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“Nobara, are you sure this is a good idea?” Yuuji asks while he watches her dress up an avatar in the game [Arcana]. Her newest “fun idea” consists of making Yuuji catfish as a girl in this new RPG that came out 2 weeks ago and is rising in popularity. The goal is to find a sugar daddy and use this man’s money until his pockets are empty. “Why do I have to catfish as a girl when we already have a girl?” Yuuji asks her, a pout on his face. He isn’t the biggest fan of the idea, but money is tight, especially now that his grandpa is no longer around, so he finds it hard to refuse.
“It’s safer for a boy to do it!” she exclaims. She’s giving the avatar a revealing outfit, a short, backless dress, with a lot of frills. The characters boobs are practically spilling out of the dress. “If the old man figures us out and sends someone after us, you can beat them up.” Nobara turns around to give him a thumbs up before turning back to Yuuji’s laptop. Yuuji sighs and decides her explanation makes enough sense.
“Oh, by the way, don’t you dare tell Megumi about this.” She suddenly glares at him, and he shivers. “Sure, but why?” he doesn’t like deceiving people, especially if they’re close to him. “He’s too jealous.” is the only explanation he gets. “Think about a nickname while I finish dressing her up.” Yuuji tries to think of a nickname but gets distracted thinking about why Megumi would get jealous. The money? His mysterious sponsor (really just foster father, but Megumi refuses to call him that) gives him enough money, so it couldn’t be that. Maybe he’ll get jealous because they’re doing this without him?
“Yuuji! What are we naming this gorgeous babe?!” asks Nobara and interrupts his trail of thought. Yuuji panics and says the first thing that comes to mind. “Tora!” he yells. “Cute but fierce. Good job, Yuuji!” Nobara nods in approval and types in the nickname.
“Now, go find us a rich sugar daddy!”
Yuuji gulps nervously.
--
Nobara has to go home after Yuuji starts playing, but she messages him every 10 minutes to ask if he has found a suitable target yet. Yuuji isn’t quite sure if he could call the top player on his server suitable, but what matters is that the guy won’t stop following him. thegreatest keeps bothering him since the moment he saw him. Apparently, he reminded the creep of someone he knows, and he fell in love at first sight with “this cutie”.
After endless tries of running away from this creep, a message pops up in front of Yuuji.
thegreatest has sent you a friendship request!
>> Accept :) << >> Deny :( <<
Yuuji stares at the screen. He doesn’t know what he should do, so he pulls out his phone and sends a pic with a quick explanation to Nobara. It doesn’t even take a minute, and she’s calling, telling him this is an opportunity sent from God, and that if he doesn’t accept and talk to this man, she will beat him up.
“But he’s giving me the creeps...”
“Creeps are usually older rich men. Bro, you’ve struck gold. Go, go!!”
Yuuji clicks on the accept button reluctantly and is instantly spammed by thegreatest.
[thegreatest]: Hi cutie
[thegreatest]: Tora-kunnn
[thegreatest]: Let’s go to this dungeon, I’ll carry.
thegreatest gifted you (sword of healing)!
[thegreatest]: You just heal me when I need it, yea ;)
[thegreatest]: Tora-kunnn reply to meeee :,(
[YOU]
Okay
I’ll try my best!
Nobara, who’s watching him live from discord, urges him to thank the guy, so he writes another message.
Thank you for the sword!
[thegreatest]: No worries cutie
--
Helping thegreatest clear the dungeon wasn’t as hard as Yuuji thought it would be. Firstly, it was far too low-level, and secondly, thegreatest was seriously too OP. He barely had to heal him. But still, the guy acted like he couldn’t have done it without Yuuji.
“Man, I’m jealous of his skills!!” he complains to Nobara at school the next day. Before she can reply, Megumi walks in. “Who?” he asks and sits down next to them. “Oh, Yuuji got into this new RPG called Arcana. A guy in his server is really good.” Nobara saves Yuuji. Megumi frowns. “My sponsor plays this all the time now. It’s getting annoying. It’s like he has no job or life.”
Yup, it was good not to tell Megumi.
