Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Add Reply
  • Pages:
  • 1
Back Pocket Shrapnel (Goichi Goda Intro); [Ask First]
Topic Started: Jan 26 2014, 03:32 AM (233 Views)
Sumitomo
Member Avatar

Lunchtime.

Lunchtime was refuge in the school life of an outcast - and Goichi Goda wouldn't fool anyone, including himself, if he claimed he wasn't. The popular kids all snuck off-campus or purloined their club rooms to take meals in, the couples went to the roof or to various secluded parts of the campus, and people like Goda, well...

They posted up somewhere with a book or a video game, and whittled their hour away, in worlds far from the one they lived in. Goda's favorite spot was a park bench under a shady tree in a distant corner of the school not many people walked through, and he found that it was an area of peace most of the time. There was the occasional student fly-by, but with Goda's social invisibility hard at work, at most he'd have to say a 'what's up' before he could get back to what he was doing.

Perfect.

He took his PSP from his backpack - an ancient gaming tool nowadays, like using a flintlock pistol or waving a cutlass about, and popped in his favoite game UMD - a namco classic arcade pack. It had something like 10 games on it, but all he really cared about was Galaga.

Galaga was Goichi's favorite game - there wasn't a cabinet in Nagashima he didn't hold the high score on.

Well, there was one... kind of. A rather large man, chasing a girl, had plowed into him at Tak's arcade during a 36 hour weekend gaming marathon, and he'd been too tired after that to do anything but fall asleep sitting on the arcade bench. That had been crushing, to wake up and see AAA in the top score slot rather than GG1, his handle, in the top score slot.

Sure, he'd made the score. But now, he'd have to beat it to maintain solidarity, and to do that required practice.

He fired up the game, picked Galaga from the in-game menu, and set to work. Immediately, it was as if someone had lit off an engine in Goda's soul that had long remained dormant. His eyes squinted, focused, intense. His fingers began to expertly maneuver his ship and fire lasers with precision. It wasn't ideal playing on a PSP - the muscle memory required to manipulate it versus a cabinet were entirely different - but hours spent playing Galaga were still hours spent to a good cause.

There he sat, lost in his own world, nothing in his ears but the rustling of leaves in the wind and beeps of dying pixelated aliens.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Natscookie
Member Avatar
Shitpost Senpai

Machi took a deep breath as she walked past the courtyard of the school. She had a quick lunch in the Tea Ceremony club's room by herself, and managed to kill all her homework right there while at it, multitasking the lunch hour away. Though, she was done much sooner than what she'd expect.

Deciding not to remain confined within that room's walls, the Historian went outside with no particular destination in mind, trying to find a way to waste the rest of her time. Perhaps she'd run into a friend? Or maybe she should check the cafeteria? Or perhaps go back to the third year building so to organize her locker?

Due to an absolutely fantastic orientation sense, her feet ended up dragging the blonde to a remote corner of the school she had never particularly frequented before.

"...?"

Out the corner of her eye, she saw a student sitting by himself. Oh! That was Goichi Goda, a classmate of hers. What was he doing all the way out here? Out of curiosity she approached, only to notice he took out a handheld.

Now that definitely spiked her interest.

Being a gamer in her free time, Machi decided to walk around the bench, standing behind the boy. Luckily, it made no shadow, due to the sun's positioning. She bent over slightly so to better observe the game being played over GG1's shoulder, holding her hair back with a hand so it would not fall and disturb him.

Galaga! She loved them shoot 'em ups quit a bit.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Sumitomo
Member Avatar

Of Machi, Goda didn't notice. He was in the Zone, with an emphatic capital letter. His fingers played a delicate symphony over the buttons of his PSP, positioning his ship to eliminate every pixelated invader without a wasted shot.

To Goda's estimation, it took about three hours of PSP Galaga to be equivalent to one hour of arcade play. Since he wasn't made of money, this meant he played quite a bit more on the PSP, and it showed. The skill on display was incredible, clearly the product of hours of practice.

