If You're Bad, Practice More

After Kushida Kikyo left, Uesugi Hara was the only one left sitting at the table, holding that cup of high-sugar coffee and taking a slow, leisurely sip.

"Kushida Kikyo, huh..."

He stirred the coffee with a spoon, recalling the fragmented images from his high school days.

"A monster starving for validation..." he murmured, the corners of his mouth curling up with a hint of nonchalance. "To think she holds the secrets of so many people yet has no idea how to use them; what a waste of that ability."

"But what does that have to do with me?"

He swirled the cup, watching the sugar granules dissolve completely into the coffee, and chuckled softly. "Even though I have zero interest in your messy affairs, if you insist on rushing to hand me money... then I suppose I have no choice but to reluctantly accept."

"Next month... let's have a proper chat..."

He finished the rest of the coffee in one gulp.

"As expected, the sweet stuff tastes better."

He stepped out of the coffee shop.

It was only 3:00 PM.

"Sigh--" Uesugi Hara stretched his back.

Another boring day.

Despite having a massive fortune in his hands, he had no idea how to spend it.

He wandered aimlessly through the commercial district.

Uesugi Hara's gaze was suddenly drawn to a flickering display of colorful lights ahead.

"Is that... an arcade?" Uesugi Hara stopped in his tracks, a vague impression flashing through his mind.

He had been to an arcade before, but not to play; he had once applied for a part-time job there, but because he didn't understand how any of those things worked, he hadn't been hired.

"Should I go in and play?" He scratched his head, feeling a bit hesitant. After all, from childhood to now, he had never actually touched those game consoles.

After two seconds of internal struggle, he thought, I'll just go in and take a look, see how others play, and stepped forward toward that area.

As soon as he pushed open the glass door of the arcade, the noisy music and the sound of buttons being mashed rushed toward him.

Uesugi Hara raised an eyebrow, his eyes sweeping across the room.

People were gesturing in front of basketball machines, a crowd was cheering in front of racing simulators, and even the claw machines in the corner had a few girls standing there clutching tokens.

"Whoa, I didn't expect it to be this lively in here when the school is so empty," he muttered to himself.

He looked around, left and right.

Uesugi Hara's attention was caught by a fighting game not far away.

A crowd had gathered in front of the fighting game cabinet nearby, where the red and blue characters on the screen were locked in a fierce battle, their moves flashy and sharp.

People nearby kept shouting, "Dodge!" or "Use your Super Combo!"

He leaned in and stood on his tiptoes, watching the two boys' fingers dance rapidly over the joysticks and buttons, occasionally pulling off special move light effects or executing blocks and counters.

He heard the people around him calling it "King of Fighters."

Watching their operations, Uesugi Hara silently absorbed the mechanics.

Light Punch (A button)

Light Kick (B button)

Heavy Punch (C button)

Heavy Kick (D button)

Blocking, jumping...

And the special moves and Super Combos that required combinations with the joystick.

Before long, the word "KO" flashed on the screen, and the red side was completely defeated.

"Damn it, lost again!" The boy who lost pulled at his hair, kicking the leg of the machine in frustration.

"Haha, senior, a bet is a bet, don't try to welch on it." The junior who won patted his shoulder, his tone full of smugness.

The senior's face turned bright red, and he reluctantly tapped his terminal to transfer 10,000 points.

"You can play like this?" Standing behind the crowd, Uesugi Hara quietly raised an eyebrow. Winning points by playing games—this was much more interesting than just playing for fun.

"Anyone else? Someone come and let me crush them!" The winning junior stood with his hands on his hips, scanning the crowd arrogantly, drawing a few bursts of laughter.

This guy is pretty cocky, Uesugi Hara thought to himself. His hands were itching, but then he reconsidered; he had only watched a few rounds and hadn't fully grasped the technique yet, so he held back—wait a little longer.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, a boy wearing glasses squeezed out of the crowd: "I'll go! Don't get too cocky, junior, watch me take you down!"

He talked tough, but within minutes of starting, he was completely overwhelmed by the junior for three straight rounds, getting swept in a "one-on-three."

"Tsk, how embarrassing!" someone in the crowd jeered.

The boy's face flushed red, and he quickly transferred the points before squeezing out of the crowd without looking back.

Uesugi Hara stood on the side and watched three or four more rounds, observing the rhythm of the opponent's combos and blocks, and gradually felt he had the hang of it. He felt he was just about ready.

