Chapter Text
One second, Kunikida Doppo, age sixteen, is in his best friend's dorm room, having done the chores and ensured that his best friend is not dead yet. Another second, Kunikida is in a dorm room neither his nor his friend's.
Closing his eyes, Kunikida quietly inhales and tries to remember what exactly he was doing before finding himself here. When he reopens his eyes, his voice is firm.
"Katai."
Seconds tick by before Katai—Kunikida's best friend—timidly answers;
"Yes, Doppo?"
"What is this place?"
"This is—uh—err, your bedroom? You can use the bed to replenish Health, the bathroom to restore Hygiene, the closet to change clothes and increase Charisma, and the book lying on the desk to keep track of Stats, Skills, Goals... You can bring that book with you too, though it can get lost. Oh, and you can use the book to save Checkpoint."
Katai explains in a nervous, rambling manner. Still, Kunikida pays careful attention to Katai's explanation, before responding with a calm "I see."
Then—
"Katai."
"Yes, Doppo?"
"Where is this place?"
"...in a school."
"Katai."
"...in a game."
"Katai."
"...which I made with a friend, who apparently has the Ability to transfer the player into what he wrote, except he didn't tell me about it and that's why I dared ask you to try the game, so now you're inside the game I'm so sorry!!!"
"I see."
Then—
"Katai."
"Yes, Doppo?"
"Once I get out of this game, you're dead."
"Yes, Doppo."
To recapitulate... Due to his best friend whom he might or might not brutally scold later and the aforementioned best friend's other friend, Kunikida Doppo, age sixteen, finds himself isekai'd into a game.
Thankfully, according to Katai (after a hurried, frantic video call which stressed both himself and his other friend) Kunikida could leave the game by getting an ending.
"So you mean this is a..." Kunikida wracks his brain, trying to remember the correct term, "a, a simulation game?"
"Yes!" Katai affirms, quite wild-eyed. Kunikida looks askance—or rather, would look askance at Katai, if not for Katai being a disembodied voice in this game—detecting the panic in his friend's voice, but tentatively assumes Katai's panic is of his impending doom.
"And in order to get the ending, I need to...?"
"Play the game," Katai explains. "Attend class, join a club, participate in school events, make friends, but most importantly... Ah wait wait—I mean, most importantly make friends! Yeah, that's it!"
Once again Kunikida would look askance.
"And I can get the ending that way?"
"An ending, to be precise... There are many of them, THOUGH OF COURSE you can get back here by getting an ending! ...there might be a, uh, a bad ending too though. It, uhh, could get pretty bad. Better not get it. Them. It depends on who you are dat—FRIEND with. I will guide you to get the good ending though!"
Kunikida really wants to look askance, seeing as Katai sounds even more frantic, but... Well, scolding him now would accomplish nothing.
Besides, though Kunikida would hardly admit it, he feels safe knowing Katai would be there for him in spirit.
"Thanks, Katai. I'll be relying on you," Kunikida says gently.
On his end of the line, Katai exhales sharply.
Okay, that's enough tenderness for these two emotionally-stunted teenagers. Moving on.
Right afterward, Kunikida realizes, "Wait. How do I start playing? Has the game started?"
Katai blinks, only realizing the same thing. He checks the clock, realizes it's his own clock in his own dorm room, searches the clock in the game, checks it, and promptly chokes.
"Yes, it has! And it's already 7:25! And you got to be in the main building at 7:30!"
As befitting an ideal student who is never late to class (even when participating in students' protest, since he'd be skipping class entirely), Kunikida leaps to his feet with his own yell of panic.
"Why did you only tell me?! How'd it affect my ending if I were late today?!"
"Well sorry for being distracted by you getting isekai'd, geez!"
"I'm the one getting isekai'd here! How do I go to the main building?! Also, you didn't answer my question!"
