Completed Chapter 41: "Slow return"

Chapter 41 of Completed

Hiroyuki walked towards the school’s entrance. Hiroyuki notices Eiko standing there. Eiko was listening to music through her ear buds. Eiko was also scrolling through her phone. Hiroyuki grinned and slowly walked to her. Hiroyuki stood quietly in front of her. Eiko didn’t notice his presence. Hiroyuki took out his phone and sent a message to her. Eiko’s phone vibrated in her hand. Eiko clicked on the notification. The message showed an animated white fluffy dog waving its paw sticker and it said in bold blue letters, “I am here!” 

Eiko looked up from her phone. Hiroyuki waved at her. Eiko took out her earbuds and shoved them in her pocket. Eiko exclaimed, “Oh, you arrived earlier than I thought!” Hiroyuki grinned and said, “Well it was the first time you asked me to walk into school together. And I wanted to spend a bit of time with you before class starts.” Eiko’s cheeks instantly became flushed. Eiko whispered, “There you go saying embarrassing things in public.” Hiroyuki chuckled and asked in a gentle tone, “Can I hold your hand?” 

Eiko placed her open hand next to his hand. Hiroyuki firmly grasped it. They both strolled into the school. A few classmates spotted them together. They began to whisper amongst themselves. One of them said, “I can’t believe my eyes! Hiroyuki is back at school? And he’s holding Eiko’s hand?” Another said, “Wait.. since when were they dating?” Eiko started to feel nervous from their stares. Hiroyuki said, “It’s okay. They are just curious about us.” Eiko said in a low voice, “You think so?” Hiroyuki nodded. Eiko felt a bit relieved from hearing how calm and confident he sounded. Eiko held his hand a bit tighter. 

They headed to the wooden benches located at the side of the school’s building. They sat down at the bench. Hiroyuki kept holding onto her hand. Hiroyuki asked, “What should we do while waiting for class to begin?” Eiko said, “I was thinking of showing you the new stuff they added in conqueror. Do you want to see?” Hiroyuki said, “Yeah I would like that. I couldn’t play it at Fujiwara's house because I had limited access to the computer.” Eiko took out her phone and earbuds. Eiko went on the Bluetube app and searched for the official conqueror channel. She clicked on a video that was called, “Conqueror update 3.0 showcase summary.” Eiko handed Hiroyuki her right earbud and he put it inside his ear. Eiko put the left earbud in her ear.

A smooth gentle male voice spoke in the video, “Hello players! This is Asahi Aoki. I’m the voice actor for the new boss Odin the winged centaur. He is one of the new bosses that were added in the update. I will summarize everything that’s included in the new update. First, let me show you the new weapons that were released. We have the blast dagger, neon laser lance sword, sparkle wand, and aura staff. The blast dagger is a dagger that can transform into a gun. It works in both long and close range. The blasts from this dagger can push enemies away from you. The neon laser lance sword has a laser gun attached inside. It can shoot laser beams. The laser gun has a long and wide range. No enemy can evade it’s attacks. The sparkle wand shows sparkling effects when you heal, boost attack and defense. When you attack using this wand, it can stun opponents for a short duration of time. The last one is the aura staff. The aura staff increases your magic attacks and can show one of the enemies’ weaknesses. All these weapons are obtainable by crafting them. You obtain materials for these weapons by defeating the new bosses.” 

The weapons appeared on the screen with their names. The blast dagger had red crystallized blades and a black handle. An animation of the daggers transforming into a gun. The neon laser lance sword had a long blade glowing with neon lights. They showed the lance sword being split in half revealing the neon laser gun. The sparkle wand was a glittery white and yellow wand. It had a bright diamond card shaped crystal on top of the wand. The aura staff had a blue ball of sphere energy floating inside the clear ball. It was attached to a thin, and lengthy black stick. 

Asahi said, “Next is the new bosses. The boss I voiced is Odin the winged centaur, his weapon is a spear. He can use light and nature magic. I won’t be listing any of the bosses abilities because that would spoil it. You will find out when you play it!” The video showed a black winged male centaur with tan skin and red eyes. It showed his animation striking with the spear. Eiko glanced at Hiroyuki to see his reaction about the new weapons and bosses. Hiroyuki’s eyes were glued on the screen. Eiko asked, “Are you interested in getting the aura staff?” Hiroyuki paused the video. Hiroyuki said, “It does seem interesting. The boost to my magic attacks would be helpful. And it’s special ability to show one of the enemies’ weaknesses is useful against difficult bosses. I have to try it out first. I wonder if there’s a cooldown time in spotting multiple enemies’ weaknesses?” 

