Hello and welcome, people, to my second commission. Oh, I am so excited about this. I spent the entire week finishing up the planning, but it's done. This is NOT chapter one; it's the prologue, as the request was odd, but it gave me the chance to experiment. Also, I'm going to make another change to my tier as even with my keeping notes for chapters and even this prologue short, I know it's going to be longer than 40K, so when this goes live, I'm editing it to around 62K because that's what I'm planning would be the max word count for this.

Chapter 00: Game Objective - Survive

"We, the Black Knights, shall be the ones that stand in judgment of this world!"

They once thought it impossible—a pipe dream, really. Just a nobody resistance cell, fighting to see their people free but never leading the charge. Never even had a name when they were less than a dozen people. But Zero proved them wrong. He'd made a habit of that, from defeating Clovis to saving the survivors of Shinjuku, even embarrassing Britannia by rescuing Suzaku. It was like Zero could do anything.

Okay, maybe he got his ass kicked at Saitama, but nobody was perfect. Two wins and one loss wasn't bad—unless you asked try-hards. Besides, they could add another victory to their belt, as it had been 20 minutes since Zero's announcement, and it was still repeating in Naomi's head. They got past Cornelia, reached the hotel, and saved the hostages without losing a single person. They had to kill the Japan Liberation Front members inside, especially when the building came down on them.

Looking back, she could see why Ohgi and Minami were queasy. None signed up expecting to fight other Japanese, let alone protect Britannians. Not that she hated Britannians on principle. Like the rest, she'd lost a lot in the invasion, but she wasn't blinded by hate. Not even Tamaki was that bad. For all his bravado, she knew he once found a lost Britannian kid in the ghetto and took him to the checkpoint. He got beaten for it—they thought he'd kidnapped the kid—but she saw his eyes. He didn't regret it.

When they reached the shore, Zero didn't need to order them to help the hostages disembark. They handed them to Britannian soldiers who outnumbered them and had knightmares while they held cheap Chinese submachine guns. It was like fighting an endgame boss with level-one gear. Luckily, Zero had negotiated a 12-hour truce with Cornelia. Nobody knew how he managed it, but it made Naomi even more suspicious of him.

Naomi knew she wasn't special. Even back in middle school, people forgot her name and face. That hadn't changed, even among her fellow Black Knights. She'd have to get used to calling them that now—her comrades in this impossible fight.

She wasn't a loudmouth bragger like Tamaki with a short temper. She wasn't the fiery Kallen who could back up her attitude. She wasn't the cautious but reliable Ohgi. She wasn't any of them. But she wasn't useless, despite what some muttered when they thought she couldn't hear. She wasn't some token girl added when Naoto was still around. She was certainly not his or anyone else's girlfriend or lover. Not that Naoto wasn't hot—because damn, was he hot—and if he had asked—

She shook her head. It wouldn't do to get lost in fantasies…again. She didn't sleep around to join this outfit. She was recruited because she had one talent which none of the others had. A skill that allowed their tiny, poorly funded group to last and not become just another drinking club that hated Brits and vandalized stuff. And that vital MC skill?

Financial management. Yeah, she knew—her younger self would've cringed at such a lame role, but her younger self also wanted to be a game developer. Not like that was possible now. But it still stung that she couldn't tell her parents, "Yeah, ma, you and pa were right, I got a real job." Because she wasn't paid for it.

Also, her parents were dead, so even if Ohgi had the cash to pay them, she wasn't petty enough to visit their graves just to be passive-aggressive.

Maybe that'll change now. Zero got them a new base and comfy uniforms and told her she'd be managing the Black Knights' finances. Maybe an actual paycheck was in her future.

She didn't advertise it, but she didn't get this good through schooling or part-time gigs, as she told the others. She honed her skills by spending her tween and teen years playing every visual novel she could.

She doubted they'd make a big deal out of it, but better safe than sorry. She was an unapologetic gamer who struggled to make friends, so she spent weekends and summers in her room on her computer, Nintendo DS, or PS2. It only made the other kids pick on her more.

All that time spent mastering games gave her a sixth sense for people and situations, a vital tool in visual novels, puzzles, and mystery games. By her second year of high school, she could brag about finding the best endings in any visual novel on the first try, without prior information on the characters or the story.

