Celeste II

In the Suzuki Mansion, inside Ruki's room, she was currently inserting the 'Celeste' video game controller into her SKES console.

The controller had a distinct design, with additional left and right analog sticks and shoulder buttons labeled as R1, L1, R2, and L2, in addition to the familiar start and select buttons. These features set it apart from the standard SKES controller.

Ruki was relatively new to this controller, having been more accustomed to the simplicity of the KiShin SKT FamiCom and the traditional SKES controllers. However, she didn't mind the unique controller for 'Celeste.' It hinted at the special nature of the game, much like the independent controller for 'Duck Hunt.'

With everything set up, Ruki powered on the SKES console and launched the 'Celeste' video game.

The 2D pixelated title of 'Celeste' and a snowy mountain scene filled the screen. Ruki eagerly pressed the start button as the game finally began.

On the screen, a 2D pixelated scene depicted falling snowflakes against a nighttime backdrop. Pixelated text appeared, reading, "This is it, Madeline," and then faded to be replaced by, "Just breathe." After a moment, another message appeared, replacing the previous one, asking, "Why are you so nervous?"

As the screen darkened, Ruki felt a sense of confusion. A circle of light emerged in the lower left corner of the dark background, revealing a 2D grassy landscape under a starry sky.

Ruki furrowed her brows in anticipation as the darkness gave way, and the full scene unveiled itself to her.

Ruki couldn't help but smile and said, "This is intriguing..." She was genuinely curious about the unique start of the game.

There was a brief introduction, and then the game immediately launched without the typical video game menu found in other KiShin, Tora, or Suzuki titles.

Taking control of her in-game character, Ruki guided the character through the game world. As her character leaped, Ruki was captivated by the animations – the dust animation, the well-crafted sound effects, and the captivating music.

"Wow... Fourth brother must have put a lot of effort into this one," Ruki mused with a faint smile.

Unbeknownst to her, her elder sister, Reina, was discreetly peeking through the door, watching Ruki play. She couldn't help but wonder, 'Is this one of the new products from my somewhat foolish fourth brother's company?' Her gaze remained fixed on the television screen, where 'Celeste' was unfolding in a side-scrolling gameplay style.

While Reina observed with curiosity, Ruki remained engrossed in the game, guiding her character forward. However, as her character jumped below an ice block, an unexpected turn of events occurred. The ice block suddenly plummeted, catching Ruki off guard, and her in-game character was crushed by the massive ice block.

As Ruki stared in surprise, a circular animation of orbs circled around her in-game character's previous position before returning to the character's starting point. The screen momentarily went black, and her in-game character respawned at the initial position.

"That certainly caught me off guard," Ruki chuckled, resuming her playthrough.

This time, Ruki proceeded with more caution, swiftly jumping to the other side of the area to avoid the impending ice block. It fell, but her in-game character remained unscathed.

"Phew..." a sigh of relief resonated, though it didn't come from Ruki. She turned her head, noticing that her room's door was slightly ajar, and someone was discreetly peeking inside.

Startled, Ruki paused the 'Celeste' video game and approached the door. "Kya!" she exclaimed in surprise upon discovering it was her elder sister spying on her.

Ruki's initial frown softened as she asked, "Big sis? What are you doing?"

Blushing and flustered, Reina stumbled onto the floor and stammered, "N-nothing!"

Ruki couldn't help but tease her sister, noting her reddening face. "Are you watching me play?" she asked with a playful tone.

Reina vehemently denied it while still blushing, "Of course not!"

Seeing her immature elder sister's evident embarrassment, Ruki smiled and invited her inside. "You can come in, you know."

Reina hesitated, glancing at the television screen playing 'Celeste' before finally saying, "Well..."

Ruki smiled warmly and gently took her elder sister's hand, leading her into the room.

"Hey!" Reina was caught off guard by Ruki's action but then was invited to sit. "Have a seat, big sis."

Reina hesitated for a moment but finally relented, saying, "Well, if you say so..." She glanced at the television and the SKES console, noticing a neat stack of video games beside it.

Curiosity got the best of her, and she couldn't help but ask, "What are you playing?" Her tone betrayed her genuine interest despite trying to hide it.

Ruki chuckled and decided not to tease her sister any further. "It's a new KiShin video game, 'Celeste'... You might have forgotten, but it's from our fourth brother's company."

Reina nodded, and she observed as Ruki took the controller and started the 'Celeste' video game. She watched intently as Ruki guided her in-game character, a character with red hair.

Ruki maneuvered her in-game character to leap constantly, and Reina watched with curiosity. She couldn't quite explain it, but watching others play a video game brought her a sense of peace and entertainment.

On the screen, Ruki encountered an obstacle that left both her and Reina puzzled. They were unsure how to make her in-game character jump to cross a tall, ice-covered ledge, with a crow perched at the top of it, letting out a caw.

