An Invitation

It's been two months since Harmony, the first Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online yadda yadda yadda has been launched. Since then it accumulated more than 400 million users and it was still booming evermore. Experts estimate at least another billion players will join the game within the next half a year.

Yet despite that fact…

"Couldn't care less."

That's the response Higashi Murasaki held. He scoffed at all the praises the game received, considering them ridiculous and sometimes plain absurd. He believed the topic would disappear from everyone's memory once enough time had passed, like those other games which became international sensations for maybe half a year or so.

"Sheesh. Downer as always eh, Mura?"

A youth beside him spoke with lips curved upwards. Though those words might have sounded like complaints, the smile on his face told a different tale. This was the best friend Murasaki had within school grounds, which translates to his best friend in general since he had no life outside of school. Mura was a loner through and through, which was another reason he detested MMOs that encouraged party play.

"Bitch about it to someone else, Shindou."

"But then they'll actually enjoy the topic..."

Sometimes he wondered why he was friends with Shindou Arata in the first place.

Then he would remember this stubborn git of a classmate would pester his every living moment at school and then some, asking to become friends with him.

Mura would thus sigh in helplessness. This series of instances occurred a few times every week.

"Ah well, it's about time we head home anyway. Let's go!"

The excitable git spoke the last line in English for whatever reason. Their homes were close to one another so oftentimes either of the two would encounter the other during their way to school. The return trip, however, was another matter entirely.

"You go on first. I have things to take care of."

"Again? You siscon."

Mura exhaled another mouthful of air as his gracious response. Time and time again he tried to convince Shindou he was no deviant of such nature. Yet as one might expect, this git seemed to be selectively mute to Mura's words and had permanently labeled him with the title. It only served to exacerbate Mura's already infamous reputation within school grounds.

One might argue that being infamous was better than being ignored but he will have to disagree.

Normal was best for him.

"Well then, see ya next week!"

The friend gave him a mock-salute before leaving the classroom. Though Mura's reputation in school had never been worse thanks to that youth, there didn't seem to be any ill-will behind the undermining action. Shindou was just an idiot who couldn't seem to understand the result of referring to someone with the word 'Siscon' in a loud voice, within a classroom full of other students.

Because you know, that requires way too much brainpower from his side.

Basically, Shindou is dumb.

Not malevolent, but dumb.

There's a small difference.

The clock ticked. Mura merely sat idle on his seat. No word, no movement, no nothing. He was leaning on the table, arms just folded over it for support. There was nothing to do. He was merely waiting for time to pass.

And pass it did. Time waits for none, it continues moving forward for all of eternity. Soon enough Mura snatched his school bag and walked away, leaving the room bereft of people. It would stay that way until next weekday.

His legs carried him to the front gates of this whole 'place of learning', whatever that was supposed to mean. The current form of taught education was... not something he particularly enjoyed.

Another step and he would be released from the grasp of this nonsensical place, yet that was a step he did not take.

Instead, he gazed over the surroundings, searching for a familiar form to no avail. Strange considering she was usually around before him.

It took another dozen seconds of staying idle and useless before the hurried sounds of footsteps drew his attention.

"Oh, sorry I'm late!"

There was a girl running towards his direction. She looked younger than him, her detailed school uniform identifying her as a student from the nearby prestigious middle school. Those natural brown locks and blue eyes which were rarely seen around Japan stood out in contrast to his plain looks.

Higashi Erika, his sister dearest.

The two had a Japanese mother and Russian father. He took all the Japanese genes while she got more Russian ones, though there were traces of oriental appearance on her as well, which only enhanced her beauty in his opinion.

"Sorry!" She held her hand together. "I had to discuss things about a study group and there was someone who had something to say about it and then someone else had bones to pick with it and--"

He poked her nose.

"Don't mind it Erika"

Thus he waved the worries away before starting to walk again, bag carried over his slouched shoulders. She followed without another word.

