Chapter 18 Super Hawk
Super Hawk
A gun is shooting at me. The laser bullet flies through the air, glowing green before it slams into the rock I duck behind. But I’m not fast enough. There’s another volley of bullets. They come from the balcony up above. One of them strikes my chest. Critical hit!
My health bar shrinks.
“Ha ha!” Aiko swivels around in her gaming chair with her controller in hand. She’s biting her bottom lip so hard that teeth imprints are left behind. “Loooooser.”
I elbow her shoulder, hoping that messes with her focus. It doesn’t. My thumb slides across the joystick of my PC controller. I’m trying to move my avatar out of the way, but Aiko’s got a vantage point on me. More bullets shower, and I’m struck again.
Critical hit! My health bar is in the red.
“You said you’d go easy on me!” I bark, finally sprinting around to a storage container.
“Hey, you won the last round,” Aiko says, loading her firearm before racing to the back of the warehouse on the game’s map.
“No, that was you. I won the round before last,” I insist. Or did I? Aiko’s bedroom doubles as a gamer’s den. LED lights line the ceiling while plushies of popular characters litter her bed. With blackout curtains covering her shoji screen, it’s too easy to lose track of time in here.
It took me all week to write a five-page essay on renewability and sericulture.
Mostly because it took a while to read through the books Mrs. Matsumoto lent me.
But after Aiko proofread my essay for the billionth time, she suggested that we take a break playing Super Hawk—a first-person shooter game full of queer-coded characters that are each designed to look like a different bird.
It’s been months since I last played this game, and shortly after one round with Aiko, I’ve become far too addicted for my own good.
“Still. You’ve beaten me before,” Aiko says.
“Yeah, only because you let me,” I say, searching the map for any health items. I spot a glowing can of soda and scoop it up. It brings my health bar into the yellow. I’m still wounded, but at least I’m not about to lose my last life.
“Actually, I didn’t,” Aiko says. I’m not sure what she’s doing on her side of the screen. I’m too busy focused on finding a new, stronger weapon to shoot at her with. “You won fair and square. I didn’t realize you were so good at Super Hawk.”
I’m struggling to keep the conversation going while simultaneously focusing on the game. The music chimes, signaling that a new item has entered the arena. I don’t know where it is, but the sooner I get to it, the sooner I can wipe the floor with Aiko’s butt.
“I spent an entire winter break playing this game,” I admit.
“Remember that friend I told you about? Archi? Well, she told me that she used to watch a live streamer play Super Hawk. She said the streamer reminded her of me, so I picked it up and got a little too obsessed. Ma wasn’t very happy about how much time these games took from me.
Neither were my friends when I didn’t come out of my bedroom for an entire— Ha! Found you!”
I’m unleashing my full fury on Aiko. She screams, then ducks behind a wall. Dang it. She’s gone, and if I want to hunt her down, I’ll have to race across this big empty hallway with no cover. It’s better to sprint around the back and cut her off.
“Who was the streamer?” Aiko asks. I glance at her screen. She’s climbing up the overpass atop the warehouse, collecting ammo along the way.
I’m doing the same, loading up on items while searching for that stronger weapon. Aiko better not have picked it up already. “Um, I can’t remember. I know the streamer wore a mask, and she had on a pink wig with big bows. I think the name was…MatchMaker or MatchaMaker or something?”
“MatchMatchMaker?” Aiko supplies.
If my fingers weren’t currently wrapped around a controller, I’d snap them. “Yeah, I think so! Are you subscribed to her?”
Aiko chuckles, shoulders bouncing. “Oh, Lilyn. I am MatchMatchMaker.”
My eyes widen, and I shift my gaze off the screen to look at Aiko. “You little swindler. You did let me win that one round.”
Aiko shoots at something, and it latches my attention back to the screen. I duck behind the wall of the hallway I’ve found myself in. She’s too far away to actually hit me. But my health bar is still low. I can’t risk getting shot at again.
“No, really,” Aiko insists. “You did win the last round. I haven’t played this game since my online friends started playing Starlight Dungeon. That’s the game we did a solidarity fast for. But maybe I could go back to streaming Super Hawk.”
“Or we could do a collab? I haven’t posted on my social media in a while, either. I could make an outfit for you to cosplay as your character, Paisley Peahen. It would be the crossover no one’s expecting.”
Aiko’s jaw drops. The avatar she uses most in this game is a character dressed in peacock colors.
She wears a mullet dress—short skirt in the front, long feathers in the back.
