"How does one execute a naval invasion again? And how does one trade? Ugh, the tutorial doesn't help in the slightest."
I sighed, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms in frustration. I glanced at the screen of my laptop, at the colorful, sprawling map of the world and the countless, inscrutable buttons that surrounded it. This was supposed to be a relaxing time, a break from the relentless physical grind. But what was this steep learning curve!?
"What are you doing, Ko-chan?" A soft, slow voice drifted over from the bed on the opposite side of the room. My roommate, Meek-senpai, was lying there, spending her ample time as a student on winter vacation in the most efficient way she knew how: by doing absolutely nothing..
Well, that included me, too. Meek-senpai I know wasn't really a person who liked to hang out with her friends. She preferred to stay put and daydream all day long. I also did the same in the early days of this year's long break. If there was nothing to talk about, we would simply become daydream buddies. A comfortable environment where a silence of understanding and a feeling of mutual company emanated throughout our room of two. Even when no words were exchanged, we both knew we had a companion. I couldn't be more grateful to the academy for making her my roommate.
Both Meek-senpai and I had not gone back home for this winter vacation. My reasoning was simple, the round trip plane ticket to go south was too uneconomical if I only stayed home for a week. Meek-senpai, on the other hand, hadn't gone back because her home was already close to the academy. Basically, if she had wanted to, she could go back home every weekend. But she had said she would be staying at the academy this year, after politely declining an invitation to join her parents on an overseas trip to celebrate their wedding anniversary. I kind of got it. You wouldn't want to disturb their intimacy, right? But... overseas, huh? If there was ever a chance, I'd like to go.
"I don't know either," I replied honestly, my frustration leaking into my voice. "I'm trying to play a game, but I still don't get it."
"Ko-chan is playing games, too?" Meek-senpai's placid expression didn't change, but after almost a year as her roommate, I could detect the subtle shift in her tone. She was surprised, and half-teasing me. "Finally, you're doing something other than training."
"I already did my routine this morning," I explained, "and the afternoon schedule is still a way off."
The Chief and Oguri-san had gone back to their respective hometowns for three days. The Chief had given me a self-training schedule to follow while they were gone. Oguri-san had invited me to come with her, but I didn't want to be a bother.
Plus, my school homework had been finished early. It was after I had seen an article about a big winter sale on the Steam platform that I had found an interesting-looking game with a 90% discount. I had thought I might as well try it.
"But it's still a good thing. Un," she nodded, a slow, satisfied motion. "But what kind of game is it?"
"It's a grand strategy game? At least, that's what the game's description said," I explained unsurely.
The description had said it was a game where you play as a country, starting from the year 1444 and continuing to the mid-1800s. But hell, the game's mechanics were completely foreign to a beginner like me. The management side was overwhelming, and that was without even considering the military side or the economic growth. I hadn't even touched the exploration and colonization mechanics yet.
"Let me see," Meek-senpai asked. I turned my laptop so she could see the screen. She was still lying on her bed, but she had propped her head up to get a better view. After squinting at the screen for a few seconds, she said, "I don't know... I can't even read it. Is there no Japanese translation?"
"There's no language option in the settings," I replied. The entire interface, the menus, the descriptions, the pop-up notifications, was in English.
"Then just look for guides on Umatube or the internet," she said easily, her voice already starting to drift. "There should be plenty." With that pearl of wisdom dispensed, she settled back into her pillow, returning to her daydream.
"You're right." If you didn't know, ask. Being stubborn and trying to learn it all by myself wouldn't lead me anywhere. After all, even though it was discounted, I had already bought it. Not playing it would be a waste.
I spent the next hour watching a beginner's guide video, and slowly, miraculously, I began to understand some of the core mechanics of the game. It was, at its heart, a historical nation-building game, a massive sandbox simulator. Although there was a sort of mission tree to guide the players, the final decisions were solely in your hands. I had bought it with the assumption that it was just a war strategy game, but it was so much more complex than that.
And most importantly... what in the name of the Three Goddesses was this predatory business model!? The umatuber explained that what I had bought was only the base game. To fully experience it, you needed to have dozens of downloadable content packs, or DLCs. And those DLCs were expensive!
The mechanics that were locked behind this paywall were, apparently, the ones that improved the quality of life of the game and provided unique flavors to the many different countries you could play as. Ugh. I hated it, but I had already bought the base game. It didn't warrant me resorting to the sunk cost fallacy, but honestly, after watching the guide, it just made me want to play the game more. Plus, the guide mentioned there was a way to play with all the DLCs without outright buying them.
Ugh, fine. Just for one month. I bought the monthly subscription access to the entire library of DLCs. It was cheaper, and I reasoned that next month, I would be back to my high-intensity training schedule, so I wouldn't need to buy it again. Yes. It was just a game, after all..
---
Drrrt... drrrt... drrrt...
'Do I have enough galleys? It should be enough. Those French won't be able to get across the Channel.'
Drrrt... drrrt... drrrt...
'But one of my army stacks was wiped, and my holdings on the mainland are all occupied by the French... my economy is also practically in the ditch as I took too many loans.. maybe I should have just ceded Maine to them and avoided the continuation of the Hundred Years' War altogether.'
Drrrt... drrrt... drrrt...
