Chapter 3
I walked down the hallway, lost in thought, when I bumped into someone carrying a laptop and a few gaming components. A small NVIDIA GeForce GPU module slipped from his hands and landed with a faint crack.
"Oh no, I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed, helping him gather his belongings.
The boy, Kaito, nodded curtly, his eyes fixed on the broken module. "It's okay, I'll just need to replace it."
As we walked to the computer lab together, he didn't say much, his focus on the module. I watched as he carefully placed it in his bag.
In the lab, Kaito's fingers flew across the keyboard as he worked on his project. I watched, intrigued, as he explained the game's mechanics and guild system in a straightforward manner. "It's a fighting game with a ranking system. We have three guilds that are pretty popular...Aurora's Dawn, Moonlit Shadows, and Ember's Fury. My party, 'Eclipse,' is part of Moonlit Shadows."
I listened intently, interested in the game's complexity and strategy. After a while, I bid him farewell and headed out.
Later, I visited a gaming store to buy a replacement for the broken module. The rain poured down as I left the store, and most taxis were full. I called my sister, asking if she could bring me an umbrella.
Waiting on a bench, I noticed a familiar figure approaching. That boy who I found out the name of was called Eli.
As Eli walked by, I felt a mix of emotions. Part of me wanted to say something, but another part was hesitant. He didn't notice me, too caught up in his music.
I sat there for a few more minutes, watching as people passed by. The rain showed no signs of letting up, and I was starting to get cold.
Just as I was about to give up on my sister arriving with an umbrella, I saw her car pull up. She rolled down the window and handed me an umbrella.
"Thanks, sis!" I exclaimed, relieved.
As I took the umbrella and thanked her again, I noticed Eli standing under an awning nearby, still lost in his music. Our eyes met briefly, and for a moment, I thought he might notice me. But he just looked away, his expression neutral.
I opened the umbrella and stepped out into the rain, feeling a bit more calmer and prepared for the rest of my day. But just when I thought I could leave the wind shifted. I had to cover myself with the umbrella and turn towards the opposite side of the wind. That's when I saw it. Eli walking with a girl by his side she didn't look too old to be considered as his parent nor did she looks like she was in our age group. I just stare at the two mysterious figures right before me.
I walked home under the umbrella, the rain drumming against the fabric above me. My mind wandered back to Eli and our brief encounter. There was something about him that intrigued me, a sense of mystery that I couldn't quite put my finger on.
As I approached and got into the house, I noticed Niki sitting on the couch, her eyes fixed on her phone. She looked up as I entered, a hint of a smile on her face.
"Hey, how was your day?" she asked, setting her phone aside.
I shrugged, hanging up my jacket. "It was okay. Just the usual stuff."
Niki raised an eyebrow. "Just the usual stuff, huh? You're not exactly the most talkative person, are you?"
I smiled wryly. "I guess not."
We chatted for a bit, discussing our plans for the weekend. As we talked, I couldn't help but think about Eli and the game Kaito had shown me. There was something about both that had piqued my interest.
As the evening drew to a close, I realized I still had some time before dinner. I decided to grab a book from my room and settle in for some reading.
As I reached for the book, my phone buzzed with a notification. It was Kaito, inviting me to join him and his party for a gaming session.
I hesitated for a moment before responding. Why not? It might be interesting.