The weather was gloomy. Normally, Isamu would have chosen to stay at home and play video games. But, for some reason, Isamu felt stifled at home, and chose to go outside instead.And then, it rained.
Luckily, by the time it started raining, Isamu had reached his goal—the game center, or arcade.
This game center had several floors, each containing many arcade machines of various genres. Isamu would come here on occasion.
Although Isamu preferred singleplayer games, arcade games also had their own charisma. Playing an arcade game would feel entirely different from a singleplayer game at home. Of course, part of it was also his childhood nostalgia.
When younger, Isamu had spent much of his pocket money on arcade games. There were also other kids that played arcade games together with him, but they had all lost contact with each other.
Isamu first played a new 2D fighting arcade game that came out recently. Next, he played a racing game. After that, he was about to play a shooting game, when he saw to his surprise...
"Cla.s.s president?"
A beautiful girl with a cold and calm expression was standing in front of the shooting arcade game. She wore a white long-sleeved s.h.i.+rt and blue jeans. She had dark brown short hair, half-rimmed eyegla.s.ses, deep red eyes, and a pretty face.
She was shooting at the arcade machine screen while holding the gun in a very standard two-hand posture. She shot swiftly and steadily. Clear gunshots, impacts, and enemies" screams could be constantly heard from the arcade machine.
Not only was Isamu surprised to see this, he also felt that this was a beautiful scene. He felt that his cla.s.s president seemed so cool as if she really knew how to use guns.
This girl"s name was Riho Heijou. She was the cla.s.s president of Isamu"s cla.s.s. She had excellent grades, and was considered the reliable type. Although she rarely talked or smiled, she was still quite popular in cla.s.s. Everyone viewed her as a big sister type.
Isamu hadn"t talked to her much before. They barely counted as acquaintances. He found it surprising that he met her here.
Isamu had never heard before that cla.s.s president Riho was fond of gaming. He felt that she would be more into reading novels or the like…
Did she come into this game arcade center in order to avoid the rain?
Isamu wanted to go over and greet her. However, she was currently in the middle of her game. Not only that, he wasn"t certain if she wouldn"t be displeased at seeing a cla.s.smate here… perhaps he should silently leave without saying anything?
Just as he was wondering what he should do, she noticed his attention and turned to look at him.
They exchanged direct glances.
Isamu felt a mysterious s.h.i.+ver run through him when he met her dark red eyes.
Although she was beautiful, Riho had a distant expression that seemed empty and devoid, as if she didn"t care about anything in the world.
"Isamu Seimsan… h.e.l.lo." She greeted him lightly.
"Er… h.e.l.lo, Cla.s.s President… I"ve never expected to meet you here, haha." Isamu laughed foolishly.
Riho only glanced over him before she returned her attention to the arcade screen and continued playing her game.
Isamu felt rather awkward. He didn"t know if he should leave or stay.
He felt that something seemed off about his cla.s.s president. After some hesitation, he chose to stay behind. He walked over to Riho"s side, inserted a coin into the arcade machine, and started playing the shooting game together with her.
Isamu then discovered that his cla.s.s president was amazingly strong at this game! Her shooting was so accurate as if she had really shot a gun before. She had near-perfect accuracy.
Was she highly familiar with this game? Could it be that she often came to play it?
Isamu didn"t think so… If Riho came here that often, he felt that he would have met her here already long ago.
He decided to ask out of curiosity.
"Cla.s.s President, you"re amazing at this game. Do you often come here to play this game?"
"No, this is my first time playing it," Riho replied calmly.
First time… Isamu felt like Riho was unintentionally bragging. He was rendered speechless.
"Did you come in here to avoid the rain?"
"Yeah."
"I come play the games here from time to time…"
Isamu was unable to continue the casual conversation anymore. He thus started talking about the game they were playing. Riho listened quietly, and only responded to direct questions.
They shot mobs, reloaded ammunition, and defeated bosses… The two of them skillfully beat all the levels until they finally beat the entire game and saw the ending screen.
After Isamu put down the game gun, he was about to ask cla.s.s president Riho if she wanted to continue playing a different game together. At this moment, he suddenly heard a scream!