Eiko said, “Before you have the chance to try it, you need to farm for the materials. If you need help, we got you!” Hiroyuki beamed and asked, “Did you guys try out the new weapons?” Eiko nodded and said excitedly, “Of course. I got the neon laser lance sword. It’s fun to wreck all the monsters with just a swing! You should ask Itsuki and Rie about their experiences with their weapons.” Hiroyuki said, “I will. I look forward to playing with you guys again!” Eiko said cheerfully, “Me too!” The school bell rang. Eiko said, “Oh it’s time for homeroom. We didn’t get to finish the video. Want to watch the rest at lunch or should I send you the link through chicord?” Hiroyuki said, “You can send it through chicord. I want to spend lunch time with everyone today. It’s been a while since we all spent time together as a group.” Eiko bobbed her head. Eiko said, “That’s understandable. I will send you the link later. Let’s head to the homeroom!” 

Eiko grabbed his hand and rushed inside the school. A few schoolgirls giggled at the sight of them. Hiroyuki stared at her hand gripping tightly on his hand. Hiroyuki thought, “Her hand looks so small compared to mine. It feels warm and soft.” Eiko slid the classroom door open. Eiko headed in with Hiroyuki. Her classmates gasped at the sight. Itsuki and Rie were chatting together across desks. Itsuki waved at them. Rie turned around and grinned. Eiko sat down and let go of Hiroyuki’s hand. Hiroyuki moved a chair and sat next to her. Rie said, “Aww what an adorable couple walking hand in hand in school! ” Eiko blushed and said, “We are not a couple!” Hiroyuki turned around with a confused face. Hiroyuki said, “What do you mean we aren’t a couple? If we aren’t a couple, then what are we?” Eiko said, “We aren’t considered an official couple till we go on a date!”

Itsuki whined, “Eh, where did you get that from?” Eiko said innocently, “Television dramas.” They all looked at each other and then sighed. Rie thought, “It looks like Eiko has a lot to learn about what it means to be a couple.” Rie said, “You don’t need to go on a date first to become a couple. If you both feel the same way about each other then it’s enough.” Eiko asked, “Really? I thought being a couple was more than just that?” Hiroyuki asked, “You didn’t suspect anything when we held hands and stuff. Those are things couples do!” Eiko said, “Well I know.. I guess I am curious about what it's like to go on a date.” Hiroyuki snickered and said, “You’re so-” Eiko asked, “So what?” Hiroyuki pressed his forehead against hers. Hiroyuki stared into her eyes and said in a soft tone, “You’re so silly.” Eiko was drawn into his lovely blue eyes. Eiko’s face reddened. 

The homeroom teacher walked into the classroom and told everyone to get back to their seats. Rie and Itsuki sat in their seats. Hiroyuki said in a flirty tone, “We will discuss details about our date later. See you at lunch!” Hiroyuki went to his seat. Eiko stood there in a daze of what happened. The homeroom teacher noticed Eiko hadn't sat down yet. He asked, “Eiko, are you going to sit? How much longer are you going to stand there?” His words snapped her back into reality. Eiko shook her head and said a bit panicked, “Sorry!” Eiko quickly sat down. Some of the classmates chuckled. Eiko’s hands covered her face in embarrassment. Eiko thought to herself, “Man, what was I doing?! The moment he looked into my eyes, I was just so entranced by them. I couldn’t stop looking into them.”

Eiko peered through her fingers to look at Hiroyuki. Hiroyuki smiled at her. Eiko instantly turned her head away and said, “How did he know I was looking at him? Is he some kind of psychic or something?” The homeroom teacher said, “As you see, Hiroyuki is back in our class. Please give him a warm welcome back.” Everyone gave him a round of applause and said aloud, “Welcome back, Hiroyuki!” Hiroyuki bowed his head to everyone. The homeroom teacher started to write on the chalkboard the words “field trip”. He said, “I got an announcement from the principal. He wants the second years to go on a field trip next friday to Setting Sun farm. The purpose of the trip is to understand where the food you eat comes from. Our school personally buys from the farm. All the food you students eat for lunch comes from the farm. The field trip fee would be $25. The fee will cover the activities you can do on the trip. You can go fruit picking, feed the farm animals, or taste test samples of their newest products. If you’re planning on coming to the trip, you need to get your parent or guardian’s permission by signing this slip. You need to hand in the permission slip and fee by next monday.” He hands out the permission slips to all the students. Eiko looked at the slip and said, “This sounds like a lot of fun. I wonder if they will go on the trip?” Eiko looks at Rie, Itsuki and Hiroyuki. Rie and Itsuki both gave a thumbs up. Hiroyuki nodded. Eiko grinned and placed the slip inside her notebook. 

