"Exhausted! Surprise test!?" Momo groans.
"Thanks to Alice, we passed!" Midori says.
"No, your support helped!" Alice replies.
"Great job, everyone. I couldn't join, though," Mash adds.
After surviving Engineer Club's trial and securing Alice's weapon, the Game Development Club returns to their clubroom.
"Now, no more disbandment worries! Game time!" Momo cheers.
"No way!" Midori slams the table.
"Too soon to relax!" Yuzu says.
"Didn't you tell Yuuka something?" Mash asks.
"I did! She's coming this afternoon for Alice's qualification review," Momo says.
"Qualification?" Alice tilts her head.
"First I'm hearing this! What's that?" Midori panics.
"No clue, but we're set. Alice's prep is perfect," Momo assures.
"Really okay?" Mash mutters, uneasy.
Momo claims hacking sorted Alice's registration, but Mash senses trouble.
"Alice, introduce yourself!" Momo prompts.
"I'm Alice the Blue-Eye, Dwarven Lance Knight. Weapon: Gunlance 'Fire Dragon's Fang.' Origin—" Alice starts.
"Not your game avatar!" Midori interrupts.
"I'm Mash Muscle-Mighty, Human Warrior. Weapon: 'Giant's Fist.' Origin—" Mash tries.
"Stop joking, Sensei!" Momo scolds.
"Sorry," Mash says.
"My mistake. I'm Alice, first-year at Millennium Science School. I transferred recently, missed course registration, but I'll join classes next month," Alice corrects.
"Sounds legit!" Momo nods.
"Seems fine, but…" Midori hesitates.
"Perfect! We're good!" Momo insists.
"Really… okay?" Yuzu murmurs.
Footsteps echo. Yuuka's here.
"No way. A new Game Dev member? Impossible…" Yuuka mutters.
"Fact!" Momo smirks.
"Morning, Yuuka-chan," Mash greets.
"You're the rumored Alice. Fourth member," Yuuka says, eyeing her.
"…"
"I thought I knew every Millennium student…" Yuuka muses.
"Every one? Classic Yuuka," Momo says.
"Also, Mash-sensei's recent spending," Yuuka adds.
"Eep!" Mash flinches.
Yuuka stares at Alice.
"I can't believe I didn't know such a cute girl," Yuuka says.
"Your standards are weird…" Midori mutters.
"…" Alice freezes.
"Yo?" Yuuka prompts.
"A yokai appeared!" Alice blurts.
"Yokai!? She called me a yokai!" Yuuka snaps.
"Misheard! She meant fairy!" Momo covers.
"Even I'm not used to that insult. Bold," Yuuka growls.
"Calm down, Yuuka-chan. Mistakes happen," Mash says, restraining her.
"Don't choke me! Do I look violent!?" Yuuka protests.
"No way," Mash says, stiffly.
"Why so robotic!?" Yuuka snaps.
Mash releases Yuuka, who clears her throat.
"Anyway! You've met the member quota. Game Dev can stay, right?" Momo asks.
"If she joined willingly," Yuuka says.
"Gulp!" the twins flinch.
"Normally, declaring a new member suffices, but… coercion's possible," Yuuka says.
"That's harsh! We'd never!" Momo protests.
"Yeah!" Midori agrees.
"Exactly!" Mash holds a "NO" sign.
"Quiet! I'll ask Alice a few questions. Won't take long," Yuuka says.
"Will wrong choices lead to a bad end?" Alice asks.
"Maybe. Let's start," Yuuka says.
Tension rises. Mash sneaks behind Yuuka, preparing cue cards.
"Why'd you join Game Dev, Alice?" Yuuka asks.
"I woke up here—oh!" Alice slips.
"Woke up?" Yuuka narrows her eyes.
"Uh…" Alice glances at Mash's card. "I wanted to play Demon Castle Dracula, then found Game Dev."
"Hm," Yuuka nods.
Safe, Mash thinks, scribbling answers.
"This isn't Retro Game Club. It's Game Development. You'll make games. What's your role?" Yuuka asks.
"Tank and light-attribute attacker—er, programmeras!" Alice says.
"Programmer, you mean?" Yuuka corrects.
"Uh-oh," Alice stammers.
Oops, Mash scribbles frantically.
"Tension got me! Hehe…" Alice laughs.
"Right…" Yuuka says.
Phew, Mash sighs.
"Programmer, huh? Tough job," Yuuka says.
"Yes, it's hard. Overwork makes you faint," Alice reads.
"What!?" Yuuka gasps.
"But I'm fine!" Alice adds.
"Not fine! Rest!" Yuuka orders.
"Inns or churches revive you with gold!" Alice reads.
Oops again, Mash panics.
"No way!" Yuuka says.
"Oh…" Alice falters.
"Isn't that common sense? Don't you know Hero Saga or Holy Spear Legend? God-tier games!" Alice says.
Show these, Mash signals.
"There's Final Fantasia too!" Alice gushes, unprompted.
She's not reading my cards! Mash freaks.
