Komi Komi Literature Club!
Chapter 24: The Arcade (Part One)
Monika: Okay everyone! If your Thursday is looking free, we're all meeting up at the mall in the afternoon to hang out! We'll be meeting in the arcade for games and eat at the food court afterwards. If you have any friends that you would like to also invite, the more the merrier!
Natsuki: "If you have any friends" lol
Yuri: I will do my best to attend if I am able.
Alex: Hey, Komi, you have friends, right? Why don't you invite some of them?
Komi: ok
Komi sat down on her bed, staring nervously at Alex's suggestion on her phone screen. It was Tuesday night now, which meant that Thursday wasn't that far away. Would it really be alright to send out such a sudden invitation to people? Wouldn't it be an inconvenience...?
She decided that she would draft up one single message and send it out as a mass email to all of her friends. Or was that too impersonal? No, it was a formal invitation. She could handle that...hopefully.
To all of my friends,
I hope that you summer vacations are going well. On Thursday, the Literature Club will be hosting a gathering at the arcade for games and food. If your schedule allows for it, I would be delighted to see you there.
Shouko Komi
When Thursday rolled around, Monika and Alex were the first to arrive at the arcade. They waited patiently, standing near the entrance so they could be there to greet their friends as soon as they came in. Alex scrolled idly through social media posts while Monika leaned against him and watched the door.
"How many people are you supposing will show up?" Monika asked curiously.
"Including us? Depending on my patience, I'm expecting about 10." He answered simply.
"Sounds like a pretty good sized group! Will you be able to handle it?" She asked.
"Oh yeah. I got it. I'll be fine." He answered with a nod.
"Good. You know, sometimes I wish the club was about that size too." She commented.
"Oh yeah? I thought you liked that the club was a smaller size." He pointed out.
"I do! But I mean, you know, variety can be fun too – it would be better for discussions anyway. Either way, I already picked out my favorite member." She said with a smile, playfully tapping him on the arm. Alex scoffed at this.
"That sounds inappropriate out of context." He pointed out with a chuckle.
"Ahaha! Not in front of the readers, I'm sorry." She joked, "Oh! Hey, Natsuki!" Monika called out to her upon seeing her coming in.
Natsuki, dressed in jeans and a pink top, walked over to them with her arms folded in front of her. "Hey guys. Are we the first ones here?" She asked, looking around curiously.
"Looks that way. Why? Looking for someone?" Monika asked, noting how Natsuki was looking around them. Her body language appeared defensive.
"Um, no, it's...never mind. It's fine." Natsuki brushed it off with a wave of her hand.
"It'll be alright, Nat." Alex said with a smile, reaching up and rubbing her head with his hand. She was quick to swat his hand away and pout at him.
"What I tell you about doing that?" She pointed threateningly at him.
Next up to arrive was Sayori, trotting up to the group wearing leggings and the same oversized hoodie from her last trip to the mall. She beamed brightly as she approached them.
"Hiii! I made it! And I'm totally not late!" She said proudly, waving at them. The sleeves of her hoodie were long enough to cover her hands completely. Alex raised his eyebrow at her.
"Is that my hoodie? I thought you gave that back." He realized.
"Eheheh...uh...I forgot." Sayori responded hesitantly with an awkward chuckle.
"Uhuh, how convenient. Well I appreciate you bringing it by for me." Alex said, jokingly pulling on one of her sleeves.
"Nooo," Sayori pulled back and shook her head. "I'm not...wearing anything underneath." She admitted quietly, tapping her fingers together in embarrassment.
"Of course not...you got a bra on?" He asked, making a pretense of reaching for the hoodie again.
"Alex!" Monika quickly interjected.
"Whaaat?" I'm kidding, I'm kidding! I'll get it back later." Alex said with a chuckle.
"Perv." Natsuki shook her head at him.
"And?" Alex shrugged it off.
As a group, now Komi, Tadano, Nakanaka, Naijimi, and last but also least, Yamai entered into the arcade. Komi walked in nervously with her arms straight down and her hands folded in front of her. The others walked in just behind her. Naijimi seemed the most excited to be there; while the others were looking forward to it, they also weren't sure what to expect yet.
"Awesome! I love this arcade!" Naijimi exclaimed happily, already set to start running around playing games. Tadano grabbed onto the back of Naijimi's shirt, stopping Naijimi from running off.
"Don't start with that. We're here to meet with people." Tadano quickly scolded.
"What sort of folk are we bound to meet among Princess Komelia's literary fellowship? I sense a chill in the air. I'm not one to doubt my own abilities, but I can't help but feel a sense of unease." Nakanaka said as they entered, taking a moment to scan the area.
"Ugh, do you always have to be such a loser? It's embarrassing." Yamai teased, smirking and giggling with one hand in front of her mouth. Nakanaka glared at her and growled.
"Hey, Komi! Over here!" Sayori called to them, waving excitedly. Komi's head perked up and she quickly shuffled over to the other group. Her friends followed behind her yet again.
"Komi! You made it!" Sayori greeted her happily, giving her a quick hug.
"Wow, Komi, you brought a nice group with you." Monika said with a smile, looking at the others.
"Hello, Monika. Didn't even notice ya there." Yamai said, folding her arms and leaning towards her with an eyebrow raised.
"Oh hello! Do we know each other?" Monika asked, tilting her head slightly. Yamai didn't answer her, rather she retracted back while grumbling to herself.
"Hey, Komi, why don't you introduce us to your Literature Club buddies?" Naijimi suggested with a mischievous smile, draping an arm over her shoulder.
"Naijimi..." Tadano grumbled.
