Chapter 17
The teams were randomly chosen and I was with Reed, bzoomster, Juliamn, and Yvettel.
I entered with a pistol and for a few rounds due to not knowing good locations and positioning I was killed every single time. I was often lost in the map and just followed my teammates.
Reed and bzoomster were forced to carry us and it was almost essentially a 3v5.
For a while, we just played to have fun with no competitiveness.
I can't give the viewers the impression that I'm horrible at the game, though.
[Ding!]
[Skill 'Gaming' has leveled up!]
After a few rounds, I started racking up kills and my K/D was no longer in the zeros.
[Skill 'Gaming' has leveled up!]
I realized that you've got to have the crosshair more or less head height to get headshots more easily.
My aim and recoil control were decently balanced after the first game now.
[Skill 'Gaming' has leveled up!]
They began noticing the change and I wasn't an easy target anymore for them.
[Reed: "Yeah, go go Charlie!!"]
[bzoomster: "Charlie if you clutch this I will be your #1 fan."]
[Poodlefluff: "He's not clutching it. We're 5 and camping the bomb."]
[wipL: "If we lose I'll literally eat shit."]
[Yvette: "You literally just jinxed yourself."]
Going around the corner of the wall in the game, I headshot wipL once with the Vandal.
[wipL: "Shit. He's over there hiding behind the wall."]
I pop out one of Phoenix's flashbang ability and curve it over behind the wall.
They are momentarily flashed and I headshot one of them and damage another.
[blacklily: "wip I swear you just jinxed us."]
[Loafofbread: "We're still three, we got this."]
I use my signature move throw a fireball grenade towards their center.
I throw another flash and use my ult which brings me back to where I used my ult if I die or after 10 seconds. I run in and gun two of them down and slightly damage the last one.
[Rykun: "wip if we lose this I will gouge out your eyes."]
[Poodlefluff: "What do I do?! What do I do?!"]
[Loafofbread: "Agh just hide in a wall and camp the corner the bomb is going to explode anyways."]
[Redde: "SHOOT HER THROUGH THE WALL!!!!!]
I sprayed at the wall where she hid and at last, she died.
[Redde: "LETS GOOO!"]
[bzoomster: "YESS."]
[Juliamn: "Unbelievable."]
[Rykun: "Sigh. You guys remember when he was still around Yvette's level?"]
[Yvettel: "Shut upp you lost a 5v1."]
I end up defusing the bomb right before it explodes.
[Charlie: "I'm just getting into playing videogames but if I keep doing this I'll have white hairs by the time I'm twenty-five."]
I wipe some sweat. I can't believe I'd make fun of tryhards in the past and now I'm doing this.
[Ding!]
[Host has wowed an entire audience with his skill!
The system rewards the host with:
5 achievement points! (Highlight play!)
50 points! (Audience reaction!)
Total: 55 achievement points.]
[Host now has 253 achievement points!]
Damn 50 points. Just how many people are watching us?
Last time I checked I had 196 achievement points. I gained 10 more just from the time we've been playing.
The system did inform me someone uploaded a video of me playing the piano. Was it the cafeteria performance or the cafe performance?
Well, it doesn't matter as long as it's media exposure.
I'm pretty sure it's currently going viral due to the achievement points I'm getting.
I mentally thank whoever recorded my performance. I'll probably ask them to link my socials when I find the video and I'll be getting a little publicity and move on to bigger things.
[Rykun: "Just earlier I was giving you tips and now I'm being sonned."]
[Loafofbread: "Are you sure it's your first time playing?"]
We play a few games and I decide it's time to leave.
I thanked them for the great time I had with them and promptly left the call after hearing their goodbyes.
I stretch my arms and legs and for a while gaze at the afternoon sky.
It's a new life.
…
I get a cup of warm water and add some honey and lemon.
This will prepare my voice for the voice training I am about to do.
I take a sip of the mug and begin clearing my throat. Yawning supposedly helps open up your voice as well.