'Sigh... but this is my first Ironman mode run. I can't just reload a save file. Fine... Let's keep blockading them by the sea, thus the higher the war score I'll get. Maybe in 2 months, I'll sue for peace. At least spare me Calais as a foothold on the mainland.'
"Ko-chan, you're still playing? Your smartphone is vibrating, you know?"
A familiar voice came from behind me, not too close, but it was enough to shatter my deep concentration. I quickly paused the game and turned my head. I saw Meek-senpai, her hair damp, entering our room. She must have just finished taking a bath.
"Oh, right. Gratitude, Meek-senpai," I said, my eyes widening a little as I saw a familiar, and rather unexpected, name on my phone's screen. It was rare for her to call me, especially this late at night.
I answered the call as I unpaused the game, though I did lower the game speed to its slowest setting. No, don't get me wrong. I wasn't addicted at all. This was simply a way to get a faster return on my investment and to justify my purchase of the game. The more I played it, the higher the return I received. And I hadn't slacked off on my training. I had still done my afternoon pool training and my evening double marathon run, respectively, without cutting any corners. Someone who was truly addicted to a game wouldn't have done the same as me.
"King, what's wrong?" I said easily and offhandedly.
'To form the United Kingdom, I need to have... the entirety of Ireland and Scotland. I have a truce with the Scots, so it's time to conquer the Irish. I already have a claim on the entire island from the mission tree, so let's make it quick. Raise more infantry and maybe just two cavalry regiments? Ugh, cavalry regiments have an expensive upkeep. Though, I suppose that makes sense, given that we Umamusume need to eat a lot and wear heavy armor to charge enemy lines.'
[What took you so long?] The voice from the other side of the line was quite venomous.
"Apologies. I didn't notice you were calling," I replied, my attention only half on the conversation.
'Oh, I just noticed. Fine Motion-san is Irish, right? Apologies, Fine-sama, but I have to reenact the history.'
[You must have been daydreaming again. Sigh. Anyway, have you received the invitation to the URA Awards?] King asked.
"I have," I said.
'Hmm, Dublin should have enough supplies to be used as a staging ground, right? Oh, it has enough. Let's move the already-standing army there.'
[What are you going to wear to the ceremony?] King asked again.
"My uniform," I said, glancing over at Meek-senpai, who was now carefully drying her hair and tail. "I already asked Meek-senpai. She said it is fine." Meek-senpai noticed my glance and just gave a slow, noncommittal shrug.
[As I thought,] King said, her tone shifting. [Let's go find you a dress tomorrow. Is nine o'clock fine?]
She had proposed something I hadn't expected to come out of her mouth. Granted, our relationship had gotten closer lately, but not so close that we would go out together. And why did I need a dress if I could just use my uniform? Weren't dresses expensive? And knowing King's style, she must be planning on going to designer boutiques, right? If I went with her, wouldn't she just drag me there?
I was so stunned that I had to pause the game.
"What? Why do I need a dress if I can just use my uniform?" I stated the obvious.
[The URA Awards is the most prestigious Umamusume award ceremony in Japan, you know?] she explained with an exasperated sigh. [The standard there is high. I know a uniform is fine, but you're part of the 'Golden Generation,' aren't you? You have to at least show that you care.]
Ah, the "Golden Generation." That was what the press had been propagating since the end of last year. With so many highly talented runners in our year, the press had predicted that this year's Classics would be the fiercest in recent history. Where usually a generation was led by at most three leading figures, this year, we had twice that number. And it seemed one of our Junior Champions had already embraced the title wholeheartedly.
"Thank you for your well intentioned and warm invitation, King Halo," I said, my tone polite but dripping with a sarcasm I didn't bother to hide. "But I will just use my uniform instead."
[KING-CHAN! LET'S TAKE A BATH TOGETHER!] I heard Haru Urara-san's cheerful voice shout from King's side of the call. [Wait a second, Urara-san! Ekhem. I will pick you up tomorrow at nine. Make sure to be ready by the time I arrive—] With that, she hung up, not even giving me a chance to refuse again.
"Sigh... I just spent money today," I sighed defeatedly, staring at my now-dark phone screen.
"Pupupu... just go, Ko-chan," I heard Meek-senpai's voice from across the room. I found that her sneering with such a flat, deadpan expression was both irritating and utterly cute at the same time. "Though I said our uniform is fine, wearing a dress is more common. So you won't stand out like a sore thumb, at least."
"Is that so? Alright then," I finally let down my rifle and accepted my defeat. "But dresses are expensive, right?" I asked. Spending a large amount of money still pained me, even though I technically had enough of it.
"Not all of them," Meek-senpai explained in her own slow, deliberate pace. "But having at least one high-quality dress is useful for us, Ko-chan. I believe you have a bright future. That's why having such a dress will be needed for formal occasions or other events. It's like an investment in itself."
"Gratitude for believing in me, Meek-senpai," I said. "Very well then. I'll bite the bullet."
I looked at my smartphone and saw that it was almost time for my nightly yoga session. I saved the game and turned off the laptop.
I'll make tomorrow count. I won't waste any more of my money.
I checked my bank balance on my phone as I spread out the yoga mat as a new objective already forming in my mind.