...
And so, the Saiba twins and I made our way to the outskirts of Millennium, a remnant of a time long past. Buildings, some once reaching nearly twenty stories, now remain mostly intact, covered in moss and vegetation. Once pristine, white buildings now lay where they stand, stained grey by time. Telephone poles stand tilted, their wires still connected mostly, but some lay broken on the ground, inert and devoid of a electric current.
"Well... This place is inviting." I say.
"Shh! Get down, Sensei!" Momoi says hushed, as she ducks behind some rubble. Shrugging, Midori and I do as she asks.
"Okay, so why are we hiding?" I ask, in a quiet voice.
"That's why." Momoi says, pointing ahead of us.
Where she points, there is a humanoid automaton. It somewhat resembles the ones Kaiser PMC used, but they are a dark, metallic grey and carry equally grey assault rifles. It stands, looking around, staying alert for intruders. It lets out a horrid screech as it looks around.
Another robot comes around the corner and makes a sound in response. The first responds, then they split up and leave our field of view.
"Are they gone?" Momoi asks.
"Yeah." I say to the twins.
"Good. Let's go." She says.
"This isn't good at all!" Midori shouts. "What is this place? It's crawling with weird robots!"
"Yeah, the hell were those?" I ask, serious.
"What do you mean? I told you before we came here." Momoi says. "These are the ruins."
Midori and I deadpan at her.
"But I get what you mean. I knew this place was supposedly dangerous, still..." The pink eyed twin says.
"Why are there robots patrolling this place?" I ask.
"I don't know much other than what I heard from Veritas." Momoi explains. "I already told you that access to this place is heavily restricted, right?"
"You mentioned that, yes." I say.
"Well, the one who restricted access to this place and tried to hide its very existence was no other than the president of the General Student Council." Momoi says, eliciting shock in her sister and I. Especially in me.
"You mean the one who suddenly disappeared?" Midori asks.
"The one and the same. She also had troops stationed here, but they withdrew after she went missing." The pink eyed twin explains. "We wouldn't have gotten this far otherwise. My point is this! Since the General Student Council has given up on trying to hide or watch this place, Veritas was able to slip us in. Remember, Himari told me this place holds all kinds is secrets of Kivotos' past. All we have to do is follow the coordinates Veritas gave us and we'll finally have it!"
In the corner of my eyes, I see a robot poke its head out and 'look' right at us before letting out a loud, metallic screech.
"Ah! Uh... Uh-oh." Momoi says, jumping back.
"Robots?!" Midori shouts
"Fuck." I say, leaping forward. The robot tries to draw its weapon, but I'm too quick. Already in front of it, I punch the robot in the face, causing it to sway to the side as I punch it in the back of the head with more than half force, impaling my fist into its head. I pull my hand out as it falls to the ground with a thud, it's heavy weight causing a dent in the old, cracked pavement.
Four more pop out of nowhere, rifles trained on me. "Midori, Momoi! Get down and cover me!" I hear the two scramble to cover as I pull my AR from my back.
Quickly dodging their rifle fire by running to the side, I drop to the ground behind some cover. A rather large chunk of asphalt lays there. Picking it up, I stand up from cover and run towards them, tossing the large asphalt chunk at one of them, who gets struck in the chest. The force of the asphalt caves in the robot's chest, making it fall to the ground. A spray of gunfire downs another robot as I sprint towards them, avoiding their bullets. Once reaching them, I whack one in the face with my rifle and quickly turn around and shoot the other in the face.
Now with them both stunned, I grab both of their heads and slam them together with enough force to turn both of their heads into pancakes.
Suddenly, more robots flood out, virtually from thin air.
"Dammit!" I shout, running away and hopping behind the rubble where the twins are. "We need to run!"
"Where?!" Midori shouts.
I quickly look around, before seeing an old factory. "There!" I shout, pointing at it. "Into that factory!"
"Good thinking, Sensei!" Momoi says.
"Come on!" I shout, as the three of us run.
—————
We ran inside the building, the metal within pristine for some reason. We continue to run for a long while, until we are sure they aren't following us.
The twins collapse on the ground, panting, out of breath. I stay standing, looking down the various hallways, stretching my hearing out, trying to hear the robots.
"Okay. They gave up." I say, causing the twins to visibly relax.
