66 It was only ten steps away

who is umezaki rie?

i came to this city to find that out. i must have friends here. i don't remember any friends though. was i too hasty in coming here? going to the tournament is the perk anyway. if i become famous, someone will appear from my past. i want to remember because there must be something or someone i cherished once.

argh! my head hurts from overthinking. since i have taken the decision, i will see to it till the end. staying at the airport is a bad idea. knowing my father, he is likely to take the first flight to t city.

i go to the tournament ground. i need to register. then, i will figure out where i can stay.

"name?" the girl with blue hair asks me with boring eyes.

"umezaki rie," i say quietly.

she stops writing. "is that your gaming id or real name?"

"uh... real name?"

isn't it a good idea to become famous with my real name?

she frowns at me. "tell me your gaming id. you must have received an invitation because you won some local e-gaming competition last time."

is she talking about the one at h island? that must be it.

"u_413."

she scribbles it on the paper and gives me an id card. "keep that safe. you can't enter the competition ground without that id. the first round will commence tomorrow at 10 a.m. you will not be granted entry if you are 1 second late. the organizers of this tournament are strict about the timing. all the finalists will get some prize, but the winner will get an opportunity to play in the world championship."

it would be cool to get the world championship. if i am famous worldwide, do i need to study? i don't have to go to college and lead a mediocre life. i will be worshipped by all the gamers. after i retire, i will become a gamer coach.

that's it. i have decided on my career.

"why are you grinning like that?" the girl is irritated to see me. "step aside. there are other people."

"ah... i am sorry." i move away. the queue is long. my stomach growls.

"hey, girl," i ask the one who is doing the registration. "is there any good restaurant here?"

she exhales loudly. "you are not from around here, are you? get an app on your phone and use it to find the nearest one. don't bother me."

hmm. i don't have a phone.

i walk out of the place and walk straight for a while. t city is loud and crowdy. there are all sorts of people walking around.

what the hell!

after walking for thirty minutes, i can't find a single restaurant. my stomach can't stop growling. i stop a cab.

"where to?" the cab driver asks me.

i get inside the cab. "take to a restaurant."

"which one?"

"the one that's closest and sells the best food."

the cab driver takes a turn and stops in front of a restaurant. "there, you go."

"it was only ten steps away!" i slam my forehead. "why did you not tell me that?"

"you should have asked for direction instead of getting inside my cab." he rolls his eyes. "don't leave without paying me."

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scammers! the worse part is that he's not wrong. i pay him and get out of the cab.

i will fill my stomach and then, i will find a place to stay.

***

"mmm." takoyaki from this restaurant is not bad. it's not as good as the one i ate before. i take a sip of the wine. there is a paper wall between me and the other guests. i can hear their laughs and talks.

"the e-gaming registration is going well. i heard that hundreds of participants came this year."

"i hope that there are good ones this year. last year's winner didn't perform well in the world championship."

"i hope that. e-gaming is currently in the rise." a pause. "re games have invested a lot in e-games tournaments recently. i heard that they are training people for the world championship?"

"it's only been little more than two years since they started. they are still new in this business. it's too early to take them seriously."

"but, re games is a part of the kamiyama groups. it's directly being handled by the ceo. "

kamiyama groups must be powerful and famous.

"let's wait and see."

the conversation change to other business stuff. i didn't understand half the things. it's not good to listen to other people's conversations anyway.

i finish my takoyaki and leave the restaurant. with a full stomach, the day seems brighter. i should roam the city before i go to a hotel.

***

umezaki yushiro and yuhara kozue arrive in t city. the first thing that they do is to go to the tournament ground. they can't see rie there.

"non-gamers are not entertained here." the girl tells them sharply, "i won't reveal any gamer's identity."

"you just have to nod or shake your head." yuhara kozue tries his best to keep his anger in his heart. "she's not physically fine. it's an emergency. her name is umezaki rie."

"please." umezaki yushiro shows a picture of rie. "if you have seen her, tell me. i am her father."

the girl looks at the picture carefully. there have been hundreds of people. she can't forget this one. it's probably because of the name of the woman or her foolish grin. both men look extremely worried and desperate.

"she came here around two hours ago. i don't know where she went after this. she will probably come tomorrow at 10 a.m. i don't know more. leave now. "

umezaki yushiro and yuhara kozue take a deep breath.

"professor, where should we find her in this big city?"

"she will probably stay at a nearby hotel. let's begin from there."

***

the car stops at the red light.

kiyohira looks out the window. nothing is interesting in the city. he wonders how rie is doing now. it's been a long time since he saw her. he decided to let her go that day because he desperately wanted her to live. when she woke up, she had no memories. it was good for her. it is better if she never remembers. especially, him. it's better to be forgotten than feared by the one he loves.

he wants to see her again. it's a selfish wish. he knows that he will wish to see her again after seeing her once. his greedy heart will never be satisfied.

a small woman in a black sweater is walking on the sidewalk with excitement in her eyes. she has a childlike smile on her face.

he must be hallucinating.

he walks out of the car and runs toward the woman. she is already getting inside a cab. he opens his mouth to call out her name. then, he stops.

if it's her, he can't come in front of her.

if it's her, it's better to leave her alone.

if it's her, he can't leave her alone in the city.

he gets back into his car. "follow that cab."