That was a hell of an experience for Hitori. Every time he tried to make them listen to him, they would either disrespect him, insult him, or make fun of him and roam around the dorms.
Hitori knew he had to finish this as soon as possible. He showed the bulky bully his room, then pushed him in and locked the door. He did the same with two more till the other students got scared and followed him as he showed them their rooms.
"Your luggage will arrive in your rooms magically. I hope you maintain the discipline and stay happy, enjoy your years learning magic. And… do not get into trouble. Punishments here are insane."
They gulped.
"I hope you will be able to find your way back to the cafeteria. Lunch will start sharp at eleven thirty. Make sure you are on time." Then Hitori turned and waved to them. "See ya."
The students exchanged glances. "Hell. Take those three out first!"
And they rushed to the locked rooms and opened the doors. "Where is he?!" the bully asked as he jumped out.
"He left."
"That sucker! I will get back at him." He glanced around, his eyes fell on the dark nerd in the corner. His anger faded.
The nerd looked eyes with the bully, then gave him a nod. Bully nodded in return.
Hitori had four choices after he was done with the punishment. Go home and read. Take lunch or go to the Vr-cade in the school. Or the Vr-cade where Eya works– owns.
"I guess I should pay her a visit," Hitori said to himself. He had not seen Eya since the funeral, what was up with her? He wanted to check on her even when she had a reliable brother to look after.
So Hitori left the academy, he was done with today's punishment and took a wagon to the nearest stop near the Vr-cade. He had to walk rest of the way to the Vr-cade.
He put his hand in the pocket and found the cold metal card. "What am I even doing?"
He had the card, but the territory. He had the game, but no one to play with. He had the talent and passion, but not the will to step into the wilderness and face predators like Onogi.
"Guess I will do what I always do," he muttered and opened the Vr-cade's door. The fairy greeted him, but his eyes went to the counter.
Have you ever heard the sound of hopes crashing? This was the moment for Hitori to experience his hope crash. The one he was expecting on the counter was absent.
"Oh god…" He sighed and considered leaving the Vr-cade, but by that time, Kakashi was already staring at him.
"Are you going to come in or not? Why are you even anyway? Whatever happened to your home console?"
'This is why I do not like him.' Hitori kept quiet and walked to the counter.
"I will pay for the time I spent. I do not know for how long I am going to stay here." Hitori gave him his card. "No special service required."
"If you say so." Kakashi took the card and started checking it out. "Your usual seat," he said, handing the card to him.
Hitori went to the fourth alley and took the last seat in the aisle. He looked at the card he held in his hand. This had many bad memories in it. Once he inserts it in the slot on the table, it will bring all those memories to him. As if opening a box full of dark memories.
It had all started when his parents sent him the card. His parents… yeah, why did they send him a gaming card?
He lowered the card and dropped it in the slot. "I will ask that question later," he said.
The game loaded nad Hitori watched with his heart on the trigger. He was expecting many messages and comments about him and for the second time, he was scared to face them.
Just like it was when he first received messages from random people. Later he got used to the hate, but this was new. He felt the same he felt when it was his first time.
His avatar appeared on the screen. Then his eyes fell on the inbox. Over fifty messages only. They had decreased. Only fifty messages in a week? Hitori checked the messages.
He realized the hater had left him, they did not care about him anymore. But the players who watched his fight and loved his gameplay still wanted to see him online. Hitori could do nothing but ignore their requests.
His avatar, the same person in a bluish purple clock rotating on the screen. On the corner was the option to change its appearance. Hitori selected it. He changed to a black cloak and got a readymade avatar face from the store.
He was ready, so he transmigrated into the game. He appeared in the spawning hall once again. He turned and saw the broken fountain. He casually went to the fountain and took a seat.
He studied the people around him. No one recognized him, no one bothered to look at him. While he sat there, he had already spotted two to three Ryus.
He came here, not too frequently, but once or twice a week. He spent his time thinking about random shit. Sometimes, he would recall the memories and the time he spent with Kamiya.
While he was in his fantasy, he felt someone approaching him. He was staring into the space when he saw a man dressed in a blue suit walking toward him with a serious expression on his face.
Hitori checked his name, it was Leon. He could not guess who it was until the man stood in front of him and looked into his eyes.
"Can I help you?" Hitori asked, without getting up.
"Yes."
That voice. Hitori raised his eyes. A female in a male's avatar? The reverse used to happen all the time before.
Then the man opened his mouth and said something that left Hitori speechless. "Hitori-san…"
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