Chapter 7- I'm First Player!
If I owned any aspects of Persona... I just don't
Souji is in my spell-check and I am not risking the Yu, "you" problems that might happen. For those who are not typical students of Yasogami, I made up their ages and if you don't like the ages I decided… well you know my rule about it. I expect ethical respect from my readers, but if you don't want to be a respectful reader; I want you to hit the back button.
P.S.: All sorts of OOC stuff. Persona rules on suffixes #5 Boredom Relief Members are not required to attend every meeting.
P.S.S.: You are free to give suggestions on pairings or whatever…
P.S.S.: Souji is meant to be indecisive (there is a reason, and if you can't figure out why…)
Souji's thoughts
That Evening: Junes
Miraculously, Naoto did not leave the Boredom Relief Club after watching an argument break out over a game of Old Maid and seeing the after effects of Yosuke being Yosuke in front of either Chie or Yukiko. All in all, Souji saved himself from Marie's wrath somehow. He still believed that if she ever asked him to bring in another hapless soul, though… he would fail miserably.
The evening after his recruitment of Naoto, Souji had returned home and promptly found that he had inadequate materials to make a proper dinner. He was forced to make a dinner below his acceptable quality for Nanako, and eventually Dojima when he came home from work. Souji promised himself not to have the same inadequacies tomorrow, so after requesting his uncle to allow him to leave the household in the late evening; he found himself at Junes. What he did not expect, was his cousin to have begged her way to his side. He did not mind having Nanako at Junes, considering it is her favorite store. However, he was not sure how Nanako convinced her father to let her to go to Junes with him. All that mattered was that he was now at Junes with his cousin.
Right at this moment, Souji was sitting in the Grocery Department with his younger cousin, staring straight at the dairy products in the back. He was not quite uncomfortable, as he looked for unsalted butter, but it was not exactly warm as he stood near the milk and yogurt.
At his side was his younger cousin, a brunette with short little pigtails off to the side. She had to be a little more uncomfortable than him, wearing a light pink tank top. She had been very good so far, not leaving his side. She was also gripping the cart that held a few of the other products they had already picked up.
Souji, still looking at the back section, said to Nanako, "Keep an eye out for the butter, okay? We're looking for the unsalted kind…"
"Okay, Big bro…," Nanako replied cheerfully.
Souji's eyes slid across the back section as he stepped towards the butter; he could feel Nanako following him. There were few late night shoppers, but Souji ignored them as he brushed past the salted butter products. When he finally reached the unsalted butter items, he looked for the right mix of price and quality.
Here we go…
Souji reached for the butter, and instead of grabbing hold of it; Souji made contact with a red and black gloved hand with the fingers showing. He pulled back his fingers more out of instinct than anything else. He turned his head and saw the girl with the white sleeveless blouse, light blue hat, and tight skirt staring straight at him. She was holding a hand cart as well, with only a few items inside.
"Senpai…," Marie said simply.
"Marie-chan…," Souji said back.
Of course Marie has to be here…
The two stood there in silence for about five seconds, lost for words, until Souji's cousin came up from behind, "Big bro? Did you find the butter?" When she saw Souji staring at Marie, she asked, "Big bro? Who's this?"
Marie's face turned from a blank stare to a devilish smirk as she gazed from Souji to Nanako. She responded to Nanako in an oddly normal tone, considering her smirk, "Hello… my name is Marie. What's yours?"
"My name is Nanako…," Nanako responded. She looked at Marie inquisitively, like she knew she her from somewhere.
"It's nice to meet you, Nanako-chan…," Marie said. As she as her eyes met Souji's, she started grinning.
What the hell?
"Nice to meet you too, Marie-chan…," Nanako said; she was still trying to figure out where she had seen her before.
Souji decided to satiate Nanako's confusion, "Nanako… you might know her with long hair, and the name Mariko…"
"Mari-chan!?" Nanako exclaimed, a surprised look on her face. She had invented a new nickname for Marie on the fly.
"Mari-chan?" Marie whispered in slight confusion.
Souji shrugged and then answered Nanako, "Yeah… she's in my club, remember?"
Nanako nodded, "I remember now… you said Mari-chan was in your club."
Marie's grin was still evident to Souji before she looked back at Nanako and asked, "Nanako-chan… what can you tell me about your cousin? I want to know him better…"
You are evil…
"Big bro?" Nanako said. "He's really nice to me and my dad. He makes dinner for me every day he can. He also spends time with me even though he seems really busy with school."
"He is a nice guy, isn't he?" Marie winked.
Nanako nodded, "Yep…"
Souji knew that there was something going on, and he needed to get his cousin out of the way at least for a moment. If he didn't, Marie would corrupt her. He looked down at Nanako and changed the subject, "Nanako, we still need to pickle relish, right?"
Nanako replied, "Yeah… we need to get Dad's pickle relish…"
"It's in the aisle just down there," Souji pointed to his left. He asked his cousin. "Do you think you can get it by yourself, or do you want me to go with you?"
Nanako seemed to have trouble deciding on whether she wanted to have Souji accompany her or not. Before Nanako could decide, Marie made the decision for her, "If you don't want to go alone, Rise can go with you."
