Headphone Actor (4 page)

In a turn of events, Tateyama-sensei’s pale expression from earlier now changed to one of defeat. It was the same face that I’d had on earlier. Serves him right.

“Takane’s going to be the one fighting? But if you lose even once, then we won’t have a prize after that.”

 “There won’t be an after. Because I won’t lose! It’ll definitely be lively when I lose just once at the end of the Culture Festival, and I’ll adjust myself accordingly when that time comes.”

Hearing this, Haruka made an incredibly worried face. Well, he had every right to.

We didn’t know what would happen with the game, and there was a slight chance that I might actually lose.

If I did end up losing, and our one prize, the “rare fish specimen (expensive)” was gone, that would mean the event would be over right then and there; it was quite a gamble.

However, I had a “special skill” that I hadn’t told him about.

…. Well, to be exact, it was that I didn’t want to talk about it, but because of it, I had confidence in this gamble. But I definitely did not want to talk about it—

“Ahh, Haruka, you know what? This kid’s really famous online. You know that game there’s commercials about on TV, right? The one where you shoot up zombies.”

“Ah, I’ve heard about it. It’s an online game, right ….? If I remember, there was a tournament for it a while back ….”

“Yeah, that’s right, that’s right. She ranked number two nationally in that tournament.”

In the brief moment I had a mental monologue going on, Tateyama-sensei unbelievably came out about my secret.

“Gyaaaaaaaah!! Wh-wh-wh-why are you telling him!? N-n-no, that’s not true ….!”

The hands-on zombie-killing online shooting game, “DEAD BULLET -1989-”. Since services began about a year ago, it was now Japan’s leading online FPS game due to the widespread response from its users. And in this game, I was a heavy player that had become a top ranker just four hours after the game opened.

Although I played with an original style since the game first began, and had become so famous that a fan community with several hundred members had been created, partly due to my small circle of friends, Tateyama-sensei was the only that knew about it.

——That was, until just a moment ago.

I’d been so naïve. While searching for a friend in the real world I could share the same game with, I’d been lured in by this teacher I could talk with casually with, but I had made a huge mistake.

It was concerning that a female high school girl would cast away all other entertainment for a grotesque massacre game. This was “DEAD BULLET -1989-”.

To be honest, if I knew a female classmate of mine was so addicted, it was at a level where I’d be pretty taken aback myself.

If it were to ever be found out by a classmate ….

“Takane, that’s amazing! Number two nationally!? That’s so cool! Why didn’t you say anything until now? Hey, is it fun?”

Completely oblivious to the conflict I was having in my head, Haruka’s reaction was much more accepting than I had expected, and was actually very positive, as if he wanted to know more.

No, this had to be because he didn’t understand the true nature of the game. Once he did, he would be sure to say something like, “Uwah lol Even though you’re a girl, you like this kind of gory game? That’s scary lolol Stay away from me lololol”.

Just as I stared back in Haruka’s innocent eyes, Tateyama-sensei suddenly burst out laughing and said something totally ridiculous.

“Isn’t this great, Takane? You were looking for a friend to play together with, weren’t you? That game doesn’t really suit me, so why not invite Haruka?”

“What!? Wh-what are you even saying!? It’s not like I even play that much ….”

No, that was a lie; I played. Although I would have gone to bed early due to my drowsiness, instead I’d spent all my time playing from the time I got home at four in the afternoon until four in the morning.

And Tateyama-sensei, who was grinning in front of me, knew all about this, of course.

“Oh~ But I thought you were pretty into it … What was your name there, again? ‘LightingDancer …..’”

“Gyaaaaaaah!! Ahhhhh!! I’m going to do it! I’ll tell the principal! About everything!! Is that okay!?”

“Ahhhhhh!? Anything but that!! Alright, already!! I’m sorry!!”

From an outsider’s perspective, the way Tateyama-sensei and I were yelling at each other while shaking the desks probably seemed very comical.

However, from the perspective of those in question, this was a battle of life and death.

As we continued to glare at each other for several seconds, right when Haruka started to mutter, “J-just calm down ….”, the bell rang, as if to put an end to this stalemate.

“…. Haah. A-anyway, I’m sure there’s no objections to both of us keeping our mouths shut.”

“Yes, that sounds agreeable …. You understand, right? If you let anything else leak ….”

“You’re one to talk. If you tell the principal—You know what’ll happen, don’t you ….?”

“…. I understand. I’ll keep this time’s incident to myself …. However, if this continues any further, I won’t allow it …..”

With a bargain that didn’t seem at all like a conversation between a teacher and a student, almost as if saying, “Today, we’re leaving it at that!”, the first hour homeroom ended.

