The Game Research Society's clubroom was on the second floor of the school building.
"Is it here?"
We stood around the end of the hallway on the second floor, and looked up at the nameplate on the door. The name "Game Research Society" was written on the plate.
"Alright then… shall we go?"
I looked over at Blake, and saw her give me a nod. I pushed the door open.
When we went inside, a bizarre sight greeted our eyes. What was the best way to put this into words…? Well… the first thing that caught my attention was the bunch of black wires wriggling their way across the floor.
There were also a bunch of long tables stuck together to form a larger table. And there were around three of those in the room. On top of the tables were monitors, various gaming consoles, and laptops. The desktop CPUs were placed under the desk, probably to save space. It was spring, but the air conditioning was on, probably to offset the heat the computers likely gave off. This strange neither hot-nor-cold atmosphere permeated the room.
There were around four or five people in the room. Everyone was male. Each person in the room was handling a keyboard, or a mouse, or a controller, and was busy doing their own things. But the few people closest to the door noticed our entrance, and turned their eyes in our direction.
The male student sitting closest to us immediately stood up and walked towards us. He's the good looking guy who invited us to join this club few days ago.
"Welcome to The Game Research Society."
"Hello."
Blake showed no signs of talking, so I was the one who responded.
"My name is Kiba Yuuto, and I'm a second year."
"I'm Namikaze Haruto, and I'm also a second year. This is Uchiha Satsuki and she's in her first year."
When I said her name, Blake gave a slight nod.
"It's very nice to meet you."
"It's very nice to meet you too, Senpai."
Yuuto definitely was a pretty good person.
"Well, let me introduce our club president right away."
"Okay"
Yuuto led us inside the clubroom. And the farther we walked into the room, the more messy things became. And what's more, there were eroge boxes and figures publicly displayed on top of the desks. Yet, this person was also the club president… he must be a pretty huge otaku.
And then, I saw the game sitting at the top of his mountain of eroge.
"… Isn't that Oniai…?" And, isn't this figure of Rize Tedeza, the Oniai heroine…?
"Hm? Did you say something?"
"Ah, no, nothing at all…"
Why have I played the same game that this through-and-through otaku club president has? Not good. At some point, I might have honestly crossed over the bridge of no return…
"Hey Prez. Namikaze and Uchiha are here."
Yuuto stopped in the deepest part of the room and called out to someone. The person in question was hunched over and busily working away at something, but he sluggishly stood up.
"Ah, nice job." Giving Yuuto his thanks, this person turned to look at us.
… You know, I get the feeling that I've definitely seen this person somewhere…
I narrowed my eyes and stared at the president. His hair was ash-gray, he wore glasses, and he was pretty tall… what was it…? Where have I seen him before…? I tried racking my brains, but I came up empty. He greeted us.
"I'm Yakushi Kabuto. A third year. I'm the Game Research Society presi…" Once he caught a glimpse of my face, he cut off his words mid-sentence. He frowned, looking puzzled… and then in the next moment, his eyes opened wide. "Ah! Y-you! I thought I'd seen you before!"
"Huh?"
"You were the one who borrowed my Rize-tan bike at the late-night eroge sale, weren't you?!"
"Ahhh! You, you're that guy!? The one who had that otaku jacket!? It's no wonder we have the same game! I remember now! So this is what you looked like!? And you're a student!? But you look so damn old!"
"Don't call me old you bastard!"
As the president and I pointed at each other, Blake stared at us as if she were looking at something dirty and spoke up. "… A friend of yours?"
"Huh? Uhh, no, not exactly a friend…"
How exactly should I explain this to her? While I tried to find the right words, the club president came at me.
"What the hell are you playing dumb for!? Give me back my bike, asshole!"
"Aahh! Sorry!" I clapped my two hands together in front of me and apologized. "I went back to Akiba Station a lot of times after that to return the bike! But I couldn't find you…!"
"Ah, really?" All signs of anger vanished from the club president's face. He began to scratch the back of his head. "Ahh, well, if you tried to get it back to me, then it's fine. I don't know the details, but your sister was in trouble, right? And I mean, I was so busy trying to look cool back then that I forgot to even give you my name and address! So I guess it's no wonder you couldn't get my bike back to me!"
"… I'm really, really sorry." I bowed my head over and over again in shame. Ugh, a sense of guilt just filled up my chest. The only reason we'd gotten into this mess was because I promised him I would return the bike… I'm the worst.
And then, the president spoke in a tone you would expect from a newlywed husband worrying about his wife.
"It's fine, it's fine… but more importantly, my Rize-tan bike… are you treating her well? She hasn't caught a cold or anything, right?"
"Please don't worry. She's in our garage, covered with a plastic sheet."
I went all the way to a bike shop in the next town, and even got some maintenance done on her. After all, she was an important item I was entrusted with. And please, just try to imagine my dashing figure handing over this otaku bike to the girl who ran the bike shop.
"Alright. I'll come by today to grab it then."
"Got it."
The other club members occasionally glanced over at us while the president and I were talking.
"Hey… prez. How do you know Namikaze?" Yuuto took the initiative and asked that question.
