Chapter 34

The siblings arrived earlier than expected. In a stroke of luck, they did not encounter heavy traffic on their way back. Claude and Vince slept in her bedroom while she busied herself with their dinner and game night food. Her brothers seldom crash at her place, so when they do, she makes sure that she makes their favorite food. For dinner, she whipped their family recipe of adobo. She also prepared buffalo wings for their game food.

Ellie live-streamed the news on her tablet and listened to it while she busied herself with cooking. The reports were repetitive. It’s about another victim of extrajudicial killing tied up to the government’s war against drugs. In the early days of the campaign, there people had an outrage from all the violence happening. A lot have protested about the injustice. But then as time went by, such reports have been a news staple, it desensitized the viewers. It’s unfortunate, really. A culture of apathy has spread. A general feeling of hopelessness and distrust of government and the justice system prevailed. Even for somebody as optimistic as Ellie felt despair in the current situation.

Her brothers woke up and joined her at the dining table when the news finished. As they ate, she did not forget to lecture them about cutting Ryo some slack. She asked them to cut down the time they spend playing online games with Ryo. Of course they complained to her, but she stood her ground. Ryo is a busy person. His hours are long and there are days when he hardly has any sleep. So when he had the chance to rest, Ellie wanted him to maximize it and not spend it playing online games with her brothers. Her brothers agreed after so much grumbling.

She made a mental note to talk to Ryo about this matter. She learned from her brothers that the three of them played games for a couple of hours almost every day.

Naya arrived in the middle of their meal. She did not need any invitation. As soon as she deposited her bag on a chair, she picked up a plate and served herself food. She droned on and on about her boss and how she hated him. They her to quit her job if she’s no longer happy but she wouldn’t because she loved traveling. Her job as an events organizer allowed her to go to places. Not to mention, her salary is way above the market price.

Claude and Vince took care of washing the dishes when they finished eating. The ladies set up the gaming console and the food in Ellie’s living room. Ryo and his friend logged in shortly after they finished logging in.

Ryo’s face displayed on Ellie’s TV screen. Naya could not help but whimper at the sight of her idol. She still could not believe that her best friend’s boyfriend is actually her idol.

“Hi babe! Hi Naya!” Ryo greeted them from the screen, waving his hand at them. Naya lost it when she saw Ryo smile.

“Hi baby!” Naya said. Her smile almost tore her mouth apart. She never stopped calling Ryo’s baby, even after Ellie and Ryo became a couple. The couple did not mind the endearment at all. Ellie gave him a smile.

“My friend is grabbing some snacks and will join shortly. Where’s Vince and Claude?”

“They grabbed something to eat downstairs,” Ellie answered. “So, are you ready for the game?”

“Yeah. Fortnite right? It’s kinda old, you know,” Ryo teased, sounding cocky.

“Well, I’m not a gamer and it’s the only game I know.” Ellie smiled at him. “Are you scared that I’d kick your butt in this old game?”

“Ryo, bro!” Claude and Vince greeted in unison. If Ryo were here, they’d definitely give each other a bro hug.

“Where’s your friend?” Vince asked.

“Oh, he’s here now. Everyone, this is my best friend, Hideki Iwamoto.” Ryo introduced his friend. A handsome young man popped on the screen beside Ryo and waved at them.

Naya, who was typically loud and chatty, became reserved. Her eyes focused on the screen and looked at Hideki like he’s the first man she saw. Ellie gave her friend a secret nudge lest her drool drops on the floor.

“Oh, hi Hideki! I’m Ellie, this is my best friend, Naya. And these are my brothers Claude and Vince.” After the brief introduction, they all set out to play.

Naya smiled and say “Hi, Hideki” in the cutest voice she could make. She waved her hand at him. She did not forget to bat her eyelashes while tucking an imaginary strand of her behind her ear. Ellie could not help but roll her eyes at her friend. Couldn’t she be more obvious? Hideki gave her a smile but said nothing.

It’s three against three. Claude, Naya, and Ryo were on one team while Vince, Hideki, and Ellie were on another. Ryo looked frantic. He bit his lips while he played. He wanted to impress Ellie with his gaming skills, but he had failed. She has killed him twice already.

Ryo could not believe his ears. Ellie trash talked his team like a pirate. But what he did not expect the most was Ellie’s gaming skills. She’s a pro. She knew so many secret moves he could not keep up with her.

In the end, Ellie’s team flattened them. He and Claude have leaderboard level skills while Naya carried her own. But in the end, they still lost.

“You were good, babe!” Ryo could not help but admire his girlfriend.

“Thanks!” she beamed at him. “Don’t expect much, though. It’s the only game I know.” She said, downplaying her skill, then munched on her buffalo wings.

“What are you eating, babe?”

“Oh, I made some buffalo wings for the game.”

“Looks yummy. I want one.”

“I’ll make you one next time.”

“Yeah, your food there looked a thousand times better than the chips we have here,” Hideki chimed in.

“Oh, Naya makes the best nachos in town,” Ellie said, giving Naya a secret wink. “You have to try it.”

“Sure! I’ll look forward to it.” He winked at them, but Naya knew, that one was for her.

“It’s getting late, Ryo, you have an early shoot tomorrow.”

Her brothers groaned at her statement. “Ellie, don’t be such a spoilsport.” Ellie did not need to tell them off. Her glare was enough to shut them up.

“Can we have another game?” Ryo sounded like a child. He pouted his lips and blinked his eyes at Ellie.

“You look cute, Ryo. But no. Let’s call it a night. Nice playing with you, Hideki!”

“Anytime Ellie. I’d like to learn some of your tricks next time.” Hideki waved at the screen, beaming with a smile.

“Sure, next time.”

They all said their goodbyes. Ryo blew Ellie a kiss before he turned off his camera. Like a mother hen, she asked her brothers to go to sleep.

Claude and Vince used her room while she and Naya converted the couch into a bed. She missed having her brothers around, but they could be a handful with the mess and the noise. She looked at her phone and smiled. Grandpa Isamu sent her a message saying he and his wife landed safely in Japan.

She gave the old man a call, and they talked for a bit. Ellie talked to Aiko as well. Both husband and wife thanked her and her family for their help and hospitality. And just like that, her big heart earned her another set of friends.