After a couple of classes, the bell ranged to signal time for lunch. They were sitting together in the cafeteria. Rie was next to Eiko. Itsuki and Hiroyuki were seated across from them. Rie said thrilled, “I can’t wait for the field trip! I wonder what kind of fruits would be there?” Eiko’s eyes lit up and said, “My family buys their dairy products all the time from the supermarket. I hope they have some cheese as taste test samples!” Itsuki grinned and said, “Food isn’t the only thing they will have there! They will also have animals to feed and pet! I heard that the farm has fluffy alpacas there.” They both squealed, “Awww they have alpacas too???!! I can’t wait to go!” Hiroyuki said, “They’re really excited about it.” Itsuki said, “Well it sounds like a nice place to go. Don’t you think so?” Hiroyuki said, “Yeah that’s true and it’s enjoyable to see them looking forward to it.” Itsuki bobbed his head. 

Eiko asked, “What will we be doing for our date? Do you have anything in mind?” Hiroyuki said, “I heard about an upcoming game convention coming up this weekend. I was thinking that was something we could do for our first date together.” Eiko said, “Ohh I always wanted to go to one! This is perfect for our first date!” Hiroyuki said a bit relieved, “That’s good news because Hiroshi brought me tickets for the two of us to go.” Eiko said, “Aww that’s nice of him to do that!” Hiroyuki grinned and bobbed his head. Eiko asked, “What time are we going to meet there?” Hiroyuki said, “Ah I will message you the details later. The tickets say the time and location there.” 

Eiko said happily, “That sounds great!” Eiko turns her gaze at Rie and Itsuki. Eiko asked curiously, “And how about you two? Got any plans for any future dates?” Rie glanced at Itsuki. Itsuki scratched his head nervously and said, “Rie wants to officially introduce me to her parents as her boyfriend.” Eiko and Hiroyuki’s ears perked up. They both said, “Already???” Rie and Itsuki both turned bashful. Eiko asked, “How long have you two been dating for?” Rie said, “I would say about two months? I haven’t really been counting.” Hiroyuki said unconvinced, “Has it really been that long?” Rie said, “I don’t blame you for thinking that because we didn’t openly tell you about it.” Hiroyuki said, “That makes sense. But why didn’t you want to share it with us?” 

Rie shuffled her hands together and tried to find the right words to say. Itsuki placed his hands on top of hers. Itsuki said, “Because at the time, we wanted to date each other. You were taken away by Kura’s family. Rie didn’t feel it was right for us to date. She thought it wasn’t fair if we were the only ones who are happy.” Hiroyuki looked down on the table and said in a downhearted tone, “Sorry that I made you guys felt like that. I wasn’t thinking about how it would affect you guys.” Rie shook her head and said, “It’s not your fault, Hiroyuki. You were in a rough situation. And I’m glad that whole thing turned out fine. Now I can feel comfortable being open with our relationship” Rie glanced at Itsuki and held his hand tighter. Itsuki grinned and said proudly, “That’s right. I felt the same way Rie did and this was our choice. I don’t blame Hiroyuki for what happened and it’s behind us now. What I care about now is all of us doing fine!” Hiroyuki turned his head up from the table. His eyes softened and he said relieved, “I’m so glad to have all of you as my friends. Thank you.” They all smiled at him. 

After a long day of school, they all went back home. Eiko was doing homework at her desk. Her phone was sitting at the right side of the table. Her phone vibrated on the desk and lit up to show a message notification from Hiroyuki. Eiko put down her pencil to pick up her phone. Eiko unlocked her phone to see the message and clicked on it. Hiroyuki texted, “The game convention is on saturday at 11 pm. The location is the Tokyo conference center. Do you want us to go together by train or meet up in front of the place?” Eiko messaged back, “If you don’t mind, I would like for us to go together.” Eiko put her phone down for a moment. Her phone instantly vibrated. Eiko exclaimed, “That was fast!” Eiko pressed on the phone screen. Hiroyuki said, “That sounds good. Are you fine with me picking you up from your house?” 

