A Friendly Match

"Again?"

There he is. In the middle of a white room just like before. But now the walls are visible, making it a now finite place away from abyss. His standing on white floor, looking into a white wall, under the white ceiling.

"Well, it seems I died again, huh!?"

He looks on his surrounding. From right to left, up and down. The room seems empty and he's the only one in there.

...

"Yes! I got an ACE!", yelled by someone out of nowhere.

"Huh!?" Toby immediately alerted his senses in case something might happen again. "In case I will encounter that thing again," he said to himself after remembering the most creepiest thing he had seen.

"How do you like that, Cancers!?"

He quickly turned his sight to where that sound coming from. Upon laying his vision, he saw something he have never seen lately.

"H-hikaru!?"

A slight red-orange hair, wearing some black sweater and jeans, a PS5 controller on its hands while playing some familiar game. All while crossing his legs that signifies his attachment to the game.

"Oh, yooo! Toby. Long time, no see," said by the guy in front of 40 inch flat screen TV with PlayStation 5 gadget on hand that appeared out of nowhere.

"He's actually enjoying his time here, huh?", Toby said to himself after seeing Hikaru chilling out.

"How long have you been here?", Toby asked. "Quite a long time maybe. If not for this games, I would be hella dead here for thousand years," Hikaru said.

Toby noticed that Hikaru finally found his peace and doesn't want to suffer again in that world. "So you already know that you died, huh?"

"Me too, were surprised that things have been finished that easily. I still have more things to do, more things to experience, but life have finally caught me in the ass.

Toby is still standing while looking into Hikaru who were very immersed in the gameplay. "So you don't have any regrets, aren't you? I'm sure you're still hoping to be reincarnated again, right?"

Hikaru is rather seemed uninterested to what Toby is trying to do.

"Aren't you have worries on your sister the same with your girlfriend?", Toby added to persuade Hikaru.

"Hibiki-nee is a strong woman, I'm sure she can carry herself beyond the circumstances. Ever since our parents separated, she acts as my guardian and carried for my life. I'm might be selfish for my decisions, but there's nothing I can do because things have already happened."

"But..." "It's not like Sora would die if I'm gone. She would be griefing my death for months, perhaps years. But, she has life on her own. One day, she will find someone who will not leave her side, unlike me."

"Are you just gonna accept that?"

"That's how life is, Toby. We think we can control everything in this world. But, when you finally felt that your death would just be pathetic and you will be forgotten after so many years that will pass. We're just simple beings who were in God's mercy for all the time there on earth. We are nothing compared to the stars that we just take for granted. They witness the dawn and downfall of humanity yet will still be there for many long, billion years."

Toby were enlightened by the wisdom out of this world. "That's rich from you, Hikaru. Who would expect that someone like you would utter those wise words. You really have changed, huh?"

Hikaru felt proud from what Toby have said, "That's what would you get when you spend countless hours doing nothing." Hikaru is still tapping and fidgetting in the controller.

"Do you have any regrets while you're still here?", Toby asked again. "Well, that's... Ah! Probably I forgot to delete my browsing history in my PC."

"What the hell!?" "Haha! That's what I really worried about."

Toby starts to get pissed on Hikaru's cynism. "Oh! While you're here, would you like to play some video games?", Hikaru asked to encourage Toby to hang a while.

"He's got pretty lonely in here, I think. I finally found Hikaru and were able to talk to him, but I think there's nothing to change his mind. I'm sure he's yearning for some PVP or multiplayer gaming. It's been a while since we played together."

Toby accepts his request and he sitted down in crossing legs position. "They even have Call Of Duty in here!?"

Toby were surprised after finding that they're playing a familiar game. "Mwuahaha! It's been that I've been here that I made 8 accounts to reach Legend Rank. Mwuahhaha!", Hikaru is proud of himself.

"Actually, ever since you left, the game have introduced many new skins and camo right after your death," Toby said.

"What the f*ck! Why haven't they release that before I die!? Come on Toby let's got back to the world and put on some grind!", Hikaru jokingly said as if he regrets dying.

"Come on man, I thought you have no regrets?" "Haha! I think get loose of myself. Actually, I'm fine in here. There's so much games to play in here that would take me years to complete."

