Sixth Curse

[bondsofsuffering]

[Video/Action for Cancer Ward Arcade]

[Hey guess who's calling during work at a game center? If you guess Hizumi, you are 100% correct. He's got an extremely excited!!! expression as he talks, having clearly made the most wonderful of discoveries and being eager to share them with the world.]

Great news Hinoto-Ri! According to studies, playing video games can reduce stress-- going off of that, if you happen to be suffering from stress due to unexpected demonic kidnappings, playing some video games to let off some steam is a fantastic solution. And it just so happens, the arcade is pretty much empty right now, so what better time to drop by and try to heal some of that trauma?

...Also, if anyone brings me snacks, I'll seriously owe you one.

[Please. He's hungry and bored and desperately needs someone to pester.]

Comments

[bondsofsuffering]

Have you ever thought about it, though? It sounds like it could be interesting...!

[otakuro]

I think you'd need a lot of special developer's tools to get anything really well-designed done. There's something online for RPGs back in my world - a program called RPGCreator or something along those lines.

[bondsofsuffering]

They'd probably have something like that here though, right? It might be fun to look into!

[otakuro]

...I guess they probably do!

Hah, why are you so interested in this all of a sudden? Are you out of games to play, too?

[bondsofsuffering]

Aaah, you got me. My funds took a hit, so I can't really afford anything right now.

[otakuro]

...Don't they pay you at the arcade? What're you spending all of your money on?

[bondsofsuffering]

...I kinda splurged.

[...On hospital tests. But still.]

And then I went and got kidnapped and missed some days because of that. Money's gotten tight until my next paycheck.

[otakuro]

Oh, right.

[That was a thing that happened.]

Maybe you can ask for your paycheck in advance. I'm sure they'll understand with the whole 'almost got killed by demons' thing.

[bondsofsuffering]

Well, it's not like I'm out of food or anything. I just can't really spend time playing is all.

Guess I'd better take the time to work on training or something instead...

[otakuro]

...I thought we were gonna play games together.

[sadness]

[bondsofsuffering]

I meant after work.

If it's while I'm at the arcade, it's fine!

[Wait how is that fine.]

[otakuro]

Oh! Alright, then.

I can head over now if you're not busy. ...With snacks.

[Atsuro is an Enabler.]

[bondsofsuffering]

Great! I'll be waiting!

[BRING HIM DELICIOUS FOOD YO.]

[otakuro]

[DELICIOUS FOOD AT YOUR COMMAND actually it is wasabi potato chips Atsuro had made a grave miscalculation while shopping earlier this week and now he desires to spread the pain.

He shows up at the arcade within the next 15 minutes or so.]

Hey, Hizumi!

[bondsofsuffering]

[Wow Atsuro way to be a jerk.

There's a small flurry of movement when he enters - it may have looked, just for a moment, that Hizumi was resting his head on the counter. But obviously that can't be right because now he's sitting up straight with as bright a smile as ever.]

Hey! About time you got here!

[otakuro]

[Whether or not Hizumi wanted to rest his head on the counter wasn't exactly Atsuro's business. He makes his way inside with a wave.]

I brought snacks.

[Have some wasabi potato chips. ...And OK, he brought a normal bag, too.]

So you're really that bored, huh...?

[bondsofsuffering]

[So of course he goes for the normal ones first.]

Thanks! And... Well, yeah. Arcade's dead today for some reason, so I don't even have anyone to play around with.

[Munch crunch crunch.]

[otakuro]

Maybe you scared them all away with your Taiko master skills. I know I feel depressingly inadequate when I'm around you now.

[Atsuro rudely reaches into the bag while Hizumi is still grabbing from them.]

[bondsofsuffering]

Then they should've taken the time while I was gone to sneak in a high score! It's the perfect opportunity to do that, right?

[He doesn't seem to mind, so long as he still gets his chips.]

[otakuro]

...Maybe they rigged the Taiko machine to shoot processed cheese at you the next time you came to play.

[Atsuro would totally pay to see that.]

[bondsofsuffering]

Uwah-- that'd be scary!

...But why cheese?

[otakuro]

When you beat people's high scores, they get cheesed off. Duh.

[bondsofsuffering]

...

That was just terrible.

[otakuro]

[Atsuro snags a chip.]

I think the word you're looking for is 'cheesy'.

[Whoops wrong bag too late he's already taken a bite. Atsuro tries hard not to choke on the wasabi.]

[bondsofsuffering]

You deserved that one.

[And Hizumi takes another chip from the correct bag because he actually pays attention to this stuff!]