Angel | Heart Game (part 3)

[idolpro]

As soon as you start to fall asleep, the world of Imeeji is engulfed by a bright light.

It’s strange, isn’t it? You have fallen asleep, and yet your consciousness is awake. You’re simply floating, waiting to remember what it’s like to exist. However, as you wait, a growing fear clutches at your chest. What if you don’t remember? What if you will always be empty? What if you never find what it is that you are looking for? What if you die? W̛̮̩̰̫̝̫̱h̰a̪̦͖t̲̘̘̺̀ ͉̭̬͎̪̹͘i̺͍̭͙̹̪f̱̥̻͠ ͝t̼̘̬h̶̫̰̮̦͓̖̣e̳̖͔̜̮͢y͇̻͡ ̙̹͎̗͉͍̬d҉͓̮͓͉i̢e?̺̥͎̖̬̹͞ ͇̻W̺̠̫̤̖͈͉h͇͖̣ͅa̮͍t̛ ̛̙̰̻i͚̖f̡͓ y̴͍̥o̳̜͔͈u̴̥̻ w̰͍͕̥͢i̶̻̫l̬̥̖l͔͙ ̱̻͘ne͕̹͕͕̞̹v͢e̻̪̪͎͈͚͕ṛ̛ ̧̫̹b̘e̖̖̰̣ͅc̢͍om̨͍̘̻̫e̺̘͎͓̮ ̟͉͞w͏̟̖̠̩̜̟h̴̼͈̭̪o̸̹̬̣̳͉̠ ̼̠̯̖̫̜́t̫̘͠h͇̙ͅe̱͡y̭̥̱ͅ ͕̼̭̥̟͎w̜̖̞̲ͅḁ̩͙͚̤̟n̲̳̠̠t̛̲͔̲̜͔ ̟͍̼͖̼ͅy͎͇̘̲o̹̞̜u̻̫ ͙͓͓̲͈ͅț̷͔͎̩o̸̝̝̙͉ ̜͇͓̗̣̦͠b̰̠͡ḛ̛?̢̻̗̹̬͖͇̮ ̖̺̦̻͕̬͔W̨̺̝̰̝̲h͈̥̖̦͖a̴͓̼t ̺̤̪̻͔̯͞w̵i̮͕͜l̤̕l̞ ͞yo̴̯̝͔̜̝͍u̹͕̭̗͚ͅ ̸̟d̲̹̣͇͍̞o̶̼͍̠̦̩?̀Wh̼o ̮̼̱a̟̼r̫͎̘e͟ ͓̪̠͟y̷̫̲̖̱͕̤o̤̪̲̤̪̟͘u͏͈̞?̛͔͚͖̟͉ ̰͓͔W̜̯̗̻̼̥̦h̳̲a͏̘̗̜t̵̬̖̥̠̺͕̹ ̼̰̞͇̯͙̹c̛̝̬̙̱͖ͅa̩͟n͈͙ ̺y̞̰̳̹͈̙ͅo̭͈̭̥̱̱͜u̘̲̦͢ ̫̜ḍ̺͉̳̠̻̜͢o̢̦?̻̞̗̰̩͍͜ ̧͔͈͈͈̲̰͕̣̙͇
