Chapter 01: lovehelp.exe
WakaWakaWakaFruit: Sick? What symptoms?
ToshiToshi123: My stomach hurts, but it�s different from that one time when I ate ten rice balls in a minute.
WakaWakaWakaFruit: Girls call that �having butterflies� in your stomach. It�s a very common symptom of a crush. Toshiro, you have to talk to her. (Also: rice balls? What the hell?)
ToshiToshi123: I can�t, Waka. I�m too nervous and afraid of rejection.
WakaWakaWakaFruit: Here�s something that might just help you out. (WakaWakaWakaFruit is sending attachment lovehelp.exe. Accept?)
ToshiToshi123: An exe file?
WakaWakaWakaFruit: Trust me, it works. It worked for me, you know. That�s how I got Aiko. Just click Accept.
ToshiToshi123: Okay�
Toshiro Tajima moved his mouse over until the little white pointer rested on the icon representing lovehelp.exe. He gulped, fearing that this file would ruin his computer, which would mean asking his big sister Rika for an inordinate amount of money that she probably didn�t have. He ruffled his shaggy black hair and chewed on his lip as he pondered whether to click or not to click. However, he did trust Waka. Even though Waka lived all the way in Tokyo and Toshiro was stuck in Kanpeki--a third-rate town with one hell of a misnomer (Kanpeki means �perfect�)--which meant Waka would be physically unable to help Toshiro if the computer malfunctioned, Toshiro trusted him.
He double-clicked and a small dialog box popped up with one simple query.
�Please, tell me your problems.�
With a sigh, Toshiro began to type, his fingers dancing along the keyboard as he dictated his most intimate problems to a computer screen. �Well, it wouldn�t be the first time,� he thought.
�I�m 16 years old and there�s a girl at my school that I really like. I�m too afraid to talk to her. I�m afraid that she�ll laugh at me or reject me. I need some help.� After typing this succinct explanation, Toshiro hit Enter, and the dialog box was replaced with the words �Please wait� and a graphic of an hourglass turning over.
�OK, I think I can help you out. Please wait,� soon appeared on the screen as the computer�s fans started to whirr louder and louder until the sheer volume was unbearable. Toshiro covered his ears, his heart pounding like a taiko drum, afraid his computer would overheat and crash, and then he would have to find Waka and take him down for sure. His screen�s image warped into a sparkling, nondescript blob of sorts. A slit cut itself into the middle of the blob, expanded, and began to shine a bright light that nearly blinded poor Toshiro. He shut his eyes and soon felt much heavier than he did before.
�What the--?� he asked, tentatively opening one eye to see if the computer was back to normal. The screen was normal once more; however, there was something different that was obstructing his view. He opened his other eye and saw a girl sitting in his lap, staring at him. She had long black hair, big brown double-lidded eyes, and was wearing the girls� uniform for Kanpeki First Public High School, Toshiro�s school.
�Hi!� she said cheerfully, as if greeting a friend.
�Uh, who are you?� Toshiro immediately asked.
�I�m Reina. Pleased to meet you.� Reina leapt to her feet, bowed, and then stood at attention, wearing a large smile alongside her grey blazer, white blouse, and pleated grey skirt.
�Reina, huh? Where did you come from?� Toshiro queried, dazed.
�There.� Reina pointed to the computer.
�Are you serious?� Toshiro asked, breaking out into peals of laughter that made Reina�s pretty face wrinkle in anger.
�Yes! I�m totally serious!� Reina shouted. �You don�t believe me, do you?�
�Why should I?� Toshiro asked, raising his eyebrow.
�Well, what happened to your screen, then? Why did your computer�s fans go so fast?� Reina pointed out. �What program were you running?�
�Lovehelp,� Toshiro muttered, knowing his argument was over.
�Exactly. That�s why I�m here. I�m here to help you out with your girl troubles.� Reina seated herself on Toshiro�s bed, next to an algebra book. �Whoa, that looks pretty advanced.�
�Can you�tell me a little more about yourself?� Toshiro asked, still bewildered.
�Certainly!� Reina said with a nod. �Well, as you know, I�m Reina. I�m safely in your age range.� She pointed to Toshiro. �When you requested me, I tailored myself to fit some of the specifications you sent over. Like, I know what school you go to, where you live, and some of your hobbies. It�s pretty primitive information, though. That�s the point. I have to go out and interact with other people to learn more about them.� Reina nodded again.
�So, what do you know about me, then? Tell me.� Toshiro sat back in his seat, a smile playing on his face.
�Your favorite movies are action flicks, the more explosions, the better,� Reina said, counting on her fingers. �You also like rock music, the more screaming, the better. You live here in Kanpeki, Niigata Prefecture, and in the right district to be attending Kanpeki First High School. Unless you go to a private school, that is, in which case I�m not properly dressed.� Reina tugged at the hem of her skirt. �It�s a cute uniform, though.�
�Well, you�re properly dressed. I do go to First.� Toshiro nodded. �I�m impressed, Reina. Very impressed.�
�Toshiro! Who are you talking to in there?� a sharp female voice demanded from the other side of Toshiro�s closed bedroom door. �Is it a girl?�
�Maybe it is!� Toshiro shouted defensively.
�Can I come in?� the female asked, her voice taking on a squeak.