"Wait, what?" Midori asks after a moment, surprised.
"Yeah. Why aren't they following us in here?" Momoi asks. "They were hot on our heels right up until we entered the factory."
"That... IS weird..." I say, in thought. Why'd they give up so suddenly?
"I don't get what they're doing, but it works out great for us! Right?" The pink eyed twin happily says.
"Gah! I can't take this anymore!" Midori suddenly shouts, causing her twin to recoil in surprise and me to look at her. "What did we do to deserve being chased by robots?!"
"Calm down, Midori. The worst is behind us." Momoi says, hoping to calm her sister.
"This is your fault!" Midori angrily retorts.
"Break it up you two." I say, causing the two to look at me. "There's something more important to worry about."
"Yeah, what even is this place?" Momoi asks.
"Did the General Student Council president restrict access to the ruins because they knew about the robots?" Midori asks.
"Maybe... Or maybe she did it to hide something else." I theorize.
"Actually, I was wondering if those robots were brought here by them to begin with." The pink eyed twin says. "Though, I'm starting to doubt that now... I think there's more to this, and-"
Momoi's explanation of her thoughts is interrupted by a robotic voice.
Access denied. Access denied.
"Wh-What was that?!" Momoi shrieks.
"Where's that voice coming from?" Midori asks.
Looking around, I find nothing. No control panels or speakers or anything.
Verifying subject identity. Saiba Momoi. Unqualified.
My eyes narrow.
"What the...? How does it know my name?" Momoi asks.
Verifying subject identity. Saiba Midori. Unqualified.
"What's going on?" Midori asks.
"Nothing good." I reply, tensing my muscles in case of emergency.
Verifying subject identity. Joshua Birkin Sensei.
I shift my footing a bit, ready to grab the twins and run.
The robotic voice goes silent for a long moment.
"Don't tell me..." Momoi mutters.
Qualified. You have permission to enter, Sensei.
"Whoa!" Midori shouts in surprise.
"Wait, what was that?! Have you been here before?!" Momoi shouts.
"Never. Though, seeing as how the GSC Prez disappeared and left me a bunch of stuff behind, knowing I'd show up in Kivotos... I'm starting to think your idea of the GSC putting those robots here was a good one, Momoi." I say, seriously.
Saiba Momoi and Saiba Midori have been recognized as students of Sensei. Access as companions... granted. Bottom door open.
"The fuck?" I mutter.
"Bottom door? Is that not the one in front of us?" Midori asks.
"Wait. By bottom, it doesn't mean...?" Momoi asks.
Suddenly, I feel the metal beneath our feet shift. Widening my eyes in surprise, I move.
"Wha?!"
"Whoa!"
The twins shout in surprise as I pick them both up in my arms and dash to the side of them room. The floor where we were is wide open.
I sit the twins down gently. "Guess it was a bottom door." I say, deadpan.
"Wow, I didn't know you could move that fast, Sensei!" Momoi praises me.
"Years of practice." I answer. "Now, how about we go down?"
"I don't think this is a good idea, but..." Midori says, expressing her concern.
"Believe me, I don't trust this at all, but... we should still check what's down there. It could be somethin' dangerous." I say, seriously.
"Or something awesome!" Momoi adds.
I chuckle. "Yes, or something awesome." I say with a smile. "I would say ladies first, but..." I then jump down the pit, near the chute's walls. I press the bottom of one of my shoes backwards against the wall to slow my descent. The chute ends a few feet before the ground, but still, I hit the ground softly. Looking around in front of me, I see another metallic labyrinth.
"Sensei? Are you okay?" Midori asks.
"Just fine!" I shout back. "Drop down one at a time, I'll catch ya!"
"O-Okay..." Midori says, as I see her drop.
Before the green twin reaches me, I grab her under the arms, to slow her descent before reaching the ground. Kinda like how you catch Atreus in God of War 2018.
Midori stands next to me with a nod. "Okay, Sis!" She calls out.
"Alright..." Momoi says, as she jumps. I catch her in the same way. "Thanks, Sensei."
"Don't worry about it." I wave the pink twin off.
"We didn't fall that far, huh?" Midori asks, looking up.
"Yeah, that was... what, a six or seven meter drop?" I ask, also looking up.
"What in the...?" Momoi asks.
"What is it?" I ask, looking at her.
