**CHAPTER 7: "Yaoi is Life" part 1
**Daniel's POV**
They say no one lives alone, and no one lives just for themselves. People need others, no matter how high your pride is or how much you claim you can survive without help. When you're in a pinch or facing something you can't handle alone, that pride won't do you any good. Having people in your life—family, classmates, friends—who care about you and offer even the smallest favors or support makes a huge difference.
If Goku has Krillin, Ash has Pikachu, and SpongeBob has Patrick, who do you have? Who's that friend you can rely on, the one who's got your back when you need them most?
As an otaku, we don't have time for bonding or chatting to make friends. Most of us are more comfortable sitting in a corner with our anime, manga, and games. It's not that we hate people or avoid friendships out of anger—it's just that we prefer our own company.
Being alone doesn't mean you're lonely. We can be happy by ourselves, perfectly content with our anime, manga, and games. But even in the peaceful, quiet life of an otaku, thoughts creep in—thoughts about the people missing from your life.
Years pass, and as you immerse yourself in your hobbies, you might grow tired of the silence around you. You start to wonder why something feels off, like there's a void in your life. Then it hits you—you've been alone from the start, and it's your own doing.
It's not your introverted otaku nature that's to blame, but your pride in thinking you don't need others to be happy. You never considered balancing your social life with being an anime fan. You got so consumed that you didn't control yourself for your own future benefit.
How do I know this? Because I'm one of those people. And now, I'm trying to change, to find a balance between what I love and what I need.
A few days later, I went out with my sister, Nikki, to the mall in town. Yes, we were together—something that doesn't happen often, especially since we don't get along. Truth is, we were only together because Mom ordered me to use my own money from my ATM to buy what Nikki needed for school.
It's hard to stomach the idea of spending my hard-earned cash—money I could've used for my own collectibles—on my K-pop-obsessed sister's whims. Do I even have the right to complain when I'm still living under my parents' roof?
It's not that I'm mad at Nikki or hate spending time with her, but her tastes, especially in trendy clothes, are so different from mine. To me, wearing tiny shorts to the mall looks inappropriate, and the idea of shopping with her is a nightmare for my wallet.
I'm not used to crowds or clothing stores, so I felt out of place, especially since I ended up as Nikki's glorified bag-carrier, sitting idly at a food court table near the shop she was in. "How long is she taking? Is she trying on every single outfit in there?" I muttered to myself.
Finally, she came out, holding a plastic bag from her shopping, which she promptly handed to me, as if I was supposed to carry it despite her having nothing else to hold. "Kuya, can you give me 250 more? I saw a cute outfit in there," she said with a grin, cupping her hands expectantly.
"What? You're asking like I've got money stashed away! I don't have any extra cash," I replied.
"Hah! Liar. I know you just got paid, and you barely spend on anything at home," she shot back.
"Saving money is important to me, so no matter what you say, I'm not giving you more," I said, sounding grumpy.
Nikki started pestering me, whining for extra cash. We were in the middle of a crowded food court, and people were watching our argument—over money, of all things. As someone who hates being the center of attention, I cringed at the stares from strangers who could clearly hear us bickering.
"Can you keep it down? People are staring," I hissed.
"It's your fault! You're just going to spend your money on your toys anyway," she snapped.
Her persistence was getting on my nerves, and I could tell where this conversation was headed—another jab at my spending habits. I had to steer it away. "You know, Nikki, if you're just trying to keep up with your friends' trends, you should stop. Those friends of yours aren't a good influence," I said.
"What? Don't judge my friends! I'm buying clothes because I like them, not to compete with anyone," she retorted sharply.
Our argument shifted to her obsession with following trends. It's not hard to spot—most kids her age are caught up in what's "in." While we were going back and forth, a girl passed by our table, catching my attention with her T-shirt featuring an anime character. I couldn't help but stare—I'm an otaku, after all.
She noticed me pause mid-sentence and stopped walking, locking eyes with me. "Huh?" For about five seconds, we just stared at each other in silence. She looked oddly familiar, like I'd seen her somewhere before, but I couldn't place her.
"Oh my gosh! It's you!" we both blurted out, startled.
In that moment, we recognized each other. I wasn't entirely sure at first—it had been almost ten years since I last saw her, and we'd both changed a lot. But yes, it had been a long time, and so much was different now.
"Daniel Muntingbato, it's really you! Wow, look at fate working its magic," she said.
"Fate? Wait, are you Lea?" I asked.
The girl with long black hair down to her elbows, slightly tanned skin, and a bit short in stature was Lea dela Paz, my schoolmate from high school. She was the younger sister of a classmate from Grade 8, and we bonded back then over anime, manga, and games.
"Wow, Daniel, you've changed so much! You used to be this skinny, short kid, and now you look like a dad!" she teased.
"W-what? You haven't changed at all—still short and skinny," I shot back.
Her face flushed with embarrassment, and she stomped over to our table, scolding me for my comeback. "You're still such a bully! I'm telling my brother on you," she said, clearly annoyed that I'd turned the tables when she teased me first.
Her older brother, my former classmate, was a tough guy at school who loved picking on me for being an anime fan and not liking the same things he did. I still remember the time he had me beaten up just for being an otaku hater. I had no choice but to endure sharing a classroom with him.
Then I met Lea, and when I introduced her to anime, she became my defender against her brother, in exchange for lending her my manga. I didn't mind her barging into our classroom to bother me while I was reading, as long as it worked in my favor.
Luckily, they moved away, and we never saw each other again—thank goodness. It's not that I disliked her, but her brother's treatment of me was awful. "So, what's up with you? Are you still an anime fan?" I asked.
She answered enthusiastically, and like any typical otaku, we both lit up at meeting someone who shared our passion. "Of course, anime is life! I'd never abandon the devotion you introduced me to, Sensei," she said with a grin.
"Devotion? You're still on about that?" I replied, chuckling.
"Oh, by the way, check out one of my favorite shirts!" she said, proudly showing off her outfit.
Honestly, her shirt was pretty cool. The characters on it were Yuu and Mika, the main guys from the awesome anime *Owari no Seraph*, one of my favorites. But what shocked me wasn't that she had merchandise—it was the *kind* of artwork on her T-shirt.
"W-w-wait, Lea, don't tell me…" I stammered.
"Huh? Isn't it awesome?" she asked, smiling brightly.
Her T-shirt featured fan art of BL—boys' love—characters, drawn by anime artists who specialize in male-male pairings. Truth be told, it's rare for otakus to wear anime T-shirts in public, especially outside of conventions, but this girl had some serious guts wearing a shirt with two guys kissing.
"You're a fujoshi? What happened to you?" I asked, stunned.
"Huh? Yeah, of course, yaoi is life! I'm actually a founder of a fujoshi group. Oh, wait, let me show you some of my collection!" she said excitedly.
I don't know if Lea realized that my question was tinged with judgment and disappointment, but she didn't seem to care. Instead of backing off, she eagerly stepped closer, showing off her stuff with pictures of male characters. "Look at this keychain of Yuri and Viktor—aren't they such a cute couple? And I've got this merch of Eren and Levi getting married. So adorable, right? Kyaa!" she squealed, practically vibrating with excitement.
I couldn't find the words to respond and just forced a smile. I couldn't exactly tell her I wasn't into that genre because I'm a guy. She should've known that, but it seemed like she didn't care about my perspective at all.
**[To Be Continued in Part 2]**