I stood there. In front of the fridge.

  It was 3:42 in the morning and I was only wearing a T-shirt. No pants. I hadn't even changed my underwear. After all, my guild needed me, so I had to prioritize.

  Good. Only the long-expired cheese looked even more unappetizing than I did.

  I pushed it aside. Tomorrow was another day.

  “So really . . .”

  I stared at a bottle for a while; it had been open for a few days. The carbonation that made the drink somewhat drinkable was gone. Now it was just something that tasted like sugar.

  “Maybe I should study. Or die, but first see if I can keep the castle.”

  Disappointed, I closed the fridge. I went back to my bedroom without being able to take anything. The computer, which had already been switched off, had made the whole room so unbearably hot.

  “Pointless life . . .”

  Thoughts like these have been with me since the day I left home to finally take my life into my own hands.

  “Once I've moved out, my life will be better!”

  I could have cried when I thought of those words, which I had spoken to myself with so much anticipation.

  But what was the point at that point? The hamster was already limping when I realized how damn expensive an Internet connection can be. He fell over completely when I realized that my beloved morning toast, which always had to be nicely browned, would no longer be available.

  Because this wretched toaster no longer works.

  “Fuck you!”

  I pointed my middle finger in the direction of the kitchen. There it was, the treacherous toaster. But . . . it shone majestically in the moonlight. A true beacon of light, that damn toaster.

  It brought tears to my eyes.

  Just the idea of no longer being able to enjoy my morning jam toast exhausted me mentally. It was real torture.

  “And then the French. . .”

  I was furious, after all, they took away my castles that I had conquered in a game.

  I waved my fist around wildly.

  It was all so tiring.

  “Frenchmen. . .!”

  By now it was just after 4:00 a.m., so I decided to ignore the earthly hardships for the time being and get ready for bed.

  I would have liked to play a bit more. Or eat, or just do something in general. Anything, as long as it distracted me.

  But I didn't want to overdo it.

  So I took a shower and brushed my teeth, while I thought about what insults I could throw at the French after they had dragged my mother into it, or at least intended to.

  I lay down afterwards and was gone straight away.

  When I woke up at midday, I was immediately overcome by a strong feeling of hunger. This was probably also because the elderly couple in the apartment below me lovingly prepared food every day. And that made the whole house smell of delicious food.

  Not me of course, I only cooked a few times, I don't really cook. Instant noodles and delivery services often saved the day. But I was pretty good at pouring water.

  It was a noble gift that was passed on to me.

  I was already looking forward to the noodles. Very much so. I loved noodles, it was a very good food.

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  When I got up and wanted to prepare something with a joyful heart, I remembered that I had nothing left. No more pasta and the fridge was empty. And a good, simple toast wasn't working either. After all, the toaster had gone on the barricades.

  I hit the toaster.

  The resistance had to be broken.

  Nevertheless, I frantically searched the fridge for food that I could gorge myself on.

  I pushed the cheese to one side.

  But there was nothing. It really was empty, even after I closed and reopened it several times, there was nothing I could eat.

  Desperate, I looked the fact in the eye.

  I had to deign to leave my estate to buy food, as the common people usually do.

  But first I had to see if I could recapture my castle.

  Of course I couldn't. My friends were still asleep, or some even had to work. Fortunately, they didn't have girlfriends either, so they all stayed with me.

  I had to go shopping. But I didn't want to.

  When I lost another castle to the enemy units, I finally got hungry and thought about what I could eat that evening. The most delicious dishes crossed my mind.

  However, a glance at my account brought me back to bitter reality.

  In the end, I returned to the instant noodles. They weren't necessarily expensive, but they still filled me up. At least I could rely on them. Like the good M1 Garant, which I recently started using again and again in another game.

  It had such a nice sound, I could listen to it over and over again on the internet.

  So I straightened up, looked at the disaster in the mirror and then had to take a shower.

  When I finally left the apartment building. I was overcome with an unknown motivation.

  I hummed on the way. Life was good.

  “Bread . . . I still need it. I have milk, meat, pasta and drinks. . .” I leisurely went through my shopping list on my cell phone.

  The only thing missing was bread.

  Normally there isn't really anything worth buying in the afternoon. But it was Tuesday, or Thursday. On both days, you could still buy fresh bread in the afternoon.

  They usually took the rest of it somewhere.

  “Doesn't matter. . . The main thing is to eat.”

  I stood there. Sighing. In a row with maybe ten other citizens.

  If only they knew that there were about seven castles under my rule, I wouldn't have to wait so long for my turn.

  Time passed, it felt like an eternity. In truth, it was perhaps only 2 or 3 minutes.

  I saw how many beautiful women were walking around. One was wearing a white dress, the other a red one. Another was wearing a simple T-shirt and shorts. Simple was sometimes the best.

  It made me think of a series that a friend had recently recommended to me. The protagonist had lots of beautiful women around him and friends who were actually competent in combat.

  “A harem like that would be nice. . .”

  Unfortunately, I had said that a little too loudly.

  And the pensioner in front of me turns around and looks me in the face, literally staring at me. He scrutinized every inch of my beautiful body.

  “You can wait a long time.”

  My heart broke.

  Somehow he was right after all. Women just weren't my world. Or the others in general. What could I do, I dedicated my life to conquering castles in my favorite video game.

  I brought democracy.

  I was freedom.

  But I still wouldn't mind if Truck-Kun hit me and transported me to a wonderful foreign world where I'm so ungodly strong that I automatically find 2-3 women.

  More would be too much. I am a modest man after all.

  I grinned to myself.

  Then it was my turn.

  “Anaya. . .” I whispered.

  It was the beautiful cashier who worked in the bakery again. We'd seen each other several times before and we'd even spoken to each other. She said that she lived somewhere nearby and was helping out here so that she could buy something alongside her studies

  I stared absent-mindedly at the sandwiches.

  “Are you present?”

  She smiled a little when she asked me that.

  “. . . of course!”

  “I'm sure you want the same thing you always do, don't you?”

  She had such a beautiful voice. It made my heart beat faster.

  “Yes . . . right!”

  “I already know you a bit by now.”

  So beautiful. Really.

  I picked up my bread and gave her the money. She always looked me straight in the eye. She really was a beautiful woman.

  She kept talking while I was lost in thought.

  I had seen her at the university back then.

  She had gathered a group of people around her. Even from the outside, it seemed so incredibly stressful. I probably couldn't cope with that myself.

  Because one day she had even seen me.

  She really had. And then she even waved to me. It was such a nice moment to know that you are recognized by others. Even if it's only because she knew me from regularly buying breads.

  “Hehe. . .”

  “What?”

  “Nothing, just had to think of something funny.”

  “What funny thing? While I'm saying that my shares are shrinking due to irrational political action and mark-ups? That's mean.”

  She pouted a little, it was cute.

  But. There was something.

  “No, I just had to remember that it happened to me too!”

  “Ahh”

  Saved.

  With the bag of bread in my hand, I slowly said goodbye to her. I waved to her once more before turning around and making my way home.

  But.

  Before you think that could be your girlfriend. You had a good connection.

  She had a boyfriend.

  When we were at the university and she waved to me, a handsome man suddenly stood next to her. He kissed her on the cheek.

  “God. . .”

  My heart shattered. And I slumped my shoulders. The short walk home turned into an unbearable odyssey of emotional pain.

  But.

  She hugged me once when she found out it was my birthday. It wasn't a real hug, but it felt similar.

  Then I was home again. I actually felt better. It helped to get out of the house and breathe fresh air.

  I should have done it more often.