Dahlia Supermall is one of the numerous shopping centers here in Naga City. It's usually bustling with people, particularly on weekends.

Today, being a Friday afternoon after school, the majority of customers are students ranging from grade 7 to college. Elementary students are rare, and if they are present, they are usually accompanied by their parents or guardians. Consequently, high school students, especially those in grade 7, dominate the scene.

I understand this transition to grade 7 can feel like stepping into the world of maturity, where students are no longer simply heading straight home from school. I've noticed that many grade 7 students tend to imitate adults, wanting to hang out, socialize, go to distant places, party, and even experiment with colorful makeup. It's their choice, and they bear the responsibility for their actions.

These trends have become more noticeable in recent years, even over the past three years. It appears that society has become more open, privileged, and complacent, which could potentially lead to unforeseen consequences.

Hmm. It's just more reason for a tragedy to occur..

In summary, malls have become popular hangout spots for students, offering a wide range of leisure and luxury options, including food, clothing, cinemas, games, and more.

Speaking of games, I decided to play an arcade game with my friend Eli-chan, as it had been a while since my last visit to an arcade.

The arcade room could be found on the second floor. So we either go by stairs, escalator, or by elevator.

“Eli-chan, how do you want to go upstairs?”

“..........”

She's ignoring me.

Since she came back with the canned soda she bought at the plaza several minutes earlier, Eli-chan has been ignoring me.

She isn't even looking at me. Her eyes are looking straight ahead but I know she's not looking at me at all.

She doesn't speak. She walks when I walk. She stops when I stop. She's just basically following me.

This reminds me of the past where she was stalking me. The feeling is almost eerily the same.

“Let's go by elevator then.”

*Ding!*

The silver door opened and a plump elevator girl smiles at us.

“Good afternoon po love birds. Which floor do you want to go?”

Eli-chan's frowning in response but then immediately goes back to her expressionless face.

“Err.. sir, could you please let me know which floor you'd like to go to?”

“2nd floor please.”

“I got you po sir.”

She presses a button on the wall. Then a momentary dizziness hits me.

The lift is getting pulled upward.

”Let me guess po sir. You'll watch the new movie right?”

“Pupuh~! You're wrong. Minus 1000 points.”

“The arcade then.”

“Yes. I'd like to watch the movie but there's only two more hours before 6 PM. My sister will mess with me again if I come home late.”

“You have a curfew? That's actually good. It's not safe to be out nowadays. The ‘Bloodreaper’ is still on the loose.”

“Right.. They haven't been caught yet?”

I turn to look at Eli-chan. She shakes her head very gently.

“Yes po sir. They even had another victim last night. It's scary because the victim is rich with high security... yet..”

“I don't think you need to worry about that. Bloodreaper is said to only hunt wealthy but corrupt people.”

“But the 3 victims this Monday were just innocent people you know. And I don't think the child is corrupted... She's just six years old. But Bloodreaper killed her! My god. Whatever is going on in our world now...” She looks disturbed. Like a lot. Obviously fufufu.

*Ding!*

The elevator door opens once again.

“Well, please be careful po madam,” we walk out of the elevator leaving the elevator girl behind.

“Ah! Sorry about that sir. A-Anyway, please have fun in our establishment.”

Then the door closes once more.

Now then... If I am not mistaken, the arcade room is in that direction.

“Let's go Eli-chan.”

“..........”

She is still just following me.

Fuu~

Oh. This is the place.

The indistinct noises are so nostalgic. People talking, children giggling and crying, coins clattering, and basketball thumping— these noises reminds me of my childhood days.

That's the counter for buying coins right?

Alright. There's no queue.

“Hello po madam, how much for one WOF coin?”

“Good afternoon po sir. Welcome to the World Of Fun. It's ten pesos each po sir. How many coins will you buy?”

“I'll have 20 pieces for now.”

“That would be two hundred pesos po sir.”

I give her a two hundred peso bill.

“Thank you po sir. Please have fun with your girlfriend.”

I nod at her.

“Eli-chan, Eli-chan.”

“..........”

“That lady in the counter said that you're my girlfriend. Doesn't that mean that we're really a match for one another?”

“..........”

“Hey. Please stop ignoring me.”

“..........”

“Let's have fun Eli-chan. I'm bored you see. And I'd like to have fun with you. Don't think too much about it. Will you please play a game with me?”

“..........”

She's contemplating I believe.

“..... Alright..”

“Nice! Then off we go.”

She is walking beside me this time.

“Let's start with the 2-Player video game I guess.”

“...En...”

We sit on our respective seats facing our respective monitor and control panel.

I insert a coin in the coin slot and the game begins.

I wonder which character I should use.

Oh. I'll take this swordsman with average base stats. This guy is balanced.

Alright.

Eli-chan chose a girl. I remember that this girl excels in speed and agility.

Sounds like Eli-chan for me.

『Round 1— Fight!』

Eli-chan swiftly advances towards me, her movements agile and purposeful.

I respond by swinging my sword in her direction, aiming to strike her.

With remarkable agility, she leaps vertically, gracefully evading my attack. In a swift follow-up, she deploys one of her skills, conjuring a flurry of daggers that rain down upon me for a relentless three seconds.

I press the button combination to use a skill which thrusts my sword forward. Using the momentum of that thrusts, I am propelled forward barely avoiding a critical damage.

My life bar drops to somewhere around 75% to 80%.

Eli-chan lands on the ground immediately rushing towards me again.

Using basic attack is meaningless although it's fun. So I'll use another skill!

I haven't read all the characters' data except mine so I don't know what skills Eli-chan's has.

Admittedly, I didn't have the chance to read all the characters' abilities beyond my own, so I'm not sure about Eli-chan's skillset. Nonetheless, I still have skill which initiates a 10-second flurry of spinning slashes, effectively limiting her options to evade or counter.

I jump vertically causing Eli-chan to pause momentarily in my previous position. Swiftly descending, I activate my skill once more. Her movement options constrained

This reduces her life to 40% at most.

Eli-chan charges to me again.

Should I use my strongest skill? Nah. It's meaningless. It will just be a waste of energy.

Let me use my ‘Sword Thrust’ skill again for an attack this time.

Well that's a critical hit.

『K.O!!』

I win the first round.