Chapter Text
Chapter One
THE CLEANERS
“Your trash is our treasure."
Zanka let out a tired sigh, his gaze rising to the glowing sign above. He appreciated Enjin’s willingness to hire him, even though he knew of his hatred of any job involving face-to-face interaction. He had just spent the day hunched over his laptop, hammering out who-knows-what for a project not due for weeks. Now, with his brain feeling like a lump of icing, he squinted at the sign, hoping to snap his tired eyes awake before heading inside.
Eventually, the door to the store opened, dinging the bell that sat on top of it, greeting Zanka with the familiar thrift store scent—a blend of musty old clothes and incense, courtesy of whatever Riyo had chosen to burn to try and mask the old and used things smell. Through this haze, Zanka spotted the red fire-haired girl at the register, chatting away with a customer.
As he approached Riyo, Zanka couldn’t help but envy her social skills. Her green eyes always sparkled with childlike excitement, and her words, no matter the customer, carried a captivating charm. Somehow, Riyo consistently coaxed at least a three-minute conversation out of anyone, often earning either a hefty tip or a slip of paper with some poor person's phone number. Zanka loathed socialising. He had struggled for ages to find work because of it; just the thought of speaking with people for more than two minutes made him want to curl up and disappear. Maybe it was an anxiety thing, maybe it was the fact that he found most people to be too self-centred and too uninteresting to feel like making a connection with them.
“I hope you have the best day. I know that antique clock is going to look amazing on display in your home,” Riyo said, smiling as she handed the bag to the elderly lady.
“Thank you kindly, honey.” The lady beamed at Riyo before shuffling toward the door.
Riyo continued to wave at the elderly lady until the customer was out of sight. Then Riyo turned her eyes toward Zanka.
“Hey, dude. Oh, wow, you look rough today.” Riyo laughed as Zanka made his way behind the register. He threw his phone and keys into one of the cubbies and rested his head on the counter. Zanka let out a loud groan before tilting his head toward Riyo.
“I’ve been studying all day. This project is important for my law class, and I can’t afford to disappoint Kyouka and Father by failing yet another assignment."
Riyo let out a soft huff and placed her head on the counter, matching Zanka. She reached out with a finger to smooth over the dark circles under his eyes. Zanka welcomed the touch. Even though her fingers were freezing cold, he found it oddly soothing.
"Is this what I’m going to have to deal with for the rest of this shift? You're in a mopey mood because of some silly assignment, which, knowing you,"—a teasing smirk played at her lips—"it probably isn't due for another 5 weeks or something close to that."
Zanka hated how well she knew him.
“I’m not in a mopey mood, I’m just tired, plus this shift is so quiet there is practically nobody in here." Zanka raised his head, glancing around the room. Two teenagers were over in the clothes aisle, giggling and browsing through old sweaters. An older couple was standing over by the antiques. The woman was examining a weird cat statue, while the man wore the fakest smile he had ever seen. He couldn’t see over into the furniture section, but by the distant chatter, he determined there were a couple of people over there, too. Letting his head drop back onto the counter with a dull ‘thud’.
Riyo took a deep breath and stood up, stretching her arms above her head in a cat-like pose. "Welp, now that you're here, I think I’m going to take my well-deserved break," she announced.
Zanka let out a sad, muffled groan, his cheek squished uncomfortably against the cool counter. Already in a bad mood, he clenched his hands beneath him. He was already tired from studying today, and now he was frustrated that he couldn’t even complain to Riyo about the stress of having the most controlling family in the world. This day just went from bad to worse.
Riyo chuckled as she headed towards the back rooms. "Don't be so pouty, Zanka; you will be fine on your own for an hour.” Suddenly, her smile sharpened, and she stopped in the doorway, a devious idea forming in her head.
"Y'know… Enjin recently told me that you might be one of the best employees he’s ever hired," Riyo teased.
Zanka’s head shot up faster than a rocket. “He did?!” Riyo’s sly smile nearly cracked when she saw the dopey look on Zanka’s face. "Yeah, he said he can’t wait for your next shift with him. He wants to see how much you’ve improved." Zanka stood frozen with a smile as Riyo disappeared out the back door.
Zanka could have stood there for hours, staring stupidly at the backroom door. The quiet, calming aura of the thrift store was disturbed by a loud ‘BANG!’ as the front doors flew open. A man with laboured breath practically teleported to the counter. Zanka stared at the man in disbelief as he slammed his hands on the counter.
"I’d like to donate this game!" the guy practically shrieked, shoving the game straight into Zanka's hands. "...Okay," Zanka whispered, eyebrows raised in such shock that he was sure he would have wrinkles by 20.
