Starting*********************************************************************************************************************Starting
...
...
What am I doing?
...
I have a chance, one chance to end things right now. Just one last choice to make and I will finally leave this hellhole.
This is what I wanted, right? A way out, sure its cowardly but its a fitting end to for someone like me..
...
...
...
(Sigh) Who am I kidding? I can't do it...
How can I when the faces of those I would leave behind were staring right back at me.
Sayori...Yuri...Natsuki...hell...even Monika...
...
I don't know if it was guilt or some hero complex I was born with but whatever it was prevented me from simply giving up.
...
And so with a conflicted heart I slowly moved my hand away from the [Yes] option.
...
"MC?" Mr. Eight called out, probably wondering what the hell was happening since I was completely silent for most of the time.
I gave one last look at the options I was presented. My urge to end my pain was slowly but surely being overwritten by guilt and empathy. My indecision slowly faded away and before I knew it I pressed [No] and went on to select the [Save] option.
(Tap)
[Choice accepted]
...
...
"Thank you, MC..." It was almost imperceptible but I almost felt a hint of pride in his voice.
...
I gave a resigned sigh as I felt the tension dissipate, only to be replaced with fear and pressure of what was to come.
...
"So can you tell me what's going to happen now?" I immediately asked as I sat down on a chair near my PC. Completely, brushing off the fact that I was a few seconds away from committing suicide.
"Well the first thing would be decide on your name." He answered.
"Name?"
"You need a name before you can head out and start the first day. The game can't have a main character that has _ that as its name."
"Oh, there's no need since you inputted one a while ago."
"Things have changed MC, my name will not be the one the game will use."
"The update?" I assumed...
"Yup"
"...Fine...what do you want?"
"Why are you asking me?"
"Because this is your profile, this is your run in the game." That much is obvious I mean this whole thing was his doing, might as well let him name the 'me' in this modified run.
"Hmm, then I shall leave it to you to decide." He answered back.
"What?"
"Its true that this is my profile but seeing as this is your last run, you should be the one to name yourself." He vehemently insisted.
"Me? But...but...Its always been the user's choice on what name I don or take."
"You never had the option to truly name yourself right? Its always been the names of random people that you were using. So I think you should at least have the chance to get to choose your own name."
"..."
"MC?" He called out.
"I...well...I don't know..."
"There's no need to rush, you can take as much time as you need." He reassured me, his compassionate tone was soothing to hear.
"..."
"..."
"Can't I just go with MC?"
"Come now, surely there are much better options?"
"Its the only name that I can associate with. I mean it was the one I was assigned to since my creation, shouldn't that be enough?"
"Yes but MC is the default name you were using in the past. Again, this is going to be your final run so why not give yourself a new name to mark the start of a bright new future."
"That sounds...a little too cheesy..." I remarked silently cringing at the statement.
"Better cheesy than depressing, besides you need to let go of the past and this is one way to do so..." He advised.
"Huh, never thought about it that way. I guess a new name wouldn't be so bad." Not sure if it could fix my crippling depression or my inferiority complex but hey its better than nothing.
"Alright, now just take your time and create one. I'll be recording a few things..." He trailed off as the sounds of furious typing filled the air.
...
What name should I take?
Something simple like John or Ron?
Maybe a fanciful name like Reginald or Escalonte?
How about a foreign name such as Schmidt or Homura?
So many choices to choose from...
...
Gah...I can't decide! There are just too many options!
...
"Still having trouble?" My faceless supporter inquired.
"How could you tell?"
"I can feel your frustration through the phone, its that palpable."
"Should I take that literally or..."
"Just a lucky guess and the groans you were making were a pretty good indicator as to what you were feeling."
"I was groaning?" Wow, I didn't even notice.
"Yup..."
"I see, well yeah I don't know where to begin. There's just so many names and to be honest I'm kinda attached to MC."
"Understandable, its been your name since the beginning. Hmm, why not get a name that has those initials? Like Mac or McCoy? I have list if you want there's names like Mcarthur, Mccallister, Mccauley..."
...
"Michael..." I unconsciously let out, a wave of nostalgia resonating in me.
