"I guess my best friend is my computer."
That is the the way Hiro described his life. RPG’s instead of exercise, sims instead of socialising. It’s easy to substitute activities with a video game.
That is why Hiro’s life came to a halt when his computer broke.
That is why Hiro’s life changed forever.
That is the story that will now be told.
That is the the way Hiro described his life. RPG’s instead of exercise, sims instead of socialising. It’s easy to substitute activities with a video game.
That is why Hiro’s life came to a halt when his computer broke.
That is why Hiro’s life changed forever.
That is the story that will now be told.
"Please! No! You can’t die on me!"
An agonising wail filled the air. Tears fell from Hiro’s eyes. He couldn’t believe this. Refused to believe.
His computer was broken. The screen had suddenly flickered off, and no matter what he tried, Hiro could not get it to turn back on.
There wasn’t a power outage.
Everything was plugged in properly.
"Please…."
Begging, Hiro repeatedly pressed the power button. On and on. To no avail.
"Why.."
Despite his pleas, the computer did not come back on.
Hiro slumped in despair, starting to admit defeat. But, wait… There was still something he could do. There was one more chance. His head shot up as he realised this.
Moving with determination, he unplugged the computer and gathered the cords together. Then he lifted up the computer, put it in a box for protection, and carried it out of the house.
There was still a way.
Everything would be fine.
He could save the computer.
One last chance.
A computer shop.
**
"We can’t fix it."
Ah. Somewhere, in the distance, Hiro heard the faint beating of wings as his last chance flew away.
"Eh?"
"I’m sorry," said the shopkeeper with an entirely unsorry face, "but this old thing’s had it’s day. There isn’t anything we can do to fix her."
Hiro looked around him, at the gloomy computer shop he now stood in. As if maybe there was some good news lurking somewhere, in a corner, or behind one of the many computer screens in the shop.
Finding nothing, he turned back to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper was a rather emotionless young man. His hair was dyed blue and his ears were pierced, shining slightly from the light of the computer screen next to him. He held a cigarette in his mouth, but it wasn’t lit.
He spoke in a stiff voice, as blank and unremorseful as his expression. “Sorry.”
Hiro’s heart was rapidly sinking, but he held on to a glimmer of hope. “Uh.. But.. Ah! You can still recover the hard drive, right?”
"Nope."
"You mean there’s nothing I can do with it?"
An agonising wail filled the air. Tears fell from Hiro’s eyes. He couldn’t believe this. Refused to believe.
His computer was broken. The screen had suddenly flickered off, and no matter what he tried, Hiro could not get it to turn back on.
There wasn’t a power outage.
Everything was plugged in properly.
"Please…."
Begging, Hiro repeatedly pressed the power button. On and on. To no avail.
"Why.."
Despite his pleas, the computer did not come back on.
Hiro slumped in despair, starting to admit defeat. But, wait… There was still something he could do. There was one more chance. His head shot up as he realised this.
Moving with determination, he unplugged the computer and gathered the cords together. Then he lifted up the computer, put it in a box for protection, and carried it out of the house.
There was still a way.
Everything would be fine.
He could save the computer.
One last chance.
A computer shop.
**
"We can’t fix it."
Ah. Somewhere, in the distance, Hiro heard the faint beating of wings as his last chance flew away.
"Eh?"
"I’m sorry," said the shopkeeper with an entirely unsorry face, "but this old thing’s had it’s day. There isn’t anything we can do to fix her."
Hiro looked around him, at the gloomy computer shop he now stood in. As if maybe there was some good news lurking somewhere, in a corner, or behind one of the many computer screens in the shop.
Finding nothing, he turned back to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper was a rather emotionless young man. His hair was dyed blue and his ears were pierced, shining slightly from the light of the computer screen next to him. He held a cigarette in his mouth, but it wasn’t lit.
He spoke in a stiff voice, as blank and unremorseful as his expression. “Sorry.”
Hiro’s heart was rapidly sinking, but he held on to a glimmer of hope. “Uh.. But.. Ah! You can still recover the hard drive, right?”
"Nope."
"You mean there’s nothing I can do with it?"
The shopkeeper gave a small shrug and moved his cigarette from one side of his mouth to the other. “Sell it for scrap metal?”
The world seemed to lose it’s colour and Hiro staggered. The shopkeeper seemed to be saying something else, but Hiro didn’t hear it. Instead, a wave of despair was rocketing around his brain, and with it, “My life is over”.
The world seemed to lose it’s colour and Hiro staggered. The shopkeeper seemed to be saying something else, but Hiro didn’t hear it. Instead, a wave of despair was rocketing around his brain, and with it, “My life is over”.
