In truth, what Aris discovered was nothing strange at all, it was just a game magazine.
[Hitgirls]. From the latest game news in Kivotos, to guides for retro games, to information on game merchandise releases, it could be said that anything related to games could be found inside.
Something like this appearing in the Game Development Department, where everyone was a hardcore gamer, was hardly surprising.
However, the problem lay in which issue of Hitgirls Aris had found.
It was precisely the issue that carried the review of Mythology Legend Chronicle…
"Oh. You have good taste. You always manage to find good stuff."
Momoi rubbed her finger under her nose and said brazenly.
Midori tried to call out, "Um, um… Aris-chan?"
Aris had already taken the magazine into her hands. "Affirmative. This unit's designation is Aris."
"Then I will call you that… actually, it talks about a game we made inside. Although, well, it got roasted pretty badly."
Faced with an indisputable fact, Momoi retorted, "But the game we made was praised to the skies by Sensei, you know. Compared to second-rate critics who do not even stick with a game until the end before passing judgment and lack a gamer's soul, Sensei's evaluation is definitely more valuable."
I did not. Do not make things up.
Just how much had she embellished her own memories?
"Well… that is true, I guess…"
As Midori said that, she and Yuzu both sneaked glances at me and showed shy smiles.
I was about to argue back, but then I thought that maybe I really had said something like that and simply forgot.
"Anyway, even though it was rated number one on the trash game rankings…"
In a coaxing tone, Midori said, "Aris-chan, our game… would you like to try playing it?"
This was exactly the development I was afraid of.
"Is that really a good idea?" I advised earnestly. "Besides, do we not still need to teach Aris proper ways of speaking?"
However, Midori offered an airtight reason. "Because you need dialogue to advance the story, playing a game also counts as a form of learning, right?"
…Then at least pick a proper game.
But after having just gone along with Momoi's nonexistent memories and shamelessly enjoyed the affectionate gazes of the girls, I could not clearly point out the flaws in their game anymore.
No, wait.
"If you want to learn language through games, that is not impossible. But."
I hinted deliberately. "Do not forget who the scriptwriter of your game is."
The girls of the Game Development Department froze in unison, then their expressions all turned strange.
Momoi raised both hands high, her face red as she protested, "Sensei, what do you mean by that? My scriptwriting is not that terrible, right?"
I neither confirmed nor denied it. Just from the looks Midori and Yuzu gave Momoi, everything was already explained.
"Hmph. Sensei is an idiot." Momoi puffed out her cheeks, then sought affirmation from the other two. "Midori. Yuzu. What do you think of my script? State your true thoughts."
Yuzu hesitated for a long time. "…I, it has a lot of room for improvement?"
Midori chose her words very carefully. "In a certain sense, onee-chan's writing might be just right for a child like Aris."
"Ahahaha. Sensei, you see."
She laughed proudly with her hands on her hips for a while. Only when she noticed something was off from my pitying gaze did her laughter gradually fade and her smile freeze.
After a long silence, vaguely realizing the miserable truth yet unwilling to face it, Momoi decided to change her approach.
"Anyway. Are you not curious at all about what Aris would think while playing our game?"
As for how tempting this proposal was, let me put it this way, even I could not help but be moved.
At worst, Aris would just go to jail and maybe be led astray, but I would get to witness a beautiful girl experiencing all the suffering I once endured, up close.
Not to mention Midori and Yuzu, who were also game creators like Momoi.
Of course, when it came to Aris's education, as an adult and as someone who possessed authority closely tied to Aris's origins, I had the greatest right to speak.
The girls' inclinations had already aligned, they were just waiting for me to speak.
After hesitating for quite a while, I finally made a decision.
"Then, Aris, what do you think?"
Sure enough, Aris's own wishes were the most important.
"Do you want to try the game everyone made? Or rather, do you want to use this method to get to know this world for the first time?"
Perhaps the way I phrased it sounded too serious. The girls who had been eager just moments ago all turned solemn.
Aris looked a little confused. "Up to this point, dialogue and actions have not been fully grasped. However…"
Even though she was an android, even though she had lost her memories, in those blue eyes that should have been clear yet were indifferent, I felt as if I could see her yearning and longing for the unknown.
She analyzed. She pondered. She arrived at an answer of her own.
"…Affirmative." Following her own heart, Aris smiled as she answered. "Aris will play the game."
"Yay."
Momoi cheered with delight, and Yuzu also let out a long sigh of relief.
"R-really?" Midori asked excitedly, but she did not forget my opinion. "What do you think, Sensei?"
"What else can I think?" I looked around. "Where did you put the game disc again?"
Midori excitedly grabbed my sleeve. "W-wait a moment. I will find it. Sensei, please sit down first."
Momoi followed up, "Then I will be in charge of starting it up."
"I-I will prepare drinks…"
In short, after a flurry of activity, with everyone working together, all preparations were complete.
As the television screen lit up, the title screen appeared.
"You can tell from the title that this game is a fairy tale style, colorful, classic fantasy RPG."
