Preparations
Preparations
Spend enough time with Fanta X Aca, and a few things started to sink in.
The main one being: for a game that had crashed and burned so spectacularly, it was surprisingly well-made.
The only thing that took it down was the existence of that overwhelmingly divisive element known as "Pongpongi." Remove him from the equation, and between the three-dimensional charm of the heroines, the branching scenarios, and the sheer volume of story, you could easily catch yourself thinking, "Wait. Is this actually a good game?"
So Ian wasn't especially surprised.
'An episode where the heroine is the villain.'
It was entirely plausible. The evidence practically screamed that she was this scenario's villain.
'Well, the old me never would have believed it.'
The bitter irony was, imagining Rina Rosewell as the villain wasn't difficult anymore.
Pfft.
Ian let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
"It's a little absurd."
To be standing here suspecting a heroine without a second thought.
Back when he'd first been possessed, all he could picture was her gentle, kind image. Now he'd seen the real Rina—every facet.
Her dark interior. The resentments she'd buried.
After taking a knife in the back from her once, he'd felt it all too keenly.
The problem now was—
"Right now, her destructive power is two or three times what it was in the original."
That was the thing about girls like Rina—the truly good ones, or the ones who seemed good. They bury a great deal and become terrifying when they finally explode. An explosive fire-spirit magic, like years of resentment boiling over all at once.
He needed a countermeasure.
For when the scenario went off-script.
"I've taken the elixir."
Rustle, rustle.
Ian pulled out a byproduct from his dungeon haul.
The inner flesh of a Mana Hell, sliced tissue-thin.
Something so small didn't look like it could do much, but it was actually a type of fabric with a surprising range of uses.
The catch was that processing it required a plant-element user. Fortunately, he knew one.
"I wonder when Danya's getting here."
Ian glanced up to check the time. His appointment with Danya was in an hour. Roughly half a day remained until the scenario kicked off.
"Not quite enough time to train."
With time to kill either way, Ian flicked open his Kirtos terminal.
【 Free, today only. A prophet acknowledged by the masters will reveal your future at no cost. (3 slots) 】
Then he navigated to the anonymous bulletin board he'd set up—a net he'd cast into the crowd.
"Oh. Quite a few got caught."
Several fish were already flopping around inside.
Ian selected three.
[ Mercy Anniston ] : I'm a first-year living in Median House. Virgo. I really want to date someone but it never works out. Someone confessed to me once, but he's the type who hits on anyone sob When will I finally get to date?
The other two followed a similar pattern.
The common thread: all three lived in the girls' dormitory, Median House.
The stage for this scenario.
Since the scenario was about to unfold either way, he figured he might as well make them the subjects of his prophecy.
Ian tapped rapidly on his Kirtos terminal.
[ To Mercy ] Love. Nice topic. But don't get too eager. If there's someone you have feelings for, avoid them. When the full moon rises, be especially careful. If you try to hide, they'll follow—so I recommend running.
[ To Lily ] : What matters right now isn't your sign. Your nights are going to be restless. No—they have to be restless. A darkness is settling around you. There's only one way. Beware the full moon. When trouble breaks out, get out of that place as fast as you can. Hiding comes after that. Just follow this......
"This should do it."
◆
An hour remained until her meeting with Ian.
— If you're free, want to come over to my place? There won't be anyone else here.
Danya Catsnesia brushed her tail out with care.
— Swish. Swish.
An invitation to an empty house.
"It does feel a little fast... Well, we did say we trusted each other."
Then her bare feet suddenly caught her eye.
Ian definitely seemed to have a thing for feet.
'... How do I even groom my feet?'
She mulled it over briefly, then shook her head hard.
"Hmph. Know your place."
Even for Ian, that was still a long way off.
Still, she couldn't help the way her heart was pounding.
◆
A short while later. Ian's house.
"... You were planning to make me your slave."
Danya muttered, her face flushed.
Beads of sweat trickled down her small face.
Her breathing was growing rougher.
"Hnngh!"
Danya pulled her hands away from the glossy hide and let out a heavy sigh.
"Humans really are rotten. They always try to turn beastkin into slaves. You lied about trusting me so you could pull the same thing, didn't you?"
He couldn't quite grasp what Danya was getting at, pouting at him like that.
"I think there's a misunderstanding."
Ian stuffed a piece of jerky into Danya's grumbling mouth.
"Mmph!"
Jerky he'd made earlier from a giant rabbit.
It was a precious protein source for Ian, but Danya was currently the key worker processing the Mana Hell hide. This level of provision was a necessary expense.
