My Little Brother is Worrying Me.

I had track practice today, which means the little brat was all alone at home. I have no doubt he didn't do his homework, but it's not like there's anything I could do about it. I mean, I get where Mom and Dad were coming from, and they have to work to provide for us, but a small part of me wonders if they weren't being selfish. They got so mad at Ryou and then left me to deal with everything, even though it's kind of the problem they created in the first place. The brat said about as much. I'm not sure I agree with him calling them heartless, but...Mom promised me she'd spend more time with us, and she didn't keep it. She's on another contract.

I don't hate her for it...I'm just frustrated. I wanted her to look at my doujins. Not as Tsubaki Shiritori...as Miko Mikono. Even though I'm almost certain that she hates thinking about that part of her life, I bet if I pestered her enough, she'd give in.

I love Mikono-sensei, and I love Mom, but to me they still seem like different people, even though I've gone digging in the closet and found tons of her storyboards. I'm using them to match my art to hers so I can improve, but whatever I do, I just can't seem to get it to come out looking similar.

Maybe that's all I'll ever be. An inferior copycat. Maybe that's why Manga Blasters rejected me. I know Kakihara-senpai said she got rejected at first, too, but I bet she was just being nice. Her art is so much better than mine, and I think I've hit a rut. I haven't been able to improve ever since Sarah Among the Stars didn't make it past the first selection.

Ugh. Summer vacation should be fun, but I can barely focus with everything hanging over my head. My times were bad today- they were nine tenths off my best. The captain even asked me if everything was okay or if I was sick and I replied, "I'm fine, just running on empty, ehehe~", but I felt like there was a gigantic weight on my shoulders the whole time.

I should be a lot more excited about Comiket. Everything's complete. My printing orders are in, the booth is secured, and the Nakamachi Tomodachi are ready to make our circle debut, but all I can think about is Ryou. I haven't been able to get any information about what happened. Nobody on the track team knows anything other than there being this really tall delinquent kid in middle school. Apart from my teammates, Haru-kun, and Takkun, I don't know anyone else at school well enough to ask them.

Takkun wasn't any help either. I texted him and he replied "Sorry, I have absolutely no idea."

I promised my brother I'd help him, just like Mom promised me she'd come home more often...but just like her, I don't know if I can keep my promise. I'm running out of options.

When I looked at my phone after practice finished, the very first thing I saw was an email from Shonen Star..."We regret to inform you that your contest entry has not been selected..." In the back of my mind, I knew that was coming. It's still painful, though. Two contest one-shots, two rejections in the first round.

I don't even remember the walk home. It was like I was on autopilot. As soon as I got through the door, I threw my shoes off, went up to the shower, and just blanked out standing there for a few minutes. I didn't even check on the brat even though I knew I needed to.

I haven't made any progress with Ryou, I haven't made any progress with my manga, and there's a voice in the back of my head telling me that my doujins are going to fail, too.

After all my hard work...I haven't accomplished a single thing. I'm powerless, and it scares me.

Well, Ryou's door is still shut, and the light's on, and I haven't heard the guitar for a few days, so maybe he really is focusing after all. When I press my ear to the door, I don't hear snoring or anything like that- it's quiet. If he's actually studying, that's a miracle. I wonder if he's realized that getting good grades is totally gangster?

Crap...I can't even laugh at that like I usually do...

I guess if he really is seriously studying, I can leave him alone for the time being.

There's one more thing that I really needed to check out, and it's not the latest episode of Radiata Reverb (though I need to watch that too). It's that floppy disk I found in the closet in the guest room. New PCs can't read floppies to begin with, so I had to order a USB floppy drive on the internet, and it finally got here after we went to the beach, but I haven't had the time or energy to plug it in lately. I've spent all my free time checking up on my annoying brother.

