"*****!"
Someone's calling for me. My head instinctively turned towards her, an action already ingrained into my body like second nature everytime someone calls my name.
She sat on the top of the small mount made entirely possible by the steel poles stabbed firmly into the ground and the rubber coated steel wire ropes that connected each pole to the others. Squarish holes large enough to fit our small bodies through with edges consisting of two different pairs of poles and rubber coated wires was what gave the structure form.
It wasn't wrong to say these square holes was the most defining feature of this object within the children amusement facility.
The sunset painted the sky with a hue of gold. Her strands of long hazel hair floated gently through the air as the evening breeze blew.
It was just like every other evening. The same golden hue, the same evening breeze and even the same activity we would always do. It doesn't change and I never had the thought to even question it.
However, no two things were the same. That was the absolute truth. Even if I was only a 7 years old kid, I knew that nothing could be the exact same. We were taught that as well, even though the teachers never did say it outright. Even twins have different features and different personalities when compared with each other.
So what made today different? I don't know and I think I might never know. Maybe if I have a perfect memory and look back years down the line, I might know what was different. For now, I shall accept that I was not meant to know and move on. No point thinking too much.
I looked at her, into those green orbs in her eyes. She stared down at me from atop the mount as well, patiently waiting for me to pay attention to her.
"Say, what do you think of this world?"
All of a sudden this conversation took a turn. It started to become philosophical. For kids still in Elementary School, we were not supposed to be exposed to such things. Sure somewhere in our life, we would start to think of such questions, but I never expected that day to be today. Maybe some other time, but just not today.
She eagerly awaited my response. Her green eyes alight with faint traces of passion, wanting to know what kind of an answer I would give.
"Huh? What kind of a question was that? Obviously, I would say that this world was great so far. I mean, I have a family who loves me and a relatively peaceful life."
It seems my response wasn't to her expectations. Her expressions dropped. No longer was that eagerness. Something else known as disappointment kicked it off its throne and replace it as the primary expression on her face.
She was… cryptic. Despite being the top student in the class, she never interacted with the other students. The only few people she hung out with was either with me or with Sayori. Heck, I'll say I'm the next in line after her parents for having talked and interacted with her the most.
Her hanging out with me was one of the biggest mystery of my life so far. There was literally no reason I could think of for her to hang around me. My results were slightly above average so that couldn't be the reason.
Oh no… don't tell me. Is it because I seem somewhat antisocial to her that she would approach me and be my friend. Isn't this the "Birds of a feather flock together" kind of thing?
And here I thought that she was interested in me or something like that.
She was now staring at the golden sky above, like as if there was something ap above that capture her attention. For someone of my age, I secretly prided myself on having an extensive knowledge of anime of all genres. '
Even the 18+ ones.
Don't look at me like that. I might be young, but those genres sometimes have some of the better quality stories than the other wholesome genres. Shounen and Superpower were fun to watch, but it gets boring after a while due to the repetitiveness.
Continuing the main topics, I had touched on the romance aspects of anime and was captivated by it.
Which is why I couldn't stomach the thought of having her disappointed.
I am still a developing boy after all. Even if it wasn't for anything romance related, she was still a friend who is dear to me, even if she befriended me for unknown reasons.
"U-umm. You might think this is nonsense, but I might think of this world as some sort of advanced game." I stammered. It was an idea which I gave birth to after watching some animes and playing some MMORPGs. At that time, I had thought of what was different between me and the avatar I was controlling.
It was only later on after some research that I discover that there were some theories out there proposing how our reality might be a simulation. It was interesting but it would forever remain a theory. It might take a long, long time before someone could prove whether it was true or false.
"Y-you know. Like how this world we live in could be some game which we are unable to comprehend. For all we know, I could be controlled right now. Hahaha" My explanation eventually turned into laughter which had nothing to do with happiness or amusement.
At some point, she was no longer staring up at the sky. Her eyes were fixated on mine, so much that I started getting self-conscious. Her eyes which were always lifeless started to gain color. Life poured into her eyes and gradually, her eyes were wide open.
