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Pilot
Where am I?
My eyes shoot open as I regain conciousness. However, before I sit up to gather my bearings, I stop myself.
Stop. No sudden movements. You don't know where you are, therefore you don't know who, or what, may be near. Breath slowly and quietly.
I lay still for a little while longer. In the meantime, I use my eyes to look around, but this isn't of much use since all I see is the ceiling above me, part of a wall on my left, and some windows on my right. A hallway.
Wait a second... That ceiling is made of plaster. This could be anything, but most of the possibilities would probably be centered around a non-hostile environment. I don't hear anything except the wind. Whatever I'm laying on is hard and cold. It must be the floor of this hallway. Alright, I've got a good idea on my surroundings. It's probably safe to get up now.
Very carefully, I sit up. This looks like a private school. How did I get here? The last thing I remember was-
Flashback:
Blood. My god, so much blood...
An intense pain in my stomach, a gun in my hand. Somebody yelling my name: "Asakura! Asakura!"
Is this... My blood?
Flashback end.
STOP! STOP! I don't want to think about that! Wait a second, if I was just there, then why am I suddenly here? I feel around my body in search of blood. And what the hell happened to all the blood? And most of all... Wasn't I dying? No, I couldn't have been. I'm fine right now. No, I can't think about that right now. I gotta find out where I am, but I can't be too reckless.
Still cautious about this strange event happening to me, I slowly stand up and get a better look around. It's the middle of the day. I walk over to the window and take a look outside. Outside, there is a large track field with a bunch of students using it. On the side of the track is a lone figure who appears to be the coach.
Yup, this is a school all right. Now the only questions that remain are why I'm here and what I'm supposed to do to get back home.
Remaining vigilant, I walk down the hallway. Eventually, I come across a door on my left. The sign above it reads "Computer Room".
Good, I can use the computers to find out where I am.
I enter the room. The lights are off, and it's a little bit cold. All the computers have plastic tarp covering them, and the tarp itself appears to have been gathering dust for quite some time now. Damn, nobody's used these for a while.
I lift the tarp off of one of the computers and turn it on. When it finishes starting up, I click on the internet icon. Sadly, I find that this computer isn't connected to the internet.
And so, I look around the room for anything that may even remotely hint at WiFi or LAN. To my dismay, I find a hole which probably once had a LAN cable run through it, permitting internet. However, the cable itself is no longer there.
I remember that there were no telephone poles outside the school when I looked earlier. What kind of school shuts itself off from the rest of the world? This isn't Feudal Japan, is it?
Disappointed, I begin to walk back to the first computer I turned on, intending to try and find any other information about this place. I make it back to the computer, and as I'm about to sit down, I notice something in the other corner of the room. It looks like a blue and white box. I walk over and pick it up. Although the words are in English, I can read them. Thank god i paid attention in that class.
"AngelPlayer"
Hmm, I wonder what this does. It looks like a computer program.
I take AngelPlayer over to the computer I turned on and install it. Surprisingly, this doesn't take very long. I activate the AngelPlayer program.
Suddenly, I feel a weird tingle in my hands. This strange feeling is most intense in the palm of my right hand and the tips of my fingers, all of which are touching the computer keyboard or navigational mouse. The computer screen itself has a light blue glow with what appears to be a metal gear in the backround, along with these words:
Angelplayer
ver.:1.0
3500Kb total; 3500Kb free
[Begin]
[Exit]
If none of the Kilobytes shown have been used, then this has never been installed before. Nice. Strange, though. Why can't I pull my hands away from the keyboard or mouse? It's as if I'm part of the computer. Is this some weird MMORPG? I click on the begin button.
All of a sudden, I feel my whole body freeze up. I look down at the screen, and see this:
[Scanning]
20% Complete
What the hell? What is it scanning, me? Yeah, that must be. I'm the one that started this up, and it would explain my freezing body and tingling hands. Either way, it seems that I'm being scanned pretty fast. But why am I being scanned? Indeed, it does not take much longer until it finished scanning and I can move my body again. However, I can't move my hands away from the keyboard and mouse.
The screen switches from its loading/scanning screen to what would look like a player's inventory in an MMORPG. However, the person on the right of the screen is merely a clear sillhouette that looks like it's made out of a neon red (x, y) graph. To the left of the sillhouette are six slot-like rectangles perfectly adjacent to each other. Great, now what? I guess I'll just click on one of these little slots here...
Once I click on it, a menu pops up that's similar to how you would name your character in an MMORPG.
What do you want to call this skill?
[Enter Skill Name here]
Skill? I have no idea how this works, but I'll test out one of my theories. I want a...
What do you want to call this skill?