Another benefit of portable play? The ability to pause. The cabinet required discipline, an iron will to succeed. Goda had those qualities, but...

Sometimes, it was just nice to be able to take a break and crack your knuckles. He paused, and in the reflection on the screen...

He blinked.

No, it couldn't be. Not here, not in his sanctuary! He broke into a cold sweat, and turned to look.

No, she was there. Machi Kijimuta - alpha female of the school, heiress, modern-day princess. She had everything, looks, money, status...

None of that mattered. Why here? Why him?

"M-m-m-m-machi-san!" Goda stammered. The panic was apparent in his face. "W-what are, why? I don't..."

Goda wasn't making sense - surprise had removed coherency from him. She was intimidating to him - her presence overwhelmed him. Just what business had this teenage goddess, this high-school olympian, with a peon like him? How did she even remember he was in her class?

He eventually choked it out. "What are you doing here?"

Smooth.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Natscookie
Member Avatar
Shitpost Senpai

"Hm?" Machi blinked in surprise with Goichi's reaction. If she knew what was going through his mind, she would probably bring a hand to her face with the exaggeration. But, alas, she did not.

"...Oh, am I bothering you, Goichi-san?" Considering he mentioned her first name, it was easy to assume a first name basis would be polite enough. She seemed rather apologetic, and took a step back, so not to disturb the poor boy.

"My sincerest apologies, I'll leave you to your game. I just saw a PSP, and couldn't resist watching..." To reinforce her apology, she bowed slightly. "I didn't mean to intrude at all."

In hindsight, her move had been quite dumb. He was all the way over there for a reason...
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Sumitomo
Member Avatar

"B-bothering me, I..."

Well, technically, she was, but.... how the hell do you say that? Goda had not prepared for this, and he was scrabbling just to pronounce words correctly. But then...

...She couldn't resist watching? A PSP? He looked at his handheld, still paused. He looked back to her, as she was about to leave. He had no idea she played video games - he figured she was beyond escapism as a hobby. What could someone like her want with a video game? She was living the dream already, wasn't she?

"Machi-san, I didn't know..." Focus Goichi. Focus. "I didn't know you were into video games. Forgive me for being so forward but, I mean..."

He put his hand to the back of his head, the typically japanese sign of discomfort while speaking. "You just don't seem the type. I mean, it doesn't bother me, you can stay and watch if you like I mean it's no big deal no really..."

...

Well, at least you didn't stammer this time...
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Natscookie
Member Avatar
Shitpost Senpai

"It's quite alright." To the awkwardness, Machi responded with her trademark bright smile - well, at least it had been slightly influenced by Yuki in cheerfulness, rather than displaying pure charm. "I play video games whenever I have the chance, which isn't as much as I'd like to these days..." Stupid engagement thingamajing and exams eating all of her free time.

"I like the challenge they bring, beats watching a poorly made show on TV." She spoke in good humor, and tentatively took a small step forth, to be back where she had previously been. "It's a good form of stress relief for me... Though I don't think I'm as good at any game as you seem to be in Galaga."

She let out a chuckle. There was Civilization... But even so...

"Would you mind if I sit down, then? I promise not to say anything." She raised her palm up as if reinforcing her statement.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Sumitomo
Member Avatar

"Video games are the only popular form of media with a skill barrier." Goda said, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "I like that. Movies, TV shows, they're just time sinks. Spend enough time and you get everything. A video game..."

The akwardness had left him, along with the stuttering and nervousness, even as she sat next to him. She'd engaged him in one of the few planes of existence he was comfortable in. It was almost as if he became a different person, back straighter, more confidence.

"A video game knows it doesn't have to give you anything if you're not good enough to get it. A video game says, 'take my secrets from me. I bet you can't 100% me.' I like that."

He smiled at her, warmly, a rarity for him. Then, as if he realized what he was doing, the smile quickly left his face and he turned back to his game. Smiling at Machi Kijimuta? The pack leader of Taiyoutono High? What the hell were you thinking?