"Or Me-Michael yeah that sounds good. Is that what you are going with?"
"...Michael..." I uttered again, testing the word as the feeling of familiarity grew.
"Its quite a common name especially during the 20th Century but it is still a good one in my opinion."
"...Michael..." Where have I heard that name before?
"MC?"
"...Michael..." I said again the nostalgia I felt was hitting me like a freight train.
That name...
Michael...
As soon as I mentioned it my vision faded into black, my room completely disappearing.
...
Darkness...nothing but darkness...
I could not move my body, it felt like some force was preventing from doing so.
I was unsure of the passage of time but soon my vision flashed again and I was starting to see an image.
...
"Michael...come...it is time to go..." An elderly voice ordered, an aged hand stretched towards me.
"..."
"The girls can't calm down without you Michael." He continued, his tone had hint of desperation.
"Yes..." A childish voice replied as a small hand took hold of the previous one.
"Remember what I told you..."
"Assist the doctor, help the girls and stay away from the book..."
"Good...very good...blind obedience is but one of the many steps necessary to awaken 'True Sight'. You are progressing at a good pace but remain vigilant there is no telling what might happen in the future."
"Yes..."
"This all for one thing...the sole purpose of our family's existence. Do you remember what that is, boy?"
"To witness the world that is unseen, a paradise meant for those who have removed one's shackles of reality."
"Never forget that Michael...never forget..."
"Yes...Father...I prom-"
The image stopped as I heard a rumbling...
A voice...a voice calling out to me...
I did not want to go...I want to see more...
Who is this? Why was I seeing this?
But it was not be as everything faded into nothingness once more...
...
"MC? MC! HEY!" Eight's muffled voice was the first thing that I heard when I came to.
"Ugh! My head..." I groaned out as my head felt like it had been cracked open.
"What happened?" He hurriedly asked as I slowly opened my eyes only to be greeted with blinding light from my room's ceiling. Just now realizing that I was on the floor.
"I don't know." I groggily answered as I tried to recover from the mental strain, shakily standing up by using the nearby chair as a support.
There was an image of something but like a dream it was difficult to picture or remember. What the hell was that?
"Wait, give me a moment." He stated before hearing some furious typing on a keyboard.
"What are y-" I trailed off as I felt something scanning me from top to bottom.
It was like the code that used to move me from place except this one felt a little more invasive. I could not help but shudder as I waited for whatever the hell Eight was doing to me to finish.
(Five Minutes Later)
"Huh?" He finally spoke.
"What did you find?" I asked, sighing in relief as that strange feeling disappeared.
"Nothing all your vital signs are normal."
"Really? I have a big headache though..." It didn't seem to die down even after a few minutes passed.
"A headache? Are you sure?" He asked, his tone thick with skepticism.
"Why would I make up a headache? Hell what would I gain from lying to you?" I aggressively reasoned, feeling a bit irked at him doubting me.
"...That's true...my apologies MC. Its just that the items I have on hand should have picked up any anomalies or problems, guess I need to reevaluate their usefulness."
I wanted to inquire about what items he was referring to but I'm assuming that's classified too. So instead of wasting more time I decided to just accept his apology and move on.
"Its fine, let's just get on with it." I replied.
"Alright, here use this to input your name." He said as a blue, empty text box appeared in front of me.
I hesitantly tapped the virtual object and almost yelped when an assortment of letters and numbers appeared below.
"Your heartbeat quickened suddenly, is something the matter?"
"Nothing..." I lied as I quickly typed my name before pressing enter.
_Michael_
[Is this the name you want?]
-Yes
-No
I immediately pressed yes on the pop-up and was hit with a small sense of accomplishment. It was like I had finally made a step in the right direction.
"Well that settles that, the next step is to just exit your house and see the new world."
"Okay..." I said as I stood up, feeling somewhat excited and terrified at the prospect of exploring what's outside.
"Relax, I know it might be a little overwhelming at first but I'm sure you will be up to the task. Oh by the way always bring your phone with you no matter where you go."
"Huh?"
"Its my only method of communicating with you."
"I'll keep it with me at all times." I promised.
