"Whoa, so your test battles in the ended up as a rescue mission from a boss monster?"

I nod yes as I sipped my cup of decaf latte. As it turns out, after creating and giving us our new equipment, Star, a.k.a. "Arin", had gone offline for a few days to work on a special project for a school play while her cousin, Annie, was also busy with midterms back at her school. So in a sense, all of us were really busy with school lately. Regardless, it didn't stop me from telling her everything that happened after that.

"Yeah, it's crazy to believe, but thanks to Kazu, we not only befriended , the guardian of the forest, but we also defeat an evil tree monster that tried to kill the forest with a toxic plague fog. Pretty nuts, huh?"

"Yeah," Arin said as she sips her drink. "I thought you and your brother were pretty interesting players before, but the fact you managed to find and complete a hidden [Quest] really takes the cake!"

"Well, it's not all that impressive. We barely survived the fight and had it not been for Kaz's strange staff, we wouldn't have won in the first place. So it was more luck than a strategy that helped us in the end."

"I see. But no matter how you put it, you guys’ respective skills as a hunter and mage definitely proved your worth to that white tiger you mentioned." But as she cuts a piece of red velvet cake that she had requested, she flashed a small frown towards me. "But I'm surprised that your brother got grounded after that. What did he do to deserve it?"

I sighed as I put down my cup of latte and scratched at the back of my head again. "Well, it wasn’t anything much really. But it's partially my fault since he did some pretty reckless things in the game that almost got us killed. Plus, our Mom wanted us to focus on our exams. And considering Kazuki's grades so far in several certain subjects, I had a feeling that he might not able to get through those tests without my help."

"Yikes. That's a bit much, but I understand. Annie is great with her studies most of the time too, but she also sometimes crumbles under pressure when it comes to exams. It doesn't even help that her brother is usually too busy with his football practices, friends, and other stuff to help," Arin sighed in dismay. "Seriously, he really needs to stop and smell the roses so he can realize how much of a letdown he‘s being to her."

Yeah... I know that feeling too...

"By the way, you haven't mentioned much about Annie's brother. What he is like?"

Arin's frown turns into a pout as she averts her eyes away from me. I have a feeling her story wasn’t all lighthearted.

"In two words, he's a mixed bag. On one hand, he acts like a king in my household, treating me like a handmaiden. And on the other, he’s very arrogant on his football team, always hogging the spotlight and treating everything like he's the big hero of the world."

Ouch. From that description alone, I could tell how jerk-ish her cousin was. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her experience.

"Huh, sounds to me that he's a big bully towards you and Annie, right?"

"Actually... no..."

Huh? No?

"He is a jerk in my eyes, but for Annie and everyone else, they look up to him because of his achievements. And to be honest, we have a decent bond when push comes to shove. Despite his arrogant persona, he's actually a sociable and good guy with a kind heart. It's just that we have kind of a rivalry for several reasons."

I see. A jerk with a heart of gold trope, eh? I guess I should meet Annie's older brother to see for myself.

"Though for your safety, I recommend you not repeat what I said before in front of him. Trust me, one of my friends learned that the hard way."

"Gotcha..." I said with approval. "And speaking of which, I was wondering about the fabrics that you bought. I know you said it's for a school project, but what are you planning to make with them?"

As I expected, Arin's eyes widen and she stopped sipping her drink and put down her cup as she scratches her temple and her face became red. "Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention that I'm planning to graduate and major in fashion design in college. And to prepare for that day, I’ve practiced sewing and designing clothes while volunteering at some events to help out in my studies."

"A fashion design major, huh? I'm guessing that this "project" you're talking about the outfits for your school’s play, correct?" Talk about an unexpected twist, but it does explain why she choose to take crafting [Masteries] in the game.

"Yep! It might be a bit cliché to say this, but my dream is to become a world-famous fashion designer and be featured in the Miami Fashion Week, as well as have my clothes won by the biggest celebrities. And before you say anything, I'm not doing this just because I want to be rich and famous or anything. Money and fame are nice and all, but it doesn't fit with my philosophy of design."

Is that so? Thank goodness she's not like the few characters from those TV shows I watched recently. "And what is this "philosophy of design" you’re talking about?"

Taking a deep breath, she answered, "To make everyone happy and have fun. Yeah, I know it's a weak reason, but I just want to make clothes because I can design with my individuality and creativity, and to bring happiness and enjoyment to others with my creations. Ever since I made Annie these cute outfits for her school play several years ago, I couldn't help but be inspired to try and create clothes for everyone to wear and enjoy. I know that's a bit of a stretch considering the current trends and the cancel culture lingering in the net, but it's the thought that counts."

That is true. Not everyone could accept her and her designs, especially since she’s doing this to bring smiles to other people everywhere. It might be difficult, but considering what she did for me and Kazuki, I felt that she could do it if she has support from us and her family.

"Well, I told you about myself. What about you?"

