Kaiju Busters Online

Level 5: Wrapping Up

I pushed the helmet off of my head and sighed. My watch said I was in for four hours. I rolled off of the bed and stepped out of my room. Did I really want to see my parents again? Yes. Yes I did. I need to face them with the shame I bear. I walked down the stairs and into the living room. My parents sat by the low table on the tatami floor, staring at me as I walked in.

So I sat with them and told them everything, from the video games in elementary school to the knife. They listened intently and nodded in understanding.

"I didn't want to tell you about this because you seemed so happy." I lowered my gaze toward the table. "I thought you'd be crushed to find out about all this."

"We are crushed," my mom said. "But we still care about you!"

"You didn't disgrace us." My father placed his hands on my shoulders. "You just helped us learn how to care for you better."

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Tomiko stared at the lunch served in front of her with glazed eyes and an unreadable expression. She sat motionless beside me, her presence almost undetectable.

I poked her arm and she snapped back into reality. "Tomiko, are you all right?"

"I-I don't know. I mean- with your parents discovering your secret, I'm afraid of what they'll do with you."

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying here until graduation, just like you are."

She smiled softly. "I hope so, Takara."

She took her first bite and lunch returned to normal.

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I logged in and looked around the bedroom. Tyler and Tomiko were checking their weapons and stats. I equipped my sniper rifle and stood up.

"Our next mission is against a target called Gomora," Tyler said. "Stated to be level 8. Any advice?"

"Gomora is an ancient dinosaur who survived extinction," I said. "We'll need to target its tail first before we can do any real damage without too much trouble. Our guns will be weak against its tough skin but it should go down. Just watch out. It might have lightning shooting from its horn."

"So its going to be a while?"

"With our weapons and rank, maybe an hour at minimum."

Tyler sighed. "Its never easy is it?"

We walked out of the room and boarded a ship.