The Weeb Club room! A place where discussion of anime and videogames and whatever, you know the rest!
Alex and the President were sitting at the usual table, drinking juice and studying for their upcoming test.
"I still believe 80% to approve is a little bit too much, but I think I can get the very minimum correct and throw some at random here and there". Alex looked at his math homework, which he had done three times already. Eventually, he got some of them right.
"You get an extra negative point for every three wrong answers," said the President.
"No way! That means I need at least uh...some answers right, then leave the others blank?"
"Or you could trust your gut. It wouldn't hurt to answer some from the heart, without using your brain."
"That's like a 20% chance of getting it right!"
"25%. It's four answers per question."
"That's what I said." Alex looked at his worksheet, one with over 100 exercises to solve. "Could I really get some of them right just by guessing?"
The President closed his book and sighed. "Alex, my boy. It's not about guessing. It's about knowing. Not the actual methods of solving, not the facts, but knowing deep inside yourself the choice you're gonna make is gonna be the right one. One day, you will have to choose something really important, and it's gonna torment you for the rest of your life if do it wrong."
Alex could not see the President's eyes. It's like the animator didn't draw them to show his mental state or something. Wait, this is a book.
"Wonder what happened in his past. Sounds like a pretty tragic event." thought Alex, realizing there was so much he did not know about his clubmate.
Before he could ask about the details, the door slammed open.
"NO ONE EXPECTS THE LUNA INQUISITION!" I guess you already guess it was Luna who said this.
The President and Alex looked at Luna, who was holding a game case in her hands. Her face was incredibly full of determination. In her other hand, she held a bag full of drinks (for minors!) and snacks.
The President got up from his seat. His glasses shining mysteriously.
"Has the time come, Luna?"
"The time has come indeed, President."
"Let's begin, then." The President closed the curtains of the room and turned the TV on.
Alex, already getting used to this routine, didn't dare to ask.
"Commencing Protocol 5318008. State of Emergency Level: A+"
"President, should I get... 'that'?" asked Luna.
"Indeed. It has been prepared."
Luna grabbed a key from under her bra, while the president input a 12-numbers code into his phone. A door behind the TV opened up suddenly.
"Wait, since when do we have a door there?! Actually, did you just open that with a phone?!" Alex could not hold himself anymore. Maybe it was a good time to get up and leave.
"Silence, Alex. You will disturb his sleep!" Luna was shaking.
"Whose?!"
As the President and Luna walked near the mysterious door, Alex slowly walked back, avoiding eye contact as he put his hand on the knob. He was almost out.
"!!!!!"
The door wouldn't budge. Alex turned around, only to notice the door was now shut down with several, big chains all over it.
"When did you guys even do this?! The teachers will get mad at us!"
They were not listening. Luna was holding a golden box with two locks in her hands. She carefully put it on the table.
"Shall we, President?" She was sweating. Her hands and legs would not stop shaking.
"We shall, Luna."
They both used their keys at the same time and the box opened with a click.
A golden light shone on their faces.
"It's...like the stories said it was. Marvelous..."
The President shed a single tear. "Am I really allowed to be in the presence of it?"
Alex shouted at them. "Guys, seriously, I wanna go home before you do this weird Chtulu ritual. What are you even saving there? What's with all these chains? How many references did the author put in just this prologue? We have to study for the exams!"
"Alex you foooooooooooooooool!" shouted Luna as she teleported behind Alex, swept his feet, and finished him off with a straight punch. Or so she would, usually, but her fist stopped in front of his face. "No. Not today. Today you're one of us."
"Thank you. My last surgery wasn't covered by my insurance and I had to sell so-wait no, just stop punching me altogether!"
As Alex got up, he saw the President holding the golden, shiny item. It was...
...a console controller?
"Alex, my boy. Today you will have to choose your fate"
*******************************************************************************
After explaining the situation, the trio sat in front of the TV, now showing the title screen of a videogame with two heroines and one pretty generic-looking guy in the middle, whose hair covered his eyes completely.
