Ruko Araba / New Game 

After graduating from high school, I attended a technical school starting in the spring. I spent all my time rhythm gaming in high school, and that daily routine still hadn't changed.

I cut straight through the bustling flood of noise. My target, of course, was Chunithm!

It was two years since the day I encountered rhythm games at the arcade I stopped by to kill time, and my world had completely revolved around rhythm games ever since.

I'd tried all sorts of rhythm games, but the one that fit me just right was Chunithm. You could play it like a piano or scratch the slider like a DJ. That freedom was the appeal... And the loose judgement, too!

While I was thinking about all that, I arrived in front of the Chunithm cabinet in no time.

"Oh, there you are."

"You're early today, Ruko-chan."

"Well, you know, I blew through my homework in one go—now I don't have to practice on my own."

"Really? As long as you won't be whining about it in a week."

The sarcastic one was Seito Maizono, my rhythm gamer friend from high school, whose frills and glossy ringlets swayed with every little laugh. Spot-on makeup, too—but he's a guy. People would always see Seito for the first time and enthusiastically profess their love, then blow up and walk away going, "But that girl's too cute to be a guy!"

Although...to be honest...

"I know, I know..."

It's written all over your face. It's the end of the world.

As you may know, Seito started wearing frilly clothes because of his sister's influence, and always dresses cutely in his daily life—in other words, he's a crossdresser. Now that he was attending college and no longer had to wear a uniform, he grew more "fully armed" each time I saw him.

"Ruko-chan, what's gotten into you?"

"Oh, my bad, guess I got too in my head in flashback mode."

"Flashback...? Oh, I get it. It's almost cab update time, huh?"

Chunithm would be getting a major update next week. The current version, Paradise, was coming to an end.

Yes, the end of an electronic paradise. Oh, but we've picked up a different signal!

Honestly, I had a lot going on when Paradise started running, and it took a toll on my mental state...but I still remember the way seeing that poster perked me right back up.

"It went by in a flash. It's a little sad to think it'll be over in a few more days... It's not like Chunithm itself is ending... Wonder why I feel that way."

"I think that just shows how obsessed we are. We've known these cabinets for a long time."

"True that."

Come to think of it, I'd been playing Chunithm for a long time. That meant it had been just as long since I met Seito.

"Two years already, huh..."

"You're staring into space again, Ruko-chan."

"Hey Seito, today seems like a good day to get lost in reminiscing."

Yup, I got totally stuck in that mood.

"Ahaha, what? Well, I guess talking to you made me want to look back. Should we talk over there?"

"Our history's surprisingly long, you know."

We sat on a bench by the vending machines and looked back on what had happened so far.

Seito and I met before Air released.

"If you hadn't started talking to me back then, Seito, we wouldn't have had the relationship we do now."

"Yeah. When you think about it, you never know what life will bring."

"Hey, come to think of it, why did you talk to me?"

Back when I started playing Maimai, I wasn't all that good at it. Seito seemed to recall something and laughed, answering, "Ruko-chan, you looked like you were having so much fun. I got excited just watching you, so I talked to you. I thought I'd have fun rhythm gaming with you."

"Ohh... I guess I did stand out."

"That's not such a bad thing, is it? Well, there's probably some people that don't like that."

Just then, I caught a gloomy expression flash across Seito's face.

"Oh, sorry, I probably reminded you of something awful!"

Some inconsiderate players had once picked a fight with Seito. I got really worried when he thought about retiring from the game for a while and didn't show up to the arcade. Like, really worried.

"It's okay. At this point, even that's something I can look back on fondly. It's because you stopped me that I can keep playing rhythm games. Thanks, Ruko-chan."

Agh... He's so radiant...

"C-Come on, that's embarrassing! Enough reminiscing and let's talk about the game!"

When he looks straight at me and smiles I get all lightheaded... Whew, better watch out.

If I were anyone else, I would have 100% fallen in love.

"Uh, in Air, I was so surprised when the screen got so much brighter!"

"Yeah, you're right. It was fresh—and more than anything I enjoyed the new course mode."

I thought the preset songs and shared life in course mode were really fascinating. But when I gave it a shot, I got all I can't let it force quit me halfway! and got fired up. It was all I played.

"Songs came up in the random course that I wouldn't pick normally, so it was a perfect test of skill."

