I wasn’t sure why Kalei put me in a blindfold as she led me across the school. I kept stopping because I thought I was about to fall off a ledge or something.

  “It smells like we’re in the library,” I said. “People aren’t staring at me, are they?”

  “No, don’t worry,” Kalei said. “And we’re not in the library.”

  “It really smells like we’re in the library. Are you sure we’re not he library at least?”

  “No,” Kalei said. I heard her power blocker wristband make a beep, which clicked a door open.

  “Alright, now just step in here…” Kalei said.

  “That sounds like a study room beep,” I said. “And this smells like a study room.”

  Kalei had me sit down on a chair.

  “Yes, we’re in a study room at the library, but that’s not the surprise,” Kalei said.

  "Was that you were lying that whole time about where we were going the surprise?"

  "No," Kalei said. “Now…open your blindfold!”

  I took off the blindfold, blinking from the bright light of the study room. On the desk in front of me was Kalei’s video game system, propped up on its back stand.

  “It’s…yame? Do you want to get rid of it already after the midnight unch?” I asked.

  “Zeta, this is the eGame 2,” Kalei said. “I’m graciously loaning you it, as I have all my info transferred over to the EG3.”

  “Wow, thanks!” I said, pig the little handheld system up. “Does this thing py Raina Starlight’s Farm Adventure?”

  “No,” Kalei said. “Probably not, I don’t know. There are ames than Raina Starlight’s Farm Adventure! And that’s why I’ve brought you here.”

  “Is this some kind of catch?” I said.

  “Not really, I’ll still let you borrow the system as long as you want!” Kalei said.

  “…but?”

  “…buuuut I really need your help,” Kalei said. “In Tyrant Rangers M.”

  “OK, whie is M?” I asked. “Is that Zup? Does Zup be in that one?”

  “Just let me expin!” Kalei said. “Tyrant Rangers M is the MM of the series, typically they’re single pyer but M is a spinoff that has a strong and vibrant unity-“

  “Lots of letters…and things I don’t get…” I said. “’t you just ask someone who actually pys games to do this? I bet Lillia would.”

  “The fiails aren’t important right now,” Kalei said. “Basically, you py with a lot of people through the i. And I ’t ask my friends that py because we’re all looking for the same thing here. I py with Syval and Lillia and sometimes Roux when she isn’t just actively trying to screw us over.”

  “I think I’m following,” I said. “So how does any of this tie into me being in this study room with your system?”

  “There is a rare gold armor set drop today in a promotional tie in with the Hado vention, but they’ve bahe game in a stupid way so new pyers have an easier time grinding for it, so all of us that have been pying it forever aren’t gon!”

  “…uh…so you wao…grind…to get gold armor?” I said. “Is this gonna be inappropriate?”

  “The game is rated for all pyers, Zeta, it’ll be fine.”

  Kalei loaded up Tyrant Rangers M on the system and logged into an at she made for me. She had a little notepad that had the amount of things I o colle the game to get the gold armor sets for herself, Lillia, and Syval, assurihere was enough with her calcutions for me to get the special gold armor set myself.

  “So yht me out here to this study room to just…do this?”

  “Yes, because here there won’t be any distras,” Kalei said. “You know how our friends are, Laenie es st in with like a bee in her room or something that she needs us to whatever. Oh, and this room has a really stable i e too so that’s another reason.”

  “So I basically should not leave this room while I’m doing this?”

  “Preferably yes, but you’re not like imprisoned, go to the bathroom if you gotta,” Kalei said.

  “And I just borrow this as long as I want afterwards if I do this?”

  “Zeta,” Kalei said, looking serious. “If you do this for me, I may even sider potentially possibly letting you buy that eGame 2 from me.”

  “OK,” I said. It seemed like a good way to not think about anything serious for a bit. “Yeah, I do this.”

  “Great!” Kalei said. “Oh, and here’s a headset, if as online you talk with them, and I’ll log io check how you’re doing.”

  Kalei took off, and I realized she didn’t tell me how to actually py the game. I was already logged into the at, which had a big button up that said “NEW QUEST” so I pressed that.

  That took me to a long video about the history of the Tyrant Rangers world that was moderately iing. It was no Raina Starlight worldbuilding, but it was serviceable. Then I had to make how my character looked. I thought about just making me, but by the time I had fi turned out like a slightly doofy looking Raina Starlight if she was rendered in a video game and was also a wizard.

  This game seemed easier to trol than the fighting game Roux made me and Oka py.

  I could type whatever I wanted for my character’s is and aspirations, so without thinking I just wrote “Oka” a bunch of times for all of them.