Then, an instruction appeared above the crow in a square speech bubble. It read, "CLIMB HOLD L1," and then the square speech bubble flipped to reveal another instruction, "CLIMB L1 + ↑."

Ruki followed the instruction and expertly maneuvered her in-game character to climb the obstacle. As her character ascended, the crow took flight, and Ruki continued to play.

This time, she combined the climbing controls with jumping, and as her in-game character advanced, both Ruki and Reina spotted a wooden house in the distance. A character stood in front of the house's door.

"This video game is surprisingly relaxing," Reina commented genuinely as she watched Ruki play 'Celeste.'

Ruki nodded in agreement. As she approached the character in front of the wooden house's door, a dialogue box appeared with a small frame featuring Ruki's red-haired in-game character in the left corner. Text began to appear in the box, accompanied by a cute voice, presumably representing her in-game character, Madeline. Madeline's picture frame displayed speaking animations.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" the text read, and Ruki and Reina were both engrossed in the game, reading the text.

Ruki guided her in-game character closer, and another dialogue box appeared, featuring a small picture of Madeline in the left corner. The text typed in with the adorable sound of Madeline's voice.

"The sign out front is busted... Is this the 'Mountain' trail?" The word 'Mountain' was colored in blue.

Then, a dialogue box materialized, showing a small picture of an old woman character in the right corner, and her picture also had a talking animation. The text inside the dialogue box read, "You're almost there. It's just across the bridge."

Ruki guided her in-game character forward, assuming the dialogue had concluded. However, to her surprise, her in-game character turned to face the old woman character on its own, and the camera seemed to zoom in. Another dialogue box featuring Madeline's text appeared once more.

"By the way, you should call someone about your driveway. The ridge collapsed, and I nearly died," read the new text. This unexpected twist drew a chuckle from both Ruki and Reina.

The white-haired old woman character responded with a speech square bubble containing the text "Ha" as gibberish sounds accompanied her apparent laughter.

Following this, a dialogue box for the old woman character appeared with the text, "If my 'driveway' almost did you in, the 'Mountain' might be a bit much for you."

Madeline's dialogue box reappeared, showing her annoyed expression, which amused Ruki and Reina. With a button press, a new text appeared in Madeline's dialogue box, accompanied by her cute gibberish voice, "Well, if an old bat like you can survive out here, I think I'll be fine."

The old woman character continued to laugh, and the camera drew closer. Her dialogue box displayed more text: "Suit yourself." Then, that text was replaced by another line, "But you should know, 'Celeste Mountain' is a strange place," followed by, "You might see things."

The old woman's dialogue continued, stating, "Things you ain't ready to see."

Madeline's dialogue box reappeared with the text, "You should seek help, lady." However, the old woman continued to laugh.

After the dialogues concluded, Ruki couldn't help but comment with a wry smile, "Madeline is so rude..."

Beside her, Reina simply replied, "Yeah, but I liked her."

Ruki smiled in response, knowing that when it came to rudeness, her elder sister could easily surpass Madeline.

Continuing her gameplay, Ruki directed her in-game character to advance, approaching a rocky bridge. The soothing background music suddenly shifted to a more intense tune.

As her character crossed the bridge, the structure started to collapse. "Quick! Move quickly!" urged Reina, who was watching with anticipation.

Ruki felt the tension in the game and hurried to navigate her character, but the bridge ultimately crumbled, and her in-game character was on the verge of falling.

Ruki couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh, snap. It's game over..."

Just as Ruki and Reina believed it was game over, time appeared to freeze. Ruki's in-game character hung midair, leaving both Ruki and Reina puzzled. Then, a crow descended on the other side, right in front of the falling Madeline.

The crow pecked at the ground twice before letting out a resounding "Caw!!" A speech square bubble appeared above the crow, followed by an instruction for 'Dash' along with an arrow pointing up and right, plus the 'B' button.

Ruki and Reina exchanged a look, and Ruki followed the given instructions. Sure enough, her in-game character dashed through the air, and Madeline safely reached the other side, narrowly avoiding the fall.

"Phew..." Ruki and Reina both breathed a sigh of relief. The camera then transitioned upwards, focusing on the night sky. With snowfall animations, white text appeared, reading, "You can do this."

The scene shifted to a 2D pixelated selection stage, with the red-haired Madeline advancing to the next level.

"I really liked it," Reina commented, and then, somewhat hesitantly, she asked, "Can I play?"

Ruki was surprised but nodded, handing over the controller to her sister.

Reina held the controller and entered the stage. Unbeknownst to many, the video game 'Celeste' was gradually gaining attention among players, especially among female gamers.

Soon, a review of the video game 'Celeste' was published, and its high rating began to capture the attention of gamers in Japan.