[Wristblade]
I press enter. Almost immediately, the menu disappears and the red sillhouette pops up. If what I think is correct IS correct, then i have to make the skill myself... Great. This'll take a while, then.
And so, for the next few hours, I fiddle with the options on AngelPlayer. In the end, I create five skills:
1. Wristblade: Much like in the video games, a sharp blade appears on the bottom of my wrist. I just have to make sure I don't stab my own hand.
2. Shield: As the name suggests, a large, sturdy, yet (hopefully) light shield appears on my left forearm.
3. HandGun: As this name suggests, a pistol-like weapon appears in my right hand which is designed to fire 5.7mm bullets.
4. Shadow: Unlike the other abilities, which are designed for combat, this one makes me appear almost invisible. The effect is similar to how modern-day invisibility cloaks work.
5. Pole: A simple pole appears in my left hand. It's probably going to be as effective in combat as a metal pole would be, but its overall potential is high in my opinion.
Once I run out of ideas for what to put on the red sillhouette, I click [Exit Program]. Alright, I'm done messing around with... Whatever this is. It's time to go look around some more. Thankfully, I am able to remove my hands from the keyboard and mouse once the program shuts down. I turn off the computer and stand up, stretching my back as I do so.
"What was that exactly?" I say aloud. I guess this is the first time I've spoken since I woke up here. "Oh well, I guess that I'll look around even more." I walk out of the computer room and continue walking down the hallway. The sun had set by now, and the slightly eerie full moon makes everything outside the window seem surreal. This is a school, that's for sure. Therefore, not many people should be up and about at this time of day. That's just the way I like it. I continue walking around, and thoughts of AngelPlayer pop up in my head.
That is probably the strangest computer program I've ever seen. It's as if I was connected to the program. Still, what was I doing there? God, I was just wasting time there. It's almost funny. Here I am, waking up in a place that I don't even know the location of, and I sit down at a computer and play some weird program until sundown. Hehe, I'm an idiot.
"Hehehe, hahaha, HAHAHAHA!" I laugh loudly. And I couldn't even think of an original name for the skills on my character! I don't even know why this is funny, it just is to me. "HAHAHAHAHAH! Wristblade!" Suddenly, I hear a sharp sound that's like a mixture of a sword being drawn from its sheath and a lightbulb shattering. Almost immediately after, I feel a sharp object cut a large hole in my pants.
"What the-" Surprised, I turn around to confront whatever cut my pants. However, nobody is there. The only thing that seems out-of-the ordinary...
... Is this big blue blade that appears to be growing out of my wrist.
"Holy shit!" I yell aloud. Panicked, I unroll my sleeve to find out where the blade came from. What... The hell? Much to my surprise, the blade appears to have grown out of my skin, poking through it in the area that one would use to feel their pulse. It looks strange and slightly disgusting, but it doesn't hurt.
Is this... Wristblade? Yes, it must be. There's no other explanation.
"So that's what AngelPlayer does... I can hardly believe it!" I say aloud. I swing my new weapon around a little bit, and find that it's almost as light as air yet it's able to slice through the wooden wall with ease. "Now then, how do I put it away? Erm... Wristblade!" The blade disintegrates. "Alright, that seems basic enough. Hmm... Let's try Shadow!" My body becomes almost completely transparent. "Wow, this is awesome! Shadow." I become visible again.
"Hmm... What else did I do? Oh yeah, Shield!" A shield resembling a Medieval Kite Shield materializes in my left forearm. "Damn, this is just as light as the blade!" I make sure not to say "Wristblade" to keep from having that involuntarily appear in my wrist.
I swing the shield around for a little bit. Using all my strength, I slam the shield into the wall beside me. This ends with my shield being unscathed and part of the wall becoming extremely dented.
"Haha! My god, I'm like one of those manga heroes!" I exclaim joyfully.
Suddenly, I hear a gunshot in the distance. What the hell? That sounds like it came from outside.
Then another. And another.
The nighttime air is crisp as I run towards the source of the gunfire, which has erupted into a full-blown shootout. Whoever these people are that are shooting at each other, there must be a whole army on either side.
I couldn't be more wrong. As I exit the building, I look to my left. The sight before me is by far the strangest thing I've ever seen.
In what appears to be a cafeteria or some sort across the bridge, I see flashing lights and hear singing. A concert? What's even more strange is that near the other end of the bridge leading to this cafeteria, seven people who appear to be teenagers firing upon a short white-haired girl with blades similar to my own Wristblade sticking out of the top of her wrist. Are those... Guns?
Flashback:
"Oh crap, if he comes in here, what's going to happen to us?" A classmate whimpers. "I don't want to die!"
