Chapter 376: Beam-Equipped President, the Great First Step
Studying just isn't sticking in my head — it's been a while since I've felt that. Well, whatever. Tonight, I'm finally taking on Fuuun Prejiden.
Sunraku: "...They're NPCs, but the game runs in real time. I should probably say something."
So I log in to SLF. I give Emul a half-baked excuse.
Sunraku: "To defeat the Yellow King who appeared in the dream world, I have to follow the words of a faceless priest, yadda yadda..."
Then I tell her I won't be logging in for a while. Well, NPCs apparently have a setting where they recognize that players log in irregularly, so as long as I don't just vanish, it'll work out.
So, I log out of SLF. Now then, let's begin anew — Fuuun Prejiden!!
???: "The world is in an age of war..."
???: "As the last emperor renounced the imperial throne on his deathbed, the glory of the thousand-year empire came to an end..."
???: "Those with ambition took up arms, each rising to become the king of a new era."
???: "Yet the flames of war burn the innocent in every age."
I see. A pretty standard setup. Not a bad intro for a war-torn era.
???: "That is why you must rise up!"
???: "For a world that sings of love and peace!"
???: "Love and Peace to extinguish the fires of war!"
Ah. Things are getting ominous.
???: "Yes! It cannot be anyone else — you must do it!"
???: "You are the one who will bring peace... For you are the President!!"
Wait, so I'm just calling myself President right from the start? Isn't that like a "billionaire with a total net worth of 1,000 yen" kind of contradiction?
???: "This is the great tale of the one person who ended the age of war — !"
And then, a massive title call.
Fuuun Prejiden
I move to the character creation screen, and once again, my heart races at the potential this game holds. This bastard — the promo video made it look all serious, but right from the intro, it's already oozing a stench of trash and stupidity. From the few player reviews, it's apparently a multiple-ending game... but for some reason, every single person who played it refuses to talk about it or sell it. They just say, "It was trash, but it was good."
Sunraku: "Ah, this one makes you enter a last name too..."
Huh? Well then... what should I do? Male character, and for the name... I'll go with what I just ate: Sunraku Grilled Mackerel. Alright, let's set up "Sunraku" — that is, Salt-Grilled-Mackerel-kun's — avatar. A beard, nice, a beard. Starting weapon? Saber... no, let's go with a tomahawk. Wait, hold on. Wasn't this supposed to be a management game? Why the hell is the player holding a weapon?
Sunraku: "Lastly, the suit pattern... uh, the time period setting..."
If I get bogged down in the details, I won't keep up with a trash game's pace. So I throw on a dark navy suit and quickly finish up character creation.
Next, the tutorial. I see... So in management mode, the player can use a skill called "President's Glory: President Aura," and in combat mode, "President's Prestige: President Beam"... Hold the hell up.
Sunraku: "Is aura some kind of light? No, well... if it's 'glory,' then 'aura' kind of makes sense... sure, let's go with that. Yeah."
The problem is you, President Beam. Do you even know what game genre this is? Actually, is this even a fantasy setting where beams are a thing? Huh? Fine, whatever. The fact that there's a "combat mode" tells me this is an aggressive president who heads to the front lines personally. That's easier than just management alone.
Sunraku: "Flag design..."
The craft is decent, honestly... I'll go with a design of a skewered fish being grilled. You can't make completely original designs; it seems like you combine pre-made templates provided by the game. If you got serious, you could probably shape these into anime characters and stuff, but I don't have the skill or time for that, so I'll keep it simple.
Sunraku: "Hm? Secretary character design? Personality settings?"
What? Uh... well, she's a secretary, so I'll make her personality cool. And design her like this, this, and that... done.
Sunraku: "Name? Rice Miso."
Salt-Grilled Mackerel, Rice, Miso Soup. It's the golden combo, isn't it? Delicious.
Sunraku: "Alright, sortie! I'll learn the details on the ground!!"
◆
When I wake up, I'm inside what looks like a shabby, run-down shack that clearly hasn't been maintained.
Sunraku: "...Yeah, compared to SLF, the movement feels a bit off. Though, you could just say that one is the weird one."
I open and close my hands, moving my body for a bit to get a feel for the controls. Then I pick up the tomahawk that's glowing so brightly it might as well be screaming, "Pick this up!" Good — it was just tutorial guidance, not a crap weapon that glows constantly. A bearded man in a suit, wielding an axe in a shack. A situation of absolute mismatch, but let's just roll with it.
Sunraku: "I have absolutely no idea what I'm supposed to do as President... but I won't know until I go outside."
Just as I reach for the door, which looks like its hinges are about to fall off, it bursts open from the outside with a BAM!
Rice Miso: "Hah... hah...! Gh... nn..."
The one who stumbles in is a sharp-eyed woman with dull gray hair cut short. During character creation, she had no expression, so I had no clue what kind of character she'd be... but seeing her actually moving, she's pretty well-made.
Rice Miso: "A person...!? Why... in the middle of a battlefield...!"
I see. Info acquired. So I was apparently taking a nap in a place where no one in their right mind would be.
Sunraku: "Ah... hm?"
There's some kind of window at the bottom left. What's this?
Sunraku: "Oh, I see..."
Rice Miso: "...?"
I put the suspicious-looking Rice-chan aside for now and re-check the "Recommended Response" displayed at the bottom of my vision. This is a system you see a lot in full-dive dating sims. Not everyone in the world can pull off perfect communication every time. So, sometimes these sorts of choices are presented only to the player. That's the official line, anyway. Not every game in the world has an AI as good as SLF's. That's why they narrow down responses by showing you choices like this. So even if I said something completely out of left field here, like "What color are your panties?" or "Introduce me to your little sister," she'd probably just stare at me with a skeptical face.
Now then, the choices this time...
- You're injured! Is there anything I can use to treat...
- An enemy? How many, and what faction?
- Well, hello, beautiful lady. How about some tea with me?
Aren't all of these except the first one just joke options? The second one is less "President" and more "special forces operative." And the third is just a pickup artist. She literally just told me this is a battlefield, right? This is why trash games are...
Sunraku: "Well, hello, lovely lady. You're pretty brave, barging into a place where a man is sleeping."
Naturally, I pick the last option. Obviously. Let's enjoy the game.
Rice Miso: "What are you...?"
The sound of hooves.
Rice Miso: "Gh... I don't know who you are, but it seems I've dragged you into this."
Oh? The text on the bottom left updated.
- Kick it open!
I see. I don't hate that. The Bottom-Left Box-kun seems to understand what style is.
Sunraku: "Stand back."
Alright... one, two, three!!
Sunraku: "Here's your door knock!!"
???: "Gwbeh!?"
Oh, just as expected. The door, kicked open with great force, slams into something and shatters into pieces. I look, and there's a lightly armored man who exudes the aura of "Generic Soldier A" rolling on the ground, with similarly equipped Generic Soldiers B and C behind him.
Sunraku: "Not bad for a first fight."
???: "Wh-what the hell are you!!"
Oh, bottom left updated.
- I am the President!
- I am the President!!
- I am the President!!!
It's basically a forced choice.
Sunraku: "I am... the President!!!!"
Now, onward to great States───!!