“Now then …. Well, I have responsibilities too, so I guess I’ll try testing out some things …. We’ll meet back here again during the next hour. Go take a bathroom break or something~”

Tateyama-sensei said, and with his attendance book in hand, he left the classroom while scratching his head. In the brief moment the door opened, we could hear the footsteps of other students and their cheerful voices as they talked.

“Haah …. I wonder if it’ll work out ….”

Worn out, I let my head fall down on the desk, and when I did, my eyes met with Haruka, who was sitting beside me.

“… Honestly, I kind of just blurted it out without thinking, but thanks to Takane, I think it’ll be really fun ….! I’m sure it’ll work out! I’ll do my best, too!”

When I looked at Haruka, who was smiling and striking a small, confidant pose, I felt my cheeks grow hotter for some reason …. It was probably because I was embarrassed about the thing with the online game being exposed.

——I found myself smiling a little, too.

I realized that somewhere down the line, I, too, had become “the type of girl that works hard for the School Culture Festival”. Surely, this smile could be nothing other than a forced one.

“…. Surprisingly, this actually isn’t so boring.”

Muttering this, I began fantasizing in my head about the pleasantly enjoyable preparation plans for the Culture Festival.

HEADPHONE ACTOR PART TWO

(translated by Miss-Simplicity
)

In my life up until now, had the scenery ever danced so violently? 
With my every step, the traffic lights seemed to jump, and the buildings swayed unstably. 
With every new breath I took, my body was whipped by the wind. 
The intersection was crowded with people. 
Furthermore, without any regard to the rules or meaning of traffic lights and signs, a multitude of cars were abandoned in a cluttered mess in the streets. 
A person shouting something. 
A person hitting someone. 
Everyone had the same pale face, lamenting the end of the world. 
For a split-second, I heard a baby crying and felt like stopping. 
"You can’t. It’s going to be over in 12 minutes, so you can’t turn back now … Come on, keep going left at the next traffic light." 
The voice from the headphones, in contrast to the outside world, was quiet, and continued to simply show me the route in a straightforward manner. 
Doing as told, I weaved my way through waves of people. 
Up until now, how many times had I ever run with all my strength? 
Since I was young, I was overly-protected, and wasn’t allowed to run around outside. 
This was because I had a disease where I would lose consciousness for no reason at unpredicted times. 
This disease wasn’t something that happened often. 
Simply, I wouldn’t remember what happened the moment I collapsed. 
The only part that I could remember was what happened after I opened my eyes. 
It was almost like after having a long dream, with the memories from before I collapsed being a blur. 
Going through the crowds of people, and narrow streets, I rushed out into the big street. 
"Turn right here! There’s only one minute left ……!" 
The voice from the headphone started to gradually become impatient. 
Without concern to the pain in my legs, in the long moment where I turned right with the momentum, I heard something like the sound of an iron mass vigorously collapsing. 
Followed by the screaming, I couldn’t resist the urge to turn around. 
"…. Hurry up! There’s someone that you have to meet, isn’t there?! So that’s why …" 
Increasing my breathing, and with the sensation that my lungs were burning out, my consciousness began to dim. 
I wondered if I would faint again. 
Now that I thought about it, when was the last time that I had ever lost consciousness? 
…… I couldn’t remember anything. 
I couldn’t even remember how things had come to this, or even who I was going to meet …. 
Despite this, I had the feeling that there was something very important ahead. 
With that feeling, I simply went forward by putting one foot in front of the other. 
—-Facing forward, the hill that I was heading towards had already come into view before my eyes.

YUUKEI YESTERDAY PART TWO

(translated by Miss-Simplicity
)

“Amazing …. She’s already taken down thirty-seven people ….”

“Actually, I heard that she’s that veteran player that ranked no.2 in the nationals in ‘DEAD BULLET-1989-’”

“…!! Isn’t that ‘LightningDancerEne’!? No wonder her moves are so good. Hey, look, it’s another new high score! …. But why is she crying?”

Right now, the Science Preparation Room was the most fired up it had been since its opening.

Without bothering to wipe the tears flowing from my eyes, I desperately gripped the controller.

No matter how painful it was, once I took hold of the controller, there was no way that I could allow myself to lose.

Due to my daily habits and the personality that I had, it was something I no longer had any influence over.

On the large monitor, a hand holding a gun was displayed, and as it matched the movements of my controller and aligned to the left and to the right, I shot down the targets.

Every time they were shot, there was a “Gyaaaaah!” scream, and incredibly grotesque scenes were shown on the monitor, with emphasis on the blood and guts, despite the fact that they were cute-looking characters that resembled bears and rabbits.

“You did it, Takane! You won 
again
!! No, wait … Should I be calling you Ene right now, instead!?”

Haruka was squatting beside my side of the player seats, speaking to me with sparkling eyes, almost as if he were my coach.