Rise?
Marie turned to the aisle just beyond the one where he said the pickle relish would reside and called out, "Rise! I have something for you to do besides find over-priced groceries."
Souji raised his eyebrows as Rise Kujikawa came out of the aisle Marie called out to. The red-haired girl walked straight towards Marie. She had an annoyed face as she said, "Marie… what is it?"
When she came close to Marie, she looked in Souji's direction and smiled at his presence. Her smile widened, however, at seeing Nanako at the silver-haired young man's side.
Why is Rise here?
"Who is this, Souji-senpai?" Rise questioned, an extremely curious look on her face.
"This is my cousin, Nanako…," Souji responded.
"She's adorable…," Rise gushed.
Nanako blushed slightly before she said, "Thank you…" She quickly composed herself and asked Rise with more excitement. "You're Rise-chan, right?"
Rise nodded, "Yep…" She paid no mind to Nanako's excitement, most likely due to her adoration of Nanako's appearance.
Marie shook her head and said something before Nanako could say something, "Rise… Souji-senpai needs something."
"Hmm?" Rise turned her head from Nanako to Marie, and then to Souji. "What do you need, Senpai?"
Only Marie could make it sound weird…
"Could you go with Nanako down the aisle to get the pickle relish and anything else we need?" Souji turned his head slightly as he requested.
Rise responded quickly, "Of course…" She looked to Nanako, "Whenever you're ready…"
"Yeah!" Nanako exclaimed.
Souji held out his hand, "One second, Nanako…" He again attempted to grab the unsalted butter that was thwarted the first time by Marie's hand. Upon obtaining the butter with a firm grasp on his right hand, Souji dropped it into the small cart Nanako was holding. "Okay, I'll see you shortly…"
"See you soon, Big bro…," Nanako said as he walked off with Rise.
As soon as the red-haired ex-idol and Souji's cousin were out of earshot, Marie again focused her attention on Souji and promptly smirked. Souji rolled his eyes as he said, "Okay… what is it?"
"I can see why you have a cousin complex, Senpai…," Marie continued to smirk.
Souji replied, "You're still going on about that?"
Marie ignored Souji's statement, "I can tell she adores you."
"So…?" Souji said.
"It's cute that you're robbing the cradle," Marie smirked.
"I think it's wise for you to stop talking," Souji responded.
Marie rolled her eyes and then apologized, "Okay, okay… I'm sorry."
Souji was not sure he really believed her. She really liked to mess with people, after all. He took a deep breath and then changed the subject, "So, what brings you here to Junes so late at night?"
"I need to get some stuff for a late night snack, and we have no food at home beyond the essentials…," Marie shrugged. "Isn't that obvious?"
Souji rolled his eyes again, "How is that obvious?" He questioned. "Okay, so if you're here for food, why is Rise-chan here?"
"It would be boring if I went alone," Marie explained. "So, I asked Rise to come with me…"
Yes… I bet you were subtle about asking her. More like you dragged her here.
Souji exhaled the small amount of air he had in his lungs and said, "Of course that's how it went."
Marie started frowning, "I bring her along for company, but she starts finding all this expensive crap for herself. I'm certainly not paying for it."
I saw that…
"Well, you did bring her along…," Souji tried to reason with her.
"So…?" Marie raised her hands in frustration. "I didn't bring her along for herself!"
So childish…
"Excuse me…," an old lady suddenly cut her way between the two high school students. She reached for the same brand of butter that had taken Souji two tries to obtain.
"Oh… sorry," Souji moved slightly away from Marie and the butter products to let the older woman with thinning hair. The old lady smiled at Souji and took the butter from the shelf in the refrigerated section.
After retrieving the product, the lady stepped back and looked to both high school students. She said with a grin, "Don't stay out too late. I'm sure a couple like you will have plenty of time to see each other after school."
A couple?
Marie's frown turned into something of a surprised reddened look as she exclaimed, "We are not a couple!"
Souji almost had to chuckle at how vehemently she denied that accusation. He had only shook his head at the absurdity when the older lady had suggested it. He would never have thought of asking Marie out. He was actually waiting for a Junes employee to come over and scold Marie for being so loud in denying their relationship. No scolding ever came, though, as the old lady instead wished her luck in snagging him. It caused even more problems.
Marie was no longer smirking after the old lady left the dairy section. She bit her lip and muttered, "Stupididiotjerks… assuming things for no reason…" She pointed her finger at Souji. "It's all your fault."
Huh?
"Why is it my fault?" Souji threw his hands out at a fifty-degree angle in front of him.
"Because… it's the way you act," Marie said in a way like it was obvious. "Don't think I didn't notice that you were all buddy-buddy with Rise, walking with her in the rain."
That's why?
"She was only there with me because she forgot her umbrella," Souji explained. "But… whatever."
Marie did not look satisfied at all by Souji's answer. She frowned and blushed slightly as she said, "That lady would not have said anything if you would not have been standing so close to me."
"Sorry…," Souji shrugged.
"Whatever…," Marie shook her head, trying to change the subject. She wanted to leave any notions or mentions of relationships far away. She took a breath and said. "The break is about to start, which means it could be our last club meeting in the club room until we get back."
