The Next Day
"Wake up, Brian!" a voice shouted. "Wake up or you're going to be late for class!"
"Oh—what time is it?" Boreal asked sleepily.
"9:00 a.m."
"What?!" Brian exclaimed, springing out of bed.
"Just kidding," Oliver smirked.
He flung open the curtains, letting the morning sunlight flood the room.
"Morning, twerp. Get dressed—we're heading to the arcade."
"Arcade?" Brian blinked. "Wait… how did you even get into my room?"
"Your door was open," Oliver said casually. "I knocked—no reply—then…" he paused.
"Then what?" Brian asked. "You just walked in?"
"Yep. That's it."
"Jesus, Oliver—we're not best friends."
"Did you just call me Ol?"
"No."
"Oh my God. Yes, you did."
"No, I didn't."
"Yes. You did."
Brian groaned. "This is going to be a long semester."
"Look, Ol'—no, I meant Oliver. I'm not in the mood to respond to your arguments. So what exactly do you want?"
"It's your day off," Oliver said casually. "Actually, our day off. So I thought we'd head down to the arcade."
"Day off? Arcade? What are you even talking about?"
"Why don't you ask your system?"
"Katie?!" Brian called out.
"Yes, Boreal," the holo-screen replied as it fizzled into existence out of thin air.
"I'll never get used to that magic," Oliver remarked.
"It's not magic—it's tech," Brian replied. "By the way, what's the schedule today, Katie?"
"You're off schedule today," she answered.
"Thanks," Brian said, waving his hand to disperse the screen.
"Now go take a shower," Oliver added, wrinkling his nose. "You smell like barf."
Before Brian could protest, Oliver pulled him off the bed and shoved him toward the bathroom.
After a while, the duo headed for the arcade.
"Oh—Sasha called to say hi," Oliver said casually.
"Oh… okay," Brian replied, his tone clearly indifferent.
"She said she'd be at the arcade," Oliver added as he pushed open the double doors.
The entire arcade was buzzing with life.
"What the hell?!" Oliver exclaimed.
"Quite the school," Brian said as he scanned the area.
A group of girls in swimwear were playing water polo in a large pool. Some students swam leisurely, while others crowded around PlayStation stands. In the distance, a group played pool, and beside them another group was deep into board games.
"If it isn't Brian Boreal and the friend," a voice called out.
The two turned toward the speaker.
"The size of the arcade is truly astonishing," the stranger continued.
"Yes, it is," Oliver replied.
"Who the hell are you?" Brian asked bluntly.
Oliver nudged him. "Forgive my friend—he gets uncomfortable when someone knows his name and he doesn't know theirs."
The boy chuckled. "I'm Matthias. Nice to meet you."
He extended his hand.
Brian shook it. "The pleasure's mine."
At a distance, Colleen stood beside a ping-pong table, dressed in a pink-and-white jumpsuit and holding a bat.
Meanwhile, Oliver had completely zoned out of the conversation—or maybe he had zoned out a little too hard—because he didn't notice when Boreal called his name.
"You should go talk to her," Boreal said, giving Oliver a friendly push. Then he turned and walked toward the PlayStation stand with Matthias.
"So… have you heard?" Matthias asked.
"Heard what?" Boreal replied.
"You're no longer the most social," Matthias said.
"Of course. It lasted longer than I expected," Boreal said nonchalantly.
"Wow… you're really not interested in increasing your game stats. You know there's more than one way to become popular."
"I'll let you propose," Boreal said with a smirk.
"In general, there are three categories of people with a high Social Quotient," Matthias began.
"The first category is the 'Everyone's guy/girl.'"
"Everyone's what?" Boreal asked, puzzled.
"Let me explain. You know how the more friends you have, the more popular you are? An 'everyone's guy' is someone who's friends with everyone. They blend in everywhere by giving off charming smiles, confident postures, and even a little sweet talk."
"Like Stanley Heshmann?" Boreal asked.
"Exactly. The next category is those who give off sporty vibes—gymnastics, basketball, soccer… you name it. You've got to show that you're superior to others in the realm of sports."
