An American Man on the Road, Part 4
1393 Words
Sunday is insignificant.
Harumi, Soren, and I are minding our own businesses quietly, as the sun still shines at full blast, forcing us to use air conditioning.
But even still, the American man invites us to a little preview of his next project.
Ah, it's a custom-built PC sporting an all-in-one liquid cooler.
Basically, the AIO is perfect for those who don't want to blow too much cash on custom water cooling loops, with the requisite radiators, water blocks for the CPU and GPU, and the coolant.
“As you can see, I'm commissioning this build for another resident of this apartment. He wanted a brand-new PC to replace his aging dual-core system, so I obliged. And what's even better is that he's not just paying a handsome sum of 50,000 yen, or around $473; but he also decided to give away his old system to me for free!”
Harumi glows with excitement.
“Wow, that's great!”
“OK, you can come back tonight for my formal turn-over ceremony of the finished project.”
I react...
“You bet.”
So tonight it is.
Right after we all have our dinners, Soren invites Harumi and I to the turnover ceremony.
Of course, the lucky guy who will have his brand-new PC is also present.
He starts off.
“I've wanted to go to Japan upon the recommendation of a friend. And look where that ended up at. I got more than what I've bargained for in terms of parts. So after a few hours of cleaning, building, testing, and cable managing, I now present to you all... Ryotaro Shimada's new rig!”
With just a push of the power button, the entire PC springs to life, its RGB fans awash with all colors of the rainbow.
Since the new system boots up fast thanks to a brand-new SSD, Ryotaro the lucky guy gets to try one of his favorite games, Pinnacle Legends.
The game runs buttery smooth, with a mostly consistent 60 frames per second and having a few frame drops of just 40 fps minimum, all at 1080p resolution.
Needless to say, the impressive CPU and GPU combination helps him win an online match.
We all clap our hands in applause as Soren declares...
“Congratulations, Ryotaro! You deserve this victory well!”
“Thank you, Soren-san! It's been a pleasure.”
“Now then, we'll all bring your ring to your new home.”
“Thanks to you all, even Gunpei and Harumi!”
It's great that a man who lives in the same apartment as us was given the grace of this American man, who then explains to us his “price-performance” philosophy when building PCs.
Monday.
It's the beginning of another school week.
But this time, my journey to school will have a literal third wheel, as I'll be accompanying Soren on his way to acquiring the old PCs that shouldn't be headed for the scrap heap.
He is most impressed by Harumi's school outfit.
“Wow... just like in my typical Japanese school anime! Sucks that the American school system doesn't employ uniforms in general.”
“Well, every country has their own quirks to speak of,” says Harumi.
Soren and I then have to part ways with her as she heads towards the left road that is bound for St. Catherine's College.
The road on the right, meanwhile, leads to Natsukawa Technical College.
Good. We're on time.
We don't mind the students who are wondering why there is an American who's not in uniform entering the school premises.
As we formally enter the school premises, I instruct him...
“OK, the school properties office where the PCs are being kept should be at the end of this hallway. Tell the property director that I vouched for you.”
“Noted.”
“Alright, see you later.”
“Later.”
The bell then rings, and I have to enter class on time as I should.
***
So here I am. The school properties office.
Obviously, the sign is in Japanese, but knowing that Gunpei knows his school like the back of his hand should assure me that this is the place.
I give the door a few good knocks.
A middle-aged man asks me in Japanese.
“Who are you? And what's your business here?”
Of course, I have to respond in Japanese.
I hope the one-month quick conversational Japanese course should do the job.
“I'm Soren Orr, an American. A student named Gunpei Imahara brought me here to finally buy the computers you plan to replace with newer models.”
“I see. Well, come on in.”
After formally introducing myself and my occupation, the property director cuts to the chase.
“It's great that you plan to buy the PCs we've been desperately selling off. If it helps your business, and if it will help our school lighten its load, why not? Here... you can open the PCs and see for yourself if they're worthy.”
After borrowing a screwdriver, I take one of the ten PCs that are being stored here, place it flat on the table with the CPU cooler's front face up, and open the case's side panel.
Most of the time, the motherboard's model number should be an easy indication of what the system packs. I look up the model number online, and here I go.
So... third-gen processors, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, and integrated graphics... all inside mid-tower ATX cases. Really not that bad.
I tell the property director...
“Great. Since I won't be carrying all these PCs back home all by myself, why not ship them all to my home in advance? Here, have my calling card.”
I proffer him my calling card, which contains the name of my business and the address, in the formal Japanese way.
“Thank you, Orr-san. You're a lifesaver.”
“Don't mention it.”
“That'll be 20,000 yen (around $189) overall, not including the expected shipping fee. I'll start packing up these PCs right away.”
I then hand over the payment he just asked for.
“Have a good day.”
“Same to you, too.”
I then leave the college premises, satisfied; and head back to the apartment pronto.
Since it's still morning, and I have nothing else to do, maybe I can partake in a little R&R.
Gunpei and Harumi mention the waterway trail, right?
So this is the place to be.
The Sango-minato Shiokaze Trail.
A strip of concrete along the town's coastline.
Based on the town's official website, the trail cleanly divides the northern and southern parts of this town.
The blue skies above and the blue sea below.
Truly, the trail delivers in terms of feeling the sea breezes.
Sea breezes that Lianna should enjoy alongside me.
It would be the perfect dating spot for us, but then...
So, barring mandatory lunch time, I'll just spend the rest of the day here.
My mind can't be preoccupied with PCs all the time, anyway.
Ah. it's approaching sunset.
Better go back and welcome Gunpei and Harumi.
“Welcome home!”
I promptly greet them once they arrive at the apartment.
Gunpei asks me the obvious.
“So, how are the PCs doing?”
“Yup, I got them for a good price. I just told the property director to ship them to my hometown in Oregon.”
Harumi reacts...
“That's great news. Oh, hey. While you're still here, Soren, can you please partake in our six o' clock habit?”
“What habit?”
“Story time, of course! Since you're from another country, maybe... you can share some awe-inspiring stories of your own.”
“Why not?”
Of course, more people need to know the tale of me and Lianna.
This is my sworn mission besides giving old PCs and hardware new leases in life.
Six o'clock. Gunpei's unit living room.
We three all gather around the coffee table, munching on some banoffee pie Harumi ordered on her way home.
I begin the session with the following.
“This is the story I hold very close to my heart, and more people should hear of it.
“This is the wonderful yet bittersweet story of Soren Orr and Lianna Riversdale.”
***
It all began several minutes before midnight.
October 4, 2018.
While on her way home from a family gathering, Lianna suddenly had a heart attack.
Her body couldn't take the shock, and thus she fell onto the ground, her head hitting the side of the pavement she was walking on, cracking her skull and ultimately ending her life, all bloodied.
It was later found out that stress paved the way to her death. And what spawned such stress? I'll tell it later.
On my end, I couldn't believe that someone like her, only 20 years old... would die without warning.
And thus, as her childhood friend, I grieved.
Grieved for several days, wondering how I would fare in a world without her.
To cope with the grief, I started playing Skypaths Online, an MMORPG, after a brief hiatus.
And to my surprise, I find the character Lianna left behind, whose name is Linnia Beferia, alive and kicking!
I surmised that she possessed her own character as a means of survival, and I was indeed proven right.
- Writer
