Chapter 39 - An Urgent Request - Game Development Department
...
The day after my excursion with Kaede and practice date with Tsurugi, Arona popped up on a screen as I worked.
"Sensei!" Arona chirps.
"What's up?" I ask, not looking away from my paperwork.
"We've received another request." My tiny AI pal says.
"Oh?" I ask, stopping my work to turn around and look at her. "From who?"
"Millennium! The sender is... the Millennium Game Development Department?" She... asks? "Hmm... I'll read it. 'The Game Development Department is fighting for its survival. The Student Council has us cornered, and you're our only hope. Please, warrior, save us!' " As she finishes reading it, she lets out a small giggle. "This is the most urgent yet funniest request we've ever received."
"Huh, I haven't been by Millennium in a long while, aside from that visit with Himari." I say, as I stand up and stretch.
"Oh, right. That's where Yuuka goes." Arona says.
"Yup. I haven't seen the girl in a while though..." I say.
"Well, maybe you can visit her while you're there." My AI pal says, with a smile.
"Hopefully." I say with a chuckle. "Anything you know about the place that I don't?"
"Well, it's one of the three biggest academies in Kivotos." Arona explains.
"The other two are Trinity and Gehenna, right?" I ask.
"Correct! They don't have the long history of the two more traditional academies, but their influence over Kivotos is just as great." Arona explains. "It's full name is the Millennium Science School. They value rationality and technology more than any other school in Kivotos. It's a place where students that specialize in science and engineering can gather in the name of research."
"Makes sense, that place looked futuristic when I first went." I say, remembering my first visit.
"Millennium is also where the latest and most cutting-edge technologies in Kivotos typically get their start. I wonder what would cause the students to request our help...?" Arona asks, finishing her explanation.
They make technology huh...? Maybe I could get Arona out of that tablet for a while...
"Dunno. But I'm gonna go figure it out." I say, picking up said tablet. "Looks like we've got work to do."
"Right!" Arona chirps, agreeing with me as she disappears from the monitor and reappears on the tablet.
Time to get suited up.
So, I made my way to Millennium, assault rifle on my back and pistol on my hip. It still looks as hi-tech as ever. The buildings are all white with big windows, many of which have solar panels on top. The place is very symmetrical, all of the plots of land, as well as the roads and small moats are designed with edges, there isn't a corner to be seen. The main building is in the center of the campus, and is essentially a skyscraper.
My destination is one of the smaller buildings, though.
As I reach what my research tells me is the building where the Game Dev girls are at, I hear a feminine yell from above. Looking up, I see something fly out of an open window, falling right towards me.
Raising my hands up, I gently catch it by grasping it with my fingers, then spinning my body slightly, before stopping. If it had landed on my palms, it would've broken.
Observing the object, I find it's a game console. Looking at where the window is, I make my way inside.
I make my way up some stairs and go to knock on a door. I can hear two girls yelling at each other within, but my knock silences them. After a moment, the door opens, revealing to near-identical girls.
The girl who opened the door has short, blonde hair and magenta colored eyes. On her head is a pair of black headphones with two triangles on top, resembling cat ears, with magenta colored highlights all around. Two tufts of her hair, which frame either side, are held with a small, dark magenta bow each. Her outfit consists of a white, button-up shirt with a short, sky blue tie. Around her arms, but not covering her shoulders, is an oversized, white hoodie that reaches her ankles with a black section where the buttons are and where they connect to the other side. The hoodie's hood is a pale magenta. It isn't buttoned up, but rather, the hoodie is held together with a red bow. She also has on a black skirt which is held by similarly colored suspenders, wrapped up and over her shoulders. On her feet are cute, pink boots with red highlights. Black leggings reach her mid-thigh. On her back is a long, black and pink assault rifle and... a black tail with two pink rings? Her halo consists of two, pink rings, connected by four misshapen diamonds at either of the cardinal directions.
