冴希さやか～

There's a way to come back, from what I know, at least. All you've got to do is realize that the world you're in isn't reality.

-Shizumiya Mahoro

 

         Secara garis besar, sinopsis plot utama dari Visual Novel karya Moonstone ini dapat dikatakan sebagai spoiler yang cukup major. Apalagi untuk kalian yang sudah membaca selesai prolognya yang bisa dikatakan cukup panjang seperti kebanyakan Visual Novel pada umumnya. Tetapi berkat satu event kecil di penghujung prolog ini lah yang nantinya membangun watak si protagonis kita--Fukigami Shinji. Meski tindakannya terbilang sangat nekat seolah nyawa menjadi taruhan pun tidak masalah untuk dirinya, kita sebagai pembaca dapat memahami emosi si protagonis ini.    

            Singkatnya, berlatar di sebuah kota Sakura no Mori, terdapat banyak sekali insiden misterius akibat ulah monster supernatural bernama 'Bodach'. Karena rasa benci Shinji terhadap makhluk ini, dia pun bergabung ke dalam kelompok kecil bernama "Sakura no Mori Dreamers" untuk membebaskan kota dari banyaknya Bodach berbahaya melalui mimpi. Inilah bagian yang cukup keren dari Sakura no Mori Dreamers, mereka tidak akan bertarung layaknya visual novel chuuni, penuh ledakan, penghancuran gedung, orang-orang berhamburan karena panik, maupun pengusiran setan layaknya kebanyakan film bertema exorcism. Mereka akan bertarung di sarang Bodach itu sendiri, melalui lucid dream.

            Kita beralih ke karakter, bagian terbaik dan yang menurut penulis menjadi selling point utama dari  Visual Novel ini. Adalah si protagonis itu sendiri. Sudah penulis bahas sebelumnya kalau si protagonis ini sangat baik dikembangkan latar belakangnya sampai-sampai reader pun dapat merasa relate. Dia tidak peduli dengan apa pun selain tujuan utamanya bahkan berani bertindak nekat mempertaruhkan nyawa. Untuk kalian yang sudah membaca, sekedar pengingat saja bahwa aksi nekatnya saat Mifuyu akan bergabung ke Sakura no Mori Dreamers lah yang menjadi titik paling menegangkan sekaligus mengagumkan.

            4 orang heroine utama di Visual Novel ini bisa dibilang sudah cukup menarik secara karakter meski hanya Mifuyu yang memiliki alasan terkuat untuk masuk ke harem Shinji. Kureha sebagai representasi tipikal heroine romance pada umumnya, Mahoro tipe kakak perempuan, dan Hatsune sebagai adik perempuan. Sayang sekali, Madoka yang sejak awal sudah bersama Shinji, tidak mendapat rute di judul pertamanya.

            Art style dari Visual Novel ini sangat bagus karena dapat mengimbangi tone cerita yang gelap, penuh misteri dan ketakutan. Penulis pribadi cukup benci jika genre horror bergabung dengan aksi pertarungan bersenjatakan sihir atau semacamnya, tetapi entah mengapa, setelah membaca prolog, penulis seperti tidak bisa beranjak dari kursi dan selalu penasaran dibuatnya. Kadang merasa deg-degan saat momen tertentu cerita dibawa ke momen mencekam. Kure selaku penulis skenario Sakura no Mori Dreamers sangat pintar meracik bumbu-bumbu emosi dalam membangun cerita.

          Jadi, kesimpulannya adalah, Visual Novel ini sangat keren dari segi cerita, desain karakter dan ilustrasi. Cocok sekali bagi para pecinta misteri, aksi, dan horror. Hanya saja masih ada kekurangan sana sini seperti character development bagi para heroine dan ending yang masih kurang dapat dinikmati.

 

Bagi yang mau mencicipi Visual Novel ini, dapat langsung membelinya di Steam page mereka, link. Sayangnya untuk versi bahasa inggris, hanya tersedia di website Mangagamer, link.

