He couldn't just leave his landlord standing at the door.
So, Kenichi Tanaka asked, "Mrs. Sato, want to try playing?"
"Oh? Is that okay?" Mrs. Sato replied, but she was already closing the door, slipping off her geta, and stepping onto the tatami.
Tanaka inwardly rolled his eyes but picked up the controller. The battle resumed.
Explaining the game's basics to Mrs. Sato, he controlled the hero, selecting "Attack."
Bang!
The red Slime was defeated, dissolving into pixels, with a prompt showing gained experience and gold.
"Oh! You won!" Mrs. Sato cheered softly, clapping lightly.
Tanaka glanced at her, surprised by her enthusiasm.
He continued exploring, entering a cave.
The screen darkened, visibility limited.
"Goodness, it's so dark in there—you can't see the path," Mrs. Sato said, leaning forward as if to help the pixel hero.
Tanaka remembered buying a torch in town and used it from the inventory.
A small glow lit the hero's surroundings.
"Oh, now you can see—how convenient," Mrs. Sato muttered.
Navigating the cave, he dodged bat-like monsters and found a treasure chest.
"Open it quick—what's inside?" Mrs. Sato urged, eyes glued to the screen, more eager than Tanaka.
The chest revealed a "Copper Sword."
"A weapon! Great!" Mrs. Sato exclaimed, more excited than him. "Equip it quick! It'll boost your attack!"
Tanaka, amused, equipped it, and the attack stat rose.
Mrs. Sato, you know about attack stats?
Later, a ghost-like monster appeared, weak but casting a sleep spell, putting the hero out.
"Oh no! He's asleep! Wake up!" Mrs. Sato stomped.
When the hero finally woke, HP was low.
The ghost cast another spell, dropping HP further—things looked dire.
"Use 'Heal'! You learned it earlier—it restores HP!" Mrs. Sato, fully invested, offered "tactical advice," her voice excited, hands gesturing.
Tanaka cast "Heal," watching the hero's HP recover, relieved.
They barely won.
Mrs. Sato sighed deeply, wiping imaginary sweat with her handkerchief, as if she'd fought herself.
"Phew, that was close."
From initial confusion to curiosity, then full immersion, she began asking questions.
"Is that hat-wearing monster tough? It looks silly."
"Where do you go next for clues? What did that old man mean?"
"Do you have enough gold for that shield? I saw it in the shop—it looks sturdy."
Tanaka felt less like a player and more like a live commentator with an eager co-host.
But it wasn't bad.
As sunset bathed the tatami in gold, Mrs. Sato realized how long she'd stayed.
"Oh my! Look at the time! I need to make dinner!"
She apologized, embarrassed, but before leaving, leaned back to ask, "Tanaka-san, this Dragon Quest… you got it in Akihabara, right?"
Confirming, she hurried off, leaving Tanaka staring at the screen, stunned.
Is Mrs. Sato… going to buy it herself?
Night fell.
As his stomach growled, Tanaka reluctantly saved at a church, the priest's solemn voice marking the end of his adventure for the day.
Shutting off the TV, he boiled water, grabbed emergency instant noodles, and collapsed on the tatami, his mind still in Alefgard, filled with monsters to defeat and unknowns to explore.
Skipping work to buy the game… totally worth it. Skipping work…
"Shimatta! I still need to fake a client visit report and market survey!" Staring at the calendar's glaring Tuesday, Tanaka clutched his head in despair. "Why isn't it the weekend?!"
By Friday evening, after a week's work, Tanaka went on a serious shopping spree.
He nearly cleared out the convenience store.
Stacks of cup noodles, assorted instant curry packs, piles of senbei and chips, and bottles of energy-boosting carbonated drinks.
The heavy bags dug into his fingers, but his face glowed with near-religious fervor. Humming Dragon Quest's theme off-key, he stopped short at his apartment building.
Mrs. Sato stood at the entrance, chatting with an older, stern-faced woman in a simple kimono—Mrs. Kawai, the neighboring building's landlord.
Tanaka hoped to slip by unnoticed.
But Mrs. Sato's voice, raised in excitement, pierced his ears.
"…It's really not hard, Kawai-san!"
"It's like I said—no need to rush, just like reading a storybook, but you walk through the story!"
"I'm not young anymore, and I thought it was for kids, but after Tanaka-san showed me, I couldn't stop!"
Her voice brimmed with joy, hands gesturing animatedly.
Mrs. Kawai's face mixed hesitation and curiosity.
"Really? I can barely handle TV buttons…"
"No problem!" Mrs. Sato patted her chest, ready to teach. "I'll show you mine! It's simple—choose 'Attack' or 'Escape,' or use 'Heal' to restore HP… it's fun! Come to my place and see?"
Mrs. Kawai, half-persuaded, nodded reluctantly.
Then Mrs. Sato spotted Tanaka, laden with bags.
"Oh, Tanaka-san, you're back?"
She approached, her face creasing with a wide smile.
"I owe you big thanks for introducing me to something so fun!"
"Now, when I'm not cooking, I just want to fight a few Slimes!"
Her genuine delight, like discovering a new world, left Tanaka's polite responses stuck in his throat.
Mrs. Kawai cast a curious, appraising look at Tanaka, as if sizing up the young man bringing "newfangled things" to the neighborhood.
Tanaka managed an awkward smile, nodded, and hurried into the building.