"That's true," Souji agreed with her.
"Do you know what that means?" Marie asked. She continued, "It means… that you have to come up with something fun to do, or… you're in real trouble!"
An empty threat again?
"And if I don't…," Souji started to question.
Marie cut him off, "You don't want to find out." Her smile had returned at this point as she inched slightly closer towards Souji and pointed a single finger at him. "I have something in store if you don't figure something out, Mari-chan..."
Maybe I should fail someday just to see what she really does try to do…
"I'll kill you if you ever say that name in public," Marie fumed.
"I know, I know…," Souji chuckled.
Souji was not really going to try that tomorrow, though. He had to think of something exciting to do. He could slack off during the summer. There was actual something else he should do, especially if the club meetings at school were about to end.
"Marie-chan…," Souji pulled out his phone. He went back to his normal way of speaking with her after teasing her momentarily.
"Yeah? What is it?" Marie looked at him inquisitively, still looking somewhat annoyed.
"I need your phone number," Souji told her.
Marie's face turned as red as when the older lady told the pair they were in a relationship. She responded to Souji's statement, "Why!?"
"If you start directing the club meetings once school gets out, or you make me do it… we need each other's phone numbers, silly…," Souji tried it to make sound as obvious as possible.
"Well, yeah… that's obvious…," Marie tried to brush it off, her blushed face receding. "I… I just thought you were trying to be perverted and ask for my number so you can call me late at night to tell me dirty jokes."
Why would I do that?
"I am not Yosuke, Marie-chan…," Souji reassured her.
"Of course not," Marie agreed.
The two quickly exchanged phones to exchange numbers. Marie looked somewhat unsatisfied as the two finished entering in the numbers. As the two started handing the phones back, Marie suddenly stepped back as a female voice rang through, "Ooh… exchanging phone numbers… do I smell romance?"
"Shut up, Rise!" Marie called out instinctively. "This is for the club. He'll need your number, too…"
"Ooh… Senpai is a playboy…," Rise smirked as she walked up next to Marie while pulling her cell out. Souji just rolled his eyes as he took Rise's phone and Souji's phone was handed over to Rise by Marie. Souji simultaneously handed Marie's phone back over to her. After a few more punches of numbers, all phones were handed back to the original owners.
While all the phone numbers were being entered, Nanako had returned to Souji's side. She looked quite content from being with Rise. Still, Souji asked, "Did you find everything you needed?"
Nanako nodded, "Yep… Rise-chan helped me…"
Souji looked back to Rise and nodded slightly, "Thank you for watching over her…"
"Anytime…," Rise smiled.
Souji looked to both of them, to Nanako, and then back to the club members, "Well, we should get going. It's just about Nanako's bed time at that." He nodded slightly before he said. "I'll see you two at club."
"See you later, Senpai!" Rise waved at Souji. She then proceeded to wave to Nanako. "Bye, Nanako-chan. I'll shop with you whenever you want."
"Goodbye, Rise-chan!" Nanako waved back.
Marie nodded back to Souji and Nanako. She said to Souji, "I'll see you tomorrow."
Souji finally made his way through the grocery department after finishing his goodbyes to Marie and Rise. When he reached the cash register, he had a small urge to charge the groceries to Yosuke's account, but he thought better of it. It was mainly because he had no reason to do something so evil. After paying for the groceries, he left the mega-mart and headed back towards the Residential District with his cousin at his side.
Souji was holding the groceries-filled Junes bag in his right hand as he started walking home with his cousin. After about a minute of lonely walking, Nanako looked up to her cousin and asked, "Big bro, what's a "playboy"?"
She would ask…
Souji was not really sure how to answer her. As they walked into the entrance of the Residential District, he answered, "It means a person who is friends with lots of girls."
Nanako said, "Does that mean I'm a "playboy", Big bro?"
Souji quickly answered in response, "No, Nanako. Girls can't be "playboys"."
The rest of their walk back was not quite as lively, but had conversation at the very least. He made it home to his residence just in time for Nanako to head upstairs to go to bed. He had taken too long in finding what he needed and in talking to Marie and Rise.
Souji headed upstairs as soon as he put away the butter, the pickle relish, and the other goods that had been purchased, too. After washing his face, he went to the dresser and changed into sweats and a comfier shirt. Souji then went over to his desk where he very occasionally studied and grabbed a book to read. He went to his couch and read about a teacher who was even meeker than half of the teachers at his own school. Throughout his reading, he was trying to think of something for his club to do.
Something to do… it definitely can't be as flashy as a laser tag fight…
Maybe it was his indecision on what to do the next day, or his usual nonchalant attitude. The result was the same; Souji did not sleep well. He was just a little tired when he woke up to Nanako's beckoning for him to come get his toast and eggs. His lack of sleep just that much harder for him to wash his face, get dressed, and help clean the dishes after he finished eating with his cousin.
I never seem to sleep very well… I'll just sleep in class…
Souji's tiredness stayed with him all the way until the morning bell rang and Morooka entered the room. Souji was planning on taking a nap, but the buck-toothed loudmouth walked straight to the teacher's desk before he could rest his head on the desk with his arms as a buffer.
