Eiji is Online

Chapter 2

Eiji woke to the hum of his phone vibrating against his nightstand. Squinting in the early light, he reached for it, groggy. A new notification flashed and he blinked in surprise: NightFury32.

He rubbed his eyes. They’d only ever messaged in-game before, so seeing Zane’s name pop up in a direct Discord chat was unexpected. Curiosity won over sleepiness as he tapped it open.

NightFury32: Morning, Eiji. Hope I’m not waking you too early. Just wanted to say last night was fun. Haven’t had a chill game like that in a while.

A lazy smile crept onto Eiji's face as he read it, the drowsiness slipping away. It felt weirdly nice having someone reach out to him first for a change.

He paused, wondering if he should wait a bit before replying, but shrugged—why play games?

ShadowStriker: Hey, good morning. And nah, you didn’t wake me. Last night was great. How’s your morning going?

Before he could even second-guess himself, those three dots popped up, and a new message appeared.

NightFury32: Slow morning. Haven't even had breakfast yet. Was wondering if you'd be down for a game later, but no pressure if you’re busy.

Eiji thought about his stack of assignments and his café shift looming in the afternoon. The responsible thing would be to study. But somehow, the idea of jumping back into a game with Zane sounded way better.

ShadowStriker: I’m in, but I gotta be off by 2. Got work at 3.

NightFury32: Perfect. I'll log on at 11?

ShadowStriker: Deal.

Eiji set his phone down. Glancing at the time, he had just enough room to squeeze in some studying. But as he flipped open his textbook, his mind kept drifting back to Zane and the way he’d signed off. And eventually, he gave in, making himself some coffee and letting his excitement bubble up.

By 11, Eiji was at his desk, headset on, eyes fixed on the Raging Skies login screen. He shifted in his chair, a mix of nerves and anticipation settling in his stomach. When the Discord call rang, he clicked to join, Zane’s voice filling his ears. “Hey, Eiji. Ready to kick some butt today?”

Eiji grinned. “Always. Think we should hit that new area? I heard the rare item drop rate’s pretty good.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Zane replied, keys clicking as they loaded into the game world. “And thanks for hopping on. I know it’s not our usual weekend thing.”

“No problem,” Eiji replied, aiming for casual but unable to keep the smile from creeping into his voice. “It’s better than just studying.”

“Oh yeah? What are you studying anyway? For college?.”

Eiji paused, then shrugged. Not like it was a big secret. “Yeah. English major. I know, super practical, right? I like writing so it works for me. I work at a café to help cover stuff.”

Zane’s voice softened a bit. “Actually sounds kind of cool. I always admire people who can get lost in books. I, uh, didn’t really do the whole college thing.”

Eiji perked up, curious. “What do you do then?”

There was a slight pause before Zane laughed. “Freelance model, actually. But it’s not as glamorous as it sounds. Mostly scrambling for gigs and hoping they pay enough. Sometimes you get a good shoot, other times you’re just... well, hustling.”

“Wait, seriously?” Eiji’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s actually kinda cool. Way more interesting than making lattes all day.”

Zane chuckled, sounding a little embarrassed. “Yeah, it’s different. But it’s tough, too. Some days you feel like just a face in front of a camera. Last week, I did this beach shoot—spent hours in the sun and only ended up with a sunburn and some free clothes that didn’t even fit.”

Eiji laughed. “At least you get freebies. All I get at the café are the leftover pastries no one wants.”

They laughed together, the sound easy and comfortable and Eiji realized he was actually enjoying this. It was like Zane was becoming more real, more than just a voice on the other end of a headset.

The conversation drifted from jokes about their in-game fails to personal stories—Zane talking about growing up in a small town and moving to the city, Eiji sharing stories of late-night cramming sessions and the occasional chaos of his café job.

“Sounds like you’re juggling a lot,” Zane remarked, his tone thoughtful. “Work and school? Couldn’t do it.”

Eiji shrugged, though he appreciated the concern. “It’s not so bad. But yeah, sometimes it feels like I’m just going through the motions. Like I should be doing something more, you know?”

Zane was quiet for a second then said, “Yeah, I feel that too. Like I’m just in between gigs, not really going anywhere. But I guess that’s why I love gaming. It’s an escape, even if it’s just for a little while.”

Eiji nodded, even though Zane couldn’t see him. “Yeah. I think that’s why I like it too.”

Before he knew it, the clock was nudging him toward reality. “Hey, I gotta log off soon,” Eiji said reluctantly. “Work calls.”

“No worries. Thanks for playing with me,” Zane said, his voice warm in a way that made Eiji’s chest tighten. “It was nice talking to you too.”

“Same here. If you want, we could do this some other time,” Eiji said, feeling a flicker of boldness. “Like, outside the usual weekend stuff.”

He could practically hear Zane’s smile. “I’d like that. Just hit me up or I’ll hit you up whenever.”

As Eiji closed his PC and grabbed his stuff for work. He couldn’t stop replaying their conversation in his head.