Ẁ͖̰͚̙̣̯͉̙̕h̺̻͕͕͈̥͖͜ͅa̟̮͕̬͞t̙̮͔̙̙̞̯ ̶̧̧͇̫̫͈͉̤i̯̫̕f̮̥̲͇ ̛̯͈̞̦̀͝y̫̩͉͈͙̻o͕͎͎̱̤̖ͅͅu̶̞͓̪͔͉̕͜ ̵̖͖͙̣̭̳f̗̪̜͎͎͇̩̟͜ͅa̲͔̘̮í̛̪͈͇̻͍̹̯̭l̗̖̝̪͞?̶̥͚͙̭̫̩̙͙̱͟ Ẁ͖̰͚̙̣̯͉̙̕h̺̻͕͕͈̥͖͜ͅa̟̮͕̬͞t̙̮͔̙̙̞̯ ̶̧̧͇̫̫͈͉̤i̯̫̕f̮̥̲͇ ̛̯͈̞̦̀͝y̫̩͉͈͙̻o͕͎͎̱̤̖ͅͅu̶̞͓̪͔͉̕͜ ̵̖͖͙̣̭̳f̗̪̜͎͎͇̩̟͜ͅa̲͔̘̮í̛̪͈͇̻͍̹̯̭l̗̖̝̪͞?̶̥͚͙̭̫̩̙͙̱͟ Ẁ͖̰͚̙̣̯͉̙̕h̺̻͕͕͈̥͖͜ͅa̟̮͕̬͞t̙̮͔̙̙̞̯ ̶̧̧͇̫̫͈͉̤i̯̫̕f̮̥̲͇ ̛̯͈̞̦̀͝y̫̩͉͈͙̻o͕͎͎̱̤̖ͅͅu̶̞͓̪͔͉̕͜ ̵̖͖͙̣̭̳f̗̪̜͎͎͇̩̟͜ͅa̲͔̘̮í̛̪͈͇̻͍̹̯̭l̗̖̝̪͞?̶̥͚͙̭̫̩̙͙̱͟
W̷̴̶̖͔͈̝̦̺̻̥̼̮̝̺̝̥͖̣͔̼͜͡h̖͉̘͉͉̖̟͚̜̬̫͙̼͖͉̯̤̦͕͠a̺͎̺̘͟͡t̶̸̺͙̰͙̻̗͔̹͍̯͚͠ͅ ̡͓͔̮̘͈̝̻͈̳͍͉̹̗͘͟͠í̬̟͎̻̬͓̦̪̘͟͜f̶̴̯͇̳͉̣͓͉͇̲̠͉̠͚̞͝ ̡͎͎̤͓͔͚̥̕͞y̴̵̢̧̨̱̭̯̤̘̞̩̻̲͙͔͞█̵̨̛̦͉̺̝͔͇͢͠ ̰͓̳͝͡█̴͉͈̝̲̝͕͖͙͔͙̰́́ͅ ̡̖̙̘̪̗̞̪͘͞█̴̶̵̛̩͕͚̣̥̺͡ ̶̢̢̛͙̟̮̯̥̹͎̼͔̻ͅ█̴̧̧͙͎̖̘̥̠̪͉̫͍̯̻̥̟͔̥͇̙ ̛̯͓̣͎̤̟̟̀█̴̵̧̣̮͓̻͍͔̱̘̣̜̞͙̰̟̬̠̩̀͠ͅ ̴̵̨͉̻͇̮̣̼͜͟█̵͉͔̝̺̗͔̯͓̪́ ̴̨͇̱̹̳͍͙̝͟█̢̙͕̞̭͇̣̼͔͟ ̡͕̼͙͙̗̥̱̭̪͙̥̹̮̱̬̥̪̗̹█̴̶̴̫̱̞͟ͅ ̷̧̡̻̭͉͖̻̲̰̦̮͓̜̹̩͎█̶̡̢̗͖͎̘̙͍̜͖̩͉̥̩̞̭̀͜ ̷̴̶̡̛̘̲̤͈̦̣̹̻█̸́͜҉̘̫̝͈̻̳͈̙̪͚̬̥̗̥̺̼̠ ̴̛͇͙̥̫̪̘̩̫͉̙́͜͠█̷̴̛̥̫̳̣͈̭͈̗̗̪̯̬̪̣̻̮̗͘͞ͅ ͏̷̜͇͉͕̯̫͎█͢͏̻͍̦̙̭̭̣̥͓͔
̴̵̨͉̻͇̮̣̼͜͟█̵͉͔̝̺̗͔̯͓̪́ ̴̨͇̱̹̳͍͙̝͟█̢̙͕̞̭͇̣̼͔͟ ̡͕̼͙͙̗̥̱̭̪͙̥̹̮̱̬̥̪̗̹█̴̶̴̫̱̞͟ͅ ̷̧̡̻̭͉͖̻̲̰̦̮͓̜̹̩͎█̶̡̢̗͖͎̘̙͍̜͖̩͉̥̩̞̭̀͜ ̷̴̶̡̛̘̲̤͈̦̣̹̻█̸́͜҉̘̫̝͈̻̳͈̙̪͚̬̥̗̥̺̼̠ ̴̛͇͙̥̫̪̘̩̫͉̙́͜͠█̷̴̛̥̫̳̣͈̭͈̗̗̪̯̬̪̣̻̮̗͘͞ͅ ͏̷̜͇͉͕̯̫͎█͢͏̻͍̦̙̭̭̣̥͓͔
█̴̶̴̫̱̞͟ͅ ̷̧̡̻̭͉͖̻̲̰̦̮͓̜̹̩͎█̶̡̢̗͖͎̘̙͍̜͖̩͉̥̩̞̭̀͜ ̷̴̶̡̛̘̲̤͈̦̣̹̻█̸́͜҉̘̫̝͈̻̳͈̙̪͚̬̥̗̥̺̼̠
█̶̡̢̗͖͎̘̙͍̜͖̩͉̥̩̞̭̀͜








