"Ryn, you bastard! What kind of garbage game is this?! Why do I die in one hit while you and Kiana only lose one bar of health?!" Sparkle roared, slamming her keyboard in frustration. This was already the nth time today she'd been instantly killed by splash damage from an AOE attack while at full health.
"It's Sparkle's positioning that's terrible," Bronya replied without turning around, her fingers moving nimbly across the keyboard as she skillfully dodged the barrage of enemy fire. "You're a marksman. High damage, low health. Getting one-shotted is perfectly normal."
Ryn shrugged. "Well, Bronya's right. Positioning is crucial for marksmen. You die so fast Mei doesn't even have time to heal you. You'd be better off playing a warrior like Kiana and me—you can both deal and take damage."
"No! No way! I'm playing marksman, and I refuse to believe I can't make it work today. Watch me stack up on lifesteal! If I hit hard enough, they won't be able to kill me!"
"Damn it! It's all because your marksman equipment balance is so terrible! You'd give a dog better gear than what marksmen get! If I had Exo-Armor like my Sabayou, just watch me go on a rampage!"
Sparkle's eyes glowed green. She was on the verge of madness. Today, she was determined to solo this boss.
Mei silently cast a few buffs on her and then ignored her. After all, Sparkle always inexplicably died instantly when the battle started, so healing her was pointless.
The game had five major classes: Warrior, Tank, Mage, Archer, and Priest. Mei herself played a Priest, Kiana and Ryn were Warriors, Bronya was a Mage, and Sparkle played Archer.
With Bronya and Ryn, two high-level players, leading the charge, they were practically unstoppable. The others handled the grunt work while Bronya and Ryn did the real killing.
By noon, Mei logged off to prepare lunch for everyone. Since they needed a full party to tackle the dungeon, Bronya and Kiana went to play Houmu Alliance instead.
Sparkle immediately uninstalled the game and fled, declaring she'd never play this trash again. Then she dragged Ryn to find Mei. Everyone was used to Sparkle's behavior. They knew she'd inevitably redownload the game later, her mouth protesting while her body craved it—a classic case of being terrible at a game yet hopelessly addicted.
As they were leaving, Sparkle, still unwilling to give up, grabbed Ryn's hand and whined, "Ryn~ Brother Ryn~ Why don't you put my Sabayou in the game?"
"We could make a skin that looks the same, but don't expect the weapon's special properties. Keyboard and mouse controls can't replicate the effects of your Sabayou."
Though Sparkle's whining was adorable, Ryn knew that even if he did put Sabayou in the game, the results wouldn't satisfy her.
"Just that? Ryn, you're hopeless," Sparkle said, shaking off his hand and looking at him with disdain.
"Hmph, women," Ryn retorted dismissively.
"Hmph, men."
"Don't ask me for money next time you want to buy in-game currency."
"Brother Ryn, I was wrong~" Sparkle wrapped her arm around Ryn's again, her face flushed with shame. She thought to herself that for the sake of new equipment, she'd have to swallow her pride for now.
"I still prefer your rebellious attitude from before. Bring that back."
"Get lost."
When Ryn and Sparkle arrived at Himeko's place, they found her sitting on the sofa, raising a beer in greeting.
"Yo, Sparkle and Ryn are back! Want a drink?"
"No thanks, Auntie Himeko. You drink alone! At your age, still lazing around the house drinking all day. Do you even deserve those big breasts of yours?" Sparkle retorted, hands on her hips, her voice cold.
Thwack! Ryn delivered a chop to Sparkle's head, sending her sprawling to the floor, clutching her head.
"Be more polite when you speak. But Himeko, you really should cut back on the drinking. You were hungover yesterday, and you started drinking again this morning!"
"It's fine, it's fine~" Himeko said, her face darkening as she approached. She grabbed Sparkle's head with one hand and lifted her up, then pinched Sparkle's chubby waist with the other, saying with a smile:
"Oh-ho-ho, isn't this our Valkyrie Sparkle-sama of Schicksal? I didn't get a good look earlier, my dear Fat Sparkle-sama. Your chest... seems to have migrated to your stomach? Oh dear, at this rate, your chest might surpass mine soon~"
"You bitch! You busty hag, let me go! Are you saying I'm fat? You're finished! You better not let me down. I'm a beautiful girl! How could I possibly be fat?"
Sparkle struggled violently in Himeko's grasp, but her strength was no match for Himeko's.
"What are you laughing at? Ryn, come help me!"
"You should just be punished properly," Ryn said, choosing not to help Sparkle. Instead, he joined Himeko in pinching Sparkle's chubby little belly. It was soft and squishy, the texture was amazing. "Fat Sparkle, you've definitely gained weight. You need to start dieting."
"You two are finished! Just wait until I blast you both with my Sabayou! Aaaaaaaah—"
Hearing the commotion, Mei peeked out from the kitchen to see Himeko and Ryn dangling Sparkle in the air, pinching her belly and having a blast.
"Alright, alright, stop bullying Sparkle. Come help me cook instead," Mei said, grabbing a spatula and swatting Ryn and Himeko each with one to stop their playful fight. But Mei couldn't resist sneaking a pinch of Sparkle's belly herself, and she was instantly hooked.
Once Sparkle was back on the ground, she instinctively pinched her own belly, her eyes losing their sparkle as she collapsed onto the floor. She kept muttering, "It's over, it's all over..." "I really have gotten fat..." "My chest is bigger than Himeko's now..."
"As expected of Fat Sparkle," Ryn said. "Cortana, did you get the photo?" He suddenly found Sparkle incredibly adorable, and it would be a shame not to capture this moment.
"Don't worry, Brother Ryn, I've been recording everything," Cortana chirped mischievously. She had started taking photos the moment Sparkle was lifted into the air, documenting every time the others teased her. Not just Sparkle, but also Ryn and Kiana's intimate moments—all these precious memories deserved to be preserved.
"You two bastards, delete that right now!!!"
Sparkle, who had been slumped on the ground, leaped up and lunged at Ryn, claws outstretched. But Mei grabbed her before she could reach him.
"Alright, alright, come help me cook," Mei said, dragging Sparkle toward the kitchen. Out of Sparkle's sight, she gave Ryn a subtle signal. He immediately understood and had Cortana send Mei a copy of the photo of Sparkle's belly being pinched.
Sparkle struggled relentlessly, but it was futile. She had no choice but to obediently assist Mei in the kitchen.
"No... don't..."