I quickly raised my eyebrow as she asks a new question.

"Me? What do you mean?"

"Well, I was wondering about what are your plans other than taking care of your little brother. I mean, keeping an eye on him in as a [Guardian Player] is great and all, but I'm curious at your other goals in that game alone. For me, I just want to max out my crafting skills and try to make the best armor around using the rarest materials around in ."

Man, this again? I sigh at the thought of the answer to her question.

"That... I haven't thought much of it... My friends did invite me to aid them on a few [Quests], but I've been reluctant to join them due to midterms this week," I sheepishly explained as I scratch my right cheek. "To be honest, I just joined the game to keep an eye on Kazu. Other than that, there's nothing I can do in that game outside of that goal."

"So in other words, you have no idea what are your goals are?"

It really is embarrassing to admit it, but all I can do is nod yes.

"Well, that's no fun! What's the point of playing if you don't have plans to do anything in anyway?"

"It’s the same thing with my plans after high school?" I added, which I want to give her an idea about my current situation considering how open she was with her own real-life goals now.

However, Arin just sighs in response and says, "That's different, and by the way, I should ask about your "no goals" situation on that another time. All I'm saying is that if you don't have any plans for in the game, chances are that you’ll end up bored, and if your brother gets old enough to grow out of the [Guardian Player] system, you might leave the game altogether. And in my honesty, I don't like that kind of conclusion for you and ."

"But what am I supposed to do right now? Kazu's unavailable and I still need to study for my midterms too. If I don't, I might fall behind and have a low chance of graduate high school."

"I see. And what are you going to do after high school and college?"

Upon hearing that question, I suddenly choked in silence. That question... It always caught me off-guard. "What are your plans for the future? What job or major are you going to take? Are you going to a four-year college or university?" Just hearing all of those questions both annoyed and frustrated me at the same time. I was worried about my future, but I don't even know what I was going to do in life. Ever since that day, I had just wanted to find what my future held. I thought taking care of Kazuki was enough, but...

At that point, I just give up and avert my eyes away from Arin. What's the point of answering if I don't have any at all?

"As I figured, you have no clue. But that doesn't mean you should just give up. I suggest you should use that as your goal in the game."

I raise my eyebrow, confused at what she said. "My... goal?"

"Yep. What better way to play the game by finding something you can do even when your brother is not around?" Arin explained with a smile. "It doesn't matter if you're just going on [Quests] or using your crafting talents to start a virtual business. If you look hard enough, then you might be able to find something that may motivate you enough to forge on in the game. Heck, you might able to find something that could inspire you to take that goal – or one similar to it – on it in real life. Just keep looking and I'm sure you'll find something."

That actually sounds like a good idea. Kazuki did mention that he had wanted to play to explore and discover its lore and settings. Maybe I should do the same and travel around the virtual world.

"That might be interesting to do. I don't know how I am going to get back to where Kazu is in the game, but it should be fun traveling around in my spare time."

"Well, I think you should do it now. From what you mention about your studies, I think you should try to take a break in from them for a while. If you keep focusing on the exams, you might not be well and ready enough to take the remaining tests in your midterms."

My eyes widen at what Arin had said.

"You mean logging in during the midterm week? Yeah, right. If I do that, I might get so sucked in that I won’t be ready for tomorrow's exam."

"Okay, I understand. But how long did you study outside of your classes and when did you sleep?"

Huh? What is she on about?

"Um... I studied about 3 hours after dinner without logging into and then slept until 9 AM the next day. And I studied for 4 hours without logging in again and 3 hours after that day..."

I quickly stop upon realizing what I just said. Those days weren't part of exams week and yet, I kept studying. Worst of all, I didn't just avoid logging into , but I practically repeated that schedule, again and again, every day like a robot.

"Okay, I think you're onto something..."

Seeing Arin's smirk similar to her avatar's doesn't help my shock over my realization.

"And there's the proof that you need to stop and smell the virtual roses for a while. You said that your friends invited you for some [Quest] clearing, right? Why don't you log in and work on your [Masteries] for a while? That way, you might able to unlock some skills that can aid you in battle as well as come up with some new crazy strategies to boot."

"Sounds like a good idea. I'll see if my Mom approves of your idea. Thanks, Arin." I smiled at her as I finished my latte.

"You’re welcome, W- I mean Hayate. It's the least I can to help you avoid mental burnout," she replied before taking a smartphone from her backpack. "And if you like, we can exchange numbers and social media info. That way, we can contact each other without relying on the game's communications in case something happens."

I nod in agreement as I take out my phone, and we exchanged numbers and added each other as friends on our social media accounts.

"Okay, I should probably go now. Thanks for the latte."

"Same here. If you want more new gear, you know where to find me."

I nod again before we then went off our separate ways. As I head back home, I figured Kazuki should be there already since it was Mom's turn to pick him up as part of his grounding, so I’d at least have time to study for a bit before the inevitable happened.