"Good, that phone will also help me track your movements so I can bring some support to your location should you need it."
Well that's comforting its like I have someone watching my back in case something goes wrong.
"Thanks Eight." I hope I am not making a mistake in trusting you.
"Anytime MC, I mean Michael." He finally corrected himself before cutting the line and I pocketed the phone.
Huh? Somehow, I've already gotten used to getting called that. It feels like that what I should have been called from the beginning.
...
I shook my head of all confusing thoughts and focused on getting out of house. Finding out what has changed in the game was a much bigger priority than understanding why my new name felt so nostalgic.
I took one last look at my room before going out the door and walking down the stairs. Each step echoing throughout the empty house was making me increasing my trepidation.
Fear of the unknown brought out thoughts like:
Was this the right choice?
Am I really going through with this?
What has changed?
Can I actually do this?
...
The numerous voices of doubt clouded my mind but were promptly silenced the moment I reached the door.
This is it...
I will be walking out the same door for who knows how many times...
Starting that accursed cycle once more...
One...last...run...
I took a deep breath and steeled my heart before turning the knob.
...
...
As I opened the door, my eyes were temporarily blinded by the sun. I put a hand up to block the light and I was met with a familiar sight. Rows of neighboring houses and a small street connecting them all. Which was the typical scene used whenever I talked with any of the members of the literature club. Whether it was meeting up with Sayori or letting either Natsuki or Yuri into my house. All in all it was a pretty common sight for me, there was nothing surprising about it. Except...
I could see further past either of the two nearby houses that surrounded mine. What used to be black space turned into tall buildings in the distance, a small convenience store nearby and there's even a pet shop that's just a few blocks away. That's not all as the ever present background music was replaced by the sounds of construction and the occasional police or ambulance siren.
But none of that...none of it...compares to the fact that there are people walking around.
People...
Not just one or two persons...
Multiple living, breathing humans...
And one of them was waving at me...
"Good Morning Michael! Heading to school already?" An elderly looking individual shouted while she patted away the dust from her mats and carpets.
Keyword, shouted, not narrated by a text box or anything. That new character actually had a voice, not even a minute in and already I was taken out of a loop.
"Good Morning...err..." Crap! I don't know her name I should have just said good morning and left it at that.
"Hmmm? Oh don't tell me you forgot about me already?" She asked looking a little downtrodden.
"I...uh..." What do I do?
(Ding)
The moment I felt my phone vibrate for a second and I immediately took it out. There was a text message from eight that said:
"Sorry, forgot to mention that your next door neighbor is Mrs. Jones first name Annabelle. Be prepared for her early morning tirades from now on."
I shoved aside the urge to throw a small tantrum and instead went to address the gentle old lady.
"N-n-not at all Mrs. Jones, just had...uh...little less time to sleep. I was...uhm...never a morning person...hehe." I hurriedly replied, almost stuttering each word. This unexpected event was making it difficult to react properly.
"Tsk-tsk, staying up at night is not good for your health especially for a growing boy such as yourself. Why, my great grandfather slept once a week at one time and he..." She scolded me with a disapproving look before narrating a small tale of how one of her family members died due to sleep loss. It took maybe four to five minutes before her story ended and even then I had to cut her off before she started another one.
"It won't happen again, I promise." Rubbing the back of my head in mock embarrassment, hoping to look as natural as possible.
"Ha! I am sure it won't especially when I tell your girlfriend about it." She nonchalantly stated as she returned to dusting her dirty carpets.
"G-g-girlfriend?" I let out, my eyes widening and my spine tingling.
That one word hit me like a truck, almost breaking down my already cracking composure. Just the mere mention of anything related to relationships or dating scared me. Years of experiencing the insanity of four innocent looking girls vying for my affections can do that to a person. Gah! I can already feel my hands trembling.
"You are a lucky guy to have a gal like that Michael!" She said, letting out a hearty chuckle completely oblivious to my mentally disturbed state.
"Uh...y-y-yeah...pr-pre-pret-tty lucky...hehehe..." I unconsciously replied as I was sweating bullets and resisting the urge to puke.