I loosen my mouth a little bit and begin singing a few scales.
Humming them after a while, my throat begins to strain. Well damn, even with the honey and warm water it wasn't enough.
I expected this since I'm suddenly speaking to people for hours and then singing.
I have to be gentler if I don't want to get injured and break my voice.
I take another sip of the mug and now begin to softly hum lullabies.
After a while, I feel hanging discomfort on my throat even after drinking from the honey water.
Usually, you're supposed to stop immediately when you feel discomfort but I have the great body passive which affects the entire body.
Letting my voice rest for a while, It's now 6:00 PM.
Time to go to the gym now. Thinking about the gym, my thoughts drift towards Natsumi.
Will she be there today as well?
I shake my head and mentally shrug.
…
I change into comfortable clothes and the same running shoes I wore yesterday for the gym.
After telling my sister I'd be back by dinnertime, I leave to the gym.
I begin jogging towards the gym while listening to music and quickly get there with rough breathing.
Ugh… I really don't feel like running today. My breathing feels a little too erratic and my body still hasn't completely rejuvenated from yesterday.
While panting, I quickly recover my breath and walk towards the equipment room.
I slap my cheeks and switch to some hype music. If my body isn't feeling it, then my mind will.
After lightly stretching my still sore muscles, I head towards the treadmill with a slight spring in my step.
I walk for a minute in the treadmill and tap the faster speed over to the side and run the fastest speed I can for six minutes.
I repeat the cycle once more with heavy panting. My body starts to feel heavier and heavier by each step but I feel motivation trailing from my ears into my body.
At the 28th minute which is just the end of my 4th cycle, I lower the speed drastically and walk for the rest of the two minutes.
Through each step, I feel my energy slightly recovering and the oxygen circulating through my system.
I clench my fists and notice that some veins are slightly noticeable now and inwardly pulsing.
I raise my hands to expand the capacity of my lungs and feel some slight pressure leave my lungs. Breathing a little more easily, I perform a few techniques to regain my breath all while walking.
Walking instead of being inactive while recovering is not only more beneficial but you recover even quicker.
I walk for more than the expected two minutes and extend the treadmill session 5 minutes more with just walking.
I sit on a bench for a minute while drinking water and move on to the push-ups.
Forcing strength on my arms, my still sore muscles from yesterday and the dodgeball earlier today struggle to push up.
Either I can keep forcing strength until I do the 40 push-ups and be extremely sore for the entire week, or do only 25 push-ups and not be as sore but with less progress.
Normally, you'd probably want to go with the 25 push-ups to avoid injury but, once again, great body passive will most likely null these overstrain injuries.
I finish up my second set of push-ups and stretch my arms.
I rest for 30 seconds and get back to the pushups.
…
By now, I've finished doing the last exercise in the routine which is crunches. I had a little less trouble with this since my abdomen wasn't too sore. Taking this into consideration, I made double the amount I did yesterday.
I got up with sweat bathing my clothes and some dripping from my long hair.
I'm going to have to cut this hair sooner or later, it's getting pretty annoying.
I slick my hair back and wipe some sweat out of my eyes.
I decide to run a little bit more and hop on the treadmill.
…
I get back home and once again Charlotte pops out from the door and opens the door for me.
"Hi, Charlie!"
I tap her nose which is red from just having showered.
"Hey, little rascal."
She raises her eyebrows. She lets me in and helps me close the door while I exhaustedly walk towards my room to shower.
"Did you have any problems with homework today?"
"Nope, it's hard for an honor student such as me to have trouble." She arrogantly says with playfulness in her voice.
"Yeah yeah whatever, let's see you struggle next time with the quadratic formula."
She lightly hits my shoulder.
I turn on the lights to my room and get into the shower.
Staring at myself in the mirror, my muscles are slightly more noticeable due to being swollen and my physique looks a little healthier than my beginning thin, emaciated look.
