[MESSAGE CONTENTS]
To: Matt Lewin, Code Name: Voidbringer
Your attention is needed at the Chuunibyou Society Headquarters tomorrow. Please arrive as early as possible and use the Bridge site on your campus. We will provide you with the coordinates to inform you of its location. We look forward to seeing you. Farewell.
"Haa…" Matt was stoked beyond words. It was finally time! The Chuunibyou Society was calling for him at long last.
"It's tomorrow, so..." Since it was late in the evening, he knew he needed to rest properly before then. The next day was Saturday, so he had no classes. He had a few meetings with some people, but he could easily postpone them.
Matt wondered if the message had arrived at that time because the Society was aware of his schedule on weekends. However, he had no time to dwell on those thoughts. His mind was filled with excitement, but his eyes were getting tired. "Might as well rest up. I need to wake up early tomorrow...for the stuff..." Before long, Matt drifted off to sleep.
His mind was completely at ease, and his restless heart was finally at peace.
Finally!
*
*
*
"Shit! Shit!! Shit!!!" Matt's thoughts hounded him as he made his way to the Bridge site as fast as his social image allowed him to. It was nearly noon, and he had slept for over twelve hours before waking up!
"I totally forgot about the alcohol and pent-up stress. Damnit!!!" He tried increasing his pace, but he couldn't. He couldn't be caught frantically running, and a jog would look weird when it was nearly noon, and the campus grounds were crowded with many students. He had to be the normie he had always been, and he was the cool type of normie. There was no way he could break character and betray his own archetype, even if it cost him everything.
Due to the message of the previous night, his body had been completely at ease, and all his defenses were brought down. That was his excuse for oversleeping.
"Almost...there!"
The Bridge Site on his campus was located within the general library, and he was looking at it now. In fact, he was about to enter when...
"Matt? Matt, you're here," someone said, instantly halting his momentum.
"A-ah, Nadia... fancy seeing you here," Matt laughed awkwardly as he turned to face the pale-skinned girl who stood just a few meters away from him. It seemed she was just leaving the library.
"You didn't see my message?" Her voice was low, and her tone nearly hushed in a whisper. Her curious eyes seemed a bit distracted today, and a stoic face replaced any form of expression she could have had.
"Message? I haven't even checked my phone today!" Other than using it to monitor the time, Matt was yet to utilize his smartphone, not when he was in such a hurry.
"U-uh, no, I-"
"Do you have some time on your hands? There's something I'd like to ask you...or rather, discuss with you. I'm currently going for a little snack. Want to join me?" Nadia asked.
Matt's brain went into overdrive the moment Nadia made this offer. Back in their first year, he was the first person ever to get close to Nadia among their whole crew. They used to meet a lot in the library, and they left close to the same time--late in the night.
At some point, they started talking to each other, and then they started walking back to their respective dorms together. They even began to wait for each other before leaving the library, and they sometimes walked to the library together. They became friends after a while of doing this, and it didn't take long for the whole group to welcome Nadia as one of them. Yes, she had been a little skeptical at first, but Nadia warmed up to everyone eventually, and they warmed up to her.
Matt and Nadia used to walk home from the library together, at least during their first year. But now, as sophomores, they hadn't done it even once. It felt like an eternity since Matt had spent some alone time with Nadia. He knew he was the closest one to her in the group, or at least he used to be.
"Well, I'm actually in a hurry to do something. I'm already quite late. Maybe we can catch up some other time? Tomorrow?" As much as it pained Matt to do this, especially since they hadn't had such a conversation in a while, he had to forego it.
"I see. No problem. Sorry for taking your time." Nadia's stoic face remained emotionless, so Matt couldn't tell if she was disappointed or not. Still, it eased his conscience that she didn't guilt-trip him.
Upon entering the library, Matt made his way up to the third floor and scoured the stacks until he located a particular shelf nestled in a remote corner. The coordinates sent to his system had led him to this inconspicuous spot, seemingly chosen at random.
"Even if I vanish, Gaia will make it look like something natural. I wonder how that would appear to ordinary people," he mused with a small smile.
Matt followed the instructions of the coordinates and reached for a nondescript English textbook published by C.S., the society he was seeking to join. As soon as his fingers brushed against the spine of the book, a low hum resonated through his body, and a system window materialized before him.
[SYSTEM RESPONSE]
{Bridge Will Be Activated in T-3 Seconds}
<3>
<2>
<1>
And then, to Matt… everything went blank!