(Ding)
"Stop wasting time, you'll be late for class." Eight's text message said, the phone's simple ring tone temporarily calming my nerves.
"Uh...well...I must get going Ms. Jones. Sorry I can't stay and chat." I hurriedly said as I walked down my porch and moved towards the gate of my front yard.
"No worries, its good to get to school early but are you sure you won't wait for your girlfriend first? You usually walk together with her to school." She asked with an eyebrow raised.
"N-n-not today...I uh...need to buy something at the local store before classes start." I lied quickly as I closed the small gate.
"I see, I'll tell her you went on ahead then." She replied as she moved closer towards me as I tried to distance myself from her.
"Oh, thank you...uh...Tell her that I'm very sorry! Maybe next time!" I yelled as I took a running start.
"Ah! Michael the s-..." I didn't the catch the last part of what she said, as I sprinted away. Making a small mental note to call Eight the moment I find a private area.
You have a lot of explaining to do you cryptic bastard...
...
...
"-store's the other way..." I, Annabelle trailed off as Michael ran off.
I could not help but shake my head as the young boy almost barreled into a random stranger. Fortunately, the man in a suit thought nothing of it and just ignored him.
"Hmph, the youth these days are always so reckless." I whispered to no one in particular before readying my feather duster.
That kid used to be so quiet back in the day, now he's become quite the troublemaker. How times change...
I can't help but worry about his future if he continues to have such a devil-may-care attitude.
Its a good thing he has...
"Good morning!" A calm yet upbeat voice greeted me.
Hah, what a coincidence...
"Good morning to you too my dear, I was just thinking about you." I cheerily replied, turning to face the owner of said voice.
"Aww, thanks Mrs. J!" She chirped back, her ever present smile was a joy to see.
"I'm assuming you're here for Michael?" I couldn't help but chuckle at her blushing face when I mentioned his name.
"Y-yup! I actually made him breakfast as well, it always pains my heart to see him eat cup noodles in the morning. That guy never eats properly...hehehe..." She said as she gestured to the big lunch box she had.
What a sweetheart, she's a definitely a keeper.
"Well I'm sorry to say but he left already, something about buying something at the store. Silly boy went the wrong way too." Sleep deprivation can do that to a kid if they're not careful.
"Oh..." The poor girl looked so sad, I bet she was really looking forward to walking with him to school.
"I'm sure he was hesitant to leave you alone too, deary. I mean the pale look on his face when I mentioned you showed it." Come to think of it he looked quite rattled to be honest almost like he was about to vomit. But hey, she doesn't need to know that.
"Yeah, that...that must be the case." She replied with her usual smile which had a little less energy to it.
...
...
(Sigh)...You owe me for this Michael.
"Its not too late to catch up to him. He went that way..." I suggested as I pointed to direction where her boyfriend went.
"Oh, that's okay Mrs. J. I think I'll just meet up with him at school." She answered, my womanly instincts helped me pick up the slightly dejected tone on her voice.
"You sure? He might come back once he finds out he went the wrong way." I tried one more time to convince her.
"Yup, yup..."
Well, I guess that's it...I tried my best...I can only hope that Michael can make it up to her somehow.
"Alright deary, have a nice day..." I said feeling a little disappointed that I couldn't persuade her.
"You too!" She replied before waving goodbye.
"Stick to the main road okay!?" I shouted, giving my safety tip of the day.
"Will do!" She yelled back.
Such a nice girl...
A good head on her shoulders and looks that most high school girls would die for...
How Michael managed to woo someone like her is beyond me...
...
Hmm...no use thinking about it Annabelle best to just get the dust off these carpets already. Lord knows I have a long day ahead me.
...
...
Haa...
Haa...
Haa...
"I understand that you are upset..."
"Don't...start..." I gasped out as I leaned against a wall in a small random alleyway between two vacant apartment complexes.
"You are being a little unreason-"
"Eight just...just shut up for a second. I need to catch my breath." Letting out all of my frustrations shortly after my first interaction with someone not in the literature club left me literally breathless.
"..."
Haa...haa...haa...just breath...breath in...breath out...
...