Toby got relieved to what he have said. But, he's still wondering how this gadgets have been brought here, "By the way Hikaru, how can you play online games in here even though there's nothing like internet connection here, man."

"Oh. About that... I also don't know." "Huh?"

"Probably, this is what they call heaven after you die."

"This seems nothing like the heaven I imagined. I thought there would be floating pillars or something and angels and stuff." "I don't know about that but I think I could consider this heaven for me."

There mark in his face a slight confusion, Toby's expectations were not kinda met.

"You know what, Toby, it seems that God have finally given some rest that he letted me enjoy things that I cannot enjoy when I'm still living."

Yet, despite of quite disappointments, Toby mark in his face a smile, thinking that his friend finally found peace with the eternal being.

They went on to play some few normal games and few rank games until they get enough of playing the same game. Hikaru stood up from his place. "Huh?", Toby wondered what he's going to do. Hikaru reached his hands out to a box that

resembles as an organizer for game tapes.

"Hey, Toby. Wanna play some Street Fighter game?", he asked while holding out a disk for a familiar game. "Oh! It's been a long time isn't it?"

"I can still remember Yamato's face after I defeated him ten times in a row and taking 5000 yen away from him. Haha! That sure take back some memories," Hikaru said.

They sitted down and launched the game to get started that supposed to be their last play.

"By the way Hikaru, did you know that after you died, you become something like of giant dark creature with six limbs," Toby sad to describe what he have seen.

"What the hell!? How could my handsome face turned something like that!? I hope I have some mirror to fix my face."

"So do you already know about that?"

"Hmm, things have been complicated lately. So maybe things like that might likely happen, Huh?"

Toby understands his situation and wailing. He's still confused on what really happened.

"By the way Toby, you seem lucky aren't you?", Hikaru added.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean, you have some cute girl with you since you came to rooftop, huh. Did you finally decided to have some new Romance era?" "Oh. Amamiya? No way in hell!"

"Hmm, why though? Is she from another school or something?" "Apparently, she transferred to our school yesterday but it turns out she turned something of School Madonna or somewhat like that."

Hikaru gives an interest in his story, "Oh, then lucky for you to have her with you, huh." "Nah! Because of her, my life turned a mess. But thanks for her I manage to find you and here we are."

"Aren't you interested on her?", Hikaru asked. "There's nothing in her that I can trust but I maybe I should give her some credit." "So it seems like that, huh. Aren't you glad to have her? It's been 3 years since Mio came thoug-"

Toby cut him off while he's talking something regarding Toby's background.

"Maybe, we shouldn't talk about that right now, Hikaru." Hikaru caught a gist of what he is talking to, it looks like something did happened to Toby 3 years ago.

They stop talking for moments and letted their gameplay say something about their experience.

*tick *tick

"Huh!? What the-", Toby said after noticing something like a ticking of a clock.

"Yea, I think you've already spent too much time here, huh. It's time for you to go back to the real world now."

"What do you mean by that? Aren't I already died after that fall?"

"Sadly for you, it's not game over for you yet. You still have something to fulfill first." "No! B-but..."

Hikaru hold on his controller in front of Toby and challenged him for the last time.

"Last time, my friend."

Toby is not ready for this, there's still more he want to talk with Hikaru, but...

"Gladly, buddy...", his reply.

They played Super Mario Cart for the last time. And this time, it's a win for Toby.

Toby stood up after winning the game, ready to say his final farewell to his friend. Hikaru then followed also, standing up from crouching position.

"By the way Hikaru, what am I gonna suppose to do to Mr. Kou. He's the one who killed you, so maybe accusing him might be the right choice."

"Actually... I don't really care what happens to him after that, but... We're just humans. Maybe it's for you all to accept my passing, but it's not like Mr. Kou doesn't deserve any repentance or forgiveness at all."

"So what do you want for me to do go him?"

"Just take it easy for him."

Toby nods after realizing what Hikaru really mean about.

"It's a farewell then, Toby."

"Yeah, I supposed things were gonna end like this after all."

"See you next life, my friend."

"I'll be sure to find you after that, buddy."

They hold up their fist and bump it with each other, marking their farewell.

...

"Uh..." He slowly opens his eyes. He's been sleeping for a long while.

"Familiar ceiling, huh?"

He wakes up in a comfort of home while his fist clinch, pointing above.