"Huh?!" Midori shouts, looking in her twin's direction.
Turning around, I see... something weird. "What the...?" I mutter.
There is a large, circular room. In the center, is a raised platform with a hole in the roof right above, letting the sunlight in. A bit of grass has grown on the ground, the only color in this place. In the center of the platform is a white, raised chair.
On it, sits a girl.
She appears quite petite, and has long, hair, colored black or perhaps a very dark blue. She's also completely nude and completely asleep.
"A girl...?" Momoi asks.
"What's she doing down here?" Midori asks.
The three of us walk over to her. Her long hair is conveniently covering all of her important bits.
Momoi begins poking her. "Nothing. It's almost like she's dead."
"Don't say that!" Midori snaps.
"She ain't dead." I say. "She's not injured at all. She almost... looks like a mannequin."
"Really? Come to think of it, she kinda does." Momoi says, agreeing with me. She pulls her hair back and pokes her neck. "Her skin feels soft. Oh, there are some letters here."
I look over at the girl's neck. "A-L-I-S...?"
"What's that supposed to mean? Is that supposed to be her name?" Momoi asks.
"Alis...? Sounds like a bad translation of the name Alice." I point out.
"No, wait. That's not a letter." Midori points out, looking at her neck as well.
"Hey, you're right. It's AL-1S... No idea what 'AL' means, and '1S'... maybe the first of something?" I theorize.
"Who is this girl...? And what's this place supposed to be?" Midori asks.
"She must be what those robots are keeping secret." I say.
"Hmm... Maybe we should ask her." Momoi suggests.
"If she wakes up, that is." Midori says.
"Hang on." I say, taking my rifle from my back. I then un-button and take off my blazer and put it on the girl, buttoning it up enough to cover her. It's too big for her as it covers some of her legs as well. "That should do for now." I say, still crouching next to her.
"Good thinking, Sensei." The pink twin praises me.
Suddenly, we hear something. Three beeps.
"Huh?" Midori asks.
"What was that noise?!" Momoi asks, frantic.
"It sounded like some kind of alarm." The green twin says.
"It... It came from her." I say, standing back up.
"What?" The pink twin asks.
Status update. Contact with approved subject detected. Dormant state deactivated.
A voice says from the girl. As it finishes speaking, a halo of sorts appears behind her head. It's blue at the top and fades to green at the bottom. It's comprised of four squares and a rectangle. The largest square is in the top-left, the second largest at the middle-right and overlaps the largest, the second smallest is in the bottom-left and is behind the biggest one, the smallest square is in the top-right and the very small rectangle, smaller than all the squares, is slightly covering the largest square.
Then, her electric blue eyes open.
"Sh-She opened her eyes!" Midori shouts.
"Hush. Don't scare the girl." I chide the green twin.
A quiet, whirring sound emanates from the small girl. She looks around the room in confusion.
I look at her. "Are you alright?" I ask.
She looks up at me in curiosity. "Circumstances unknown." She says in a cute voice. "Attempt conversation. Please explain."
"Explain?" Momoi asks.
"We were, uh... hoping you would explain. Who are you and what is this place?" I ask the mysterious girl.
"Sense of self, memory, and purpose not found. No data available." The girl says, robotically.
"What does that mean?" Midori asks.
"It means she's a blank slate." I say, worried for the girl now.
"You're... not going to attack us, are you?" The green twin asks.
"Negative. The offensive capabilities of this unit cannot be activated when in contact with an approved subject." She explains.
"Fascinating. Kivotos has several robotic citizens, but I've never seen one that looks like us." Momoi observes, looking the girl up and down.
"What do you mean by 'approved subject'?" I ask the girl.
"Answer not found." She replies. "This is presumably the first occurrence of deep consciousness for this unit. Answers unknown."
"Deep consciousness?" The green twin asks.
"Sense of self, awareness of being alive, that kind of thing." I explain.
"Hmm... Factory basement... No clothes... Memory loss..." Momoi mutters in thought. "That's pretty suspicious, if you ask me."
"I... really don't like where you're going with this..." Midori says, worriedly.
The mysterious girl looks at me in confusion. I just shrug in return. "Okay, enough questions and stuff. We've wasted enough time here, let's get her outta here."
"Okay, then." Momoi says.
"Alright." Midori adds.