The teacher starts the lesson, so they stop talking. Nobara points at her phone before she sneaks it under her desk.
Nobara
>> That was close
>> Let’s not talk about Arcana in front of him anymore...
Yuuji looks up to Nobara and gives her a thumbs up. Megumi is too focused on the lesson to notice.
--
After school, Yuuji opens [Arcana] to see that thegreatest has been texting him since 8 am.
[thegreatest]: Rise and shine sweetie
[thegreatest]: Toraaaa when will you go online?
Thegreatest gifted you (flame of life and death)
[thegreatest]: Let’s go to that dungeon today
[thegreatest]: You should join my clan afterwards. You’ll be levelled up enough!
He doesn’t get to reply because the guy starts texting again.
[thegreatest]: Tora!!
[thegreatest]: Let’s go, now that you’re online!!
This guy surely has a lot of time on his hands, doesn’t he? Yuuji wonders. Doesn’t that mean he’s talking to an unemployed guy? Then he remembers: old people usually stay at home all day!! Was he really talking to an old guy?! Yuuji can’t erase the image of an old man playing [Arcana] all day. It’s kind of funny.
He texts back.
[YOU]
Yup, let’s go!
Thank you for the gift >.<!
--
This dungeon was a bit harder, but it seemed like there was nothing too hard for thegreatest. Once again, Yuuji had barely anything to do. Today’s gift was a bit more powerful, Yuuji was able to kill a few monsters instead of relying on thegreatest all the time. It was a lot of fun, and thegreatest helped him lots. He also made sure to compliment Yuuji after each kill, which was a bit embarrassing.
After they clear the dungeon, Yuuji really does level up enough to join a clan. The guy sends him an invite, and Yuuji accepts. The other clan members welcome Yuuji warmly, and he starts feeling a bit guilty. Wouldn’t they all hate him after thegreatest figures him out?
[thegreatest]: Toraaa
[thegreatest]: Can I have your discord?
[thegreatest]: Calling is easier than chatting mid fight :)
Yuuji thinks about refusing. How is he going to talk? His voice would give him away in an instant. He texts Nobara in a panic, but it doesn’t seem like she has any signal. The messages don’t go through. He starts sweating.
[thegreatest]: If you’re too shy, you don’t have to talk
[thegreatest]: Although I would love to hear your voice
[thegreatest]: I bet it’s as cute as you
If he doesn’t have to talk, he can give him his discord, right? Right??
[YOU]
It’s tora15!
I’m not sure I want to talk...
Sorry!!
[thegreatest]: It’s okay cutie
Soon, Yuuji gets a request on discord. The guy’s username is the same. It makes Yuuji laugh a little. He sure was the greatest in the game. Suddenly, he calls. “Right now!?”
thegreatest started a call! [JOIN]
Yuuji joins the call.
“Tora-kun!!” the guy yells into his mic. Yuuji’s heart stops—this wasn’t an old man’s voice!!! Thegreatest has a deep and gentle voice, totally opposite to what Yuuji had expected the man to sound like. “I thought, maybe if we call often, you’ll get warmed up to me faster. I want to hear your voice one day,” he says. Yuuji goes into the chat and tells him he’ll try his best. Thegreatest laughs lightly. He starts telling Yuuji about his day. At some point, thegreatest tells him something funny and Yuuji giggles.
“Your laugh is so cute,” he hears thegreatest say. Yuuji’s face heats up as he closes his laptop shut in panic. Had he seriously forgotten to mute himself??!!! The guy’s voice plays in his head endlessly. He had called him cute, so he didn’t figure him out, right?! Yuuji opens his laptop again to see messages from thegreatest.
thegreatest
Tora-kun??
Did your laptop crash? I’ve noticed you're kinda slow in the game...
I’ll buy you a new one, I’ll put it in a locker at the post office, you can pick it up there
Toraaa!!
You’re back >.<!
Yuuji stares at his laptop in disbelief. Was this guy for real?! He swiftly sends a message to Nobara, who tells him to accept before it’s too late. Yuuji thinks a lot about his reply before sending it. The guy was offering, so it wasn’t that bad, right?