"I know, right? But there was just one that I couldn't clear, and it was so frustrating..."

"Ahaha, you really hate to lose, Ruko-chan."

He could say that, but Seito hated to lose, too. If my score was even a little higher on a song, he would keep playing that song until he overtook it.

Well, as much as it frustrated me, Seito was better at rhythm games than me.

"Oh! Hey, out of all the maps in Chunithm—"

"The last map of Air!"

"Exactly! The sheer aura of the face on that map! I saw the announcement while I was in class, and it was so hard trying not to laugh. I still look forward to the noon updates."

"...Ruko-chan, take your classes seriously, okay?"

My reminiscence with Seito went from Air to Star.

When you say Star, it's Overpower that pops into your head, right?

"When Overpower came out, I remember trying every chart to increase my rating. It's kind of addicting to watch it fill up."

"Plus you discover new things while you're playing all those songs, and your skill goes up, too. I ended up liking genres I thought I wasn't interested in."

"Yeah! That's what's so cool about rhythm games!"

And the times when you land an All Justice—oh man! I'd think, Am I a prodigy? Did I awaken to my talent!?

And by playing all kinds of songs, I started paying more attention to the charts, too. But sometimes it's like, Huh? There are more charts where I get lots of attacks and misses... Who made these charts!?

And when I checked... Oh, I get dizzy just thinking about it...

"Ruko-chan, you okay?"

"I can't. I just can't with his charts."

"Ohh... Minus—"

"Stop! Don't say his name! All his super-weird charts are gonna rush into my head!"

"What are you, allergic!?"

The charts that slip cleanly away from me! The charts that activate death skills before you know it and force quit from the game! Yes, just saying that charter's name would make him haunt my dreams!

I'd reached the point where I could just sense when it was one of his charts without looking at the name. It's like a curse...

Was he even human? Maybe he was really something forbidden the other chart designers had summoned?

"Ugh... I've got goosebumps..."

"Well, hey, everyone has charts they struggle with. I'm not good with his charts, either."

"Speaking of which... There's a chart my judgement has deemed guilty. Wanna hear it?"

"Sure."

"It's about the charter 'Chunithm Episode 16, Satsujin Record Kyoufu no Master.' My chart sensor didn't go off, but that chart was obviously -100's—ahhhhhh! I just said his name! Agh...the goosebumps...!"

"Why don't you take a deep breath? Here, breathe in...and out."

Huh, suddenly the gothic lolita Seito looks like an angel in white...

"...Thanks, I've calmed down."

"Good. Oh, but haven't you heard? It was actually Moon Strix who made that chart."

"Huh? You're kidding! I love Moon Strix's charts, though!"

No way.

Yeah, that broke something inside me.

"I can't, it's—it's too much. I'm gonna lose my mind."

"If someone makes a lot of charts, there's gonna be one or two you don't like. Maybe they change their names when they want to experiment?"

"Isn't that what World's End mode is for?"

"...Let's put an end to this topic! Uh, so, it was around Star when the public song contests started! I listened to them on video sites so many times!"

"Seito, you're really forcing it."

Well, it's true that I was looking forward to the submitted songs, too. It was fun to imagine what sort of charts they would get if they were used.

"I was surprised at just how good all the songs were."

"I know, right? Personally, I think the legendary You—"

"Seito, there are things in this world you can bring up and some things you can't."

"Huh? But that's what Chunithm is all about, isn't it?"

"Not allowed! No touching the dark side!"

Around the time of Star, another rhythm game came out for us to play. Its name was Ongeki. Since the team behind Maimai was involved, it became a hot topic in the rhythm game scene. But I think there were lots of people who got interested because of its stapler-like appearance.

"Ongeki was a big success from the location test."

"That's how much everyone was looking forward to it. The controls were fresh, and it makes you want to play it."

"It's fun since you don't have to move your hands just how it looks—since the buttons are on both sides, you can experiment with where to place your fingers."

"Yeah! KohaD highly recommended it, too, saying there were all kinds of ways to enjoy it. I found smacking the walls so much fun I ended up overdoing it..."

"Ahaha, no matter the game, you never know how to approach it at first."

Somehow, I felt like tapping something to the rhythm was a kind of primitive human desire. Wait, did I just say something kinda intellectual?

