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when y/n finally returned home that evening, she felt the weight of exhaustion pressing down on her shoulders. it had been a long day out with amara, and although the outing had lifted her spirits, the familiar weariness had settled in again. the first thing she did upon entering her room was to place her newly purchased game, heartstrings academy, onto her bed. it lay there, looking oddly out of place against her comforter, as if it were waiting, almost impatiently, for her attention. y/n yawned, grabbing a fresh pair of pajamas before heading to the bathroom for her nighttime routine. as she showered and washed away the day's fatigue, she found her thoughts drifting back to the game.
heartstrings academy. its quirky charm had called to her, and the mystery behind its "destroy at all costs" label had kept her intrigued. she chuckled to herself, remembering the employee's skepticism-maybe he was right, and she'd just paid five dollars for a total flop. after almost twenty minutes, y/n returned to her room, towel-drying her hair as she entered. the game was still on her bed, and for a moment, she'd almost forgotten it was there. but when her eyes landed on it, curiosity stirred anew. yes, it was late, but she couldn't resist. it had been a long time since she'd had something new to look forward to, and she felt a surge of energy just thinking about it.
y/n walked over to her computer, switched it on, and placed the game disk into the cd tray. she waited, tapping her fingers on her desk as the whirring sounds of the disk loading filled the room. slowly, the screen displayed the game company's logo- a small, pixelated heart with wings- before it faded into the game's main title. the title screen looked exactly like the cover art, but now, the character on it had slight, lifelike movement. his hair shifted in an invisible breeze, his eyes glancing toward the camera with a playful wink. cheerful music floated from her speakers, a light, airy japanese tune that set the tone perfectly. it felt nostalgic, like a theme song from an 80s anime, catchy, and almost too happy for the late hour.
y/n couldn't help but smile, leaning back to take in the screen, her fingers drumming on her mouse in anticipation. as she looked at her options, her eyes were drawn to the buttons listed at the bottom: "start," "quit," and, oddly, "消える!" the third option puzzled her. the words were in japanese, contrasting with the rest of the text in english, and she had no idea what it meant. she considered grabbing her phone to translate but decided against it. maybe it was just an easter egg, some kind of in-joke the developers had slipped in that only a few would understand.
with a shrug, y/n took her mouse and hovered over the start button, feeling a spark of excitement.
she clicked, and immediately, a high-pitched masculine voice filled her room. "よ! じゃあ行くぞ!" the voice called out in an energetic tone, making her jump slightly at the unexpected enthusiasm. "yo! then let's go!" the screen went black, and suddenly, a countdown timer appeared, accompanied by the same voice counting down in japanese. "さん..." it began, and the number "3" appeared in bold, white numbers on the screen. "に..." the countdown continued, switching to "2" as the voice grew louder. "いち..." and the "1" appeared, the voice brimming with excitement.
at this point, y/n was getting antsy.
she really did want to see what the big deal with this game was. it couldn't be that bad, could it? before she could dwell on it for a moment longer, she was pulled back to earth when-
"ぜろ!" the voice finished with a burst of energy, and the countdown vanished from the screen. as the counter disappeared, y/n waited with bated breath, her eyes locked on the screen. but instead of an instant dive into the game, the cheerful music abruptly stopped, cutting through the silence of her room like a knife. her brows knit together, a faint sigh of frustration slipping from her lips.
"what the...?" she muttered, slumping back in her seat. a silent plea filled her thoughts: please don't let this game be a glitchy mess. she'd been so hopeful, after all. with a deep breath, y/n forced herself to be patient, willing the game to load correctly. she'd read about older games like this being prone to bugs, and maybe- just maybe- this was part of the experience? but as she stared at the screen, the seconds stretched uncomfortably, and nothing seemed to happen. just as she was about to give up hope, a faint tapping sound broke through the silence.
her attention sharpened, her eyes narrowing as she searched for the source. it almost sounded like...typing?
whatever it was, it reminded y/n of undertale or animal crossing whenever a character would speak. nevertheless, she- intrigued- leaned closer to her monitor. 'maybe i should've changed the settings before i started...' she thought to herself, and then, just as her curiosity peaked, a text box faded onto the screen. it read:
« when the cherry petals of magic heartstring academy are in bloom...anything can happen. »
the words were cryptic, almost ominous, and sent a shiver crawling up her spine. the game's cheerful aesthetic suddenly felt like a thin veil for something darker but y/n tried to think nothing of it. after all, this was supposed to be an otome game and because of it, she should expect lots of romantic and feel-good content.
she bit her lip, her finger hovering over the mouse. the line was just unsettling enough to plant seeds of doubt, but curiosity won out, and she clicked to continue. as soon as her finger pressed down, the text box shattered into thousands of tiny pixels, scattering across her screen like dust in the wind. she barely had time to process what she'd seen before her entire screen was consumed by chaotic glitches.
vibrant colors flashed in bursts, distorted fragments of code streaking across the display. then came the noises-an ear-splitting cacophony of static and distorted sounds, filling her room with a mechanical screech that set her teeth on edge. "no, no, no..." y/n muttered, panic rising as she scrambled to open the cd tray, determined to stop the game before something worse happened. but when she pressed the button, nothing happened. it was stuck, refusing to budge as if the computer itself were fighting her. her heart raced, and she jabbed the escape key, then ctrl-alt-delete, anything to shut the game down, but it was as if her computer was ignoring her entirely.
and then, as she frantically tried to regain control, a wave of unexpected exhaustion washed over her. her vision blurred, and a strange lethargy settled into her bones, making her movements sluggish. it was bizarre; mere moments ago, she'd been buzzing with energy. but now, her limbs felt like lead, her eyelids unbearably heavy.
she stumbled, her knees buckling as she tried to steady herself.
the edge of her desk slipped from her grasp, and her hand flailed, searching for anything to keep her upright. she forced her eyes to stay open, trying to focus, but the world around her swam in and out of focus. "what...is happening...?" she whispered, her voice barely a breath as she struggled to keep from collapsing. every ounce of her strength was fading fast, and she could feel herself tilting forward, bracing for the inevitable impact with the floor.
but the impact never came.
instead, she felt a sudden warmth, as though invisible hands had caught her mid-fall, cradling her gently. confusion and fear warred within her, but she didn't have the strength to open her eyes or fight it. slowly, her body went limp, surrendering to an inexplicable weariness. and as her consciousness drifted, she felt herself slip further and further away from the familiar world of her bedroom, succumbing completely to the mysterious pull of the game.
