CHAPTER 7 - Beginning a Game is a Battlefield
Hiraki slid open the door to the library. “Sorry to keep you girls waiting--”
“Hi!” There came a lady-like and well-mannered voice right in front of him.
“MURASAKII KIYOMI----?!!” He screamed at the sight of her angel-like wings. Scratching his head in confusion, he asked, “I’m pretty sure we won this library, so why are you still here?”
“I endorsed her to help us against the Warbeasts,” Kishi said, sipping her cup of tea. “Rie will be helping, too. But she’s not going to participate. She’ll be monitoring the game using magic, and if emergency arises, she’ll intercept. But she isn’t here right now, though.”
“Hmm~ Hiraki-sama looks interesting,” Kiyomi hovered around him. Uncomfortable about her, Hiraki tried to reject every gesture she made, and walked towards their discussion table.
Hiraki buried them under an avalanche of questions, “What game do you think they will challenge us with? Why are they challenging us? Also, what benefits will we gain if we win?”
“I like that last question,” Kishi answered, “but all these will be revealed when we confront the Warbeasts. Kuuhaku have figured it all out already.”
He turned to Rinka, and she shrugged too. Must they be *that* secretive?
“Hey, Hiraki-san, what’s this keychain hanging around your pocket?” Naruko pointed to the chess piece, and everyone turned their attention towards it.
Hiraki gasped. He had totally forgotten about it! Then, regaining his senses, he grabbed hold of it and placed it in the middle of the table for everyone to see. After that, he started explaining, and Kishi seemed to be really interested in it.
All of a sudden, the door burst open -- and Aruko burst in like a whirlwind! Kishi quickly hid the chess piece.
“Members of Imanity, you are now challenged to a game. Come to the Warbeast faction room to prepare,” Aruko declared. Spotting Kiyomi, she added, “Participants from other factions are allowed, too.”
“Uhm, Aruko-chan, can we discuss the bets in the faction room later on?” Rinka asked.
At the very mention of “-chan”, Aruko’s eyebrows deepened its crease, but remained a calm facade anyway. “Yes.” And with that, she stalked away.
“Wow, what a different image I had expected,” Kiyomi commented sarcastically.
“Anyway, let’s go, we have no time to lose!”
~At the Warbeast faction room~
There was a long, loooooong table enough for six people to sit in a row. Rinka, Hiraki, Kishi, Naruko and Kiyomi sat on one side, while only Aruko sat on the other side. At one end of the table, it was Takahara Omitsu. She had golden coloured fox-like ears and a big, bushy tail protruding out from behind. And her hair was tied up in a curly, long and big ponytail.
[Takahara Omitsu -- the leader of the Warbeasts. She is seen commonly together with Aruko, they’re best friends. Omitsu usually helps her with lots of stuff, especially the betting of the games. Born on June 10, her sign is Gemini. Faction: Warbeast.]
“Now, what do you want to bet?” Omitsu asked, fixing her rectangular orange glasses.
“Let’s see. Hmm...” Kishi began, “if we win, we’ll get back our territory that we lost to you.”
“Ah, that’ll be the school garden. What if you lose?”
“I’ll be betting Imanity’s chess piece.. So if we lose.. We will disappear from the face of this world!”
At the precise moment, all students of Imanity stopped their activities. Their existences were at stake, and was Kishi just spouting nonsense?!
Rinka gasped. “Hey! What if we lose--”
“Like we said, Kuuhaku never loses,” Kishi reminded her again and again. Naruko nodded in agreement.
All of a sudden, due to the help of social network, students of Imanity began protesting and “rioting” in Facetextbook, lashing out every curse words they have. Still, the four of them were undaunted, and Kiyomi was very much concerned.
“Why do you think the protests are impotant?” Naruko asked. “If there are any bugs or cheater, the students are Imanity will be able to detect it the shortest time possible -- they want us to win, so they’ll stare at the game intently to find flaws!”
Rinka and Hiraki nodded in favor.
“And, Aruko, Omitsu,” Kishi added, “We’ve figured out your game. Since you’re hiding the secrets of it, we speculate that it must be top-secret... High-tech stuff right? Then, that leaves only one thing...”
She paused before continuing, “Virtual Reality MMORPGs. That’s the place where bugs can be easily used! They say Warbeasts have a sixth sense and they’re telepathic right? It’s all a ruse to trick them. You’re using cheat codes and bugs to help you!”
Aruko and Omitsu froze. The cat has been let out of the bag!
Hiraki gasped. “Yeah! I’ve played countless MMORPGs, and she’s right.”
“I see!” Kiyomi wasn’t that shocked. “So.. Can we begin now?”
Regaining her senses, Omitsu cleared her throat, “Yes. Everyone, please follow me.”
“I won’t lose to anyone,” Akuro said with her voice cold and hard, and her eyes were mean-looking while an aura of evil surrounded her.
“Hey. When was the last time you had fun while playing a game?” Kishi asked, before standing up to leave.
“E-Eh?”
...What is she saying? Akuro pouted, thinking of Kishi’s words that kept resounding in her head and wouldn’t go away. No matter what, I’m going to win!
Omitsu led the six of them into a room with six sleek, shiny and modern-looking chairs. It seemed that there were lots of state-of-the-art facilities in it! All of them sat on comfortably on the chair(except for Omitsu).
She cleared her throat again, “All of Imanity will be able to view the game live from the telecast using Facetextbook. For now, just wait until you go into the game. I will give explanations when you’re inside.”
The six of them closed their eyes.
“3... 2... 1...!”
Link Start!
Graphics: OK
Language: OK
Sound: OK
Items: OK
Final initialisation... 100%/100%
Finally, there was a glint of light in their eyes. They opened their eyelids, and they feel like they’ve become more active in the virtual world. They were standing on a rooftop of a certain building Surrounding them was short buildings made out of wood, huge walls, sky filled with ominous clouds, and huge, huge, hugeeee beings of over three metres trudging towards them--
“W-Wait... This.. Is..” Kishi suddenly crouched down, hugging her thigh with a devastated expression on her face. “T-T-T-TITANS!!!!”
Naruko did the same thing. “I can’t bear to feel the melancholy--”
“Titans? Huh?” Kiyomi tilted her head in confusion. “What’s that?” She looked at Rinka and Hiraki, and both of them shook their head.
Rinka shook Kishi vigorously. “Get back on your feet! We need you!”
“I’m so sorry we’ve already lost this game we can’t do this oh my god--”
“Heyy!!! Aozora, Kurojiro, don’t chicken out, goddamit!” Hiraki stomped his feet in anger with smoke puffing out from his ears. He was clearly exasperated by their behavior.
Just then, a hologram screen appeared, and on that screen was Omitsu. “This is a virtual world created by our imagination. Is there any problem, Aozora-san, Kurojiro-san?”
“...Kishi-nee, it’s a virtual world created by imagination, it isn’t real...” Naruko persuaded.
Kishi finally got back on her feet. “Yeah, that’s probably why I don’t feel that scared when I see the titans...”
[Note: The virtual world situated in here is in the anime called ‘Attack on Titan’. It’s about titans who eat humans and the humans are trying to win over them. Titans are very scary creatures, so everyone was petrified by them.]
“It’s all okay now, don’t worry,” Kishi and Naruko said in unison.
“Good. Now, let me explain the rules. Akuro is at the entrance of the wall, and she is planning to go to the office at the very opposite end of the entrance. It’s a very long way, and there are titans coming to eat you guys. You must defend her and yourself from the titans; if you get eaten, you’re out of the game. If Akuro is safely escorted to the office, you win the game. Oh, and, for the weapons, your body will automatically learn how to use them.”
Rinka checked out the weapons. Shiny silver blades with a so-called “trigger”, two lightweight metal boxes attached to the left and right thigh containing more blades. Behind her was a sort of a “gas releaser” to help her “fly”. And to “fly”, she must fire the strong and black strings to clutch onto something so she can “fly” towards it. Of course, for Kiyomi, a Flugel, won’t need the strings.
“It’s called the 3D Maneuver Gear, and it specialises for 3D movement,” Hiraki noted. “Interesting.”
“Woah, everything is so real to the touch,” Naruko added.
“Now, if you’re ready... Let the game begin!”
~END OF CHAPTER 7~
Saturday, 22 February 2020
School Life Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6 - Moe Moe is a Battlefield
The following Monday, as usual, Rinka gave a horrible wake-up “gunshot” to Hiraki, and he almost died. Following that, the boys in their class were on the “hunt” for him -- he was the first one to take Rie out on a date! Thankfully, Rinka kept them out using her shotgun. Kishi and Naruko were pressing Hiraki for Mission #3.
“Look, someone from other factions need to challenge us to a game first,” He said, shrugging. “But the good news is, we’ve risen to 14th!”
“Really?!” Rinka jumped up and down in excitement, punching fists in the air.
“I believe that you’re celebrating too early, desu,” A cold, hard voice came from behind. It was even colder than Naruko’s.
The four of them turned their heads to the direction of the voice, only to find a petite, little girl at their same age with green cat-like ears and a bushy tail.
“CUTEEE!!!!!!” Hiraki shrieked, getting more and more excited with every second. He knelled down in front of her and asked gentlemanly, “May I ask for your hand, young--”
“Go die!!” Kishi kicked him with full strength and flung him out of the corridor windows, while Rinka was frozen like a statue. Naruko was indifferent; she was scrolling the list of factions on her smartphone.
“You must be Midorikawa Akuro.”
[Midorikawa Akuro - the girl who is next-in-line to be the leader of the Warbeast faction. She is petite and cute. Also, her cat ears and tails are only visible to insiders. Born on May 27, her sign is Gemini. Faction: Warbeast]
“Yes, and I’ve come to tell you all worthless students from Imanity that Warbeast is declaring war on you,” Akuro’s heartless words broke the hearts of Rinka, Hiraki, Kishi and Naruko.
/Choose./
/Option 1: Lift her skirt up./
/Option 2: Tell her, “Would you like to bang me tonight?”/
WHY THESE?! So absurd!! Looks like I’ll have to bet that Midorikawa knows nothing about those dirty terms. Here I go--
“Hey, Midorikawa,” Hiraki gestured to her, “Would you like to bang me tonight?”
A silence befell the whole scene was the tension rose till it was so thick, you could cut it with a sword.
“ARGH!” He shrieked in terror before being backflipped by Akuro, landing flat onto the ground with a pale face.
“Damn, her personality...” Rinka muttered in annoyance to Akuro. But she’s strong, despite her size.
“Please say more of those torturing words~” Hiraki was totally in his own world, until a violent vibration from his phone shook him awake.
---
From: God of Kaisou High
Message:
Midorikawa is next-in-line to be the leader of the Warbeast faction. However, all game challenges are directed to her. Here comes Mission #3 --
Defeat Midorikawa in the game that the Warbeasts challenge you to. Shortly after Mission #3, Mission #4 will come, so don’t relax yet.
Good luck!
---
“I see,” Kishi said, after inspecting the mail. “So now we’re being challenged. Furthermore, it’s from the Warbeast.” She smirked.