"Speaking of Ongeki, part of its appeal was that you could make actual cards with the Cardmaker, and Chunithm got added around the same time, too. And you can even play games with those cards."

"Oh, Chunithm Wars?"

"Yeah. You can build a deck with cute characters only! Hey, Ruko-chan, since we're here, how about a Chunithm Wars battle?"

"I don't have any cards. You know how many minutes of gameplay I can get out of that coin instead?"

"I thought you'd say that, so I prepared some for you, too. Here, want to pick eight cards out of these?"

"What a convenient plot twist!"

It seemed like I'd have to do it. I listened to a quick explanation of the rules and built a deck from the characters that caught my eye first. If I had to build one, I'd build it from my favorite characters.

The best cards for me...were these!

"Looks like you're ready."

"You're on, Seito!"

----------

Simply put, it was a crushing failure.

"Well, I knew this would happen."

"Ahaha, but it's easy to pick up, so it's fun, right?"

"Yeah. I could probably beat you once I understand the skills."

"...You know, I was thinking, don't you have a lot of Yurias and Cocos in your deck?"

"It's not like I planned it, I just...feel a kind of kinship with them. Especially Yuria—something just resonates with me."

"Oh, like I thought, your ch—"

"Seito, say anything else and this means war, got it?"

I could never forget. Right before the Amazon update, Seito suddenly called me over.

"Okay, Ruko-chan. I think this outfit will suit you," he said, handing me some kind of costume.

Looking at the neatly folded clothing, I could tell it was traditional Japanese clothing. I accepted it without thinking, but I didn't think things would turn out that way...

"You called me over all of a sudden and you made me wear a weird outfit. Well, you got me good."

"Hey, it's not weird. Those were the Emperor and Empress hina doll costumes for Hinamatsuri."

"I don't usually expect to be wearing men's clothing."

"Oh, sorry. Would you rather have been the Empress doll, too?"

"Wha!? Hell no!"

I couldn't stand wearing such loose-fitting clothes. Besides, it was the kind of thing you'd rather see someone else wear than wear it yourself, right? That was more my style.

"I kind of thought you'd say that, so I gave you the Emperor's outfit. I actually saved the photos from back then in a scrapbook—want to see?"

"Huh? That's the first I've heard of it!"

"You looked so cool as the Emperor, Ruko-chan. I look back at it sometimes. ♪"

"Stop! It's so embarrassing!"

Aaargh, my face is flushing just thinking about it!

"Aww, even when we made peace signs at the end?"

"Okay, that's enough! This conversation is over!"

Any longer on that topic and I would be past my limit.

So, yeah.

"You know, I got all fired up, like, 'I'm gonna be the one to freeze Daisuke Anayama's account this time'! ...Oh, come on, how long are you gonna keep laughing!?"

"S-Sorry. You were just so enthusiastic about it back then."

"I sure was! I thought I'd get in on the trend, but it was already frozen before noon? What's that about!?"

"I know how you feel. Everyone, you included, was improving so much that those scores came faster and faster."

"When they got Aragami on the first day overseas, it made me doubt if we're all even the same human race..."

"And so the charters probably got motivated all of a sudden to make charts in response to that."

"Still. No matter how many worthwhile charts a certain someone makes, I'll never forgive him. No matter what."

"No matter what?"

"That's what I said."

I swear, here and now. One day, I'm gonna conquer one of that guy's charts on day one!

"I'd like to play a chart that's cute but challenging and rewarding," Seito said. "Charters, please!"

"Hold on, Seito, who exactly are you praying to?"

Of course, we couldn't forget Maimai. Before the version change from Amazon to Crystal, Maimai became Deluxe.

"Maimai DX makes me think of KohaD's presentation. Happy's flipchart antics were so cute."

"Huh, you think so? Well, I guess it was cute, but... It's just...when someone talks so seriously like that, you gotta listen, right?"

I watched it on stream, but to be honest, the presentation was so dense it was a bit too much for me. But I could really feel the production team's passion and the players' emotions. I guess that's why when KohaD cried at the end, I was moved way more than I expected.

"You could tell they were trying to make it more interesting and fun with the new notes. And there was even a headphone jack! That might be the thing I was most excited about!"

"I know, right! You can really get immersed with it. ♪"

I'd like to think I'm not the only one who finds surrounding noise distracting depending on the volume of the cabinet. I was nothing but grateful to be free of that.

