Teenagers and young people, as many could say, are the kinds of people who like to "eat life"

Eating life meaning, the kinds of people who like to take the biggest bites out of life itself.

If there is anything in this world, any experience, any feeling, any sight to see, any one to meet, young people are at the top of the bar when it comes to the kind of people who like to do this.

And, as though life itself agrees with their desires, it made the youth naturally strong enough to deal with it all.

The youth have the strength to fight, the energy to work, and most importantly, the endurance and hot bloodedness to keep going even if they make the error of, say, partying too hard.

If a weaker or perhaps more decrepitly aged human was to try this, they would probably faint or even die.

However, young people can just keep on going.

And why is this?

Because who they are requires that they do so.

Perhaps... it would be better to call it a nudge from the world.

A nudge telling people to go to the world and learn as to what will make them and break them.

To learn who they are.

Perhaps this feeling, this desire...

... would explain as to why....

Max: Ok. Next match.

Ken: Hmph.

Luke: Hey, I want a turn.

Max: Sure

... these teens would keep on playing.

Luke, Ken, and Max.

Ken and Max trying to teach Luke about Warring Dimensia 2....

Max: Equip the machine missile launcher gun.

Luke: Ok. (thinking: What a name...)

And Luke's character fired exactly what the name of the weapon would elucidate.

A gun that fired small missiles like a machine gun.

The ballistic class had a simple philosophy.

Blow things up... hard.

The idea that firepower lead to more deaths on the enmy side lead to their absolute faith in explosives.

And so....

A massive series of explosions could be heard from the game.

... all they used were weapons with immense firepower.

After all, if blowing up works so well, then... why not do it more often?

Why not blow everything up?

It works... after all.

However...

Luke: Got 'em.

Max: Yeah!

He and Max shared a high five.

Rose: Yeah, Luke. Great job.

Max: That's three kills so far.

Ken: Yes. Quite impressive for a newbie player.

Luke:  Yeah, well... I did get great advice.

And with that, almost comically even...

Luke's character started taking enemy fire.

Luke: Dang it.

He started trying to get his character to leave, however...

... a massive explosion occurred, killing him dead.

Luke: What the....!?

Rose: Huh!?

Tiffany's eyes widened.

At that point, they'd all at least to some degree understood the gist of the game.

And with that understanding came the understanding of the fact that a health bar denoted how many hits you could take.

Given that information... and the fact that Luke was almost at full...

It seemed pretty insane to see him completely dead with only a few shots.

Shots... that they'd all learned by then... would not usually be enough to kill a player with that much health so quickly.

Of course, to say nothing of the explosion.

Ken: Warring Dimensia 2,...

They all turned to Ken.

Ken: ... as its creators perhaps intended, is a very realistic game. So realistic, in fact, that if a bullet just so happens to hit explosive ammo....

Luke: I explode?

Ken: Like a volcano.

It acted as some sort of nerf to the ballistic class.

Sure, they could mow enemies down quickly.

However, that would not be possible if they took too many hits, especially to their ammunition.

Such is Warring Dimensia 2.

Luke: Tch...

And with that, Luke calmly put the controller to the side.

Luke: Whelp... That's that for me.

And Max cheerfully picked it up.

Max: Don't mind if I do.

And he started a new game.

Warring Dimensia 2.

One of the best games of their generation.

Max: Hey Ken.

Ken: Hmm?

Max: How about one more round? Dextrous vs Attritious.

Ken: I suppose one more couldn't hurt.

And the pair sat down to play the game again.

As they started picking out their characters...

Almost as though common sense briefly started to hit the characters...

Rose: Oh! It's getting late!

Max: Hmph!

At that point, they all checked the time.

It was well past 1pm.

Max: Oh yeah.... I guess it is pretty late.

Ken: True.

Luke: Hmmmm....

And Luke turned to the direction of the van.

It was late. Very late, in fact.

And, he probably should have said something sooner. After all, it was his job to drive them home.

Julianne Hunter poised herself.

Julianne: (thinking: Ok, Julianne. Moment of truth.)

Rose also turned outside, wondering to herself... what she should do.

On the one hand, she wanted to get home and wash up.

The amazing dinner and all their downtime did not negate the damage they had taken that day.

And they hadn't even showered.

Nope.

Not one of them.

But also...

... she really didn't want to leave.

Tiffany herself was also itching to leave. It had been fun, when it was, but there and then, it was time to leave.

Perhaps they would return to spar another time, but for now, all she could think of was a shower and a nice long nap.

Ken had long since told his parents to expect him to come late.

And they were expectant to hear some "Julianne Hunter" stories.

However, he wasn't in a hurry to get back. Besides, what did he have to worry about?

That, or beating Max?

Luke, like Tiffany, lived alone... and was ready and willing to leave.

It would be a huge drag driving so late, but why worry.

The roads were empty... and any unsuspecting criminals would simply be beaten up.

Why worry?

And Max, ...

... although he wouldn't outright say it, genuinely wished they would stay.

Like an odd tugging in his heart.

However, he would not show it, acting as non-chalantly as he could.

All these were the thoughts of the teens...

And the result?

Rose: Ummm... Mrs Hunter?

Julianne: Yes, Rose?

Rose: Would it.... be.... I mean... well...

Julianne: (thinking: Is she... actually....?) Hmm?

Rose: Could we.... stay over? I mean...

The mind of Julianne Hunter released chemicals in her brain that could only be compared to a massive influx of dopamine into the body of a human.

The sheer level of will power required to not freak out, smile, or even jump or squeal and to just act natural... was so absurd that it would confound most normal individuals.

But to a determined mother, this was nothing. Probably...

All this happened before Rose could even finish talking.

Rose: ... I mean... Well...

And then Rose suddenly realised that she'd forgotten something.

Rose: ..... maybe I should ask everyone first? Tiff?

As and when Rose had said that, the eyes of Tiffany Chang had widened.

In fact, all of them were quite shocked.

It wasn't so much that they'd wanted to leave, no.

It was a lot more that her flat-out saying that perturbed them.

Rose: Oh, and Ken and Luke. Could we stay over?

And so the immediate question flew about all of them.

Rose Wright did not realise it, but by asking the question she'd just asked, she'd simply caused everybody in the room to fall into deep contemplation.

This was something that none of them could have anticipated.

Something that none of them could simply... answer.