"Come on, you probably don't wanna stay here." I say to the girl. She looks at me for a moment, before nodding.
And so, the four of us left the ruins, the mysterious girl on my back.
...She also weighs a bit more than one would expect, being made from metal and all.
—————
As we got to the building's entrance, we saw a bunch of robots still prowling about.
"What now, Sensei?" Momoi asks.
"We run." I say.
"Huh?!" Momoi shouts.
"Well what else can we do? I can't even fight with this one on my back." I say, nodding to the robotic girl.
"That's fine." Midori says with a nod.
"Oh, fine!" The pink twin reluctantly agrees, worried about this. What, did she want to sneak through.
—————
Meanwhile, on a nearby rooftop.
'Honestly, why am I up here?' A dark skinned girl asks herself, looking through the scope of a sniper rifle. ' 'Oh, Karin. We need you to keep an eye out on the ruins this afternoon' Why? There's nothing here... huh?'
Suddenly, through her scope, she sees movement. Two short students, who appear almost identical, run through a horde of robots, towards Millennium. Behind them is a tall man wearing a suit, minus the blazer, which is around a long-haired girl on his back. The twins have their guns drawn, shooting any robots that come too close as they run.
However, a few more robots sneak up ahead of them, preparing to shoot.
'Easy.' The sniper thinks to herself, aiming at the sneaky robot's head.
As it jumps out, the twins jump back in fright and the man stops.
BANG
The robot's head is blown clean off, causing it to fall limply to the ground. The twins look around for the source, but the man...
'Huh?'
...The man looks right at her and nods with an appreciative smile.
'Did he...?'
Before she can comprehend this, the group continues to run from the ruins.
'Huh... I wonder who that guy was.' The dark skinned sniper thinks to herself. 'Well, better report this to Seminar.'
—————
The twins got the mysterious girl some clothes and gave her a 'makeover' of sorts when we got back.
Her hair is now brushed from her face and held with a black headband above her bangs with a small bit tied into a side ponytail. She now wears a white shirt with a long, blue tie and a black skirt. Over her shirt is a while hoodie that's blue on the inside and has black in the shoulders and top of the pockets on either side. Her legs are bare, but her feet are covered with white shoes with grey laces and short, black ankle socks. Her hair is long enough that a part of it rests on the floor.
Though, I'm still suprised about that sniper. What were they doing there? I thought the GSC pulled back their forces from that place... unless she's from Millennium.
...I'll have to thank her for that help.
The robotic girl sits on one of the bean-bag cushions, looking around the room in confusion as the twins look at me.
"Sensei! Why did you bring her to the club room?!" Midori shouts, worried.
"It was either here or Schale, and that's much farther." I say, explaining my actions.
Looking at her, I see her about to put a game cartridge in her mouth.
"No! Don't chew on that!" Midori shouts, frantic, as she pulls the cartridge away.
"I get it. We couldn't just leave her there." Momoi says, eliciting a nod from me.
"I know that..." Midori says. "...but shouldn't we submit a report to the General Student Council or Valkyrie?"
Valkyrie? That's the... police school, right?
"We can't do that. Not until our task is done." Momoi protests.
"What task?" I ask.
"Hmm. First we should give her a name." The pink twin dodges my question. "How does 'Aris' sound?"
"Please confirm Aris as the designated name for this unit." The girl says.
"W-Wait!" Midori shouts. "You said that her name was that 'AL-1S' thing? Shouldn't we make her name Alice?"
"Eh, not cute enough." Momoi shrugs.
"Seriously?" I ask, deadpan.
"What do you think, Aris?" Momoi asks the girl.
She remains silent for a while. "...Confirmed. Unit designation: Aris." She says with a small smile.
The pink twin boastfully laughs. "See? Do I know how to pick a cute name or what?"
"Well, as long as she's fine with it." The green twin says with a sigh.
"Well, nice to finally meetcha, Aris." I say with a smile, eliciting a nod and a small smile from the newly named robot girl.
"Now, let's move on to the next step!" Momoi proclaims.
"You can't be serious. This isn't as simple as adopting a cat!" Midori protests.
"Think about it, Midori. Why did we risk our lives to get the G.BIBLE in the first place?" Momoi asks.
"Huh? It was to make a good game so we can keep our club." Midori says.