"And no, I don't mind if you sit down. You can talk too... Normally, when I play this, it's in an arcade with a crowd. Playing it in the quiet is different for me... All my best high scores were when I was being cheered on, y'know?"

He un-paused, and the symphony began again. Although he continued the conversation, his eyes never left the action, his hands never stopped their furious assault.

"Frankly, I'm surprised you remembered my name, Machi-san, I uh... I don't remember talking to you much..." Click click click, tap tap. "Have you seen me in the arcades around here, or something?"
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Natscookie
Member Avatar
Shitpost Senpai

"I know, right?" Machi seemed to fall back into a casual behavior pattern for a change. She truly agreed with Goichi's words, thus ultimately feeling quite comfortable with the conversation. "I don't understand how people can say this sort of thing 'is bad for your brain' and things like that... If anything, it keeps it working."

She then waved a hand in the air. "And it certainly gave me quite the great hand-eye coordination."

Her own smile widened in return, but faltered almost right afterwards as the boy looked away. Was she being intimidating? Perhaps she should tone it down a little, or try to get on his good side.

"Thank you." She then walked around the bench, and sat down next to her classmate, her head tilting sideways so to better watch the screen without bothering Goichi much. A shoot 'em up... She was fairly good at them, but her own skill paled in comparison.

"Not really... I don't go to arcades much." Machi admitted, letting slight disappointment drip into her tone. "...Well, I've been there two or three times this week, but I was dragged by friends, so..."

Then, an idea popped up. "What if we go after the exams are over?"

Darn her social needs. She knew it would only make it hurt more - she had to leave in a month - but such a question had been entirely impulsive. Hanging out with people was, pretty much, her energy source.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Sumitomo
Member Avatar

Goichi smirked. Yes, it certainly did give you good hand-eye coordination. "Yea, y'know, in studies conducted on Apache helicopter pilots in the US military, they found the ones that played video games regularly tended to have a better grasp of their relative position in 3D space, and faster reaction times with more accurate results. Video games are anything but bad for you."

She sat down and looked over his shoulder slightly. Goichi felt the familiar rush of someone watching him play - he always played better for an audience. "Shame that you don't go much. Nagashima has a lot of great arcades, I usually do a circuit of them every couple of weeks. My favorite is Tak's pla-"

She stunned him with her next question. Did he really just hear that?

For the first time since he sat down to play, his ship finally got blasted the virtual alien menace. He was still awake wasn't he? Still the same old Goichi Goda? How exactly did he go from recluse to being asked to go to the arcades by the most popular girl in school who ALSO SHARED HIS HOBBY?

"I... I suppose we could..." Goda was back to his old self again, out of his element. "Don't you have like... I..."

He exhaled a frustrated sigh. "I mean... you're like... top of the heap here, wouldn't it be embarrassing to be seen with me or something? I'm not exactly upper crust like you, I mean, I'm big in the arcade scene but that doesn't mean shit at school..."
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Natscookie
Member Avatar
Shitpost Senpai

Machi's smile vanished entirely as Goichi's little ship got hit and exploded into bits by a shot from the enemy. She couldn't help but feel like it was something she said. "My apologies, I didn't mean to disturb you..." She felt like a broken record, it was the second time she apologized for that in such a short while.

Yes, her question had been a push too far, she realized; but his reason was what surprised Machi the most.

"Why does something like status matter?" Machi decided to argue equally impulsively. "I don't care about such things, and certainly not what other people would think." Her tone had taken a more serious approach, as she felt pretty strongly about such a thing.

"I'm spoon-fed that sort of thing daily, Goichi-san. Please, don't do it as well... Just treat me like a fellow classmate, or possibly friend, nothing more. Status shouldn't even be considered. We're at the same level here..."
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · Taiyoutono High School · Next Topic »
Add Reply
  • Pages:
  • 1