1 A Gift or A Trap?
~Somewhere in the East Shopping District, Owl City~
There, lay hidden deep underground, far from any prying eyes, was a tech lab full of inventions – both still in the experimentation and already completed phase. Most of these inventions were ones that most people could only dream of having, but impossible to create.
Currently, coming from inside that secluded lab was the sound of an invention having its last-minute improvement.
Thunk, thunk, thunk!
Shing, shing!
Beep, Bop, Bip!
All of the sudden, the tinkering sound stopped and was replaced with a loud and mad laugh. "Muahaha…! I finally did it! I managed to finish it right on time! Now I can get rid of that girl. Hahaha…"
Despite how crazy and evil this person sounded like, this wasn't a mad scientist on the loose, but a creative creator hailed throughout the Seven Seas.
Ring, ring! Ring, ring!
Just then, his mobile phone rang out. This occurrence seemed peculiar since he was currently deep underground, but then again, this person wasn't called a genius for nothing.
Looking at the Caller ID, a smile automatically bloomed on his face. Any signs of the previous madne- a moment of glory that all geniuses surely have, vanished. "J, here. I know, I know. I have to send up this gift on her birthday, not a day later or earlier. I'll even make sure to decorate the box with ribbons and all. And put the gift card, of course. Yes, yes." The person called J sighed listening to his best friend umpteen reminder.
"Have a safe trip!" After a short conversation about this and that, and another repetition of the reminder, J bid farewell to his friend before turning to the invention held in his hand once again.
Carefully placed it inside a small present box, he then proceeded to do as he was instructed.
As promised, the girl will surely have a splendid 17th birthday this year.
******
"Hmm... I wonder what is this supposed to be?" wondered Sylvia as she picked up the item inside of the small present box. It was a metallic bracelet. Other than the small crystal-like rectangle attached on top of the bracelet, there were no other decorations.
'Something like a lucky charm for you. From SS.' was written on the gift card. A birthday present for her 17th birthday from her Editor - Samuel Scott.
Sylvia still felt guilty from having to tell her Editor that she decided to end the 'Love Serendipity' series soon. She has been struck by a writer's block several times over the course of writing this series, but this time, after she had pushed that epic development between the main leads of the series, the readers had been hoping for more intimate scenes to happen.
For a just-been 17 years old, who pathetically still had not experienced a single romantic relationship like her, these hopes from her fans were causing great distress. Of course, she could ask opinions from her fellow girlfriends, or her traitorous childhood best friend who has never bothered to inform her that he has dated before and even has his own fan group fangirling over that nerd at school... Okay, so it wasn't his fault that he grew up to be one good-looking guy. Besides Sylvia had just moved to Owl City last year, or rather, moved back.
Well, either way, Sylvia can't ask her friends for references, because her identity as the Love Serendipity's author has been kept in the dark since her debut two years ago, by her own request. Though the series turned out to be hot-selling, the only thing the public knew about the author was that his or her pen name was Alex.
It was also because of her light novel series that she decided to move to Owl City because this city was where her publisher, the Wanderer Publishing Company was located. However, now that she couldn't write anymore...
Sylvia shook her head, deciding to take her mind off all that for now and focused once more on the bracelet within her hand. "I guess I should try this bracelet on. Knowing how that Uncle Editor is, he must have prepared this for some time."
Right when Sylvia put on the bracelet, it suddenly fitted itself on her wrist. "What the..." No matter how much she pushed or pulled the bracelet, it couldn't be removed.
"Ugh... I don't have time for this right now, Lance will come ringing the doorbell any second-"
Ding dong! Ding dong!
Knock, knock!
"Sylvie, come on! We'll be late for school if we don't leave now!" shouted her best friend from outside her apartment unit.
"Coming!" Grabbing her backpack, she rushed to the front door.
"Ow!!" Just before, Sylvia managed to turn the door handle, she suddenly felt a prick coming from the bracelet.
"Sylvie!!" Lance calling her again.
Ignoring the pricking sensation she felt just now, Sylvia opened the front door, "Alright, alright. Stop shouting so early in the morning already. The neighbors are going to get angry at us again."
Right then, Sylvia didn't notice that strings of codes have appeared on the small rectangular object on the bracelet as a system began to start itself...
[User DNA obtained]...
[User identity confirmed]...
[Imprinting confirmed]...
[Computing all obtainable data on User]...
[Initializing]...
[System starting]...
On the screen appeared one sentence:
"Welcome User to the First Love System."
******
[Matchmaking Program initiated]...
[Collecting data on all possible candidates]...