“Shut …. Shut …. up ….. idiottt …..”

Although I was already crying to the point that I could no longer speak properly, all around, the audience was showering me in generous applause over my victory.

The challenger that had been my opponent, wearing military-style clothes, passionately saluted me and said, “Excuse me, but I never would have thought I’d have the pleasure of playing against the great LightningDancerEne-sama in a place like this ….!! It’s such an honor!!”

Near the entrance, there were several robust-looking guys that were fighting over who would be the next challenger, going, “I’ll be the one to challenge ….” “No, no, I’ll be the one to ….”

With the increasing number of students that were gathering to this unusual scene, and the game players that had rushed over after hearing the rumors, it had transformed into a living hell.

“How did it come to thiiiis …..”

My vision became blurred from the tears that continued to fall on top of the controller.

           
*

The day of the School Culture Festival. The beginning of this incident started about several hours ago.

The study desks and teacher’s desk that were usually in the center of the Science Preparation Room were taken away, and in its place, a shooting game booth had been magnificently set up.

Honestly, though, it wasn’t anything extraordinary; it was just a long table that had a cloth draped over it, with pictures drawn in fluorescent paint, and the display screen placed on top. However, the windows had been covered up with cardboard, making the only source of light the light coming from the display and the faint glow of the fluorescent paint.

It was thanks to Haruka’s drawing ability too, of course, but if it was like this, it wouldn’t be apparent how much of a rushed job this was.

“I-it’s almost time, huh …. It feels like some kind of dream; to think that we’d really be able to finish ….!”

“Yeah, it turned out pretty well in the end ….! Good work, Haruka! Now then, let me try it out a little more before we actually open.”

Haruka, who had been making this demanding game until yesterday and had bags under his eyes, for once; and in contrast, I, who had gotten a sufficient amount of sleep (fifteen hours) and didn’t have bags under my eyes, for once; began working on the final adjustments before releasing it to the public.

Once Haruka turned on the power for the computer that was placed underneath the table, the display monitor showed the title screen of the completed game that Tateyama-sensei and Haruka had created.

One after another, there appeared stuffed animal monsters that were to be shot down in this game, which Haruka had given the name, “Headphone Actor”.

At first, I didn’t understand the meaning of the game’s title, but when I saw how the “boss that controls the stuffed animals” that comes out in the last stage looked just like me, I understood with considerable annoyance that it meant to “defeat the stuffed animals (actors) that are being controlled by me, who is wearing headphones”.

Of course, it goes without saying that I sent Haruka flying after that.

“…. This game really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Why should I have to fight against myself?”

“Well, see, the challengers are going to have to try and defeat you, right? So that’s why I thought, maybe it’d be best if I made the enemy look like Takane~ …. Although, I completely forgot that Takane was going to be playing, too.”

“…. How could you have forgotten something like that? …. Well, after the colors have been changed and all, it doesn’t really look like me anymore, though.”

Originally, the last boss, “Takane No.2 (dubbed by Tateyama-sensei)” had black hair just like me, but after being forced to recolor, it was now a 2P design with bright blue hair.

“Well, even if I eventually forgive you for this design, why is it so gory? Is this much even necessary?”

After clicking start from the title screen, a monologue would begin. The game’s stage was a small town, and once again, by Haruka’s own decision, it was modeled to greatly resemble the town that we lived in.

As you advanced with a gun in hand, cute stuffed animals of various sizes would come lunging out at you, one after another. Every time you shot one down, the screen would become dyed in blood with a graphic “splat!” sound, leaving the player to be hit with an enormous feeling of guilt.

“Ah, about that, I referenced the game that you mentioned before! Since I thought you’d like this kind of thing.”

The moment I heard that, my hand slipped on the controller, and after being bitten by a monkey doll, I got game over.

Blood dripped down from the top of the screen, followed by the words “GAME OVER” being displayed.

“D-did you ask Sensei about that!?”

After pulling all-nighters every day in order to work on the game, it seemed that once it had been completed, Tateyama-sensei had collapsed on the bed after rasping out the words, “Please …. appeal …. to the principal …..”

Since Haruka had been staying over at Tateyama-sensei’s house all week to make the game, there was a high possibility that he’d been told all sorts of unnecessary things.

“No, he didn’t tell me anything at all. I remembered you talking about this before, so I looked it up by myself.”

“Wh-what, really? Well, that’s good, then …. Anyway, I honestly think this effect is way too mismatched. It doesn’t make me feel excited at all.”

I started the game from the title screen again, but no matter what, it really was weird seeing the stuffed animals be scattered into a bunch of blood and guts when they were shot down. It would’ve been better if it was zombies that attacked you, instead.

“Ahaha, sorry. But, since we were going through with this anyway, I wanted to make it something that you’d like, Takane ….”