A fog of despair surrounded Hiro. Deep, thick and black, it clung to him like sweat. Through it, he could hear a muffled voice.
"Get up, Hiro!"
An annoying voice. Hiro groaned and sank deeper under his bed covers. The owner of the annoying voice didn’t relent and instead started to shake Hiro, their voice growing louder.
"Come on, man! Get up already! You’ve almost missed a week of class!"
"Goway, in mourning..." Hiro managed to mumble, but his voice was swallowed by the fog.
What did it matter if he had missed a week?
What did it matter if he’d miss a month or year or never ever get out of bed again?
What did anything matter, after all?
But the voice didn’t seem to care about Hiro’s plight, and instead continued to nag and shake and knock at the door of Hiro’s consciousness.
"I’m worried about you… the teacher is worried about you, too! So is Tatsuya! Hey, even some of the girls were worried! Stop breaking their hearts and get up, dude!"
Hiro mumbled incoherently and tried to sink back into the arms of the fog, letting the despair grip him tight.
"What will your parents do when they find out you’ve been wagging?"
When Hiro didn’t respond, the voice fell quiet for a few seconds. Then, suddenly, a blinding light pierced Hiro’s eyelids, and he felt cold air sweep over his body.
Slowly, painfully, he squinted open his dry red eyes and examined what had happened. The owner of this annoying voice had thrown off the bed covers and was now looking at Hiro with a somewhat… was that, a triumphant look?
What are you grinning at me like that for, you…
"You’re awake! Time to get moving and- Eww! You stink! Haven’t you at least showered, dude?"
With emphasised movements, the invader held his nose and smirked. His bright eyes seemed to sparkle in amusement, but even through his woeful mood, Hiro could tell the boy held no malicious feelings.
This was, after all, Hiro’s childhood friend, Yuuichi.
If computers were Hiro’s best friends, then Yuuichi would be a close second. On the surface, Hiro and Yuuichi didn’t seem anything alike. Whereas Hiro was meek and disheveled, Yuuichi was handsome and outgoing. He had a slightly feminine face that girls seemed to find attractive (Yuuichi was often heard saying, however, “I’m not a girl!” so whether these good looks were a blessing or a curse seemed debatable), and he generally was quite popular.
Hiro, however, was shy and awkward and had difficulty talking to adults, much less teenage girls. He found comfort in solidarity and computer games, occasionally spending time with Yuuichi and another friend, Tatsuya.
Therefore, through a combined love of video games, Yuuichi and Hiro had become fast friends, and so it came to be that Yuuichi stood there in Hiro’s room that day.
With a sympathetic tone again, Yuuichi resumed his campaign, kicking the bed lightly as he spoke; "Seriously, get up. I know that you're sad about your computer, it's terrible that it broke and that you couldn't get even backup the data," -Hiro flinched involuntarily at this- "but you can't stay in bed forever."
When Hiro didn't respond, Yuuichi put his hand to his face, thinking deeply. "Well... Oh!" He smiled, bending down towards his friend, "I have a good idea. Here's what we'll do. You come back to school, and I'll solve all your computer problems!"
Hiro turned slightly and stared at Yuuichi through slitted eyes, seemingly unconvinced. "How?"
"You'll find out after school. Now hop up and get dressed or we'll be late!"
"You promise?"
Yuuichi grinned widely. "I promise."
"Get up, Hiro!"
An annoying voice. Hiro groaned and sank deeper under his bed covers. The owner of the annoying voice didn’t relent and instead started to shake Hiro, their voice growing louder.
"Come on, man! Get up already! You’ve almost missed a week of class!"
"Goway, in mourning..." Hiro managed to mumble, but his voice was swallowed by the fog.
What did it matter if he had missed a week?
What did it matter if he’d miss a month or year or never ever get out of bed again?
What did anything matter, after all?
But the voice didn’t seem to care about Hiro’s plight, and instead continued to nag and shake and knock at the door of Hiro’s consciousness.
"I’m worried about you… the teacher is worried about you, too! So is Tatsuya! Hey, even some of the girls were worried! Stop breaking their hearts and get up, dude!"
Hiro mumbled incoherently and tried to sink back into the arms of the fog, letting the despair grip him tight.
"What will your parents do when they find out you’ve been wagging?"
When Hiro didn’t respond, the voice fell quiet for a few seconds. Then, suddenly, a blinding light pierced Hiro’s eyelids, and he felt cold air sweep over his body.