. . . ♫ . . .


You aren’t sure, but you swear that you just heard someone singing . . . the words are incomprehensible, but it makes you feel something familiar . . . a feeling that makes you feel like you’ll find what you’re looking for . . . and that everything will be alright in the end . . .

What is that feeling?

. . .

HUUUH?!

You don’t know?? Wowee . . . well, don’t worry! Since we're friends, I’ll tell you!

It’s hope, of course! !

Comments

[liftoft]

Sure, that too, but there's still a difference between doin' something to win and doin' something to make you lose. Makin' it so you're not enjoying the competition anymore would definitely being the second thing.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

There is literally no difference between those two things!

[liftoft]

[ X furrows his brow, looking both perplexed and kind of... disappointed? ]

What are you saying? Of course there is! Listen--if I'm gonna win, I wanna know I won 'cause I was better, 'cause I tried harder, 'cause I gave it everything I had! If the other guy isn't giving his best, then what's the point in winning?

What do they call it-- a no-contest win? A victory like that is totally empty...

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

And if you're too chicken to do something because you're afraid you'll make the other person mad, then you're not giving your best.

[liftoft]

I wouldn't be afraid of making you mad, I just don't wanna do it! 'Cause I like you, you absolute dumbass, jeez..!

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

Then if you understood me at all, you'd know I'd never fucking want for you to pull your punches.

[liftoft]

Yeah, okay, fine. That's on me for tryin' to do two things at once.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

Good. I'm glad we've reached an understanding.

[Have they reached an understanding?]

[liftoft]

Mm, I got one more thing to clear up, though--you do get that any time I've kissed you, it's not just to throw you off your game, right?

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

That's just an added bonus based on the times that you normally choose to do so?

[liftoft]

Yeah, exactly! It's a lot of fun, but I don't want you thinkin' that's the only reason I'd do it.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

Trying to convince me or yourself?

[liftoft]

Definitely you! I don't actually know how you feel about me kissin' you, or if you feel anything about it at all. If I'm gonna keep doin' it, I wanna know what you think about it, y'know?

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

Not during a Live. Or a performance. Or in the middle of the game.

If you want that talk, we have it later.

[liftoft]

You got it. Usually I end up doin' it like that 'cause during Lives and Performances and Games is when you're usually doin' something hot, y'know? But I get it! And yeah, I wanna!

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[Congratulations.

He is slightly uncomfortable for being so bluntly called out like that in public.

So with more fluster and less bite than usual:]

Later then. I have a game to win.

[liftoft]

Haha, yeah! Good luck! You're gonna need it to beat me!

[ winks and turns towards the dorm in a flurry of wispy fabric and feathered tassels ]