In Shambles Already

Playing such a peaceful game like Minecraft was therapeutic. The familiar sight of the title screen with its classic look never failed to elicit a soft smile from Kia.

"C418 was truly a hallmark in the world," Kia mused, her eyes gliding over the splash text on the title screen. "Also, try Terraria… maybe I will."

Adjusting a few settings to her comfort, Kia navigated through the buttons and created a new world. The game at that point was decades old for Kia. And in the MHA universe, it was more than quadruple the age. 

As she entered the world, her muscle memory took over. Punching wood, crafting basic tools, and swiftly upgrading to stone after a bit of digging became a ritual.

"Hmm… I'll just live in a hole."

The idea of a fancy house didn't appeal to Kia; she couldn't build one that looked good. A practical hole in the side of a mountain seemed like a more fitting abode. 

A sudden, sharp screech startled Kia, causing her to jump. "Fuck, I forgot about the ambient noises. At least I know there's something around me."

Creating her path downward, she entered a cave, discovering various ores scattered around, including coal and iron.

After a while of exploration, Kia resurfaced.

'I wonder if anyone is watching me.'

[0 Viewers]

It had only been half an hour, Kia thought, surely people would trickle in eventually? Hoping for more, she returned to her game.

An hour passed.

[0 Viewers]

Perhaps her activities weren't interesting enough? Kia shook her head, focusing on enjoying the game.

[0 Viewers]

Kia was already progressing far into the game. Making herself a full iron suit while making a few farms and finding some reason to explore the newly updated scenery of the game. 

To her satisfaction, the familiar gameplay loop remained intact. However, something felt off about the experience.

She was getting bored.

Okay, maybe finding out about the factory and nukes update was shocking but after that, she felt a constant loop.

There wasn't much to do besides delving into the mines and crafting something interesting. Then after crafting said interesting thing, she'd move on to another interesting thing.

Usually, her house wouldn't be that bad as well. Kia's friends would usually goad her into making something better. Then after that, they'd go into a fight that usually ended up with one of their bases blown with TNT.

Kia started to reminisce, recalling the diverse building styles of her old high school buddies; One built medieval walls, another opted for the utilitarian look of iron and stone, and one even recreated their real-life house in the game.

She could remember the time they blamed each other for their deaths in the nether, Minecraft's hell. To Kia, it was hell because of the amount of times she lost her stuff to someone placing a bed right next to her, making it explode.

As the background music reached an emotional high, Kia stared mindlessly into the laptop screen, the harsh brightness contrasting with the darkening room.

"Ah," Kia realized, pausing her mining. "That's why I'm feeling this way…"

She had no friends anymore.

For a long time.

'Shit, why the hell am I crying?' Kia ducked under the table to wipe a growing tear. 'It's probably because of the womanliness in me.'

Without dwelling on it, Kia resumed playing. But behind her facade of nonchalance, even as a man, she would've wept for the old times.

Kia glanced back at her cave base and sighed. "...Fine, I'll make a new base somewhere."

Her screen faced the landscape, and an idea crossed her mind. "How long would it take for me to build a castle somewhere? …I wonder if I still remember how his base was made."

<>

Kia woke up to a sound resembling a snake hissing right before a strike. Her eyes opened lazily as she stared at the screen. "Huh?"

"Tsssss!"

"Creeper?!"

Jolting from her seat, Kia frantically looked for the mouse, momentarily forgetting that she used a trackpad the night before.

An explosion killed her in-game, making her tired eyes droop even further. "Aww man…"

Her back burned like a fire. Kia stretched, feeling the pain of a hundred fireworks dissipate with each movement.

"Shit, did I play the entire night?"

Kia checked the laptop, surprisingly not even hot on its surface. Then, she checked the stream display and was surprised to see something.

[1 Viewer]

'Huh, the entire night of me playing and only one person?'

Kia was too tired to even feel annoyed at the lack of viewership. She checked the chat to see if anything interesting was there.

[Tauk193017: No viewers? We are the cheapest and most trusted view-botting service on YouTube! The price is lower than any other competitor, from views to followers and subscriptions, we offer everything on XXXXX(dot)com!]

Ending the stream right there, Kia walked away with scorn on her face. "Fuck's sake."

Her eyes glanced at the clock, almost dropping to the floor when she read the time. "9:00?! I'm late for work!"

In a whirlwind of urgency, Kia sprinted to the bathroom. After a lightning-quick shower, teeth brushed in record time, she devoured a raw noodle packet on the go. 

If this were a romcom, she'd be the heroine running with toast in her mouth. Instead, it's a pack of uncooked noodles while she sprinkles the flavor pack inside her mouth and coughs when she eventually chokes on it. 

Dressed in a flash with her work outfit, she hurtled through the streets, fueled by adrenaline and the remnants of her makeshift breakfast.

Deciding not to linger on the sad reality of starting a stream, Kia forced herself to go to work. All those hours spent on Minecraft took a toll on her, but she remembered from being a teenager that there was always something that could help.

Entering the workplace, she saw Matsuura manning the register, whom she quickly passed before retrieving an energy drink from inside the refrigerator.

Approaching the counter, she held up a hand as soon as Matsuura tried to speak. "Don't even try today, you piece of shit. Let me buy this; I'll take your place as soon as the caffeine kicks in."

"Kia? It's Tanaka."

Shocked beyond words, she looks straight and realizes her mistake. "B-boss?! I'm sorry—"

"Just take the can, Kia." Tanaka waved her off with a small smile. "Long night? Busy, I assume?"

"Er, yeah. Something like that." Kia looks around with confusion. "Where is Matsuura? Usually he's here early."

Tanaka responded with a shake of his head. "I have no clue. Since it didn't look like either of you came, I was worried if you already quit."

"No, no, no, nothing like that." Kia's thoughts were another story. 'At least until I have something stable from streaming.'

"I'm glad." Tanaka points at the can of energy drink Kia left on the counter. "You gonna drink that?"

"Oh, I probably should." Kia chuckled softly.

"Haha! I know the feeling. I once decided to binge rewatch a 100-episode anime in a single sitting during a Sunday. Let's just say I didn't manage to open up until Tuesday. You can sleep in the breakroom if you want. I can handle this like nothing. Besides, a young lady like you should get your beauty sleep."

Kia suddenly comments, "Do you really think so? That I'm actually attractive?"

"Hm?"

"Ah, it's nothing!" Kia panics, rushing to the break room with energy drink in hand.

"Hold on now."

Kia stops, turning around awkwardly. "Er, sorry for that. I'm just tired and all."

"What made you doubt yourself?" Tanaka laughs heartily. "Of course you're attractive. Why are you even asking? Is it related to why you didn't get any sleep?"

"Kind of…" Kia admitted. "Would people even look at me? I can't tell you right now what I mean, but do people not care enough about me? Let's just say that I thought people would watch me more."

"Kia, even gold in a river is considered nothing more than a rock until someone gives themselves a reason to look beneath the sediment under the water."

"...Not to be rude, but what does that even mean?"

"Of course people would look at you. You just have to give them a reason to find you first. Show a bit of yourself and make them want more."

"...I see."

"Anyway, get some rest. I have no idea why you're asking that since you look like you put a lot of effort into your skin."

"What?"

"Well, sorry if I offend you, but you're putting a lot of effort into your face. Do you really think girls have an unmarked face without any effort?"

Kia touched her cheeks, noting that she did see a lot of products in her bathroom. "No… I guess this girl really put a lot of care into herself."

Tanaka tilted his head at the odd comment. "Why are you speaking in third person?"

"Oh, sorry, I do that sometimes."