"Now listen up!" Morooka exclaimed. "I know your break starts tomorrow, but I want you to pay attention…"
Souji heard whispering coming from some other guys around the classroom as King Moron started his ranting, "What's he going on now? I just want to go out to the beach with some hot girls…"
"I know I bet you boys have lots of plans on this holiday, and your plans involves hanging out with girls in places like pools, beaches, and watering holes. I don't want you ruining the purity of these girls with your perverse plans!" Morooka started an endless rush of ranting on what not to do during their summer.
This is boring. If my classmates want to do it with chicks, then they're going to do it regardless of what you say. I'm taking a nap.
After listening to a rant and a few other useless lectures from teachers that he would not see for weeks, Souji was ready for a break. Instead of eating on the roof, he decided to just eat his lunch in Class 2-2. It appeared that the other members of the Boredom Relief Club that were also a part of 2-2 had also decided to eat lunch in 2-2.
Souji had thrown together a lunch at the last moment before he went to bed last night, and he unwrapped the red cloth to eat his lunch with some trepidation. He had forgotten what he had packed. Luckily, his lunch was edible. However, he was interrupted by a brunette with her hair cut in a bowl cut before he could start eating.
"Hey, Souji…," the brunette called out to him from the seat next to him. Her own bento was open, cut steak between her chopsticks.
Souji focused his attention at Chie, ignoring the bustle from the other students eating around him, and said, "Hey…"
"Almost time for break," Chie told him. "What are you planning on doing during it?"
Souji pursed his lips and then bit his lower lip. The only thing he knew about his plans for his break was that he had no idea. He took one second and then said, "When it comes to my plans, I'm not quite sure. I mean, if it has to do with the club… it'll be on a day-by-day basis."
Chie had taken a bite of her food and after she had swallowed her piece of cut steak, she shook her head. She responded in a slow voice, "I'm not talking about club. I know that Marie-chan will decide half of our activities anyways."
"That's probably true…," Souji nodded in agreement. "At least, she'll make some not so subtle suggestions."
Though, if it's not about club…
"Chie… if this isn't about club activities, why are you asking me about what I'm doing during the break?" Souji questioned.
Chie dropped her chopsticks and fidgeting a little. She took a second before she answered, "I was wondering if you could make time to train with me some more…"
Train with her? I thought we resolved that on the rooftop…
Souji again did not know to respond to Chie, of course. Training with her, whatever that would entail, could not be worse than anything Marie could think up.
He shrugged, "Sure, I guess…"
"Thanks…," Chie nodded. "It's not as enjoyable training by yourself."
She makes it sound like we've worked together a lot more than we have. We stretched together like once…
"That's true…," Souji said. "I guess everything is better with other people."
Except…
With Chie placated, Souji finally thought he could get back to eating. He put his a piece of his hastily thrown together lunch between his chopsticks and moved it towards his mouth. Before it reached his mouth, he was approached by another member of the Boredom Relief Club that was also a classmate of his. He normally sat one seat behind Souji, but he now stood to the left side of him.
I can't just eat lunch…
"Yosuke…," Souji interrupted "What is it?" His tone was slightly less friendly than when he was speaking with Chie. The only real reason why he was slightly cold towards the fluffy-haired second-year was because he was hungry and he was being interrupted again.
Yosuke crossed his arms and bent down to whisper to him. He said, "Hey… I have a great idea for our break."
Why are you whispering it?
"Okay... what is your idea?" Souji responded in a little louder voice.
"I think at some point, we should go to the beach…," Yosuke said. "Warm water, nice food, girls in skimpy swimsuits…"
That doesn't explain why you're whispering.
"Okay… I'm sure it's a plausible idea that will be accepted by the others," Souji told him. He lowered his voice only because Yosuke would not stop lowering his. "But… why are you being so hush-hush about it?"
"Because if anyone heard about possible beach plans, and they knew that it could include Rise-chan and Marie-chan in swimsuits," Yosuke explained. "It would cause… problems."
I guess Yosuke has a point.
Souji shrugged and picked up his chopsticks again, "Well, you never know if Yukiko or Chie will agree. Besides, there's a cross-dressing girl in our club now."
Yosuke frowned. He finally said, "We won't know unless we try…"
"I guess you're right about that," Souji agreed.
Souji believed that Yosuke was probably right on a few things. Going to the beach was probably a good idea, and it was not like there was a shortage of people who could go with them. The Boredom Relief Club would be perfect for an activity like this; the beach would probably be anything but boring, especially with Marie there.
There was the one other reason that probably drove Yosuke to push this idea. Souji would not deny this reason was not a bad one. The reason that the girls of the Boredom Relief Club would be in swimsuits was probably Yosuke's main reason for wanting to go to the beach. Souji could definitely support this reasoning, any breathing male probably would. There was still a problem or two, though.
Souji exhaled the little air in his lungs and said, "Yosuke, no one is going to want to take the bus all the way out to the beach."
Yosuke smiled, or Souji thought he smiled as he answered the silver-haired boy's complaint, "I have a plan to solve that, too. I'll bring it up with you later."
