Ethan Brooks rolled his eyes, looking a bit embarrassed, but not angry. More than half of these hecklers were actually his friends, and their mockery was all in good fun. Usually, everyone just bantered back and forth, but Ethan Brooks always had his impressive win rate as backup, so he usually had the upper hand. Today, though, he’d finally given them something to latch onto—how could they not seize the chance to roast him?

“Ethan Brooks, your sister’s here to bring you lunch! Better eat up and get your strength back before you come again!” someone shouted, and the crowd burst into laughter. Hearing this, Ethan Brooks looked up and spotted Emily Brooks standing right across from him.

“I’m done playing.” He immediately pushed away his keyboard and stood up.

“Coming back after you’ve eaten?” the guy across from him asked with a grin.

The crowd roared with laughter. This kid really knew how to play along, joining in on the teasing!

Ethan Brooks was getting roasted pretty hard now. He shot the guy a fierce glare. “Come on, you eat with us too, so you don’t have any excuses when you lose later.”

“Do I look like I need that?” the guy said as he stood up.

The crowd laughed even harder. Turns out this guy wasn’t just good at gaming—his comebacks were sharp too!

“Come on, let’s eat together!” At that moment, Emily Brooks popped out from behind the guy, stepping in to smooth things over.

“You’re his sister?” the guy turned around, saw Emily Brooks, and started chatting.

“Yeah!”

“Do you play games?”

“Not really.”

“You should learn, it’s a lot of fun,” the guy said.

“Come here, Emily, don’t talk so much to strangers.” Ethan Brooks interrupted from the front, calling Emily Brooks over.

Emily Brooks smiled and hurried to Ethan Brooks’s side. The internet café had a waiting area for customers, and Ethan Brooks was a regular there for lunch. The guy didn’t stand on ceremony and followed them over.

Ethan Brooks took the lunchbox from Emily Brooks and skillfully divided up the food, making three equal portions. After a look, he scooped a bit from one portion into another, giving the larger share to Emily Brooks, taking the smallest for himself, and leaving the third on the table, gesturing for the other guy to help himself.

“Brother, you should take the bigger one!” Emily Brooks said immediately. The food was only enough for two, so even with a bit more, it wasn’t much. Three people was already a stretch, and Ethan Brooks had given a lot to Emily Brooks—he probably wouldn’t even get half full.

“I can’t eat that much!” Ethan Brooks insisted, picking up his lunchbox.

“Hahaha, are you upset? No need, no need, winning and losing is normal, just take it easy.” The guy didn’t hesitate to pick up his food, but quickly passed half of it back to Ethan Brooks.

“I’m in a good mood, I don’t need to eat that much,” he said.

“You…” Ethan Brooks muttered, too lazy to argue.

“I haven’t seen you before!” Emily Brooks started chatting with the guy again, and this time, Ethan Brooks didn’t stop her with a “don’t talk to strangers.”

“Oh, I was just passing by, came in to play for a bit, then heard there was a pro here, so…”

“So what?” Ethan Brooks glared at him.

“So I came to challenge him. He really is a pro—just a tiny bit better than me,” the guy said.

“Don’t get cocky. We’ll battle again after we eat!” Ethan Brooks called out.

“Haha, can’t do it,” the guy replied.

“What, trying to run away?” Ethan Brooks snapped.

“I’m out of money,” the guy said, patting his pocket.

That was a solid excuse. No money, no way to use a computer at the internet café.

“I’ll pay!” Ethan Brooks wasn’t about to let him off that easily.

“Eat your food, let you pay for the café, and then beat you? That doesn’t seem right,” the guy said.

“Who says you’ll definitely win?” Ethan Brooks retorted.

“Of course I lose sometimes,” the guy replied casually.

“I’m too full to eat,” Ethan Brooks said, genuinely stuffed with frustration.

“Why don’t you guys go home and play?” Emily Brooks suggested.

“Oh?”

“At home… the two computers aren’t the same. Some games might not run well,” Ethan Brooks said.

The difference in setups would affect the match, meaning one computer was much worse. Emily Brooks didn’t really get it—she thought having two computers meant they could play together.

“There must be some games where it doesn’t matter, right?” the guy asked.

“So you think you can beat me at any game?” Ethan Brooks said.

“Not all of them—there are too many games. It has to be one I know how to play,” the guy replied.

“Stop eating! Get up right now and duel me!” Ethan Brooks was about ready to flip the table.

“I’m already done,” the guy said, putting down his bowl and chopsticks.

“Let’s go! Emily, you head home by yourself in a bit.” Ethan Brooks stood up, dragging the guy away without a second’s delay.

“See you later,” the guy called back to Emily Brooks.

“See you later,” Emily Brooks replied with a smile.

In that moment, she had no idea that this strange person who had barged into her and her brother’s life would walk alongside her for the next ten years, or even longer.

"Glory of the Summit" • The Summer of Fifteen