Alice rants about games for an hour, ignoring Mash's cues. Her passion shines, and Mash wonders if it's enough.
"Alice, stop," Yuuka interrupts.
"No! I haven't covered Final Fantasia!" Alice protests.
"Enough," Yuuka says.
"Oh…" Alice deflates.
"I understand you now," Yuuka says.
We're doomed! Momo thinks.
What now!? Midori panics.
"You're a bit suspicious, but your love for games is clear," Yuuka says.
"So?" Momo asks.
"I'll approve you as the fourth member," Yuuka says.
"Really!?" Midori gasps.
"Quota met. Game Dev is officially recognized," Yuuka declares.
"Yay!" Momo cheers.
"Phew!" Yuzu sighs.
"So, we get funds and keep the room, right?" Momo asks.
"Until semester's end," Yuuka says.
"Huh?" Momo blinks.
"Why!?" Midori asks.
"No funds either," Yuuka adds.
"What's 'until semester's end' mean?" Yuzu asks.
"Didn't you know? Quota's not enough. You need results by month's end. No results, no club—whether 4 or 400 members," Yuuka explains.
"No way!" Momo protests.
"It's real! Explained at the last club leader meeting!" Yuuka says.
"Yuzu should've heard, right?" Midori asks.
"Yuzu wasn't there," Yuuka says.
"Oh…" Momo falters.
"Wasn't Momo supposed to cover for her!?" Midori snaps.
"Uh… there was a game event…" Momo mumbles.
"Idiot!" Midori yells.
Yuuka reveals clubs need proven results to survive, but Game Dev missed the memo because Momo skipped the meeting for a game event.
"Honestly, Alice's identity is fishy. I considered immediate eviction, but her game passion seems real. I'm giving you time because of that," Yuuka says. "Momo, you claimed you'd win big at Millennium Prize, right?"
"Y-Yeah…" Momo stammers.
"With a new member, you'll make something great, won't you?" Yuuka presses.
"Should… be able to…" Momo says.
"I'm looking forward to it," Yuuka says, heading out.
At the door, she turns to Mash.
"Sensei, Game Dev's done nothing but play games in their room, not make them," Yuuka says.
"Hm," Mash nods.
"Their actions led here. Consider if Schale—or you—should keep helping," Yuuka says.
"!" the group flinches.
Yuuka leaves. The club's mood darkens; Mash looks troubled.
"We're still at risk," Midori says.
"Sorry, I missed the meeting…" Yuzu murmurs.
"Not your fault, Yuzu. I left it to Momo," Midori says.
"Really sorry…" Momo slumps.
Momo sulks, head down. The others look grim. Alice, realizing the club's fate, tears up.
"Thanks for helping, Sensei," Momo says.
"…"
"We'll take it from here. Our mess, our responsibility," Momo insists.
Mash holds a game cartridge, staring at it.
"I came to save this club. Leaving without fixing it? No way," Mash says.
"But it's our fault—" Momo starts.
"Yuuka's right—it's partly your doing," Mash admits.
"Ugh…" Momo winces.
"But I can't abandon you," Mash says.
Kneeling to meet their eyes, he continues.
"Why go this far?" Midori asks.
"I can't ignore people in trouble," Mash says.
He shares a memory.
"When I was little, my grandpa went to buy my favorite cream puffs. It was raining. He took his umbrella, but…"
"Man, I'm soaked!"
"Grandpa, your umbrella?"
"Gave it to a kid who broke theirs. Now I'm drenched! Should've brought two."
"He gave his umbrella to a stranger. I wondered, 'Why help someone you don't know?'" Mash says.
"Like us now," Midori says.
"Yeah. I asked him," Mash says.
"Grandpa, why help a stranger?"
"Hm… hard to say…"
"…"
"Couldn't ignore them."
"?"
"Family, friend, or stranger—if someone's in trouble, I help."
"!"
"I've got no magic to save lives, so I do small things. That's my duty as an adult, as your grandpa."
"Duty…"
"Mash, one day you'll protect someone. When that day comes…"
"'Protect them to the end,' he told me," Mash finishes.
"Your grandpa's amazing," Momo says.
"Like a sage aiding a hero!" Alice says.
"Eh, that metaphor…" Midori mutters.
"I decided to help you, so I'll stay and fight. Not for Schale—I want to help you," Mash says.
"I'll keep fighting with you!" Momo vows.
"Me too!" Midori adds.
"Alice agrees!" Alice says.
"I'll try too!" Yuzu nods.
The club and Mash resolve to persevere.
(Such a softie…) Yuuka, overhearing, smiles and returns to work.
My Take
Grandpa's probably like that. Mash definitely is.
Comments, ratings, likes, and poll votes keep me going! Please!
---------------------------------------------
🚀 Want more?
📖 On Patreon you can read 20+ chapters ahead, plus there will be exclusive stories available only there.
💖 If you'd like to support me, check it out: patreon.com/Greyhounds
🔓 Patreon will always stay ahead of the public release — and some stories won't be published anywhere else.
✨ All support is completely optional — even if you don't join, I'm still grateful to have you here reading!