What would that be? Are we running to the beach?
Lunchtime would be ending soon, so Souji tried to hurry and finish the conversation, "Yosuke, if you really want this to go through… you'll have to bring it up with Marie-chan, Rise-chan, and whoever else you have to convince."
Yosuke's face dropped slightly, but he steeled himself. After a deep breath, he answered, "You're right. It's my responsibility if I want to see Risette or Yukiko-san in a swimsuit."
Yukiko-san? Now you know that he's serious.
"I wish you luck…," Souji said. He put on a small smile as he spoke. He was half-sincere only because it could be fun if they actually went to the beach.
It could end being hell, too…
Souji only got through half of his lunch before he had re-wrap the red cloth around his bento and endure a few more pointless lectures from teachers wishing them safety and fun during break. Kashiwagi's well-wishes were the creepiest. It interrupted his psyche and prevented him from being in the right state of mind to lay his head down and sleep through what was going to be a joke of a World History lecture by Sofue.
When classes were finally finished for the day, Souji grabbed his briefcase from the side of the desk and headed out of 2-2 and down the hall towards the Practice Building. He went straight to what was the Old English Classroom and slid open the door to attend the club where he supposed to organize the activity.
At the speed that Souji walked to the Boredom Relief Club, he expected to be the first one in the club room. When Souji walked into the club room, a person with very short navy hair with a navy hat and a male uniform was sitting in the chair closest to the club room doors on the left side. The club member might be wearing a male uniform, but the club member sitting at the lone wooden table was a girl.
Why is Naoto just sitting there? Isn't she bored?
Souji took a deep breath as he walked towards the wooden table, placed his briefcase on the side of it, and sat down across from the only other member of the club currently in the room. He looked at Naoto to see that she was currently reading a book.
He swallowed to clear his throat and said to the detective, "Naoto-kun… what are you reading?"
Naoto set the book down and looked at the silver-haired young man. She answered him, "I'm just skimming something my grampa gave me."
"Is it any good?" Souji asked.
Naoto gave a half-hearted shrug, "I'm not really sure yet. I will have to take a look a more thorough look at it later." She suddenly changed the subject, "Now that another member of the club, the President, is here, I guess we can start the activities of the day."
I was actually expecting Marie to be here, not the cross-dresser…
"I guess we can…," Souji said. As soon as he had sat down across from Naoto, he stood up again and while pulling the chair; he made his way to the large TV that Marie had persuaded Yosuke into putting on his ever-enlarging tab. Beneath the TV was a game system that had also been put on Yosuke's tab. The second-year hit the power button on the TV and changed the setting to a HDMI channel. He bent down and pressed the power button on the game system before grabbing a controller and sitting down on the chair he had pulled over from the long wooden table.
He then took the game he had planned to use since he had woken up this morning, and put it inside the system. As the game started to load, Souji turned his head in the direction of Naoto and said, "Naoto-kun… why don't you join me for a game?"
"A game?" Naoto looked confused. Her confused look stayed evident as she continued. "I've never played…"
Souji shrugged as he rested his back against the chair. He responded, "That doesn't matter."
Naoto backed up her chair and stood up slowly. She asked, "Do you mind teaching me how to play?"
Souji nodded and gave a very small smile, "Of course."
Naoto dragged her chair next to Souji's own chair. She sat down and Souji handed her the second controller. He went through the Title screen, and then into the Versus screen for two players. As the game moved onto the Character Select screen, Souji started his explanation for how to play the game.
He looked at Naoto and said, "Okay… the objective of this game is to pick a character and knock the other one off the screen using various attacks. You press A for regular attacks, and B with separate directional buttons for strong attacks. Different characters have different attacks that do different things. If you press the directional button quickly to the right or the left, you will roll. You can collect items and either use them against your opponent, or heal."
As Souji kept going about the game, Naoto interrupted him. She put up her left hand and told him, "Maybe I would learn better if we just play. We can go by trial-and-error."
Sounds like a plan…
Souji moved his cursor and picked what he thought was a suitable character for this fight. He did not pick the character he was best at. His choice was made mainly because he was playing against someone who had never played the game before.
Naoto said to Souji, "Who should I play as, Senpai?"
I shouldn't suggest she play as she cross-dresser, should I?
Souji thought for a second before he answered, "I think you should play as the girl in red armor. She's faster than she looks and can fire large energy blasts if she has the time to charge her gun."
"Okay…," Naoto said. "I'll try her out."
Naoto moved her cursor over to the character Souji suggested while the silver-haired young man finalized his choice. Finally, the battle, not between the first-year cross-dresser with the blue hat and the second-year with silver hair, but a battle between a woman in red armor with a big gun and a guy in green with a sword and shield started.
"Go easy on me…," Naoto said.
"I'm not very good myself…," Souji admitted.
The two began their five minute match, which mainly consisted of Naoto getting used to her character. It meant a lot of wild half-charged shots in the general direction of Souji's character, who jumped out of the way, most of the time. Souji only attacked her character a few times, slashing the red-armored woman with a whirling blade and arrows. The fight was kind of awkward, but it was oddly fun for Souji. Souji looked at Naoto while he tried to dodge another blast, and saw that she was smiling. Her smile might have formed because of the fact she had finally hit him with a charged blast and sent him flying off the screen. Souji got careless in this fight.