Komi flinched and shuddered, freezing up at the suggestion. She stood up straight and looked ahead, trying to muster up the courage to speak. Instead, she just looked down and began to shake anxiously, unable to get any words out.
"It's alright, Komi, you don't have to..." Tadano reassured her.
"I gotcha, Komi. Uh, I'm Alex, and this is Monika, Sayori, and Natsuki. Guys, you all know Tadano. This is Yamai. That's Naijimi. And the girl with the eyepatch here is Nakanaka." Alex went through the trouble of introducing everyone.
"Thanks, Alex. It's nice to meet you all!" Monika smiled.
"He knows all of our names." Nakanaka thought aloud.
"Hey, Naijimi! Good to see you again!" Sayori smiled and waved.
"Right back at ya!" Naijimi replied, winking and pointing at her.
"Now we're only missing Yuri." Alex said.
"Yeah. She sent me a text, said she's running behind. We might as well go ahead and get started." Natsuki informed them.
"What sort of activities do you have planned for this gathering?" Nakanaka asked curiously.
"Eh, nothing specific. Just hang out for a couple hours." Alex answered with a shrug.
"Alright! Let's go! I wanna win some prizes!" Naijimi exclaimed, now being the first to disappear into the arcade...
The other 8 in the group all began making their way through the various games, deciding what they wanted to do first. For her part, Komi found herself being overwhelmed with all of the various options, so she had no idea what she wanted to do.
"Hey, they got VR games here too! I'm jumping on that!" Alex pointed it out before getting in line.
"Ah, yes, the DreamDive software – a dangerous tool to be messing around with willy-nilly. Fortunately, I know my way around their treacherous traps. Komi! If you join, I will follow you!" Nakanaka declared. Komi looked at her, nodded, and they both got in line with Alex.
"Huh? Wait! I want to impress Komi with my sharpshooting skills!" Yamai jumped in with the group.
Komi leaned over towards Alex, lightly tugging at his sleeve to get his attention. The VR station was set up in a big circle with four headsets hanging from the ceiling, all back to back while the players held large guns in their hands. Komi pointed towards it with an inquisitive expression.
"Oh, uh, it's a game. You put the headset on over your eyes and you'll be able to see the enemies around you. Then you just shoot them with the gun." Alex explained simply.
Komi looked at the VR game station again nervously now, unsure if she would be able to handle it.
The four of them went up next and one by one were plugged into the game and given their weapons. Once they were in, Komi looked around at the digital versions of her friends.
"Hi, Komi! Your gun looks awesome!" Yamai waved to her.
"Komi! Press in on the trigger to shoot and the buttons on the front to use the power ups!" Alex said.
"Hmm?" Komi looked down at her gun and tapped the trigger. A few pulsing red lasers shot out of it. Alex shouted out in surprise.
"Ah! Not at me! Got me right in the eye, man." Alex said. Komi flinched in surprise, waving her hands apologetically.
"Shoot me next! Shoot me next!" Yamai exclaimed. Komi quickly shook her head at this.
"Ah, I see...I've been here before. I know these trials," Nakanaka said to herself before turning to Komi. "Komi! A robot attack is imminently upon us! We'll have to defend ourselves against the swarm!" She said.
While was she was still explaining, a timer appeared before Komi's eyes counting down from 5. Her vision became white, and when it returned, she found herself standing in the middle of a glossy yet desolate environment littered with a few traditional Japanese buildings lined with neon lights.
"Here they come!" She exclaimed.
Komi turned around to see the robots coming towards them, rolling in on tracks or flying with buzzing synthetic wings. She immediately raised her arms up in front of her, closing her eyes in fear...
She stayed like that for pretty much the whole game.
After they finished their turn, Komi wanted something more tame to play next. She looked around and spotted Natsuki and Sayori hunched over the controls to a big claw machine game. Komi made her way over to look.
"Hey, Komi! Wanna help us out? We're trying to win that big cow plushie right there!" Sayori said, pointing to the prize they were trying to win: a large round plushie with the face and nose of a black and white cow. Komi's eyes widened when she saw it.
She looked to Sayori and Natsuki and nodded enthusiastically, excited to help them try and win it.
Sayori was the first to go. Her aim was off, so the corner of one of the claws pressed onto the cow while the rest of the claw tipped awkwardly away from it. Natsuki went next. She was able to pick up the cow at an angle, but it turned and fell on its side as it was being lifted.
"Oh nooo! Komi! You're our only hope!" Sayori said to her, balling her fists.
Komi straightened her back, her head perking up nervously. She looked side to side quickly before pointing to herself questioningly.
"You've got steady hands, Komi. You can do it!" Natsuki said with a confident smile. The two girls took hold of Komi's arms and pushed her in front of the machine.
Komi's hands shook as she reached forward, slowly and timidly wrapping her fingers around the controls. With Natsuki and Sayori watching her, silent with anticipation, she felt like the pressure was on now. Still, she moved the joystick until the claw was in the perfect position.
She let go, wiping her brow and taking a breath before pressing the button to drop the claw. Down it went, carefully scooping up the cow plushie and carrying it back to base. Sayori and Natsuki cheered happily as it dropped into the deposit box. Sayori quickly scooped it up, holding it in her arms.
"Komi, you did it! That was perfect!" Natsuki said, grabbing her and shaking her.
"We got it! How are we gonna keep him though?" Sayori asked the group.
"I can't take that home, haha. So you two decide." Natsuki said. Hearing this, Sayori leaned towards Komi and batted her eyelashes at her.
"Can I keep him? Pleeease?" She requested.
Komi looked down at her, seeing the hopeful excitement on her face. She nodded, and Sayori happily exclaimed.
"Yeah! Awesome! I'mma call him Mr. Cow!" She decided...
To Be Continued...