"But, hey, you've just been playing Chunithm lately," Seito observed.

"Oh, it's just...I was really happy with the overhaul, but there's one thing that didn't sit right with me."

"What's that?"

"All my favorite songs were gone!"

It was a greater shock than I could have imagined. When I tried playing, my mind went blank and I couldn't play properly... To be specific, it was like when the electronic paradise became the supercontinent of Emerg in an instant.

Well, the shock had faded, and I started playing it again.

"I see... You're right, sudden changes can make it hard to know what to do."

"Didn't you feel anything like that, Seito? Any songs you were attached to that you suddenly couldn't play?"

"I'd be lying if I said there weren't any, but I think I'm more used to change than other people."

"Used to?"

"Yeah. Change is scary, you know? Whenever I ended up in a new environment, I'd worry about how other people would accept me."

"Oh..."

Right.

Seito was always smiling while playing rhythm games or hanging out with me, but it probably wasn't so fun in other places.

"Change, huh...?"

I knew the feeling of disliking change. When I couldn't play my favorite songs, I felt lonely, like they left me behind. It wasn't a feeling you could put away with just words or feelings.

But I don't think there's anything in this world that stays the same. If there was, I probably wouldn't be hanging out with Seito now, and if I hadn't tried rhythm games, I wouldn't be who I am now...

"Augh, I'm not good at putting this stuff into words..."

"Kind of a difficult topic, huh? Let's put the mushy stuff aside for a bit and move on, shall we?"

"As far as new features from when Crystal came out, there's teams."

You could use the team feature to make courses and throw challenge songs at each other. I think that really strengthened my solidarity with my fellow rhythm gamers. But some people demand way too much of you...

"The courses you make are always so hard, Seito."

"You think? Like macrocosmos three times... I just wanted to train everyone's stamina and accuracy."

"I always wonder where someone as tiny as you gets the stamina to keep clearing stuff like that..."

"Oh, that reminds me—I made a new course. ♪"

"Whoa... I have a bad feeling about this."

"It's Genesis, The Deserter, and Yume no hajimari."

"This is harassment! I know that second one is to spite me!"

"Huh, you think so...? I just thought it was fun and cute, is all..."

I still couldn't understand Seito.

Well, whatever. Everyone's got their own favorite charts. Nothing wrong with that.

"Hey, while we're at it, there's another thing we've gotta talk about."

"Huh, what?"

"When you think of Crystal, don't the stories come to mind? Personally, Mirei-chan, Elsa-chan, and Miim-chan's stories had me about to cry. I was like, 'Ahh, this is the purest thing in the world!'"

"Yeah, they're nice stories."

...Huh? That wasn't quite the response I expected. Shouldn't he have sympathized a little more? If such pure stories didn't resonate with him, what was he into?

"Sounds like they didn't resonate with you much—then what stories do you like, Seito?"

"For Crystal stories, it's gotta be the Sibyl Spirit Chronicles."

"Huh? No way... It's so brutal... Everyone kept recommending it to me, so I was like okay, hang in there, you got this, and I read up to Cielo-chan, but it was too much. I gave up."

"Huh? Then you didn't read Juna-chan's story? That's the purest, most spine-chilling one!"

"Pure!? It's like a creepy fairy tale!"

Seito said nothing and grinned.

What do you mean, pure!? Someone explain!

"Oh, it's already that time," Seito said. "We've been talking a while."

"No kidding. Kinda funny, coming all this way to the arcade and not playing a single time."

"Then, want to match for one credit and head home?"

"All right, now you're talking! It's a one-shot match, okay? I'm gonna make you admit defeat today!"

"Sure, sure."

"Ah, you just smiled. If you think I can't beat you, you're gonna be sorry, got it?"

"You say that, but you're the one who'd go 'Please, one more credit!', Ruko-chan. I would know."

"...I'm gonna show you my true self!"

All things said and done, I enjoyed the days I spent with Seito.

Next week, there would be new cabinets. With a fresh start, it was time for that everyday rollercoaster to begin again!

The day of the new cabinet's release came in the blink of an eye.

As usual, I was restless on the day of a new version. No matter how many new versions there were, that would probably never change.

After class, I went straight to the arcade without eating.

