144 - Outdoors trip 2

*

Their group of 6 came about because they were playing the same game, just about the thing that high-school boys like to start a trend about and bond over. Aloysius while average looking, had an amicable relationship with everyone and scored extra points with those who wanted chefs for a husband. At the very least, he was the guy that stood out the most despite his plain charms.

Terrin was tall and lean, his short brown hair formed neat tuffs that give off a well groomed look. While Aloysius was the person who starts the trendy game, Terrin was the type to follow up to support his friends. He much prefers playing actual sports or reading story driven games related to sports, though being a long time friend of aloysius he likes to support his endeavours.

Despite having a mischievous streak, Calamine was the most studious in the group. His personality heavily contrasted with his grades which would portray a bookworm. When goes home it's a dichotomy of studying or grinding an RPG, some theories that his pranks were just a release from all the studying. Anyone could spot the class no. 1 in tests with his thick brown hair.

The last of the four was named Tinesel. Like Calamine, he didn't like to go outside much, though his grades stood out in a different way. He played any manner of games and preferred to follow the releases of game companies, looking down on other's choice of games or entertainment. He had unkempt black hair and supposedly the most skill, when the others needed tips they would go to him. Though sometimes Aloysius would feel guilty taking aways his time to study, his atrocious academics are a product of his own making.

After parting ways at the station, Lastia's group happened to run into them again. It was in one of the most popular stores in the commercial zone, boasting merchandise from any brand or IP. Due to Lastia's circumstances, she wasn't into any particular franchise or product. She continued to gaze at the figures in wonder, accidentally ignoring the other group. Though she wasn't really in the wrong, there wasn't any need to interact just because you met in public.

Her gaze vaguely lingered on two unfamiliar boys within the group, increasing the count up to 6. Eichiro and Jianmi were both blond, their academics were average and they blended into the background without difficulty. Eichiro was into mobile games while Jianmi liked to support small studios and indie game developers. He has also followed success cases of indie studios growing large and popular, appreciating the growth in quality and depth of their games.

A particular genre that was booming in the indie scene was horror, due to the way it captivated both adults and children with ambiguous story telling that didn't give away too much details. Filling in the gaps of what atrocities went down in these stories seemed to have the most effect in retaining player bases.

A few of the guys stared awkwardly before looking away. None of the three in Lastia's group were bad looking, Calamine in particular wasn't comfortable with casual interaction outside his group. Though he still had it better than Tinsel who couldn't maintain eye contact. They were about to move on, when the lights abruptly cut out. Yggdrasil could see in the dark, after all it used generic magic to scan for information all the time, even before it possessed Lastia. There was nothing nearby... she couldn't see or sense any magic signals, was the perpetrator of this event using super long ranged magic?

Or more realistically, it might just be a normal black out. If she thought too much about every little thing, it'll eventually be noticed and her cover will be blown... Well, her cover was already blown in regards to Arin... But that doesn't count. Arin... Might be the person behind the curse. The constant mystery behind Lastia's curse was the lack of information from before the curse started and the early stages of her navigating the curse.

Consistently... Arin had always been with her, and she didn't bother to deny it. She was a strong contender for the role of perpetrator.

"H-hey! Is everyone okay? There are tall shelves around here, full of goods.

Don't make erratic movements that might knock into one and have the goods on top toppeling onto you!" (Terrin)

"O-ouch!?" (Arin)

Follow the clear but gruff voice alerting us to the danger, a higher pitched cry pierced through the silence like a wind chime, along with the clattering of metallic shelves. Lastia wrapped her left arm around Arin and pulled her closer towards the centre of the aisle, where they were less likely to get hit.

"...!?" (Arin)

"Careful there, you were just close enough for me to find you. It's a little dangerous, could you stick close to me?" (Lastia)

Due to the deft silence, everyone was able to hear every syllable of her concern conveyed elegantly in the darkness. There was no lack of blushing cheeks here with how smooth she came about. The person in question was actually worried about Arin's wellbeing. Despite being a strong suspect, she was still Lastia's long time friend and nothing would change that. Even if she was guilty...

Lastia had faith that Arin wouldn't have malicious intentions. It was exceedingly difficult, but Yggdrasil wanted to build that same meaningful trust. If forced to explain... Perhaps she envied that pure faith and friendship the less than 1 day old Lastia extended to Arin... If she envied it, did she want to be Lastia or Arin in that situation? It was too troublesome to think about in this situation, nevertheless it stood out to herself that she had some desires... She was thinking like a person. This show of growth... It was for something so trivial... Yet it was cute and endearing to herself.

"A-alright... But promise me you won't get hurt as well. I think that's as terrible... Maybe worse than anything happening to me." (Arin)

Was she always this meek? Whatever, it was cute. There's no need to think any further than that. Yggdrasil could observe the surroundings in pitch darkness, she had been using magic to simulate sight after all, ever since she's been possessing this corpse. That simulation will accordingly emulate the darkness and proper lack of light in the area, but she could still see the location of every object in the vicinity with a roughly white outline, only visible to herself.

Carefully, she decided on her next course of action.