"Ahhhhhh grrrrrwwaarrrrrllll!"
At first, the scream sounded human, but then it started sounding b.e.s.t.i.a.l. As everyone in the game center looked around in bewilderment, Isamu suddenly recalled the strange dream world he previously experienced…
Could it be the Sin Masks from that dream? Could it be that Sin Activation was happening in real life now!?
Before he could think more on this, there were then multiple screams, and lots of loud noises and even more screams!!
Boom!!!
Isamu and Riho looked over to see a figure viciously cras.h.i.+ng into an arcade machine in the corner. That person crashed into the machine with such speed that the machine was demolished. The person sank into the wreckage with a distorted body that was spurting blood…
It would be impossible for anyone to throw themselves at such a high speed… He had been tossed into the machine!
Although everyone else in the game center was shocked and dazed at the sight, Isamu realized what was going on.
No matter what was going on, whether it was Sin Mask Activation, or some other cause, a monster had appeared in the game center!!!
What should he do!?
He could only escape… this wasn"t the dream world. He didn"t have any special powers in real life! Nor did he have a weapons!!
Just as Isamu was thinking this, a tremendous monster appeared in his field of vision.
This monster had a red body and a black bird"s head. Its arms and claws were long, but its legs and feet were stubby and short. Many gray spikes protruded from all over its body, especially its back. The monster was also emitting faint red mist from its mouth. This monster appeared vicious and ugly, and gave everyone a tremendous sense of terror!
People instantly started screaming and running. There were also others that collapsed on the ground, stood still where they were in a daze, or trembled all over…
Isamu wanted to escape immediately!!!
He turned around to leave. Although he felt bad about abandoning the other people present, there was truly nothing that he could do. At most, he could take the cla.s.s president along with him… wait, where was the cla.s.s president!?
He turned around and saw to his astonishment that his cla.s.s president, the girl named Riho Heijou, was actually walking towards the monster!!
"Cla.s.s President! Don"t go over there!" Isamu shouted loudly.
Yet, Riho didn"t slow down at all. Instead, she reached out to the monster with her hand.
Had she gone insane!? Isamu was so shocked that he didn"t know what was going on anymore.
The bird head monster also reached out its hand, and gently shook the girl"s hand… such a thing didn"t happen at all!
This wasn"t a movie filming with a beauty and the beast topic!
What really happened was that the bird head monster reached out with its claw and grabbed Riho, squeezing her hard!
Riho screamed with incomparable pain in her voice.
This was only natural.
Could there be any other possible outcome when you walked towards such a monster and reached your hand out to it!?
Isamu couldn"t understand why his cla.s.s president would do such a thing. He couldn"t even curse at her for being an idiot, because he was too shocked at her action.
But, no matter why she did that, Isamu was quite clear on one thing.
His cla.s.s president was about to die!
In the next minute, right in front of him! She would be squeezed to death by the monster!
And, he had no way of stopping this.
He was about to watch someone he knew die right in front of him, and he wouldn"t be able to do anything at all.
Why?
Because he had no power…
"No! I do have power!"
But, that wasn"t a power that Isamu could use in real life. That was a power he only had in his dreams, while he was asleep…
"Give up! Run away now. All you can do now is protect your own life," Isamu"s voice whispered to himself in his own mind.
"No! If you run away now, you"ll live for the rest of your life regretting that you abandoned your cla.s.smate to die," another version of his own voice whispered to him.
But, even if he didn"t run, he couldn"t save her!
No, he could! As long as he used that power he possessed in the dream world, here in real life...
Transform his dream into reality!
Transform his ideal into reality!
"Isamu Seima! What is your dream!?"
"My dream is…"
Isamu"s spirit suddenly reached a certain realm, coming into contact with something subconscious.
A certain sentence suddenly reentered his mind. It was almost as if that person had especially given him a hint, or perhaps guidance.
"Your justice is within yourself."
"I understand now, Seigo Harano-kun.
"Appear! Activate! My power!!!"
Isamu"s spirit transformed his power into reality and shook his very soul as something arose from deep within him and transformed into an owl mask that appeared on Isamu"s face.
And then, there was a brilliant light…