“But Kishi-nee. The problem is.. Look...” Naruko gestured for them to her smartphone’s screen. On it, it said that the Warbeasts have a “sixth sense” and they are telepathic.
“Moreover, memories of the game are always erased,” Hiraki added a clue. “So no one, except for the Warbeast authorities, knows the contents of the games. It’s dangerous if we don’t know the game..”
“But it’s not if we deduce the game, right?” Rinka said, giving a cool pose. “If they can’t reveal anything... Is it like some high-tech stuff like in the sci-fi movies?”
Just then, Kishi headed towards the library. “What are you all waiting for? Let’s head to our library!”
The others nodded in agreement, then tagged along with her.
Not long after, Hiraki’s phone rang shrilly. “You guys go on first, I’ll catch up with you.”
He tapped the screen to receive the phone call. On the other side came a dominating-like female voice, “Ekiguchi Hiraki-kun, I assume?”
“Yes. Who are you?” He replied tactfully, for this is a voice that seemed quite suspicious.
“This is the Student Council President, Akari Sen. I’d like you to come to the Student Council Room now.”
“Yes, sure.”
Beep... Beep.. Hiraki closed his phone, then proceeded to his destination. Akari Sen, huh... Come to think of it, she’s quite mysterious.
[Akari Sen -- she’s the Student Council President of Kaisou High. The only second-year which has risen to become a member of the Student Council. No one knows much about her; however she always gets 1st in everything, thus everyone speculates that she’s in the 1st ranked faction. Still, there are many doubts. Born on Apr 19, her sign is Aries. Faction: Unknown]
Hiraki knocked on the door leading to the Student Council Room before going in, only to find a short girl(not as short as Akuro) sitting half cross-legged on her table. She had long, dark red hair that was almost as long as Rinka’s. Also, her hair was tied in twintails adorned with yellow ribbons, but each twintail was in a different length. He arched his eyebrows at the sight of the appearance.
“Must be surprised, huh?” Sen said with a seemingly evil grin, caressing her hair. “Don’t mind it. Anyway, here’s a ‘trophy’ for Imanity.” She held a transparent crystal chess piece in her hands -- the King.
It glimmered and shimmered in the light that shone through it -- yes, hauntingly beautiful. Hiraki got hold of it gingerly.
“Uhmm, may I ask what is this, Akari-san?” He asked, still staring at the chess piece.
“This,” She explained, “is your-- no, Imanity’s chess piece. Seeing that Imanity has done great work to rise up in the ranks, you’re awarded this. Also, Imanity is the only race which hasn’t earned it.”
Wow, what cruel comments, he thought to himself.
“But,” With a greater note of warning, she cautioned, “Should it fall into other faction leaders’ hands due to your loss in games, all of Imanity students’ existence will be erased completely from the face of Earth. Including you.” She pointed to Hiraki.
“Y-Yes, we’ll take great care of it,” Hiraki assured, then inquired, “But why did you ask to see me? Isn’t Rinka the leader, and not me?”
“Confidential. You’re dismissed now.”
“Oh, okay...”
Hiraki carried the chess piece in his hands, walking out of the room and closing the door. He stared at it intently.
I mustn’t lose this. But it’s so big, how am I supposed to keep it?
As if the chess piece was telepathic, it immediately transformed itself to become a small, petite keychain that could be latched onto his schoolbag!
“Wow! Now it looks like a ordinary keychain; no one can find out,” He smiled gleefully to himself. I must catch up with Rinka and the others now!
Meanwhile...
“Now... Let’s see some good show,” the ‘God’ cackled.
~END OF CHAPTER 6~
The following Monday, as usual, Rinka gave a horrible wake-up “gunshot” to Hiraki, and he almost died. Following that, the boys in their class were on the “hunt” for him -- he was the first one to take Rie out on a date! Thankfully, Rinka kept them out using her shotgun. Kishi and Naruko were pressing Hiraki for Mission #3.
“Look, someone from other factions need to challenge us to a game first,” He said, shrugging. “But the good news is, we’ve risen to 14th!”
“Really?!” Rinka jumped up and down in excitement, punching fists in the air.
“I believe that you’re celebrating too early, desu,” A cold, hard voice came from behind. It was even colder than Naruko’s.
The four of them turned their heads to the direction of the voice, only to find a petite, little girl at their same age with green cat-like ears and a bushy tail.
“CUTEEE!!!!!!” Hiraki shrieked, getting more and more excited with every second. He knelled down in front of her and asked gentlemanly, “May I ask for your hand, young--”
“Go die!!” Kishi kicked him with full strength and flung him out of the corridor windows, while Rinka was frozen like a statue. Naruko was indifferent; she was scrolling the list of factions on her smartphone.
“You must be Midorikawa Akuro.”
[Midorikawa Akuro - the girl who is next-in-line to be the leader of the Warbeast faction. She is petite and cute. Also, her cat ears and tails are only visible to insiders. Born on May 27, her sign is Gemini. Faction: Warbeast]
“Yes, and I’ve come to tell you all worthless students from Imanity that Warbeast is declaring war on you,” Akuro’s heartless words broke the hearts of Rinka, Hiraki, Kishi and Naruko.
/Choose./
/Option 1: Lift her skirt up./
/Option 2: Tell her, “Would you like to bang me tonight?”/
WHY THESE?! So absurd!! Looks like I’ll have to bet that Midorikawa knows nothing about those dirty terms. Here I go--
“Hey, Midorikawa,” Hiraki gestured to her, “Would you like to bang me tonight?”
A silence befell the whole scene was the tension rose till it was so thick, you could cut it with a sword.
“ARGH!” He shrieked in terror before being backflipped by Akuro, landing flat onto the ground with a pale face.
“Damn, her personality...” Rinka muttered in annoyance to Akuro. But she’s strong, despite her size.
“Please say more of those torturing words~” Hiraki was totally in his own world, until a violent vibration from his phone shook him awake.
---
From: God of Kaisou High
Message:
Midorikawa is next-in-line to be the leader of the Warbeast faction. However, all game challenges are directed to her. Here comes Mission #3 --
Defeat Midorikawa in the game that the Warbeasts challenge you to. Shortly after Mission #3, Mission #4 will come, so don’t relax yet.
Good luck!
---
“I see,” Kishi said, after inspecting the mail. “So now we’re being challenged. Furthermore, it’s from the Warbeast.” She smirked.
“But Kishi-nee. The problem is.. Look...” Naruko gestured for them to her smartphone’s screen. On it, it said that the Warbeasts have a “sixth sense” and they are telepathic.
“Moreover, memories of the game are always erased,” Hiraki added a clue. “So no one, except for the Warbeast authorities, knows the contents of the games. It’s dangerous if we don’t know the game..”
“But it’s not if we deduce the game, right?” Rinka said, giving a cool pose. “If they can’t reveal anything... Is it like some high-tech stuff like in the sci-fi movies?”
Just then, Kishi headed towards the library. “What are you all waiting for? Let’s head to our library!”
The others nodded in agreement, then tagged along with her.
Not long after, Hiraki’s phone rang shrilly. “You guys go on first, I’ll catch up with you.”
He tapped the screen to receive the phone call. On the other side came a dominating-like female voice, “Ekiguchi Hiraki-kun, I assume?”
“Yes. Who are you?” He replied tactfully, for this is a voice that seemed quite suspicious.
“This is the Student Council President, Akari Sen. I’d like you to come to the Student Council Room now.”
“Yes, sure.”
Beep... Beep.. Hiraki closed his phone, then proceeded to his destination. Akari Sen, huh... Come to think of it, she’s quite mysterious.
[Akari Sen -- she’s the Student Council President of Kaisou High. The only second-year which has risen to become a member of the Student Council. No one knows much about her; however she always gets 1st in everything, thus everyone speculates that she’s in the 1st ranked faction. Still, there are many doubts. Born on Apr 19, her sign is Aries. Faction: Unknown]
Hiraki knocked on the door leading to the Student Council Room before going in, only to find a short girl(not as short as Akuro) sitting half cross-legged on her table. She had long, dark red hair that was almost as long as Rinka’s. Also, her hair was tied in twintails adorned with yellow ribbons, but each twintail was in a different length. He arched his eyebrows at the sight of the appearance.
“Must be surprised, huh?” Sen said with a seemingly evil grin, caressing her hair. “Don’t mind it. Anyway, here’s a ‘trophy’ for Imanity.” She held a transparent crystal chess piece in her hands -- the King.
It glimmered and shimmered in the light that shone through it -- yes, hauntingly beautiful. Hiraki got hold of it gingerly.
“Uhmm, may I ask what is this, Akari-san?” He asked, still staring at the chess piece.
“This,” She explained, “is your-- no, Imanity’s chess piece. Seeing that Imanity has done great work to rise up in the ranks, you’re awarded this. Also, Imanity is the only race which hasn’t earned it.”
Wow, what cruel comments, he thought to himself.
“But,” With a greater note of warning, she cautioned, “Should it fall into other faction leaders’ hands due to your loss in games, all of Imanity students’ existence will be erased completely from the face of Earth. Including you.” She pointed to Hiraki.
“Y-Yes, we’ll take great care of it,” Hiraki assured, then inquired, “But why did you ask to see me? Isn’t Rinka the leader, and not me?”
“Confidential. You’re dismissed now.”
“Oh, okay...”
Hiraki carried the chess piece in his hands, walking out of the room and closing the door. He stared at it intently.
I mustn’t lose this. But it’s so big, how am I supposed to keep it?
As if the chess piece was telepathic, it immediately transformed itself to become a small, petite keychain that could be latched onto his schoolbag!
“Wow! Now it looks like a ordinary keychain; no one can find out,” He smiled gleefully to himself. I must catch up with Rinka and the others now!
Meanwhile...
“Now... Let’s see some good show,” the ‘God’ cackled.
~END OF CHAPTER 6~
School Life Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5 - Dating and Chess is a Battlefield
“10 am at the train station, ‘kay?”
”Yeah.”
Beep, beep... Hiraki ended the call with Rie. Placing his phone gingerly on the table, he went out to the balcony for some morning stretches.
He glanced at the clock. 9 am.
With great delight, he bolted to his bed, removed the blanket and before he could even jump onto his bed for extra sleep--
“GOOD MORNING!!” His eccentric neighbour yelled out with a gleeful smile, waving excitedly to Hiraki. And, she was lying down on his bed!
“RINKA!! WHAT THE HECK DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING!!” Hiraki shrieked, but it was too late -- he was already in the air, about to crash into his bed!
Instantly, Rinka rolled over and landed on the ground safely just one millisecond after Hiraki landed face-first. But... Something bad still happened anyway.
As soon as he fell onto the bed with a thud, he felt something big and hard sting his body. “Ouch!! What’s that thing?!” With his good right hand, he shoved it out and placed it right in front of him.
“100 ways to make a date last longer,” Hiraki read out, his eyes following every word of the title. “Is this even...”
“Yeah! I picked it up from the library,” Rinka stood up and confirmed, winking. “It should work!”