It would normally be impossible to have these same results in two days.
I finish up the cold shower and change into comfortable clothes.
Checking my phone, I receive a notification from the friend group I was just recently added to.
[Reed: shitshitshit i forgot to do the homework]
[Arlo: lol ur ded]
[Reed: do u have the english homework? pls tell me u do]
[Arlo: lol i havnt done it either]
[Reed: wtf y u laughing for then]
[Alex: lmao]
[Charlie: alright alright children heres the homework. you guys should learn from an honor student such as me] I state arrogantly, just as how Charlotte did.
[Charlie: 3 attachments]
[Reed: omg thx]
[Arlo: thx bro]
[Catherine: thx i havent done it either]
[Elle: smh yall r so irresponsible]
I turn off my phone and lay down on my bed staring out at the window.
…
My phone buzzes and I glance at it.
I received another notification but a private message from Natsumi.
[Natsumi: Heyyy.]
I pick up the phone and begin tapping with my thumbs.
[Charlie: heyyyyy]
[Charlie: how are you doing?]
The reply came after a few long seconds.
[Natsumi: Goooood, thank you. How are you?]
[Charlie: good thanks]
I waited for another message from her to know what she wanted but it didn't come.
Natsumi typing…
Oh okay.
[Natsumi: Did u go to the gym today?]
Oh, she wanted to ask about that?
[Charlie: yup]
[Charlie: i was there at 6pm]
[Charlie: were u there?]
[Natsumi: Lol no. I go to the gym mondays wednesdays and fridays.]
[Charlie: whattt you work out on fridays? fridays are to go pig out with your friends!!]
[Natsumi: haha i don't go out often outside of school]
[Author Note: From now on, there'll be way more, and longer interaction between Charlie and Natsumi to develop their relationship a little bit. If it seems a little boring, please just imagine these scenes like a romance movie. Romance is one of the genres of the story, after all. I'll try to balance these long interactions with a little faster plot development.]
[Charlie: oh rlly? how come?]
[Natsumi: dunno]
[Natsumi: i usually have things to do after school]
[Charlie: ohh do u have a part time job?]
[Natsumi: yah sort of]
A part-time job… I'm really itching to ask where she works. Agh, screw it.
[Charlie: what is it?]
[Natsumi: its a lil complicated]
Hmm, nothing.
[Charlie: oh okay]
[Charlie: im probably going to get a part-time job too]
---
Natsumi POV:
I sent him a message today. I looked at my phone for a few minutes before finally working up the courage to send him the message.
I usually never use my phone more than necessary but today's one of the first times I try to converse with someone with text instead of by call or in person.
It feels a little weird now that I think about it. We met on Monday, yesterday, and we're already gym buddies.
I laugh out loud at the thought.
Seeing him send his reply, I smile and tuck my hair behind my ear.
He doesn't use capitals or follow any grammatical rules when texting. People usually told me I'm too upright and sound so serious when I'm texting. Ah, that's why I call instead of texting.
It's a little endearing though... the way he types.
I too begin ignoring the grammatical rules to type faster in compensation for my slow and inexperienced thumbs.
I laugh out loud at one of his cheesy and corny jokes.
He's so weird.
As we text for hours into the night, I finish editing up the video and begin uploading it.
[Author Note: I hope you guys enjoyed reading the chapter! So far, I've been writing at least 500 extra words in mostly every chapter. I'm still trying to accommodate things between the characters and the space I'm going to use on character interaction. Once again, I thank you all for reading and have a great rest of your day! Song recommendations: ＦＯＲ ＹＯＵ - Gitti Suedi.
PS: We're at 69 total collections!!!! By the time I upload this, we'll be more but it's quite a big number when thinking about close to 70 people reading this adventure together with me.
Thank you all for going on this journey with me on finding myself ;). Writing and interacting with you guys has had some therapeutic effects on my soul. Please do not forget to leave comments, chatting with you guys is my current happiness.