"Wha are you doin'... Nom. Nom."
Munch, munch.
Danya's expression, which had been on the verge of tears over the massive Mana Hell hide, steadily relaxed.
"Good, right?"
He'd experimented with several jerky variations, and this one was his masterpiece—crafted in the process of trying to capture the flavor of instant ramen seasoning.
— Sway, sway.
Danya's gently swaying tail answered for her.
Though she soon opened her mouth as well.
"It's spicy and salty... Feels like it's bad for you, but it's addictive, nya."
Truth be told, he'd also rubbed a bit of catnip on it.
Danya's eyes gleamed as if asking for more.
Ian pointed at the remaining unprocessed Mana Hell hide.
"I'll give you more once it's all done."
— Glare!
Danya shot him a look, then refocused on processing the hide.
Certain byproducts from plant-type monsters became enhanced when exposed to plant elements like this.
"Done!"
The finished inner hide of the Mana Hell.
After Danya's handiwork, it looked genuinely useful.
"Nom... But, nom nom, what are you going to use this for, nya?"
Danya asked, still working on her jerky.
Instead of answering, Ian emitted a small pulse of earth mana.
Then he brought the Mana Hell's inner hide near it. Normally, it looked like ordinary cloth, but the moment mana touched it—
— Whoosh!
The inner hide instantly seized the mana and curled into a ball.
"Oh. That's amazing, nya."
Danya rolled the curled-up hide like a basketball. She scurried after it, then glanced at him self-consciously and brought it back.
Her twitching tail looked genuinely delighted.
"If you want, I could play fetch with you."
— Pow!
It had been a while since she'd thrown a nyang-nyang punch, and it stung quite a bit.
Danya glared at him and asked,
"But what are you actually going to use that for, nya?"
"A bomb."
Ian's lips curled upward with his reply.
"... A bomb?"
What on earth was he planning?
Danya's tail shivered.
◆
Strictly speaking, Pongpongi's role in Fanta X Aca's main scenario was minor.
The reason was straightforward: most of the game's story took place after Pongpongi vanished following the "suicide incident."
That meant there was no essential role forced on Ian for "Act 1: The Night of the Full Moon."
If he just acted like it was an ordinary day, then stuck his nose in when things started happening, that would do.
Danya had finished processing the Mana Hell hide quickly, so he had time to spare.
He shook off the thought of training. Even for a training addict, he needed to conserve his strength today.
He'd need a fair amount of stamina to handle the scenario through the night. Rest was the wiser play.
'With Rina Rosewell as the villain, there's a real chance this goes off-script.'
Once that thought had crossed his mind, Ian gathered his supplies.
"Better to get there early."
Since he was planning to rest anyway, he might as well do it somewhere comfortable near the scene. With that logic, Ian headed toward Lichten Academy's girls' dormitory.
And so he found himself in the bushes with a clear view of the dormitory—[ Median House ].
"I can see pretty much everything from here."
Ian leaned back against a tree.
Lichten's dormitories were divided into three tiers.
Garden, House, Hall.
In order: multi-occupant dormitories, cost-effective singles, and top-class residences.
Among them, the stage for today's event was a House—the budget single-occupant dorm. Specifically, Median House, where many female students of average academic standing lived.
Not an especially important location, all told.
The standout character in this girls' dormitory was the 5-star heroine Rina Rosewell. Beyond her, the cast was mostly cost-effective filler, famous for... who was it again? Ah. A girl named Maisie and a few others.
He spent a while watching the dormitory from the bushes.
Then an unexpected figure caught Ian's eye.
'...Huh?'
Ian blinked. She was still standing there, right in front of Median House.
Neatly combed blue hair falling to her waist.
A posture so upright it would not have wavered in an earthquake.
And the long, slender sword on her back.
Sharon Pierce.
Given her family pride and her obsession with honor, it was nearly impossible to imagine any reason for Sharon Pierce to be standing at the entrance of Median House.
'...Why is she here?'
Ian leaned his head forward a little further.
She probably detested such commoner-style accommodations, which meant this visit had a specific purpose.
— Click-clack.
With cold, measured footsteps, Sharon Pierce disappeared inside Median House.
As Ian sorted through his thoughts on this unexpected variable,
darkness began creeping in from the far-off sky.
"......"
He barely had time to brace himself.
— Crash!
A series of windows in Median House shattered.
— Kyaaaa!
A scream tore through the air.
At the same moment, crimson liquid splattered across the windows.
And with that, the first main story began.