"He won't come in here. Just stay quiet!" Mr. Otaku, our teacher, replies. He then stands up, walks over to his desk, and takes out a black object from the drawer. Is that... A gun?
"The other teachers always told me that something like this will never happen. But now it is. You all know that I'm ex-military, so I can carry this. Even so, I kept it a secret from the rest of the teachers. This gun fires special 5.7 millimeter bullets that would probably tear through body armor. Don't worry, you'll all be fine."
Flashback end
NO! Stop thinking about that! Focus on your current events! I take a closer look at the teenagers firing upon the short girl. What the hell is happening? The bullets just ricochet off of her! Wait a second... That blue glow around her... Does she use AngelPlayer?
Suddenly, the windows in the cafeteria open, and thousands of sparkling specks fly out of them. The teenagers stop firing at the girl, grab one of the specks, and then run back into the cafeteria. The white-haired girl is left standing there. I feel the urge to walk up to her and ask what the absolute fuck I just witnessed. No. Remember your rules. Only watch; don't interfere. Shit, she's walking back! Don't get noticed, don't get noticed! Oh right, AngelPlayer! I activate Shadow and use it to blend into the red brick of the building that I just walked out of.
As the girl walks by me, she stops. Why did she stop? She looks to her left, towards steps leading down to the field. Then she looks to her right, directly at me. Ohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshit! She's looking at me! No! Pull yourself together man, she can't see you!
Just then, I notice something. This girl, despite being defeated at... whatever just happened, has a totally emotionless facial expression. She stops looking around and continues walking away.
Once she's out of my sight, I look around to make sure that nobody is near. As soon as I'm sure I'm alone, I walk across the bridge, towards the cafeteria/gym. After I cross the bridge, I bend down and pick up one of the "specks" that flew out of the building earlier.
Beef Udon... 300 yen? These are all meal tickets? I put the ticket in my pocket. I might need this later.
I enter the cafeteria, confirm that it actually is a cafeteria, and study the area. Indeed, it looks like a concert just finished. On the other side of the cafeteria, I see a staircase leading up to a flat platform which probably substituted as the stage for the concert, seeing as how there is a drum set, two large amplifiers, and the seven teens that I saw earlier carrying the equipment outside through a side door. Accompanying the teens are five girls who appear to be about the same age. One of the girls turns around and sees me. Oh crap.
"Hey, one of the normal students is still here." The girl says. Immediately, all of the teenagers stop what they're doing and look at me.
"Hey! You! You want an autograph or something?" Another teenager calls out. Goddamnit! What do I do? If I use shadow, they might fire at me anyways! If I use Wristblade, I won't get close enough in time to land a hit! I don't even know if shield will protect against bullets, although I know it's pretty durable. Using Pole would be utterly useless, and I admit, when I made HandCannon, I never quite took into account where I would actually get any ammo. I never had a reason to, dammit! How was I supposed to know that I would actually get these abilities!? No! Stop contradicting yourself! You've looked over your options, and there's only one way to do this without getting totally screwed.
"Uh... H-hello." I manage to utter back.
"Yeah, hello. Well? Do you?" One of the female teenager asks.
"Erm... N-no... Actually, I... Have a few questions." I reply.
"Oh, well, that's new. Come here, it'd be easier to talk if we were closer." The teenager invites me over.
"Oh, uh, alright." I say, then begin to walk over to them. Great, there's no backing out of this now. Whatever, hopefully they'll be able to explain where I am, and why I'm here.
As I approach the teenagers, I notice that I'm dressed differently from them. While I am wearing a black school uniform, they're wearing a beige jacket with a white shirt and black pants. Am I different, or are they different?
Once I get closer, one of the male teenagers holding a shirasaya walks up to me and takes a close look at me. His face comes so close to mine I could smell the beef in his breath. Oh shit, what's he going to do to me?
"Hmm... There's something different about this one." He says.
"Yeah, I noticed it too. Hey! Yuri!" A girl with chin-length red hair yells.
Just then, a girl with magenta hair and a white beret walks in through the same side door that they were carrying the equipment out of.
"What's an NPC doing here?" The girl asks.
"He came by wanting to ask us some questions." The red-haired girl explains.
"Alright. I'll handle this. Fujimaki, step aside." The beret girl orders.
"Alright, Yurippe." Fujimaki replies. Yurippe then walks up to me, puts her hands on her waist, and begins speaking. "Fujimaki here says that you're different. I don't do this often, but because of the circumstances, I'd like to ask you a couple questions myself."
"A-Alright." I stutter.
"First question: Where are you from?"
"F-from Sapporo, Japan."
"Second question: Have you ever been in a near-death situation? And if so, was it recent?"