Eiko read the message aloud and cried out, “FROM MY HOUSE??!!” Eiko imagined Hiroyuki coming to pick her up in front of the house. Eiko could see her father glaring at Hiroyuki and her mother making embarrassing comments. Eiko could also visualize Fumiko pestering her with questions about their relationship. Eiko’s face turned red from the humiliating situations playing in her head. Eiko instantly messaged back, “I prefer if we meet at the station close to my house. Is that alright?” Hiroyuki said, “That’s fine. I will see you at around 9 am because it takes about two hours by train from your house.” Eiko said, “Alright, see you tomorrow!” Eiko sent a happy cat emoji. Hiroyuki sent a smiling dog gif back. Eiko put her phone down and got up from her seat.

Eiko roughly opened her white closet and threw a bunch of clothes onto the bed. Eiko inspects every piece of clothing she owns. Eiko said, “I am getting a bit worried about what to wear for our first date. I don’t want to dress in my normal everyday clothes but I also don’t want it to look like I’m trying hard. Which one would be the right choice?” Eiko spots a mid sleeved black chiffon top with white jeans. Those clothes sparked a past memory of Eiko being surprised to find out Hiroyuki was her online gamer friend and their first time hanging out. Eiko said, “Man who would have thought he would have ended up being Hajime? We came a long way from that encounter.” Eiko laid her hand onto the chiffon top and said confidently, “This is what I will wear. I think it would be perfect to commemorate the first time we hung out together.” 

The rest of the week passed by quickly and it was the day of their first date. Hiroyuki was wearing a dark blue denim jacket combined with a white shirt. He also wore black denim jeans. Hiroyuki was waiting near the train card reader. Hiroyuki was looking at the time on his phone. It was 8:59 am. Eiko said loudly and out of breath, “I’m finally here. Sorry I took so long. My family kept bugging me with a lot of questions.” Hiroyuki stared at her outfit and instantly recognized it. Hiroyuki asked, “Isn’t that what you wore when we first met up?” Eiko said joyfully, “That’s right! Don’t you think this is the perfect thing to wear for our first date?” Hiroyuki grinned from ear to ear and said in a tender tone, “Yes, I agree with you. I didn’t get to tell you this when we first met up, but I think you look stunning in that outfit.” Eiko’s face started to heat up and said nervously, “I also think you look great in your outfit too.” Hiroyuki beamed from her compliment. The train staff announced, “The train going to Tokyo will arrive in a few minutes. Please board the train carefully and don’t forget your belongings. I repeat the train going to Tokyo will arrive in a few minutes.” 

Hiroyuki said, “Let’s hurry and swipe our cards. We don’t want to be late for the train.” Eiko nodded. They swiped their cards and ran to the train. The train had a lot of people leaving and many people going inside. Most of the seats were taken. One seat was left empty next to a man reading a newspaper. Hiroyuki grabbed Eiko’s hand and escorted her to the seat. Hiroyuki said, “You should sit in the seat.” Eiko asked, “Are you sure?” Hiroyuki nodded and said, “I’m very sure.” Eiko said, “Then I will take up on your offer.” Eiko sat down on the seat and placed her leather handbag on her lap. Eiko looked up at Hiroyuki holding the train’s hand rails. Eiko thought, “Sitting in front of him like this, I never realized how tall he was.” Hiroyuki glanced down at her and asked, “Do you need something?” Eiko shook her head and said, “Not really.” 

Hiroyuki said, “Oh that’s alright. Are you curious to find out what events and panels would be held at the game convention?” Eiko said ecstatic, “Yes, definitely! I can’t wait!” Hiroyuki said, “Me too! It’s going to be a long train ride there. If you ever feel like taking a nap, then you should. I will wake you up when we arrive at our stop.” Eiko said, “Are you kidding? I am way too excited to take a nap!” Hiroyuki laughed and said, “Alright if you say so.” Eiko asked, “Do you know what will be at the convention?” Hiroyuki said, “I do but I wasn’t sure if you wanted to hear it. I didn’t want to spoil anything.” Eiko said, “Aww, that’s nice of you, but I would like to hear it. It can give me a good idea on where I want to go first!” Hiroyuki said, “Good point. At the game convention, there would be some new games being announced there. I heard they let you play their demos.” Eiko asked curiously, “Ohh, I wonder what the new games would be? What else would be there?” 

