Chapter 8: From Otaku to... ¿?

"Hello, my good friend Leo."

"Hi, how are you, have you seen the new AlisVtuber video yet?"

"I'm fine, thanks. I haven't seen it yet, but tell me about it."

"You should see it! He broke his own record! It was an epic moment. After a long time, he charged an entire team and won the game!"

"You bet! She's great."

(Even if she's not the best player, her improvement is admirable. Is that how her fans will feel?)

"I think I'll watch it later. I'll let you know when I see it to talk more about her."

"Good! By the way, are you going back to the C room today?"

"Yes, do you want to join me?" asks Ethan.

"No, I don't feel comfortable with so many people watching."

"Your loss," says Ethan.

"Sure, though..."

Ethan frowns, not understanding. He checks Leo's stats:

Name: Leo Adrian

Age: 18

Thought: I wanted to go because there's a girl there that I really like. She's elegant and pretty in her own way....

"You really don't want to go? I can help you conquer some girl, otherwise I'm going."

(Although I've never had a girlfriend, I think I could make it if I read minds).

"I want to go."

"I mean, you want me to help you with a girl?"

"Yes. -I say No!"

"Sure?"

"Actually I..."

"Then let's go see who's the girl who stole my friend's heart."

Ethan and Leo exited the classroom, the bustle of the hallway engulfing them like a wave. Ethan, with a confident stride, led Leo, who seemed to shuffle, uncertainty etched on his face. They headed toward the west wing of the building, the sound of their footsteps echoing in the relative stillness of the corridor. As they reached the door to Hall C, they paused for a moment, peering through the glass at the crowd gathered inside. A mischievous smile tugged at Ethan's lips. With a subtle gesture, he gestured for Leo to follow him. They crept stealthily into a small storeroom adjoining the hall, the darkness enveloping them like a protective cloak. From the small window of the storeroom, they watched Salon C, invisible to those inside.

Ethan notices a girl sitting in the corner through the window.

"Is that her?"

(She has peculiar tastes.)

"Yes. She... she was just really good to me in elementary school, and we've even had lunch together many times."

"Well..."

Name: Leo Adrian

Favorability: 77 (High Friendship)

Age: 18

Sex: Male

Thought: It's sweet when I talk to her. We share so much in common... could she be my soul mate?

Ethan looks away; it's too much to read her private thoughts without permission.

System: I think it's bolder than someone I know.

(Silence) Ethan says to the system:

"Now that I know who she is, it's not good for us both to be hiding, I'm going to find out more about her and pass the information on to you, okay?"

Understanding, Leo gives a thumbs up.

A few hours later, Ethan was sitting in a chair. The information he had gathered about the girl indicated that he wanted to influence Leo to be more outgoing and not spend all his time playing games or reading manga, as he dislikes that. The system felt a small pang of regret: Poor kid, he won't be able to pursue his otaku life anymore. The idea caused him a pang of empathy: For me it would be torture. 

Ethan, however, thought differently: But for Leo, it's probably a good thing in the long run. It's a radical change, but a necessary one.

As Ethan talked to the system, he received.

While Ethan was talking to the system, he received a message on WeChat:

"How did it go?"

(Ethan pauses for a moment to sort out his words.)

And told him what I knew that night.

(He accepted what I said, and it was a little weird to say, but it seemed like he already knew. It's just my intuition.)

The next day:

"Hey, bro. Yesterday was fun, don't you think?" Ethan smiles.

Ethan looks at Leo's new look: the way he walks, his clothes, his hair done...he looks like someone else. The girl he likes stares at him.

"Hi, when he told me about you, I was surprised. But now that I see you, you're suitable."

"If you say it like that, I'll feel bad. Leo is a good friend, he's helped me a lot."

"Like this?"

"How about we sit down and talk?" says Lro to the two of them.

And so the day ended, with Leo raising his favorability towards Ethan to 88% (Deep Friendship).

- You earn two points (facepoint.) Want to use it to up your ability?