Evening Game

The knight’s body broke and dissipated into shards of white, forming something akin to groups of prisms floating up into the bright skies. A window appeared in front of Ethan, showing him the rewards of his endeavor.

“Thank… you.”

Chione stood up and patted her back, sending twigs and leaves down onto the dirt. She looked to be in slight shock, but nothing too terrible.

“Are you alright?”

He asked, and she nodded.

“I’m fine. Thanks.”

“Alright.”

With nothing else to do, Ethan returned his high-level double-edge spear to his inventory and stepped away from Chione. He thought about asking why she was using the beginner sword in this forest in the first place, but he didn’t want to be involved, so he held his curiosity back and pushed himself forward.

“Wait!”

Chione jogged and caught up to him.

“Please teach me how to play!”

She said to him, bowing her head. Her words took Ethan by surprise, but he managed to keep his composure.

“No.”

He replied curtly, his tone cold.

“Why?”

“We don’t know each other.”

“Then we should just introduce ourselves. I’m Chione.”

She extended her hand toward him, indirectly confirming that she truly had no idea who was behind this avatar. He looked at that hand, looking exactly the same as Chione’s real hand. She really did use her body here in the digital world. He wondered if he should shake that hand. He wanted nothing to do with one of the popular students in his class. Any wrong move and it can throw his already terrible real life into jeopardy. To make matters worse, despite sitting right beside her, he knew so little about her.

Chione didn’t exactly speak a lot in class, either. She was known for her kindness and helpfulness, and would help anyone in need. But when it came to social interaction, she had her own close friends and social circle, but she didn’t exactly put herself out there. She wasn’t the loud type, or at least he didn’t think so.

He looked at her, wanting to reject her. But something about her being so serious about this, even when she outright told him that she wasn’t playing, tugged on his heartstrings, telling him that he should definitely accept. His brain told him that he shouldn’t, that he should stay as far from her as possible, but her heart asked him to do otherwise. She continuously held her arm up, not relenting even the slightest. He eventually let out a tired sigh.

“I’m going to teach you the basics, but after that, you’re on your own, kid.”

He turned around, adding that little remark to further extend the distance between them, while not bothering to shake her hand. He consciously put his hand into his pocket, wanting to show her that he wasn’t interested, while internally apologizing for his rudeness.

“Thank you very much.”

She replied and trotted toward him, placing herself right next to him. He was never a good teacher, he couldn’t even teach his sister the most basic mathematical equations. Unlike this girl standing beside him, he wasn’t particularly good at anything, so he never had someone come to him for lessons. He wondered if accepting this really was a good idea, and considering her popularity, she could easily ask if any of her admirers played the game. Surely, at least one of them played and was keen to help.

It reminded him once more of the fact that she outright denied participating in this game.

A twin sister?

He quickly threw the possibility out of the window. If she had a twin sister, it would explain the same body, but it wouldn’t explain the same name, unless her twin sister was using Chione’s name for some reason. She could easily change her name, though, so why? Was there some family drama in her life as well?

But if it really was her, the same Chione in high school, then why? Why would she hide the fact that she played? Gamer girls were not that uncommon. Was she embarrassed by her lack of skill? But it shouldn’t be her reason considering she had just completed the tutorial yesterday. So what? What was her reason? Ethan found himself really wanting to ask these questions, but if she denied something as simple as whether she played or not, there would be no way she answered something like this.

Or maybe, she would actually answer it now. Maybe, since she didn’t recognize the person standing beside her, she would be more willing to tell him some of her secrets. This person beside her wouldn’t be able to affect her real life, anyway.

But maybe she wouldn’t. This stranger may not know her in real life, but since she used her real name, she should know that this stranger could look her up. Ethan’s mind entered a dead end, unable to answer the various questions thrown around his head.

“Is something wrong?”

Chione asked. She probably noticed the silence Ethan gave her, or maybe she saw Ethan nearly tripping on a branch just two seconds earlier.

“Why are you playing?”

Worst case scenario, she would be weirded out by the question and distanced herself, meaning he wouldn’t need to teach her anything. Their relationship would end there and then.

“... To have fun.”

That’s a lie.

That’s probably a lie.

The way her face wavered for a split second upon hearing the question, similar to how she acted back in school, told him all he needed to know. He couldn’t prove that she lied, of course, but he was sure that she hid something behind that face of hers. If she really did come here to have fun, she wouldn’t be hiding about it in school.

The fact that someone else was playing as her was still possible, of course, and that would also explain the sudden waver in their expression, but the sheer similarity of her avatar with her real-world body made it quite unlikely.

“Alright.”