‘This guy has got to be some sort of crackhead,' Zanka thought as he stared down at the game in his hands. Examining the game, he realised it was some console game made for the TV. The console type was unlabelled, which Zanka had never seen before. The case would usually be designed in blue or green. Showcasing what type of console you needed, but this one was just a blank canvas. This had to be some sort of bootleg game. Flipping it over, Zanka read the title and description.
“Aphrodite Halls”
“You're new to Aphrodite Halls; you’ve just transferred here from your old school and are feeling lost and scared, but don't you worry too much; the students at Aphrodite Halls are nothing if not kind and welcoming. Six students offer to show you around at school, and you can’t help but feel a deep attraction to their gorgeous faces and personalities,but don’t you worry, they’re just as obsessed with you; they’ll do anything to stay by your side, even if it hurts them in the process. Come navigate through this exciting adventure and romance game, build a connection, and truly fall in love. Unfortunately, you can only choose one, so pick wisely. Six lovers all for you! Aphrodite Halls awaits your face!”
“Ah…”
There are no words to describe Zanka’s face other than 'wholly unimpressed.' He looked up at the man, who was still breathing heavily, eyes glued to the game as if something would jump out of the case and claw his eyes out. Zanka raised a single eyebrow. “Look, dude, I know stuff like this can be embarrassing, but you can’t just come barging in here making a scene because you don’t want people to know you like dating simulators." Zanka sighed, an annoyed but amused sound. At this, the man's face fell. A dark shadow passed over his features. Before Zanka could ask if he dropped his fedora on the way in, the guy grabbed his collar, yanking him forward and over the counter. “What the hell are you doing?!” Zanka said as his torso hit the hard counter, causing him to wince in pain.
"Shut up, you absolute moron. You have no idea what that game has put me through!" the guy screamed into Zanka's face, leaning forward aggressively. "You have no idea what he has put me through!" Zanka’s face scrunched as he felt spit hit his cheek. ‘Yuck.’ Zanka clenched his fists, ready to punch this guy and deal with the fallout later. Enjin would understand, right? The guy had harassed him first. Zanka was just about to act when one of the teenage girls from earlier snapped out of her state of shock, screaming absolute bloody murder, piercing the tense air.
“Manager! We need a manager! This crazy guy is trying to kill an employee!”
Next thing he knew, he heard a door bang open. Two sets of footsteps rushed toward him. Two arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him back, while another pair of hands smacked down hard on the other guy's shoulders, pulling them apart.
Zanka fell backwards, landing on someone with an 'oof,' which he realised was Riyo’s voice. Looking up, he saw Enjin holding the other man, trying to wrestle him out the door as the man screamed nonsense. Zanka caught only a few words—hacked, pink-eyed, alive. Enjin finally shoved him out and locked the door until he left. Only then did Zanka realise he’d been lying on poor Riyo. He turned around to apologise, coming face to face with a murderous glint in her eye as she watched the door. “It's ok, Riyo, I’m ok," Zanka mumbled through puffed breaths. Riyo’s gaze softened as she turned to look at him, then shuffled out from under him as Enjin joined them behind the register on the floor.
They all sat there silently. The sound of people leaving the store and their heavy breathing was all Zanka could hear. Enjin finally let out some exasperated laughs. "There's no way that just happened." Riyo relaxed and joined in with Enjin, laughing. "Zanka, what did you do?" "Insult his entire bloodline," she breathed out, laughing. Zanka’s face twisted into embarrassment. “What do you mean? ‘What did you do?’ I didn’t do anything. He got embarrassed over this game he donated and yanked me over the counter like a lunatic!” Zanka held up the game for Riyo and Enjin. Their laughter erupted. “Oh my god, there's no way!” Enjin chortled, throwing his body back in loud, obnoxious laughter. Riyo was no better, gasping for air. “How insecure do you have to be to lose your shit over a dating simulator?” That finally got Zanka to crack, letting out a fit of giggles.
After a while, they all settled down, and Enjin resumed his role as owner. He put a hand on Zanka’s shoulder. "Zanka, dude, I think you should head home for today. Riyo already told me you were having a tiring day, and after that whole incident, I think you deserve a good snack and a nap."
Zanka’s brow furrowed. 'Zanka had worked efficiently under stress before and under worse conditions; why now was Enjin doubting him?'
Enjin noticed the look and gave a familiar lopsided grin. "Hey, remember when you worked that Saturday sale on two hours of sleep and managed to organise the inventory by lunch? I still have nightmares about those decorative plates perfectly colour-coded. But today’s a different beast."