...
...
"Is it safe to say that you've settled down? Shouting for five minutes straight is not healthy." He asked, the neutral tone in his voice was grating on my nerves.
"No, I am most definitely not okay! What the hell is all of this? Where are the usual text boxes? Why is there so many characters? Hell why do I have a girlfriend!" I know that he told me that the game has changed a lot but I never expected the changes to be...so...so...uhh...what's the word?
...
Substantial? Yeah substantial! I might even go farther to say its excessively substantial.
...
"Well 10 Terabytes of data is nothing to scoff at. I did warn you that it might be overwhelming at first."
"Look I know that you plan on breaking down all of the updates later but going face first into all of this is not helping. You could have at least told me that you changed a visual novel into a...a..."
"A full virtual world with multiple NPCs you can interact with?" He helpfully filled in.
"Yeah...that...you could have told me that you assho-"
"Language"
"Screw you!"
I'm sorry if I am starting to sound like a complete douchbag but you need to look at it from my perspective. I am a character in a visual novel where I just follow the script that was given to me, plus player choice and an assortment of glitches. I don't even have any voice files to activate for my text boxes, heck even the number of text boxes I had disappeared after the latter half of Act 2. At that point I was simply an observer, it would not be far fetched to say that I was essentially brain dead until the final acts of the game.
What I am implying is that I had literally nothing to do. That's not the case here! As he said before there is literally a whole new world for me to explore or in my case a small city. Its safe to assume that I have a much wider range of things that I could possibly do based on the popups I was getting.
Here are a few examples:
-Current Goal:
[Get to School on time]
Warning: 35 minutes left till school starts.
-Player Menu Integrated: (Updates)
[Notes]
[Items]
[Perks]
[Friends]
[Locations]
...
There's even a small mini-map on the bottom left corner of my vision, with tons of icons I have never seen before. Overwhelmed doesn't even begin to describe what I am feeling right now.
"Michael you need to calm down. Look I know this is a lot to take in but you need to get to school right now. I am sure you understand that you have more things to worry about besides the four girls and usual glitches."
"Bu-"
"This is not a visual novel anymore, there is an actual established society here right now. Missing the first day of school will only lead to consequences that I'm sure you would want to avoid. So I highly suggest that you man up and do as your told for now. Please!" The desperation in his voice surprised me to the point that I couldn't say anything.
"I...I...I...ugh...fine. I pushed myself this far might as well take everything in my stride." I conceded as pushed off the wall and started walking back to the main street.
"Thank you, if it means anything I swear to you that I will be there to support you every step of the way. Starting with this..." He trailed of as I heard more typing.
(Flash)
"Huh?"
There was a flash of light that faded almost immediately. In its place hanging in mid-air was a regular sized backpack, something typical High School students would bring to school.
"You forgot to bring this out of your house. It will help store whatever items you collect in the future, as a bonus I modded the object file so that you don't have to worry about storage space and weight."
"Oh, thanks..." I replied as I took hold of one of the shoulder straps and brought it down.
...
Received Item: S-Modified Backpack x 1
...
"What's with the S?" I asked as I properly placed the item behind me, marveling at how light it was.
"The item's name is supposed to be 'Standard' Backpack, I changed the name to reflect it's changed attributes. Its supposed to just say modified but a small glitch occurred and the (S) is stuck on the name."
"Wait...is it alright to be doing this? I mean wouldn't the game crash if you meddled with the files too much?" Monika did that all the time and the game became a complete mess.
"Rest assured I am significantly more competent than your club president. Besides its not like I am going to be modifying too much." He answered with a tiny hint of pride.
"If you say so..." I sure hope that he wasn't lying because the last thing I want is being deleted because of a broken code.
"You should start jogging, if you head right to 10th street you can find a long alleyway that heads straight to the main path to your school. Here I'll mark it on the map so you can just follow." He advised as a red line appeared on my mini-map showing where I needed to go.
"Hmm...that's handy...I don't suppose you could just teleport me to the school instead?"
"No and enough questions! We are running out of time."
"Alright, alright! I get it." I let out before closing the phone and exiting the alleyway.