Slowly, painfully, he squinted open his dry red eyes and examined what had happened. The owner of this annoying voice had thrown off the bed covers and was now looking at Hiro with a somewhat… was that, a triumphant look?
What are you grinning at me like that for, you…
"You’re awake! Time to get moving and- Eww! You stink! Haven’t you at least showered, dude?"
With emphasised movements, the invader held his nose and smirked. His bright eyes seemed to sparkle in amusement, but even through his woeful mood, Hiro could tell the boy held no malicious feelings.
This was, after all, Hiro’s childhood friend, Yuuichi.
If computers were Hiro’s best friends, then Yuuichi would be a close second. On the surface, Hiro and Yuuichi didn’t seem anything alike. Whereas Hiro was meek and disheveled, Yuuichi was handsome and outgoing. He had a slightly feminine face that girls seemed to find attractive (Yuuichi was often heard saying, however, “I’m not a girl!” so whether these good looks were a blessing or a curse seemed debatable), and he generally was quite popular.
Hiro, however, was shy and awkward and had difficulty talking to adults, much less teenage girls. He found comfort in solidarity and computer games, occasionally spending time with Yuuichi and another friend, Tatsuya.
Therefore, through a combined love of video games, Yuuichi and Hiro had become fast friends, and so it came to be that Yuuichi stood there in Hiro’s room that day.
With a sympathetic tone again, Yuuichi resumed his campaign, kicking the bed lightly as he spoke; "Seriously, get up. I know that you're sad about your computer, it's terrible that it broke and that you couldn't get even backup the data," -Hiro flinched involuntarily at this- "but you can't stay in bed forever."
When Hiro didn't respond, Yuuichi put his hand to his face, thinking deeply. "Well... Oh!" He smiled, bending down towards his friend, "I have a good idea. Here's what we'll do. You come back to school, and I'll solve all your computer problems!"
Hiro turned slightly and stared at Yuuichi through slitted eyes, seemingly unconvinced. "How?"
"You'll find out after school. Now hop up and get dressed or we'll be late!"
"You promise?"
Yuuichi grinned widely. "I promise."
"W-WHAT!? THE BLACK MARKET!?"
"Yes, the black market, now shhh! We don't want anyone to hear you say that, now do we?"
Hiro covered his mouth and nodded seriously. Yuuichi gave a sigh at his friend's reactions.
It was after school, and the two boys were standing at the entrance to a dark alleyway. Thankfully, there weren't many people outside so it seemed noone had heard Hiro's outburst. Even so, Yuuichi gave Hiro a disapproving shake of his head.
"Just chill out, okay?"
Hiro slumped his shoulders, looking around suspiciously before whispering, "But the black market is illegal."
Yuuichi gave Hiro a comforting(?) pat on the back and beamed,"And oh so cheap!" He lowered his voice and stared off in the distance as he continued, "Besides... You can get some really cool stuff there..."
Hiro frowned, trying to think of how to reply. Before he could speak Yuuichi had snapped out of his reverie and taken Hiro's hand. Dragging him further down the alleyway, Yuuichi called back "Now, let's go!"
**
Watanabe Star Computers. That was the name of the shop hidden away in the alleyway. With only a small sign, it would be easy to miss within the dingy gloom. Hiro was certain that if he had been looking for the shop himself he'd be unable to find it, even with instructions. Hiro couldn't help but wonder how Yuuichi had discovered the shop in the first place...
Yuuichi made a beeline straight for the door and opened the door without even pausing to knock.
"Hello!" He sung out loudly, weaving his way past the tables of computers. Trailing behind him, Hiro squinted his eyes in the flickering light, trying to make out the details of the room. The shop was unsurprisingly cramped, but surprisingly long, spanning back towards a counter covered in papers. No one was at the counter.
Through the dimness, Hiro spotted a certain computer and couldn't help letting out an excited gasp.
"Look! Look, Yuuichi!" Hiro exclaimed giddily, stroking the computer's monitor, "It's the same brand as my old computer!"
Yuuichi gave Hiro a sidelong glance and sighed, "So what? Your old computer broke, remember?"
Seeing Hiro's defeated expression, Yuuichi smiled encouragingly, adding, "What you need is something brand new! Let's go ask the shop attendant what's in your price range."
Upon saying this, Yuuichi started ringing the bell that sat on the counter. He rang it once, twice, three times. Just as Hiro was about to tell Yuuichi to “please be patient!”, a new voice rang out of the gloom behind the counter.
"Hello."
