META-modifier

I scrolled through the magazine until I saw the page with the SHOP word on it. The last time I was looking over the catalog, I had limited time, so I couldn't read the description of every item on it.

Now, however, I was about to do exactly that.

And right away my sight fell on the picture of a clown shooting at his own face with a shotgun.

[Edgy mod

One minute – 70p

Three minutes — 50p

Ten minutes — 25p]

What a strange distribution.

I read the description of the item.

[Every time the Edgy-mod is activated, the mortality level around the Main Character will increase by 80%. A total bloodbath will follow. Please, be careful!]

Oh, so that's how it is.

Then Yuji explained to me, why exactly the more time of mod-usage I buy, the less expensive it will be.

"Oh, that's very very simple. This thing works on you as well, boy. Got it? If you turn it on for a minute, to kill a bad guy, for example… By the way, usually, you can't kill anyone. That will get you a great penalty. Because main characters don't kill… However, with edgy-mod on, you can do that and more and even will be rewarded for your atrocities… And yet, you can imagine what will happen, if, for 10 minutes straight, you will stay in a sure-death zone, right?"

Yes, I can. In such a case I will be the one to surely die.

Oh well. I hope I will never have to buy this thing. Killing someone… Whatever, I don't want to deal with it now. I don't want to deal with it ever, to be honest.

Apart from the edgy-mod there was one more very interesting and very tempting thing placed right at the very end of the catalog. The price of it was 500 points. Just insane. That thing was titled META-modifier and there were also several variations of it.

Not all of them were so expensive, though. Only the first one, the META-modifier of setting was selling for 500. Meanwhile, the least expensive one, the META-modifier of items, you could buy just for a 100… Well, maybe JUST isn't the right word. I still couldn't even dream of buying it with my current funds.

Even though the thing surely was worth it. The picture displayed the clown with a pen in his rubbery hands. The description was following:

[META-modifier allows the main character to change some aspects of the story, such as the world around him, the progression of the storyline, character's characteristics, or item's stats…]

"A good main character defines the story around him! Or her!" commented the clown.

And he was right.

Yet this thing still was pretty far from what I could afford.

For now… I think I should buy that Argus's-eyed stuff. Seeing profiles of other characters… People I mean, it's awkward to call them 'characters' sounded like a very useful thing.

So, the decision is made. How do I confirm my purchase, then? I tried pressing my finger on the picture of the item. Nothing. Touching the price tag also doesn't do anything. Suddenly, I heard a very unpleasant laugh:

"He-he… Kids these days, you just go crazy with all these IPhones of yours!"

I made a bitter smile and then tensed up when suddenly Yuji raised his hand and clicked his fingers. A cloud appeared above his head with a 'CLICK!' word written on it. Then I felt like some electricity passed through my body and into my eyes.

What a strange sensation. It was as if a new muscle, that I was free to utilize, appeared in my eyeballs.

(22-3=19)

Okay… What's next? Maybe I should try that new ability of mine? But there's only Murakami around and it is awkward to see her now… By the way. I should become friends with that girl. But what exactly 'friendship' is?

Guess there's only one way to know. I bought the Relationship gauge.

(19-15=3)

This time, there were no funny feelings. Just on the page of the magazine, the one where all the characters were listed, a number appeared to the right of Murakami's name:

[Characters:

Murakami Kotori: 76 (Great affection)]

Wait, what?

Great affection?

Why?

And 76… Isn't that is pretty high? But we have only just met each other… Through, thinking about it now, it was strange how the girl had been staring at me in the classroom. As if she knew me somehow. But how could she? It was impossible…

"Maybe if she haven't seen me without my pants on, the number would have been even higher…"

"He-he…"

"What?"

"Before she saw you WITHOUT your pants, it was 73…"

"…"

Okay, so to become friends with her, I should somehow raise that number.

I'll try.

And, at last, there was one more thing that I wished to do.

I scrolled the pages until the very last one. However, there was nothing after page 47…

Wait, what?

I checked the Table of Contents, and yes, I was right, there should have been 48 pages in total. But why, then, I couldn't find page 48?

I asked the clown about it:

"What? The very last mysterious page? I know nothing about it!"

…He's playing dumb, isn't he?

Okay, seems like for now, I have no way to solve that mystery.

I put the magazine away and made a sigh.

Once again I felt somewhat sleepy. Well, of course. How much sleep did I have today? Whatever, I need to rest.

I lay down on the futon.

From my position, I could the blue line of the sky in the window, stretching just below the green crows of the trees hanging upside down.

Sometimes you are so tired that you just can't make yourself fall asleep. The feeling of being tired itself distracts you from that… It took me some time until the sweetness of a dream filled my brain…

…

Knock! Knock!

I woke up when someone knocked at the door of my room. Well, at least now she was knocking.

There was Murakami standing outside of the door in her red tracksuit.

"Hey, it's time already? Gonna choose the club… Shall we go together?" she asked in a voice so fast that my sleepy mind only ten seconds later managed to grasp the meaning of her words.

"No, maybe later," I answered on instinct, and immediately regretted my decision. It could have been a great opportunity to become more friendly with her… Oh, whatever. I'm still a bit sleepy and today's load is already over.

"Okay then… See ya!" said the girl and left into the hallway.

I was right about to return to my bed, when suddenly…

"Ring! Ring! Time to decide on the second genre, hero!"