"Let me try." He took a step forward, his voice not loud, but just enough for the other person to hear.

"Newbie? I haven't seen you around before." The guy looked him up and down, his eyes carrying a hint of disdain.

"It's my first time playing, go easy on me," Uesugi Hara said, scratching his head with a shy smile.

"You dare to bet points on your first time?" The guy chuckled and pointed to the arcade cabinet nearby. "Why don't you go practice over there first? Don't make it look too ugly when you lose later."

"No need, no need. I watched a few rounds just now, I've pretty much got the hang of it. Let's just start," Uesugi Hara waved his hand, his tone confident.

"Fine, that's the spirit." The guy raised an eyebrow. "You know the rules, right? Ten thousand points per round." Seeing that Uesugi Hara didn't object, he immediately selected his character.

Uesugi Hara followed the lineup he had just watched and selected three characters. He was indeed clumsy at first, fumbling with the joystick, and he lost the first round quickly.

"Brother, I told you, go practice first," the guy said with a smile, shaking his terminal.

"It's fine, I just got the feel of the controls. Let's go again." Uesugi Hara wasn't flustered at all and promptly transferred ten thousand points over.

Seeing that he wouldn't take the advice, the guy didn't say anything more. He smiled, accepted the points, and started the second round, then the third...

By this round, although Uesugi Hara's movements weren't as smooth as his, his reaction time was absurdly fast. Several times the opponent tried to land a combo, only to be blocked precisely; even when he finally saved up enough energy to unleash an ultimate move, it was predicted and blocked, and in the end, Uesugi Hara actually pulled off a counter-kill with a sliver of health left.

"Whoa? Not bad, brother! You've got some skills!" The underclassman grew interested and rubbed his hands together. "Again, again!"

The result was obvious. Having grasped the rhythm of the game, Uesugi Hara seemed to have turned on a cheat code. From the narrow victory at the start to the later "one-man-army" sweeps, he finished off all three characters cleanly in just a few rounds.

"Impossible... I actually got swept?" The underclassman stared at the screen, his eyes glazed over. The people around them were in an uproar—this newbie looked like a total scrub just a moment ago, how did he turn into a pro so quickly?

"I'm Ishizaki Daichi from Class C, first year. What's your name, brother?" Ishizaki Daichi regained his composure and asked quickly, his tone devoid of the arrogance from before.

"Uesugi Hara, Class A, first year." Uesugi Hara rubbed his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed. After all, over these dozen rounds, Ishizaki Daichi had "contributed" over a hundred thousand points to him.

"Hey, Uesugi-kun, wait a second!" Seeing Uesugi Hara turn to leave, Ishizaki Daichi hurriedly grabbed him. "I'm going to call my big brother to play with you!"

Uesugi Hara checked the time on his terminal; there was still some time before dinner, so he nodded. "Fine."

Upon hearing this, Ishizaki Daichi bolted toward the karaoke room on the second floor of the arcade. His eager demeanor was a complete contrast to the dejection he showed when he was losing money.

In the karaoke room, the lights flickered. A purple-haired man leaned back on the sofa with his arms spread out, his eyes lazy yet carrying a hint of malice. It was Ryuen Kakeru.

"Big Brother Ryuen! Someone's looking for trouble!" Ishizaki Daichi rushed in, panting heavily, his tone indignant. "It's a guy from Class A. He pretended to be a newbie to scam me. I've already lost one hundred and twenty thousand points!"

"Oh?" Ryuen Kakeru raised an eyebrow, his tone mocking. "Ishizaki, you have an opponent you can't handle? What a loser."

"It's not like that, Big Brother Ryuen!" Ishizaki Daichi argued anxiously. "That guy's controls were terrible at first, but after a few rounds, it was like he was a different person. He was definitely faking it!"

"Interesting." Ryuen Kakeru stood up, a playful smile curling his lips. "Someone actually dares to pick a fight with my people? Lead the way. Let's go down and see who is so bold."

He wanted to see who could bully Ishizaki Daichi so badly. One had to know that Ishizaki's gaming skills were among the best in the school. Since the start of the semester, he hadn't seen anyone other than himself win against Ishizaki in fighting games.

"Big Brother Ryuen, that's him!" Ishizaki Daichi hid behind Ryuen Kakeru and pointed at Uesugi Hara, who was fiddling with his tokens not far away, his tone still carrying a lingering sense of grievance.

