The bell above the shop door rang softly when Aoi, Mio, and Hina entered.
The interior was lit by bright white lights, and tall shelves were filled with colorful boxes. Consoles, accessories, new and old games occupied almost every corner.
Hina stopped a few steps after the entrance.
She was gripping her bag tightly.
— N-now help me, Aoi… please…
Aoi blinked a few times.
— Hina… you just pick the game and go to the cashier.
But Hina was already walking.
They crossed the store until they reached a section with a small red sign:
「+16」
Romance Games
Hina started sweating.
— T-there are so many… I know which one I want… but there are so many romances here…
She looked at the game covers like someone staring at a sky full of stars.
— This is paradise…
Aoi turned around.
— Bye, Hina.
Hina's eyes widened.
— O-okay, Aoi-chan!
She quickly grabbed the box she wanted.
On the cover, there was a handsome, muscular man with his shirt open, holding a rose with a seductive look.
Prince of Starlight II – Eternal Promise
Hina walked back beside Aoi.
— Y-you didn't even let me look at the others…
— That's your punishment.
— Punishment?
Mio laughed behind them.
— Hahaha… this place is actually kind of funny.
They reached the cashier.
Hina placed the game on the counter without looking directly at the clerk.
The employee picked up the box and scanned it.
— The total is 7,480 yen.
Hina opened her bag.
When she was about to place the money on the tray, she noticed something.
The cashier was looking at her with half-closed eyes and a faint smile.
Hina froze.
— H-here…
She quickly placed the money down.
Aoi watched everything.
Ah… so this is the part that embarrasses her.
This guy shouldn't be looking at Hina like that…
The cashier slowly counted the bills, then put the game in a bag.
— Have a nice day.
Hina grabbed the bag like she was rescuing forbidden treasure.
When they left the store, she was practically jumping.
— Now yes! Haha! Thank you, Aoi-chan!
At that moment, Mio's phone rang.
Tururu… tururu…
— Hello?
Mio stepped away a few steps to answer.
Meanwhile, Hina lifted the bag and smiled.
— Aaah… finally, part two of my prince…
Aoi laughed.
— Hehe… you really like that game.
— As a reward, I'll leave a legendary sword for you in Eternal Aegis Online.
— Wow… how generous.
Mio returned after finishing the call, but her face looked a little down.
— I think our study session is off today… something important came up… I need to go.
Aoi nodded.
— Ah… okay, Mio. I'll help you tomorrow during break.
— Okay… thanks, Aoi. Bye.
She left.
The two watched as Mio walked away.
Hina looked at her phone.
— Strange… she still hasn't replied on LINE.
Aoi sighed.
— Well… let's go to the station.
The station was crowded as always.
The metallic sound of the rails echoed through the platform.
— I wonder what happened with Mio — Aoi said.
— She was different… but I think she'll tell us tomorrow.
The train arrived.
The doors opened.
They got on.
During the ride, Aoi looked out the window, like she always did.
Buildings passed by like shadows.
Hina looked at Aoi from time to time, but didn't say anything.
After they got off the train, they walked a few blocks.
— Finally — Hina said. — We're close to my house.
Aoi smiled.
— I haven't been here in a long time.
— Everything's normal… like always.
But it wasn't.
Or at least, it didn't feel like it.
Hina opened the door.
Inside the house, a woman was washing clothes near the laundry area.
— You came home early today, Hina!
Then she saw Aoi.
— Aaah! Aoi-chan! It's so nostalgic seeing you two together again!
Aoi gave a small bow.
— G-good afternoon, Mrs. Takase.
The woman crossed her arms and smiled.
— Mrs. Takase? Call me Emi, like you always did.
— Ah… okay… I guess.
Hina pulled Aoi by the arm.
— Alright mom, we'll be upstairs.
She whispered:
— Let's go fast or you'll end up sleeping here.
Hina's room was on the second floor.
When Aoi entered, she stopped at the door.
— Wow…
The room was completely different from before.
Before, everything was pink.
Now there were RPG and anime posters, shelves full of action figures, a large gaming monitor, another smaller monitor for consoles, a glowing mechanical keyboard, stacks of game boxes, a headset hanging on the wall, and a small collection of character plushies.
