. To keep playing, he'd have to pay out of his own pocket.
Mai Yaozu hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly stood up.
Forget it! It's not worth the money.
After wandering around for a bit, he saw a street vendor outside the shopping arcade. Mai Yaozu couldn't understand what the vendor was shouting, but he spotted a dark-skinned woman in the crowd who looked like a Filipino domestic helper. He went over and tapped her on the shoulder, and sure enough, she could understand him.
"What's he doing?"
"Selling game consoles!" The helper bowed slightly and explained, "This is a game console from Japan's Sega Corporation, called the Mega Drive. You can play a lot of games on it. He's introducing Street Fighter for the Mega Drive. As the name suggests, it's Street Fighter released on the Mega Drive. If you buy this, you can play it at home."
Mai Yaozu gasped.
That amazing? You can take Street Fighter home to play? But it looks pretty expensive!
He felt his pocket.
He had the money, but he really couldn't bear to spend it.
On stage, the host was speaking into a microphone while gesturing wildly. The screen behind him played a previously filmed TV commercial: a young man and a cute JK girl were playing Street Fighter at home, and as the game progressed, they started kissing.
Mai Yaozu's heart raced.
This is it! This is the way!
If he bought a console and took it home, he could bring his younger sister back to play games whenever he returned to Tsim Sha Tsui. They could play, start kissing, and then... hehehe.
Mai Yaozu gritted his teeth.
I'm already here! I can't leave empty-handed!
With a determined stomp, he bought a Mega Drive console and the accompanying Street Fighter cartridge.
Once he emerged from the crowd and felt the cool breeze of the air conditioning, Mai Yaozu snapped back to his senses.
"Oh, for goodness' sake—" He couldn't resist slapping himself. "Why can't I control my hands?!"
He felt a wave of regret, but quickly shook his head.
Forget it, I already bought it. It'd be too embarrassing to go back and return it.
Besides, the money isn't gone; it's just staying with me in a different form!
And let's not forget, buying the console means I can bring my sister home to play games. How awesome is that?!
Mai Yaozu had been exploring all morning and felt that the Convention and Exhibition Centre was simply too vast to see everything. He carried the box halfway before suddenly looking up and realizing he had reached the end of the hall. Beside him was a door leading outside, where part of the event was still taking place.
Strolling aimlessly, Mai Yaozu found himself in the thick of the crowd just as a stage play began.
Two actors in costume were performing. One wore a military greatcoat and a peaked cap—that was M. Bison. Facing him was a man with a bare chest in a white martial arts gi—Ryu.
They exchanged a few choreographed strikes, then each leaped backward, performing a series of acrobatic flips.
"This is great! This is awesome!"
Mai Yaozu clapped along with the rest of the crowd. Spotting an empty seat nearby, he instantly squeezed in and settled down to watch. He watched the two actors trade punches and kicks on stage; though he knew it was all choreographed, their intense effort compelled him to keep applauding.
As the play seemed to be ending, Mai Yaozu rose to leave, only to hear an announcer step forward. The man delivered a long speech in Japanese, which Mai Yaozu couldn't understand, but it was clear there was more to come.
"Again? What is this thing? It's hideous."
Mai Yaozu stared at the Sonic the Hedgehog figure and shook his head in disgust.
Still, since he was already there, he stayed for a while longer, finally leaving after the performance concluded.
He checked his watch and realized, with a jolt, that it was already four in the afternoon.
Mai Yaozu shook his head vigorously. The day had flown by so fast he couldn't even remember what he'd done. It felt like he'd just blinked and the entire day had vanished!
And he was down nearly twenty thousand yen!
I should have never come!
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