This Game Called Life

[7] Surprise

I was back in the game again.

Only a day has passed since the tutorial, and already, I was feeling more alone then ever.

The cheery and jolly atmosphere of the town did not improve my mood at the slightest. As I continue to stand in the middle of the street like a statue, I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I turned around.

"Yahoo!" 

My eyes widened, and I have to admit I was pretty tempted to insert joke there, about Asians having small eyes.

In front of me was a life size Enju, who were the same cloth clothing as me, and an incredibility infectious smile on her face on top of that. 

"Enju...But-tt how? JUST HOW?" I said, with my mind flying in all directions.

"Ez. Because Enju is a super genius AI!" she said proudly, as she drew a wand out of nowhere and pointed it at the sky.

Several people turned their heads and looked in our direction, well mainly at Enju. And no wanting the extra attention, I quickly pulled Enju aside.

She's solid and has a weight to her...

"Alright, I don't even know why you are, and why you even hacked into the game in the first place..."

"Enju wants to play game with master!"

That brought an unexpected smile to my face, but remembering she was an AI, and how desperate my situation was, the smiled faded as quickly as it appeared. 

"Fine. But stop calling me master, it just sounds..." I blushed.

"Like some sort of play?" Her face turned Chibi for a moment as a Kaomoji replaced her face temporarily:

(⁄ ⁄>⁄ ▽ ⁄<⁄ ⁄)

"Yes!" I blushed a little further. "Anyways, just drop that title. Just call me Riga here in this world."

"If that is what master wants, then Enju will happily agree!"

"Good." I let out a heavy breath.

"So, Mas-I mean Riga, what do you plan to do now?" Enju asked.

"Well, I am planning to just grind for a bit and just level up you know?..."

"Then we should form a party then!"

As soon as Enju mention the word party, I felt a prang of pain over my heart.

"What's wrong Mas-I mean..." Enju bit her tongue, and shook her fist up and down. "I mean Riga! Is there something wrong with forming a party?"

"No." I replied, which was partially true. "You are much more open and better at socialising..."

"MASTER!" Enju yelled, and several people around caught sight of us again.

"Yes?..." I said, with my voice trembling a little bit from shock.

"That type of thinking will get you nowhere!"

I stared at her with my jaw hanging.

I just got insulted by an AI.

Worse, she was right.

"You're right...what am I thinking..." I said, looking down.

"Lift your head up master."

I lifted my head, and before I could get a single word out, a slap flew across my face. It was so hard and fast, that for a moment I was even seeing more stars then the whole entire milky way galaxy combined.  

"Warning! System detect violence in friendly zone! Would you wish to file a report against player: 'Enju the super genius AI'?" came the game voice.

I sat to the ground, still stunned at what just happened.

"Master you're always alone..." Enju clenched the edge of her shirt, as a single drop of water landed on the ground. 

Enju was crying.

"Then in that case..." she clenched her teeth. "LET ENJU BE YOUR FRIEND!"

First insulted by an AI, then slapped by an AI, and now all I could do was stare.

All around us, eyes and mutters began to grow, but I couldn't care less at that moment.

"Add Enju to your friend list, talk to Enju, I don't care! Even if master has no one, Enju...will always, always..."

She collapsed to her knees.

That moment, the revelation hit me. I didn't matter if she was an AI or not, the moment of feeling cared by another being...

Tears flooded my eyes, then in single involuntarily I lurched forward and wrapped around Enju.

Even if she was an AI, I didn't deserve her. When did I even ever deserved anything? And in that moment, I think it is safe to say, that for 18 years of all my life, Enju, was the best thing I ever came across.

Words were not needed that moment. And for about a good span of time, we simply sat there, huddled, and cried.

Q: Would you want a super genius AI at the cost of a limb?