"Minato, can you believe it? Himari accepted me as her boyfriend, can you believe it?"
I swallowed hard while looking at him with eyes of jealousy and hate. WHY HIM, WHY NOT ME?
HIMARI TACHIBANA is my favorite cosplayer, beautiful, charismatic, cute, and above all, sexy, but that wasn't the reason that made me become her fan and secret admirer.
It was because of (Lia Sophia), an Elf Girl, from my favorite visual novel series called (Destiny and Loss), in which she cosplayed as in the last Anime convention, completely taking my breath away.
But not only that... she also started attending our university, Shibuya University, but to my disappointment, she is the childhood friend of my classmate, Yuta Aoki.
"Congratulations, Yuta," I exclaimed while looking at the other side of my lecture hall.
"Thanks, Minato," Yuta replied while constantly checking his phone.
Then the bell rang repeatedly for some minutes before finally stopping.
He taps Minato on the shoulders and smiles, "Bro, I just got a text from Himari, so I won't be able to follow you to the bookstore."
Minato stood up immediately, narrowing his eyebrows, "Oh, come on, man, it's on your street. The bookstore, You know it better than I do."
"Sorry." Yuta bowed his head repeatedly while laughing awkwardly.
Minato sighed, rubbing his chin twice... Then Yuta hands him the bookstore coupon code before apologizing one more time and then runs towards the exit in which HIMARI TACHIBANA was waiting for him.
Minato remained quiet for a few minutes, standing still, watching silently as the two of them disappeared into the corridor together, holding hands.
"Fuck."
Minato exclaimed, stretching his hands down as he pulled his phone from his pocket.
He takes a look at the time and then his notifications. His eyes widened. It was a call from his boss, at his part-time Sushi house.
"Oh no, no, no... why now of all times?!"
His phone kept ringing repeatedly in his hands as he picked up the call with one eye closed.
An elderly voice came from the phone speaker the moment he answered. "Minato, where are you? You're late again!"
Minato flinched quickly, pulling the phone slightly away from his ear as if the volume alone could destroy his eardrums.
While scratching the back of his neck, still half-squinting as the boss's loud and noisy tone filled his ears and the lecture Hall.
"But..but, sir! It's not my shift, it's Kenzo's shift!" Minato stammered several times while talking and was forcing a shaky smile even though no one was there to see it.
"He's not around. So come immediately, we are short on staff."
"But…" Minato added while sweating...
"Minato Katana, are you questioning me? Huh... listen boy, if you don't like this job, you can go ahead and quit... okay?"
"I'm Sorry, sir," Minato murmured into his phone...
"Good. I want to see you here before 4:30 pm. Understand?"
"Yes, Sir."
The call ended abruptly, leaving only the silence of the disconnected call.
Minato lowered the phone, exhaling a heavy sigh.
"Lia Sophia, My Love." (2D Elf waifu)
"My Destiny and Loss, limited edition Novel."
His gaze drifted toward the lecture Hall doors. Then he quickly picked up his bags and plugged in his earphones, and headed out of the lecture Hall.
After walking for a while, he got to the bus stop and called for a taxi.
He sighed while waving, leaning his head against the metal pole as the streetlights shone down bright on him.
"Why does it always have to be me…?" he muttered while breathing lowly, controlling his anger, clutching the coupon Yuta had given him earlier. For a moment, his eyes softened as he saw Lia Sophia, his Elf waifu, on the coupon, but the sound of the approaching taxi engine pulled him back to reality.
The taxi slowed down, stopping right in front of him. Minato reluctantly got into the back seat of the taxi.
"Where to, Young Man?" the elderly driver asked him, adjusting the car mirror to glance back at him.
"Downtown Shibuya… near the main road, it's called Mr. Noboru Sushi House," Minato replied with a low tone filled with disappointment and hatred.
As the car pulled away from the curb, he gently leaned his head back against the taxi window. The city buildings instantly became blurry from the speed at which they were moving.
Seconds later, his phone buzzed again... this time a message.
[MR NOBORU]
"Where are you, Minato. Last warning." ✓✓
[MINATO]
"Almost there." ✓✓
He exhaled loudly through his nose and mouth, shoving his phone right back into his pocket.
"The last warning… huh… fucking jerk, I've heard those words before."
His eyes drifted towards the passing building and car lights, their reflections watery in the window glass of the taxi.
Deep down, he knew that if he lost this job, paying rent would be a nightmare. And yet, the bitter thoughts gnawed at him...
He shook his head, muttering under his breath. "Get it together, Minato… just survive today."
Then the taxi driver turned down a narrower street, pulling up in front of a medium-sized building tucked in between a hair salon and a convenience store.
Minato quickly paid the taxi driver and bowed his head twice before getting out of the car. He then pocketed the coupon code absentmindedly and hurried inside the building. A small bell jingled as he swung the doors open, announcing his presence and his late arrival.
Behind the counter stood his boss... a middle-aged narcissist with tired-looking eyes and a permanent frown on his forehead. The man's gaze locked on Minato the instant he stepped in.
"…You're late," the boss said flatly, crossing his arms... "I'm going to deduct it from your salary."
Minato froze for a moment, his anger rising like a hurricane, but in the eyes of his boss, he was nothing more than a plastic straw, used in the moment but later on, disposable.
But still feeling helpless and angry, he bowed his head downwards, apologizing deeply.
"I-I'm sorry, sir! It won't happen again."
His boss didn't reply right away. He simply exhaled through his nose, turned back to the counter, and muttered,
"Now, get to work. The customers wouldn't serve themselves."