"Exactly." Momoi says with a nod. "To keep our club, we have to meet one of two conditions. Making a good game and winning the Millennium Prize is just one of our options."
Oh, I see where this is going.
"But I thought you said it was the only way." Midori says, confused. "We haven't had any luck recruiting people to work on a retro game."
"Midori." I say, catching her attention, before nodding towards Aris.
"Momoi... Don't tell me..." Midori almost pleads. "You're thinking of disguising her as a Millennium student and having her join our club?!"
"So that's why you gave her those clothes." I point out.
"Exactly!" Momoi says proudly. "Aris! You're now one of us!"
Meanwhile, Aris has picked up a handheld console and is about to much on it. I reach over and pull it way from her mouth. "That ain't something to chew on." I explain, taking the handheld away and sitting it down.
Midori lets out a sigh in defeat. "I don't know about this. Will it really be okay if we disguise her as a club member?"
"Okay?" Aris asks, robotically. "Verifying meaning. A condition lacking in negative attributes or problems. Confirmed."
I cringe, as does Midori, who shouts. "There's no way this will work! She'll blow her cover the second she opens her mouth! It's hopeless! We can't pull something like this off!"
"We have to. I'll do whatever it takes if it means saving the Game Development Department." Momoi says, resolutely. "Yuzu can't move back to the dorms. If we can't do this... she'll have nowhere to go."
Midori remains silent, averting her gaze from her twin. "That's true..."
"I think she passes the eye test. All she needs now is a weapon and a student ID." The pink twin says, confidently. "I'll take care of getting her registered and an ID made. Midori. I want you to teach Aris how to hold a conversation with Yuzu."
"A conversation? What do you mean?" Midori asks.
"Well, she'll blow her cover if she keeps talking like a robot." I say, deadpan.
"People have been saying for ages that our club can't recruit new members because we have no friends. So if Yuuka asks Aris wether she really belongs to the Game Development Department and she responds with something like 'Affirmative. Aris is property registered to the Game Development Department. Beep boop.', that's going to raise a few eyebrows." Momoi concludes.
"I... don't think she'd say 'beep boop', but I see your point." I say, slowly.
"I mean, sure, but..." Midori begins, trying to think of something to counter with, before sighing. "Okay, then. I'll try."
"Good. I'm counting on you!" Momoi says, happily.
"W-Wait!" The green twin shouts as she sister runs off. She then turns to Aris. "Um... so, Aris?"
"Affirmative. Aris is the designated name for this unit." The robotic girl responds.
"Hmm... I don't even know how I learned to make conversation. I suppose I just picked it up from watching TV or hearing other people talk." The green twin thinks out loud. "What do you think, Sensei?"
"Hmm..." I hum, in thought. "Maybe we should get her some kids books or find something like that online?"
"That's a good idea." Midori agrees.
We look back at Aris, who's looking around the room in curiosity.
"Query. Please identify object identity." Aris says, pointing at a thick magazine, with a couple of small pieces of paper sticking out.
"Huh? You mean that?" Midori asks. "It's a little embarrassing, but it has an article about a game we made. It got a lot of bad reviews." She says, shyly. "Oh, right!" She says, suddenly remembering something. "I'm not proud of the fact it won Worst Game of the Year, but why don't you give it a try, Aris? There are all kinds of conversations in the game, so it might be a good opportunity to learn."
"Not a bad idea. Aris learns conversational skills and maybe gains an interest in games. Good one, Midori." I praise the green twin with a smile, who looks away from me with a small blush.
Aris tilts her head in confusion. "Purpose not understood. However..." She nods with a small smile.
"R-Really?! Give me just a minute, I'll set it up for you!" The green gamer girl says, with hope in her voice.
As Midori gets to work, Aris looks at me. I let a smile come onto my face, something she returns. I feel a sudden urge to pat her on the head. Surprisingly, I do so.
My hand rests on the robot girl's head. She looks at me hand, confused, but doesn't attempt to pull away.
—————
"Okay, it's ready!" Midori says after finishing.
"Truth be told, I'm lookin' forward to this. Can't be worse than that Charlie's Angels game." I say, sitting down.
"Charlie's Angels?" Midori asks.
"It was a tv show, got a shitty game made. Oh, and if you play the game without a memory card inserted, it plays the demo over and over again without ever telling you it's a demo. This?" I say, pointing at the screen. "This cannot be that bad."