“Let’s see. The first one... Take her to a hotel room and-- wait, what?! The first one’s already so dirty! What is the author thinking?!”
“Well, we are 17! So let’s enjoy our youths--”
“You’re thinking of the wrong thing!! Anyway, how did you even get to my bedroom?”
Rinka turned her gaze to the windows. Hiraki got the hint and turned his gaze, too. And there, at the glass windows...
The glass was replaced by plastic sheets!
“MY GLASS WINDOW!! NOO!!”
“We can only say ‘Rest in Pieces’!” She giggled, trying to comfort him, but it was futile anyway.
~Later at the train station, 10 am~
Hiraki was absolutely annoyed -- and fatigue -- at the earlier events. Slugging his shoes, he tried not to look so deprived of energy, but Rie found out anyway.
“Ekiguchi-kun, did anything happen?” Rie tilted her head and asked out of concern.
“No, nothing at all,” Hiraki pushed the topic away, then stared intently at her clothes. Whitish-pink blouse with ribbon, black checkered skirt... “You look cute today.”
“Well, thank you. Let’s review how the game is going now.”
“Y-Yeah, sure!”
~At the same time~
“Kishi-chan! Naruko-chan!” Rinka exclaimed, waving at Kuuhaku and sprinting towards them. “This is the place, right?” She looked all around. There were passers-by, retail outlets, trees...
“They want a bug-free game,” Naruko explained, gesturing to Rinka. “The passers-by are witnesses.”
Rinka nodded intently. Just then, something light and ticklish landed softly on her right shoulder. Hmm? She grabbed it, only to find that it was a--
“Thanks for waiting,” A familiar voice called out to the three girls. They turned to the direction of the voice -- Murasakii Kiyomi!
Yes, Rinka found a white feather just before Kiyomi called out to them. And it belonged to one of her wings. She was accompanied by two more members from Flugel. Then, using magic, she made a long table enough for three chess boards(and chairs, too, of course).
Members from Imanity sat on one side while members from Flugel sat on the other side, and some passers-by seemed to take notice of it.
Kishi began, “Kiyomi. We, the Imanity, hereby challenges you to a game of 3v3 chess. It will be individual games; as long as at least any two from a single team wins, that team will win. And the games will proceed at the same time. Of course, it be sky-high difficulty, right?” She grinned.
“Yes, I’ve picked two of our best chess players from Flugel,” Kiyomi agreed. “If we win, we get to take one-third of your population, and if we lose..”
“We get the library,” Naruko finished the sentence.
“W-Wait! Is it even possible to bet on our population? I thought from the very start you join a faction, you won’t be able to leave until you graduate?” Rinka was clearly confused by the bets they made.
“No idea,” Kishi whispered to her. “We’re going to take a gamble that we can bet anything.”
Eh.... Rinka felt kind of irritated by her answer. Still, that was no excuse for Rinka to do the game sloppily.
~At Rie and Hiraki’s side~
“Oh god, Ekiguchi-kun,” Rie said worriedly while strolling with Hiraki. “If they lose the game, Imanity will lose one-third of its population.”
“What?!” Hiraki almost choked on the news. “Are they insane? How can they bet this!” Facepalming, he tried to calm himself down. I’m sure Kuuhaku can win this, and Rinka too.
~Back to the game~
--GAME START!!--
Naruko vs Kiyomi
Kishi vs Member from Flugel #1
Rinka vs Member from Flugel #2
Naruko moves the pawn two squares forward. Kiyomi did the same, too. And everyone was starting out smoothly. Rinka was doing her best to keep up with the flow, too. Kishi was doing as well was Naruko.
~After some time~
Kiyomi froze. This wasn’t what she expected! I’m sure this is the hardest puzzle on Earth... How does Kurojiro-san know how to...
“Right, I forgot to tell you,” Kishi interrupted with a smirk. “Naruko is really scary when she gets fixated onto chess.”
Only then was Kiyomi fully alerted that Naruko was a formidable opponent. Taking all precaution measures, she continued the game tactfully.
~Meanwhile at the date~
“Kurojiro-chan is doing superbly well,” Rie reported with a relief as they sat down on a bench to rest. “Aozora-chan, too, but I don’t know about Kiriko-chan.”
“Let’s hope at least Kuuhaku will win,” Hiraki said, but then remembered what Naruko had said to him--
“Kuuhaku never loses.”
He smiled. Right, there’s absolutely no way Imanity will lose!
“Oh, so you’re saying you can’t trust Kiriko-chan on winning?”
“W-Wha--?! Of course not! It’s just that.. I’m worried about her...” Hiraki blushed slightly, trying to fix the misunderstanding.
“I see...”
Glancing around at the shops they could look into, Hiraki spotted a video game and anime shop -- his favourite! But only video games. As delightful as a dog with two tails, he tugged Rie along into the shop.
“Long time no see... Video games...” Hiraki sighed contentedly at the “heaven”. He ran his fingers along the surfaces of the cases, trying to find a game that would interest him. And of course, he couldn’t help but be reminded of Kuuhaku.
“I never knew you liked these,” Rie commented, looking at all the epic-looking posters.
“Well, now you do,” He said as he tiptoed to reach the game he wanted at the very top shelf. Then, clutching the case, he suggested, “Wanna play?”
Rie’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Yes!”
~At the game~
Rinka couldn’t believe her luck. There were many times she was almost checkmate, but managed to evade them all.
Just then, she heard Naruko say calmly, “Checkmate.” Naruko had defeated Kiyomi!
“Checkmate, too,” Kishi said with a note of victory in her voice, then highfived Naruko loudly with infinite delight! “Imanity has won, hasn’t it?”
Rinka got up from her seat without finishing the game as the winner has already been decided. And, the three of them highfived together.
“So... Am I part of Kuuhaku now?” Rinka asked jokingly.
“Nope! It’s only me and Naruko!” Kishi gave a mean reply.
Kiyomi shrugged nonchalantly. “You guys are really strong. Please don’t tell me you didn’t use any magic--”
“We didnt,” Naruko said. “It’s purely on wits.”
“... Who are you, then?”
“Kuuhaku. Never forget that.”
“So, as promised, hand over the library to us,” Rinka gestured to Kiyomi. “And we get to keep one-third of our population, right?”
Kiyomi smiled contentedly. “Yes, we Flugel have millions of book in our secret compartment, so I don’t think losing a library will cost us any much. The most important thing is, we must enjoy the games.”
Enjoy? Rinka stood frozen to the ground. Well.. I guess she’s correct.
“Right, here’s a gift,” Kishi fished out an iPad, then handed it to Kiyomi. “It contains thousands of books!”
In a split second, Kiyomi’s jaws were wide open and she drooled until the saliva almost reached the ground! “T-T-Thank you!!! I love these!!”
Rinka, Kishi and Naruko broke into a contented smile. At long last, they could move on to their next mission!
~Meanwhile at Rie’s side~
“Woah, you’re good at using the special attacks,” Hiraki complimented, his fingers punching the buttons on the game controller tactfully.
“More importantly,” Rie reminded. “Imanity won. Shouldn’t there be a new text message?”
At the precise moment, Hiraki’s phone vibrated incessantly. Speak of the devil!
---
From: God of Kaisou High
Message:
You have completed Mission #2. Well done! Imanity has risen to being the 14th. It seems that anger is coming from another faction, and another game shall stand in your way.
Mission #3 will be known as soon as you’re challenged.
Till then, I bid goodbye.
---
“Seems like... There is another faction who is angry with us and will challenge us,” Hiraki rounded up the contents of the mail.
~Meanwhile~
Kishi asked earnestly, “Kiyomi, please help us in our next game. We need your flight ability!”
Rinka was shocked by the question. She was doubtful that a Flugel would help them--
“Sure,” Kiyomi agreed. “I’ll be glad to help you.”
“Seriously?!!” Rinka couldn’t believe her ears. Did she hear wrongly?
The 10 Pledges -- 30% out of 100% restored.
Pledge 4 -- As long as it doesn't violate pledge three, anything may be bet, and any game may be played.
Pledge 5 -- The challenged party has the right to decide the rules of the game.
Pledge 8 -- Being caught cheating in a game is grounds for an instant loss.
~END OF CHAPTER 5~
“10 am at the train station, ‘kay?”
”Yeah.”
Beep, beep... Hiraki ended the call with Rie. Placing his phone gingerly on the table, he went out to the balcony for some morning stretches.
He glanced at the clock. 9 am.
With great delight, he bolted to his bed, removed the blanket and before he could even jump onto his bed for extra sleep--
“GOOD MORNING!!” His eccentric neighbour yelled out with a gleeful smile, waving excitedly to Hiraki. And, she was lying down on his bed!
“RINKA!! WHAT THE HECK DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING!!” Hiraki shrieked, but it was too late -- he was already in the air, about to crash into his bed!
Instantly, Rinka rolled over and landed on the ground safely just one millisecond after Hiraki landed face-first. But... Something bad still happened anyway.
As soon as he fell onto the bed with a thud, he felt something big and hard sting his body. “Ouch!! What’s that thing?!” With his good right hand, he shoved it out and placed it right in front of him.
“100 ways to make a date last longer,” Hiraki read out, his eyes following every word of the title. “Is this even...”
“Yeah! I picked it up from the library,” Rinka stood up and confirmed, winking. “It should work!”
“Let’s see. The first one... Take her to a hotel room and-- wait, what?! The first one’s already so dirty! What is the author thinking?!”
“Well, we are 17! So let’s enjoy our youths--”
“You’re thinking of the wrong thing!! Anyway, how did you even get to my bedroom?”
Rinka turned her gaze to the windows. Hiraki got the hint and turned his gaze, too. And there, at the glass windows...
The glass was replaced by plastic sheets!
“MY GLASS WINDOW!! NOO!!”
“We can only say ‘Rest in Pieces’!” She giggled, trying to comfort him, but it was futile anyway.
~Later at the train station, 10 am~
Hiraki was absolutely annoyed -- and fatigue -- at the earlier events. Slugging his shoes, he tried not to look so deprived of energy, but Rie found out anyway.
“Ekiguchi-kun, did anything happen?” Rie tilted her head and asked out of concern.
“No, nothing at all,” Hiraki pushed the topic away, then stared intently at her clothes. Whitish-pink blouse with ribbon, black checkered skirt... “You look cute today.”
“Well, thank you. Let’s review how the game is going now.”
“Y-Yeah, sure!”
~At the same time~
“Kishi-chan! Naruko-chan!” Rinka exclaimed, waving at Kuuhaku and sprinting towards them. “This is the place, right?” She looked all around. There were passers-by, retail outlets, trees...
“They want a bug-free game,” Naruko explained, gesturing to Rinka. “The passers-by are witnesses.”
Rinka nodded intently. Just then, something light and ticklish landed softly on her right shoulder. Hmm? She grabbed it, only to find that it was a--
“Thanks for waiting,” A familiar voice called out to the three girls. They turned to the direction of the voice -- Murasakii Kiyomi!
