PHASE 33 - I FEEL AT HOME WITH MY HOMIES

Quick Trivia. Amy or Jeannette’s ability is a spell to command a person with absolute obedience. It won’t have any effect on a person who does not trust her at all. This ability can only affect humans and not to Eidolons. She gains one power to every day, and stackable for a maximum of three.

I wonder if she used it to make me fall in love with her two years ago. Just kidding, I admit she fooled me without using her superpowers.

<>

It was already midnight when we got out of the amphitheater. Ranley has been dragging the nape of my neck while Ranley and Daughty drill their fists on my head. Ow ow ow ow! It hurts!

“You’re so lucky, Alaric the Arrogant!” They both said.

“W-What the heck did I do to you guys!?”

“That poor Tiara’s feelings will be wasted! We know she will be your next victim!” They both said. “Little did she know that you will reject her!”

“As if I can do that- Hey that hurts! Stop!” I protested. I struggled, but Ranley’s big fatty arms make it impossible for me to escape!

We are on our way to the parking lot when a blue SUV stopped in front and opened the window. It was Macho Steel.

“Hop in.” Macho Steel smiled. “I’ll escort you to your houses.”

“Thanks, Mr. Kent,” Heushac replied with a smile as he began scratching his head. “But we’re planning to have a LAN party at my place tonight.”

“LAN party?” Macho Steel turned his head thirty degrees. Then he began caressing his imaginary beard. “Hoh~ What games are you planning to play?”

<>

Macho Steel insisted that we ride in his car. He said that he’ll be taking us to his place, and we will have a gaming session there. At first, we were skeptical until we saw his house.

It was a two-story brown house, and he even has his mini Big Ben that’s about four meters! I can’t believe he was living alone in this big house!

“Sugooooiii!!! You have a big black clock!” Daughty exclaimed.

All of us turned to Daughty with a disgusted face. We certainly heard him wrong.

When we entered the house, I felt something strange. I blacked out for an instant, except that I didn’t see a pure black background but that of a static like those in TV. It occurred to me three times, like a dimming bulb.

But I ignored it since I don’t feel scared or something. Maybe my eyes are just tired.

Macho Steel revealed ten gaming PC’s on his living room. He is complete with high-end system units, widescreen monitors, colorful glowing mouse and keyboard, and 3D headsets! This guy is a full-blood gamer!

“I and my high school friends built this setup, but as you see, we are adults now. We are busy at work, and we only have LAN parties when there are long holidays. I remember my boys when I saw you five. So I think I’ll repay the nostalgia you gave me.” Macho Steel spread out his hands. “You can use any machine you want!”

“Thanks, Macho Steel!” We all cried in unison. Then we jumped to our respective seats.

“Oh, Alaric.” Mr. Kent tapped my shoulder. “I picked the best picture. This is yours.”

It was a picture of me and Tiara hand-hearting together, which was taken one hour ago. As I expected, seeing Tiara in idol dress makes my heart jump with joy. She’s too beautiful. And oh, I’m also handsome in this picture. We surely could beat Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

This is bad…

The longer I think of her, the tenser I get. I know the feeling of being in love. I’ve felt it two years ago with Amy. Now, that strange feeling is spooking me again, but to a different person. I’m getting crazy, aren’t I?

<>

To forget that feeling of puppy love and to bring the adrenaline to our tired brains, we had our first match to be full of action. Call of Doti. A fast-paced game where the only objective is to shoot the bad guys and yell at twelve-year-olds who allegedly banged our moms.

“Wahahahaha! I’ll massacre you here, just like what I did in your exams!” Macho Steel laughed like a villain. He’s been spraying his pink P90 nonstop to us, and he was on the lead score.

“Darn, I died again,” Chrisprel said. Then he used his little free time to peek at the picture beside my mousepad.

“You guys look so cute together,” Chrisprel said.

“S-S-Shut up!” I shrieked.

Because of my friend’s useless blabbering, my left hand became disoriented and I didn’t realize that I’m no longer touching the WASD key. Then there comes Macho Steel’s pink in-game avatar, and sprayed bullets like a madman.

“AHAHAHAHA!!!”

When I died in the game by catching twenty P90 bullets, I looked away from the screen and noticed that Chrisprel is already holding the picture, staring at it with amazement.

I immediately snatched the photo away. But Chrisprel just wordlessly looked at me with this hint of a teasing smile.