The other girl, who appears to be her twin, has similarly colored and styled hair, but with electric green eyes. She has the same headphones, but with green highlights and has dark green bows in her hair. She also has on a white shirt and short, sky blue tie. Her hoodie is worn over her shoulders and has green in place of the pink that the other girl's has. The other girl's shirt was tucked into her skirt, but this girl leaves hers untucked and has on short, black shorts. She has on the same leggings, but different boots that are mostly black with some green, appearing less cute and more official. A tail also peeks out from her back, this one with green rings, next to her green and black sniper rifle. Her halo is identical to her sister's, save that it is a pale, bright green.
The room within is small, decorated with large shelves and a tall, single locker. On the ground is an old tv with various large cushions, likely to sit on, and game consoles scatters throughout. There really isn't a whole lot of room to sit on that side of the room. The other side, near the door has a single couch facing the tv and a small table.
"Lookin' for this?" I ask, holding the console up with a smile.
"Ah! The FlyStation!" The pink eyed twin shouts happily, grabbing the console from my hands and holding it tightly, like a mother would with her child.
"Thank goodness." The green eyed twin says. "It is the Game Development Department's pride and joy, after all. You need to be more careful, Momoi."
"And you need to stop being so high and mighty, Midori!" The pink eyed twin, Momoi shouts back.
Huh, their names make sense. If I remember, Momoi has something to do with peaches, which are pink. And Midori literally means 'green'.
The green eyed twin, Midori lets out a sigh. "Anyway, you look familiar."
"Yeah, you really do!" Momoi says, sitting down the console carefully.
"Well, considering this place is filled with games, does that mean you're the Game Development Department?" I ask, receiving nods from them both, in unison. "Well, I'm Joshua, from Schale. Nice to meetcha." I say with a smile.
"Wait. You're the Sensei from Schale?" The green eyed twin asks.
"You are?!" The pink eyed twin asks happily. "You must have read our letter! I didn't think you'd really come!"
"Yeah, well, what out girls wrote about seemed kinda serious, so I figured I'd go take a look-see." I say simply.
"Well, then. Welcome to the Game Development Department, Sensei!" The pink eyed twin says, proudly.
"We're glad you came." The green eyed twin adds.
"I'm Saiba Momoi, the department's scenario writer!" Momoi says proudly, moving to the side, having her back towards her twin.
"And I'm Saiba Midori, illustrator and the one in charge of all game visuals." Midori says, moving her back nearly against her sister's. "Momoi's my older twin sister, by the way."
"There's also our president, Yuzu, but she's not here at the moment..." Momoi explains.
"Together we make up the Millennium Game Development Department!" Both say in unison.
I nod appreciatively with a smile. "Not a bad into."
"I know, right?" Momoi asks, rhetorically. "Plus, we can finally explore the ruins now that you're here, Sensei."
"Ruins...?" I ask, in confusion. "No wait, better yet, gimme a run-down on your club's situation."
"Oh, right." Momoi says with an awkward chuckle. "I guess I should explain the situation first." She says, before taking on a more theatrical tone. "Until recently, the Game Development Department had been creating a sixteen-bit game in peace. Then one day, the Student Council launched its attack!" She says, dramatically. "Two days ago, Yuuka, one of the Student Council's Four Divine Beasts, appeared and gave us an ultimatum."
Before Momoi can continue, I ask her "An ultimatum?"
"Allow me to explain it to you myself." A voice says from outside the club room, making the two girls jump.
"I-I know that voice!" Momoi shouts.
Turning around, I see a familiar purple haired girl. Before I can say anything, though...
"It's you!" Momoi shouts, pointing an accusing finger at Yuuka. "One of the Student Council's Four Divine Beasts! The Cold and Calculating Treasurer, Yuuka!"
I look to Midori and mouth 'Four Divine Beasts' with a confused look. She shrugs in return.
"Could you please not refer to me as some kind of monster?" Yuuka asks, annoyed by the pink eyed girl's antics. "I'm simply trying to do my job." She then lets out a long sigh, before turning to me. "Sensei."
"Yuuka." I reply with a nod. "Good to see ya."
"Momoi." Yuuka says, turning back to the twins. "You all are as stubborn as ever, aren't you? Now you've resorted to involving Schale to stop us from shutting you down." She says, clearly tired. "But it doesn't matter. Wether it's Schale, the General Student Council, or even if the General Student Council president herself suddenly returned. It wouldn't make a difference!" She begins to lecture the twins, who lean back in fear, like that scene from Monty Python with Tim the Enchanter.