Yes, Rinka found a white feather just before Kiyomi called out to them. And it belonged to one of her wings. She was accompanied by two more members from Flugel. Then, using magic, she made a long table enough for three chess boards(and chairs, too, of course).
Members from Imanity sat on one side while members from Flugel sat on the other side, and some passers-by seemed to take notice of it.
Kishi began, “Kiyomi. We, the Imanity, hereby challenges you to a game of 3v3 chess. It will be individual games; as long as at least any two from a single team wins, that team will win. And the games will proceed at the same time. Of course, it be sky-high difficulty, right?” She grinned.
“Yes, I’ve picked two of our best chess players from Flugel,” Kiyomi agreed. “If we win, we get to take one-third of your population, and if we lose..”
“We get the library,” Naruko finished the sentence.
“W-Wait! Is it even possible to bet on our population? I thought from the very start you join a faction, you won’t be able to leave until you graduate?” Rinka was clearly confused by the bets they made.
“No idea,” Kishi whispered to her. “We’re going to take a gamble that we can bet anything.”
Eh.... Rinka felt kind of irritated by her answer. Still, that was no excuse for Rinka to do the game sloppily.
~At Rie and Hiraki’s side~
“Oh god, Ekiguchi-kun,” Rie said worriedly while strolling with Hiraki. “If they lose the game, Imanity will lose one-third of its population.”
“What?!” Hiraki almost choked on the news. “Are they insane? How can they bet this!” Facepalming, he tried to calm himself down. I’m sure Kuuhaku can win this, and Rinka too.
~Back to the game~
--GAME START!!--
Naruko vs Kiyomi
Kishi vs Member from Flugel #1
Rinka vs Member from Flugel #2
Naruko moves the pawn two squares forward. Kiyomi did the same, too. And everyone was starting out smoothly. Rinka was doing her best to keep up with the flow, too. Kishi was doing as well was Naruko.
~After some time~
Kiyomi froze. This wasn’t what she expected! I’m sure this is the hardest puzzle on Earth... How does Kurojiro-san know how to...
“Right, I forgot to tell you,” Kishi interrupted with a smirk. “Naruko is really scary when she gets fixated onto chess.”
Only then was Kiyomi fully alerted that Naruko was a formidable opponent. Taking all precaution measures, she continued the game tactfully.
~Meanwhile at the date~
“Kurojiro-chan is doing superbly well,” Rie reported with a relief as they sat down on a bench to rest. “Aozora-chan, too, but I don’t know about Kiriko-chan.”
“Let’s hope at least Kuuhaku will win,” Hiraki said, but then remembered what Naruko had said to him--
“Kuuhaku never loses.”
He smiled. Right, there’s absolutely no way Imanity will lose!
“Oh, so you’re saying you can’t trust Kiriko-chan on winning?”
“W-Wha--?! Of course not! It’s just that.. I’m worried about her...” Hiraki blushed slightly, trying to fix the misunderstanding.
“I see...”
Glancing around at the shops they could look into, Hiraki spotted a video game and anime shop -- his favourite! But only video games. As delightful as a dog with two tails, he tugged Rie along into the shop.
“Long time no see... Video games...” Hiraki sighed contentedly at the “heaven”. He ran his fingers along the surfaces of the cases, trying to find a game that would interest him. And of course, he couldn’t help but be reminded of Kuuhaku.
“I never knew you liked these,” Rie commented, looking at all the epic-looking posters.
“Well, now you do,” He said as he tiptoed to reach the game he wanted at the very top shelf. Then, clutching the case, he suggested, “Wanna play?”
Rie’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Yes!”
~At the game~
Rinka couldn’t believe her luck. There were many times she was almost checkmate, but managed to evade them all.
Just then, she heard Naruko say calmly, “Checkmate.” Naruko had defeated Kiyomi!
“Checkmate, too,” Kishi said with a note of victory in her voice, then highfived Naruko loudly with infinite delight! “Imanity has won, hasn’t it?”
Rinka got up from her seat without finishing the game as the winner has already been decided. And, the three of them highfived together.
“So... Am I part of Kuuhaku now?” Rinka asked jokingly.
“Nope! It’s only me and Naruko!” Kishi gave a mean reply.
Kiyomi shrugged nonchalantly. “You guys are really strong. Please don’t tell me you didn’t use any magic--”
“We didnt,” Naruko said. “It’s purely on wits.”
“... Who are you, then?”
“Kuuhaku. Never forget that.”
“So, as promised, hand over the library to us,” Rinka gestured to Kiyomi. “And we get to keep one-third of our population, right?”
Kiyomi smiled contentedly. “Yes, we Flugel have millions of book in our secret compartment, so I don’t think losing a library will cost us any much. The most important thing is, we must enjoy the games.”
Enjoy? Rinka stood frozen to the ground. Well.. I guess she’s correct.
“Right, here’s a gift,” Kishi fished out an iPad, then handed it to Kiyomi. “It contains thousands of books!”
In a split second, Kiyomi’s jaws were wide open and she drooled until the saliva almost reached the ground! “T-T-Thank you!!! I love these!!”
Rinka, Kishi and Naruko broke into a contented smile. At long last, they could move on to their next mission!
~Meanwhile at Rie’s side~
“Woah, you’re good at using the special attacks,” Hiraki complimented, his fingers punching the buttons on the game controller tactfully.
“More importantly,” Rie reminded. “Imanity won. Shouldn’t there be a new text message?”
At the precise moment, Hiraki’s phone vibrated incessantly. Speak of the devil!
---
From: God of Kaisou High
Message:
You have completed Mission #2. Well done! Imanity has risen to being the 14th. It seems that anger is coming from another faction, and another game shall stand in your way.
Mission #3 will be known as soon as you’re challenged.
Till then, I bid goodbye.
---
“Seems like... There is another faction who is angry with us and will challenge us,” Hiraki rounded up the contents of the mail.
~Meanwhile~
Kishi asked earnestly, “Kiyomi, please help us in our next game. We need your flight ability!”
Rinka was shocked by the question. She was doubtful that a Flugel would help them--
“Sure,” Kiyomi agreed. “I’ll be glad to help you.”
“Seriously?!!” Rinka couldn’t believe her ears. Did she hear wrongly?
The 10 Pledges -- 30% out of 100% restored.
Pledge 4 -- As long as it doesn't violate pledge three, anything may be bet, and any game may be played.
Pledge 5 -- The challenged party has the right to decide the rules of the game.
Pledge 8 -- Being caught cheating in a game is grounds for an instant loss.
~END OF CHAPTER 5~
School Life Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4 - Resolving Your Feelings is a Battlefield
~Lunchtime~
Rinka was still pouting, feeling jealous just because Hiraki is going on a date with Rie. Earlier on, he had explained the “Missions” and the unknown “10 Pledges” to her, Kishi, Naruko and Rie.
“Wait, Aozora, how’d you know about the game even before I told you about it?” Hiraki inquired, munching on his takoyaki.
“Credits to Naruko!” Kishi answered, giving a v-sign. “She’s a genius on deductions and stuff, ya know.”
“You see, I saw you earlier holding your phone with an annoyed and shocked expression, and then you told us to help you keep the teacher away. It must be something important. Then, when the teacher was walking towards you, you didn’t throw the phone out of the window; it’s so OOC. It must’ve been something really, really important. And the only thing I could think of that there was a game underway in your phone,” Naruko explained every tiny detail.
Hiraki was quite baffled at her. Then, coming back to the main topic, he asked, “This coming weekend, I have to go on a date with Momoko-san. Momoko-san and I will try to extend the date as long as possible for you three to win the game.”
“I’ll use my magic to see the game progress while on my date,” Rie suggested, and everyone agreed on that.
“As for the games--”
”That’ll be taken care of by us,” Kishi decided with a thumbs up. “Don’t worry.”
“Kuuhaku never loses,” Naruko added.
Muttering under her breath, Rinka said, “I’ll finish the game as soon as possible to make the date short--”
Suddenly, she felt a force strike the back of her head-- It was Kishi!
“Ouch...”
“Oi, Rinka, don’t let your heart rule your head! Focus on the game with FULL attention! Or are you saying you can finish the game in a haste and win it?”
Rinka was upset. She didn’t mean that; she just meant...
“Hey, stop it..!” Hiraki tried to mediate the situation.
“Rinka-san, are you actually jealous..?” Naruko asked out of concern, and this made Rie alerted.
“Kishi-chan, Naruko-chan... Can you teach me how to play the upcoming game? Let’s go to another quieter place,” Rinka ignored her words, then tugged Kishi and Naruko together with her. Then, Rie and Hiraki were left alone.
“... Ekiguchi-kun, I think you need to have a talk with Kiriko-chan,” Rie suggested.
“Yeah, I don’t understand how she was acting like that.”
Meanwhile, Rinka, Kishi and Naruko were in the back alley of the school.
“So, what’s the game?” Rinka asked, grinning.
“... Chess,” Kishi answered without much thought. “We’re pros at it, especially Naruko. Right?” She locked her arms around Naruko.
“Yep. And if we’re playing chess, I’m pretty sure ‘God’ knows it. So, our most likely opponent is Murasakii Kiyomi, the number one chess player in Kaisou High,” Naruko deduced. “She’s also from the Flugel faction.”
[Murasakii Kiyomi -- the genius in chess, however it is not known if Kuuhaku is stronger than her, since they haven’t fought in a game yet. Born on Dec 8, her sign is Sagittarius. Faction: Flugel]
“Oh no, I’m bad at it...” Rinka cried her drama-queen tears, trying to hint something.
“Okay okay, we’ll teach you,” Kishi agreed. “But will there be enough time? It’s only about five days.”
“I’ll learn fast!!”
“Well then, you must learn the basics first. There are 16 chess pieces...”
~Later that evening~
Hiraki knocked on the door to Rinka’s house. (They’re neighbours, remember?)
“Come in!” Her usual cheery voice called out.
Opening the door, he stepped inside. Everything was normal -- neatly arranged magazines, comfy sofas and simple yet intricate-designed windows. Nothing unexpected from a high school girl who lives alone.
“Hmm, chess?” He asked, clearly dumbfounded at the sight of the messy chess pieces scattered all over the coffee table along with a chess board.
“That’s what we decided to play for the game.”
...
There was this awkward silence again, with the both of them not knowing how to continue the topic.
With a deep breath, Rinka asked, “Hey.. Hira-kun.. Can you not go on a date with Rie-chan this weekend?”
“Well.. I...” Hiraki stammered. “I...can’t. We have to complete the missions in order to remove the hierarchy, remember? So...please... understand for the sake of our victory.”
“Knew it,” Rinka thrusted herself backwards towards the sofa, hugging tightly a pillow.
“I’m sorry--”
“If that’s needed to remove the hierarchy, I’d gladly accept so! Because, I can’t let my feelings affect our victory, right?” Rinka smiled her fullest. “I’m okay now!”
His face lit up, flashing a broad grin. “Thanks, Rinka! I’ll treat you to a chocolate buffet! Now, let me help you in learning chess. I’m quite good at it!”