I’ve seen cosplayers replicate this gown down to the lacy top and tall stilettos.
I always thought it looked fun, but I’ve never considered taking on an ambitious project like that until now.
“I love it! But focus on finalizing your essay first,” Aiko says, turning back to the game. “What do you still have to do?”
“You’re right, I think I’ve taken enough of a break,” I say, scooping up more medicine packs while racing down the halls. “God, I can’t wait to get back to Matsumoto Alturations.”
“Speaking of the shop…” Aiko’s voice trails. “How are things with Yua?”
I know Aiko’s watching the side of my face, looking for my grin. But I keep my composure solid as I focus on the game.
“She’s good,” I say. “But we haven’t really had a chance to go out again.”
“Why not?” Aiko wails.
I purse my lips. I kind of want to whine about it, too. But I can’t. “She’s got a lot of work to do.”
It’s the truth. Yua’s working hard to save up money for California. As much as I want to see her again, I know she has her priorities, and I have mine.
“Soooo,” Aiko drawls when I don’t nourish the conversation. “How did your date gooooo?”
My lip twitches, betraying my attempt to keep a straight face. “Good. We went to a painting class that offered kakigori. I think we were supposed to paint the shaved ice, but instead we did portraits of each other.”
I feed Aiko all the details of our date.
I describe the place, the desserts, the paintings…
I only stop when Aiko starts shooting at me again.
And for the better, because I know she’ll keep prying until she gets the kiss out of me.
I’m keeping it to myself. For now. Because even though Yua’s lips are long gone, I’m still lingering on the sensation.
Aiko seems to be satisfied enough by what I’ve told her, because she shifts the conversation. “And your ma? How is she doing?”
I open my mouth, then close it right away. I…haven’t spoken to Ma in a while. I need to call her, but with the time zone thing and her long hours at the hospital, it’s tough to connect.
“I bet you’ve told her all about Yua.” There’s a playfulness in Aiko’s voice as she races around the screen, swapping out her laser shooter for a larger gun.
“No, actually, I haven’t had a chance to catch Ma up on everything,” I say. Then I lean into Aiko and rub her shoulder with mine. “I should introduce you to my ma. You’re like her in so many ways it’s kind of freaky.”
Aiko arches a brow. “Your mom is a video game streamer?”
I shove Aiko again. “Shut up. No, she’s not a streamer. Honestly, she doesn’t even know the difference when it comes to PC, Xbox, and PlayStation.”
Aiko winces like she’s in pain. “Don’t tell me that.”
I clutch my chest. “Yeah. Maybe you can educate her when you meet her someday.”
Aiko pauses the game. She sets the controller down on her lap and looks at me. I do the same. With RGB lights fading in and out over our heads, Aiko’s eyes look like they’re glittering. “Do you mean that? Really?”
I give her a smile. One that shows off my canines, just like hers do. “Of course. Say the word, and you can stay at my house. I’ll take you to all my favorite places in DC. You can meet my friends and my ma.”
“Mom’s side of the family lives in New Jersey, but it’s been so long since I’ve seen them. If I go back…” Aiko’s voice fades while her eyes go round and hopeful. “Can I come see you? We’ll eat all the ice cream mochi in your town!”
I nod. “That’s all we’ll do.”
Aiko giggles as she throws her arms around me. Normally, I’m not much of a hugger, but Aiko is different. She’s like a first aid kit in Super Hawk. My health bar is in the green even if my video game character is still injured.
Aiko clamps down on me a little harder. She’s pulled me in so close, she feels like a weighted blanket—well, a blanket weighted by a hippo.
I pull back. “Um, thank you?”
But Aiko hasn’t moved. Instead of releasing me, she hits a button, and the game is back in play. With Aiko wrapped around me like this, I can’t reach my controller.
“Ha!” Aiko laughs maniacally as her character zooms around on-screen. I quickly get what she’s doing.
“Nooo!” I bellow, wriggling in her arms. But Aiko’s gripping me with falcon talons. All I can do is watch the screen as Aiko’s character finds mine. She aims her gun and drains my health with one fatal blow.
You lose! The words flash red on the screen.
Finally, Aiko lets go of me and does a little happy dance in her seat.
I suck my teeth to keep from frowning. “I formally revoke my invitation.”
Aiko’s still dancing, fingers pointed victoriously to the ceiling. “No, you don’t.”
I sigh, and my lips tug at the corners. Yeah, yeah. She’s right. She’ll always be a welcomed guest in my home.