Hiroyuki said, “There would be some booths selling game merch, plushies and figurines. One of the panels has the creator of Conqueror showing some sneak peeks of the next update in the game and answering any questions the audience has. The voice actors of all of the bosses will be at the panel too.” Eiko’s eyes immediately sparkled from hearing the Conqueror news. Eiko said, “We definitely need to go to that one!” Hiroyuki said, “I had a feeling that one would excite you the most. If I remember correctly, the website said that the panel will start at around 1 pm.” Eiko said, “Oh that’s perfect! We can just walk around the game convention and eat some lunch.” Hiroyuki bobbed his head. Eiko asked, “Are you interested in anything else in the game convention?” Hiroyuki said, “Well I planned on looking around to spot any cool figurines at the stalls.” Eiko nodded and asked, “Are there any specific figurines you’re looking for?” Hiroyuki said, “I do hope they have some figurines of the new Conqueror bosses there. I want to complete my collection.” Eiko raised her arms and said in an optimistic tone, “I hope that you find them! I will also help you look out for any!” Hiroyuki said in a cheerful tone, “I appreciate it!” 

An hour later, Eiko starts to feel a bit sleepy. Eiko kept trying her hardest to keep her eyes open but the drowsiness overtook her. Eiko’s head slumped to her left shoulder. Hiroyuki quickly put his right hand between the top of her head and the pole handrail. As the train was speeding up on the tracks, Eiko’s head bumped against his hand. Hiroyuki exhaled in relief and thought, “She almost bumped her head against the pole.” Eiko was snoozing away peacefully. Hiroyuki chuckled to himself. Hiroyuki said in an intriguing tone, “I thought you were too excited to take a nap. What happened to that?” Hiroyuki stared intently at her resting face and said in his mind, “This is the first time I have seen her face look this relaxed. She’s usually more guarded. I don’t mind seeing these sides of her.” 

The train conductor announced to the speaker, “Next top, Tokyo station. I repeat Tokyo station is the next stop.” Hiroyuki used his right hand to pat her shoulder. Hiroyuki said, “Wake up Eiko. Tokyo station is arriving soon.” Eiko slowly opened her eyes and asked in a confused tone, “Did I fall asleep?” Hiroyuki said, “Yeah for a bit.” Eiko rubbed her eyes and yawned. Eiko stretched her arms and shoulders. Hiroyuki asked, “How was the nap?” Eiko said, “It was more comfortable than I thought. When I usually fall asleep on the train, my neck usually feels sore. But for some reason, it feels alright.” Hiroyuki grinned. The train conductor said aloud, “We have arrived at Tokyo station. I repeat we reached Tokyo station. Don’t forget to check your belongings.” 

The train slowly stopped. Hiroyuki put his hand out in front of Eiko. Hiroyuki asked, “You ready?” Eiko nodded and grabbed his hand. They walked out of the train. Hiroyuki pulled out his phone and looked for the game convention’s address. Hiroyuki said, “It should be a few minutes away from the station.” Hiroyuki put the phone back into his pocket. They headed out of the station. Hiroyuki said, “Now we just need to walk down this road and it will be right there.” As they were strolling there, a few people cosplaying as game characters ran past them. Eiko said, “Looks like we are heading in the right direction.” Hiroyuki said, “We should also run there so we don’t have to wait in a long line to get in.” Eiko said in a thrilled tone, “What are we waiting for? Let’s run together!” 

They ran towards the game convention. When they finally reached there, a long line of people were waiting in front of the building. There were security guards wearing black vests and caps. They were scanning people’s tickets and making them go through the metal detector. They guided people to the line. The Tokyo conference center was a large glass window building with white concrete. The name of the building was inscribed in metal letters onto the white concrete. There were a few vendors outside that served food and water. Eiko said in a delighted tone, “We are finally here!” Hiroyuki said, “Yeah, I can’t wait to head inside.” Eiko silently counted the people in front of them and said, “There’s about nineteen people ahead of us.” Hiroyuki said, “The security guard is pretty quick at getting people in. It shouldn’t take that long.” Eiko said in a pleased tone, “That’s good. I wouldn’t want to wait too long in this heat.” 

Eiko looks up at the sun directly shining down at them. Hiroyuki said, “If you ever get thirsty, I can just get you a bottle of water from one of the stands.” Eiko shook her hand and took out a water bottle from her bag. Eiko said, “I always bring a bottle of water just in case something like this happens.” Hiroyuki said, “That’s nice to be prepared for times like this.” Eiko asked, “Did you bring any water with you?” Hiroyuki shook his head and said, “I don’t really bring water with me. I usually buy a drink from outside.” Eiko gave him her bottle. Hiroyuki said a bit hesitantly, “You sure? What about you?” Eiko fumbled around her bag and took out another bottle of water. Eiko said in a cheery tone, “I always bring extra just in case.” Hiroyuki beamed and said, “That’s very thoughtful of you. Thank you for the water!” 