The robot girl sits down and picks up the controller. "Aris, starting game."
The screen shows some stuff as the game loads up.
"As the title suggests, our game is a classic fantasy RPG with a rich, fairy tale atmosphere." The green twin begins to explain.
Text then appears on the screen.
In the year 2354 of the Cosmic Calendar, mankind is engulfed in the flames of war.
Aris stares at the screen in confusion.
"Well... it does take inspiration from some other genre's trends too. Sticking with the same, tired tropes can get boring after a while." Midori explains.
"Pressing button." Aris says, robotically, as usual.
Beginning tutorial.
Words appear on screen, then the screen changes.
Press the B button to equip the weapon in front of you.
"Press... B button..." Aris mutters, looking down at the controller. As she presses the B button, the tv plays the sound of an explosion.
Words appear on the screen in a large, red font.
GAME OVER.
Aris looks shocked and upset. "...?!"
Momoi just laughs.
Hang on... "When'd you get here?"
"Where's the fun in knowing what will happen?!" The pink twin, returned to the room, asks proudly, ignoring my question. "The trick is you should have pressed the A button there!"
"What are you doing here, Momoi?" The green twin asks. "I thought you were going to get the student ID."
"Oh, I must have gotten there too late since there was no one there. I'll go back tomorrow." The pink twin says with a shrug.
"Anyway, on second thought, I think the way we designed this screen is a little unfair." Midori admits.
"You said this was a RPG, but this seems to fall into the 'unfair game' genre." I say, causing the twins to look at me on confusion. "Unfair games are tough and unfair games, filled with unfair traps and puzzles to solve in order to progress. They seem unfair at first, but you just have to think outside of the box to solve 'em."
"Ah." Momoi says, in realization.
"A-Again..." Aris says, drawing our attention. "Resume. Experiencing emotion that cannot be conveyed through words."
My eyebrow raises at that. Sounds like Dark Souls syndrome is kicking in.
"Ooh! I know what you're feeling! It must be 'interest' or 'anticipation'." Momoi guesses.
"I'm going to guess it's 'rage'." Midori adds.
...Yup, definitely Dark Souls syndrome.
This time, Aris presses A.
Weapon equipped successfully.
"Picked up... sword..." Aris mutters.
"You're picking this up quicker than I expected!" Momoi praises the robot girl. "Once you're past the tutorial, it won't be long until you get to the best part of any RPG..."
COMBAT START!
"...?!" Aris lets out a small gasp.
A wild Puny Jelly appeared!
"Tension. Excitement. Interest." Aris lists off the emotions swelling inside her chest.
"Mash the A button! Trust me!" Momoi shouts.
"A button..." Aris mashes the button and reads what appears on screen. "Secret Sword Tsubame Gaeshi attacks twice. Must get Puny Jelly."
Shouldn't it be three times?
"Secret Sword! Tsubame...!" Aris says, passionately.
Pow!
Counterattack. One-hit KO.
GAME OVER.
"...?!" Aris shakes in rage and confusion.
"Okay, now THAT'S bullshit." I say.
Strong first enemy? Is this Dark Souls?
Puny Jelly: You should know better than to bring a sword to a gun fight. Hmph!
"Do you think the 'Hmph!' at the end is a little too much?" Momoi asks.
"I think the whole line is too much." I say, deadpan.
"I don't think that's the biggest issue here." Midori says.
"Operational error. Processing." Aris says, monotonous.
"A-Are you okay, Aris?" Midori asks, worriedly.
Aris closes her eyes for a moment and sighs. "Resuming functionality. Initiating. Notice: caution required while in range of the Puny Jelly. Navigate and exterminate."
"You're getting it!" The pink twin cheers. "It's all about learning a little bit at a time until you know how to handle anything and everything. That's the allure of retro games!"
—————
Aris then played the game intensely for two hours straight.
"A critical computational processing and comprehension error has occurred." Aris whines, showing more emotion than before. Every few minutes, the game seems to draw a new emotion from the robotic girl.
"I-It's okay, Aris. Right after this phase is the climax!" Momoi says, cheering the girl on.
"Ugh. We really messed up on this part..." Midori pouts. "It's supposed to say that he prefers meat, but we couldn't find the right words... When he said 'Sorry, I can't help you ladies with those veggies, I'm more of a sausage lover myself', Aris' circuits almost got fried!"