�Okay.� Toshiro sighed as the door opened and his big sister Rika stepped inside. She was a fashion student at a nearby liberal arts university, which was clearly reflected in her style of dress. Her dyed brown hair was wavy and trained into two ponytails that were secured with neon pink elastics. Pink sunglasses were perched atop her head, two large pink hearts dangled from her ears, and she wore a shirt that said �Love Love Gang� over old jeans and pink Mary Janes. She was chewing a piece of fruit-flavored gum.
�Reina, this is Rika,� Toshiro said politely. Rika waved and bowed. �She�s my older sister.�
�And legal guardian,� Rika added with a grin. �So, what�s up? You go to Toshiro�s school?�
�Yeah. I�m in kind of a transitory period,� Reina began. �I ran away,� she lied.
�I�m sorry to hear that. Do you need a place to stay or something?� Rika suggested.
�Yes, yes I do!� Reina exclaimed in joy, clapping her hands.
�I can let you sleep on the couch if you like. But I can�t let you freeload for long, so I would consider looking for a job pretty soon. Toshiro could help you out with that.� Rika put her hand on Toshiro�s shoulder, a strange feat considering she was four inches shorter than he. �Sorry if I sound too mom-ish.�
�It�s okay. You�re very generous, Rika-san.� Reina smiled and bowed deeply.
�Say, Reina, if you ran away from home, then where are your bags?� Rika asked, drawing in the air with her finger, making the tiny rhinestone in her fake nail glimmer.
�I�don�t have any,� Reina said quietly. �Just the clothes on my back.�
�Oh, that�s terrible!� Rika exclaimed, tears forming in her eyes. �Would you like to borrow some of my clothes until you can buy some for yourself?�
�That would be nice.�
�Come on, I�ll show you my stuff.� Rika took Reina by the arm and led her down the small corridor to her room, which was guarded by a giant poster of a woman with long brown hair, wearing a short, frilly white dress and sitting on a swing. �By the way, we just walked by the only bathroom.�
�OK.� Reina noted her surroundings as Rika opened the door and ushered her inside. The room was small but decorated, the pink bedcovers offset by the pastel blue bookcase, the chest of drawers with each drawer painted a different color, the purple computer desk, the gold makeup table, and the brown drafting board. On the floor near the drafting board were swatches of fabric and countless sheets of paper.
�There�s the closet. Go crazy!� Rika commanded, pointing to the closet. Reina quickly followed her advice. With each piece of clothing that she pulled out, Rika would offer her sage commentary and allow Reina a chance to try the clothes on. Reina ended up with a veritable wardrobe of her own, even snagging some duplicates of her school uniform clothes since Rika had also attended Kanpeki First. Since Reina had nowhere to put these clothes, Rika simply hung them all back up in the closet, but in a different section, separated by a device used for hanging shoes. As Reina put her new clothes back up, she realized that it was getting late and took a pair of pajamas to wear for bed. She changed into them and ambled down the hall to Toshiro�s room, where he was still on his computer.
�Hey,� she said casually. Toshiro looked up and saw Reina in the pajamas, which were purple with little smiling cats on them, and stifled a laugh. �What?�
�Nothing, just the clothes,� Toshiro explained.
�Don�t shut down your computer tonight,� Reina commanded. Sensing that Rika might hear, she shut the door before continuing. �If you�ll take a look at the processes that are running�� She bent over Toshiro to bring up the list of running processes. �You�ll see right there that lovehelp.exe is still running. That�s my lifeline, basically. Cut it and I go into suspended animation, which really sucks.�
�Can I put the computer on standby?� Toshiro asked immediately.
�Hm�� Reina chewed on her fingernail as she thought. �Yeah, that�s okay. But shutdowns are no good.� She shook the finger she was just chewing on. �Okay? Try to avoid them.�
�I�ll do that.�
�Tomorrow, I�ll start helping you with your problem. What time do you wake up for school?�
�6:30. School starts promptly at 8.�
�That�s so early,� Reina pouted. �What kind of TV do you have?�
�Satellite.�
�Man, Rika has a good job, doesn�t she?� Reina asked with a sigh.
�Not really. She just works at a caf� near Town Center.�
�Where do you work, Toshiro?�
�I work at the bookstore in Town Center.�
�What�s Town Center?�
�It�s like the epicenter of Kanpeki. It�s a huge shopping center with all kinds of stores. You�ll really like it there.� Toshiro smiled.
�I trust you.� Reina smiled. �I�m going to sleep now.�
�You�ll need a blanket.� Toshiro stood up and went to his bed, removing the duvet and handing it to Reina. �I have some other blankets I can use.�
�Thank you,� Reina replied as she took the blanket, her cheeks reddening.
�Goodnight,� Toshiro said, smiling, as Reina left the room, the blanket trailing behind her. She went into the main room, the living room on the left and the kitchen on the right, and found the couch that was to become her bed. It was an attractive chocolate brown couch, even though there was a tear in the side, with two fluffy pillows on either side. Reina collected these together and put them on one side, the side where she could see the TV better. In front of the TV was an electric kotatsu that was currently being used as a coffee table. There were a few magazines scattered on it, as well as a coffee cup and a TV remote. Reina watched some mindless comedy show for a while before she decided it was time for her to go to sleep, so she curled up under Toshiro�s blanket and shut her eyes.
CONTINUE to Chapter 02: Miuna
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