“Everyone will disappeared and you’ll soon realize that all of your life is a lie…” That whisper comes from my left ear and go right into my brain. I had the same dream again.

…

Some people say that dream is a memory of ourselves in the both past and future. I don’t care about that honestly. Those supernatural stuffs, I never believe that. But if it’s actually real and happens right in front of my eyes, I don’t know how to react.

It would be a lie if I said never encountered even a single of supernatural activity. Yes, I have. This happened on the last day of me as a pure kid. It was summer vacation that time and my family went to my grandpa’s house. I can say its like 10 kilometers from the city.

Nah, I’ll skip the village’s description. It was the last night, I slept there on the first floor. At one in the morning a strange sound woke me up. A sound of a small stone hit the wooden board. A small sound yet still could wake me up.

It was cold. I mean, how it can be hot if it’s one in the morning! As the one who can’t get scared of ghost story, I decided to follow that sound which coming outside the room, the hallway.

I open the door and here’s the sound was coming from. In front of me was a small park with small pond beyond the fence and around that, some small bamboo trees grew up. This hallway is not closed by any wall so that everyone can go into the house by jumping the rear fence of this house.

Anyways, right after I got into the hallway, I heard the sound again. Now it came from the 2^nd floor where my grandparents sleep. I walked carefully to not make any noise and after I arrived at the second floor and gasped for what I was staring at.

That was a nightmare. The scariest thing that would change my entire life until today. My sweat dripping down from my face and became cold because of the night wind. Couldn’t say anything. My body was frozen.

I saw two white colored panties with knotted ribbon on the collar flying like it was a butterfly.

…

           “Hey you! How do you know that… that ancient magic is even existed?” I ask my doppelganger. By any weird chances, I met this guy with creepy mask he put on his face. At first I don’t believe what he said that we’re actually the same person but after fighting for a decades, I finally believe in that person’s saying.

           “I know this is strange. But I saw someone tried to use that magic when I was chasing my target”

“Ah sht, it means that the last generation of dark samurai is still existed! You know what it means, right!”

“Yeah, it definitely true that only dark samurai who can use this ancient magic. And I know what will happen if those people is still alive” His voice lowers down that is like a kind of disappointment. No, it’s more like a concern.

“The only thing we can do is to sum up our power and kill that bastard”

“You agree with me?”

“At this time, I will help you. Their fate is also the fate for human being.”

“That’s great. The only one who knows that fact is just us. No one will believe this kind of fairy tale. And I thought that you’ll just like other people at first”

“Nah, Since I’m a kid I always believe that this ancient magic is existed. Anyways, It’s the first time we don’t fight with each other, right?”

“We don’t have another choice, aren’t we?” He moves his head and stare at my eyes. Though his eyes are hidden behind a creepy mask, I can feel something like a prediction of a nightmare coming from it.

I gulp and take my breath after moved my sight “So, we have to make an alliance, eh? But how do we fight them? We’ll definitely be killed in no second with our current power!”

“I have a great idea. That ancient magic is useless and can’t even harm dumb and pervert people.”

“So?”

“Teach me your perverted skills as I’m a pure and smart man right now”

So I tell him all of my skills. From my oldest one which is “Hentai manga I drew at 4th grade”, “weewee punch”, and my newest one that I named it “Super ultra hyper miracle one week used dirty and smelly pantsu”

I give him all of my journey from when I was a pure kid who knows nothing. To defeat that unknown threat, sacrifice is needed.

Wind suddnely hit those bamboo trees behind my doppelganger so that I can hear its noise. Sound of nature, so relaxing. Feels like I’ve been taking a long journey for a year and finally can sit down at the calm river bank.

In the middle of the woods, I believe that snakes and rats might be coming towards us but then fled away after witnessed such a huge aura from our body. A huge aura that is still nothing compared than magic used by dark samurai.

“So, we’ll be cooperated this time?” I walk towards him.

“Yes, This is for us, for people, for the world, and for human being” He shakes my hand but after a few seconds...

