Haku put on his coat and stepped out of his house. Today he's working at 'Just Bread Bakery'. When he was offered a job there, he has declined it because it's too tedious to leave his house every single day but the man was such a persuasive person that he managed to convinced Haku to come and help them for just one day and in return, he no longer have to feel guilty about the breads he's gotten for free so far AND he can eat all the breads that he wants without charge when he come. Haku would never reject free bread and he has always dreamt of working in a bakery at least once in his lifetime so this is a chance he can't let go.
When Haku got to the bakery, the man was already there and he was very engrossed with watching the television. Instead of the man, another person greeted Haku. This is the first time Haku has seen a different person working in the café other than the man so Haku assumed he must be someone working in the kitchen. This person is rather tall, just as tall as the man. He's got a really gentle-looking face and his deep voice fits his sturdy figure.
"My name is Haku," Haku introduced himself first while bowing slightly with his head.
"I am Akio, Eisuke's business partner and the baker," Akio also bowed slightly with his head.
This is the first time Haku found out the man's name. He almost chuckled again because he didn't think the name Eisuke fits his lively character but Haku managed to swallow it in so it won't seem disrespectful. "I am sure you've heard but I'll only be helping today," Haku continued.
Akio smiled, "I've heard from Eisuke. I hope you have fun today. Come and follow me, I'll show you some work," said Akio before he disappeared into the door.
Haku took a glance at Eisuke who was still very engrossed on the television before he also went through the same door into the kitchen area. There were so many freshly baked breads and the smell was making Haku so happy he almost fainted. There was also a girl who was moving the trays of bread from or into the oven.
"Her name's Ai. Ai, this is our helper for today, Haku."
"Another helper?" She asked Akio snappishly before leaving for the main area with a tray of breads.
"Don't mind her, she's angry at Eisuke right now. Come here, choose one that you like." Akio gestured to a pile of bread in a basket and said, "Have some before you start working."
Haku got super excited at the offer and he looked through the basket and chose a melon pan. He took a seat at the corner of the kitchen and observed Akio. He brought out a number of loaf pans and set them on the table to start making loaf bread. A moment later, Ai returned into the kitchen and Haku took the chance to ask her, "Are you mad at Eisuke because of me?"
Haku's straightforwardness took Ai by surprise that she stopped moving at all. She stared at him for a few seconds before responding, "No, I'm not." Her face softened up. "I was irritated at Eisuke because he's been doing nothing but watching streams since he came. Sorry that I made you feel that way."
Haku shook his head and apologized to Ai anyways and told her he'll work very hard today. She laughed softly at him and said, "There's nothing much to work hard here. Everything's practically set and we're ready to open soon. Once you're done eating, come and sit next to Eisuke and take care of the counter. When you hear the sound of a bell, that means a fresh set of breads are baked and you have to restock them at the display."
Haku nodded and continued eating. As he watches Ai cleaning some empty trays, he talked to her again, "I've never seen you in the days I came here."
"I am a university student so during weekdays, I'd come for work only after I am done with my classes. I guess that's why you've never seen me around."
The conversation shifted to them sharing about each other's university life. When Haku came in today, he thought Ai is a rather difficult person but now that he's talked to her, she's very personable and smiles a lot. Since today's the only day he'll work here, it's best not to leave a bad impression of each other so Haku's glad he got to warm up to her very soon.
After Haku's done eating, he went back to the main area and took a seat next to Eisuke. Haku doubts Eisuke even notices he's here since the man hasn't greeted him yet but he's wrong because Eisuke suddenly talked to him, "Have you played 'Secret Society'? It's an RPG game but they're going to release a new tactical shooting game mode soon. Matoi is playing the early access of the Beta right now, it's very interesting."
Haku shifted his attention to the television and Eisuke was having Matoi's stream on. Based on the Discourse overlay on Matoi's screen, there were 10 people in the lobby and Haku's guessing it's a paid promotion. Haku then observed the game. It seems to be a 5v5 first-person tactical shooting game in which two teams will be spawned as either the defending team or attacking team. There are two to three sites per maps and the defending team has to defend the sites from being infiltrated by the attacking team. Meanwhile, the attacking team has to successfully infiltrate any of the sites to pull off the defending team's flag and replace it by planting theirs. If they are successful, they have to defend the flag for another 50 seconds. During this period, the defending team has to do everything they can to re-conquer the site, pull off the attacking team's flag and re-plant theirs.
Haku understands the technicality of the shooting strategy since it's not too different from the game Haku was a pro-gamer for until last week but each character seems to have their own unique skills and special ability so, he can't grasp how the characters composition works. He decided to ask Eisuke and he gladly answered him,
"There are five roles altogether: a Hero, a Dark Mage, a Light Mage, a Scholar, and a Trickster. There are all the existing roles in the RPG mode. It seems like it is not compulsory to have all five roles for the team's composition. You can have, for example, two Scholars or two Light Mage if that's what your team needs to win."
Eisuke then moved his cursor around the screen and continued, "They're playing the Beta for promotion so they're using all five roles in their composition so let me explain to you each role one by one."
"Notice this character in red?" Eisuke's cursor is circling a man standing in front of Matoi's point-of-view. "This is a Hero. Their role is to stay on the frontline and make the first contact with the opponent. They're also have to make an entry into the site so that the rest of the members can enter safely."
"Matoi is playing a Dark Mage." Eisuke moved on to the next person. "The characters with this role have the ability to use offensive magic in order to open up the space and create cover for their team members. They can coordinate their skill with other members to make it effective, such as when the Hero is about to make entry, the Dark Mage can pull some skill or some sorts for them to make a smooth entry. Dark Mage also has the ability to use magic that can deal damage to their opponents."
Haku was very focused on the game and Eisuke's explanation that he wasn't speaking a word. He didn't even notice that there were already customers in the store and Ai was tending to them next to him.
"This girl over here is a Light Mage." Eisuke's cursor is now circling around a female character in white. "If Dark Mage uses offensive magic, Light Mage uses defensive magic to block or slow down the opponent's entry and they can also heal or resurrect knocked down members."
Eisuke kept going without even checking if Haku is following it through, fully trusting he won't have an issue since he was a pro-gamer.
"Next is this guy with a book in his hand, he is the Scholar. Their role is to use their knowledge or technology they created themselves that can help the team find the whereabouts of the opponents. They're also all-rounded compared to other roles because their other skills can be used for both defense and offense."
"Last one is a Trickster." Eisuke's cursor is now circling around a character with a striking outfit. "Their role is to stall the opponents by throwing flashes at them or confusing them with some of their other skills."
Haku nodded. He began to understand the whole concept of this game. It is pretty interesting game that Haku's hands and heart are tingling in excitement. He wants to get home and play this game as soon as possible!
"Do you want permission to access the Beta? I can help you with that."
Haku jolted and darted his attention to Eisuke who had a gleam in his eyes.