I've got it all set up today, though. The small black reader is dangling off a cable, blocking the glowing light from my PC. Slowly, I slide the floppy in, and it clicks. I'm seriously curious what's on it. My dad had written something on a piece of tape on it, and it made me think it was a game since it said something about pre-alpha, but my dad's never been a video-game type- or maybe he was when he was younger? I mean, my gamer genes had to come from somewhere. Heh.

Or maybe it's his stash, if you know what I mean. All guys have to have one lying around somewhere...wait a minute, that's honestly a really disgusting thought. Forget I said that.

A blue dot of light flashes on the floppy reader, and a text box pops up on the screen.

Extracting 2% (Estimate: 15 minutes)

Ugh. Yeah, I figured it might take a while. The software has to download a bunch of files just to make the floppy compatible with Binbows 10. I guess I can do a little browsing on the net while I wait...

Michiru Majou is graduating?! No way, that's way too sudden! She was the VTuber with the most channel growth last month- even more than Tatsumaki and Cornet, and she was independent, too! If she kept going, she'd definitely end up bigger than anyone in Halolive! I loved her streams...she was so cheerful, and funny, too...she played a bunch of retro games that VTubers usually don't touch...and her "eekum bokum" was way better than Cornet's, too.

What's the official statement say? "Due to health-related conditions..." Oh. That sucks. I guess she was dealing with a lot of stuff in her private life that we didn't know about. I'm just glad it wasn't something like what happened to Polen. It just doesn't feel real that Michiru isn't gonna be streaming anymore, though...I just Superchatted her a few days ago, and she read out my donation...

Extraction complete.

The folder containing the floppy's contents pops onto my screen automatically. I'm expecting a massive bunch of files, but instead there are only two. There's one called "log.txt"...I guess I can take a look at that first.

EDGE OF THE WORLD V0.6.2 5/13/06

Current status:

Usami Route 100% 6/22/05

Aru Route 98%

Story complete, but needs minor bug fixing. TMYK taking care of it

Emiri Route 75%

Route complete up to the climax, but stuck there. Not sure how to work the debt collectors that have been hassling her and her family into the story going forward. Might just cut them, but that leaves a big hole in the intro scene. Bahamut needs character design.

Kahoko Route 10%

Got the introduction mapped out, but no programming done. Needs a lot of work. Lowest priority.

Komachi Route 0%

Still in early development. (Do we even need this one? It wasn't originally planned.)

Golden Ending 0%

No progress.

END REPORT

-Blaster

The name at the end..."Blaster"? Who's that? It can't be Dad, can it?

I guess this game is a visual novel, or something close enough to it? That actually sounds pretty fun. I've been looking for a VN to read ever since I finished reading the entire Wuv-Luv series again. I just wonder how Dad's connected to this game.

All right. The second file in the folder is WorldEdge.exe. Let's click on it...

It's glitched. A window pops up on the screen, but it's filled with staticky tiles. I can't make anything out.

...And it just crashed.

Maybe if I ran it as administrator, it might...yeah, let's try that...

Why did my whole PC blue screen?!

Ugh. I don't know anything about troubleshooting PCs...I just use them to play games.

Okay. Everything is coming back to normal. The floppy disk drive is still there. What if I dragged the file onto my desktop and opened it there?

Still no luck...I opened it and it immediately crashed...

Maybe I should Googol it? "how...to...fix...a corrupted....exe file..."

I try everything written on the tech tip website, and then everything on another one, and then I watch a YooToob video that shows you how to fix it, and nothing works. The file is still glitching out. It could be the best VN ever written, but I can't find out because of stupid computers!

I guess today's just one of those days where life decides to drop a steamroller on top of you, and then punch it a bajillion times. The issues with Ryou, my one-shot getting rejected, my 100-meter times being so bad, Michiru-chan retiring, not even being able to see what's on the floppy...I haven't had a single good thing happen to me today.

Oh, that's right...I guess I need to go check on the brat. It's taking me a ton of energy just to get up from my chair and walk over to his room.

One, two, three...bop. I didn't even kick the door very hard. I don't have the energy.