The club president, the same person I had met at that late-night sale wearing an otaku jacket, stood straight up, and put his arms around my shoulders without a care in the world. He gave a huge smile, his canines showing as he did.
"As a matter of fact, we're comrades who loved the same woman!"
"Don't put it in a way that might get misunderstood!"
See!? Blake's stare is just getting colder and colder! Yuuto glared at the president, his eyes half-lidded, and his cheek twitching in annoyance.
"Don't worry, Uzumaki. The president always makes terrible jokes like this. We're all aware of it. From context, he was talking about eroge, right? That is, that you and our president both love the same 2D girl in an eroge, right?"
"Wrong! You still got the most important part wrong!"
This guy… how he could misinterpret things in the worst possible light was really pretty irritating.
"Oh? I thought you were both interested in the same thing, and collecting dakimakura of characters and things like that. Am I wrong? He said you were comrades, so I thought that you also seriously fell in love with 2D girls like our president does."
"I like real girls, thank you very much!"
What the hell are you making me say!? Also, what the hell am I saying in the middle of the damn school!? Blake's sub-zero glare pierced me straight through.
"… Let's stop there, if you please. This is disgusting and an earsore. But please give us a simple explanation. Exactly how do you know this person?"
"I met him in line at a late-night eroge sale."
Finding no other way out, I just told her the truth. Blake should be able to guess that I was there only because my sister asked me to be there. By which I mean, please God, I hope she guesses that.
The club president quickly nodded his agreement with my explanation.
"Ah, right, I promised myself that I would ask you if I ever met you again. What happened after that? Did you get that eroge to your hospital-ridden, terminally ill sister?"
"So suddenly I have a terminally ill sister, huh…?"
"Getting eroge to a terminally ill sister… what on earth are you two talking about?"
I had no idea how to respond to Yuuto's icy-cold interruption.
And I guess if you count "little sister moe" as a terminal disease, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that my sister was terminally ill. But I can imagine how it would be incredibly confusing listening to me and the club president talk as a bystander. Also, I guess I never went into details with the president either, that night of the sale.
"Umm… it's a bit hard to explain, but… yeah I got it safely to her. Yakushi Senpai, please let me thank you again. I'm really grateful for what you did for me back there." I bowed, and the president shook his head.
"Ah, no, it was nothing." He gave me a friendly chuckle and patted me on the shoulders. "Well, anyways, this… Haruto, was it? We're great friends."
"You're great friends, but you didn't even know his name? Well, whatever…"
There was a feeling of resignation in each and every one of Yuuto's words.
"Also, Namikaze. I'm sure you've had this on your mind, so please allow me to explain. This person has been held back a grade quite a few times. That's why he looks so old."
Ah, so that's why. He can throw in a snarky response when the occasion arises, but he's also good at explaining things… Yuuto, you're a great mediator, you know that?
"Hey, Yuu-chan, don't just go and blurt out other people's personal histories like that. You're making me blush."
"You don't have to blush. Just show some shame and graduate already."
"You know, I've always thought this, but your little remarks are always so dry. You really should learn from Haruto here."
The club president finally took his hands off my shoulders, crossed his arms, and gave out a booming laugh. He certainly laughed pretty often. Also, even though we had just met, he was already calling me by my first name only.
"Not only do we have our new star player here, but to think I would be able to meet with my comrade again… today is indeed a good day."
"I'm glad I met you again too." This was my lucky day.
The Game Research Society president, Yakushi Kabuto, was my savior and was every bit as weird as he looked… but he was a very good person. If you trust my opinion that is. And for now, I guess I could trust him and leave my cute kouhai in his care.
Although, the Blake in question had been standing there, giving me and the club president this icy stare for this entire time.
"W-what?"
"… Nothing… you've become quite the otaku when I wasn't looking, haven't you Senpai?"
I couldn't say a word in response.
I wonder what my past self would say if he saw me today. He probably wouldn't believe that who he was looking at was the same person.
"Allllllllrighty then." The president gave a huge, extravagant stretch and pushed his glasses up. "Welcome to the Game Research Society, you two."
Next, the club president explained to us exactly what the Game Research Society did. "Here, we make doujin games and participate in events. By the way, you two, do you know what we mean when we say 'doujin' and 'event'?"
He had directed the question at me, so I answered for myself and for Blake.
"Yeah, we understand. More or less."
"Have you gone to any?"
"I've only been to one. This girl's been to quite a few, though."
"Ah, then I'll just skip the explanations for those. That's good. It makes the conversation easier. Umm, well, our main activity is making doujin games. Though, on paper, we're technically a club that engages in 'cultural activities'."
The president looked around the room.
"And, in terms of making these games, it's not like every club member participates in that. Actually, we have a lot of ghost members in this club, and besides us, the only other people who come every day are the the twins over there. Say hi, Sakon and Ukon."
"Hey."
"Yo."
A pair of twin brothers with dark blue hair in the room working on their PCs looked at us and raised their hands. The club president looked back at us.
"We're going to have a welcoming reception for all the new members, and all the club members will be here. I'll definitely introduce you to everyone then."