Hina pointed at the bed.
— Sit!
Aoi sat down.
— It's been so long since I came here…
Hina turned on the console.
— I'll leave the game downloading and show you how games work nowadays.
— I haven't played anything in like… ten years.
— Then we're fixing that today.
She opened the account creation screen.
— Create your account and add me.
Aoi started typing.
— And Souma too… — Hina said with a smile.
— Wow… cold.
— Cold is asking for help online and nobody helping a mage alone.
Aoi laughed.
After a few minutes, the account was ready.
Hina handed her a console.
— Here.
— Thank you, Hina-chan.
— Ah! Take the HDMI cable too.
— I didn't bring anything to charge it…
— I'll see if I have something.
Hina left the room.
Alone, Aoi held the console.
Silence filled the room.
Then a memory came back.
She was six years old.
Sitting on the living room floor.
Hiroshi beside her.
— That's it… now jump up there!
Little Aoi moved the controller.
The character jumped.
— That's it! Very good! — Hiroshi said, laughing.
The girl smiled brightly.
— I did it!
Back to the present.
Aoi smiled to herself while looking at the monitor.
Then she closed her eyes tightly and shook her head.
When she opened them again, Hina was at the door holding a padded console bag.
— Found this.
— Thank you.
Aoi took the bag.
— Well… I should go now.
— Want to eat something?
— No, I need to take care of a few things at home.
Hina raised her phone.
— Wait. Pose!
— W-what?
— Photo!
She stood beside Aoi and made a peace sign.
Aoi copied her, a bit awkwardly.
Click.
Hina started typing.
— I'm sending this to Yamamoto.
Aoi turned red instantly.
— T-to Y-Yamamoto?!
She grabbed the phone.
On the screen was the picture of them.
Caption:
"Aoi-chan is going to play too."
Aoi turned even redder.
— Why didn't you say it was for him?! I didn't even fix my hair!
Hina smiled mischievously.
— Fix your hair for what? He already saw us today.
The phone vibrated.
Souma's reply:
"Wow really? Our group will be strong now. I'm looking forward to it."
Aoi couldn't stop a small smile.
— I can give you his contact — Hina said.
Aoi quickly handed the phone back.
— I-I don't want it!
— Okay then…
— Well… I'm going home now.
They went downstairs.
The front door opened and a boy entered.
Aoi blinked.
— Y-you are…
— Ah, Haru. You're back — Hina said naturally.
The boy froze.
— Onee-san… and… A-Aoi-san?
— Haru…? — Aoi said, surprised.
He was much taller now.
She walked closer and touched his head.
— You grew a lot, Haru-chan.
He looked away.
— It's good to see you… Aoi-san…
Hina interrupted:
— Haru, don't bother her.
— I-it's okay — Aoi said.
Their mother appeared in the living room.
— Haru is home! I was making tea for you all.
— It's okay… — Aoi said — I have some things to do.
— How is Yukiko?
— Working a lot… but she's fine.
— Take care of your health.
Aoi bowed.
— See you later.
The walk back to her house was quiet.
Before, she would have had a thousand things to talk about.
Now there was only the sound of cars and distant conversations.
When she got home, she opened the door.
— I'm home…
No answer.
She took off her shoes.
The house was quiet.
Aoi went to the kitchen and made something simple.
Omurice — omelet rice with ketchup.
She ate alone.
After that, she went upstairs to her room and connected the console to the TV.
— Normally I take a shower when I get home…
She turned on the device.
— But I'm curious.
Home screen.
She opened the game.
Eternal Aegis Online
She selected:
Start
On the character creation screen, she remembered what Hina had said:
"Perverts kept asking for pictures."
Aoi laughed.
Then another memory appeared.
Her father creating a character.
— Why does he look like you? — little Aoi asked.
Her father laughed.
— So I can feel like I'm inside the game.
Back to the present.
Aoi built the character.
Hair.
Eyes.
Face.
After a few minutes:
— Done…
She looked at the name field.
Thought for a moment.
She typed:
Hiro
Confirm.
Aoi looked at the character on the screen.
A small smile appeared.
She whispered softly:
— He looks a lot like you…
— Dad.