The cybercafe is exactly the refuge I needed. For two blissful hours, I am not Rui Hinamata, the beleaguered handler/brother/maybe-childhood-fiancé. I am 'StarlightKnight01' (yes, I repurposed my old Ectiqa fan account name, do not judge me), a moderately high-level Paladin exploring the fantastical world of Aethelgard. I slay digital goblins. I collect shiny loot. I completely ignore the in-game chat. It is pure, uncomplicated bliss.
My peace is eventually shattered by a series of increasingly frustrated sighs and soft, angry muttering coming from the terminal two booths down from mine. Curiosity piqued (and slightly annoyed that my zen is being disturbed), I peek around the partition.
Sitting there, hunched over the keyboard, is a girl I do not recognize. She looks like she might be a college student, maybe a year or two older than me. She is tall, even sitting down, with long, slender legs clad in stylish ripped jeans. Her hair is a cascade of bright, honey-blonde waves falling over her shoulders. Even in the dim light of the cybercafe, her face is striking – sharp cheekbones, large, intelligent eyes framed by long lashes, and a determined set to her jaw that is currently marred by a deep frown of frustration. She is undeniably beautiful, but in a cool, almost androgynous way.
She is also clearly failing miserably at whatever she is trying to do in the game on her screen. She is playing 'Aethelgard Ascendant' too, controlling a warrior character who is currently being repeatedly stomped into the digital dirt by a large, ugly Ogre Chieftain in a high-level dungeon.
"Stupid hitboxes!" she mutters, slamming her fist lightly on the desk. "Block! Parry! Why are you not parrying, you useless tin can?!"
Normally, I would just ignore it. Mind my own business. But something about her sheer, unadulterated frustration resonates with my own recent life experiences. Plus, she is making a rookie mistake – trying to tank the Ogre Chieftain head-on instead of dodging his telegraphed AoE slam.
Against my better judgment, I get up and walk over. "Excuse me," I say, trying not to startle her.
She jumps anyway, whirling around in her chair, her eyes wide with surprise. Up close, her features are even more striking. "Yes?" she asks, her voice a surprisingly pleasant, slightly husky alto.
"Sorry to bother you," I say, pointing at her screen. "But you are getting hammered by Grognak the Gut-Ripper there."
She glares at the screen. "Tell me something I do not know, pixel-face."
"You need to watch for his wind-up animation," I explain, leaning in slightly to point. "Right before he does the 'Ground Shatter' attack, his left shoulder twitches. That is your cue to dodge roll sideways, not backwards. His AoE has a shorter forward range."
She stares at the screen, then back at me, her expression shifting from frustration to intrigued skepticism. "His left shoulder twitches?"
"Yeah. Tiny little animation tell. Most people miss it."
She turns back to the screen just as her character respawns. The Ogre Chieftain roars and starts his attack sequence. "Okay, tin can," she mutters. "Let's see if Blondie here knows what he is talking about." ('Blondie'? My hair is black, but okay.)
She engages the boss again. This time, she watches closely. The Ogre winds up for his slam. His left shoulder twitches almost imperceptibly. "Aha!" she yells, hitting the dodge key. Her character rolls sideways, neatly avoiding the massive shockwave that erupts from the ground. "Holy crap, you were right!"
Using my advice, and her own surprisingly quick reflexes, she manages to take down the Ogre Chieftain after a tense, five-minute battle. She lets out a whoop of triumph, slumping back in her chair with a satisfied grin.
"Nice work," I say, smiling.
She turns to me, her earlier frustration completely gone, replaced by a look of genuine gratitude and sparkling amusement. "Thanks, Blondie," she says, her smile dazzling. "You totally saved my virtual butt back there. I owe you one."
"It is Rui, actually," I correct her, feeling my face warm slightly under her direct gaze.
"Izumi," she replies, offering a casual hand. I shake it. Her grip is firm, confident. "So, Rui-who-is-not-Blondie, you seem to know your way around Aethelgard. High level?"
"Moderately," I admit. "Just trying to escape reality for a few hours."
"Tell me about it," she laughs, a rich, musical sound. "Stupid real life, always getting in the way of important Ogre-slaying."
We end up talking for the next hour, not just about the game, but about shared frustrations with lag, the best builds for different classes, and the sheer, time-consuming addictiveness of MMORPGs. It is easy. It is fun. She is sharp, witty, and refreshingly direct, completely different from the complicated, emotionally volatile girls who usually dominate my social sphere. There is no awkwardness, no hidden meanings, just two gamers geeking out together.
As my time at the cybercafe runs out, I reluctantly log off. "Well, duty calls," I say, stretching. "Got to get back to the real world."
"Shame," Izumi says, giving me another one of those dazzling smiles. "It was fun storming the digital castle with you, Sir Rui." She hesitates for a moment, then pulls out her phone. "Hey, you play often? Maybe we could team up sometime? If you are not too busy saving princesses or whatever."
"Uh, yeah, sure," I say, surprised but pleased. We exchange gamer tags.
As I walk out of the cybercafe and back into the harsh reality of my life, I feel… lighter. I just made a new friend. A normal friend. A cool, funny, beautiful college student who likes games and does not seem to have any hidden agendas, secret identities, or plans to force me into a complicated romantic entanglement.
(Narrator: He is so, so wrong.)