"I'm a weakling! Turn right, go down the stairs then turn left outside; the main building is the four-story one in the middle! It wouldn't affect the ending negatively—much? You'd be giving a bad impression to one lov—potential friend, but that's it!"
"That's fair; thanks; I don't want to be giving a bad impression on anyone!"
"Hey! No problem. Come to think of it, Doppo, can you try talking to me telepathically? You'll look crazy talking to yourself."
Kunikida bites back a swear at that. He slows down his run, eyes darting around attempting to spot possible witnesses. Fortunately, there seems to be no one about. It seems students only start emerging minutes before breakfast is served at 8.
(Kunikida doesn't notice the glint of a camera amidst the leaves of a fake potted plant next to the stairs.)
Against every expectation, Kunikida manages to reach the main building with one minute to spare, which he spends fixing his appearance and getting his breath under control.
It's a good thing that he does so, because as 7:30 strikes, someone appears right away, all but manifesting out of nowhere like a ghost.
(No, Kunikida doesn't jump in surprise.)
That someone turns out to be a bespectacled male teenager, with a mole over the left side of his lips. His uniform is most properly worn, stiffly starched shirt and crisply ironed slacks with school indoor shoes that somehow look polished. All in all, the guy looks like the ideal, disciplined student council president.
"The transfer student, correct?" The guy asks, his voice polite and measured, before making a shallow yet polite bow. "How do you do. My name is Sakaguchi Ango. I'm the president of the student council. A pleasure to meet you."
...he's really the student council president.
"How do you do; my name is Kunikida Doppo. I will be troubling you today, Sakaguchi-san. A pleasure to meet you too."
Kunikida perfectly returns the greeting, giving Sakaguchi Ango a slightly deeper bow.
When Kunikida straightens up, he notices the student council president looking at him with quiet approval.
"You may call me Ango, Kunikida-san. We are in the same grade, after all," says Sakaguchi—no, Ango. ...no, hold on, isn't it rather sudden? To call someone, the president of the student council at that, so familiarly...
This is Japan! There are still people who start addressing their significant other by their first name only after marriage!
Too soon!
Kunikida opens his mouth to refuse, but Katai frantically intervenes.
Don't refuse, don't refuse!
...why not? I would refuse politely?
It's an offer of friendship, Doppo. Think of him as a more put-together me.
You and put-together are an antithesis.
"Ah, apologies. I must have overstepped..."
Kunikida realizes he's remained silent for too long, as Ango's face falls.
"No no, it's not like that! It's just... Ah... I'm not used to be called not by my surname, but you offered, so I should return the courtesy...! Um, Ango-san?"
Ango looks delighted now. Kunikida suddenly recalls a thirteen-year-old Katai, appearing as delighted at Kunikida calling him by his name as well.
Damn you, Katai. Now I really think of him as a more put-together version of you.
I'm relieved to know you would be kind even to a more put-together me.
"Kunikida-san, then," Ango smiles; a small, yet genuine smile. Utterly oblivious that Kunikida and Katai are mentally ribbing each other the whole time. "Shall we go now?"
Kunikida nods, tentatively returning the smile, before following him deeper into the building. Here's hoping the rest of the day will be fine...
Ping!
Ping!
Ping!
+1 Heart Point!
+25 Heart Points!
Level Up from Acquaintance to Casual Friend with Sakaguchi Ango!
...WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT.
It's just the notification, relax! I'll go turn it off!
In the safety of his Kunikida-less dorm room, Katai wipes the beads of sweat drenching his temples. So far, so good. Of course, Kunikida has noticed there's something suspicious the way Katai acted, but he decided not to inquire yet.
Small mercies.
After inhaling and exhaling a few times, Katai hesitantly glances to the bottom corner of his computer screen. There, at the bottom of the second row from the left, can be seen a little, innocuous-looking icon. Right under the icon, there is a name—more specifically, the title of the game his best friend has been isekai'd to.
SPARKLY LOVELY ACADEMY
AN OTOME GAME