Ready Player Zero

Chapter 19: Headsets

It was broken.

Well, perhaps that was a bit dramatic, since Toshiro's headset at least looked fine on the outside, complete and intact. But it certainly wasn't working when he tried to log on. He didn't know why; some kind of technical glitch, maybe. He could probably get it resolved without too much effort by contacting the Oasis team, but it would likely take at least a day to get it fixed — even when factoring in the priority he would get as a top player.

So this presented a bit of a problem, considering he had a meeting scheduled with Zhou in the next half hour. After the first two challenges they'd done together, it had become something of a regular occurrence. This was maybe the... hm... tenth time they were doing a quest? There'd been so many, he'd lost count. But now, he couldn't even message Zhou to reschedule, given that their only form of communication was through the Oasis.

He considered his options. It would've been helpful if he had a friend or neighbor nearby with a headset that he could borrow, but he still hadn't made much contact with the others in his building, which he kicked himself for now. The other choice, he supposed, was to see if he can get access to a communal headset.

"Find a location with Oasis headsets for use," he requested his virtual assistant.

"Searching nearby locations... Oasis Gaming Cafe. Distance of 1.3 miles. Would you like directions?"

"Sure."

After Toshiro mapped out how to get to the place, he grabbed an overcoat and set out, opting to take the short walk there. It was chilly outside, so he blew into his hands to warm them and hurried on.

The cafe was tucked into a little corner at the end of the block. The decor and the sign looked a little ragged with age, but it seemed no worse for the wear. As he pulled open the door, a soft ding sounded to announce his entrance.

There was a good amount of business, with around half the headsets in use by players, but it wasn't overly crowded. He scanned the area, not quite sure how to proceed. That was when a child caught his eye. He looked awfully familiar... like Zhou? The same skinny frame nestled in baggy, ragged jeans and shirt.

Toshiro looked closer. The kid didn't just look like him, he was Zhou. Toshiro headed toward him.

"Hey, Zhou!"

Zhou evidently startled at the sound, quickly looking around to find its source. Gosh, didn't anyone ever call this kid's name? He didn't relax, even after locating Toshiro.

"You're a player in the Oasis too?"

"Yeah." Zhou's voice was so soft, Toshiro could barely hear it over the ambient bustle of the cafe.

"Have you come here before?"

Zhou nodded.

"Can you tell me how the process works?" Toshiro asked sheepishly. "I usually use my own headset at home, but it isn't working right now, and I have a challenge scheduled with someone in ten minutes. Hm?" While he spoke, Zhou had tilted his head in surprise.

"Nothing. I just thought— no, never mind." At Toshiro's continued stare, he reluctantly added, "I just thought it's interesting, I'm also meeting someone at eleven. It doesn't really matter, though. But, yes, I can show you. You just turn on the headset" — he tapped lightly and it began booting up — "select how long of a session you want" — he chose the ONE HOUR button — "and insert payment." At this, he shuffled in his pocket to grab a few thin sheets of cash. Toshiro had forgotten Zhou still used the rare, physical payment. "Then you just need to log into your account. Got it?"

"Yeah, thanks." Toshiro grinned. "Well, have fun on your challenge."

Zhou looked at him quizzically for a moment, before responding, "You too." Then he placed the headset on, as the view of the gaming cafe dissolved around him to be replaced by the virtual world.