“Yay!!”
~The next day~
Hiraki’s phone buzzed. Thinking that it was from ‘God’, he quickly fished it out, but what shocked him was--
---
From: Aozora
Message:
Imanity has risen from being 16th to being 15th!
---
He jumped and punched fists in the air. For the first time ever in three years, Imanity has risen a rank!
Meanwhile, Rinka, Kishi and Kurojiro were on their “recon” mission. They went to the library to find out more about the Flugel, only to see Murasakii Kiyomi at the library counter.
“Hello, students from Imanity,” Kiyomi greeted with a bow. She had long and silky purple hair, and a pair of angel-like wings protruded out from behind. “This library is owned by the Flugel faction; if you’d like to borrow some books, you’ll need to be in the faction.”
“Eh.. I see...” Kishi said. “Then I’ll be direct. We want this library.”
“Of course, if you win the chess battle this weekend. Oh, and, did you know? Imanity once lost to us, and we took the whole library!”
Kishi and Naruko turned to Rinka, with Kishi glaring angrily.
“I-I’m very sorry!” Rinka cried out, praying for her dear life.
“But, Kiyomi-san, if you already know about the chess game, then you must be our opponent,” Naruko’s deductions were correct.
“Yes.”
“Well then, let’s go,” Kishi turned towards the exit, and together with Rinka and Naruko following her. “Let’s have fun in the chess battle.”
Kiyomi grinned from ear to ear. “Yes, of course. I can’t wait to face you!”
Then, they exited the library.
“Rinka... I am so going to kill you...!” Kishi had an aura of evil surrounding her with imaginary hell flames appearing behind her. “WHY THE HECK DID YOU LOSE A HUGE LIBRARY TO THE FLUGEL?!!”
With Naruko holding Kishi back, Rinka hung her head low and apologised desperately, “I’m sorry!! It was my senpai, Nijika Chiyo, that had organised the game! I wasn’t in charge of Imanity at that time!!”
[Nijika Chiyo -- the former leader of Imanity that graduated. She’s the senpai of Rinka and Hiraki, and the three of them were also best friends. Ex-Faction: Imanity]
“For now, please calm down, Kishi-nee,” Naruko pleaded with her cuteness, and Kishi finally piped down. “We have no choice but to ask the students about information regarding the Flugel.”
“Uhh.. May I ask something? Naruko-chan, why are you calling Kishi ‘Kishi-nee’ when you two are apparently the same age?”
“Does it bother us when we play games?”
“No, but--”
“Then don’t ask.”
~During break time of afternoon classes~
Hiraki’s phone vibrated. So many texts today?
---
From: Rinka
Message:
We found some facts about Flugel! It’s the faction we’re facing against. It seems that they love collecting books to increase their knowledge of the world, and most of the members in Flugel gets at least top 10 in class. They also have angel-like wings, and they’re only visible to the students of Kaisou High. Magic is usable for them, too.
But Kishi-chan is angry with me for the fact that Imanity lost a huge library to Flugel... (TT_TT)
---
That’s of course, Hiraki thought, facepalming. I’m not sure why Chiyo-senpai did that game, anyway.
It was three more days to their date -- and the game, too.
~END OF CHAPTER 4~
~Lunchtime~
Rinka was still pouting, feeling jealous just because Hiraki is going on a date with Rie. Earlier on, he had explained the “Missions” and the unknown “10 Pledges” to her, Kishi, Naruko and Rie.
“Wait, Aozora, how’d you know about the game even before I told you about it?” Hiraki inquired, munching on his takoyaki.
“Credits to Naruko!” Kishi answered, giving a v-sign. “She’s a genius on deductions and stuff, ya know.”
“You see, I saw you earlier holding your phone with an annoyed and shocked expression, and then you told us to help you keep the teacher away. It must be something important. Then, when the teacher was walking towards you, you didn’t throw the phone out of the window; it’s so OOC. It must’ve been something really, really important. And the only thing I could think of that there was a game underway in your phone,” Naruko explained every tiny detail.
Hiraki was quite baffled at her. Then, coming back to the main topic, he asked, “This coming weekend, I have to go on a date with Momoko-san. Momoko-san and I will try to extend the date as long as possible for you three to win the game.”
“I’ll use my magic to see the game progress while on my date,” Rie suggested, and everyone agreed on that.
“As for the games--”
”That’ll be taken care of by us,” Kishi decided with a thumbs up. “Don’t worry.”
“Kuuhaku never loses,” Naruko added.
Muttering under her breath, Rinka said, “I’ll finish the game as soon as possible to make the date short--”
Suddenly, she felt a force strike the back of her head-- It was Kishi!
“Ouch...”
“Oi, Rinka, don’t let your heart rule your head! Focus on the game with FULL attention! Or are you saying you can finish the game in a haste and win it?”
Rinka was upset. She didn’t mean that; she just meant...
“Hey, stop it..!” Hiraki tried to mediate the situation.
“Rinka-san, are you actually jealous..?” Naruko asked out of concern, and this made Rie alerted.
“Kishi-chan, Naruko-chan... Can you teach me how to play the upcoming game? Let’s go to another quieter place,” Rinka ignored her words, then tugged Kishi and Naruko together with her. Then, Rie and Hiraki were left alone.
“... Ekiguchi-kun, I think you need to have a talk with Kiriko-chan,” Rie suggested.
“Yeah, I don’t understand how she was acting like that.”
Meanwhile, Rinka, Kishi and Naruko were in the back alley of the school.
“So, what’s the game?” Rinka asked, grinning.
“... Chess,” Kishi answered without much thought. “We’re pros at it, especially Naruko. Right?” She locked her arms around Naruko.
“Yep. And if we’re playing chess, I’m pretty sure ‘God’ knows it. So, our most likely opponent is Murasakii Kiyomi, the number one chess player in Kaisou High,” Naruko deduced. “She’s also from the Flugel faction.”
[Murasakii Kiyomi -- the genius in chess, however it is not known if Kuuhaku is stronger than her, since they haven’t fought in a game yet. Born on Dec 8, her sign is Sagittarius. Faction: Flugel]
“Oh no, I’m bad at it...” Rinka cried her drama-queen tears, trying to hint something.
“Okay okay, we’ll teach you,” Kishi agreed. “But will there be enough time? It’s only about five days.”
“I’ll learn fast!!”
“Well then, you must learn the basics first. There are 16 chess pieces...”
~Later that evening~
Hiraki knocked on the door to Rinka’s house. (They’re neighbours, remember?)
“Come in!” Her usual cheery voice called out.
Opening the door, he stepped inside. Everything was normal -- neatly arranged magazines, comfy sofas and simple yet intricate-designed windows. Nothing unexpected from a high school girl who lives alone.
“Hmm, chess?” He asked, clearly dumbfounded at the sight of the messy chess pieces scattered all over the coffee table along with a chess board.
“That’s what we decided to play for the game.”
...
There was this awkward silence again, with the both of them not knowing how to continue the topic.
With a deep breath, Rinka asked, “Hey.. Hira-kun.. Can you not go on a date with Rie-chan this weekend?”
“Well.. I...” Hiraki stammered. “I...can’t. We have to complete the missions in order to remove the hierarchy, remember? So...please... understand for the sake of our victory.”
“Knew it,” Rinka thrusted herself backwards towards the sofa, hugging tightly a pillow.
“I’m sorry--”
“If that’s needed to remove the hierarchy, I’d gladly accept so! Because, I can’t let my feelings affect our victory, right?” Rinka smiled her fullest. “I’m okay now!”
His face lit up, flashing a broad grin. “Thanks, Rinka! I’ll treat you to a chocolate buffet! Now, let me help you in learning chess. I’m quite good at it!”
“Yay!!”
~The next day~
Hiraki’s phone buzzed. Thinking that it was from ‘God’, he quickly fished it out, but what shocked him was--
---
From: Aozora
Message:
Imanity has risen from being 16th to being 15th!
---
He jumped and punched fists in the air. For the first time ever in three years, Imanity has risen a rank!
Meanwhile, Rinka, Kishi and Kurojiro were on their “recon” mission. They went to the library to find out more about the Flugel, only to see Murasakii Kiyomi at the library counter.
“Hello, students from Imanity,” Kiyomi greeted with a bow. She had long and silky purple hair, and a pair of angel-like wings protruded out from behind. “This library is owned by the Flugel faction; if you’d like to borrow some books, you’ll need to be in the faction.”
“Eh.. I see...” Kishi said. “Then I’ll be direct. We want this library.”
“Of course, if you win the chess battle this weekend. Oh, and, did you know? Imanity once lost to us, and we took the whole library!”
Kishi and Naruko turned to Rinka, with Kishi glaring angrily.
“I-I’m very sorry!” Rinka cried out, praying for her dear life.
“But, Kiyomi-san, if you already know about the chess game, then you must be our opponent,” Naruko’s deductions were correct.
“Yes.”
“Well then, let’s go,” Kishi turned towards the exit, and together with Rinka and Naruko following her. “Let’s have fun in the chess battle.”
Kiyomi grinned from ear to ear. “Yes, of course. I can’t wait to face you!”
Then, they exited the library.
“Rinka... I am so going to kill you...!” Kishi had an aura of evil surrounding her with imaginary hell flames appearing behind her. “WHY THE HECK DID YOU LOSE A HUGE LIBRARY TO THE FLUGEL?!!”
With Naruko holding Kishi back, Rinka hung her head low and apologised desperately, “I’m sorry!! It was my senpai, Nijika Chiyo, that had organised the game! I wasn’t in charge of Imanity at that time!!”
[Nijika Chiyo -- the former leader of Imanity that graduated. She’s the senpai of Rinka and Hiraki, and the three of them were also best friends. Ex-Faction: Imanity]
“For now, please calm down, Kishi-nee,” Naruko pleaded with her cuteness, and Kishi finally piped down. “We have no choice but to ask the students about information regarding the Flugel.”
“Uhh.. May I ask something? Naruko-chan, why are you calling Kishi ‘Kishi-nee’ when you two are apparently the same age?”
“Does it bother us when we play games?”
“No, but--”
“Then don’t ask.”
~During break time of afternoon classes~
Hiraki’s phone vibrated. So many texts today?
---
From: Rinka
Message:
We found some facts about Flugel! It’s the faction we’re facing against. It seems that they love collecting books to increase their knowledge of the world, and most of the members in Flugel gets at least top 10 in class. They also have angel-like wings, and they’re only visible to the students of Kaisou High. Magic is usable for them, too.
But Kishi-chan is angry with me for the fact that Imanity lost a huge library to Flugel... (TT_TT)
---
That’s of course, Hiraki thought, facepalming. I’m not sure why Chiyo-senpai did that game, anyway.
It was three more days to their date -- and the game, too.
~END OF CHAPTER 4~
School Life Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2 - Faction Recruiting is a Battlefield
/Choose./
“NOT AGAIN!!” Hiraki racked his brains and knelled down, unable to face his curse -- “Absolute Choice”.