The speaker was a young woman, not much older than Hiro. She had short brown hair which was almost completely straight asides from a few stray flyaway strands around her fringe. She had a round face, which Hiro thought looked quite friendly and lovely. He could not see the irritation in her face, such was his astonishment to see such a pretty girl in such a dreary shop. She wore a short polka dot dress that showed off her curves and a necklace. In the back of his mind, Hiro wondered if she should not be dressed in something more befitting of a shop attendant, but he wasn't going to question the dress code of the shop.
While Hiro gaped at her, Yuuichi stayed quiet. The girl gave a sparkling grin and Hiro's heart leapt. His face went red as he tried to speak, only managing to stutter, "Uh, I, umm, well, you see, I..Ah... I, er... aha ha ha....U-um.."
"Yo, Aimi! How's it going?" Yuuichi stepped in with an apologetic smile.
The grin on the girl, Aimi's face dropped slightly as she faced Yuuichi. "Oh, it's you, Yuuichi. I should've known. Well? What do you want?"
"Heh heh... So harsh, as always." Yuuichi smiled awkwardly before pointing at a still babbling Hiro. "So, my friend here... His computer broke and he desperately needs a new one. Preferably within the cheap spectrum."
“Certainly!” Aimi smiled a vibrant smile and Hiro swore he could see sparkles dance around her, “The cheaper computers are this way! Feel free to browse around~!”
"Yes, the black market, now shhh! We don't want anyone to hear you say that, now do we?"
Hiro covered his mouth and nodded seriously. Yuuichi gave a sigh at his friend's reactions.
It was after school, and the two boys were standing at the entrance to a dark alleyway. Thankfully, there weren't many people outside so it seemed noone had heard Hiro's outburst. Even so, Yuuichi gave Hiro a disapproving shake of his head.
"Just chill out, okay?"
Hiro slumped his shoulders, looking around suspiciously before whispering, "But the black market is illegal."
Yuuichi gave Hiro a comforting(?) pat on the back and beamed,"And oh so cheap!" He lowered his voice and stared off in the distance as he continued, "Besides... You can get some really cool stuff there..."
Hiro frowned, trying to think of how to reply. Before he could speak Yuuichi had snapped out of his reverie and taken Hiro's hand. Dragging him further down the alleyway, Yuuichi called back "Now, let's go!"
**
Watanabe Star Computers. That was the name of the shop hidden away in the alleyway. With only a small sign, it would be easy to miss within the dingy gloom. Hiro was certain that if he had been looking for the shop himself he'd be unable to find it, even with instructions. Hiro couldn't help but wonder how Yuuichi had discovered the shop in the first place...
Yuuichi made a beeline straight for the door and opened the door without even pausing to knock.
"Hello!" He sung out loudly, weaving his way past the tables of computers. Trailing behind him, Hiro squinted his eyes in the flickering light, trying to make out the details of the room. The shop was unsurprisingly cramped, but surprisingly long, spanning back towards a counter covered in papers. No one was at the counter.
Through the dimness, Hiro spotted a certain computer and couldn't help letting out an excited gasp.
"Look! Look, Yuuichi!" Hiro exclaimed giddily, stroking the computer's monitor, "It's the same brand as my old computer!"
Yuuichi gave Hiro a sidelong glance and sighed, "So what? Your old computer broke, remember?"
Seeing Hiro's defeated expression, Yuuichi smiled encouragingly, adding, "What you need is something brand new! Let's go ask the shop attendant what's in your price range."
Upon saying this, Yuuichi started ringing the bell that sat on the counter. He rang it once, twice, three times. Just as Hiro was about to tell Yuuichi to “please be patient!”, a new voice rang out of the gloom behind the counter.
"Hello."
The speaker was a young woman, not much older than Hiro. She had short brown hair which was almost completely straight asides from a few stray flyaway strands around her fringe. She had a round face, which Hiro thought looked quite friendly and lovely. He could not see the irritation in her face, such was his astonishment to see such a pretty girl in such a dreary shop. She wore a short polka dot dress that showed off her curves and a necklace. In the back of his mind, Hiro wondered if she should not be dressed in something more befitting of a shop attendant, but he wasn't going to question the dress code of the shop.
While Hiro gaped at her, Yuuichi stayed quiet. The girl gave a sparkling grin and Hiro's heart leapt. His face went red as he tried to speak, only managing to stutter, "Uh, I, umm, well, you see, I..Ah... I, er... aha ha ha....U-um.."
"Yo, Aimi! How's it going?" Yuuichi stepped in with an apologetic smile.
The grin on the girl, Aimi's face dropped slightly as she faced Yuuichi. "Oh, it's you, Yuuichi. I should've known. Well? What do you want?"