The two navigated towards their home in silence. Verbal communications were sparse between the two. Not because of strained relationships or anything of such nature, but rather the natural result of their personality being pitted against one another.

He was quiet by nature, and she was the accepting type who tries to not drag others out, leaving them be in their comfort zone.

Thus with those factors in the mix, it was normal for silence to ensue between them--

"Ah, by the way, Onii-chan."

--Though it seems she has something more to say today. Mura could tell from the way she referred him. Erika would never be caught using that pronoun anymore unless there was something she wanted from him.

"I have a surprise for you back home."

"What do you need from me?"

"How blunt."

"I rarely- and by that, I mean never- enjoyed beating around the bush."

"Well, just hope you'd use it properly."

Using something properly.

He was too lazy to try and play detective. Why bother trying to deduce her vague wordings when he would find the answer without doing any of that bothersome stuff anyway?

Mura will just pray it wasn't a prank and call it a day. Pranking might not seem to fit her current persona at all, but she was quite the unruly child back in the past. How such a person could change so much, becoming studious and raising her ranks to reach the top ten within an elite school he has no idea.

A few hundred seconds passed and they reached the destination. It was not that far away anyway. One of the reasons Mura was given the nickname Siscon, was because he always went to and fro school together with Eika despite the short distance between house and school.

If Mura was asked why he walks with her every single schoolday, his response would be to shrug and say there was no deeper meaning behind the gesture.

They could, therefore they did. Even if you try to dig farther nothing would pop out. Maybe it could be called [affectionate inclination between siblings] but nothing more.

This house they live in was larger compared to the ones surrounding it. Fortune decided he was to be born between two wealthy parents. Count his sister in and he would say his family was the best thing that ever happened to him.

Opening the front door, Mura was greeted with the living room seemingly spotless with nothing out of place. He raised an eyebrow towards his sister.

"It's already in your room. There is one in mine too."

Mura moved for the specified room with a fed-up sigh held in his throat, while Erika followed right behind him for whatever reason. At a guess, she wished to see his reaction towards this gift. Turning the doorknob Mura found his room as it usually is… minus one glaring difference.

"A Harmony headgear."

"Yup! I got two of them, one for us each."

"…Do I need to repeat how much I detest this game to you of all people?"

"I know you don't mean it, so you need not bother." She smiled. "You're just scared of having too much fun, aren't you?"

That was a strange way of putting 'I do not wish to become addicted to an imaginary world as many people seem to do lately'.

And he was not even joking around. There are many gaming addicts showing up within Harmony, and the realism the game held was a matter of concern. Many people seem to prefer the game over reality. Big surprise. On another note though…

"So you're playing as well?"

"Yup."

"How'd you convince pops and mom?"

Erika was currently studying to be a medical doctor with a scholarship. That worked well for the past year as her grades have spiked significantly since she stated her ambitions. Their parents would never let all the efforts she made in the past year waste away because she wanted to play some games.

"With a lot of insisting. But I also promised them you'll play together with me, which might have played a part in convincing them."

Mura sighed. That was certainly sneaky of her. Now he either plays the game or convinces their parents why their son's avoidance of the game is more important than their daughter's whims.

The second is straight-up impossible..

"…Fine, I'll play along for a bit."

"I knew you'd see things my way. By the way, start at Rockingham city when you create your character, yeah? That's where I will start as well. I'll return to my room and play the game straight away, so… mind doing the same?"

Mura sighed again. There was no holding it back. Both the sigh and the fact he will be playing this game he has been avoiding for these past few months for varying reasons...

Last time he conquered the entire Japanese martial arts community with his fighting skills, and this time it will be the Harmony gaming community. Seem so be a downgrade but fitting considering his degraded condition.

"...Sure."

Receiving those words with a smile the younger of the two left the room. Meanwhile, the older one stood still for a while before putting the headgear on. His logic was that the quicker he gets over it this the faster this whole charade will end.