"Hey, brat, are you done-"

I freeze in my tracks.

Ryou's room is neat and orderly, with the homework and textbooks piled on his desk, the volumes of Tokyo Avengers sitting neatly in a row, and his bed made...but he's not in it. The homework packet, sitting on his desk, is sprawled open, filled with answers from front to back, but he's nowhere to be seen.

Did he slip out or something when I didn't realize it?

"Hey, you little twerp, where'd you go?" I yell as I quickly run down the stairs. I expect to see his tall, lanky frame when I round the corner into the kitchen...but he's not there, either, or anywhere on the first floor. I almost sprint back upstairs, peeking into every room, even the bathroom, but I can't find any trace of him.

When I return to his room, I notice something that I didn't before. The window is half-open. Somehow, I missed that. And the black guitar bag is missing, too.

Oh, man...if he snuck out and my parents came home right now, we'd be in so much trouble...not just him, but me, too...I was supposed to be keeping an eye on him.

Then, as my eyes cross his desk, I notice something. It's a small piece of paper, crumpled in a ball, but it wasn't there before. Hesitantly, I open it up.

Yuyu Shibuya, Nerima 4-chome-15-3.

Nerima? Isn't that Tokyo?! There's no way he snuck out to go all the way there...if my parents find out about this, they're gonna be so furious...

Calm down, Ayame. Take a deep breath. It's just an address. It doesn't mean that's where he went. In fact, since the guitar case is missing...maybe he went to return it? I talked to the store that he rented it from a while ago. What was it called? Mitsubishi? Crap, I can't remember...the old man was really nice, but I have no idea what the store's name was. It's on the tip of my tongue, but I just can't get it out.

Okay. Time for Googol Maps to come in handy...or maybe feet-y! Get it? Since I'm gonna walk there? No, that was an awful joke, sorry.

Music store. Let's see what that brings up...Castle Records...no, that's not it...Guitar Palace? Nope. Honitsu? Definitely not...what else is around here?

As I scroll the map up and to the right, another red pin pops up on the screen.

Mitsukoshi Music.

That's it.

It's a long shot, but it's the best lead I have, so I've gotta give it a try.

After a short walk, I'm standing in front of a small store just one building down from a street corner, with a yellow plastic banner across the top of the store. The name is written in red, in a font that looks straight out of the seventies. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this sign has been here since then. It's cracked in multiple places.

Mitsukoshi...yup, this is definitely it.

When I open the door, instead of being greeted by a doorbell, the first thing that hits me is a raging wall of sound. The place is filled with the sounds of an electric guitar, rapidly changing from chord to chord. I've never heard this melody before, but it sounds incredibly familiar. I only listen to anime songs, so maybe it's from one of those?

Where's it coming from, though? Whoever's playing is really good, but I can't see anyone in the store. Are they playing it over the radio or something?

The store is small and messy, but the amount of guitars and basses they've got hanging on the walls is impressive, and there's drum kits and amps piled in another corner as well. The instruments come in every color and shape...I wonder if they've got Yua's guitar here? I tuck it in at night, I dress it up...hehe, she was so cute...or maybe they've got Rio's bass? I gotta rewatch C-On soon!

I didn't notice it when I came in, but behind the desk at the far end of the store is a dark corridor, leading to a series of what look like rooms covered by curtains. As I hesitantly approach, the guitar gets louder and louder. Is there actually a real person playing here right now? Whoever it is sounds really good.

Wait...that bag leaning on the wall...

"Can I help you, ma'am?"

"Aah!" I nearly jump out of my own skin. Right next to me is an old, balding man, hunched over, with large, bushy eyebrows and a pencil-thin beard. I didn't even notice him.

"Oh, I do apologize for startling you, ma'am..." I know that voice...it's the guy who I spoke to on the phone!

"No, no, it's my fault for not paying attention..." I hate that I made this old-timer feel bad. "I was just checking out the guitars. You have so many and it's super cool!"

