GAME AFTER-English Version

3-Borderland

ARISU'S POV

I still remember when I met Kiyo and the others.

Karube and Chota hadn't wanted to come to the event, in fact they had even told me that I was crazy and that I was too obsessed with video games (to make me angry, since they knew perfectly well that it was what my father and brother told me every day ).

In a way it was true though, I loved video games. To me, they represented a sort of emergency exit to the crappy reality in which I lived.

I hadn't found a job yet and to be honest, I hadn't even made any effort to find one.

I'd tried to be a waiter at a ramen restaurant, but after two disastrous serves and several broken bowls, I was fired. Then, it was the turn of the appliance store, then the dishwasher, followed by other bad experiences; so I holed up in my room, playing video games and as long as my attention was focused on overcoming the levels and doing everything to get extra lives, real life problems stayed away.

The event was held last summer and if I hadn't booked my ticket online, I probably would have waited outside all day.

Kiyo and Niragi were in line in front of me, arguing.

"You could as well have stayed at home!" She told him.

"I didn't say that, just that I'm tired of waiting." He snorted.

"It is one of the most famous video games of recent years, what did you expect? Two people and that's it?" Kiyo's manner immediately made me think that we'd get along very well, and not only because she too was an avid video game fan. And I was right, as she'd soon become my best friend.

At that joke Chishiya, who was a little further up the line, held back a laugh.

"And what do you want?!" Niragi asked him.

"Nothing, nothing." He answered, looking first at him, then at Kiyo, who blushed. If I think that those two are together now, it seems almost unbelievable.

"They're opening, look!" Kuina, who was standing behind me, exclaimed.

"Finally!" I was super excited.

Then, the line moved and we entered the building that was hosting the event.

As I entered the great hall, my jaw dropped.

A huge animated billboard read "Borderland" with playing cards falling from the sky.

All of the decor was video game themed, including the clothing of the people working at the event. There were cards everywhere, on merch for sale, on the welcome bags that were offered to us once we entered (with a bottle of water inside that had one of the card symbols on the cap and a cookie, also in the shape of one of the symbols), etc.

"All these cards are giving me a headache." Kuina said, who was still behind me.

"Yeah, they are a bit too much."

"My name's Kuina, nice to meet you."

"I'm Arisu."

I was about to ask her if she knew where to go to book the video game, when Kiyo and Niragi started arguing again and Kuina and I stood still, not sure what to do since there was a bit of a crowd and we couldn't move.

"This is the last time I'm hanging out with you!" Niragi exclaimed, looking down on her sister.

"And who asked you to?!" She retorted.

"My father made me. He keeps insisting that you and I have to bond."

"How can I bond if you're always so over-controlling? Always here telling me what I should and shouldn't do just because I'm younger than you."