"Ahhhh, I'm gonna be late, I'm gonna be late!"
A girl in a school uniform ran down the street with a piece of toast in her mouth.
"Gee, why didn't mom wake me up! I'm gonna be late for my first day at my new school after I transferred here in the middle of the year for reasons I will not go into detail right now but maybe I will in the long run if I become really close with a generic-looking guy!"
She made a turn at full speed and before she realized there was a student standing there, she crashed on him. Defying the laws oh physics, she landed with her butt on his face.
"Kyaa! Are you ok...?!" The girl asked, but realizing her position, she quickly got up and held her skirt down. "Did...did you see?" she asked, completely red in the face. "Gosh, I can't get married anymore..."
The student lying on the ground did not answer.
"...hey? Are you ok?"
She approached the student slowly.
He was not breathing.
Her butt had suffocated him completely.
And yet, as he laid dead on the ground, the girl could not help but notice how peaceful his smile looked.
*************************************************************
"I...I cry everytime. Truly a masterpiece of modern times." Luna dried her tears with her brand new handkerchief. Pretty sure you're not supposed to use it for that, but whatever.
The President smiled. "You know, if you do this scene 50 times in a row, you get a CG of her panties. They have logos of strawberries."
"They thought of everything, those geniuses!"
"Uh...guys?" Alex could not process what he had seen. "Is this how all galge are?"
"Oh no no, no way, not all of them are masterpieces like this! But this one is made from the same developers of the one we're playing tonight. Just wanted you to understand the kind of masterpiece you'll experience!" said Luna, proudly.
"Why are you proud, it's not your game," thought Alex, but instead he just nodded with a smile, hoping to end it all soon. "We should start right now, then!". He looked at the TV and pressed X.
[Life is like a staircase. You go up...and sometimes, you go down. The important thing is, you always watch your feet]
"What's with this pretensious line? It doesn't make sense..." said Alex, but his clubmates thought differently.
"AS EXPECTED OF THE MASTER JUN-SAMA! HIS WRITING IS STILL SPOTLESS!"
"Luna has been a fan of him for years. I'll follow him to his grave."
"...anyway". Alex kept pressing the button.
After an hour, they got a hold of the basic premise. Two girls were in love with the same guy. One of them a mysterious girl who meets the protagonist at their school's rooftop. The second one being the protagonist's childhood friend, who drifted away from him during their teenage years, before reuniting in high school for one more chance at love.
The game also counted with the participation of a third girl, who would serve as comic relief and moral support. Her name was Sachi, yet everyone in the game reffered to her as Sacchan.
"Ah, she's kinda cute. Maybe we should read her route first?" asked Alex.
Luna averted her eyes and gulped "Y-y-yeah, maybe we'll do that, maybe not...we'll see...haha..."
[Please Name Your Character]. A promt appeared in the screen.
"What should we name him?"
"Penis"
"Dick"
"You guys are in highschool already...well whatever, I'll just name him Alex."
The President and Luna looked at each other and nodded. "Well, he does remind me of you, Alex my boy."
Luna followed. "Yeah, yeah! Like, the guy has no actual noticeable traits, you can't even see his eyes, is a total loner loser in the plot and is average at everything!"
"You'll make me cry! I'm serious!". Alex input his name and kept playing.
[Alex-kun! It's me! Don't you...remember me?]
One of the main protagonists of the game, Midori, made her appearance.
[Gee, it's been so long! But you wouldn't leave your room for weeks at a time, and said I was disgusting and to leave you alone...I just didn't know what to do, you know]
Alex's interest picked up. "Ohh! I wonder if I have a super tragic backstory or something!"
President intervened. "It's not in the game, but they made a short novel about it. You became a NEET after obessing over anime and thinking all real girls were disgusting."
"Why is my character already such a loser? I just started!"
[Begone! You filthy Succubus!]
The second heroine appeared, Akai-chan!
Luna made a ( ;∀;) face and stood from her chair. "She's here! Akai-chan is here! Isn't she the cutest? She is! And she's smart! And talented! And so so so cute! We're getting married!"
The triangle was set. Midori and Akai. Who would Alex pick. The answer would come...after beating their routes.
*5 hours later*
Alex could barely hold his eyes open anymore. "Guys...I need some sleep. I've been staring at the screen for so long. Please..."
On the other hand, President and Luna looked as fresh as ever.
"What are you talking about, Alex you dummy! You haven't even beaten the Baseball Route yet! At least collect enough orbs to save your sister first and maybe then we'll late you sleep for one or two minutes."
*3 hours later*
"Oh, Alex my boy! You did it!
Alex was lying on the floor, still pressing the X button. "Did I...finish it...?"
"Yes! You did! Congratulations!
Alex stood up agitated and looked at the screen. A video was playing, showcasing the characters of the game.
"I finished it!"
"Yes! You finished the prologue! Now the real fun can start!"
"Hahaha"
"Hahaha"
"Hahahahahahahaaendmysuffering."
*Some hours later. The sun is out now*
"I'm actually amazed you beat the Dungeon RPG minigame without a walkthrough, Alex! Maybe you're a genius at videogames like me? Just kidding!"
Alex was strapped tight to his chair, with a metal device keeping his eyes forcedly open. He could only move one finger, which he would use to press X.
"I can't believe the game makes you level up to 99 just for one orb...but at least Tokiko-chan is safe now. Now she can quit her delinquent life."