Eiko said, “You’re welcome!” Hiroyuki twisted the cap and drank some water. Hiroyuki exhaled in relief. Hiroyuki said, “That was refreshing.” Eiko took a sip of her water. The security guards escorted people to move up in line. Eiko spots a few girls taking pictures together of their outfits. Eiko tapped Hiroyuki’s arm and said, “Look, they are wearing the limited edition priestess outfits from Conqueror. Isn’t it cute?” Hiroyuki glanced at the girls and said, “Ah you’re right. They did an excellent job at getting the details right.” Eiko asked, “Have you ever cosplayed before?” Hiroyuki bobbed his head and said, “A couple of times.”Eiko’s eyes shined from hearing his answer. Eiko asked, “Who did you cosplay as?” Hiroyuki said, “As my avatar from Conqueror and other game characters I liked. How about you?” Eiko said, “I never did it before.” Hiroyuki asked, “Are you interested in trying?” Eiko placed the left finger on her chin and said, “I don’t think so. I am more interested in playing the game.” 

Hiroyuki said, “That’s fine too.” Eiko said in a curious tone, “I wished I could have seen you cosplayed as your avatar from Conqueror. I bet it would look dashing on you.” After Eiko said that, she took a peek at Hiroyuki. His right hand was covering his mouth. When Eiko’s eyes met his, he immediately shifted them away. Eiko tilted her head and thought, “Why is he averting his gaze away from me?” Hiroyuki said in a low voice, “If you want, I have pictures of it on my phone.” Eiko shouted, “Really? Can I see it?” Hiroyuki showed her the pictures. Eiko said happily, “Wow it looks identical to your avatar! Did you make the outfit yourself?” Hiroyuki said in a timid tone, “My mom helped me make the outfit.” Eiko said in an astonished tone, “Wow, that’s amazing! As I thought, you look very dashing in the outfit.”

Hiroyuki thought to himself, “If you keep complimenting me with that much enthusiasm, I don’t know if I can handle it all. She’s just so adorable.” The security guard said aloud, “Excuse me, can I ask you two to move up in the line?” They both said, “Yeah we can. Sorry!” Hiroyuki put the phone back into his pocket. Eiko took out her phone to take pictures of the building and vendors. Eiko said, “I promised Rie that I would take some pictures of the game convention.” Hiroyuki asked, “Why did Rie want pictures of the game convention?” Eiko said, “I think she plans on bringing Itsuki here.” Hiroyuki nodded. The security guards finished checking a group of people. Hiroyuki and Eiko were next. They asked for their cards and scanned them. They ordered them to go through the metal detector. The security guard confirmed it was okay for them to go in. 

They headed inside. Eiko could feel the cool air of the ac blowing down on her skin. Eiko said happily, “Ah, it feels nice to be in an ac building.” Hiroyuki said, “Yeah. Where do you want to go first?” Eiko said, “I think we should just look around. See if there’s anything interesting.” Hiroyuki nodded and said, “That’s a great idea.” Eiko put her hand out and asked, “You ready?” Hiroyuki said, “As ready as I ever will be.” Hiroyuki held onto her hand gently. Eiko was stunned by the Conqueror props decorating the walls and floor. Eiko snapped a few pictures of them. Eiko ran over to a bunch of screens lined up with controllers. Eiko looked at the screen and said, “This must be where we play demos of the newest games.” Hiroyuki asked, “Do you want to try some?” Eiko said in a thrilled tone, “Definitely! Let’s play the ones that are two players!” 

Eiko went to one screen with two controllers that had a title screen called, “Vivid race.” It showed colorful characters racing against each other with neon bright cars. Eiko selected an orange haired girl with a red flaming car. Hiroyuki selected an black haired guy with a glowing green car. They both grabbed the controllers. The screen said, “3.. 2.. 1.. Race!” Eiko said, “The loser has to pay for the winner’s lunch.” Hiroyuki snickered and said, “Alright, I will take up on your offer. It makes the race a lot more interesting.” Hiroyuki and Eiko compete against each other for a few rounds. They both won and lost some. It ended up being a tie. Hiroyuki said, “Well it looks like nobody is getting treated to a meal.” Eiko said, “It’s unfortunate but this was how the race ended up. It was still fun.” Hiroyuki said, “That’s true.” Eiko said, “You can choose where we go next.”