10… no maybe it was 5 seconds. After a short while which seems to drag on forever, her lips finally parted.
The words that came out were not mocking, nor was it teasing in any way.
"I KNOW RIGHT?" The corners of her mouth lifted upwards, forming a wide smile on her face. It was the first smile I've ever seen her make. A first, true genuine smile with nothing concealed. It was a radiant smile that only expressed her happiness.
Happiness at what? How would I know? I am not an esper.
She got up from where she sat and maintain balance while standing on one of the wires.
Is she going to jump?
My fears took shape the moment her knees bent and her body leaned forwards. There was not even the slightest hesitation.
That was the first time I had sustained an injury that had cost me weeks of agonising pain. I had not told a single person about the actual reason for my injuries and neither have I received a single apology from her.
For some reason, I feel like I've triggered a timebomb with its timer not shown. It isn't certain when it would explode, but when it does there would always be a big mess with people injured or dead.
Oh well, I'll just deal with it when the time comes to it.
…
The passing of time resembled a tunnel formed by various colors, multiple small pixels and rectangular screens displaying memories. Before I even knew it, it was already time for my first day of high school.
It was fortunate I was able to get into the high school nearest to my home. It was still a good distance away, but compared to some of the other high schools in the area, it was the closest to my home. No more am I going to wake up early in the morning and always fear the possibility of over-sleeping every night before sleep.
So here I am, waiting outside of my front gate for Sayori who lives next door. Funny… she would usually be the one who waits for me but now I am the one who waits for her.
Maybe she's already left before me. I do understand that she goes to the same high school as me but it seemed as though she was getting lazier as the days goes by. Several times I had to clean her room when I went over to study with her.
I wonder if everything's okay.
Maybe I should just go on ahead.
It was only when the thought had crossed my mind that the front door of Sayori's abode was thrown open. From within came a distressed Sayori. She runs out of her front door and caught up with me.
"*****-chan!"
"Oh, Sayori! So you finally made it. I was just to about to leave as well."
"You're being mean! Why didn't you wait for me?"
"I did! I waited for you for quite some time already, but you were not coming out of your home so I assumed that you already left."
"You could have knocked on my door you know?"
Her appearance was a mess. Bed hair was still evident, her ribbon on her uniform was tied sloppily, her blazer was not buttoned and there are still traces toothpaste on her uniform.
"Did you oversleep again?"
"Ehh? What makes you say that?" Her shock was truly something worth seeing. It was kind of cute.
"Your attire wasn't done properly, and you didn't even do your hair properly." Her eyes are gradually focused on the surroundings as each word was uttered from my mouth. It must have been hard for her to face me.
"Well...it's not like anyone else would have cared right?" she tried to come up with some justification for her appearance.
"I would have cared. Besides, don't you set an alarm to avoid oversleeping?"
"I did. But my bed was just so comfortable that I couldn't get up even after the alarm rang." She was looking downwards, making it hard for me to discern her expressions.
The school was already in our sights. It seems like it is about time for us to cut short our conversation.
In the end, I decided not to probe any deeper. She did seem repentant after all so no further action would be required.
I could see how there were other freshmen just like Sayori and me.
Though it was weird how all of them didn't seem to have any definite features. I looked at all of the students. All of them seemed alike. Their body structure and uniform were the exact same as the others of their gender. The students would either have black or brown hair. There was no other color that could be seen. The hairstyles were also kind of different. However, if observed carefully, the hairstyles were exactly the same. Not similar, but same. For example, comparing between two girls with ponytails, you could see how both were tied exactly the same. The length of the ponytail was also the same.
It was like as if everyone were…
"Are you ok?" Sayori had asked once she had noticed my silence.
"Y-yeah… Everything's fine."
Maybe I was just overthinking again. It does happen a lot so it's no surprise that I'm thinking like that. I should probably just ignore everyone else.
"I wonder how Monika's doing?" Sayori suddenly muttered out loud.
