Shoko Komi's Ultimate Challenge

by Ulquiorra9000

Communication 17: virtual lover

On Saturday afternoon, Shoko Komi was wandering around downtown, looking for something fun to do, when she happened by a GameStop, just like the one in the mall. Hmmmmm... that was more Shosuke's or Hitohito's thing, really. But then again...

What was that poster?!

Shoko stopped at stared at the gorgeous poster taped to the inside of the GameStop's window, beholding the well-dressed lady surrounded by handsome boys dressed to the nines in European-style aristocrat clothes while flower petals swirled around them. The game's title, in curly gold cursive, read Fortunate Lover: The Cinderella Beckons.

Thirty seconds later, a trembling but excited Shoko Komi was handing over 4,000 yen to buy a hard copy of the game and made a timid nod when the sales clerk thanked her for today's purchase. Holding the game close to her chest, Shoko sprinted out of the GameStop, eager to begin her newest challenge.

Knock, knock. Shoko stood there excitedly when Shosuke opened his bedroom door, giving his sister a quizzical look.

"Shosuke, may I borrow your game laptop?" Shoko asked.

Shosuke raised his eyebrows. For real? his expression clearly said.

As an answer, Shoko held up the copy of Fortunate Lover, and Shosuke nodded, clearly understanding. He crossed his room and handed his sister his shiny AliensWare laptop. Be careful not to drop it or get liquids on it, his expression said. Have fun.

"Thank you, Shosuke!" Shoko gratefully accepted the laptop and hurried to her room, setting up the machine on her desk and pressing the power button. It's time for games!

Actually, it was time to ask Shosuke to enter his password. Then it was time for games! That is... after Shoko inserted the Fortunate Lover disk into the CD tray and waited 20 minutes for the game to install! Nothing is ever easy with computers, is it?

Shoko lay comfortably on her bed, reading another poetry book that Himiko had recommended to her, until Fortunate Lover finally finished installing. Shoko hopped up, sank onto her desk chair, and selected NEW GAME.

This was one of those "otome" games, right? Shoko had heard Netsuno and Nene mention such things: computer games where you play as a beautiful girl who must choose between one of several potential dates, but watch out for the mean girl who wants to ruin your fun! As Shoko blitzed through Fortunate Lover's tutorial chapter, she realized that beating this game would require some serious conversational skills! Bonus challenge!

But she could do it.

Shoko's character, a brunette named Aika Granzcheska, attended an elite private school for all the sons and daughters of the kingdom's nobility, and tensions ran high around here. Gossip, bullying, pranks, intense homework, and competitive sports matches were the norm at this academy, and a humble girl like Aika hardly stood a chance, especially with the sharp-tongued queen bee, Murbella Tegg, running around. Murbella even had a squad of mean friends to back her up! She actually reminded Shoko of Ren Yamai, funnily enough.

Hmmmmm... go into this classroom to meet prince Julius, ask him why he looks so upset, mention the difficult history test they had taken, sympathize with Julius for being too tired to focus on the test... Shoko marched right through one conversation after another, hitting all the best dialogue options. Or at least, Shoko thought so, until her character got cornered by Murbella and her cronies in the first-floor bathroom and got beaten into a coma! Since when were these games so violent?! Murbella beat up Aika for being "too chummy" with prince Julius, but how could that be? Shoko hadn't even flirted with him one bit! Or had she done it by accident, and not realized it? Either way, Shoko found herself staring at the BAD ENDING screen as sad piano music played and a few petal blossoms drifted across the dismal screen.

"Shoko! Shosuke! Dinnertime!" Shuko's voice cried from downstairs.

Shoko gasped and jumped right out of her seat. Oh shoot, how long had she been playing Fortunate Lover? She checked her phone's clock; 6:24 PM?! How the time flies!

Tomorrow, Shoko would get that good ending and show Murbella who's boss!

*o*o*o*o*

On Sunday afternoon, after helping her mom with housework and practicing the guitar with Shosuke, an excited Shoko returned to her room, fired up Fortunate Lover, and restarted her whirlwind otome romance adventure with Aika and her five suitors. But this time, Shoko steered clear of prince Julius, and instead pursued Ian Stewart, a cocky but warm-hearted boy who was captain of the rugby team and a sucker for poetry. And Murbella hardly even cared about Ian at all! Shoko was in the clear to score her big romance -

Then Ian's yandere admirer Asuna came along and challenged Aika to a duel. One that Asuna won by a landslide.

BAD ENDING.

Darn it! Shoko had time for one more session while pursuing Ian and avoided Asuna this time, but then Aika somehow ran afoul of Murbella's gang once again and became a widely hated pariah after Murbella spread nasty rumors about her! The horror!

Shoko went to bed very disappointed in herself.

So, she got some much-needed help.

"Haha, yeah, I love that game," Nene Onemine said brightly when Shoko brought up the topic of Fortunate Lover at the shoe lockers on Monday morning. "Which guy did you go after first? ... Julius, then Ian? That's tough! Try Leon instead. And bear in mind he's kind of insecure and needs his hand held at times, but it's worth it."

Shoko thanked Nene for the advice, and after homework that day, she fired up Fortunate Lover once again and plowed through the perfect dialogue options with Leon.

BAD BENDING. Curse you, Murbella...!

Next, Shoko asked Netsuno Chika about it on Tuesday, and was advised to crank it up to 1,000 degrees and try to romance Kenshiro, the exotic prince with a six-pack and a stern face that hid a heart of gold and a love of unicorns. Okay, Kenshiro, prepare to be romanced -

BAD ENDING.

Shoko slapped her hands over her face, listening to the sad music on the laptop's speakers as her mind whirled. Why were computer games so hard?! Or was Shoko just that bad at choosing the right dialogue options? Her gut squirmed when she considered the possibility that her limited real-life experience was holding her back. She had never even tried to woo a boy in real life, not even Hitohito. How could she do it in a game?

On Wednesday, Shoko brainstormed ideas and sketched dialogue trees all day in class (her grades could afford to take the fall for this), and the instant school let out, Shoko raced home, to Najimi and Hitohito's total shock. She scrambled up the stairs to her room, threw open Shosuke's AliensWare laptop, and double-clicked on Fortunate Lover's icon.

There was one last prince she hadn't yet tried - Sengu, the geeky kid in the science department! He was an awkward loner like Shoko, and she knew what he was thinking. Shoko zipped through the dialogue at max speed, dodged Murbella's gang, took part in the academy's school festival, dodged Murbella in the bathroom, talked to Sengu again, then finally... finally...!

Happy music played as a cutscene started, where Aika and Sengu embraced as lovers on the third-floor balcony overlooking the school's orchard and the text TRUE LOVE, FOREVER appeared in curly gold cursive at the top.

Shoko silently but enthusiastically threw up her fists in victory and nearly fell over in her chair. She caught herself just in time and closed the game, her mind still high on victory. Now that's a completed challenge! Shoko the smooth lover!

Then Shoko spotted another desktop icon, and she couldn't help but click it. A new dating sim loaded, starring a handsome dark-haired boy who had his pick of six beautiful girls in the royal court, from the smooth-talking tsundere maid to the pretentious but privately insecure duke's daughter and the visiting princess from another realm who kind of had a thing for bad boys.

Bonus challenge? Of course! Shosuke could get his laptop back later.

Shoko cracked her knuckles and selected her first dialogue option.