Kamira
Ah~ Senpai, that was close~! You almost made the whale~!

Tsubomi
I see. The experience of being at the mercy of the world's principles wasn't bad.

Kamira
That means you weren't really moved by it, right~?

Iroha
Hmm, this is truly challenging... No matter what game we have her play, she hardly shows any reaction!

Denki Member A
I thought retro games might work, but those didn't do it either.

Denki Member B
The Mysteries of Mu Continent, Dream-Seer, Ultra Gorilla Super Adventure! Why did we choose such a difficult lineup!?

Denki Member C
So we tried the once-popular whale game, but if that doesn't work either, we're really out of options.

Iroha
Action, shooting, puzzle, adventure, RPG, and strategy games. Rhythm games, versus games, cooperative games...none of them hit the mark...

Towa
I thought she might enjoy horror games, but surprisingly, she didn't.

Kamira
She wasn't surprised by jump scares at all.

Mito
Games with scary designs or slow building horror... She was fine and even...started analysing them...

Towa
She even defeated enemies with a knife when most people would run away. It's not that she's bad at games.

Iroha
But I was really surprised when she calmly proceeded through parts that would have made my heart jump out a hundred times...

Tsubomi
As I've said before, I do find it enjoyable.

Kamira
Really!? But your reaction isn't like someone who's having fun~

Kamira
With horror games, you're supposed to go "Kyaa!" or "Waah!" right~?

Tsubomi
If you fear fear itself, your heart will be imprisoned by darkness. That would play right into the organisation's hands.

Kamira
There's the usual cryptic talk~!

Mito
But compared to others, weren't you...more interested?

Tsubomi
Hmm... Experiencing fear through virtual illusions isn't bad, but you can find traces of darkness anywhere by walking through town.

Towa
Shouldn't you not lump that kind of darkness with horror games? I mean, it's scary in a different way.

Tsubomi
In that case, I'd rather prioritise honing my power to resist the organisation than fighting in cyberspace. No, I'll say no more. You all should stay away from original sin.

Denki Member
Well, I think we've had her try all the representative games. If they all failed, we're in trouble.

Tsubomi
I repeat, it's not that games are boring. It's just that for me, the joy of observing suits me better.

Kamira
Come to think of it, the head priest also says he prefers watching people play rather than playing together~

Towa
What? I can't believe anyone would prefer watching games over playing them.

Mito
But...while Mito enjoys playing games too, watching is also fun...so I understand the feeling.

Iroha
Streams are entertaining too. Hmm, maybe we shouldn't force recommendations then.

Kamira
I see. I just thought it would be more fun if Senpai could play together with us.

Kamira
...Ah, I got it!

Kamira
Is there anything in these games that resonates with you?

Iroha
I see, finding something that clicks based on the game world!

Veteran Denki Member A
I see, today's youth live in a flood of advance information like streams, demos, and social media announcements...but our era was different!

Veteran Denki Member B
We would go to game shops and get excited about what worlds we could dive into based on just the package art and the scant information on the back...!

Veteran Denki Members A and B
Could that lost culture from those days be what's necessary for Tsubomi, who lives in this information overloaded society!? Yes, it must be!

Towa
What the...their breath is more in sync than during an actual stage performance...!?

Mito
That's...not a compliment, right?

Towa
Well, let's ignore them.

Towa
So? Is there any game you're interested in?

Tsubomi
Hmm...where does my stone of destiny lead me to...this one!

Iroha
Oh...that's "Evil's Body"! Last year's Game of the World champion! Its quality is guaranteed!

Mito
Now that you mention it, we didn't...include it in the recommended games...because it was too difficult.

Iroha
Yes, I got sucked into it. The first boss was too strong, so I watched videos of skilled players, still couldn't win...and had to train with stronger weapons before challenging it again...

Mito
Iroha-chan...it seemed tough to get through, but reading the archives together and theorising about various things...that was fun.

Kamira
I tried playing it on stream too, but it was too difficult~ In the end, I just watched Towa clear it... Oh, it's ready to start!

Kamira
Senpai~, it's ready to play. Here you go. Do you understand how to play?

Tsubomi
I've seen everyone enjoying it, but I don't remember anything about the game itself.

Towa
Actually, that's better for enjoying your first time reactions. There's a tutorial, so you'll be fine.

Towa
...But the tutorial in Evil's is famously cruel too~ Let's see how you do.

Iroha
Oh, this atmosphere...! It brings back the feeling of "Welcome to the world of Evil's"!

Towa
The good thing about Evil's is that it's for all ages~ Thanks to that, I could play it too~

Iroha
The atmosphere is what makes it great~ The design sense that creeps into the player's perception!

Towa
But I gave up on the story immediately because it was too confusing. The action was fun, so I figured it didn't matter if I didn't understand the story~

Mito
But that story is...so good. The background information that complements the atmosphere. As you read through and connect the fragments, a terrifying yet sad world emerges.

Tsubomi
-Hm!

Watching Denki Members
(Oh...! I wonder what she's reacting to...!)

Kamira
? Why are you stopping there? Don't you know how to move?

Tsubomi
No...this stone statue of a woman, I sense some kind of will from it.

Knowledgeable Denki Members

Knowledgeable Denki Members
(That's the statue of Magician "B"!) (That's an element people miss even on their second playthrough!?) (All the statue models are detailed, so it shouldn't particularly stand out...!)

Tsubomi
...But I don't yet understand what interests me about it. Let's move on.

Tsubomi
For a first enemy, that was tough...I died once.

Kamira
No, you're amazing, Senpai! I probably died about 100 times!

Iroha
(I died 3 times...)

Towa
(I cleared it in one go~ Well, even someone like Tsubomi would struggle with this one~)

Tsubomi
...I see. This monster was the husband of that stone statue woman.

Knowledgeable Denki Members
!?!?!?!?

Kamira
Eh, why do you think that?

Tsubomi
The monster turned into an oak tree and burned away. Meanwhile, that stone statue had a pattern of a bodhi tree carved on it.

Tsubomi
There are various theories, but it's probably using the myth of a couple who became great trees as a motif.

Knowledgeable Denki Members
(That's the same as what they said in the analysis videos...!)

Kamira
For real!? Senpai, how do you know so much!?

Knowledgeable Denki Members
(Immediately figuring out the emotional lore secretly embedded in the tutorial that relates to the core of the world...is this normal...!?)

Tsubomi
...Hmm, why did that couple end up in such forms? This is interesting.

Kamira
Oh, Senpai's getting into it! Let's keep going!

Narrator
Several days later...

Towa
...Hey, Tsubomi~ We're about to start rehearsal~

Tsubomi
Wait! This temple is suspicious! This place is probably where the hidden hieroglyphs were pointing to-

Towa
Oh geez! What's hidden in that temple is-!

Tsubomi
Don't say it! I won't forgive even you, Motosu, if you reveal any more...!

Kamira
Senpai, I'm sorry!

Tsubomi
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?

Kamira
Come back to your senses, Senpai! Recently, you've been playing games from after school until night!

Tsubomi
!? -Hah!? I see, so that's it! To think that Evil's had their trap set in it...!

Towa
You just got too absorbed in it on your own! Come on, come here before Kaname gets furious!

Iroha
Um...this is... Maybe games are...not good for Tsubomi-san.

Mito
Yeah...for now, let's definitely...seal and freeze Evil's...