Our Childish Ways (Gakupo x Rin)

The Courage and The Comfort

Gakupo sighs as he stretches his arms in the air after sitting hours in his gaming chair. Looking at the time, it was getting pretty late and his eyes were already red from arranging the next music sheet for his class. It didn't actually take long, then again this is what happens if you procrastinate the entire day.

Being a grown man, Gakupo was still an otaku so old habits do die hard. Yet somehow he was able to get a job as a teacher for music and substitute. Wasting no more time, he dumps the papers into his teacher's bag and hurried to turn on his computer while clumsily putting on his headset. A couple of clicks on the icon and a few seconds of loaded files later, he logs into Breaking OverDrive as he searches to see if Ruka was online.

She was even though it was late at night. Gakupo quickly opens the chat window and began typing.

E.G.O: Yo Ruka. Where are you now?

Ruka: i'm at the Third City's Night Club

E.G.O: Meet you there in a sec

Gakupo's avatar, E.G.O. used a teleportation system to get to the virtual city in an instant. Arriving in front of the bar, he was more excited than ever to see Ruka again after another long day at work. There were a lot of other players at the bar, some were having open conversations while others prefer their privates. He then sees Ruka at the bar counter swirling her glass of cocktail. (!This is a game so it's legal!)

"Ruka!" he sent a private message over to her as she turns her head to see him.

"E.G.O!!" she messages back. "I got ya a drink too!" she offers as E.G.O nodded.

Together they drank their fill and received Speed and EXP boost to their stats for a limited time only.

"So Ruka?" E.G.O. starts. "How's school going for you?"

She replied back "It's going suuuuper great that I had hoped for. Thanks to my brother and his friends, I'm not alone anymore," Gakupo breathed a sigh of relief to hear that. Before she started schooling, she had been worrying him a lot by telling him how scared if someone would bully her.

" Hey! Don't forget it won't mean I'm never talking to you again!" she reminds him.

"Haha! That's good..." Gakupo smiled behind the screen. He really enjoys Ruka's company more than anything, how much anime and video games they both love and have in common. Yet she is one of the few online users who never bother to ask about his identity.

"Did you make any other friends?" he asks.

"Not yet apart from my brother's friends. I'm still trying to get used to the other students around me before I'll make my first move..."

"Well, don't worry too much about it. You're a sweet person Ruka," he assures as Ruka replied with a cheerful emoji. "And if anybody tries to bring you down, I'm always by your side."

"Thanks! And I will be better!" she replies positively. "Bedtime now and school's tomorrow. See you tomorrow same time as always....zzzzzzz..." a few Zs letter. Ruka logged out of her account as her avatar disappears from the world.

An empty feeling was left in Gakupo's heart as he decides to log out of his account as well. Stretching as he got off from his seat, he falls onto his bed face first as he looks at his own room.

Shelves filled with manga and figurines. Messed up clothes lying everywhere around his room. Cups of noodles and takeouts on his table. His dusty piano keyboard that piled with a bunch of music sheets. He finally has a job which means it's his first actual step to adulthood. He even managed to keep it for at least 2 weeks now! That doesn't mean he has to get rid of all his collections and hobbies. Right? Simply the thought of it really does make him lonely that he started to cry.