"Sometimes you need to go over your work, especially with stuff like this." I say.
And keep an eye out for unintentionally lewd lines of dialogue...
"Query. Why is Aris' mother a love interest and why was she Aris' wife in a previous life?" Aris asks.
"My brain cells are dying with some of these plot points." I mutter.
"Additional query. Why did Aris' wife's missing childhood half-friend come through a time warp? Dictionary lookup of 'half-friend' turned up negative. Definition not found." The robotic girl continues. "E-Error!" She whines with a pout.
"Are you okay, Aris?" I ask the girl in worry.
"You're almost at the climax!" Midori says.
Aris lets out a calming sigh. "Initiating reboot. System restore complete. Phew... This is... your game... Resuming play!" She says with a determined look in her face.
—————
'Almost at the climax' the twins said...
...TWO HOURS AGO!!!
Not that I mind, it's kinda fun watching them play, and watching Aris learn...
...and change throughout her 'journey'. She's becoming more emotive still.
" 'Please... kill... me...'." Aris reads from the screen, a somber expression on her face.
"That was incredible, Aris!" Momoi cheers. "Sure you had two devs with you, but you got the true ending in only four hours! What a speedrun!"
"By the way, Momoi..." The green twin says, catching her sister's attention. "Have you noticed that the more Aris plays..."
"The more expressive she becomes?" I finish the sentence.
"I was goona say 'the weirder the way she talks becomes'." Midori corrects.
I suppose she's not wrong...
"If you don't inquire of my opinion, dear warrior, yours truly heartily agrees." Aris says.
"I get it." I say.
"Same." Momoi agrees.
"It's definitely awkward, but it sure beats her just listing words out." The green twin says quietly, before turning to Aris. "U-Um, so... I have a kind of embarrassing question for you, Aris. How was our game? Did you have fun?"
The robotic girl remains silent for a long while. "Queried description not found." She says, slipping back into her robotic voice.
"B-But why?!" The pink twin shouts.
"Expression lookup in process..." Aris says, trailing off. "Loading response..."
"P-Please don't be a curse word." Midori pleads.
"Oh, like you haven't heard me say them a bunch today." I say to her.
"...Fun." Aris mutters, before speaking more loudly. "Fun... confirmed." She says with a bright smile.
The pink twin happily gasps.
"The more Aris played..." Aris begins, trying to find the words, a happy smile across her face. "...the more it felt like I was being transported to a new world. It was like... a dream... I... I need more..." She says, before she... begins to tear up?
"Hey, what's wrong?" I ask with a soft tone, putting my hand on the girl's shoulder. "Aris?" I ask, when she doesn't answer.
"She's been touched by our game! That's gotta be it!" Momoi says.
"But our game is just a comedy RPG." Midori counters.
"It was weird, but it certainly wasn't bad." I say.
"Thank you, Aris. Your tears cancel out a thousand bad reviews! I wish Yuzu could be here to see this!" Momoi says happily.
"...I'm here." A quiet voice speaks out, causing me to flinch. The cabinet, that I thought was a locker before in the side of the room creaks...
"Huh? When did the cabinet get open?" The pink twin asks.
Midori shrieks, picking up a console in fright. "A ghost!" She prepares to throw.
"Hey! Don't throw that!" I scold the green twin, sitting back down the console, as a girl steps out from the cabinet.
A very silent girl, even Izuna, a ninja, wasn't this quiet.
She has long, red hair reaching her mid-thigh, becoming curly at the ends with multiple small, white ribbons decorating the curls. Her bangs are swept to the side, revealing her forehead. A portion of her hair is braided before being tied into a side ponytail with another white bow. Her eyes are a pale blue. She wears as large, oversized white hoodie with a hood that zips up causing her neck and some of her chin to be hidden by the yellow inside of the hood. Her legs are uncovered, but her feet are covered with white flip-flops with an orange Millennium logo on both. Her halo is comprised of two, almost full, orange rings split at the top with a vertical rectangle in the gaps, making it resemble a power button. She holds a small grenade launcher that kinda looks like a Nintendo Switch.
The new girl, presumably Yuzu, stares at Aris for a moment, before looking away, then repeats. Aris just stares at the new arrival in confusion.
