"Let's go!" said Murakami. She has returned. There was a red bicycle in her hands.

I winced.

To tell you the truth, I'm not good with that overly active breed of people.

"Wanna have a ride?" the girl asked.

"No, maybe later, I mean."

"Okay," she said, and once again there was silence between us. We went around the school, silently. Entered the backyard — yep, still that silence. We walked through a desolate field, surrounded by a lousy fence, and entered the path leading into the depths of the forest.

And, at last, there was some change in the air around us once we made our first steps into the shadows of the trees. It was the silence that changed. Before it felt dry and awkward; now, it became soft and relaxing. It was full of the forest now, of its smells, and the sun shining through the greenery.

Even the soft crunch the wheels of the bike were making by their connection to the sandy road wasn't disturbing; rather than that, it felt complementary to the serene mood around us.

Murakami was making a soft smile. Leaves were shivering above her head. Suddenly, I found myself staring at the girl, and right at that moment she said:

"Here it is."

I stopped.

A small wooden structure was in front of us. It was visibly renovated and yet still visibly old. Murakami approached the door of that house and read aloud from the plate on it:

'Dormitory 7'

"Very original title," commented the girl.

She started searching for the keys in her pockets. Meanwhile, I walked around the house.

There was a small structure attached to it on the other side with another door leading into it. I had been staring at that door when Murakami walked over.

"So that's what the second key is for…" said the girl and opened the door.

It was a storeroom. A lightbulb was hanging on a wire from the ceiling. I found a switch on the wall and tried turning it on — to no avail. Then, I used my phone to bring some light into that place. A great variety of instruments was lying around the room: keys, hammers, nails… There was an old lawnmower in the corner.

"Oh, now that's good stuff," said Murakami.

"I can use this stuff to fix the bike."

"Good for you..."

We walked back to the main entrance and went into the dorm.

Inside, the house turned out to be a long hallway with two doors on the left and two doors on the right. At the very end of the hallway, there was a hall with an old TV. Murakami tried turning it on.

Yeah, it works.

I checked the second room on the left side of the hallway. It was barren. A futon was the only piece of furniture inside. There wasn't even a wardrobe to hang your clothes.

"Same here," said Murakami while checking the other room on the left side. How do I know that? I heard her voice coming through the wall.

"Oh, the walls are thin," added the girl and started knocking on the wall. I placed my hand on it and felt vibrations made by her fist.

"I'm taking that room, okay?"

She asked.

"Sure."

I put the bag with my uniform on the floor.

Then, I looked through the window.

There was a forest outside.

I sat down on the futon and fell into thoughts.

So…

So.

Quite a lot of stuff has happened in the span of the last… Forty minutes. It wasn't long ago that I was completely in the dark about the situation around me; now, I have made some progress...

Even though all of it was just insane.

I stared at the ceiling for a minute. Then, I forced myself to get up.

I put out the magazine and checked whether anything has changed in it.

It did.

I have accomplished my first mission. My Score went from 1 to 6 Points. There were only two tasks remaining.

To become friends with the girl...

And to look at her in underwear for 16p… Or without it for 8.

I whispered:

"Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"No!" shouted Yuji in a mocking voice.

He appeared on the page that I was looking at.

"You're doing well, boy. But a lill' bit too slow."

Yuji pointed with his bat at the Genre score.

6/19.

Suddenly, I remembered the question I had been wishing to ask the clown for a long time now. I asked whether my Genre Score can go down.

Yuji reassured me that it can't.

To buy stuff in the shop, my General Score is used.

The Genre Score is just a bar that I need to fill. It can't go down.

That's good…

"By the way, don't forget that you only have 16 hours before the end of the One-shot ark. You have to reach the required score before the end of that time or else… He-he… Well, you know the drill."

16 Hours?

I felt worried and looked through the missions that I had. There were only three of them. The one about becoming friends will grant me 6 points. Then, I will have 12p.

That's still too low.

I tried coming up with another mission.

After all, the mission bar wasn't static. The bar was an indicator showing how I will be rewarded for this or that action. In other words, any activity that is suitable for the main character that I can think of will appear on this page as a mission.

So…

What should characters in a Rom-Com story do? Go on a date? Should we try meeting with each other's parents? I tried thinking of different stuff, but the magazine wasn't reacting for some reason.

Why?

"That's simple, boy. You see, right now we have a One-shot ark. That means that only activities suitable for the very first chapter of the story will do. And, to be honest, I doubt that you can think of anything else other than what you have already come up with. Good job here, by the way…"

There wasn't anything else?

"Wait… That means that if I won't be able to look at her in underwear in 16 hours, then I will…"

"Yes!"

Clow smiled.

"You. Will. DIE!"