chapter 3
Ding! "Hi host, nice to see you again! Did you have a great time with your friends?" Abby cried in anguish, "No! How could I be happy? My friends are dead!"
"Oh well, that's sad, anyway, I am going to take you to the store to buy something to help you beat the game!" Abby's surroundings zoomed past, and before she knew it she was in a clear blue space. There were giant screens on one side of the infinite space, and on the other side stood an ATM machine for points.
Ding! "Host, this is the store, we have everything here!" A flash of blue light came out of nowhere, forming a tiny human shape. "Hey host," the little figure waved at Abby. Abby looked in shock at the Tinkerbell-sized avatar. "Are you the system?" The figure replied, "Yes host! Ok, now you will have to choose what you want in the shop. With your current points you can only afford three: the "one-time use tip", the "one-time use someone can be trusted", and lastly the "one-time use teleportation".
The little figure floated to Abby, looking at her. Abby asked, "Well, can I have the "one-time use someone can be trusted", please?" The system replied, "Of course host! Now a token is in your pocket, when you need to use it just press the button on it and bye!" The little figure disappeared. Abby screamed, "Wait, what is the button, you haven't told me!" Unfortunately, there was nothing but silence. She stood there, reaching into her pocket. A little token with a fox design laid in her hand. She muttered to herself, "This fox must be the button." Suddenly, she smelled a fragrance, then she felt dizzy and fell asleep.
When Abby regained consciousness and sat up, she looked at herself and saw that she was in a Japanese student sailor uniform. A little fox with ghost fires floating around it lay in her lap. She stroked the soft fur on the fox's back and it turned to look at her. The fox seemed like it was smiling, but Abby felt something about this smile was off. She looked away from the fox and peered around the room. She saw three girls sitting in the classroom she was in. They waved at her. The first girl said, "Hi, my name is Polina!"
Abby looked at her and smiled warmly. The girl felt oddly familiar, but Abby could not remember where she had seen her before. Suddenly, a lightning bolt of pain pulsed through her skull, and Abby fell on her chair in anguish. Her head felt like it was going to explode. (Abby bowed her head down, so she did not see Polina's head tilting to the side to an unnatural degree, her lips stretched wide across her face yet her eyes remained unmoving. Polina kneeled down beside her, asking, "Abby, are you ok?" She patted Abby's back and Abby felt like a block of ice was caressing her, shivering from the chilling touch.)
Her mind cleared after a second and she met Polina's eyes. "Sorry, I just felt a little sick. I am fine now, thank you!" She stood up with Polina's help and sat on a chair next to the girls. One of them introduced themselves as Vicky, Polina's identical twin, and the other petite girl with a lollipop in her mouth was Runa. Abby looked at the two faces and wondered, unbidden: "Have I met them before? Why are they so familiar?" The little girl was giving her goosebumps all over her body. She thought of Runa's smile and suddenly had an image of it ripping open up to her ears and blood oozing out of her face. Abby shook her head to dispel the thought. Runa was so sweet and innocent, she could never be anything like that! They talked about how they got here, bonding over their love of anime, and Runa told them how she got sucked into the game due to her gambling addiction.
Abby felt something furry rubbing her legs and found the small fox from earlier. She picked it up, placing it on the table between the girls and gently stroked its head. "Aww you cute little thing!" The other girls stared at Abby so she asked, "Is there something wrong?" The girls said, "No, it's just, why is a fox here? Isn't that very suspicious?"
"This little guy? She's not dangerous. When I woke up she was on my lap and she acted like a normal fox to be honest."
Appeased for now, Polina suggested, "OK then, should we go explore?" Runa agreed, "Yeah we should! Right, Abby-chan?"
Abby nodded in assent. "Should we all stick together?" She just had an ugly feeling that if they get separated, something terrible will happen. Runa assured her, "Abby, if you don't want to be alone, I will come with you!" They split up around the school to look for clues to complete the level.
Runa held Abby's hand and led her to the principal's office. Suddenly, they heard loud footsteps that sounded like it was made by a giant old man. Runa pulled Abby from the doorway and pinned her on the wall not visible from the door, covering her mouth with her hand. Abby was so close to Runa she could hear Runa's fast, erratic heartbeat. Abby looked up at Runa and realized, with a start, how tall she was. Even though Runa looked really small, she was actually kind of tall; that, or Abby was too short (Abby is shorter than a 5th grader btw).
Seeing Runa close up, she didn't look like a little girl at all; something about her features betrayed a maturity unfit for her age, and her arms were surprisingly strong. Abby can feel Runa's hot breath on her face and was startled to find she didn't mind it. Unknown to her, a pretty blush was rising in her cheeks. Runa gave Abby a reassuring smile. She leaned down to whisper in Abby's ears, "Don't worry, senpai will protect you." She winked and slipped a lollipop in Abby's mouth.
A giant foot stepped into the office. The foot belonged to a fierce, muscular man who towered over them at ten feet tall; on his head, a boar mask perched, so detailed Abby thought real at first glance. A pair of vicious green eyes shone through the slits in the mask. Its tusks gleamed in the dim light, shining with an ominous glint, the ends sharper than a pair of butchering knives/sharp like meat hooks ready to hang the next unfortunate victim.
Runa drew a katana out of nowhere and slashed at the man, who caught her attack with two. The katanas clashed together and Abby stood watching. She was so shocked she couldn't say a single word. Their swords sliced through the air, sparks flying at each expert jab and parry. Abby's heart stopped, but she desperately wanted to help. She picked up a chair and swung it at the side of the man's face with all her strength. He fell down and passed out, his mask dropping to reveal his face. Even with a bruise on his cheek he was drop-dead gorgeous. Abby stared and gasped.
The man looked not more than 16, his beauty impossible to fully describe with words. His big, green eyes shone like the purest jade. His long, silky black hair cascaded down his shoulders, the ends fading into a deep blue like the most mysterious depths of the ocean. His skin was the color of moonlight, a faint pink dusting his cheeks and adding a touch of cuteness. His face was perfection; he looked like God's proudest creation. He laid there like an angel fallen from heaven.
Abby grabbed Runa's arm: "Runa, look at him! He has such a nice face. I bet if we put him into a dress he would look like a girl." Runa replied, "Well, Abby, I feel like that might be a bad idea for now. He's dangerous." Eager to get away, Runa dragged Abby back to the classroom to meet up with everyone else.