"What if I refuse to participate?"
That was the question Matt asked.
What would happen if he chose to live a life of normalcy—you know, like his plan had always been?
He would make a few more friends, date a girl or two, get good grades, and graduate with a decent degree. He would get a job, climb the career ladder, get married, maybe have kids. That was what living a normal life entailed.
What if that was the kind of life he desired? What would happen then?
"We will erase your memories and everything will go back to normal." A voice stated, responding to the question he hadn't voiced out.
It came from none of those within, but from an outsider who was walking in.
The voice sounded stern, having a serious and commanding tone. However, as the speaker entered the room and made her appearance, Matt's expectations were instantly dashed.
Right in front of him stood a girl appearing no older than twelve.
The girl had white hair, and her crimson eyes glowed like embers of coal. She had pink ribbons that tied her long hair neatly. Her outfit was a white grown, having pink embroidery and ribbons all over them.
All in all, this was clearly a child.
'You guys brought a kid on board with this? Are you crazy?!' Matt's eyes widened in disbelief, as he stared at the stern-faced girl.
He was about to say something, but was stopped by the surprising actions of those around him.
"Greetings, President." Everyone stiffened up, bowing and addressing the girl with such respect that would be considered excessive by normal standards.
'E-eh? President?!'
Matt was stupefied, to say the least.
"He has already been told enough—both by Gaia, and by you. It's time he made his choice." The girl said sternly, folding her gloved hands as she addressed Rose.
The most interesting part about this exchange was that Rose—who looked at least twice the age of the girl—was subservient to her.
'Her tone completely betrayed her childlike appearance. I mean, just look at that face and her physique. There's no way she's not one! No Loli is this… loli-like!' Matt tried to explain away what he was seeing, but every attempt fell flat.
"Matt Lewin, am I correct?" The so-called President asked him, staring at him with her crimson eyes.
Everything about the girl seemed unnatural, and as soon as Matt made eye contact with her, he realized just why everyone seemed to be in reverence—at least to an extent.
'S-she… What is she?!' He felt such a strong sense of power and dominance emanating from the girl, that it felt suffocating.
Beads of sweat formed on his face instantly. He never thought a mere kid could make him freak out so badly.
"I just made an inquiry. Respond."
"Y-yes. You are correct." Matt found himself answering quickly.
"Good. I'll try to break things down for you so you can understand what is going on here. The Veil is collapsing, and more Links are appearing all over the place. As such, we need to work harder to ensure everything is fixed. After fighting many Outers and closing many Links, do you know what we realized?"
"I-I don't know."
"The Outers aren't our only enemies—or rather, they aren't the sole cause of the Veil's collapse. There are also rogue Enlightened and Exposed humans who are contributing to this problem. As such, we can't let you leave this place without making up your mind on what you want to be, and what life you want to live."
Matt gulped slowly, digesting the girl's words as she said them. It seemed the Chuunibyou Society was in quite the pickle. It was understandable why they would put him on the spot so quickly.
"S-so, you will erase my memory?"
"Indeed. You won't remember a thing, and you will no longer be able to use any ability. None of these affairs will concern you any longer. You will be free to live your normal, ignorant life."
Matt, upon hearing that, realized the girl was offering him a viable alternative. He would feel bad if he had to live normally while the world was going to shit. But, if he didn't remember any of it, he could live happily and guilt free.
It seemed quite ideal. Didn't it?
"Just so you know, this effect is permanent and can never be undone. Once you reject the Gift, you will never receive it again."
Matt remembered that Gaia had said the same thing, and now this girl was repeating it.
"What does that mean?"
"It means you will never be exposed or enlightened ever again. You will never be able to see the Veil, or beyond it. You will remain ordinary forever, never seeing the light again. That is the consequence of refusing the call of the world."
Matt shuddered slightly.
What she said shouldn't have affected him. After all, this was what he wanted. For some reason however, his hesitation grew. He already knew what his choice would be. Yet, why couldn't he make the decision? What was holding him back?
'Let's choose a normal life and get this over with!' He thought to himself, yet his lips would not move.
He tried to convince himself to refuse the offer, but he couldn't.
Why?
Why wouldn't he just let go of all this weirdness and return to his mundane life? Sure, he had been wrong about everything, but wasn't ignorance bliss?
Wouldn't he be better off not knowing?
"Make up your mind."
"I…" Matt muttered, sweat glistening on his face.
"Resolve is necessary to walk down this path, as such your indecisiveness and silence will be interpreted as a rejection." The girl stated stoically.
What would it be? Blue pill or red pill? This was the moment of truth, one that would decide his life forever.
Matt tried desperately to weigh his two choices. He tried using pros and cons to decide. He tried applying Pascal's Wager. He tried many things, yet…
'Who am I kidding? I already made up my mind a long time ago.' Matt gave a tired sigh and decided to stop thinking.
His heart was already leaning in one direction, and he realized that the doubts and rationalization couldn't sway him from that choice.
"I've decided." He said firmly.
Even though he was clearly exhausted from being faced with such a daunting choice, his eyes had the definitive look of resolve. He was dead serious about his choice.
"I choose to participate."
The moment he said this, the Loli girl smiled. She walked close to him, stretching out her hand as her expression softened.
"My name is Lucy."
Though hesitant at first, Matt finally took her hand and nodded in affirmation.
"Welcome to the Chuunibyou Challenge."