Ethan decided against pushing it any further. He continued walking down the path, heading back for the town. He pulled out his menu and checked the time. Half an hour had passed since he first entered the forest. He spent more time on the roads between the guild and the forest than the actual forest itself, and now he would probably spend even more time thanks to Chione’s slower movements. It irritated him a bit, and he kept himself in front of her, hiding his emotions from her observant eyes.

“Where are we going?”

She asked from behind him. She tried to catch up, but now that they left the forest itself and were traveling through the dirt road connecting the forest and Adastra, the surface allowed Ethan to maintain a constant distance in front of her.

“The weapons shop.”

She wasn’t supposed to be entering the Southern Forest with that kind of equipment. Had she been a normal beginner, it wouldn’t be too weird. Ethan would probably pass it off as an accident, but there was something that told him that this wasn’t a mistake. He couldn’t really point out what, but he had a feeling that she knew what she was doing, to some extent. Unlike him, who simply existed here to escape the real world, she had some firm, strong goal in her mind.

“You think I should get a double-edge spear like yours?”

“Bad idea.”

The double-edged spear could be considered an uncommon weapon. It suited Ethan’s agility-based build which required a lot of hit and runs, but for beginners like Chione, it would be better if she started with a more common weapon first, something easier to learn, like a normal spear, for example.

“What’s your playstyle?”

“Play… style?”

“What games did you play before this?”

“None.”

This is bad…

He thinks back to the time he first played, when he first completed the tutorial. The tutorial allowed the players to try a variation of weapons, especially considering that each region had its own unique rules regarding equipment, it allowed players to see which playstyle fit them most. He recalled the various types of weapons that the game offered as starting options. If he wasn’t mistaken, Chione’s sword was the one first shown to new players, so she probably didn’t even know she had an option.

“Fight from afar or from up close?”

“I don’t mind either.”

“Large damage with a single swing or smaller damage with multiple strikes?”

“I’m fine with both.”

“Stabbing or slicing?”

“Either would be alright.”

“You’re not helping.”

Ethan said, irritated. She looked as if she couldn’t care less about what she used. If that was the case, he had doubts about whether or not she actually came here to have fun.

“Are you sure you want to be a fighter?”

Like most multiplayer RPGs, Aldhia had multiple jobs to choose from. Blacksmith, merchant, and even a miner. Some jobs were region locked, while others required players to travel between regions to complete.

But Chione nodded to his question.

“Yes.”

She answered firmly.

“Why?”

She didn’t have the slightest idea of what kind of player she was and she didn’t play any games before, yet she was insistent on being a fighter. This seemed to be stretching the ‘have fun’ excuse a bit far. He couldn’t fully rule the possibility out just yet, but he naturally had some doubts.

“To have fun.”

She repeated her words, her voice serious. She didn’t waver this time, as if already prepared for Ethan’s unvoiced question.

Well, if you say so.

Ethan led her to the town’s weapon shop. Some player blacksmiths had their own weapon shops with high-level weapons, but she didn’t need those, yet. Ethan decided that for her to find her playstyle, he should let her try the various types of weapons the game had, but this time, he would watch her himself. With that in mind, a simple, low-level basic beginner weapon from an NPC shop would be alright.

They eventually passed through the south gate. The two went to the carriage point and took a carriage ride to the center of the town. They got off near the tower. Ethan waited for another carriage that would take them east, while Chione looked up at the structure climbing high into the sky, its top not visible. The white structure looked clean, but this region didn’t have or allow the technology or magic required to clean something that tall.

A group of players stood not far from them, on the tower’s foot, gazing into the gate wide open before them. They formed a huddle and cheered before disappearing inside. To this day, not a single player had ever reached the top. Chione stared into its top for a while, her eyes fixed on the topmost point.

Ethan wondered if she knew about the legend, or if this tower got anything to do with the reason she played in the first place. She would probably deny it if he asked, however, so he remained silent. A carriage arrived at their stop, and it took them both to their destination. Ethan sat at the rearmost, Chione sitting right next to him. They remained silent for their entire trip, neither side saying a word.

After two stops, Ethan got off and Chione silently followed. He walked for another hundred meters before stopping in front of a two-story building, its exterior painted light brown with dark brown beams supporting the structure. Above the dark gray door was a wooden plank with a sword carved on it. Ethan pushed the door open and entered.

“Welcome. What yer lookin for?”

A buff, old lady stood behind the counter. Chione let out a slight gasp after she saw the lady while Ethan headed for the counter.

“We need some weapons.”