[Absolute Choice -- the curse that Hiraki is facing. It appears when he meets girls that he is first meeting. When the curse acts up, two choices -- often absurd ones -- appears floating in his vision like a hologram.]
Rinka turned behind, only to see two girls -- one taller than the other -- standing at the entrance of the room. Her surprise turned into delight -- they must be students wanting to join Imanity!
“Let’s get straight to the point. I’m Aozora Kishi,” The taller girl with navy blue ponytail adorned with a big white ribbon introduced herself, then gestured to the other shorter girl, “She’s Kurojiro Naruko.”
Naruko had light blue hair adorned with black clips that clipped each of her side fringes. It was shoulder-length and was a lil’ messy.
“Nice to meat you,” Naruko made a pun as an imaginary sparkle appeared in her eye. She had a straight face.
“Oh yeah! Don’t mind Naruko; she loves puns.”
Everyone, except for Rinka, was absolutely dumbfounded. They were unexpected to see new members joining the faction!
/Choose./
/Option 1: Lift Aozora up princess-style in and carry her into the faction room./
/Option 2: Hug Kurojiro tightly./
You can’t expect me to choose these!! Hiraki cried internally, and suddenly a searing pain stung his head. “Argh!! Ow!!”
“Hira-kun, what’s wrong?” Rinka inquired, crouching down to see Hiraki.
“Sorry, but--” He lifted himself up, darted straight to Naruko and hugged her!
Gasping in astonishment, everyone was completely speechless for that moment. Well, except for Kishi. She was fuming mad! Swing her legs, she kicked Hiraki with full strength, and he was hurled back into the room! The impacted created cracks on the wall.
He was completely KOed. Rinka stood rooted to the ground, and Kishi was smirking with satisfaction. “Naruko, looks like someone needs to be killed here,” She said with a “sweet” smile.
Naruko stayed indifferent. Clearing her throat, Kishi said, “You must be Kiriko Rinka.”
Rinka nodded her head.
“We’re second-years that have just transferred to Kaisou High, and we’d like to join Imanity. In about ten minutes we’re having faction recruitment, right?”
“Mhm.”
“I’ll help you get in fifty new freshmen. Trust me!”
Upon hearing it, Rinka gasped. It was too good to be true! Seeing that this was the first time she met Kishi and Naruko, she decided not to trust them too much.
They walked into the faction room, and it was the same dark and gloomy atmosphere... Except for that damned Hiraki whose corpse is in a corner, of course. Fishing out the latest and popular video game, Kishi declared, “If you guys can get fifty new freshman to join Imanity, each and everyone of you will get a copy of this!” She held it up high for everyone to see and marvel.
“Is she reliable?”
“Is this true?”
“...”
Hushed whispers that seemed to suspect Kishi arose. Undaunted, she ushered Naruko to the front. “If that is not enough, then Naruko will do FANSERVICE FOR Y’ALL!! CUTENESS IS JUSTICE!!!”
Naruko blushed, and everyone(including girls) started to be attracted to her. “But if you don’t do a good job... Don’t expect something good...” She pouted. By then, the girls already decided to do a good job; they don’t want the fanservice(duh!). Meanwhile, the boys were thinking...of...perverted stuff. Of course, they were motivated too...
Rinka, with her mouth agape, was awed. “Kishi-chan, Naruko-chan, you’re awesome! Thanks for saving us!!”
Kishi and Naruko exchanged contented looks, then let out a smile. “That’s of course. Kuuhaku never loses.”
Eh? Kuuhaku? What’s that? Rinka tilted her head, clearly confused at the last line.
Hiraki rose from the dead. Kuuhaku.. I’m pretty sure that’s..
Rinka turned to him. “Hira-kun, do you know anything about it?”
Kuuhaku is a game account which has topped all the game rankings in the world... And it’s name means ‘Blank’. No one knows the real identity. If Aozora and Kurojiro are Kuuhaku...
“Hira-kun?”
Soon, Imanity members went out of the faction room to prepare for faction recruitment, and there left Rinka, Hiraki, Kishi and Naruko alone in the room.
“Surely you must’ve known,” Kishi gestured awkwardly to Hiraki. “You were a pro gamer and a NEET.”
Rinka gasped, this time in huge shock. Hurriedly turning to him, she inquired even more, “C’mon, Hira-kun!! What exactly is ‘Kuuhaku’?!”
There was no choice. Rinka was pressing him for the answers, and Hiraki could feel Kishi and Naruko’s gaze upon him. “Kuuhaku is a game account. It topped all the game rankings in the world, and everyone regarded it as the ‘god of games’. Even I couldn’t defeat it. No one knows the real identity of Kuuhaku, and now that Kishi and Naruko is appearing right in front of me...”
“Then.. If this is true.. Maybe..” Rinka stared at the two girls -- Kuuhaku. She stared hard and intently, and noticed that a strange aura surrounded them. They’re definitely ‘Kuuhaku’. “Kishi-chan, Naruko-chan...”
“May we endorse you two to assist us in defeating the ‘God’!”
Hiraki turned his head to Rinka. “You can’t be--”
“Ohh, I was wondering what you’d say,” Naruko said with a relaxed expression. “That was our plan all along. We’ll help you.”
Rinka cried tears of joy. At last, someone strong and powerful could join them in their journey to achieve their goal! Hiraki could heave a sigh of relief, but he felt danger lurking upon them...
Then, one hour later, faction recruiting ended. As expected, fifty new members joined, and everyone in Imanity got a copy of their rewards.
“Say, isn’t this copyright infringement?” Hiraki arched his eyebrows, grabbing the CD and eyeing it.
“Well, if they don’t find out, it’s okay!” Kishi winked.
Meanwhile...
The 10 Pledges -- 10% out of 100% restored.
Pledge 8 -- Being caught cheating in a game is grounds for an instant loss.
“As we wait for the 10 pledges to be restored... This is getting interesting,” The ‘God’ smirked, unable to contain her excitement.
~END OF CHAPTER 2~
/Choose./
“NOT AGAIN!!” Hiraki racked his brains and knelled down, unable to face his curse -- “Absolute Choice”.
[Absolute Choice -- the curse that Hiraki is facing. It appears when he meets girls that he is first meeting. When the curse acts up, two choices -- often absurd ones -- appears floating in his vision like a hologram.]
Rinka turned behind, only to see two girls -- one taller than the other -- standing at the entrance of the room. Her surprise turned into delight -- they must be students wanting to join Imanity!
“Let’s get straight to the point. I’m Aozora Kishi,” The taller girl with navy blue ponytail adorned with a big white ribbon introduced herself, then gestured to the other shorter girl, “She’s Kurojiro Naruko.”
Naruko had light blue hair adorned with black clips that clipped each of her side fringes. It was shoulder-length and was a lil’ messy.
“Nice to meat you,” Naruko made a pun as an imaginary sparkle appeared in her eye. She had a straight face.
“Oh yeah! Don’t mind Naruko; she loves puns.”
Everyone, except for Rinka, was absolutely dumbfounded. They were unexpected to see new members joining the faction!
/Choose./
/Option 1: Lift Aozora up princess-style in and carry her into the faction room./
/Option 2: Hug Kurojiro tightly./
You can’t expect me to choose these!! Hiraki cried internally, and suddenly a searing pain stung his head. “Argh!! Ow!!”
“Hira-kun, what’s wrong?” Rinka inquired, crouching down to see Hiraki.
“Sorry, but--” He lifted himself up, darted straight to Naruko and hugged her!
Gasping in astonishment, everyone was completely speechless for that moment. Well, except for Kishi. She was fuming mad! Swing her legs, she kicked Hiraki with full strength, and he was hurled back into the room! The impacted created cracks on the wall.
He was completely KOed. Rinka stood rooted to the ground, and Kishi was smirking with satisfaction. “Naruko, looks like someone needs to be killed here,” She said with a “sweet” smile.
Naruko stayed indifferent. Clearing her throat, Kishi said, “You must be Kiriko Rinka.”
Rinka nodded her head.
“We’re second-years that have just transferred to Kaisou High, and we’d like to join Imanity. In about ten minutes we’re having faction recruitment, right?”
“Mhm.”
“I’ll help you get in fifty new freshmen. Trust me!”
Upon hearing it, Rinka gasped. It was too good to be true! Seeing that this was the first time she met Kishi and Naruko, she decided not to trust them too much.
They walked into the faction room, and it was the same dark and gloomy atmosphere... Except for that damned Hiraki whose corpse is in a corner, of course. Fishing out the latest and popular video game, Kishi declared, “If you guys can get fifty new freshman to join Imanity, each and everyone of you will get a copy of this!” She held it up high for everyone to see and marvel.
“Is she reliable?”
“Is this true?”
“...”
Hushed whispers that seemed to suspect Kishi arose. Undaunted, she ushered Naruko to the front. “If that is not enough, then Naruko will do FANSERVICE FOR Y’ALL!! CUTENESS IS JUSTICE!!!”
Naruko blushed, and everyone(including girls) started to be attracted to her. “But if you don’t do a good job... Don’t expect something good...” She pouted. By then, the girls already decided to do a good job; they don’t want the fanservice(duh!). Meanwhile, the boys were thinking...of...perverted stuff. Of course, they were motivated too...
Rinka, with her mouth agape, was awed. “Kishi-chan, Naruko-chan, you’re awesome! Thanks for saving us!!”
Kishi and Naruko exchanged contented looks, then let out a smile. “That’s of course. Kuuhaku never loses.”
Eh? Kuuhaku? What’s that? Rinka tilted her head, clearly confused at the last line.
Hiraki rose from the dead. Kuuhaku.. I’m pretty sure that’s..
Rinka turned to him. “Hira-kun, do you know anything about it?”
Kuuhaku is a game account which has topped all the game rankings in the world... And it’s name means ‘Blank’. No one knows the real identity. If Aozora and Kurojiro are Kuuhaku...
“Hira-kun?”
Soon, Imanity members went out of the faction room to prepare for faction recruitment, and there left Rinka, Hiraki, Kishi and Naruko alone in the room.
“Surely you must’ve known,” Kishi gestured awkwardly to Hiraki. “You were a pro gamer and a NEET.”
Rinka gasped, this time in huge shock. Hurriedly turning to him, she inquired even more, “C’mon, Hira-kun!! What exactly is ‘Kuuhaku’?!”
There was no choice. Rinka was pressing him for the answers, and Hiraki could feel Kishi and Naruko’s gaze upon him. “Kuuhaku is a game account. It topped all the game rankings in the world, and everyone regarded it as the ‘god of games’. Even I couldn’t defeat it. No one knows the real identity of Kuuhaku, and now that Kishi and Naruko is appearing right in front of me...”
“Then.. If this is true.. Maybe..” Rinka stared at the two girls -- Kuuhaku. She stared hard and intently, and noticed that a strange aura surrounded them. They’re definitely ‘Kuuhaku’. “Kishi-chan, Naruko-chan...”
“May we endorse you two to assist us in defeating the ‘God’!”