Caught off by what he said once more, my hand slipped again and this time, I got a game over from being suddenly attacked by a pig doll.

“I-it’s not like I really like gore or anything ….!”

I muttered while restarting the game, not even daring to look at Haruka.

“Eh!? Wah, sorry, sorry, I thought you’d like seeing the blood and all that …. But when I think about it, there’s no way that you’d like this kind of thing, huh.”

“Haah … You’ve really misunderstood big time. Listen up. How good a game is depends on how exciting it is. People play because they want to be cool like the main character and have the kind of life that they do.”

Even if it was subtle, that was the charm I looked for in games.

No matter who they are in real life, anyone could become a hero in a video game.

That was the number one reason I liked games so much.

“Oh~ I get it now. I don’t usually play games at all, so I had no idea. Ah, then … maybe … this game isn’t that fun, then?”

Haruka asked this very, very slowly.

Without taking my eyes away from the screen and after I shot down a cat doll with a headshot, I answered, “Well, I actually kind of like it, though.”

Beside me, I heard a sigh of relief.

While playing this game mercilessly yesterday, I was able to get pretty decent scores already after just a few minutes.

Other than when I’d gotten game overs due to Haruka’s disruptions, I hadn’t made any mistakes at all. If it was like this, there was no way that I would lose when playing against someone else.

Beating the creator, Tateyama-sensei’s best score of “45000 points” by more than tripling it also served as one reason I was so confident.

“It’ll be alright for sure! If it’s Takane, no matter who the challenger is, they have no chance of winning!”

“Isn’t it obvious? I have confidence in my arms, if nothing else ….. Wait, it’s already this late!? The festival’s going to start in just five minutes! Haruka, how are the other preparations!?”

“Ah, y-yeah, they’re all ready! I set up everything yesterday so that we’d be good to go anytime! Ah, but, I’m starting to get nervous ….”

Although Haruka had been relaxed as always up until now, with the start of the Culture Festival quickly approaching, he stood up from his chair and started pacing around the classroom anxiously.

“Wh-what are you so nervous about!? I definitely won’t lose, so don’t worry about it!”

“W-well, yeah, that’s true, but … I wonder if everyone will enjoy it … What’ll I do if people say it’s not fun at all …?”

Since we were right before the opening, I also was starting to feel nervous. Come to think of it, when I’d gone to the tournament a few days ago, I remembered feeling something similar to this.

However, this time, it wasn’t about, “scoring a good performance,” but “how to let the customers have fun” that was the critical issue.

From children to the elderly …. Well, with a game like this, there was an age limit to some extent, but as much as possible, we had to let everyone have fun without discriminating.

While it was true that this game that Tateyama-sensei and Haruka made still needed work on parts of the balance and system, I honestly thought it was interesting and fun.

My job was to show the charm of this to everyone, and try to play in a way they would allow them to have fun, all while smiling as much as possible.

“It’ll be just fine. Since we did our best to make it, everyone will enjoy it for sure!”

The moment I said this to the worrying and anxious Haruka, an announcement sounded from the speaker installed by the clock: “The Culture Festival will be beginning shortly. Each class should follow the instructions of the Executive Committee. Let’s make this an enjoyable event!”

The moment I heard this, my heart started pounding from nervousness.

Haruka had crouched down, and started to chant under his breath, “It’ll be okay, it’ll be okay ….”

“Wait, hold on, it’s already starting! People are gonna come soon, so, umm … Stand outside the classroom and be the guide! If there’s people that look interested, make sure you explain everything properly and let them in!! Understand!?”

“Ah, ahh, yeah, yeah! …. G-got it … It’s okay, it’s okay ….”

With that, Haruka stood up quickly and stumbled towards the door.

And just as he was doing so, he crashed into the door once, and left the classroom while going, “Awawa ….”

“…. Is that guy really gonna be okay?”

Background music for the Culture Festival had started playing from the same speakers as earlier, announcing the start of the festival.

For the booth’s effect, I turned off the speakers, as well as the lights, and waited for the first challenger that Haruka would bring in.

With the lights off, the room was bathed in the glow from the display screen and the pale light of the fluorescent paint.

Of the two chairs set up in front of the long table, I sat down in the one on the right side, and spaced out staring at the monitor that continued to display the title screen.

In the screen where “Headphone Actor” was displayed, behind the title logo was a gray cityscape, and because it was set in the evening, the gaps between the groups of buildings showed a dark, violet sky.

“Anyway, this really is a game with some bad taste ….. Sensei and Haruka just went ahead and made it on their own whims, but if it’s a girl that plays this, she’ll probably get freaked out.”

But if it was Haruka, he probably wouldn’t pay attention to that at all, and if there was a girl that seemed interested, he’d just cheerfully lead her inside like I’d told him to.