"The academy's Student Council has full description over the operation of items clubs. The Game Development Department will be closed. No one can stop it." Yuuka continues, poking Momoi in her, rather flat chest.
"N-Not so fast!" The pink eyed twin says, suddenly mustering some of her courage. "You said that if we don't have the minimum required members or meet our club's objectives-"
"-that you would lose your budget and club room, yes." Yuuka finishes for her. "It's been explained countless times to you. It's been over a year, and you still don't have enough members nor has you club been completing its objectives."
So that's what this is about... I would say something, but they're really going at it. Looking to the side, it seems Midori has the same idea.
"With that in mind, on what grounds could you possible object to your decision?" Yuuka asks, now slightly angry.
"I do have grounds! We're standing on tons of 'em! O-Our club is a working it's butt off at our activities." Momoi argues. "So, w-we deserve a summit hearing!"
"I think you mean a mitigation hearing." The treasurer corrects. "And don't be ridiculous! You've tried opening a pachinko parlor inside the school, attacked the Ancient History Research Society looking for a rare game console..." With each topic, Momoi sinks lower and lower, mentally. "Your club's activities are anything but typical! How dare you ask for more funds?! You're just creating havoc under the guise of 'fostering a healthy development environment'. What do you have to say for yourselves?!" Yuuka roars.
I've never seen this side of her...
Would it be weird to say that it's kinda hot?
"S-S-Sometimes you've gotta look at the intentions behind something instead of the results..." Momoi weakly protests, while Midori has recoiled back a ways in fear.
"That's what a failure you say. I don't want to hear it." Yuuka says, deadpan.
"You're the one who asked for an excuse!" Momoi argues.
"I merely wanted a reason, not a meaningless excuse. Results are all that matter at Millennium." Yuuka says, harshly.
"It's not like we don't have any results! We DID compete an objective! We finished a game!" Momoi retorts.
"Th-That's right!" Midori pipes up for the first time in a while. "Tales Saga Chronicle won top prize at a competition!"
"Tales Saga Chronicle...? What kinda name is that?" I interject.
"Yes, I'm aware of the award you won." Yuuka says. "I suppose Sensei is in the dark, however."
"That I am." I say.
"Tales Saga Chronicle is the only game their club has produced thus far." Yuuka says, ominously calmly, as the twins both flinch in unison. "And it's reviews were just as impressive as the game itself. I remember them quite well. 'If they wanted to create the most pathetic RPG of all time, then well done', 'It's lacking in a lot of areas, especially common sense', 'Oh my god. This games makes Dead Crimson look like a masterpiece'."
"Damn..." I mutter in shock. People online can be ruthless.
"Y-You can't just judge our game based on some trolls tearing us down..." The pink eyed twin protests.
"Those are hardly outliers. It was the consensus." Yuuka says, deadpan. "That's why you won the award for 'Worst Game of the Year'."
"Who the fuck gives out an award for something like that?!" I shout in outrage. "That not even rude, it's just downright cruel!"
"H-Hey, all publicity is good publicity, right?!" Momoi shouts.
"Not in this case." I say, before sighing.
"...Anyway." The purple haired girl says. "It is unacceptable for you club to be wasting funds on while damaging Millennium's reputation. You're a drain on resources and impeding the progress of other clubs on campus. So, the burden of proof lies with you to show that your club is conducting valid activities."
"You want us to prove it?" The pink eyed twin asks.
"As I've said, if your club can produce meaningful results, we'll rescind our decision to shut you down." The treasurer says.
"Do you mean like winning accolades?" The green eyed twin asks.
"Yes." Yuuka says with a slight nod. "Take the Baseball Team advancing to the Interhigh Championship or the Engineering Flub submitting new inventions for example. Something along those lines. Surely there must be some sort of contest the Game Development Department can enter. And... try not to win another Worst Game of the Year Award." Yuuka says that last bit deadpan.
"Ugh." Midori visibly and vocally cringes.