While Souji's character started to regenerate, Naoto smiled and gave what Souji thought was the smallest of clenched fists in triumph. When Naoto saw that Souji was looking, she quickly unclenched her fist and embarrassment shone on her face.
Cute…
The fight continued for another minute with Souji returning the favor with his character sending Naoto's off the screen. Before the match hit its fourth minute, the door slid open again. Souji did not look back to see who had entered the club room. He did not have to, however. From behind the TV, Souji heard a very familiar voice call out, "Senpai! What are you playing?"
Now she's here…
"Marie-chan…," Souji pressed a button to smash Naoto's character into a wall and slide all the way to the bottom of the level. "We're playing a game…"
"Ooh…," Marie sounded excited. "I want to play."
Souji rolled his eyes as Naoto's character retaliated by firing a missile at Souji's character. Souji's character dodged the missile with a well-timed jump. He responded to Marie, "I'm playing with Naoto-kun right now… wait your turn."
Somehow, Souji knew that Marie had a mixture of annoyance and pouting on her face. He was not sure, but out of his peripheral vision; Souji thought that Naoto might have smiled slightly at his comment.
Souji continued with a comment directed at Naoto, "Let's finish our match…" He threw a bomb at Naoto's character, knocking her character off the edge.
Souji finished the match with a close win, even if he spent more time being interrupted and trying to make sure Naoto got the hang of the game than eviscerating her. As the results shone across the TV, Souji heard a chair being dragged from behind him and Marie call out, "Finally…"
As the chair was dragged from across the room, the door slid open yet again. The other six members of the Boredom Relief Club entered the club room, led by Yosuke and Kanji. Yosuke placed his briefcase against the front wall, next to the door and smiled, "Sweet! Video games…"
Souji instinctively put down the controller as the game went back to the Title screen. He turned his head around to the right until his shoulder swiveled with him so he could meet Yosuke's gaze. He nodded and said, "Yep… video games."
"Awesome…," Yosuke said. He raised his hand as the others shuffled in around him "I got next…"
Immediately, the girl with long black and white-striped socks interjected, "I have been waiting to beat Souji-senpai, Yosuke-senpai. You will have to wait your turn."
"There are four controllers…," Yosuke muttered.
Yukiko, Rise, and Chie had placed their own bags on the table. Rise directed a question towards Souji as Marie continued to pull her chair even with Souji and Naoto, "I'm guessing we're playing video games today, right Senpai?"
Souji nodded as Marie sat down next to Naoto. The girl with long fingerless gloves was still pouting slightly. Before Marie could pick up another controller, Naoto faced the rest of the group and said, "If we are to play games, why don't we all play in turns with an equal amount of people each time" She continued, "That would be… three each time."
As soon as Naoto's comment left her mouth, Marie stood up and walked away from the two sitting by the TV. She looked even more annoyed than before. The blond-haired Teddie who was standing near Yosuke asked, "So, who's playing who?" He smiled, "I want to play Rise-chan!"
Yosuke responded to Teddie's question not through words, but instead by walking back to his school briefcase which was only a step away from the club door and pulling out one of his notebooks and a pen. He ripped out a piece of paper and ripped off nine shreds that were close to equal size. He then started writing a single word on each shred.
Oh… I know what he's doing…
After writing the names down on the shreds of paper, Yosuke threw them in an empty side pocket of his briefcase. He picked up his school bag and walked over to Souji where he said, "If you would do the honors of drawing three names."
Why me?
Souji shrugged as he said, "Whatever…"
He reached into the side pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He showed it to the group.
"It says Kanji…," Souji told them as he showed the group.
Kanji looked nervous as he gazed around the room, meeting Souji's and then Naoto's eyes. "I don't know how to play."
Marie smirked, "Have Naoto-kun teach you?"
"Huh?" Kanji looked away, reddening slightly. "Have Naoto-kun teach me?"
Naoto shook her head and replied quickly yet nervously, "I couldn't… I only learned how to play five minutes ago myself…"
Marie did that on purpose.
Teddie interjected before Marie could make another comment, "Draw the next name!"
Souji drew the next piece of paper. He half-expected Naoto's name to be the next one to come out, and was not surprised in the least when her name was staring back at her. It delighted Marie after all.
"Now Naoto-kun can teach you the game firsthand, Kanji-kun," Marie smiled even wider. Her pout and annoyance had disappeared in an instant. She had completely forgotten about not being able to play right away.
If she gets to make other people to suffer, she's happy.
Souji shook his head and drew the third name. He tried not to show surprise when his name appeared. He did not know if he expected to be playing first, but he was.
"We're playing against each other again," Naoto said after he showed the club members the shred of paper with his name on it.
He gave Kanji the same amount of information on how to play the game as he had Naoto, though Kanji had asked for a little more.
"Good luck, Senpai," Rise gave him some slight encouragement.