A window appeared in front of Ethan’s screen. He filtered them based on their level, setting them to the ones considered beginner weapons. A large variation of them appeared on the screen. Ethan scrolled through the list, selecting one each from the most common categories like swords and spears, hammers, bows, and axes. The variation of new, still-shining weapons went into his inventory. They were all made from wood, some had metal on their tips to increase their power. He then turned back to Chione.

He opened a virtual mousepad and tapped on the part of the screen where Chione stood behind. It was a substitute for talking directly with someone, or a backup in case that system failed. He brought his finger above the ‘add friend’ button and tapped on it.

“Add friend.”

“Alright.”

She received the friend request and tapped on the empty air where her screen supposedly was. A notification showed that the friend request had been accepted.

“Yer going to do that little, magic thing in my store?”

“Shut up, granny.”

Ethan froze for a moment. He didn’t expect Chione, out of all people, to be saying that. If this was real life, she would probably apologize and pull him out. She then brought her gaze to the still-frozen Ethan.

“What is it?”

Her question, coupled with her rather cold and uncaring tone, slammed reality back into Ethan’s brain like a hammer shattering ice. Instead of addressing her, however, he looked back to the old lady.

“I’m sorry.”

The old lady snorted and leaned back on her chair. He then walked straight out of the shop, heading back onto the streets.

“What was that for?”

Chione asked after they left.

“That’s my question.”

“She’s an NPC, isn’t she?”

“Yes, she is. That doesn’t mean you can act like that, especially not when this game has a mix of both NPCs and players. Say the wrong thing to the wrong person and you’re done for.”

“But you’re not particularly nice, either.”

“It’s not like I’m outright insulting them.”

Chione let out an irritated sigh but didn’t say anything else. Ethan glanced at her.

“Just because I agreed to help you now, doesn’t mean I can’t just leave you here.”

Not that you need me anyway.

“Fine, I’m sorry. I won’t do that again.”

“You’re afraid of being abandoned?”

“Yes.”

What is wrong with her?

Ethan thought as he moved his hand across his player window. He selected the trade option, which brought up a different window. A similar window appeared in front of Chione’s face, albeit it being not visible to Ethan. Ethan brought the new weapons he just bought to the trade offer.

“Just accept.”

He glanced at her as her hands slid through the empty air. She probably selected ‘agree’ to the trade offer, and the weapons disappeared from his inventory. The way she moved, her voice, everything looked weirdly similar to the Chione in school, but at the same time very different. Was this the ‘real’ Chione, with the one in school being no more than a facade? But didn’t she know that people could recognize her from her face and name, things that she didn’t change the slightest?

Now that Ethan thought about it, they still haven’t properly introduced themselves. She didn’t need to introduce herself, of course, but the same couldn’t be said to him. She probably noticed his name from when they added each other as friends, but she didn’t even ask about it. He checked the clock as he waited for her to examine the new weapons she had received. It wouldn’t be long before he needed to turn in for the night. He watched as people came and went, walking through the streets, both NPC and player alike. Nothing differentiates between an NPC and a player, so if she continued acting that way, she might find herself in an unfavorable position.

“What does an NPC have anything to do with you acting rude?”

He voiced his question, which for Chione came completely out of nowhere. Chione didn’t immediately reply and seemed to ponder the question for a while. From her hand motion, Ethan could tell that she closed her window. She leaned to the wall behind her and moved her hand to her chin.

“I just want to try acting like that.”

Her voice seemed to switch back to her ‘normal’ self. FireRock, Ethan’s in-game avatar, who just met her now and only knew this side of Chione, wouldn’t be able to tell what she meant, so he acted that way.

“What do you mean?”

He asked, despite knowing well what exactly she meant. He often found himself being in her position, when he just wanted to abandon every expectation and responsibility holding him down and just let out a loud scream. Loud, piercing, violent words. He wanted to be like that sometimes, but he couldn’t do it.

“What you just saw isn’t the real me.”

“Then who’s the real you?”

Is it really not the real you? Is that prim and proper Chione in school the ‘real’ you?

“I usually act much better.”

She pulled herself away from the wall.

“So, what’s next?”

She asked, her hands behind her back.

“Go to the Northern Dungeon and try out the weapons. I’m heading back.”

“Why? Did I offend you?”

“I need to go to bed.”

Ethan turned around, heading back to the carriage stop point.

“Meet me tomorrow in the guild, at seven-”

Ethan stopped for a moment. Both of them lived in the same time zone, so saying seven at night shouldn’t be a problem, but he wanted to hide that part. He wanted to be as much of a stranger as possible, being a completely different person from Ethan in school. If possible, he didn’t even want the slightest connection to that side of him.

“Twelve in midday, in-game time.”

“Alright then. Thank you.”

Ethan didn’t reply and turned his back toward her, waving his hand as he walked further away from her.