Stab*

I feel my heat raising up drastically and my breath somehow become so heavy. Do I catch a cold? No, I start to feel something really hurt down on my stomach. A few drops of red liquid dripping from there and it’s getting heavier. A huge hot knife stabbed on my six-pack stomach.

The hot knife burns my blood and make its smell thrusting into my nose. I want to puke but my energy is already drained by that knife on my stomach.

“You! Why...!” His gaze turns cold and his left eye somehow glares a bright red light, a red evil aura.

“Now I have mastered perverted skills. My plan will be perfect” I’m falling down still can barely hear what he is saying.

“You... Betray me? Why” My energy draied so fast so that’s the last words I can say.

“I’ll say it next week on the new episode of my video”

…

“Phew, that’s such a hard work, making the continuation every week” I sip hot coffee from a coffee can that I bought on my way from school.

The coffee, it tastes sweet a bit but ends with bitter on my tongue. How else it can be? I’m drinking literally black coffee right now. A drink which believed as a shortcut to make you as an adult.

It makes me think. Why just by drinking black coffee brings to you an adult personality? Because it’s fully bitter that kid won’t even drink? I mean I started drinking black coffee since primary school. Or maybe people out there is no more adult than I am? Ah, I think that’s why I’m a pervert.

In this messed up room, I’ve been making videos for people out there. Making them laugh still with me relieving my stress after a day of work by being a complete pervert. Clothes everywhere, unarranged furniture, boxes and other stuffs I can see on every corner of this room. I don’t have any intention to clean it too though. It has been like an iconic stuff to remember at me beside of my messy hair.

Click here and there, move here, cut cut cut, add filter and subtitle and it’s done. My first part of the video is done. An absurd journey of Sora which I don’t even know what is the story about. It all completely unscripted and just improvised based on my last week’s video.

Come to think of it. How glad I am can make this kind of story and still continuing? I can be a novel author or something if I can, but sorry if that will not happen. I will definitely destroy every amateur out there. No one can beat me for sure.

“Okay, now the second part…” I’m thinking for a while, thinking of absolutely nothing. In fact just absent minded for a second makes me looks like been thinking something pretty crucial in my life.

“…Nah, I’ll take it later.” I fix my sitting position “Since I don’t have another How to say question, now I wonder how’s Usa-chan and Apple-san doing”

I turn on my screen and audio recording and opening discord from minimized windows which has already opened since I booted up my pc.

Both are online, great! Let’s make them join my server.

“Mamaaaaaaa”

“Mamaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa”

“Just die already” She replied as always.

“Get on the server” I then open my chat tab with Apple-san and write the same “Get on the server”

First Usa-chan showed up “Yo!”

“Usa-chan, what color is panty you’re wearing today?”

“Blue”

“Pfft”

“What’s wrong? You must be thinking another perverted stuff again”

“N-No, nothing I swear” Apple-san joined the server as soon as I finished that line.

Now I’m thinking, why do Apple-san always show up late on the server? At least he will show up when my perverted chat with Usa-chan is finished or when we’re finally on my punchline.

Is he preparing some panties for him to wear just in case he wants to wear the same color with mine or he’s just too excited because I invite him so that he got sudden shock of happiness for a while?

Nah, forget about that.

“What are you guys just talked about?”

“Usa-chan’s panty's color today. Anyway, what is yours today, Apple-san?”

“Wait let me see there… I’m wearing blue today”

“Pfft, gyahahahaaa”

“Eh? What happened, Sora-san?”

“What is happening with you all this time? You’re creeping me out!”

“I’m just thinking that we three using the same color of panties that should make us as trio blue panties”

“Me…” Breathe Heavily “…With Sora-san…?” Still Breathe Heavily.

“What is that? We’re superhero or what? Gross! Just die already!”

Apple-san still breathe heavily “If it’s with Sora-san, I would love to do it”

I want to leave and join the server again as always but my boredom just forced me to laugh and do nothing more than that.

“Let’s play UPGB! There’s a new map update with only three players team.”

“Okay” Both answering my invitation and then open their game.

A new big update for UPGB with a huge title on its banner read “PANTIES WAR!!” I absolutely have a bad feeling about this. And I’m completely sure that one of my viewers is the staff of this game.

