School Life Chapter 7

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~