Hiraki turned his head to Rinka. “You can’t be--”
“Ohh, I was wondering what you’d say,” Naruko said with a relaxed expression. “That was our plan all along. We’ll help you.”
Rinka cried tears of joy. At last, someone strong and powerful could join them in their journey to achieve their goal! Hiraki could heave a sigh of relief, but he felt danger lurking upon them...
Then, one hour later, faction recruiting ended. As expected, fifty new members joined, and everyone in Imanity got a copy of their rewards.
“Say, isn’t this copyright infringement?” Hiraki arched his eyebrows, grabbing the CD and eyeing it.
“Well, if they don’t find out, it’s okay!” Kishi winked.
Meanwhile...
The 10 Pledges -- 10% out of 100% restored.
Pledge 8 -- Being caught cheating in a game is grounds for an instant loss.
“As we wait for the 10 pledges to be restored... This is getting interesting,” The ‘God’ smirked, unable to contain her excitement.
~END OF CHAPTER 2~
School Life Chapter 1
Life is full of hierarchies. Factions, statuses, levels... They’re all ranked from first to last. Some are good, some are bad. Although, most probably, the bad supersedes the good. And that can be incredibly cruel.
...
“HIRA-KUN!!!”
Wait, what?!
Like a bolt from the blue, there was an ear-deafening glass shattering noise in his bedroom! It made Hiraki spring up with his blanket, and his hair stood upright in shock and fear.
His crazy neighbour next door -- Kiriko Rinka -- swung in through his broken glass window and fished out a sleek and shiny silver shotgun, then poised for a “battle”. She pointed the aim directly at his forehead! And her expression was serious as ever.
[Kiriko Rinka -- Hiraki’s neighbour and childhood friend. Wields a shotgun and a sword. Born on Jan 24, sign is Aquarius. Faction: Imanity]
“STOP! STOP!! I’M COMPLETELY NAKED UNDER THE BLANKET--” shrieked Hiraki desperately, his hands clutching the blue and white blanket. He’s in deep **** if Rinka sees the you-know-what!
[Ekiguchi Hiraki -- the main male character in this story. Does not use any weapons. Best known for being a lil’ perverted. Born on Feb 22, sign is Pisces. Faction: Imanity]
“You dirty boy, what have you been doing last night~?” Rinka grinned suspiciously from ear to ear, and her eyes gave off a mischievous glint.
“Uh, are you in any position to say that I’m dirty after doing all these?”
“Of course! I’m one month, two days, six hours, four minutes and ten seconds older than you!” Rinka snapped with a “logical” reason. Aiming at Hiraki, she pulled the trigger and--!
Hiraki defended himself using his bullet-proof blanket, and the silver bullet rebounded and fell to the ground, leaving in its trail a swirly puff of smoke. “Hah, you didn’t expect that my blanket’s bullet-proof!”
“Smart enough,” She smirked. “See you in ten minutes!”
With that, Rinka slunk away to the outside corridor using the window, and peace was restored. Heaving a sigh of relief, Hiraki made preparations for school.
School. Ugh. I hate that place. Why did I even go to that damned place anyway? It’s full of crappy ****.
[Kaisou High -- the school in this story. Hiraki, Rinka and others attend this school. It’s known for it’s ‘special’ hierarchy, for it is unfair. But, this is only known to insiders -- outsiders’ memories of the hierachy are erased. So, innocent students unwittingly enter Kaisou High with the hierarchy fact hidden in the dark.]
Oh wait. Did Rinka say ‘ten minutes’?
...CRAP!! If I don’t hurry up, she’ll really kill me--
~Ten minutes later... thank you for reading this sentence just to kill time for ten minutes to pass through in the story~
Gasping vigorously for breath, Hiraki bolted out from his house, slammed the door close and quickly latched the gate. Breaking out in a fake smile, he glanced at Rinka who was waiting for him.
“Good morning, Hira-kun!” Rinka greeted with a wink.
”Ah.. Good morning.. Rinka...” Hiraki greeted back with his voice slowly fading away. He stared at this shoes and tried to “maneuver” his feet to wear the shoe properly. Well, because in his haste, he did not wear it properly.
“Your tie is crooked and your uniform is messy..” She scanned him with is eyes, picking out every unkempt place.
“What do you think?! You told me to prepare in ten-*******-minutes! Any idea how I was pressed for time in order not to get a hole in my body due to your bullets?!” Hiraki retorted with smoke coming out from his ears. “Spare a thought for me!”
“We have to be neat and tidy today so we can ‘pull’ new freshmen to join our faction! Good luck!”
“Don’t change the topic!”
[Factions -- groups that are ranked in the hierarchy. Freshmen can only choose it once, and once they’re in it, they can’t leave until they graduate. Since it affects in their academics ranking, they must choose it with great consideration and seriousness.]
Soon, Hiraki and Rinka arrived at school. Light-hearted giggles and chattering noises of the freshmen greeted them. At that moment, it was the time for club recruiting. Faction recruiting was in half an hour.
Looking at the happy and contented smiles of the freshmen, Hiraki rolled his eyes and turned on his relaxed mode. They’re going to suffer in this damned school if they choose their factions wrongly. And he could totally imagine their smiles turning into tears of depression.
“I know what you’re thinking, Hira-kun. Us second-years know the pain,” Rinka added, this time lowering her eyes. Unhappy memories flashed through her mind like a video recorder yet again, but her never-give-up spirit cheered her on. “I’m sure this time we can work our way through the ranks and defeat that ‘God’!”
“Yeah,” Hiraki smiled.
[‘God’. The main person in control of the hierarchy, and in order to remove it, they have to defeat the ‘God’. How? This will be revealed later on. For now, just know that the God’s real identity is unknown to everyone.]
After that, mustering all of their courage, Rinka slid open the door that led to the Imanity faction room and exclaimed, “Attention everyone! We’re gonna do our best in attracting new freshmen to join Imanity!”
...
The gloomy atmosphere that shrouded the room surprised the both of them. No one was motivated for the recruitment, and no preparations were made! Everyone had a melancholic expression, and some were groaning.
With a straight face, Hiraki facepalmed, “Knew it.. Imanity is done for.” Walking into the room, he placed his schoolbag in an unoccupied area and sat down on an empty seat, waiting for the faction recruitment time to come. Yes, he had a calm facade, but he was mentally breaking down inside.
Rinka pouted. Just then, something rang in her mind -- would “bribery” with the faction members motivate them? There was no time to lose.
“Members of Imanity! LISTEN UP!” She ordered authoritatively, and all of them turned their heads to her. “If you guys can pull in at least twenty -- or ten -- new freshman into our faction, I’ll... I’ll... I’ll...” Her face turned lobster-red. No!! I’m too embarrassed to say it out loud!!
Ugh, here goes nothing! “I’ll... K-k-k-ki.. Ki..ki.. Kis--”
“What’s going on here?” A voice interrupted from behind Rinka.
...
“HIRA-KUN!!!”
Wait, what?!
Like a bolt from the blue, there was an ear-deafening glass shattering noise in his bedroom! It made Hiraki spring up with his blanket, and his hair stood upright in shock and fear.
His crazy neighbour next door -- Kiriko Rinka -- swung in through his broken glass window and fished out a sleek and shiny silver shotgun, then poised for a “battle”. She pointed the aim directly at his forehead! And her expression was serious as ever.
[Kiriko Rinka -- Hiraki’s neighbour and childhood friend. Wields a shotgun and a sword. Born on Jan 24, sign is Aquarius. Faction: Imanity]
“STOP! STOP!! I’M COMPLETELY NAKED UNDER THE BLANKET--” shrieked Hiraki desperately, his hands clutching the blue and white blanket. He’s in deep **** if Rinka sees the you-know-what!
[Ekiguchi Hiraki -- the main male character in this story. Does not use any weapons. Best known for being a lil’ perverted. Born on Feb 22, sign is Pisces. Faction: Imanity]
“You dirty boy, what have you been doing last night~?” Rinka grinned suspiciously from ear to ear, and her eyes gave off a mischievous glint.
“Uh, are you in any position to say that I’m dirty after doing all these?”
“Of course! I’m one month, two days, six hours, four minutes and ten seconds older than you!” Rinka snapped with a “logical” reason. Aiming at Hiraki, she pulled the trigger and--!
Hiraki defended himself using his bullet-proof blanket, and the silver bullet rebounded and fell to the ground, leaving in its trail a swirly puff of smoke. “Hah, you didn’t expect that my blanket’s bullet-proof!”
“Smart enough,” She smirked. “See you in ten minutes!”
With that, Rinka slunk away to the outside corridor using the window, and peace was restored. Heaving a sigh of relief, Hiraki made preparations for school.
School. Ugh. I hate that place. Why did I even go to that damned place anyway? It’s full of crappy ****.
[Kaisou High -- the school in this story. Hiraki, Rinka and others attend this school. It’s known for it’s ‘special’ hierarchy, for it is unfair. But, this is only known to insiders -- outsiders’ memories of the hierachy are erased. So, innocent students unwittingly enter Kaisou High with the hierarchy fact hidden in the dark.]
Oh wait. Did Rinka say ‘ten minutes’?
...CRAP!! If I don’t hurry up, she’ll really kill me--
~Ten minutes later... thank you for reading this sentence just to kill time for ten minutes to pass through in the story~
Gasping vigorously for breath, Hiraki bolted out from his house, slammed the door close and quickly latched the gate. Breaking out in a fake smile, he glanced at Rinka who was waiting for him.
“Good morning, Hira-kun!” Rinka greeted with a wink.
”Ah.. Good morning.. Rinka...” Hiraki greeted back with his voice slowly fading away. He stared at this shoes and tried to “maneuver” his feet to wear the shoe properly. Well, because in his haste, he did not wear it properly.
“Your tie is crooked and your uniform is messy..” She scanned him with is eyes, picking out every unkempt place.
“What do you think?! You told me to prepare in ten-*******-minutes! Any idea how I was pressed for time in order not to get a hole in my body due to your bullets?!” Hiraki retorted with smoke coming out from his ears. “Spare a thought for me!”
“We have to be neat and tidy today so we can ‘pull’ new freshmen to join our faction! Good luck!”
“Don’t change the topic!”
[Factions -- groups that are ranked in the hierarchy. Freshmen can only choose it once, and once they’re in it, they can’t leave until they graduate. Since it affects in their academics ranking, they must choose it with great consideration and seriousness.]
Soon, Hiraki and Rinka arrived at school. Light-hearted giggles and chattering noises of the freshmen greeted them. At that moment, it was the time for club recruiting. Faction recruiting was in half an hour.
Looking at the happy and contented smiles of the freshmen, Hiraki rolled his eyes and turned on his relaxed mode. They’re going to suffer in this damned school if they choose their factions wrongly. And he could totally imagine their smiles turning into tears of depression.
“I know what you’re thinking, Hira-kun. Us second-years know the pain,” Rinka added, this time lowering her eyes. Unhappy memories flashed through her mind like a video recorder yet again, but her never-give-up spirit cheered her on. “I’m sure this time we can work our way through the ranks and defeat that ‘God’!”