Hiroyuki said, “How about we walk around the merch vendors?” Eiko said joyfully, “That sounds good to me!” They marched to where all the vendors were lined up side by side. Eiko stared at a bunch of Conqueror keychains sitting in a foam box. Eiko noticed Hiroyuki wasn’t next to her. Eiko looked for him around the vendors. Eiko spots him examining closely at a figurine. Eiko asked, “What are you doing?” Hiroyuki said, “Just checking the quality of the figurine.” Eiko asked, “Are you thinking of buying it?” Hiroyuki said, “Nah, I am just browsing.” Eiko’s stomach suddenly growled. Hiroyuki smirked and said in a teasing tone, “Looks like someone is hungry.” Eiko pouted and whined, “I can’t help it. It’s been hours since I last ate food!” Hiroyuki asked, “Shall we get some lunch?” Eiko said, “If you don’t mind.” Hiroyuki grasped her hand and said, “I don’t mind at all. I heard there’s an indoor cafe on the second floor of this building. Want to go there?” Eiko bobbed her head.

 

They went up an escalator to reach the indoor cafe. The cafe had a spring theme. There were flowers decorating the chairs and tables. A few people were drinking coffee and eating desserts at the table. Hiroyuki and Eiko looked up at a mint green menu displayed on a television screen. Hiroyuki asked, “What do you want?” Eiko said, “Hm.. I think I’m going to get the crab croquette bun and the fruit tart. And for the drink, a lemon iced tea. How about you?” Hiroyuki said, “I will probably get the ham and cheese sandwich and iced coffee.” Eiko said, “Alright, let’s order.” Hiroyuki said, “I can order for us. You can save us a seat.” Eiko took out her wallet and gave Hiroyuki a $20 bill. Hiroyuki said, “I can’t accept this.” Eiko said in a confused tone, “Why not? It’s for my meal.” Hiroyuki said in a kind tone, “I know nobody won in the game but I want to treat you to lunch. Would you allow me to?” Eiko said, “Alright because this is our first date. I will let you but next time I will treat you!” Hiroyuki laughed and said, “Sounds fair.”

Eiko went to sit down at a table with three chairs. Eiko took the phone out of her purse. Eiko sent some of the pictures of the game convention to Rie. Rie messaged her, “Are you having fun on your first date with Hiroyuki?” Eiko replied, “Yes so far, it’s been great!” Rie said, “Ohh this game convention looks sick!” Eiko said, “I definitely recommend that you take Itsuki here some time.” Rie replied, “I know it’s good when you say it’s good!” A male voice suddenly called out to her, “Excuse me but is this seat taken?” Eiko looks up from her phone and notices a young man with short hair talking to her. His hand is placed on one of the empty seats. Eiko said, “Ah you can take that seat. Nobody is sitting there.” The man immediately sits down on the chair. 

Eiko became puzzled why the man did that. Eiko said calmly, “Um when I said the seat wasn’t taken, I meant you can take the chair?” The young man scoffs, “Is there something wrong with me sitting here with you?” Eiko said, “I am waiting on someone. That’s why I can’t have you sit here.” The man slammed his hand on the table and cried out, “That’s what all the girls say! You just don’t want me to sit here because you think I’m ugly. If I was a handsome guy, you wouldn’t dare say no!” Eiko clenched her right fist and sighed. Eiko thought in her head, “Oh boy, he’s one of those annoying types. I got to remain calm. I can’t be seen beating him up in public” Eiko took a deep breath and said, “If you don’t believe me, I can just point to the person I am with.” The man said, “Show me then.” Eiko pointed to Hiroyuki paying the cashier. The man snorted and said, “Of course it’s some good looking guy. Why am I not surprised? All you girls are the same.” 

Eiko clenched both her hands under the table. Eiko said, “Now that you know, why don’t you just leave me alone?” The man gritted his teeth and screamed, “No! I won’t leave because you told me to. I will leave on my own accord. I’m going to wait till your boyfriend gets here and tell him how you lead me on.” Eiko’s right eye twitched and said in an irritated tone, “If you don’t get up from that seat now, I’m going to have to take drastic measures.” The man laughed and said in a mocking tone, “What drastic measures? You can’t do anything to me.” Hiroyuki suddenly slammed down a metal food tray in front of the man. Hiroyuki said, “She doesn’t need to take drastic measures for someone like you. I can do it for her.” Eiko immediately felt relieved that Hiroyuki was here. The man groaned, “I should tell you that your girlfriend led me on.” 