"Don't screw up…," Marie smirked. "If you lose against two people who don't know how to play… heh…"
Souji raised an eyebrow, "Are there punishments and rewards involved?"
"We'll see…," Marie said with a devious tone not hidden well at all. She walked towards Naoto and whispered something into Naoto's ear. Souji guessed it was her giving Naoto tips on how to beat him into the ground.
After Souji switched the settings, Naoto picked the same woman in red armor as Kanji picked a little boy in a striped shirt. This time around Souji picked a pink sponge ball. It was his favorite character, after all.
It's not the size, it's how you use it.
Every spectator stood as the game loaded. The whole club waited for the game to
Yosuke held up his hand as the Character Select screen disappeared. He spoke in an overdramatic fashion, "Round 1 to see who moves onto the finals… Five minute battle! Ready! Begin!"
I'm afraid I can't go easy on you this time…
Once the fight began, Souji took no prisoners. He brutalized Kanji's character from the get-go, flying up in the air and repeatedly landing on top of him. Since Kanji did not know how to utilize his character's attacks, Souji was able to throw Kanji's character around like a ragdoll. At the same time, he dodged missiles and energy blasts from Naoto's character. Occasionally, he dodged them in a way so they would hit Kanji's character.
"This is so frustrating!" Kanji exclaimed after being sent flying for the third time. It was the first time that Naoto's character had sent his off-screen.
Naoto did not immediately respond, only after her own character was knocked off by an attack of Souji's did she answer, "I understand, Kanji-kun. I've been sent flying, too."
"What do we do?" Kanji questioned as his character advanced towards Souji's.
Naoto sighed as her character regenerated. She responded, "We need to team up on him.
"Good luck…," Souji said softly. He was focused on winning this time around. He did not play a lot, but he was sure that this time around, Marie had something up her sleeve.
Two minutes later, the fight was over with an epic victory by Souji. Souji did not go easy on them this time, and it showed by the results screen. Marie had wanted him to lose for one reason or another, but Souji would not let Kanji or Naoto beat him.
Naoto shrugged slightly as the results shown across the screen. "I tried,"
"You did your best…," Souji encouraged before standing up so another member of the club could take his seat.
Kanji looked at Naoto and muttered, "We got killed…"
From behind the chairs, Yosuke said, "Let's hope the next matches are more competitive."
I don't know if they will be… Has Yukiko ever played this game? Or Rise?
Naoto and Kanji left the chairs and made their way back to the group so Souji could draw the next three names. After three pulls, Yosuke, Teddie, and Chie were sitting in the chairs and choosing their characters for their own duel. Teddie took the far left chair that Souji was sitting in while Yosuke took the middle seat that Naoto was sitting in earlier. Souji believed it might actually be a good fight, considering that both Teddie and Yosuke had played this quite a bit.
It might come down to who knocks Chie off the screen more…
"Hey Yosuke," Teddie said.
"What is it Teddie?" Yosuke said as he picked his character.
"How about that… if I win, you give me some of your stash that's under your bed?" Teddie smiled and winked.
Chie looked disgusted, "Your stash!? Eww…"
Yosuke waved his hands in retaliation, "Come on Teddie! Don't tell people about that!"
Teddie lowered his eyes, "At least one of the Risette pin-up books…"
Souji rolled his eyes as Marie held back a chuckle. The first-year with long-striped socks looked at Rise and grinned, "Someone actually bought one of those?"
Rise retorted, "I think mine sold better than yours…"
"I could care less…," Marie tried to sound apathetic.
Whatever… pin-up books…
"If it makes you feel better, Marie-chan," Teddie said in a comforting voice. "Yosuke has your, too."
"Teddie!" Yosuke exclaimed.
"You two are perverts…," Chie muttered.
"Just shut up and kill each other...," Marie said bitterly.
Souji thought Chie might somehow take enough offense to Yosuke's and Teddie's ramblings, and that would make her perform better in her match. However, the game might as well been a one-on-one affair. Yosuke's strongman with a big punch and kick versus Teddie's furry creature with a ray gun were the real showcase. Yosuke's and Teddie's characters went back and forth, punching and shooting, kicking and reflecting attacks. They only stopped long enough to send Chie's character off into the sunset occasionally.
"Damn it…," Yosuke cursed softly as the results flashed and displayed that he had finished second.
Teddie looked down right excited as he turned towards Yosuke and exclaimed, "Woohoo! It's mine!"
"I didn't agree on that!" Yosuke replied vigorously. "Where'd you get that idea!?"
Chie, the girl who had finished a distant third, left the two to bicker and muttered, "Perverts…" She moved close to Souji and whispered. "Can you believe them?"
"They are boys, Chie…," Souji stated what he thought was obvious.
Chie lowered her eyes in partial accusation, "Does that mean… you are also?"
Souji withheld a chuckle, "I'll leave that decision up to you…"
Chie nodded, "First slip-up you make…"
I wonder which punishment is worse… Marie's? Chie's?