“Yeah,” Hiraki smiled.
[‘God’. The main person in control of the hierarchy, and in order to remove it, they have to defeat the ‘God’. How? This will be revealed later on. For now, just know that the God’s real identity is unknown to everyone.]
After that, mustering all of their courage, Rinka slid open the door that led to the Imanity faction room and exclaimed, “Attention everyone! We’re gonna do our best in attracting new freshmen to join Imanity!”
...
The gloomy atmosphere that shrouded the room surprised the both of them. No one was motivated for the recruitment, and no preparations were made! Everyone had a melancholic expression, and some were groaning.
With a straight face, Hiraki facepalmed, “Knew it.. Imanity is done for.” Walking into the room, he placed his schoolbag in an unoccupied area and sat down on an empty seat, waiting for the faction recruitment time to come. Yes, he had a calm facade, but he was mentally breaking down inside.
Rinka pouted. Just then, something rang in her mind -- would “bribery” with the faction members motivate them? There was no time to lose.
“Members of Imanity! LISTEN UP!” She ordered authoritatively, and all of them turned their heads to her. “If you guys can pull in at least twenty -- or ten -- new freshman into our faction, I’ll... I’ll... I’ll...” Her face turned lobster-red. No!! I’m too embarrassed to say it out loud!!
Ugh, here goes nothing! “I’ll... K-k-k-ki.. Ki..ki.. Kis--”
“What’s going on here?” A voice interrupted from behind Rinka.
Shugo Chara Friendships Chapter 5
Nadeshiko came to school as if nothing happened. During recess, she bumped into Amu and Yaya. She told them, “Oh yes, this is my last day at school. Guess I don’t need to say goodbye to you. We’re not even acquaintances.”
Amu and Yaya were shocked. By the way Nadeshiko behaved, it seemed like she had turned into an enemy and they were like no longer best friends. Just what happened?
At the Royal Garden, Nadeshiko explained to the Guardians that it was her last day at school. No one knew why except herself. She didn’t tell anyone.
Tsukasa was in a planetarium. He took out the Joker card.
“The shining light of the Joker...is turning darker.”
The next day, Nadeshiko arrived at Easter 8 o’clock sharp. Yukari saw her at the entrance. “Welcome, would-be singer,” she greeted scornfully but sweetly. Nadeshiko knew that there was no turning back, but she agreed to it anyway. She wanted to be away from the warmth of friendship...as far as possible.
Yukari led Nadeshiko to an empty music room. “This will be your first day of dance training, Nadeshiko-san.”
Nadeshiko’s brutal training had just started.
It was rumored in the school that Nadeshiko had left the school. Some say that she hated the school. Some even say that she was kidnapped. But the truth is, she was on her way becoming a singer. Amu and Yaya did not expect this. They knew something was wrong. But they couldn’t find her.
The Guardians heard about this too. They did a research about Easter. It seems that Easter was their opponents and they’ve been causing X-Eggs to appear!
“Oh no!! Nadeshiko fell into their trap!!” Utau exclaimed.
“But...isn’t it a bit too late?” Kairi said. “Besides, does she really want to be saved?”
At that moment, everyone went silent. The question is: Does she really want to be saved? Was is her choice? It must be her choice. Her choice. That led to this. Or was she forced to?
“Come on!! Enough of the sad silence,” Utau shouted cheerfully. But on the inside, was she cheerful? Or sad? Because of Nadeshiko?
Amu and Yaya decided to visit the Guardians to see if they’ve any information about Nadeshiko.
They opened the door. To the Guardians’ surprise, it was Nadeshiko’s best friends! Why did they come here?
Yaya apologised, “Uhh...sorry to intrude, but do you guys know where Nadeshiko is?”
The Guardians were shocked. Even her best friends doesn’t know why that today was her last day at school?
Tadase had a disappointed look on his face. “Even we don’t know. It seems that she herself only knows the truth.” Everyone agreed.
“I see...Thanks anyway,” Yaya said, feeling disappointed.
Amu said, “Sigh... We’re her best friends, and she doesn’t even tell us the truth?!”
“Look, we neglected her last year. It’s our fault,” Yaya said, blaming herself and Amu.
The two girls walked towards the canteen, disappointed.
~one month later~
No news of Nadeshiko. What happened to her?
“Nadeshiko-san, your first debut concert, Meikyuu Butterfly, is today,” Yukari said to Nadeshiko.
“Hai. And I’ll do a good job of collecting X-Eggs..with Iru,” Nadeshiko said evilly. She put her decorations on the hair and wore her school uniform.
Arriving at the school, Nadeshiko went to the Royal Garden. The Guardians was really surprised when they saw her. What was she doing here?
“Eh...forgetting about me after only one month? Well anyway, I’m here to give you this. After that, I’m leaving,” Nadeshiko said in a stuck-up manner.
“What’s with her?!!” Rima shouted angrily.
“Calm down Rima..” Utau said.
Nadeshiko handed the Guardians tickets to her first debut concert.
“I’m giving you this. You should know what I mean,” Nadeshiko said, then she left.
Tadase saw the Easter logo at the bottom right corner of the ticket. She really joined Easter! Why?!!
“Apparently, she had become a singer,” Kairi said. “Easter is using Nadeshiko to collect X-Eggs, I assume.”
Ikuto was sitting on a tree. “Well, what for? Aren’t X-Eggs useless to them?”
Hearing what Ikuto said, everyone went silent. “Ikuto!!” Utau shouted loudly to Ikuto angrily.
“Ikuto isn’t wrong. Right now, does the X-Eggs seem to worth a lot to Easter now? And why?” Tadase said, defending Ikuto.
It was time for Nadeshiko’s first debut concert. She got ready her stuff.
Temari and Ran were scared. “Nadeshiko...Are you really going to do this?”
“Yes! I am!!” she shouted.
“Well, who cares about the lousy Shugo Charas that doesn’t help her to collect X-Eggs during her concert?” Iru insulted them.
Temari and Ran kept quiet. If they don’t do something, Nadeshiko would completely fall into the dark side!
Nadeshiko walked to the stage. People were cheering for her.
“At last...” Nadeshiko murmured.
She started singing beautifully. She had her talent for this.
Iru was waiting for this moment. “All right!!! Chara Change!!”
A black pair of bat wings appeared behind Nadeshiko. She pointed to the audience. Suddenly, a few X-Eggs came out of the people she pointed!
The last egg cracked. Who was coming out?
Amu and Yaya were shocked. By the way Nadeshiko behaved, it seemed like she had turned into an enemy and they were like no longer best friends. Just what happened?
At the Royal Garden, Nadeshiko explained to the Guardians that it was her last day at school. No one knew why except herself. She didn’t tell anyone.
Tsukasa was in a planetarium. He took out the Joker card.
“The shining light of the Joker...is turning darker.”
The next day, Nadeshiko arrived at Easter 8 o’clock sharp. Yukari saw her at the entrance. “Welcome, would-be singer,” she greeted scornfully but sweetly. Nadeshiko knew that there was no turning back, but she agreed to it anyway. She wanted to be away from the warmth of friendship...as far as possible.
Yukari led Nadeshiko to an empty music room. “This will be your first day of dance training, Nadeshiko-san.”
Nadeshiko’s brutal training had just started.
It was rumored in the school that Nadeshiko had left the school. Some say that she hated the school. Some even say that she was kidnapped. But the truth is, she was on her way becoming a singer. Amu and Yaya did not expect this. They knew something was wrong. But they couldn’t find her.
The Guardians heard about this too. They did a research about Easter. It seems that Easter was their opponents and they’ve been causing X-Eggs to appear!
“Oh no!! Nadeshiko fell into their trap!!” Utau exclaimed.
“But...isn’t it a bit too late?” Kairi said. “Besides, does she really want to be saved?”
At that moment, everyone went silent. The question is: Does she really want to be saved? Was is her choice? It must be her choice. Her choice. That led to this. Or was she forced to?
“Come on!! Enough of the sad silence,” Utau shouted cheerfully. But on the inside, was she cheerful? Or sad? Because of Nadeshiko?
Amu and Yaya decided to visit the Guardians to see if they’ve any information about Nadeshiko.
They opened the door. To the Guardians’ surprise, it was Nadeshiko’s best friends! Why did they come here?
Yaya apologised, “Uhh...sorry to intrude, but do you guys know where Nadeshiko is?”
The Guardians were shocked. Even her best friends doesn’t know why that today was her last day at school?
Tadase had a disappointed look on his face. “Even we don’t know. It seems that she herself only knows the truth.” Everyone agreed.
“I see...Thanks anyway,” Yaya said, feeling disappointed.
Amu said, “Sigh... We’re her best friends, and she doesn’t even tell us the truth?!”
“Look, we neglected her last year. It’s our fault,” Yaya said, blaming herself and Amu.
The two girls walked towards the canteen, disappointed.
~one month later~
No news of Nadeshiko. What happened to her?
“Nadeshiko-san, your first debut concert, Meikyuu Butterfly, is today,” Yukari said to Nadeshiko.
“Hai. And I’ll do a good job of collecting X-Eggs..with Iru,” Nadeshiko said evilly. She put her decorations on the hair and wore her school uniform.
Arriving at the school, Nadeshiko went to the Royal Garden. The Guardians was really surprised when they saw her. What was she doing here?
“Eh...forgetting about me after only one month? Well anyway, I’m here to give you this. After that, I’m leaving,” Nadeshiko said in a stuck-up manner.
“What’s with her?!!” Rima shouted angrily.
“Calm down Rima..” Utau said.
Nadeshiko handed the Guardians tickets to her first debut concert.
“I’m giving you this. You should know what I mean,” Nadeshiko said, then she left.
Tadase saw the Easter logo at the bottom right corner of the ticket. She really joined Easter! Why?!!
“Apparently, she had become a singer,” Kairi said. “Easter is using Nadeshiko to collect X-Eggs, I assume.”
Ikuto was sitting on a tree. “Well, what for? Aren’t X-Eggs useless to them?”
Hearing what Ikuto said, everyone went silent. “Ikuto!!” Utau shouted loudly to Ikuto angrily.
“Ikuto isn’t wrong. Right now, does the X-Eggs seem to worth a lot to Easter now? And why?” Tadase said, defending Ikuto.
It was time for Nadeshiko’s first debut concert. She got ready her stuff.
Temari and Ran were scared. “Nadeshiko...Are you really going to do this?”
“Yes! I am!!” she shouted.
“Well, who cares about the lousy Shugo Charas that doesn’t help her to collect X-Eggs during her concert?” Iru insulted them.
Temari and Ran kept quiet. If they don’t do something, Nadeshiko would completely fall into the dark side!
Nadeshiko walked to the stage. People were cheering for her.
“At last...” Nadeshiko murmured.
She started singing beautifully. She had her talent for this.
Iru was waiting for this moment. “All right!!! Chara Change!!”
A black pair of bat wings appeared behind Nadeshiko. She pointed to the audience. Suddenly, a few X-Eggs came out of the people she pointed!
The last egg cracked. Who was coming out?
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