[Calculating Love Matching Percentages]...
"System bring up all possible candidates that you have right now on the Main Screen, please," suddenly a tiny voice echoed out an instruction from somewhere in a dark and empty space.
Pictures after pictures started to appear on the Main Screen.
"Lots of candidates, but..."
"System, we should initiate a Focused Location Matchmaking Calculation only. The targeted location will be... Ah! The school our User is studying at."
"But, Guardian, isn't the range for possible candidates decided by the User?" remind the System.
"Excuse me, System, but you're the Guardian or I am?" asked the tiny voice, sounded irritated.
"You are the Guardian, Guardian."
"Well, follow my instructions then. I know what's best for our User. Open Location Matchmaking will be too hectic for our User later. It's better if the partner is from a location the User frequents to."
"Understood, Guardian."
[Restarting Matchmaking Program]...
[Open Location change to Focused Location]...
[Chosen Location: Falcon High School]...
[Love Matching Calculation initiated]...
A new set of pictures filled the Main Screen.
"Lovely... Hihihi," the tiny voice laughed mischievously.
"System, we'll have the User go with Absolute Choice Love Selection among these candidates. And set it so that other unexpected candidates are also welcome to join... That'll be more fun!"
The System sweat-dropped.
"What are you waiting for System? Initiate it, now!" complained that tiny voice.
"Yes, of course, Guardian," the System obeyed the Guardian's instructions.
[Initiating Absolute Choice Love Selection]...
******
~Falcon High School~
RIINGGG!!!
The lunch break bell rang out.
Most students rushed out of their classes right away, to get to the canteen after being dismissed. These include both Sylvia and Lance from Class 2-B.
"Should we go for a simple lunch or a heavy one?" asked Lance as they walked out down the hallways.
"Heavy. I'm starving," answered Sylvia.
"A huge appetite for such a small body," teased Lance.
Sylvia stuck out her tongue in return at that jest.
Just then, hush excited voices came from a distance in front of them.
"Kyaa!! Lance! It's Lance! But who's that plain girl beside him?"
"Oh, that's his childhood best friend."
"Owh... Lucky. Having Lance walked you to the canteen."
"How I wish I am his childhood best friend too.
"Yeah... Even a friend will do."
Hearing those comments, Sylvia couldn't help but arch a brow at Lance beside him, "Popular as usual. Don't you want to spend time with those pretty fangirls, Mr. Good-looking Nerdy Lance?"
"You know that you're the only one who ever calls me a nerd?" Lance shot back at Sylvia, before gently said, "Sylvie, I rather spend every second of my life with my dearest best friend, rather than those pretty screaming ladies."
"So, you do admit that they're pretty?"
"Well, appearances are appearances..." said Lance scratching his head in embarrassment. "You're pretty too, you know..." he mumbled quietly.
"Sorry, Lance! But, I can't hear you!" As they arrived at the canteen full of people, with all the talking went around them, any conversations needed to increase in volume to be heard.
That's why when Sylvia could clearly hear this strange female voice speaking to her using the normal tone, she was really surprised.
The voice said:
[User, please be informed that the Matchmaking Program will start within the next 5 seconds]...
[Selections are set in the form of Absolute Choice]...
[5,4,3,2,1]...
[Initiating selection mission]...
Choose your first mission:
A) Jump into the arms of the first person that passes right in front of you ten seconds from now.
B) Confess your love to your best friend standing next to you.
Failure to choose within the next 10 seconds will result in the System randomly choosing a mission for you.
The punishment given:
The person from the chosen mission will have your first kiss.
"Huh, who said that?" asked Sylvia. She looked around her, but other than Lance, there was no one else that could've been closed enough to speak to her that clearly.
[Time limit starts now]...
[10,9,8...]
"Girl, you better make your choice now, before you regretted it later," a tiny voice suddenly said to Sylvia.
"Lance did you hear that?" asked Sylvia.
"What?!" shouted Lance, not hearing a word Sylvia had said.
"I said-!" Before Sylvia could repeat her question. She heard that same female spoke once again.
[Time limit ends]...
[Since User failed to select a mission, a random selection shall be run by the System]...
Blip, blip, blip...
[Chosen mission: A]...
[Please proceed with the mission now or the System shall automatically run the mission for User]...
"What's going on?!" asked Sylvia, starting to freak out.
"Sylvie is something wro-?" Lance had just started asking when something unbelievable happened.
[Mission will be executed automatically now]...
Just then, Sylvia's body moved forward on its own, jumping onto a person walking in front of her...