"Like Jake and Miriam and…"
"Yes, exactly.
The third category is usually rare: musicians. Students are allowed to host concerts once in a while. If people love your music, they'll eventually love you."
"I'm starting to get the hang of it. But how do I prove my superiority in sports?" Boreal asked.
"The annual school's biennial sports championship."
"What?!" Boreal exclaimed.
"Using the system, the school organizes sports competitions every two years," Matthias explained.
"How do you know all this?" Boreal asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's a rumor," Matthias said with a smirk. "Care for a game of draughts?"
"Sure," Boreal replied.
About thirty minutes later…
"You know, you're the first to actually draw me in a game of draughts," Matthias said as they walked toward Oliver. "It's either you lose—or I win.
"You're emphasizing the same point in two different ways," Boreal replied.
"Hey," Jane said softly.
"Brian, hi," she added. "Who's the new friend?"
"Oh!" Brian exclaimed as he turned to face Matthias. Matthias was below average height—what you might call short. He had dark skin, short black dreadlocks, and black eyes.
"This is Matthias, and that is Jane," Brian said, gesturing.
"So… where's Oliver?" Matthias asked.
"He went to get us a drink," Jane replied.
"Oh, tell him we stopped by," Boreal said as they turned to leave.
Suddenly, someone ran into him from behind, pushing him into the pool.
Boreal began to flail, struggling to stay afloat.
"Fuck! Someone call a lifeguard!" Matthias screamed. The entire arcade went silent.
Jane's eyes snapped upward, signaling Oliver to look.
Above them, a female lifeguard dressed in red-and-white checked shorts and a matching crop top stretched, then sprinted across the diving board. Without hesitation, she dove straight into the pool.
For a moment, time seemed to freeze. The crowd that had gathered around the pool watched in tense anticipation, holding their breath for what would happen next.
"Is he dead?" someone shouted.
"Quit being a pessimist!" another voice snapped.
Immediately, the lifeguard swam toward him, holding Brian firmly.
She laid him on the poolside, face up, and began CPR.
"Give him some space!" Oliver yelled as he pushed through the crowd.
The lifeguard placed her hands on his chest, pumping rhythmically to force water out of his lungs. Then she paused.
"What's wrong?" Oliver asked, panic lacing his voice.
"I need you to calm down," she replied, watching as Oliver drew a shaky breath. "His heartbeat is getting fainter."
"What?!" Oliver exclaimed.
"Calm down!" she said firmly. "Can you help with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?"
"What?! No! Do I look like a lifeguard?"
"Shit," muttered the lifeguard, placing her mouth on Boreal's and blowing air into his lungs. Then she resumed pressing on his chest, feeling for a pulse.
Slowly, she noticed it begin to strengthen. Once his heartbeat steadied, she withdrew and, assisted by Oliver, carried Brian to a pool chair and laid him down.
Oddly enough, the rest of the arcade continued its liveliness, except… the crowd around the pool remained frozen, all eyes fixed on Brian, waiting to see if he would truly be okay.
No one ventured into the pool again.
"Thank you," Oliver said, relief in his voice.
"You're welcome," she replied.
"Can I know your name? In case he wakes up and you're not nearby."
"That's not necessary. I'll be here until he's up," she said calmly, returning her attention to the holo-screen as Oliver went back to where Jane and Matthias were standing.
Three hours passed, and the arcade gradually cleared out—but the strange lady still sat beside Brian, monitoring him.
An old man entered the arcade, carrying cleaning equipment. The lady glanced at him briefly, then returned to her research on the holo-screen.
"Who's the kid? Your boyfriend?" the old man asked, squinting.
The lady let out a sigh, pursing her lips. "Mind your business, old man."
"Children these days," he muttered. "They think they know it all."
He walked toward the pool, switched on a suction machine, and began draining the water.
"Where does that water go?" the lifeguard whispered, watching the process with curiosity.
"...down the school's farm. It's a recycling process," the old man replied as he switched off the machine and left the area.