...
...
...
(25 minutes later)
My initial trepidation aside it was actually nice to see all the new things. I passed by a lot of stuff like a vintage sushi shop, a large book store and a big time arcade called "Freddy's World" just to name a few. There were many different types of people too such as the local Japanese and several roaming foreigners.
The whole place felt alive which is a stark contrast from the old version of the game. I know that it was mentioned that there are other students but in reality it was really just us five. No teachers, no janitors, no student council...no one but the members of the literature club populated that game. In my opinion, this was kinda a welcome change because it doesn't feel like I'm always alone all the time.
Like right now, as I am currently going up the main street that leads to the school. Everywhere I looked there were teenagers both male and female, texting or conversing with one another. Sure my social anxiety was acting up but the youthful energy in the air felt awesome. I really felt like I was a part of a real school...
(Whisper) (Whisper)
Okay its not a totally positive change...
"Hey its him..." A random male student not-so-subtly mumbled.
"That's the guy? Wow..." His friend reacted.
"He seems average..."
"I know right! How the hell did someone like that get a girlfriend like her?"
As with most good things there are downsides to them as well. Like the constant whispering and rumor mongering that was happening around me.
"She really does have bad taste in men."
"Hmph, well its good to know that Ms. Perfect has some flaws."
"You got that right, guess she's not so perfect after all."
Looks like my mystery girlfriend was already causing me trouble. Great...just freaking great...
Not wanting to get anymore stressed I decided to pick up the pace and quickly make my way to my destination. Thankfully the school was just a short distance away, it was surprisingly bigger than what I expected to be. As far as you could tell it looked like it had at least six floors. It was your typical Japanese looking school, one could possibly look up "Japanese school building designs" and the first result would perfectly reflect what I was seeing. A building that had one entrance at the middle and then stretched to both sides. At the front there was one big school gate that could fit two big trucks. There was a large name plate on the left side with the words:
[Welcome to Keihatsu High]
Keihatsu High huh? You know, I just realized that the name of the school was never given. Come to think of it there were never any images or CGI of the whole school in the first place. The game only used the Literature Club and some rooms in the school as the setting. Its strange seeing it in its entirety if not a little satisfying. Its like witnessing a puzzle being slowly put together and I found a big piece that helps connect all of the edges.
Nevertheless, it doesn't change the fear I have for that place. The happy and energetic atmosphere that it seemed to exude only added to my paranoia.
(Ding)
Hmm...another message from eight...
"You are a 2nd year student of class 2A. Head up to the third floor and go to the first classroom to the right."
"Thanks" I texted back.
Before I could pocket the phone it vibrated once more. Another message? Hmm...its a bit long...
"This is just a bit of a heads up, I did some digging and I found out about your girlfriend." I am not liking where this is going.
"Do not FREAK OUT, I repeat do not FREAK OUT or cause a scene!" I seriously need to have a talk with Eight because his ability to stress me the fuck out is unparalleled.
"Its-
"There you are, Michael!~" A rather chirpy voice called out, bringing my attention away from my phone. My eyes roamed around a bit, trying to spot the source. There were still students entering the gate making it difficult to find out who shouted my name. Luckily I saw a girl running towards me from the distance subtly waving her arms at me probably mindful of the attention she might draw towards her.
...
Unfortunately it didn't take long for me to find who it was.
"Oh no..." Not her...why did it have to be her?
As she got closer and closer her features started to look familiar. Long coral brown hair that's kept in a ponytail tied back with a large white bow. Emerald green eyes and a bright smile that has haunted me for years on end.
"Monika..."
****Report (3)****
- Subject Michael has been exposed to the new areas.
- Subject's stress levels have peaked a few times but have been resolved thanks to timely interventions.
- Contact via phone has been effective. Cloak. exe is still working, the entity remains unaware.
- Only one problem has arisen and that is the character that has been linked to the subject. Michael's girlfriend...
- It seems the entity has adapted seamlessly to the update. It has created its own scenarios and backstories for its characters.
- Reports will unfortunately be sporadic for now. Helping Michael cope through the initial week is the top priority.
****End Report (3)****