After elementary school, Monika had attended a different middle school from ours. We have been in touch with each other, but as time passes and our schedule becomes more and more packed with schoolwork there had been lesser opportunities to talk. Eventually, Sayori and I stopped talking to her.
It was only recently that we received a call from her saying that she would be attending the same high school as us.
"I'm sure she's doing fine," I muttered.
We proceeded to the auditorium where all the new freshmen gathered. There are tables set up outside the entrance of the auditorium for the purpose of registration. Handing to them our Student ID, we were given a piece of paper detailing where we would be sitting and which class we were posted to.
Once registration was done, students were asked to be seated in the auditorium. Since Sayori and I do not belong in the same class, we had separated once we had entered the auditorium. I had proceeded to find my seat with the endless rows and columns of seats.
I didn't pay much attention to what had happened once it officially started. There was a variety of things that happened, but none of them interested me that much. It was starting to get boring as each second passes.
My eyelids were starting to get heavy. Ahh, this is bad. I going to fall asleep. I wonder if I would be called out by anyone when they found out that I was asleep. I wonder how long more this would last. Please finish whatever must be done here before I fall asleep
"We have now come to the end of the opening address. Please proceed to your respective classrooms before 10 am." The words that I had wished to hear came out from the emcee's mouth. The students seated started to get up from their seats.
All of the sleepiness from earlier had been erased instantly. Following along, I got up from my seat as well and headed for the exit.
I have an hour to do whatever I want before reporting to my assigned classroom. I wonder what I should do.
As the thought crossed my mind, my phone started ringing. It wasn't the ringtone I had set, but the sound of the phone vibrating. It was common courtesy to have your phone on silent mode in such events which involves large crowds. It would be embarrassing if your phone started ringing at a bad time. Imagine all of the eyes that would be placed on you.
Fishing out the piece of metal from my pocket, I opened the phone and peered at the message displayed on the screen.
Before class starts, meet me on the rooftop.
The sender isn't Sayori. Which means it could only be-
The message didn't specify a time for me to be there by, so it won't matter if I arrive 15 minutes before class starts right? I really don't want to be anywhere near her so it's fine for me to do this, right?
Deciding to stick with this course of action, I headed towards the cafeteria to grab myself something to eat. It's weird but bad things had been happening to me whenever I am with her. Even though it has been 3 years since I last saw her, I have this feeling that something bad would happen if I were to meet her.
Those bad luck should have already run out after so long… is what I used to convince myself to meet her again.
Carrying along my school bag, I slowly trudged my way up the staircase leading to the rooftop. My mind was still troubled on how to interact with her. 3 years is enough time to change a person. Maybe she is no longer that troublesome girl that she was from 3 years ago.
Placing my hands on the handle of the door, I gently turned the knob and walked out into the open space on the rooftop. It seems the roof is properly fenced up and there are even benches and tables scattered throughout the open space. There was no one here as I was glancing around.
I walked towards the fences. A bird's eye view of the school entered my eyes and for a few moment, I was captivated by the scenery. The people below were like ants, scurrying about performing their activities. It was chaotic, which made it beautiful.
"Guess who?" A pair of hands snaked out from behind me and covered both of my eyes as I was observing the school from where I stood.
Strange, I didn't hear any footsteps approaching?
"M-Monika? Is that you?"
"Ding Ding Ding! Correct!" The hands retreated back to where it had come from, allowing more light to enter my eyes. I could hear her footsteps moving away from me. Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I turned around to meet her again.
Someone unfamiliar was standing in front of me. I blinked and looked around. The person in front of me is definitely not her. No way this is the girl that executed me with a headbutt to my chest back when I was 7. It was true that she was cute before, but there is just no way she can become so pretty in the span of just 3 years. She must be hiding somewhere else.
My eyes glanced towards the other places on the roof that she could be. I even checked behind me just to make sure she isn't hiding there.
"What are you doing?" the girl in front of me tilted her head to the side, showing her puzzlement at my action.
"Sorry. I'm just looking for my friend. She's kind of troublesome to deal with."
My words must have struck a nerve somewhere as irritation was becoming more visible as the seconds pass. It was as though she was offended.