"Yuzu!" Momoi says happily.
"We couldn't find you anywhere!" Midori says, relieved. "How long have you been hiding int the cabinet?"
"Since you guys got back from the ruins." She says, shyly.
"That was a long time ago! Oh, were you scared of Aris and Sensei or something?" The green twin asks.
"You should've said somethin'. I would've gladly stepped out it need be." I say, hoping to calm the shy girl, who's been avoiding eye contact with Aris and I.
"Anyway, I think an introduction is in order. Aris, Sensei, meet Yuzu, the president of the Game Development Department." Momoi says.
"Nice to meetcha. I'm Joshua, the guy from Schale." I greet the red haired girl, who nods at me. She then shuffles towards the robot girl and I, before stopping for a moment, gathering her courage.
"Hm?" Aris hums.
"Um. So, I mean..." Yuzu struggles to speak. "Th... Th..."
"Th...?" Aris mirrors.
"Thank you." Yuzu says to Aris and I with a shy voice and a blush on her face.
"Thank you for saying it wasn't bad." Yuzu says to me, before turning to Aris. "And thank you for saying... the game was fun... and that you wished it wouldn't end. And thank you for crying... it really means a lot."
Aris tilts her head in confusion.
"I've always wanted to hear those things said about our game." The head haired girl admits.
"Yuzu..." The green twin mutters.
"Anyway, it's nice to meet you, Aris, Sensei." Yuzu says shyly. "Like Momoi said, I'm Hanaoka Yuzu, the president of the Game Development Department. Thank you for joining our club, Aris. I look forward to making things with you." She says with a small smile.
"Look... forward?" Aris asks, before smiling. "Acknowledged." Aris then does something surprising, she makes a jingle sound. "Bum bum bum! Yuzu has joined the party! That... is what you mean, affirmative?"
"Uh, y-yeah. I think that covers it." Yuzu says, awkwardly "It seems like you really understand our game. Getting new party members is one of the simple joys in playing an RPG. Oh, and if you want another fun game to play..." She says, moving closer to the robot girl, forgetting about her shyness as she speaks of her passion. "I do have a recommendation."
"Wait! I've got some must-plays first!" Momoi interjects. "The more Aris plays, the more natural her speech is becoming. All we gotta do is get a lot of words in front of her... First, The Fable of Heroes, then Final Fantasia, then Chrono Digger-"
Getting close to copyright there, Momoi.
"Huh?!" Midori interrupts her twin. "Aris is new to games, though! The Legend of Zinda: Lonk's Awakening is the obvious choice for a noob!"
...I think Nintendo's gonna sue someone.
"Sorry, but I can't keep quiet about this." Yuzu interjects, serious. "Her next game has to be Romancing NaGa. I don't care what happens after that..."
Aris tilts her head in confusion at the other three girl's squabbling, before breaking out into a big smile. "Excitement confirmed. I'm going to start the game."
I suddenly feel my stomach timbale. Taking a moment to check my watch, I cringe. It's already the evening. "Welp." I say, popping the p as I stand up. "It's about time I call it a day."
"Already, Sensei?" Momoi asks.
"It's almost evening and I didn't have lunch today. I swing by tomorrow morning, okay?" I offer.
"All right then. Later, Sensei." Midori says.
"Goodbye." Yuzu says, shyly.
"See you tomorrow." Aris says with a nod.
"Good luck, girls." I say, leaving the club room.
gurgle
Fuck, I need food.
—————
After a good, big-ass meal, I had a wonderful rest. The next morning, I bid Arona good morning and good bye as I went to Millennium. I got there pretty quick.
Knocking on the door, it opens a moment later, revealing Aris, who smiles a super bright smile at seeing me.
"Ah! The Legendary Warrior has returned!" She says happily.
"...The what now?" I can't help but ask.
What the hell happened last night?!
—————
AN
LONG CHAPTER, BABY!!!
We meet best robo-girl Aris as well as Yuzu.
Next time, Aris gets a Dragon Slayer.
Edit: December 14, 2022. Added a section where they leave the ruins, guest starring a sniper. Also, this edit makes this the longest chapter for this story yet, clocking in at 6,648 words.
Edit: January 5, 2023: Changed Aris referring to herself from 'I' to 'Aris', since she speaks in third person. The text in Global has her speak normally.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to the next!