Hello there, Aria here.
There was this indie game I played in my previous life. It was janky, borderline broken, and nearly impossible to beat. The boss was practically immortal, no matter what you did. Later, I learned that some games were deliberately designed this way—just to annoy people.
Why am I bringing this up? Because the very game I'm playing right now feels exactly like that.
The arcade machine in front of me is running a game so absurdly difficult that I can feel my frustration boiling. Every enemy takes forever to kill, the hitboxes are questionable, and the AI feels like it was programmed to mock me. I grit my teeth as I lose another round.
"Who made this stupid game?" I mutter, rubbing my temple.
"The machine was created by one of our valuable members," Iris answers casually, standing beside me as if this wasn't a complete disaster of an experience.
I turn to her, narrowing my eyes. "And this 'valuable member'… Do they happen to have a personal grudge against fun?"
"This machine actually created according to your input back then."
My input? When? I don't remember that. Maybe I ranted about those frustratingly unfair game developers at some point, and Iris, in all her brilliance, decided that was a green light actually to make one of those games.
There really has to be a limit to misunderstandings.
Just as I was about to clarify—
"Whoa, watch out!" Arthur suddenly shouted beside me.
Reflex kicked in, and I snapped my attention back to the screen just in time to see a red-haired pixel woman lunging at me from behind. Geez… thankfully, I had a neutralizing bomb saved from an earlier battle. Without hesitation, I activated it.
A tiny exclamation mark popped up over the pixel woman's head as she froze for a brief second—then, like a true AI coward, she turned tail and bolted.
Good. One down.
Now, only one enemy remained.
The blue-haired pixel woman. Or was it light blue? No, more like black hair covered with a faint blue aura.
This one was a nightmare. Lethal attacks didn't work on her, but environmental hazards did.
I tightened my grip on the arcade controls, carefully maneuvering my pixel character with surgical precision, shifting the environment around me bit by bit. The input was ridiculously complex—like trying to do a five-hit combo while solving a math equation—but somehow, I was managing.
Arthur, watching intently, whistled. "Despite complaining about it, you seem to be having fun, Aneki."
"Shut up."
Just as I was about to land a devastating environmental attack, my fingers perfectly executed the final input—
Another pixel woman suddenly appeared beside the blue-haired one.
Wait, what—?
Before I could react, the newcomer grabbed my target, and in an instant—
Both of them vanished.
Gone. Just like that.
"What?!" I practically shouted at the screen, my hands still gripping the controls.
Frustration boiled over, and before I could think twice, I kicked the arcade machine.
BANG!
"Ah, this is so frustrating—"
CRACK!
I froze.
The bottom half of the arcade machine was… gone. Completely shattered. A mess of broken panels and exposed wires sparked at my feet.
"Oops…"
Sweat immediately formed on my forehead. Oh no… oh no… oh no… This was definitely going to cost a fortune to repair. I slowly turned my head toward Iris, bracing myself—
But she simply tilted her head, completely unfazed.
"Hmmm… seems like this machine wasn't up to your standards," she mused thoughtfully. "I'll tell her to make a new one."
I blinked.
…Wait. That's it? She's not asking me to pay for the damages?
Oh. Oh. What a relief.
I let out a deep sigh—
BUZZ BUZZ!
I nearly jumped as my phone buzzed loudly in my pocket. Who was calling me right now? Maybe Irana?
I fished out my phone and glanced at the screen—
My breath hitched.
Father.
Why… Why was that old man calling me now?
Without thinking much, I picked up the phone.
"Aria!! Where are you right now?!" The old man shouted loudly through the speaker.
What the hell…
"Why are you yelling? I'm at my friend's house," I reply, rubbing my ear from the sheer volume.
"Are you telling the truth?… No, wait—that's not the point. Why are you not on school grounds?"
Ah, right. Sneaking out of school isn't exactly permitted unless it's the weekend.
"Uh… I just wanted to visit my friend's house…" I say, my voice trailing off.
A pause. Then—
"Which friend?"
Ah… uh… Think, Aria.
"Iris."
"Iris?"
Silence hangs on the other end of the line for a moment. Then—
"Oh… Iris. Viola's little sister."
…Huh? Viola's little sister?
I blink and slowly turn my head toward Iris, who stands beside me. She tilts her head slightly, looking confused.
I take a good, hard look at her face. Now that I'm really paying attention… There is a resemblance. How did I not notice this before?
"You're Viola's little sister?" I blurt out.
"Yes?" Iris replies, blinking. "I thought you already knew."
I almost drop my phone.
"Aria? Are you still there?" The old man's voice snaps me back to reality.
"Ah—yeah, sorry. Uh… yeah, I'm with Iris. Viola's little sister."
Iris, who had probably overheard the old man's voice through the phone, suddenly spoke up.
"Yes, Uncle~! I'm with Aria Onee-chan right now," she said in a cutesy, overly sweet voice.
…Huh?
I turn to look at her, utterly baffled. Just a moment ago, she had been speaking in a cold and composed tone. Now, she sounded like an entirely different person—cheerful, almost… adorable?
What the hell is this sudden shift?!
Iris, however, remained completely unfazed, her expression calm and collected as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Meanwhile, I was still processing the sheer absurdity of her voice change.
"Hmmm… alright then. Have fun," the old man said casually before hanging up without another word.
I stared at my phone, blinking in disbelief.
…Huh? That's it?
No explanation for why he was calling me in the first place? No lecture about sneaking off school grounds? Just a sudden shift in tone and then click—conversation over?
What the hell is his problem?
I frowned, still looking at my phone as if staring at it long enough would make the answers magically appear on the screen."Arthur, let's head back now…" I said, already turning toward the exit.
"Eh? Now?" Arthur raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by my sudden decision.
"Yeah, what else? Is there anything else you want me to see here?" I glanced around one last time before shifting my gaze to Iris.
Iris, who had been quiet for a moment, simply shrugged. "Well… to be honest, there's nothing else."
"See? That settles it," I said, nodding in satisfaction. I grabbed Arthur by the collar and started pulling him along. "Alright, let's head back now."
"W-Wait! You don't have to drag me—!" Arthur protested, stumbling slightly as I tugged him forward.