Uesugi Hara looked up and raised an eyebrow. Ryuen Kakeru was followed by four or five people, including a black guy who looked like he wasn't to be trifled with. It was quite the entourage.

He muttered to himself: Is this what happens when you lose a game? You call people to start a fight? If they actually start throwing punches later, should I intentionally take one and lie on the ground to demand medical expenses?

"Uesugi Hara from Class A, first year, right?" Ryuen Kakeru walked up to him with his hands in his pockets, his chin tilted up. His arrogance was even more intense than Ishizaki Daichi's. "I'm Ryuen Kakeru from Class C. I heard you're pretty good at games? Want to play a round with me?"

So your name is Ryuen Kakeru? I thought your name was Long Aotian!

"I can play," Uesugi Hara immediately put away his thoughts and put on a timid look, shrinking his neck. "But if you lose later, you won't hit me, right?"

"Heh," Ryuen Kakeru sneered, his eyes full of disdain. "I, Ryuen Kakeru, am not that low-class. Are you playing or not? Thirty thousand points a round. Don't tell me you're chickening out?"

"Thirty thousand?" Uesugi Hara's eyes lit up. It was only ten thousand a round just now; this was triple the amount.

"Of course. Stop dawdling, are you playing or not?" Ryuen Kakeru frowned, clearly having no patience to waste on him.

"I'll play! Why wouldn't I!" Uesugi Hara immediately moved to the machine and quickly selected his characters.

Not long after, the word "KO" jumped onto the screen again, and Ryuen Kakeru's character was defeated.

"Impossible! You could react to that?!" Ryuen Kakeru stared at the screen, his tone full of shock—he had hidden that move so well, yet it was still blocked!

"Um..." Uesugi Hara scratched his head and shared his thoughts in a low voice. "Shouldn't anyone with hands be able to react to that?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the people around them went silent, looking at him with expressions as if they had swallowed flies.

What do you mean "anyone with hands can do it"? Was that extreme counter-kill move something a human could actually pull off? Ishizaki Daichi shrank his neck even further, feeling that his loss earlier wasn't unjust at all.

"Again!" Ryuen Kakeru clenched his fists, the veins on his forehead throbbing. "It must be luck! I don't believe you can have such good luck forever!"

"Again!"

"Again!"

"Aga..."

"Big Brother Ryuen! Don't go again!" Seeing Ryuen Kakeru about to speak, Ishizaki Daichi rushed up to pull him back, his voice filled with pleading. "We're almost out of points!"

"Bullshit!" Ryuen Kakeru shoved him away and shouted, "I have over three hundred thousand points, how could they be gone?" As he spoke, he fiercely tapped his terminal—

The number on the screen clearly displayed: 73520.

???

Ryuen Kakeru's pupils constricted. He took a deep breath, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his controller like a gambler who had lost his mind: "Again..."

"No more 'again'." Uesugi Hara raised a hand to cut him off and glanced at his terminal. "I'm going to get some food. Let's play again next time."

He paused, not forgetting to add, "Also, you're getting a bit too worked up."

"Besides, after playing with you for so long, you've just been getting worse. It's boring."

"That's it, I'm off. See you next time."

With that, Uesugi Hara tucked his terminal away, turned, and walked off, disappearing out the arcade entrance without a backward glance.

He left Ryuen Kakeru frozen in place, standing in the noisy arcade like a forgotten statue.

"Ryuen-aniki..." Ishizaki Daichi approached cautiously, not daring to look him in the face.

Ryuen Kakeru kept his head lowered, his bangs obscuring his eyes. No one could see his expression, only hear him ask in an incredibly flat voice: "Ishizaki, am I that bad?"

"No! Absolutely not!" Ishizaki Daichi shook his head immediately, terrified of being a second too late. "Ryuen-aniki is super strong! That guy was just pretending to be a newbie to set a trap! He came here looking for trouble!"

"Is that so?" Ryuen Kakeru slowly raised his head, his eyes churning with malice.

"Yes! That's definitely it!" The people around them quickly chimed in. "Next time, we'll make him pay it back double! We'll show him that our points aren't so easy to take!"

Ryuen Kakeru took a deep breath, suppressing the rage in his heart, and a sinister smile curled at the corners of his mouth: "Uesugi Hara... I've got my eye on you. Don't let me catch you slipping."