Zanka snorted, despite himself, recalling the way Enjin had gawked at how neat and pristine the thrift store had looked. "You said you’d never let me make the store look like an IKEA again," he muttered.
Enjin chuckled. "And I meant it. But seriously, I’m not doubting your work ethic, Zanka. I know you can continue to work, but honestly, after that whole incident, I don’t think we will get any more customers today."
Zanka followed Enjin’s eyes as they scoped over the now-empty store. "Man…this whole incident is going to be so much paperwork," Enjin groaned, rubbing his face. Turning back to Riyo and Zanka, "Come on, I'll give you both a ride home." Enjin said as he all but shoved them out the door, then closed and locked it behind him.
Sitting in Enjin's car, all of his previous protests about being too tired melted away as his eyes grew heavy listening to the background sound of Riyo and Enjin bickering and the car rolling along the road; he drifted off.
'SLAM.' Zanka was finally back in his tiny apartment, slumping back and sliding down against his door. He raised a hand to wipe his eyes, trying to rid himself of the day and coerce himself into taking another nap in his bedroom instead of his entryway. Honestly, it wouldn't make much difference; his whole apartment had the same pristine, clean grey look throughout. Something his parents and siblings had drilled into him was that anything that wasn’t perfect wasn’t good enough. It only took him until college to realise that it applied to him, too.
Something hard smacked against his skull. 'Ow...what the—' Looking accusingly at his hand, he let out a shocked breath, ‘Huh?!’ There is no way he walked all the way out of the store to Enjin's car, drove home, and went inside with the goddamn stupid game in his hand. Was he actually this sleep-deprived? Maybe Riyo was right to tell him to take a break… Zanka stared down at the game in his hand, and the inviting purplish pink of the packaging stared back. 'Well, video games are an easy dose of serotonin,' even if the game was some really stupid dating game he’d practically stolen from his work.
Trailing over to his "living room", he dropped down onto the couch. This game had no label, and the only console he had was an old PlayStation his family had given him when times were better. The thought of his family made him grimace, but he didn't have too much time to think about it as he inserted the disc and waited to see if his console would accept it. He sat in a steady silence for what felt like a decade before his screen changed colours, transitioning from the loading screen to a fully purple screen. 'Was this some sort of glitch?' The screen flickered back and forth for a bit until Zanka swore he saw his console let off a surge of electricity. 'Shit, had he actually ruined his TV and PlayStation with some weird dating game? Maybe that guy had been onto something about this game being "hacked" or whatever.'
His thoughts were interrupted when a catchy, jolly theme song started playing, and the screen flashed up the title "Aphrodite Halls: Press X to Begin". Zanka let out an amused sigh and clicked the opening screen. The next scene that popped up assaulted his eyes with the sickening number of bright colours on the screen, featuring six characters spread across it, blending into the school's exciting environment. 3 girls dressed in short school uniforms. He rolled his eyes at that, and 3 guys dressed similarly. The uniform was basically a dark purple blazer with the school's gold and pink logo, a simple white button-up underneath, and while the boys wore basic black dress pants, the girls wore a plaid ruffled skirt.
Zanka scoffed as he glossed over each character. They were all attractive in their own ways, none of them really stood out to him, well accept one caught his eye in particular: a boy stood leaning against the school gate in a relaxed manner... he was gorgeous, to say the least, with his dark hair down in locs, accented with gold jewelry, the uniform complimented his skin tone perfectly making him look exciting and inviting. “Maybe I was wrong judging these dating games’ Zanka thought, examining the boy closer. He wore what could only be described as a deadly, mischievous smile on his face and an evil glint in his eye. while the other characters were facing away from Zanka to make them look more natural. This boy stared directly at Zanka, more like through Zanka; his pink, pixelated eyes were sharp and captivating, as if they said, “yes, me, pick ME.” Zanka had found people attractive before, but had always lost interest when they ultimately failed to keep him entertained. ‘Not like I’m much to be desired anyway,’ Zanka caught himself thinking. He moved the joystick until it rested on the boy's icon. The screen highlighted with the boy's name “Would you like Jabber Wonger to show you around school...|.”
Zanka laughed to himself. Is he actually feeling attraction to a video game character? “God, can I get any more pathetic?” he said, letting his head drop as he let out a huff of despair. Was he really about to play some strange bootleg game just to feel something other than lonely? He stared back up at the screen at Jabber. Zanka swore Jabber’s eyes were staring straight through him, reading Zanka like Zanka was reading him. Something about Jabber drew Zanka in; maybe it was his laid-back expression or his undeniable good looks, but he really felt no shame holding down the X button and clicking YES.