"Heh heh... So harsh, as always." Yuuichi smiled awkwardly before pointing at a still babbling Hiro. "So, my friend here... His computer broke and he desperately needs a new one. Preferably within the cheap spectrum."
“Certainly!” Aimi smiled a vibrant smile and Hiro swore he could see sparkles dance around her, “The cheaper computers are this way! Feel free to browse around~!”
As Hiro began to examine the computers, Yuuichi and Aimi exchanged fake smiles;
“Soooo~ seeing as my buddy is in such a bad state, how about you give me a discount?”
And,
“Over your dead body~”
And,
Forced laughter interrupted as Hiro gave a gasp.
“This…” His voice was soft, almost shaky as he pointed at one of the computers before him, “This one…”
Yuuichi dashed over to Hiro’s side and chuckled, “The Airi S3? Dude! Good choice! It’s a lesser known, but very good computer. It has an adjustable base tilt with removable screen, Swivel and 90-degree pivot rotation features as well as…”
By this point, Hiro had stopped listening. He swung around to face Aimi and loudly declared, “I’ll take it!”
A shifty smirk flashed across Aimi’s face, and she nodded thoughtfully. “Well, if you’re going to buy it… You should also get this and this and also this and…”
**
“Urghh… I could only just afford that…” Hiro groaned, pushing a trolley full of boxes. He looked over to Yuuichi and smiled dreamily as he added, “But man, that girl was cute (and scary)!”
Yuuichi gave a laugh, “That’s Aimi for you! She uses her good looks to trick people into buying more than they need.”
“O-oh… I guess I fell for it.”
“I guess you did, huh. Heh heh.” Yuuichi stopped and cocked his head to the left, “Well, I have to go pick up some groceries, so I’ll see you tomorrow. Have fun with your computer, man!”
“Yeah, thanks! Bye, Yuiichi!”
After waving his friend off, Hiro headed home with a spring in his step. As soon as he reached his house, he hurried straight to his room and opened the assorted boxes. Kneeling on the floor, he began to pull everything out, studying everything as he did.
“This goes here… and this… okay… Right!”
His hand pausing over the power button, Hiro muttered, “If this doesn’t work, I’m gonna kick Yuuichi’s butt…”
And with that, he pressed the power button.
The screen flashed to life and Hiro gave a cheer. “Yes! It worked! It’s wor…”
His voice fell as he looked at the screen.
Coming out of the screen was a hand… a body… a… girl!?
A girl was climbing out of his computer screen.
“What?” Hiro’s mind was blank, “I didn’t pay for this!”
“Soooo~ seeing as my buddy is in such a bad state, how about you give me a discount?”
And,
“Over your dead body~”
And,
Forced laughter interrupted as Hiro gave a gasp.
“This…” His voice was soft, almost shaky as he pointed at one of the computers before him, “This one…”
Yuuichi dashed over to Hiro’s side and chuckled, “The Airi S3? Dude! Good choice! It’s a lesser known, but very good computer. It has an adjustable base tilt with removable screen, Swivel and 90-degree pivot rotation features as well as…”
By this point, Hiro had stopped listening. He swung around to face Aimi and loudly declared, “I’ll take it!”
A shifty smirk flashed across Aimi’s face, and she nodded thoughtfully. “Well, if you’re going to buy it… You should also get this and this and also this and…”
**
“Urghh… I could only just afford that…” Hiro groaned, pushing a trolley full of boxes. He looked over to Yuuichi and smiled dreamily as he added, “But man, that girl was cute (and scary)!”
Yuuichi gave a laugh, “That’s Aimi for you! She uses her good looks to trick people into buying more than they need.”
“O-oh… I guess I fell for it.”
“I guess you did, huh. Heh heh.” Yuuichi stopped and cocked his head to the left, “Well, I have to go pick up some groceries, so I’ll see you tomorrow. Have fun with your computer, man!”
“Yeah, thanks! Bye, Yuiichi!”
After waving his friend off, Hiro headed home with a spring in his step. As soon as he reached his house, he hurried straight to his room and opened the assorted boxes. Kneeling on the floor, he began to pull everything out, studying everything as he did.
“This goes here… and this… okay… Right!”
His hand pausing over the power button, Hiro muttered, “If this doesn’t work, I’m gonna kick Yuuichi’s butt…”
And with that, he pressed the power button.
The screen flashed to life and Hiro gave a cheer. “Yes! It worked! It’s wor…”
His voice fell as he looked at the screen.
Coming out of the screen was a hand… a body… a… girl!?
A girl was climbing out of his computer screen.
“What?” Hiro’s mind was blank, “I didn’t pay for this!”