Tora15
I’m sorry! My laptop did crash!
It would be cool if you did, but isn’t this too much for someone you don’t know?
thegreatest
Nope!
I have a little request actually...
Tora15
Yes :)? I’ll do anything!
thegreatest
Be my girlfriend.
--
Yuuji ends up playing the guy’s girlfriend. He reveals his name after Yuuji accepts. Satoru. Yuuji isn’t sure if he’s just lying or not, but what is real is the expensive laptop and clothes on his bed. Satoru sent him a couple of his t-shirts as an extra, and also a pink frilly skirt. Next to it was a card. “Something pretty for my pretty girlfriend” was written in neat handwriting. Yuuji blushes and throws the clothes in his closet fast.
He writes to Satoru to thank him for the things, and Satoru calls to chat with him while he sets up his new laptop. Satoru tells him about his day, and Yuuji finds out he’s an important figure at a big company. How he still finds time to play all day is strange to Yuuji. Maybe he worked part-time?
A few weeks pass, and Yuuji finds himself in a room full of Satoru’s gifts. Lego flowers, Satoru’s cologne, posters and merch of his favourite movies and much more. Sometimes Nobara sends him links to clothes she wants, and Yuuji asks Satoru to buy them for him. The shame and guilt that he felt are now gone; he is totally used to being Satoru’s girlfriend. Telling the man “I love you” every night doesn’t feel forced anymore.
Slightly, not that Yuuji would admit it, he fell for Satoru. They shared the same interests, liked the same movies, had the same humour. Sometimes Yuuji thinks it’s a shame they met like this. He doesn’t dare think further.
--
One day, Satoru decides to reveal his face on a call. Yuuji’s heart beats so fast that he’s genuinely scared for his health. No words could describe Satoru’s beauty. His hair is as white as the clouds, and his eyes are as blue as the summer skies. He is also very tall and muscular, and Yuuji finds himself envying the man’s physique. It really wasn’t fair to be this blessed. Money, skill, looks, he has it all.
Tora15
Woah!!! Satoru you’re so pretty!!
Satoru laughs and looks really gorgeous doing it. No fair. “I’ve never been called pretty before. Thank you, baby.” Yuuji blushes at the nickname. He still hasn’t got used to it. He texts a simple “You’re welcome!” and stares at Satoru as he smiles at his message.
Yuuji is up on cloud nine until Satoru asks him a question. “Could you let me hear your voice now? Please?” Satoru stares into the camera, his blue eyes sparkling like the sea, and Yuuji, despite not being sure how he’s going to go forward, agrees.
“Hi,” is all he says at first. He tries to speak slowly in a lighter voice to sound more feminine. “I’m not sure what you want me to say?” he tries again. Gojo’s face shows no sign of disappointment, so Yuuji silently jumps in victory. “You’re voice is too cute, Tora!!!” Gojo pretends to pass out and says that Yuuji’s voice will kill him from cuteness.
Yuuji blushes. They chat for a bit, watch a movie and play a bit before Yuuji says he has to sleep.
“Goodnight, baby.”
“Night, Satoru!”
Yuuji ends the call and tells Nobara about what just happened. She tells him “good job” and a heart emoji, and goes to sleep too. Yuuji spends all night tossing and turning, thinking about Satoru’s looks, his voice, and the new nickname—baby. He tries to ignore his rapidly beating heart as he falls asleep.
--
When Yuuji gets caught, it’s by pure accident. He isn’t sure what he clicked on, but suddenly, his face is on the screen and Satoru gasps. Yuuji panics and blocks Satoru before he can get a reaction. He deletes the game. He tells Nobara, and she tells him it’s okay. He won’t do anything; it’s not like he saw his face for a long time.
Two weeks pass. Yuuji misses talking to Satoru, he misses his voice and jokes. Megumi asks him why he’s acting gloomier than him, and Yuuji doesn’t know how to reply. He says that he misses his grandpa. Megumi tries to distract him by telling him how his sponsor looked really sad for the past few days. He tells him he can’t be the same as this guy, so he should cheer up soon. Yuuji really tries, but he feels guilty.