It's hard to hear the old man over the din, but he says in a shaky voice, "I believe we've spoken before, haven't we? Ms. Shiritori, was it?"

"Yup, that's me...ehehe..."

"Are you interested in trying one for yourself? I figured that with how quickly Ryou-kun has taken to it, he might have gotten you interested, as well..."

"No thanks, I've never played before." I quickly wave my hand. "I just came here to check on someone-"

Then, I see it.

Nestled in with the rows of guitars is a sleek, all-black one, with the faintest golden outline.

"You've got Hitoe's guitar?! No way! No way, no way, no way, no way!"

The old man tilts his head a little. "I beg your pardon, miss? If you don't mind speaking up...I'm a bit hard of hearing."

"That one right there! The black one! It's Hitoe's guitar! You know...Hitoe Katou? From Hitori the Roll?"

"That Shamaha up there?" The old man gives me a curious look. Or maybe he doesn't. I can't see his eyes underneath his bushy eyebrows. "I had someone come in a few days ago and mention something similar...is that a TV show? I guess I'm not very in touch with pop culture these days."

"It's a 4-koma, but they're turning it into an anime really soon! It's so funny! There's this girl who's really good at guitar but she's really shy and doesn't have a lot of friends but one day she meets this other girl who ropes her into being the replacement guitarist for her band and a lot of the time you feel bad for Hitoe because of her anxiety but she overreacts to everything and it's hilarious..." I suddenly cut off. Obviously, the old guy has no idea what I'm talking about. I just couldn't stop myself.

"I see. So, would you like to try it out?"

"Of course!" I don't even have to play it. Just seeing how it feels is enough for me.

The old man takes the ladder out and climbs up to get it off the rack, handing the sleek, black guitar to me. It's a lot heavier than I imagined. As soon as I slide the strap across my back and see myself in the mirror, I can't help having a smile creep across my face. All I need is a tracksuit and crippling social anxiety and I'd be just like her! When I close my eyes, I imagine that I'm her, and the loud music surrounding me is actually what I'm playing-

Suddenly, the solo cuts off, and I'm forcibly returned to reality.

"Do you like it, Shiritori-san?" the old man asks.

I quickly unstrap it from my back and hand it over to him. "It felt really good to hold, but I can't play a lick."

"We all have to start somewhere."

"Hehe, I think I'll leave that to my brother. He's got a head start on me. Or maybe a neck start. Pffffft..." I can't help myself from chuckling a little bit.

The old man doesn't laugh. "Beg pardon?"

"It's because guitars have...necks...oh, forget it. Sorry."

"Shiritori-san, speaking of your brother-"

Before the old man can finish, he's interrupted by a loud voice coming from the back. "Holy FUCK, Lil' Bro, that was AWESOME!"

Then comes another uncouth voice. "Yeah, you were rockin' out, Ryou...when did you get so good?"

If the brat says something in reply, I can't hear it.

Well, that confirms my suspicions. This is where Ryou snuck off to, and I should be bursting right through the curtain, cranking him in an abdominal stretch until he screams for mercy, and dragging his sorry butt home...

But I just can't. The homework packets assigned to him for today were complete. Strictly speaking, he did exactly what was required of him.

And that guitar sounded really good.

"Um, as I was about to ask you before we were interrupted, Shiritori-san, my grandson and Ryou-kun and their friends are back there...did you stop by to pick him up?"

"Well...no, not really. I just wanted to see this place for myself."

The old man strokes his pointy beard, deep in thought for a second. "It was very nice of you to drop in. Do come back soon."

"Thanks for letting me hold the Shamaha, Mitsukoshi-san! See you later!"

This time, I can hear the bell jingle as I exit.

I'd never believe Ryou would be passionate about anything, but when he first had the guitar it sounded awful, and now he sounds like that. He must really be working hard.

I guess I can let it slide for one day.

Just please, Mom and Dad, please don't come home out of the blue, or we're toast.