Hiroyuki asked, “Really in what way?” The man said, “She didn’t directly say that you were her boyfriend till I started to flirt with her.” Hiroyuki smiled and said, “First time I am hearing this because from what I saw, you were completely harassing her. And I think everyone in the cafe can agree that you’re being a complete nuisance.” Everyone in the cafe was whispering among themselves and pointing at him. The man started to sweat and got up from his seat. He ran off and screamed, “Your girlfriend isn’t that pretty anyways.” Eiko said, “Finally he left. If one more stupid thing was going to come out of his dumbass mouth, I was going to sock him.” Hiroyuki sat down and said, “Yeah, I don’t blame you for feeling like that. Those types of guys don’t know when to call it quits.” Eiko said, “Thank you for driving him away for me.” Hiroyuki said, “No problem, it’s the duty of a boyfriend to protect his girlfriend.” Eiko chuckled and said, “I didn’t think I would ever hear such a cheesy line come out of your mouth.” Hiroyuki whined, “Well I thought it was a cool line to say.” Eiko grinned and said, “It’s cheesy and cool. I like it.” 

Hiroyuki’s heart skipped a beat and took a sip of his iced coffee. Eiko said, “Now we can finally eat.” Eiko took a big bite of her crab croquette bun. It was crunchy and savory. Eiko’s spirits were immediately lifted by the delicious food. Hiroyuki thought, “She’s always the happiest when she’s eating something good.” Hiroyuki took out his phone to check the time. It was 12:40. Hiroyuki said, “We got a good twenty minutes before the panel starts. We can take our time eating.” Eiko gave a thumbs up. After eating, they headed into the panel. The panel was in an enormous conference room filled with many seats. There was a wooden elevated stage. The stage had desks with microphones and seats. There was a white projector screen behind the desks. Those seats were instantly filled up. People were swarming all over the room and looking for any empty seats. Hiroyuki and Eiko sat in the middle row. Eiko raised her arms up in excitement. She whispered, “Finally it’s time for the thing I was looking forward to most!” Hiroyuki whispered back, “Me too!” 

A staff member got on stage and introduced the creator of Conqueror on stage. The creator made a speech about thanking everyone for coming. The staff member signaled for the voice actors to get on stage. The voice actors sat down at the table. They each introduced themselves and what role they played in the game. The creator held a remote in his hand. He presented the new sneak peeks of the game like new outfits for avatars, and another area being added to the game. He played a new music theme added to the game. The staff member asked if the crowd had any question for the creator or the voice actors. Eiko and Hiroyuki both raised their hands but they were never called on. The panel quickly ended. They left the conference room. Eiko said a bit sad, “Man it sucked that we couldn’t get to answer a single question.” Hiroyuki said, “Yeah but it can’t be helped due to how many people had questions.” Eiko asked, “Who were you going to ask? And what were you going to ask?” Hiroyuki said, “I wanted to ask the creator of Conqueror about why he created the game?” Eiko said, “Ohh that’s a good question.” Hiroyuki asked, “And you?” Eiko said, “I was going to also ask the creator too. I was curious if he plans on adding any new classes to the game?” Hiroyuki said, “Oh it’s been a while since conqueror introduced a new class to the game.” Eiko said, “Yeah exactly and if he did, I might consider making another account to play a new class!” Hiroyuki said, “I think I would do the same thing too. It seems fun!” Eiko grinned.

Eiko stretched her arms out and asked, “Is there anything else to look at?” Hiroyuki shook his head and said, “I think that’s all they have today.” Eiko said, “Really? I kinda expected there to be more.” Hiroyuki said, “Yeah me too but I still enjoyed it.” Eiko held Hiroyuki’s hand and said, “Same here. For my first experience at a game convention and date, I rate it 10/10!” Hiroyuki firmly grasped her hand and asked, “Shall we head back home?” Eiko said, “Yeah, I am beginning to feel a bit tired.”

Author's Note

ignore grammar problems, please tell me what you think of it? I hope you enjoy chapter 41 and thank you for waiting patiently for each chapter! I would also like to shoutout to my friends who help me edit all my chapters! I created a discord group that I can give you updates when a new chapter comes out. Here's the link to my group: https://discord.gg/vyQrfME

Reviews

[jennifer little]

great story i enjoyed reading it keep up the good work