When I walked into the Game Development Club activity room, the tense atmosphere I had expected didn't greet me at all.
On the contrary, at this moment, the small room was filled with a lively and cheerful commotion.
"Ah, Sensei's here!" Arisu noticed me first, running over and jumping into my arms. "Bum bum bum!∼ Arisu has been successfully captured by Sensei∼"
…Looks like it's about time to have Arisu take a turn on duties at Schale.
I headpatted her slowly & sensually, then set her aside and curiously asked, "What are you all doing?"
"Sensei, you came just in time!" Momoi held her fingers under her nose proudly. "Just now, the download count for our game demo broke thirty thousand!"
"That's impressive!"
Hearing my sincere praise, Momoi placed her hands on her hips. "Heh heh∼! This is the true strength of the elite members of our Game Development Club!"
Midori smiled: "There are only four of us in the whole club, but to have so many people willing to download it, even if it's just the free demo, is really surprising!"
Yuzu added: "And most of the comments are positive. It's completely on another level compared to the first game!"
"Of course! We've undergone a complete transformation! Plus, with Arisu joining and Sensei's help, achieving this result was a piece of cake! This time, we might even get nominated in the Kivotos Game Competition, not just win the Millennium Club Competition!"
"…Sis, aren't you aiming a bit too high? Besides, whether we actually win is still unknown."
I also felt that Momoi was floating a bit and needed a dose of reality.
"By the way, even Yuuka has played your game, and her review was pretty good," I casually mentioned. "She especially praised the script, without holding back."
From then on, I got to watch Momoi's expression shift from joy, to alertness, to horror, and finally to despair. Quite entertaining.
The other three weren't affected much, since the story and character designs were Momoi's own work, what did it have to do with them?
Suddenly, Momoi's eyes lit up as if she had found a way out of despair.
"The character illustrations are drawn by you, Midori! The data is filled in by you, Yuzu! The programming is written by you, Arisu!"
Momoi pointed at each of her teammates, declaring triumphantly, then wore a mischievous grin: "Haha! If Yuuka wants to cause trouble, none of us will escape!"
Following the principle of shared fate, Momoi singlehandedly ruined the good mood of her teammates and took solace in their dismay.
With pink cat-ear headphones perched on her head, the golden sunlight of her hair seemed to carry a hint of pink as well.
After this little interlude, we continued challenging the dungeons we had failed to clear a few days ago, while waiting for the Millennium Club Competition to begin.
"Woohoo—!" Momoi jumped up excitedly. "We finally cleared it!"
Midori relaxed a bit but still said: "Sis, while it's something to be happy about, try not to get so carried away."
I glanced at the window. Even with the curtains partially drawn, the gap left enough light to show it was already dusk.
If I remembered correctly, I had arrived at the Game Development Club in the morning…
Noticing the time as well, Yuzu reminded us: "The Millennium Club Competition is about to start."
Her words made the air incredibly heavy, heavier than Yuuka's previous pressure.
We turned on the TV and sat around it, waiting for the livestream to begin.
"If we win, it'll be a huge surprise," Momoi murmured. "But if we don't…"
"…we'll have to pack up and leave," Midori finished the sentence, adding quietly, "Leaving aside the two of us, Yuzu-chan and Arisu-chan should…"
The two mentioned fell silent, and soon the silence spread to everyone, including me.
Mainly, I couldn't bring myself to tell the girls the unsavory details behind the scenes, it would feel like disrespecting all their hard work.
Finally, the TV screen changed, showing the award ceremony and a familiar figure.
"The Millennium Club Competition officially begins now!" The golden-haired, red-eyed girl holding a microphone introduced herself enthusiastically: "I'm Kotori, the MC and host!"
The choice of host… both unexpected and reasonable.
After all, in Millennium, where the school is filled with science and engineering students, it's hard to find anyone more fluent and talkative than Kotori.
I sighed a little, wishing I had remembered to ask her earlier, maybe I could have learned the winners' names in advance. Though it wasn't a big deal.
"This year's Millennium Club Competition has the highest number of entries ever. Perhaps it's because the Student Council changed its policies, requiring clubs to show actual results to maintain their existence."
Hearing this, the girls in the Game Development Club began murmuring softly.
"She said it's the highest number ever…"
"That's a bit troublesome…"
Kotori continued on TV: "Last year's champion work was Noa's Memorial Poetry Collection. Though slightly different from her original intent, the metaphysical word arrangements were judged to be the best insomnia therapy in Millennium!"
I wondered what expression Noa had made when she won that year. Maybe Yuuka had a photo.
"This year's works…" After listing many seemingly very Millennium-like entries, Kotori took a deep breath. "Also, the mobile multiplayer retro-style game currently trending on Kivotos Network, Myth·Legend·Chronicles 2, and so on and so forth!"
Not being lumped into the "and so on" category might be a good sign.
"Among the three-digit entries this year, only seven will receive honors! Starting from the seventh place, the awarded works are announced!"
The girls in the Game Development Club held their breath.
Kotori announced loudly: "Seventh place goes to the Engineering Club's Utaha for the Optical Camouflage Lingerie Set! A bizarre creation that lets you see the skin beneath even while wearing it—like wearing it, yet not wearing it…"
I stood up. "Everyone, I just remembered something. I'll be right back."
With that, I temporarily left the Game Development Club and hurried to the restroom, pulling out my phone.
Me: Utaha! Congratulations on winning!
Utaha: Hehe, you flatter me.
Utaha: But it's only seventh place. My skills and creativity still have room for improvement.
Utaha: Still, I'll gladly accept your congratulations.
Me: By the way, that invention seems really impressive.
Me: The description was a bit vague, so I'm not sure how it actually works.
Utaha: Huh? Really?
Me: So… could you show me by wearing it?
Utaha: ?
Utaha: …?
Utaha: ?????