Chapter 24 Otaku thing

​After a few more minutes, we moved to a rhythm game. "Do you know how to play this?" I asked.

​"Tsk. I'm an expert at Cytus—all Perfects. I can play Comma by Ensou with the screen upside down," she boasted.

​"Who in their right mind plays with an upside-down screen?" I shot back. "Let's try The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku and Bad Apple."

​Again, she was loud and restless, shouting every time she missed a note. People were starting to stare. I couldn't concentrate with her being so "alive," acting like she owned the place. I seriously considered leaving her there and walking away.

​"You don't have to scream!" I told her, trying to get her to calm down.

​We spent the next few hours trying almost every game in the arcade. I had to get my 500 pesos' worth, after all. Even though she was a terrible opponent, she kept challenging me to every game she saw, clinging to her delusions of being a pro gamer.

​It's a weird feeling—winning but not feeling proud because your opponent is a total beginner who just talks big.

​"Let's try the fishing game next."

​"Aren't you tired of losing yet?" I asked.

​Eventually, hunger caught up with us, and we headed to the food court for lunch. We bought some takoyaki from a booth—her choice. As we sat and ate, she was still buzzing with excitement, bragging about the few times she managed to "luck out" and win against me.

​"Winning at Fish Hunt isn't a big deal, Lea. Given how many games you lost, you're still the loser of the day," I teased.

​"At least I beat you once, and that's what matters!"

​The joy on her face was like that of a child who had just discovered arcades for the first time. Perhaps I couldn't fully understand her perspective because I go to Quantum all the time. But it was a rare sight: someone so genuinely happy despite losing over and over again.

​As a gamer, losing repeatedly usually ruins your day. But she was different. She was still smiling, ready to try again, completely unbothered by looking like a "trying-hard" loser.

​"Don't you have any gamer pride?" I asked. "You keep losing, yet you keep coming back for more."

​"I'm a gamer because I enjoy playing, not to compete with others," she said with a smile. "Sure, losing stings a bit, but a game is just a game."

​She continued, "Games weren't made to make you angry at the game or your opponent; they were made for enjoyment. I'll admit I don't like losing, but it's not a big deal. There's always a next time."

​I fell silent, watching her. I wasn't sure if that was a profound philosophy or just a convenient excuse to avoid the shame of defeat.

​Playing for fun? That's what I do too, yet I feel insulted and embarrassed when I lose a game I've played for years. Watching her, I realized that she managed to find the positive angle even in something as simple as losing an arcade match.

​As the conversation drifted, she brought up our shared love for Anime.

​"So, what's your favorite romance anime? The kind that makes you die from 'kilig'?" she asked.

​"I don't watch those often, but I liked Orange. The character development was good, the concept was unique, and it had a twist. The plot felt unpredictable."

​She lit up, talking animatedly about her favorites, like the rom-com Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (My Little Monster).

​"I read the manga first, so I knew what was coming, but did you know Yoshida and Shizuku actually get married? It's so sweet! As in, kilig to the max!" she gushed happily.

Since our discussion had shifted toward Anime, I took the opportunity to ask if she had finished watching one of the "legendary" series, Naruto.

​"Ugh... I actually stopped watching after Uchiha Itachi died in episode 339 of Shippuden," she said, huffing in frustration. "It's so annoying—handsome characters aren't supposed to die!"

​"But," she added, "at least his brother Sasuke is still there. I still have someone to ship with Naruto."

​I could only shake my head in disappointment. Even with an action anime, her fujoshi tendencies were in full swing. It's hard to have a proper conversation with people like her; instead of discussing the epic fights or the "cool factor," the conversation always devolves into pairing up the male characters.

​"But did you know," I interjected, "there's a rumor that Sasuke wasn't even in the original draft of Naruto? They say the creator only added him because his young daughter drew a character like him."

​"Whoa! If that's true, I owe her some serious respect," Lea replied.

​"And another thing," I added, "speaking of Naruto, there was a rumor that Sanji Vinsmoke from One Piece was originally supposed to be named Naruto, but Oda changed it to avoid any issues."

​She then asked about my favorite movies while raving about Makoto Shinkai films, listing them one by one—titles like Children Who Chase Lost Voices and The Garden of Words—alongside the world-famous works of Studio Ghibli.

​"Hmm... I have a lot, but I really follow the works of Mari Okada. She was the screenwriter for Anohana, which made me cry buckets. I also like Kiznaiver and Toradora."

​"She was also part of the team behind The Pet Girl of Sakurasou, A Lull in the Sea, and Hanasaku Iroha," I added.

​"Wahhh!! Shiina Mashiro!! I miss my waifu!" I exclaimed, feeling a bit of a fanboy rush.

​"Wait, I thought Rheem was your waifu?" she questioned.

​I was momentarily speechless. It's perfectly normal for an otaku to have multiple waifus given the vast selection—and besides, Re:start wasn't even out yet when Mashiro was at her peak.

​"She's my ex-waifu," I muttered.

​Our conversation deepened as we continued geeking out over popular series like Hunter x Hunter, Dragon Ball, and others.

​"Did you know? According to Yoshihiro Togashi, the creator of Hunter x Hunter, Kurapika's dual swords were inspired by the Filipino martial art, Eskrima or Arnis," Lea shared.

​"Ohh..."

​A few moments later, we started naming our favorite Japanese voice actors—the people behind the iconic voices of every anime.

​"Of course, there's Saki Fujita. She voiced Ymir in Attack on Titan and Ritsu in Assassination Classroom," Lea said.

​"Yeah, I know her. She's also the voice source for the famous Vocaloid, Hatsune Miku—the first 2D hologram to hold concerts in America and all over the world. That 2D girl is a big shot; I'm almost jealous she gets to go on world tours," I replied.

​She also bragged about famous Japanese bands and singers who've made a huge impact, like LiSA.

​"Oh, did you know her real name is Risa Oribe? Her birthday is June 24, and she uses the stage name LiSA as an acronym for 'Love is Same All.' She became even more famous as one of the singing voices for the band Girls Dead Monster in the anime Angel Beats. Her songs as Yui were absolute hits," I said.

​Our conversation stretched on as we talked about our favorite protagonists and villains. Time slipped away unnoticed until a security guard eventually asked us to leave for loitering too long at the food court table.

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