--
When he comes home that day, he feels something behind him. Suddenly, he is turned around by a strong hand. Yuuji looks up into familiar eyes. Satoru had come to his apartment. Yuuji closes his eyes and braces himself for a punch that never comes. Instead, Satoru rests one arm on the door behind him and grabs his face lightly with the other. “Yuuji-kun, why did you leave me?” he asks in a pitiful voice. Pitiful enough for Yuuji to ignore that Satoru knows his name. “Do you hate me?” his eyes are all glossy when Yuuji opens his again.
“I-I’m sorry.” Is all he musters up. “I’ll return everything you bought me!”
Somehow, this makes Satoru’s face darken in anger. “I don’t care about that! Do you really think I came back for that?” he yells. Suddenly, one of his neighbours comes down the stairs. “Yuuji, who is that?” she asks in concern. “A coworker! I got a job recently! Sorry for the noise!!” he quickly says and drags Satoru into his apartment. He pulls Satoru by the hem of his t-shirt and sits him down on his tiny couch. Yuuji removes his jacket and tosses it aside before going to Satoru.
“You’re wearing my shirt.”
Yuuji feels his face flush. He doesn’t know what to say. “I’ll wash it and give it back.” He adds a little “sorry”.
“No need, it’s cute on you, baby,” Satoru says, and it confuses Yuuji. What did the man want from him? It seems Satoru can read his mind, because he starts explaining. “I didn’t come here to take anything back. Other than you, of course.” he starts. “I knew who you were from the start, Yuuji. I don’t mind, do you?” Yuuji starts thinking it’s a dream. What is this guy saying? It barely makes sense to him.
“Mind what?” Yuuji asks.
“The fact that we’re both guys?” Satoru asks like Yuuji is the one not making sense. “I don’t?” Yuuji replies, and Satoru jumps from the couch to give Yuuji a hug. “Then we’re boyfriends now.” Yuuji likes the sound of that. Satoru spends that night at Yuuji’s apartment. He teaches Yuuji how to kiss and then cuddles him to sleep. After what felt like an eternity of sadness, Yuuji was finally happy again. He snuggles into Satoru and falls asleep to the sound of his heartbeat.
--
Yuuji wakes up to pancakes, which are the only thing Satoru can make in the kitchen apparently. Yuuji tells him not to worry, after all, he can cook. Satoru makes him promise to cook dinner that day before sending him off to school.
The moment he sits down, Megumi asks him a question in a bitter tone. “Yuuji, what is that?” He points at Yuuji’s neck, and soon Nobara is behind them, gasping. “Yuuji, why do you have hickies?!” she yells in a quiet tone. She takes a photo and shows it to Yuuji. His face turns fully red, and he tells them he has a boyfriend.
They gossip all about his “mysterious boyfriend”, and Yuuji makes up a story of how they met. It’s all half-truths: They met on [Arcana], then met in real life and started dating. Nobara side-eyes him and texts him after school. She asks if the boyfriend is Satoru, his sugar daddy, and Yuuji can’t lie to her. At first, she’s scared for his well-being, but then congratulates him on being the first to marry rich. Yuuji laughs.
--
Back at home, he finds Satoru eagerly waiting for him. Yuuji lightly scolds him for not warning him about the hickies, but then they start making out and Yuuji forgets all about it.
Later, Yuuji cooks dinner, and Satoru compliments his food till Yuuji has to stuff his mouth so he can keep quiet before he dies from embarrassment. Still, he is glad that Satoru likes his food so much. It feels nice to cook for someone after so long. Yuuji feels a bit sad when Satoru leaves, but the man promises to call and text him a lot.
They spend all night calling, and Yuuji falls asleep to Satoru’s voice. He had really missed this.
--
One day, Yuuji is visiting Satoru’s place when suddenly the front door opens. Yuuji’s body goes rigid when he hears Megumi’s voice. “Yuuji?!” He marches into the living room, where Yuuji is sitting on Gojo’s lap, face flushed, and lips swollen from kissing.
“You’re fucking my foster father?!”
Well, that is awkward.