It also made her unbeatable when playing games that required similar skills with her family. After the invasion, she honed that talent to ensure their little group didn't get ripped off by weapons dealers. Now, she would be working with what she hoped was a much bigger budget, but…

She couldn't stop thinking about Zero. Every interaction and every move he made triggered her well-trained gamer instincts. Not because he was dangerous—well, he was—but because he reminded Naomi of something. She hadn't put much stock in it before, thinking her game-riddled mind was playing tricks on her, but after this latest stunt?

Yeah, she couldn't ignore it now. Still, she wasn't stupid. It was a long shot that sounded crazy even in her head, so she needed proof. The problem was that approaching Zero would be risky—in the best case, he'd ignore her; in the worst case, he'd kill her.

But someone might have the answers. If they did, it would lend credence to her theory, and the risk to her health would be lower. That was a triple win.

And it seemed the Nintendo Gods were smiling at her—Kallen was alone. Time to make her move.

"Kallen," She didn't yell, not when the girl's friends from school were close, but it was enough for her to turn to Naomi as she approached. "Can we talk?"

"Now?" Kallen asked, as they still needed to get out of there while most of the work was done. Truce or not, they didn't need to give the murder-happy bitch of a princess an excuse to have them killed.

"Yes, now." Naomi's tone left no room for argument. This was a timed event she needed to clear.

Kallen looked her over, glanced around, and then at Zero before jerking her head toward a news van. "Fine. We have a little time."

Naomi was relieved. Kallen could've easily blown her off. After all, despite being the only two people with two X chromosomes in the group, they defied expectations by not being friends. Hell, they barely spoke. Which made what Naomi was about to ask even more awkward.

Inside the news van, they shut the door and ensured all the equipment was off. The last thing they needed was for this to get broadcast across Area 11. Kallen took off her visor, her piercing blue eyes fixed on Naomi. Naomi did the same, bracing herself. There were other ways she could've approached this… but subtlety wasn't her strong suit.

"Kallen, when Zero contacted you at Tokyo Tower, were you in the shower with a Britannian boy?"

Kallen's face went as red as her hair. "Wh-what the hell kind of question is that, Inoue?" She was yelling, but Naomi didn't mind. Yeah, Kallen could hit hard, but she was willing to risk it. Besides, she already got what she needed. If the answer was no, Kallen wouldn't be this embarrassed.

Naomi grinned, fist-pumping. "I knew it! I'm not crazy!" She even did a little victory dance. Kallen stood there, mortified… but then her shock faded, replaced by suspicion.

"Inoue… how did you know I got the call then? Or that I wasn't alone?" Her voice was low, dangerous. She hadn't told a soul about that. Not even Lelouch knew. How the hell did Inoue find out?

Naomi stopped her dance, her grin widening. "Well, I bet you haven't offed him for seeing you in the buff, so… what's he like? Must be pretty handsome for you to get that flustered."And they were right back to Kallen being embarrassed by Inoue putting stupid ideals in her head. "It was an accident; I didn't want to show him anything!" She wasn't that easy! Not even for the prince of Ashford, though…it would be great to say she was the one that got him to finally date someone, and those eyes of his had a way of just drawing you in, and his voice, so deep, so smooth-No, no stop it!

Naomi could see she was making progress, and if she was right, Kallen didn't even know why she was seemingly unexplainable attracted to this guy. "Then do you regret it?"

Kallen opened her mouth to say it; what self-respecting non-nudist wouldn't? It was mortifying when she realized she had allowed some Britannian horned dog to see her naked and no doubt use that image for whatever jerk-off sessions he had since.

But…Lelouch didn't strike her as anything like that. Maybe Rivalz, but Lelouch? He was a pretty stand-up guy sans his slothfulness. He also got extra points because of how he reacted to it. She saw how he looked and that he liked it, but he immediately cut himself off from that sight and hasn't looked at her like he was undressing her since. He has had some perverted thoughts since.

"…Well, no, he's not the worst person I could have accidentally revealed myself to. He looked away as soon as he could and hasn't talked about it, at least I hope he hasn't since you know," She eyed the older woman who still hasn't explained why she knew any of that. Still, Inoue just pushed her to continue explaining. "He's got a good head on his shoulders, pretty hot, but is an unrepentant slacker. The only thing that he seems to take seriously is his crippled little sister and, well…Suzaku."