[A Story of You And Them] read the title card. The subtitle was three lines long, so Alex didn't bother reading it.
"So, if I got this right..." recounted Alex. "Today was the launch of a brand new game you guys have been waiting for for three years."
"Four years. There was a delay when the author found out gacha made more money," said Luna, logging into the same game she was referring to.
"Four years. And so, Luna skipped an entire day of school to get in line at the store to buy it."
"It was awful! I had to camp all night in front of it. Would've been easier if people told me the store opens at noon! Or if I had known there wasn't gonna be a line at all."
"You could've pre-ordered it and get it delivered at your house..."
"And miss all these store-exclusive goodies?! Nuh-uh, no way!" The goodies being a keychain of a small unidentified animal and a handkerchief with both heroines printed on it. "This will keep my glasses clean and sparkly!"
"You don't wear glasses."
"Well, maybe I should start wearing them!"
The President actually felt offended, but he didn't say anything.
"Anyway. This game is a pretty big deal for you guys, so you planned this meeting three years ago, bought a controller made of actual gold, installed a security system where a hidden door would open with a super long code on a phone, even tho President wasn't even studying here back then, and now, after all that effort..."
Alex looked at the screen, holding the golden controller. He sighed.
"You want ME to play it?"
Luna and the President nodded.
"You see, over the years they've released lots of promo materials and sneek peaks of the heroines and...I support Akai-chan," said Luna.
"Ha! Dumb Redfan. We all know the true and only choice here is Megumi!"
"What are you talking about, President?! Akai-chan is a mysterious beauty with a dark past that slowly but surely builds up friendship AND love with the protagonist! She's a looooooooot more interesting than your dumb generic dark-haired basic walking moral compass!"
President laughed and looked down on Luna. Literally. He just got up from his seat just to look down at her. "As expected of a plebeian Akaifan. Akai is just a random girl who doesn't actually know the protagonist. Midori, on the other hand! She is the protagonist's childhood friend, who after years of not talking to each other, wants to slowly but surely rebuild that relationship they lost! To ignite the candle of love they both once held! And we all know dark hair is the best, you dumb Akaifan! Why is she even called that, her hair is not red, it's pink!"
Alex sighed. "I can see why you guys want me to do this. Let's just get this over with, maybe we can go home in an hour or two."
Luna and the President looked at each other, confused. "Alex, my boy. Is this your first galge?"
"Hm? Ah, yes. They are like those click games my dad used to play, right?"
"Well...you're not wrong, but you're not right either..." Luna put her hand on Alex's shoulder. "Alex, I..."
"Please don't do that, I'll cry."
"Alex, my boy. You won't go home tonight. The game is pretty long, but trust me, you'll enjoy it."
"You mean I'll have to sleep here tonight?!"
Luna laughed. "Aren't you thankful it's Friday? You can also sleep here tomorrow if slow down our pace!"
"I don't want to sleep here for even a minute! Let me go home!"
Luna laughed once again. She slowly walked to Alex's side. "Alex..." she started, before her voice dropped a few tones. "This is your home now."
Alex could feel his blood run cold. He did not know why, but he knew. He knew that a single movement would cost him more than just his life and dignity.
*click*
He heard a click coming from his hands, holding the controller. He shook. He started sweating more intensely. His vision was blurry. What had happened? Something made a click. What did? I want to see. I don't want to see. Debating with himself in his head, his breathing getting more and more agitated, he looked down at his hands and them handcuffed to each other.
*click*
The light had been turned off. The President walked from the switch to Alex's other side and whispered to his ear.
"Soon you will realize there is no escape. Now press the goddamn X button."
Day One of the Weeb Club's Yearly Playthrough of A Story of You And Them: BEGINS!
"WE ARE NOT DOING THIS YEARLY!"
<--------To be continued