There were only three club members left to fight for a spot in the finals. Marie, Rise, and Yukiko all took the seats once they were vacated by Teddie and Yosuke. Marie took the far left seat. Souji knew Marie had a distinct advantage over the other two because they had nowhere near the video game experience. Souji doubted Yukiko had ever touched a game system before. There was another reason Souji thought Marie had a distinct advantage. The girl with the sleeveless blouse had the most determined look on her face as she chose her character. It was a look that told everyone that she was going to destroy everyone else.
There was very little conversation between the three opponents as the game started. Marie and Rise were not getting along, anyways. Yukiko just seemed a little out of place. It might just have been that they were just focusing on the fight at hand, as Marie's character smashed Rise's character across the screen.
Behind the three, Yosuke turned to Souji and asked, "So, who do you think is going to win?"
Souji shrugged, "The favorite has to be Marie-chan…"
"Makes sense…," Yosuke responded as his focus went back to the three duking it out on the TV.
Souji sort of wished it was a more competitive match. Marie just seemed to want it more, even though he knew that Rise always had a great urge to beat her fellow ex-idol. Less than halfway through the match, it was decided by the sheer amount of times Marie had knocked the other two club members' characters off the ledges. It ended up being even more embarrassing as Yukiko failed to score a single point.
Marie's smirk was evident as she looked straight at Rise and said, "You… lose!"
Rise shook her head in response, "I didn't expect to win…"
"Sure you didn't…," Marie looked skeptical. She continued. "All I know is that you lost and that you need to get out of the chair…"
Snrk…
"So, wait?" Kanji looked around. "It's the winners of the first three matches next?"
"Yep...," Yosuke answered.
Rise left the chair begrudgingly while Yukiko seemed uncaring about the whole thing. Marie stayed in the first chair so she would stay as the first player. Souji took the second chair and Teddie took the far right seat.
So, I guess I'm not first player. Wait… first player has won every match so far...
Souji started moving the cursor on his controller to pick the same pink sponge as before. Teddie was going for the same furry ray-gun wielding character as well, while Marie was going for some other hyperactive rat.
While the game was loading, Teddie looked at Marie and asked, "What happens if I win? Do I get to go on a date with Marie-chan? How about Rise-chan?"
Marie raised her eyebrows at Teddie's question. Eventually, she gave a small smile and replied, "How about a date with Rise-chan?"
"Yay!" Teddie looked really excited. "Date with Rise-chan!"
Rise walked behind Souji's chair and whispered into his ear, "I don't trust Marie, so you better win…"
I probably should…
Marie looked at Souji and grinned, "If I win, I'll tell everyone that you're a…"
Souji cut her off, "Marie-chan…."
"Sorry…," Marie stopped herself. "I have to win first before I tell everyone that…"
Okay… Marie is worse. But… I have a plan…
"Alright, if you win…," Souji said. "But, if I win… I'll tell everyone Nanako's nickname for you…"
Marie's grin soured. She did not want that name to be heard by anyone.
Okay, Mari-chan…
"Don't you dare…," Marie said so softly that only Souji could hear her.
Souji just smirked as a reply as the final match began. The fight's first thirty seconds were frantic and proved to Souji what he predicted all along; it was that this match would actually be competitive. Souji's pink sponge ball floated up in the air to slam down on the others, but Marie's hyperactive rat liked to shock Souji's character while it was still in the air. However, a few times Teddie's character interrupted Marie's character with its ray gun, allowing Souji's character to combo it from above. It annoyed Marie greatly, which was oddly satisfying for Souji.
"Damn it…," Marie bit her lip as Souji knocked her character off screen.
The fight continued, Teddie's and Souji's characters exchanging blows. They were both knocked off course when Marie returned to the field, but Souji's character made it back to the platform before he completely fell off, though. Souji's character was knocked off by Teddie's character when Teddie's came back to the field; it was a well-timed throw that the sponge ball could not recover from.
Everyone has fallen once, and everyone has knocked someone off once.
"Time's running out," Teddie said.
"Go ahead and finish them, Teddie…," Yosuke said, forgetting about the conversation about his stash.
The fight was close, and Souji rapidly tried to maneuver his sponge to hit Marie's rat. Marie's character flew past Souji's character and shocked him. It sent Souji's sponge so far off course that he nearly flew off the screen, but he regained control just in time to fly back to the platform. Teddie's and Marie's character were again exchanging blows when Souji's came up from behind and grabbed hold of Teddie's and threw him off the platform. Teddie's character tried to dash jump back onto the platform, but instead dashed onto the bottom of the platform. There were only five seconds left of the match left.
"No…," Marie realized that she was going to lose.
Marie's character made one last frantic dash to try and knock Souji's off the stage, but failed. Teddie's character had not even regenerated in time to try to stop him from winning.
As the results were revealed, Souji pumped his fist in his mind. Marie looked crestfallen while Teddie just looked disappointed.
Souji turned his head to look around at the others, and then to Marie before he looked back to the others. She looked desperate for Souji not to fulfill his reward, but Souji wanted revenge for her teasing.
"Looks like I win… Mari-chan…," Souji smiled. His smile widened as he waved. "Have a good break everyone!"
Next Chapter: Chapter 8- Tag! You're It!
It took me longer than I would have liked to finish this chapter. However, we have finished the first arc! It'll get serious from here on out.