I think back to that fateful day. I remember Mr. Otaku, the gun, and what I did. "Yes, I have. And... It... Well, it h-happened quite... I just..." I don't want to tell her. Can you blame me?
Suddenly, Yurippe puts her hand on my shoulder. "It's alright. You don't have to talk about it." She says, then turns around to everyone else. "Everybody! We have another new guy!"
New Guy? What's she talking about?
"Another newbie? Are you sure he isn't just an NPC?" One of them exclaims. NPC? Is life some sort of game to them?
"Does this mean that I won't be called "New Guy?" Another teenager with auburn hair asks, of which I heard another teenager call "Otonashi".
"This is great! The SSS is getting more powerful by the day!" Another says. The SSS? Just who are these people?
"I never got your name. What is it?" Yurippe asks.
"Oh! Um, er... It's Itsuki Asakura." I reply.
"Well then, Asakura, I'll explain everything to you once we get to the Anti-Angel Strategy Headquarters." Yurippe says. "Follow us. I'm pretty sure we've just about finished up here."
Anti-Angel Strategy Headquarters? Are these people nuts?
I follow their group, slowing my pace so that I stay behind them. We enter a building that looks considerably newer than the one I woke up in. While walking, I hear them talk of strange things like "The Guild" or "Angel". These people watch too much anime...
Eventually, we reach a room with a sign outside it that has "Principal's Office" written on it. Yuri walks up to it, and begins speaking.
"There is no God, Buddha, or Angel." She says. I hear footsteps from inside the office, and soon the door opens. Standing before us is a girl with long brown-colored hair tied up in a ponytail. She seems mature judging by the look on her face. As a matter of fact, one would probably mistake her for someone in their late 20s if she wasn't so short. Seeing this girl for the first time makes my heart skip a beat.
"Hey, Kyou." Yurippe says. "Thanks for guarding the Headquarters during Operation Tornado." Operation Tornado? Is that what they call the event I witnessed earlier?
"Yeah, it's no problem. By the way, nothing suspicious happened while you were gone." Kyou explains. She looks past our group of teenagers, towards me. "Another new guy?" My heart skips a beat... again.
"Oh, yeah. We met him after operation." Yurippe explains.
"Nice. Well, I'll be heading off now." Kyou says, then walks past the group. She then stops next to me, facing the other direction. "Welcome, newbie number two." She says, then walks away into the hallway, leaving me standing here. If my heart skipped a beat one more time, I would probably need medical attention. I stare at her until she turns right, starts walking down another hallway, and leaves my sight.
Suddenly, I feel some grab me by the collar and begin to drag me into the principal's office. I reach up at the hand and yell out something which was by far the worst possible choice
"GAH! Wristblade!" I yell. Immediately, the blade forms in my hand. I hear a loud scream, and the hand that grabbed my collar releases me. I immediately turn around, and find Yurippe doubled over, clutching her right forearm.
"Ah! I-I-I'm sorry! I d-didn't mean to-" I stutter.
"Oh shit, why didn't you guys tell me there was another one!?" The teenager named Otonashi asks, obviously just as surprised as everyone else.
"We didn't know either!" Another teenager with navy blue hair replies.
"Yurippe!" One of the teenagers calls out. Despite only one of them yelling her name, more than a couple of the boys assist Yurippe.
"Goddamnit... Kill him!" Yurippe orders through clenched teeth. Upon order, almost every one of the teenagers pulls a gun out of seemingly nowhere and aims it at me. One of them fires a shot, which barely misses my head and zips through my hair.
"AH!" I yell out in surprise. Gotta think fast, gotta think fast! Erm, perhaps I can use Pole to break the window, then shadow to escape? No, we're on the second floor! I'll die!
But it's too late. Before I can think any further, everybody in front of me fires upon me. Bullets strike me everywhere, each bringing upon me such stinging pain that my body burns like fire, yet freezes stiff all at the same time.
A few bullets strike me in the kneecaps, and I soon find myself staring at the ceiling. Can't move. Too weak. Can't lift head. Try to speak. I attempt to say something further, but all that comes out of my mouth is blood. Soon, the burning in my body is replaced with bitter cold, combined with the same weak feeling I felt before. It isn't long before I can't feel anything at all.
As I slowly drift away from consciousness, I get a strangely clear thought in my head. Damn. This seems familiar.
Just so you know, my schedule has been off the fucking charts lately and I'm not sure if I'll be able to write much of anything in the next few weeks. If I do update, hooray! If not, then we all saw this coming. Anyways, Don't forget to leave a review! Also, if you liked the direction this is heading, then don't forget to follow/favorite! This is an old project that I worked on a while ago, but never posted for some reason. Is it good at all? You tell me!
-Regards and all that, SEP.