"If you'd rather save time, I could shut it down now instead. Feel free to vacate the club and throw away all this junk if that's what you want." Yuuka says with a smirk.
...Oh, she just fucked up.
Momoi silently looks at the treasurer in anger for a moment. "D-Don't call it junk."
"What is it if not junk?" The purple haired girl asks.
"They're my..." Momoi starts to say, then trails off, in thought. "I got it!" She suddenly exclaims, before moving close to Yuuka and staring her dead in the eyes. "You want results? You'll get them!"
"Will I...?" Yuuka asks, leaning back a bit.
"In fact, development is practically done!" Momoi says.
Huh...? Does she have a plan?
"Is it?" Yuuka asks, surprised and a bit skeptical.
"Wh-What are you talking about?" The green eyed twin asks her sister in confusion.
"Why so surprised, Midori?" The pink eyed twin asks, pridefully. "We have a secret weapon up our sleeves. And we'll be making a submission to the Millennium Prize..." She pauses for dramatic effect. "Tales Saga Chronicle Two! Otherwise known as TSC-Two!"
The other two girls are filled with surprise and shock at her declaration.
"The Millennium Prize?" I can't help but ask.
"It's a contest where hundreds of Millennium clubs submit the fruits of their labor. No one could shut us down if we won that!" Midori explains to me as she looks at Yuuka. "Not even you!"
"That may be true." Yuuka admits. "If, and ONLY if, you were to win. I'm sure you realize how absurd what you're proposing is, Momoi. It would be like our baseball team moving up to the majors rather than simply advancing to the Interhigh Championship. Regardless-" She pauses to sigh. "-, I'm excited to see what you have in store, even if it is destined to end in failure. So... here it is. Your final chance. You have two weeks until the Millennium Prize. I hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am." She says, smugly.
Two weeks... it should be a day or two before the Ivan Kupala...
Yuuka then seems to remember that I'm here. "It was good seeing you again, Sensei. I'm sorry it wasn't under better circumstances."
"Nah, it's fine." I say, waving her worries off. "It was kinda neat seein' this side of you. And considering we haven't seen each other in a while, how about after the Millennium Prize stuff, we hang out?"
Yuuka's pale skin gains a healthy blush at my words as a smile creeps up onto her face. "I'd like that. Still, I hope that things will be more pleasant the next time we meet. So long." She says as she leaves the room.
"Later, Yuuka." I say to her as the door closes behind her with a click.
Silence engulfs the room for a long moment. Momoi looks agitated.
"Momoi..." Midori says, slowly. "It's a long shot, but don't you think it would be easier to recruit another member than it would be to develop a new game?"
"We've been trying that for a month, and no-one's joined." Momoi says, still sounding annoyed. "I'm tired of people saying retro games are trash when things like VR have already been around for years."
"People love the next new things..." I say, drawing their attention. "They make a new iPhone every year, each one like a thousand dollars, or a hundred-thousand yen, and yet people will literally trade in their old ones to get the new one for less money. It's a stupid concept, especially seeing as how old phones are built to last longer than those crappy touch-screen phones." I rant, having captured their attention completely. "I haven't played any games from Kivotos, but the games back home were quickly becoming trash. Thanks to game patches. people would release a half-finished game and patch it to being fixed later. Stuff like No Man's Sky get a pass since it was a Triple-A priced game made by an indie developer, but as for the rest? No, they don't get a pass. Older games couldn't be patched, so people put a lot more heart and soul into making them work. Hell, it's even the same with movies!" I shout. "All the movies nowadays are either remakes, unnecessary sequels or just plain shit!"
I look at the twins with seriousness. "You two clearly are passionate about this stuff, so, whatever you're doin', count me in. Besides, I've always wanted to help make a video game."
The twin's faces break out into bright smiles at my words. "Yes! Sensei's on board!" Momoi says, happily.
"With Sensei's help, we might be able to prove Yuuka wrong." Midori adds.
"Grr. That sneaky Yuuka!" The pink eyed twin begins to rant. "She's just discriminating against us because she knows that we're nerds that don't have friends! I hate her!"
"You can't blame Yuuka... We're the one's who are breaking the rules that apply to all the other clubs." Midori admits.