They stop on my channel or video and somehow got inspired by how family friendly my channel is. Or maybe they made this update as tribute for me and Usa-chan?

Those can be a high probability but the most important thing from this update is, they brought a load of panty models! Variety design and colors. I wonder if the one Usa-chan and Apple-san currently using is in this update too.

Damn stop it Sora-san. I know you’re a pervert but that’s also limited. You’re not a complete pervert who will attack random woman with your bare body running like a kid towards them.

Ah here, both two are now joined my party.

“What the hell is happening in this game?” Ask Usa-chan. She sounds aware of another perverted thing from me but this is fully not my plan to show her this. To maintain my character on the internet, I will pretend that I know this right.

“Usa-chan, do you find your currently wearing panty in this update?”

“Just die already, Sora-san”

“Sora-san… sora-san…” This heavy breath of course Apple-san. He almost never talks normally to me except when there’s something important we’re talking about.

“… If you ask me, my panty…”

“Zcxquaaaaaxc!!!” Yes! Our jokes are now complete.

“Hey, Usa-chan” I started the conversation again.

“Now what?”

“Did you ever think that this is a little bit weird?”

“You’re the one who is weird here, Sora-san. Ah, Apple-san too of course. So, I’m the only one normal here. Oh, I guess not… If I’m normal I should’ve blocked you a long time ago” Usa-chan cut off before I can properly finish my line.

“So, you’re admitting that you are a masochist?”

“No, you gross! You’re the only one that is masochist here! Just die already!”

“Tell me more… Usa-chan tell me more!”

“Look! You’re being pervert again”

“Sora-san! Usa-chan! Look at what I’ve found on the game’s market!”

“Eh? Let me see it!” Usa-chan sounds excited even before knowing what Apple-san will bring to us.

“Jaaann~” His head turns into a big red apple. Still without face. His head literally turns into a big apple. I think it’s a new cosmetic comes out with the big update.

“Sora-san! Sora-san! Now I’m a really Apple guy. This can be the title of your new video”

“…”

“Sora-san? It’s not like you always keep silent right?” Apple-san asks me. I just realized that I had absent minded again.

“Sora-san, where’s your pervert joke? You’re a bit different today, anything happens? Eh wait, if there’s something happen, it must be because you’re a pervert”

“Sora-san, wanna get a massage? Just send me your address”

“Zcxquaaaaaxc!!!” Both are laughing. I’m back as I am.

“Anyways Apple-san, Usa-chan, shall we start the game?”

“Hemm. But before that, what the hell is this panties war mode?” Apple-san sounds curious.

“Nah, just skip to the match and we’ll know it”

“Hmm, sounds interesting. I need a challenge beside just illustrating on stream. Though I’m a bit more rarely doing stream”

“Ah Usa-chan, Sora-san. Don’t forget about me. I also do some illustration on my channel”

“Illustrating weewee”

“Hehe (breathe heavily) Sora-san!! I’ll give you my illustration”

“It just came out of nowhere to my mind recently. Apple-san, why you as same as this pervert? Since you both started dating you became so much creep than sora-san, the true definition of pervert itself.”

“Tell me more, usa-chan!”

“Disgusting, just die already you two”

And yeah, we’re having normal conversation like always for about 15 minutes. Mostly talking about how pervert is Apple-san actually and Usa-chan’s panties.

“Hei sora-san. Can we stop talking about my panties and start the game already?”

“I’m thinking about this, what if the one dies first send their panties pics to the other player?”

Apple-san breathe heavily “I’ll die first then so that I can send my panties’ pics to Sora-san”

“I’ll make usa-chan send her panties’ pics to us, Apple-san”

“Usa-chan’s panties, huh? I don’t really interested in that”

“Oi, I know that’s positive but why I feel like being stabbed right into my heart?”

“Okay, we’ll start the game”

Not like the usual UPGB where all the players sent into a small island, gathered before going into the battlefield. This time the monitor shows us some rules.

