Kei & Ta

The Mean Spirits let out a nasty laughter. They still floated near the ceiling, enjoying Jake's suffering, and surrounded him. There were too many to make use of his future sight."We'll make this real slow." A level 4 monster flew closer. Jake slashed his knife but couldn't hold it anymore, and the blade landed on the ground with a loud clatter.He saw the world's end one too many times, but this was the most pain he felt so far. Taking at least one with him was a distant dream. He didn't have the strength to retrieve his weapon.[Achievement: Going Down Like A Real ManYou took on a fight you couldn't win yet didn't run away. Did you want a reward for that? What an idiotic way to die. And in the first Virtual Barrier, you ever entered too. What am I supposed to do with you? Next time take a better look at your opponents.Reward: Your Appraisal Skill bonus will always be one level higher.]This achievement sounded almost as bad as the Mean Spirits. Well, dying to low-level mobs was lame for sure. He should've taken the hint when the other two decided to stay outside.Well, not even his future sight could warn him of this fate. He managed the first wave after all.The reward was crazy good though. It would mean his Appraisal was already at the Legendary level. Jake thought it was a waste as the ghosts decided to dive down on him.Although the interface was blurry, he could see all their stats now.[Mean Spirit (Regular Ghost, Level 3) Hostile. HP: 8/8 FP: N/AInit: 25 Atk: 35 Def: 50 Dmg: D6 (Cold, Mental, Emotional) Speed: 50 feet/s.]"Wow, they're weak as hell." He groaned. Well, they still got him. The only thing going for them was their speed. Their charge even bounced off the force field around him like rubber balls.Hold on.With rapid blinks, he watched the scene repeat in his right eye five seconds later.The ghosts sped up, only to bash against a transparent blue field a yard away.With his last strength, he turned his head to find a familiar name.[Kei Sonokawa. (Human Shieldmage, Level 22, Age: 18) Student Council President. Vice Leader of the Shield Order of Enfield Holy Knights (SOEHK).]Well, that was a mouthful. He also got a glimpse into her stats, but they almost fried his brain. He wished the skill would only say 'Don't even think about messing with her' instead.Now he also understood why her class was Shieldmage and not ice-related. It didn't matter how many, or how hard the ghosts tried, they couldn't touch him anymore.Her cold stare was enough to cause him emotional damage though.The oriental beauty pointed her steel staff at him to keep up the barrier. Then with a bright flash, every spirit disappeared.Thank everything holy it wasn't the same light he saw in his dreams. The building didn't collapse either.He let his head fall to the floor, and a dark-skinned third-year rushed over him. His hands glowed green.[Vihaan Jain. (Human Support Mage Level 6, Age: 18) Student Council. Healer of SOEHK.]"He has hypothermia, and I bet some emotional trauma too." The south-Asian healer assessed the situation. His hands radiated warmth. "Can you get the painkiller from my backpack?""There is only vodka in here," Sonokawa noted, her voice chilling."It's perfect for the job, President." Vihaan wobbled his head side-to-side. Jake couldn't keep his eyes open but imagined her glare. She shoved the bottle into his mouth regardless."We will talk about this later, Mr. Jain," Sonokawa warned him as the cold liquid stung Jake's throat. It's not like he never tasted alcohol before, but this was the strongest he ever had.With every gulp, his lips twitched and he shook his head.He no longer felt cold, and the pain started to subside too."You're lucky the Sonokawas dealt with the boss monster so fast." The healer told him, pulling back his hands, and helping Jake sit up. Even while gulping the vodka, he caught the plural.By the time he was strong enough to push the bottle away, his head was spinning."Sonokawas? There is more than one?" He asked, trying to support himself."So you are Jake Jones. Didn't we meet yesterday? You were with That." She recalled the event, saying it more to herself than to him. "How did you get in here? It's a protected Virtual Space.""Huh? No idea. I was looking for you everywhere. They told me in the office you're here. Then I stepped through the fence, and Bam." Jake explained the best he could.It felt harder to speak straight by the second."So you've found me." The Ice Queen exchanged a glance with the healer before facing him again. "What did you want, Mr. Jones?""What?" Jake had to think long and hard about it. Why did he even come here? He wanted to go on a date with Rebecca. Instead, he almost died here, and now he was getting drunk.He wanted to tell Sonokawa something about that. Right. She was so scared, in his dream."Oh, please don't try killin' me nesst-time." Jake slurred."What do you mean?" It was the President's turn to act confused. "I wasn't hostile towards you, even after you lied to protect the Fire Witch."Right. He did that, using his bluff skill, and thought it worked. Nope."But, but then. Then! We started dating. Or we will. And you wanted to kill me because of that weird prophecy." Jake pointed a finger at her.Then he thought it might be disrespectful in Japan, and retracted his hand. He remembered how upset the girl was when Rebecca called her Kei-chan.Since then he always referred to her as Sonokawa, even in his thoughts."What prophecy?" She asked, but Jake's head spun at crazy speeds thanks to his future sight. He tried to gather his thoughts before the centrifugal force slingshot them out."In my dream. Something-something Explorer's Daughter wants to have unprotected sex with me in the school." It all made sense to him, but he only saw confusion in those dark eyes."He is talking about the Apocalyptic Prophecy." A new male voice joined, and looking up, he saw the taller, older, manlier version of Kei Sonokawa.Even the name was the same. Well, almost. His level scared him though.[Keita Sonokawa. (Human Dungeon Master, Level 29, Age: 23) Leader of SOEHK.]Dave told him that in Magicus Adeptus people above level 30 were literal gods.He was 29, and his class made no sense. The Dungeon Master was the role of the one running the game, not a player.Still, Jake couldn't help but voice his most imminent concern."S-Sonokawa-san, Sonokawa-san. Do you have a younger sibling whose name is only the letter K?" He giggled at the joke and fell back onto the ground. Vihaan snorted but the other two only furrowed their eyebrows.They looked so similar, that the President could have been a female clone of her older brother.The difference between them was even less than between the spelling of Kei and Keita.He couldn't help laughing at it, but his head hit the ground, and the world faded to black."So about your idea of painkillers, Mr. Jain."