"Whatever. My point is we have no hope going down the recruitment route." Momoi says. "But that doesn't mean that there isn't a way."
"Right. You mentioned a 'secret weapon'. Care to fill in the class?" I ask with a joking smile.
"It's you, obviously!" Momoi says.
"Huh...?" I ask, mindlessly. "If you remember what I said, I've never worked on a game before. I mean, I wanna help, but still."
"Don't you remember those ruins I mentioned, Sensei?" The pink eyed twin asks. "There's a mysterious place near Millennium that the Student Council won't allow anyone to enter. Supposedly, the reason access is restricted is because it's dangerous, but they've never told anyone what the danger is. That's pretty suspicious if you ask me. It's impossible to know if anyone has ever gone in or if anyone has made it back. It's a completely unknown world..."
"Huh... sounds like caving." I think out loud.
"Caving?" Momoi asks.
"Some people like to explore caves. How you described this place reminded me of that." I explain. "Still, why would you even want to go in a supposedly dangerous place? What's the benefit?"
"Because we wanna make a great game!" Momoi says, like it explains everything.
"And you've lost me. How are a bunch of dangerous ruins supposed to help us make a game?" I ask, completely confused.
"Let me be clear. I know the only thing we have to our name is a crummy Worst Game of the Year award, but the game consoles that I love, that have always made me happy... are anything but junk! They're my treasures!" Momoi proclaims.
"Momoi..." The green eyed twin mutters in surprise.
"All we have to do is go to the ruins and finally find it." Momoi says.
"And what exactly is 'it'?" I ask, crossing my arms, growing tired of her evading the topic.
"Oh, I probably should've explained that first." Momoi says, awkwardly, before moving close to me and speaking in a mysterious voice. "Sensei, by any chance... have you ever heard of the G.BIBLE?"
"...The what?" I ask, quickly.
"Back in Millennium's early days, well, all of Kivotos' early days, really... There was a legendary game developer. That person created the G.BIBLE while they were attending Millennium. The exact details aren't known, but I was told it contains the secrets to making a perfect game." Momoi explains.
"That sounds like a marketing tactic for a game development school or something." Midori says.
"No! The is real!" The pink eyed twin argues. "I know the bible for creating the perfect game is out there somewhere! If we were to get our hands on the , Tales Saga Chronicle Two would be literally perfect!"
"And who did you hear about it from?" I ask.
"Oh? It was Himari." Momoi says.
"Himari? That figures..." I say, remembering my interactions with her.
"According to what Himari told me, those ruins might hold all sorts of lost things from Kivotos' past." Momoi explains.
"Himari? You mean that pretty upperclassman from Veritas that uses a wheelchair?" Midori asks.
"That's her." I confirm.
"She gives me all-knowing RPG sage vibes. If even she doesn't know... then this place really is mysterious. But what makes you think the G.BIBLE is there...? Wait a second!" Midori shouts, realizing, as she points at her twin. "Don't tell me that you jumped to the conclusion that the is there just because of what Himari said!"
"That's not it." Momoi says, calmly. "When I asked Veritas to search for the G.BIBLE, they also looked into the last place it was activated. But the result came back as 'area redacted'."
"That means...?!" Midori asks, in shock.
"It's in those ruins, most likely." I conclude.
"Exactly." Momoi confirms. "The G.BIBLE is somewhere in those ruins. So, all we have to do is follow the coordinates Veritas gave me and we'll finally have it."
I mull this over quietly for a moment. "All right, then. Why don't we go and see?"
"What, right now?" Midori asks.
"Why not? Might as well get this over with!" I say.
"Yeah! Let's go!" Momoi shouts, running out of the club.
My eyes widen in surprise, before I let out a chuckle at her enthusiasm. I look at Midori, still surprised and shrug.
The green eyed twin merely sighs and begins to follow her twin.
...Mysterious ruins, huh? I wonder that's there?
AN
And so begins Volume 2, Chapter 1.
After watching a translated video of V2C2, it seems that C2 is set after the Bunny Girl event. This means I won't write V2C2 for quite a while.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to the next!