On closer inspection, this girl seems familiar. Hazel hair tied up into a ponytail with a white ribbon.
"Don't tell me… Y-You're Monika?"
"Heeeh? So you thought of me as troublesome…" Even though she was smiling, her cold verdant eyes were reflecting anything but amusement.
To fear for my life on the first day of high school. What a great start this is…
"S-Sorry…"
"And just what is wrong with me, huh? Are you that surprised with how I look?" The ominous mood from earlier suddenly faded as though it was never there. Her words became playful.
"Y-You've changed quite a bit from 3 years ago, so I was k-kind of… surprised and thought you were s-someone else." I was stumbling over my words. She has really changed so much since we last met. I saw her as someone unreliable and constantly required my help, kind of like a little sister that I never had.
Three years later, she had transformed into a stunning beauty that every boy and girl would drool over and a reliable person that everyone can count on for help, kind of like an older sister.
Now that I think of it, my opinion of her didn't really change much…
"Take good care of me this year, okay?"
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"Oh, you don't know yet?" she was genuinely surprised for a second before her expression changed back to normal like the flip of a switch.
"Know what?"
She looked like she was about to answer me before she reeled herself back and a playful smile begin to etch onto her face.
I don't like this…
"Do you want to know? Do you really want to know?" she asked me expectantly. With every word, she inched closer and closer to me. Feeling uneasy, I had moved backward with each step she took. At some point, my school bag had fallen onto the ground as I was retreating.
Perhaps she has an ability to sense fear, she continues to advance forwards with increasingly bolder steps. My retreat came to a halt when my back touched the metal fence at the edge of the roof.
A victorious smile appeared once she noticed she had me cornered. Not allowing me to find any way of escape, she closed whatever small distance we had left between us.
I only just noticed how tall she had become over these past three years.
"M-Monika, you're scaring me here. It's not something dangerous right?" Embarrassed due to the distance between our faces, I tried to look away from her.
The morning bell started to chime throughout the school, signaling to us freshmen the official start to our first day at our new high school. Maybe because time had run out, she finally relented and moved away from me.
Once she had picked up her bag which was left on the benches, she beckoned for me to follow her as we made our way to our first class.
It was only later that I realize she was in the same class as me, and that she could have just told me this trivial fact instead of playing around with me.
This is why I don't like being around her…
AND...CUT!
Ok, that was a wrap.
Man, I always wanted to do something like this ever since I was interested in movie making, although the interest lasted for only a while.
Man, life was hard and I had to wait weeks before the final copy of this masterpiece was done. This doesn't mean I was neglecting my other stories...
I've just been busy, with my current full-time job before I go to University and catching up on mangas, animes, and light novels… I really have too little time.
Well, This story here is probably gonna be a one-shot story until I decided to work on it again. As you can see, it is something like a prequel written in the perspective of the main character who is part of the world itself and not something like a player playing the game. It's hard to explain… You know the anime series 'Re: Creators'? It's like I'm writing the perspective of Meteora who was in the game. She herself doesn't know she is simply a game character and the game world itself is her reality which she has to live. She might be influenced or controlled by the program or player, but she will never know.
'Re: Creators' anime was phenomenal by the way. I could have cried at how epic it was…
Also, Monika and our 'Main Character' are childhood friends.
Anyways, tell me if you like this idea which I put out, feel free to use it to create your own stories. I can't be bothered by others stealing my ideas anymore. As long as I don't find the entire fanfiction base consisting of stories on how a player of this "god-amazing' game called DDLC got transported into the game world like it's the popular isekai genre, I'll be satisfied. You have no idea how many places I went to just to see the same isekai-like idea in this community.
If you want me to write another chapter of this story, please remember to provide me with ideas on how to further plot to make me motivated to write. And make sure you understand what is the idea I'm selling here. I've had enough of people getting the wrong idea about my story plots and having to explain to them what I'm doing.
Anyways, I bid you adieu. It was fun writing this story. I might come back… one day, when I feel like it.