Again, Inoue pushed for details, her eyes shining and her smile looking like a kid's; who could blame her? She always got like this whenever she had solved a puzzle or found the best route without help ."He transferred a couple days after we saved his ass, and he had a hard time at first, but Lelouch went up and announced their friendship and pushed for him to join the student council with us. Suzaku's been getting better treatment since, as no one messes with the VP."

"The signs were all there; I just wasn't the one that could see all of them," Inoue muttered as her once crazy suspicions had just been proven. Though how that happened, she wasn't sure. Art imitated life and vice versa, but life couldn't imitate art this much…right?

Kallen was getting sick of this game. "Okay, will you tell me why you knew about the stupid shower accident? Or why are you asking about it now, of all times?"

"I'm just trying to make sure that we succeed in our goals, and we live to celebrate that," Inoue replied, but she was so vague that Kallen nearly yelled and grabbed her. Inoue beat her to it, her hands grabbing Kallen's shoulders and looking her right in the eye. "And to do that, I need to speak with you again…you and Zero."

"The both of us? Why? Wait, you haven't answered my questions, Inoue!" Kallen pushed back, arguing that none of this made sense. She hardly knew Inoue, and now she was talking about showers, boys, and speaking with Zero with her? What the hell?

"I know, and it's not really helpful to ask you to wait, but I need you to do just that." Inoue firmly told her, making sure that Kallen could see she wasn't messing around with this. "Kallen, we're comrades, aren't we? Have I ever done you or the rest wrong?"

"No…" Kallen reluctantly answered as Inoue had been a member longer than she had been, her brother recruiting her three years ago. "Fine! But you better fuss up soon, as I need to find the bastard that talked and kill them slowly." Inoue nodded as she let Kallen go, the two exiting the van right as Ohgi called them, as it was time to go.

Getting into their Britannian-provided van, Kallen sat next to the quiet, enigmatic Zero. At the same time, Inoue took her usual spot, wedged between the others—out of sight, out of mind.

But her focus was elsewhere, on a new challenge, the hardest she'd ever faced. Unlike a game, there'd be no restarts. One attempt, and if she fumbled… she'd probably be dead.

Still, she was ready. Years of gaming would serve her well, especially SPRG games. She'd hidden this side of herself, never telling a soul since the invasion. Not just because she was an unapologetic gamer but also because she was a diehard fan of Iron Nexus: Bloodbound Machina.

It wasn't the biggest or most popular series before the war, but it was solid. The entries combined into an incredible story with rich characters, great gameplay, and clever level design. She believed it could've been huge if condensed into one or two games instead of nine, with three more planned before Britannia's invasion destroyed the studio.

A loss comparable to the Library of Alexandria.

Of course, she couldn't tell anyone. Iron Nexus was a mecha-based SPRG hentai game loaded with porn. That was hard enough to admit, but its plot made it worse. It mirrored real life disturbingly well: a small but significant island nation called the Orb Federation was conquered by the Atlantic Empire, a racist superpower indifferent to life. The MC was an exiled prince fighting to topple the empire and build a new world order.

Already a touchy topic, but the hentai aspect made it worse. In every route, the MC formed a rebellion and, well… slept with one of the women in graphic scenes. One love interest even praised his "imperial cock" in that route as the best she'd ever had.

Yeah, she could never bring up the game, let alone admit she had to stop herself from defending it if she didn't want to get lynched. But did she regret loving a game series she started playing when she was too young? Hell no! And she wasn't going to start now, especially when her life was mirroring the plot.

It would be hard. She'd struggled with every entry in the series but consistently achieved the best endings. From the forums she frequented, she knew she was one of the rare few who 100%'d every game—a fact that made her puff her chest in pride, Sugiyama mistaking it as pride in their completed mission.

But that meant she knew how screwed she was. She didn't line up with any love interests who had plot armor. Kallen did… lucky her. That only meant Naomi had to work harder. She'd use all her knowledge, experience, and skills to steer things toward that perfect golden ending. If that meant ensuring their disguised prince of a leader fucked multiple women…

Well, they were bound to be hot, and if he was like the MC, he'd make sure every single one enjoyed riding that imperial cock!

The next chapter will be out March 21st

Special thanks to my Patrons(s):

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