Ordinary

Chapter 5: Skip a Beat

Fifteen minutes precisely, that's how long they'd fought the troop of the Cyber Shogun.

After the timer ran out, all of the remaining enemies flashed out of existence. Most of the NAR players had gathered at the center of the park, where the boss had been. The stench of tired teens swarmed the air. Walking back to that point from the starting line was a panting, sweating Runa. She was met halfway by Zero, still absorbed in the game as he went through the loot from the event.

"Well," Runa sighed in relief, "That was fun. More fun than I'd imagined. Nice moves."

In a swift motion, she grabbed the console off of her head. As she did, the sky hair shimmered back to its scarlet hues before Zero's eyes. "I can't believe I died right at the end."

Her ally was in far better shape. Sure, he, too, was drenched in sweat, but as someone who'd do this pretty much daily, Zero's cadence was multiple levels above his comrade's.

Kaze's neon suit faded, and the ink blade shrunk into a short handheld controller. "You did very well for a first-timer, at least in terms of fighting. Dying only once to the boss as a level 1 is unheard of for a beginner."

"The boss' attacks were pretty well-telegraphed, but I felt so sluggish when moving." Runa's cheeks had grown rosy. She walked Kaze off to the side so she could collapse at the nearest bench. "I know I'm not the athletic type, but I didn't think I'd be that tired by the 5th minute. Whereas you... move just like in VR. It's incredible."

The boy ran his hand through his damp brown hair, restyling it as he softly planted himself next to the exhausted VR veteran. "You get used to it after a while."

"But I can see why you and Dragon like this so much. There's something special about using your real body. It's... gritty. Real. The way the monster's strikes can be felt in terms of force, and how your body shakes..." At last, the redhead's breathing relaxed. She almost swayed to the side, leaning back on the bench instead. "I don't know if I'll play it alone much, though."

Kaze shrugged nonchalantly. "Suit yourself. What makes you think so, though?"

Runa beamed smugly, "It's only fun because of the company."

The boy closed his eyes to roll them subtly. "Mhm. I see."

She laughed at his reaction. "You play this often, don't you? Say, why don't you add me on Nemesis. That way, whenever you're going out, you could invite me."

"I get the feeling I don't have much of a choice here." Kaze sighed, stretching his arms while checking his ranking on NAR, as his visor had never been deactivated. 109...

"Nope, you don't. I'm your duo partner now."

"You're not even level 30 yet. You don't know the skills and the loot system well." He shook his head.

"Hey," Runa shot up on her feet, hand on hip. "I learn fast, okay? I promise to not be a hindrance. I doubt I'll ever get as good as I am in VR, but I'll try."

Kaze stopped for a moment, mind blanked. A cascade of messages flood his direct messages page. Ryuusei? Now?

His voice cracked as he uttered "Argh, dammit. I need to go."

"Oh? Everything alright?"

"Ah, crap, I'm gonna be late for..." Kaze panicked, hastily springing up next to her.

"For...?" The girl frowned, retreating to a timid tone while staring at the ground. "Actually, that's fine, I need to go somewhere too, so..."

Her fast friend turned around, scratching the side of his head. "Yeah, sorry, gotta go. A new job came up, so..."

"You really need the money, huh..." She commented as the hint of an idea was reinforced in her head.

"Yeah..."

Nonetheless, she continued to wear a cheerful smile as she looked back to Kaze. "I understand. Hey, Kaze. Thanks for coming to carry me in NAR. It was really fun."

"Yeah, sure." He ran off, swearing under his breath about a raid group.

He turned back to the shout of Runa. Something about wanting to hear from Kaze.

"Don't forget to add me, okay?" Her voice rang.

For some reason, perhaps out of irritation, the boy immediately reached for his Nemesis social page, sending the request through the 'recent players' tab. "Fine, fine!"

Noticing the rapidly growing distance between them, Runa didn't bother shouting. "See you around..." She kept to herself.

The girl of blue eyes promptly sank back on the bench. Man... Seeing Kaze in action was amazing. Maybe if he was in... no, nevermind. I shouldn't think such horrible things.

Time stretched like eternity as Runa sat at that bench, while the other rushed to his sudden raid group. Both thought of the chance encounter. The unexpected, yet pleasant surprise.

For Kaze, an unwelcome nostalgic hope blossomed within. For what purpose did it bloom, why was it even there? But now was not the time for such silly questions. Damn it, if I don't make it they'll deduct from the pay... He hysterically laughed, knowing he'd have to sprint the whole way under the scorching light to make it within 30 minutes. The overworked, aching legs beneath him shook with each lunge forward. Ignoring the pain, Kaze pressed on in thought. What a day.

What a day, Runa closed her eyes to feel the passing wind of the vivid summer. The girl carefully took her time to re-enter NAR to inspect the menus and go through the tutorial, though her mind lingered elsewhere. After minutes, she stood up with a final deep breath, dusting off her backside from the sticky wooden bench. Oh well, I'll have to pay him back some other time. For now... off to therapy, I guess.