"IVAN!" the strange lady called out as her holo-screen popped up.
"Hello, Diane."
"Who was that old man?" she asked.
"The school's janitor," Ivan replied.
"The school's janitor? Is he part of the system?" she inquired further.
The holo-screen morphed, squeezing in and reforming itself. A 3-D image of the janitor appeared.
❓ Game Help
Speaks love prophecies to students in an unclear manner, and 10% of them come true.
"What happened to the other 90%?" Diane asked.
"No human is perfect," Ivan replied.
"That explains it," she added thoughtfully.
"Who is this, by the way?" she asked.
"Brian Boreal."
"Boreal… Boreal," she repeated, looking thoughtful.
"Do you have any information on him?"
Game Player 057
Younger brother of Miriam Boreal
Q: 7 | E.Q: 7 | S.Q: 9 | A.Q: 7
PTS: 0
"A whopping S.Q. of nine! Mine's still at four… He's that basketballer!" she exclaimed, staring at him.
Meanwhile, Boreal began to open his eyes.
"Hey, how do you feel?" she asked, avoiding direct eye contact.
"I'm okay. Thanks for earlier," Brian said as he sat up.
"You're welcome. Oliver came by—he said to tell you to meet him when you're up," she added.
"Oliver came by?" Boreal paused, scratching his head thoughtfully. "Wait… how long have I been asleep?"
"I believe the correct term is unconscious, not asleep. And it's been three hours," she replied.
"Oh," Boreal sighed. "Can I know your name?"
"Not necessary."
"At least… your department?"
"Not necessary!" she screamed at the top of her voice.
Shocked, Boreal stared at her.
"Sorry," she said, softening her tone. "I don't really like popular boys."
"Oh! I see," said Boreal, letting his hand drop. "Why do you hate them?"
"You know what?" she said, rising to her feet. "Since you're better, I should get going."
She picked up her purse and kit and exited the arcade.
"What the hell just happened!?" Boreal muttered to himself, puzzled.
It was about 7:45 when Boreal decided to go to bed. He had spent the entire day on his holo-screen, chasing what felt like a lost cause.
"Who was that lifeguard?" he pondered as he slipped under his duvet.
Simultaneously, his holo-screen popped up.
Message from Oliver
[Hey]
[Hi.]
[Sorry about today, heard you drowned.]
[Yeah, thanks for the apology.]
[No prob.]
[Prob as in…? Problem?, You don't know slangs?.]
[??]
[Of course, I do. Never mind.]
[Who was that lifeguard?]
[I should be asking you that. Didn't she say her name?]
[She said she hates popular guys.]
[Ouch… but damn, she was hot.]
[Why are you telling me that?]
[You brought her up.]
[Could you help me find her?]
[Wait… you're interested?]
[I didn't thank her.]
[What the hell! You're a terrible liar.]
[…]
[Are you cooking up excuses?]
[No, I'm not.]
[You're bad at lying.]
[So this is what they call love at first sight.]
[There is no such thing.]
[Really? Then why do you want to know her?]
[I didn't thank her.]
[Liar.]
[Are you going to help or what?]
[As my favourite friend, I am obligated to help you.]
[Nice speech.]
[Thank you. Catch you later, I have an assignment.]
"Katie, can you tell me about the biennial sports championship?"
"Of course, but I only have limited information on it."
"Okay."
"The biennial sports championship was created through a partnership between the game directors, the system, and the prefects. It serves as a platform to bring to light new talents in sports while helping participants level up."
"Wait, wait, wait," Boreal interrupted. "So you're saying if we win, the points will be given to us?"
"I don't really know. That's all the information available."
"Dammit!" Boreal exclaimed. "Stupid system—no offense, Katie," he added quickly as he deactivated the holo-screen.
[Unknown Location]
A group of people sat around a round table in a dimly lit meeting room.
"You're sure about this, Jake?" a voice asked.
"I am," Jake replied. "Does anyone else have an objection?"
Silence followed.
"Then let the biennial sports championship begin."