I examined the picture. As soon as I focused my vision on Tiara’s cute face, I spaced out.

The thought of falling in love keeps entering my mind, and the more I deny it, the more it haunts me. And the more I get crazier for her.

Those snow white skin… Those puppy eyes...Those blood-red lips… Those strawberry cheeks… And that sweet voice… (I wanted to include those flawless thighs, those bountiful breasts, and those chunky hips but I don’t want to lewd someone I love… wait, what?)

Suddenly, through my colorful imagination (hallucination), I saw a scenery where Tiara is standing in front of the cherry blossom tree inside our campus. She gave an innocent smile as she gave a box of chocolates in front of my face.

(‘Rikkun….I love you!’)

Aaaaargh! I can’t take this anymore! I concede! I concede!

“H-Hey Chris…” I muttered with my reddish cheeks. “H-Help me… confess… to her…”

All of a sudden, their faces turned to me. Their jaws dropped to the floor due to being astounded. Even Macho Steel froze and got his 54-kill streak broken when he got rekt with a knife.

“ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW!!!?”

All of them shouted at me in a synced manner. Is it really hard for them to accept that the esteemed Alaric the Arrogant can fall in love?

“I...I just realized that I have fallen in love again…” I scratched my hot cheeks.

Then everything became covered with silence. They all dropped their headsets as their lips slowly curved to a smile.

“Fufufu!” Chrisprel chuckled. Then he raised his voice. “A hopeless romantic like me won’t suffice. You need the whole squad to confess! Right, guys!?”

“RIGHT!!!” All of them made a warcry.

“The God of Rejections has finally been defeated by the beautiful Tiara Hikari!!! Our arrogant prince is finally confessing!” Ranley laughed.

“Ric’s resistance to women is not that fortified as you think. I don’t know anything about love, but I will help you, Ric!” Heushac smiled.

“With our help, your confession to the kawaii-hime-nekoneko-kitty-cat Idol will never result in a rejection!” Daughty’s white teeth sparkled.

“I’m a teacher, so I shouldn’t be involved. I’ll just give you moral support.” Macho Steel shoved a thumbs up on my face.

“T-Thanks…” I muttered as I scratched my cheek. “Thank you all…”

Even though we rarely have bonding times, I know these are the guys who will never betray me. These are the guys who will be there for me, whatever happens. These are the friends I treasure. We’re all guys and we love each other like baes. We’re guys and we’re baes.

We’re GAES.

That came out wrong.

<>

It was already four at dawn when drowsiness and boredom attacked us. Heushac received a call from his sister, saying that she has been worried because we were supposed to have a night out on their house. That Heushac, making his big sister anxious.

“I’m a big boy now, I don’t need to text her to know what I’m always doing.” Heushac reasoned out. Our baby boy is certainly on his rebellious stage.

It will surely give a bad taste in Helena if we didn’t go there. We got tired of being killed by Macho Steel in the game anyway, so all five of us unanimously voted to go to Heushac’s house and grab a sleep. Macho Steel approved it.

“Take care, you guys!” Macho Steel waved goodbye at us. From the entrance, we answered it with the same gesture.

We were about to take our first step away when a chill went down on my spine. My brain flashed a blank image of static, and the next thing I realized, there is a black-cloaked man, about the same height as mine, passing through us.

“What’s the matter, Ric?” Heushac turned to me. His eyes are hollow and black liquid oozed to his cheeks.

“Watch out-!!!” I failed to finish my sentence.

There was a loud explosion, and when I looked back, Macho Steel’s house is caught on a darkish red fire! His miniature Big Ben is now a pillar of flames! The flames made everything in the surroundings clear in this dark night. Who did it!?

“Chris!” Ranley shouted.

About forty meters away from us is the black cloaked man. He was wearing a hood to cover his face. And that guy is holding a reddish black sword in his right. And on his left… is Chrisprel. He’s choking our friend, who is struggling hard in an attempt to get away!

“Let Chrisprel go!” I materialized my katana as I bolted towards the cloaked man.

But then…

“H-Help me, Ric!” Chrisprel tried to reach me, but he’s too far away!

“Chrisprel!!!” I cried!

Suddenly, his whole body was engulfed by flames. His clothes, his skin, his flesh… burned to a crisp. All that remained is his skeleton which was fused with his own charred internal organs.