Leaning against my left arm, Midori explained this to Aris.
As Aris awkwardly pressed the controller buttons, the game officially began, and background information started appearing on the screen.
[In the Cosmic Century 2354, humanity is surrounded by the Flames of Cataclysm…]
Aris blinked, feeling puzzled.
"Well? Are you so shocked by my astonishing imagination that you cannot speak? The current trend is to mash together all kinds of trendy elements."
Leaning against my right arm, Momoi boasted to Aris.
Aris did not know how to respond and continued pressing buttons.
[Begin tutorial.]
[First, press the B button to equip the weapon in front of you.]
"The B button…" Aris found the corresponding button.
"Ah, wait, this is…"
Yuzu, behind me, was just about to give a warning, but it was already too late.
As Aris pressed the B button, the controller delivered a strong vibration. Then the television screen went black. Along with low, gloomy 8 bit music, a line of blood-red English letters slowly surfaced.
[GAME OVER]
Just as Aris was bewildered by the situation, Momoi burst out laughing instead.
"Ahahaha. An outcome you can predict is boring, right? Actually, you cannot follow the prompt here, you need to press the A button instead."
Yes, when I played this game back then, Momoi had said the same thing to me.
My right hand clenched into a fist again without me realizing it.
Midori muttered, "Looking at this part again, it really does feel a bit too much…"
Aris, sitting on top of me, adjusted into a more comfortable position. "O-one more time…"
All things considered, this was the main reason I stayed.
Through just a few layers of fabric came lively sensations, warmth or coolness. Pleasant, beautiful voices surrounded me at my side. With a light sniff, a refreshing fragrance naturally drifted into my nose. The feeling of happiness was practically overflowing.
Oh no. I am surrounded by beautiful girls.
It is just a little numb though, being pressed down and unable to move freely.
Even so, it is still bliss.
Or rather, perhaps because of the numbness, there is no need to worry too much about instinctive bodily reactions.
"One more time… an emotion that cannot be described in words has emerged."
That was how Aris put it.
Hearing this, Momoi shouted beside her without any self awareness, "Ah, I get that feeling. It should be something like fun or anticipation."
Midori let out a troubled sigh. "No matter how I think about it, it feels more like anger or confusion."
"I-it is fine," Yuzu comforted her. "Next is the most fun part of the game, the combat…"
Huh? Fun?
I was inclined to remain skeptical.
Aris restarted, successfully equipped her weapon, and then encountered the first enemy.
"Nervousness, excitement, fun."
Aris straightforwardly expressed her emotions.
"Press the A button. This time I am not lying."
"The A button… [Secret Sword Swallow Return: Attack the enemy twice]." Aris read the skill description, then declared as she activated it. "Here I go. Using Secret Sword on the slime… Swallow—"
"Eh, wait, control the distance first… ah."
Yuzu's warning once again came too late.
On the screen, that lump of green pixels pulled out a lump of black pixels from behind itself, followed by flashes of red and yellow pixels.
With the sound of a gunshot, Aris's character, stuck in attack recovery and unable to dodge, fell to the ground dead.
And this time, beneath GAME OVER, an extra line of text appeared.
[Slime: No matter how much you hone your swordsmanship, it is useless in front of my gun… heh.]
I took a deep breath, feeling my blood pressure rise again.
"Hmm… I guess a slime saying 'heh' still feels a bit unnatural…" Momoi deliberated over her wording.
"…That is not the part you should be nitpicking."
Midori's retort was spot on.
"Momoi." I took a deep breath and put on a gentle smile. "In the next game, remember to remove the post death taunting."
"Eh? Why?"
"There is no why."
After encountering such a situation, Aris looked like she was about to crash.
"Thought process halted. Processing speed cannot keep up."
"Ah, Aris-chan, are you alright?" Midori asked with concern.
Yuzu offered encouragement. "It is fine, because this is just the beginning. Once you get past the early stage and become familiar with the controls, this kind of problem will not happen anymore."
After having sparred with Yuzu, I began to suspect that her definition of difficulty might be different from that of ordinary people.
Aris calmed down a little, or in robot terms, restarted her process slightly.
"…Restarting. One more time." Aris looked full of fighting spirit. "This time I will work hard to grasp the gun's range and try to maintain distance to defeat the slime."
"That is right, that is the spirit." Momoi said happily. "Never give up, keep challenging yourself again and again. At the end of mistakes, you will definitely find the answer to clearing the stage. That is the charm of retro games, ya—ow! Hey, what are you doi....!"
Finally unable to endure it, I grabbed Momoi's soft, smooth cheek and asked sinisterly, "Is this the reason you designed so many malicious traps?"
That hateful Momoi, no matter how nicely she talked, could not change the fact that she indulged her own twisted tastes in the game.
A would be old thief like this had to be strangled in the cradle.
"Ugh… sor… ry…"
Amid Momoi's cries and the snickering of little Midori and Yuzu, Aris's game adventure continued.