President looked at Alex with interest. "Oh? Could it be, you're getting into this now, Alex my boy?"
"...maybe."
He was.
*Time is but an illusion*
They could hear the sports clubs playing outside. It was annoying, so they turned the volume up.
"Ahhhh Alex, no! You picked a Bad End again! Gee, that's the 25th one!"
"It can't be helped! How was I supposed to know I would get hit by a truck and get an ending where I reincarnated in the Fighcraft 50k world just because I didn't water those plants?! It makes no sense!"
"Kaori-chan can control plants! She told you during that scene after you visited the shrine with Akane!"
Alex realized it. This game...had way more than just two heroines. Actually, he felt he hadn't seen Midori and Akai for hours now.
"Uh, guys? How many routes does this game have?" asked Alex, shaking and sweating.
"Yes."
"Yes."
"Please tell my parents to forgive me."
*Why bother counting the hours. You're in Hell now*
Alex was full of energy now.
"WOOOOO I DON'T KNOW WHY BUT NOW I FEEL MOTIVATED! WE BEAT THE SUMMER CAMP ROUTE AND THE OMEGA ROUTE! NOW WE JUST GOTTA DO THE CROSSDRESS ROUTE AND FINALLY! FINALLY WE WILL DO THE TRUE ROUTES OF MIDORI AND AKAI! GUYS LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOO"
Luna and the President, still sitting calmly in their chairs, looked at the bag of energy drinks Luna had brought.
"Luna...how many did he take?"
"Who knows. I stopped counting when he did the Foo*loose dance."
"Was that after or before he recited his secret poems?"
"Mhhm...I think right before he recited the entire script of The Little Mermaid."
****************************************************
None of them knew how long they'd been there.
The fan of the console was at its limit. They feared they would turn blind if they tried to open the curtains. The chains in the door was rusted. Nothing existed beyond the realms of the clubroom now.
Nonetheless, Alex, who was now suffering from post-energy-drink exhaustion, sat right in front of the TV, having moved his chair as close as possible. He hadn't given up. The ending was close. He could feel it. Or maybe it was a heart attack. No matter, he could feel something!
"Just...just one more route...I have been saving this one last because she's my favorite, but finally...we're gonna be together, Sacchan..."
Alex reset the game from the main menu one more time.
Skip. Skip. Skip. Choice. Skip. Choice. Skip. Choice. Choice. Skip.
"Where?"
Skip. Skip. Choice. Skip.
"WHERE?"
Skip. Skip. Skip. Skip. Choice. Choice. Skip. Bad End.
"WHERE IS IT? WHERE IS SACCHAN'S ROUTE?!"
He got up from his chair and ran to the whiteboard. In there, each and every single choice in the game was laid out, all branching from each other, leading to several different routes and endings.
"I have tried everything! There's no choice I haven't done! Where is it?! Where is the Sacchan Route?!"
He fell on his knees and started sobbing. Suddenly, he could feel two hands on his shoulders.
"Alex, my boy. We didn't think you'd care this much, but...there's something we didn't tell you."
"Alex...the truth is, there is no..."
Alex got up and wiped his tears off.
"Don't! Do not say it! Her route is somewhere in there, I know it!" he walked to the TV and started weeping one more time. "She just...has to be, right? Sacchan was right there for me when I was NEET and my parents wouldn't talk to me. She took my side when I when joined the band and the girls found out I was a boy. She was the first to attend the school play where I played Background Tree #3 and the last to leave! She was the only one who attended my birthday party during the Post-Apocalyptic Route! The least I can do is love her! She...she is the true heroine of the game! It's not fair." Alex punched the wall. "It's just not fair!"
Luna and the President were speechless. Alex had stared too deeply at the Abyss (the game), and the Abyss (the game) stared back. Yet, he had to finish the game. That was the only way to set him free from this hell.
"Alex." said Luna. Her eyes were sharp. Her voice full of determination. "Are you gonna quit? Is this really what Sacchan would want?"
Sacchan's voice echoed in Alex's mind.
[Alex-kun! Good morning! You're finally back at school after so long, I'm so proud of you! Don't worry, I'll walk with you every morning until you feel confident again!]
[Alex-kun! Look, look! I brought a new swimsuit! We should go to the beach together! It's ok, I'll teach you how to swim!]
[Alex-kun, I'm so proud of you. When Yuri-chan needed that kidney, you were the first to volunteer. I see you in a new light now!]
[Alex-kun, if one day you get a girlfriend...will we stop being friends? Haha, no way, right? We'll be together until we're both old people...right? Alex-kun...]
[Alex-kun, promise me! No matter what happens, you will always choose your happiness first! Promise me!]
That's right. He had promised. He had promised Sacchan he would be happy. He promised her to never lose his way.
"I'm...not giving up." Alex kicked the chair out of the way and held the controller one more time. "Midori or Akai. I've known them the whole weekend. I know all about them. I know how good and how bad they can be. I know they would do anything for me, and I would do anything for them. But, I can only choose one. I have to play this True Route now. For Sacchan...and for me."
The President and Luna looked at Alex with pride.
"You've learned so much, my boy...no, my brother!"
"I'll follow you until the end, Alex!"
Alex looked at them with a smile.
"Let's do this, guys. Midori or Akai. No matter what happens, I promise you; I will settle this!"
<--------To be continued