 

1.      In this 300 players mode, your mission is to kill enemies and collect panties as much as you can.

2.      The more panties you collect, the stronger character’s magic you’ll get

 

“Wait, magic？ This huge update also brought magic? It’s getting interesting lately”

“I know it right! Even they also bought apple head like what my character’s wearing right now.”

“Nah Apple-san, It just makes you creepier than before”

 

3.      When the game is still going on, every player should not leave their seat otherwise they’ll be punished.

4.      This game mode really depends on your pervert sense.

 

“Ah, this game is built special for Sora-san and Apple-san!”

 

5.      Happy killing and smelling panties.

 

“Sora-san, Apple-san, do you feel the last rule is a little bit creepy?”

“Instead of creepy, I can say that last rule is the challenge itself. Apple-san, we're on paradise　right now!"

"It's not paradise if there's no Sora-san's panties" He sounds disappointed somehow.

…

We’re not spawned inside the airplane but at the top of a hill of fantasy world build. Around us, there’s destroyed buildings everywhere. No weapon, no loot, it’s completely empty place.

“The hell is this game mode? We have no starting loadout?”

“Usa-chan! Usa-chan! Take off your panty! I’ll use it as my weapon”

“Eh, you can?”

“Take a look at your inventory menu. If you drag your panty to the weapon slot…”

“Ah, it works! Come here Apple-san, Sora-san! As a pervert you both might be wanted to be slapped using my panty”

“Seriously, Usa-chan, stop being pervert. It’s kinda disgusting.”

“You’re the one who is pervert here!”

“Stop fighting you two! Take a look here!”

“What? Do you find something more rational in this update?”

“No… I think, but take a look here! I found a snake!”

“What the hell are they thinking putting snake and panties in the same update”

“What do you mean, sora-san?”

“Yeah, I’m a bit curious with what you’ve said, sora-san”

“N- Anyways try to slap that snake with your panty, Usa-chan”

“Ah, that’s interesting. Let’s see if the snake will dance happily because it’s Usa-chan’s panty or die because it’s getting slapped.” It’s new seeing Apple-san started his dirty joke towards Usa-chan.

“Absolutely not, that’s gross”

“Why not you do that, Apple-san?”

“Why it should be me, sora san? What about you do that? I really wanna see your pan…” I slap her with panty on my hand. “… Aargh!”

“Ahahah, why are you screaming?”

“You hit him so sudden, sora-san”

“No, it’s not because of that. My face is really hurt in real life when sora-san hit me”

“What the hell is that. I think you’re just tired”

“So, Apple-san, shall we end the game right here? Just take a time to rest.”

“But before that, let me slap this ugly snake” Apple-san take his panty to his hand and walk towards the snake. I think he hold his left mouse button so that his character looks like preparing to hit. Some mysterious light particles also gather around panty he’s holding.

Right before he wants to release his mouse button and hit, the snake suddenly bit off his left hand.

“AAaaarghh!!!” His character falls to the ground as he screaming loudly.

“What the hell? Hei Apple-san, what happen?”

“Apple-san, you’re okay? For now, just log out already and take a rest”

‘What the hell is this…”

“Sora-san, now what?”

“Try to press esc. There’s no leave match button”

“So this is what it means When the game is still going on, every player should not leave their seat otherwise they’ll be punished. On the game’s rule”

“If that so, what’s the punishment?”

“I think it’ll be match credit or something”

“Apple-san, if that’s really hurt you just press Alt+F4 or turn off your computer, or at least just leave your seat and take a rest”

“I’ll call doctor to your house”

After the scream, no single answer from Apple-san. His character which the head is basically just an apple without face, is laying down on the ground. His discord is also still on but no sound coming over there.

What the hell is happening? Is this really from the game or it just because a perfect chance that Apple-san is tired? It should be my time to relax after work and being pervert to relieve me not to think about serious problem like this.

I still don’t know that all of my action from now on will bring to the end of the world.

ー CH01 終わり ー

SoraTheTroll  : YouTube 

DiscordGirl     : YouTube

AppleGuy        : YouTube