"Sure."
They have lots of ghost members… this was a pretty half-assed club, wasn't it? Seeming to read my mind, Yuuto explained further.
"You could say our club is pretty free, or flexible. But it's not like we're doing things half-heartedly. Each and every club member finds a game they want to make and tries their best to make it."
"And you can even make an eroge if you want. Right, Yuu-chan?"
"Prez, please be a bit more tactful. I'm trying to get them to know a bit about our club's good points, but you're spoiling all of it. Also, don't I always tell you that playing eroge inside the clubroom isn't allowed? So why do you still have to go out of your way to play them here? Play them at home, please."
"Don't ask such tasteless questions, Yuu-chan… if you have a woman you love, wouldn't you want to always be with that woman? I'm not proud of it, but sometimes I even play in the classroom during break times."
This guy was seriously crazy.
"Prez, even if you try to act cool about it, that doesn't make it any less creepy. There are girls in your class too, so please have a bit more respect."
"Ugh, shut up. You my mom or something?"
Just watching this exchange was enough to understand what roles the president and Yuuto played in the club.
"Also, trying to make it sound better isn't going to work. No matter how you look at it, our club is pretty half-assed. And there's no point in trying to get someone to join without having them understand exactly what they're joining. Right?"
"… That may be true, but even then, there's something to be said about choosing the right words. Umm… Namikaze, our president might put it that way, but there are definitely people who are serious about making games here. Of course, there are also people who only talk about games, and there are also people who only show up every so often."
"Yeah, I get the feeling that this club is pretty laid back. But there are also more motivated people who work hard?"
"Yes."
"So, that means… well, I have a band, so I have to practice. So it's alright if I join as more of a ghost member? Or rather, it's alright if I only show my face occasionally?"
"We'd welcome you with open arms. After all, if you'd allow me to speak about it from a more financial point of view, even the ghost members pay club dues."
If that's how things worked, then if Blake joined the club, I'd go with that option. Blake hadn't said a word for a while, and I turned to her.
"Come on…"
Blake sunk deep into thought with her head facing downward. She then glanced around the clubroom, inspecting the club members, before finally looking up at the club president and muttering.
"Then… you're saying that you aren't that interested in making games?"
"Absolutely not! I'm making games with all my strength!"
The club president puffed out his chest. I could not sense any lie from his words. Blake continued her questioning with her emotionless tone.
"… And what genre do you focus on? STG, am I right?"
"Nah, I'll make anything."
"What tools do you work with?"
"We should have all the necessities. We have the equipment, the software… and also the books. Technical books. All the books in that shelf over there are free to be taken out by any of our club members."
When he said that they were "free to be taken out," Blake seemed slightly surprised.
"… But you couldn't have covered the cost of all of those with your club dues alone."
"Well, that's true. I paid for them all myself. I mean, think about what it's like being in junior high school or high school. You don't really have enough money to buy technical books that cost a few thousand yen, and when it comes to expensive software like Photoshop, there are plenty of people who wouldn't be able to use those programs even if they wanted to. I was like that too."
The president spoke like an adult, even though he was also a high school student. Exactly how old was he?
"I mean, if someone's really motivated, they could get a part-time job and prepare all the tools they would need to make games. But it's frustrating when you have to pay for your education too. When I was a first year, I thought about this all while I was working for a moving company. I thought, wouldn't it be nice if there could be a clubroom that had all the tools you needed to make games, and a bunch of fellow people who wanted to make and study games?"
The president showed us his teeth and gave us an eerie chuckle. And he readily made his next statement.
"So I tried to make that club."
"… I see."
Blake fell into silence once again. She slowly looked around at the equipment in the room and the bookshelves. I didn't know what Blake was thinking after hearing about the history of the club. But, I was pretty sure I knew what she wanted to say, so I said it in her place.
"This girl is interested in making games."
"Oh? So, what can you do? Can you code? Can you draw? Compose music? I'm assuming you're not saying that you just want to write scenarios because that's all you can do, right?"
Blake gave her response without hesitation.
"… All of those."
"All of those… you can do all of those things?"
"… Well, I'm not too certain what would qualify as being able to do those things… but at the very least, there's no need to teach me everything from square one."
Blake spoke timidly, but the president seemed really impressed.
"Hey hey Yuu-chan. She's quite a lucky find, isn't she?"
"Yeah." Yuuto looked pretty proud of himself.
Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but I think I need to remind you of something.
"Hey, remember, she hasn't decided to join yet."
Blake picked one of the technical books close to her up, and began flipping through it.
"… What do you think? It doesn't seem to be that strict of a club… do you want to try it out?"
"… It seems they have software and equipment I don't have here. And it seems that to some extent, I'll be free to work on what I want. It could be slightly better than working alone at home… so it may not be a bad idea to spend some of my game-making time here…"
The president and Yuuto exchanged glances and smiled broadly.
I chuckled internally. After all, I could imagine exactly how Blake was going to respond in the next moment.
"Please don't look so happy. If I find that this club is no use to me, I will quit… I don't have that much free time, you know."
See? She's blushing.