"Whoa... What a line. Everyone else feels the same, huh?"

The new cabinets had already gathered a considerable line. Seito didn't seem to be there yet, so I'd go play while I waited.

As I got in line, I shifted my attention to the reborn cabinets. The new cabinets were covered in yellow, a color that made me think of when I had only just started playing—it felt somehow nostalgic.

Yep. That's the color of Chunithm.

Maybe it was because of my conversation reminiscing with Seito the other day. Looking at that color, something from long ago crossed my mind.

"If it's okay, would you like to Sync with me?"

That's what he said to me back then. Those words saved me. I used to think of it as just a way to kill time, but the reason I'm so obsessed with it now, was—

Ping!

Just then, my smartphone vibrated. The screen showed Seito's name and a short message. Apparently he was on his way.

"Um... It's your turn."

"Huh? Oh, sorry!"

Before I knew it, it was my turn. I hurried over to the cabinet.

Let's do the new map first... Hm?

I got a feeling from the next cabinet over and looked to see a girl with clearly awkward movements. Judging by her uniform, she was probably a high school student. Maybe it was her first time playing Chunithm.

Maybe that's why something about her is nostalgic... Oh, her hands are shaking.

"U-Um, did you want something with me?" she asked.

"A-Ah, well, uh..."

Ack, so embarrassing!

I stared too much and now I was the one being watched. But hearing her voice, I understood the reason for that nostalgia.

She didn't know where she belonged, and she didn't know she was looking for it. She was probably the same as I was back then. And so...

The words came out so naturally.

"Hey, wanna match together?"

"Okay?"

The words that once saved me. Now, it was my turn to say them.

In the story, it's been two years since Ruko and Seito met, but it would have been four years between Seito's story and the release of Chunithm New. Most likely, this time difference is based on the time of writing, not implementation.

Since there's a lot to cover, I've split the notes by chapter. Some of this information is from the Japanese wiki, and some is my own!

Episode 1:

• "The end of an electronic paradise:" a a phrase frequently used in Metaverse stories in reference to the Metaverse itself.

Episode 2:

• "The screen got so much brighter:" Chunithm's initial UI was quite dark, with a lot of white text on dark backgrounds. Air flipped this into the bright backgrounds we know today.

• The final map of Air was that of Omega Quintus, whose massive face attracted a lot of online buzz.

• Noon updates: Chunithm news updates are posted at 12 PM JST!

Episode 3:

• "A chart my judgement has deemed guilty:" Chunithm's "miss" judgement was originally going to be called "guilty." Of course, this didn't stick, but you can still see nods to it like the song Guilty, and of course this dialogue.

• Satsujin Record: Love's Theme of Badass before we had Love's Theme of Badass. A Chargeman Ken BGM track with crazy flick trains in the second half whose charter was the subject of much speculation. It was this story that revealed it was Moon Strix who charted it. Fortunately or unfortunately, the song is no longer playable.

• "Angel in white:" a phrase used to refer to affectionately to a nurse as someone who saved your life.

• "The legendary You—:" Youtube Dream, an iconic sample-heavy shitpost of a song submitted to the Koutarou Yatagarasu division by USAO and Kobaryo (as KUBOKIN & NEKOKIN). The original upload was deleted, but...?

Episode 4:

• I guess Ongeki does kinda look like a stapler, huh...?

• Chunithm Wars: A card battle game playable with Chunithm Cardmaker cards. Each card has its own printed skill, difficulty, and numbers with varying effects based on characters' Labels and other factors.

• Yuria and Coco are both Gumin characters, and Seito nearly calls Ruko flat once again.

Episode 5:

• The hina doll costumes are a reference to Ruko and Seito's Cardmaker alt, included at the top of the page! Hinamatsuri, or Girls' Day, involves a tradition in which young girls arrange a set of dolls. The Emperor and Empress dolls are typically seated together at the top. Naturally, Seito wears the Empress costume and gives the Emperor to Ruko.

• Freezing Anayama's account: Whenever a boss song was released, Daisuke Anayama would play up a sort of villain character on his Twitter account that would be defeated whenever someone achieved All Justice, at which point he would go to "sleep" and his account would freeze. Being the one to freeze his account would mean achieving the very first AJ.

Episode 6:

• The Maimai DX stream Ruko and Seito talk about is from JAEPO 2019. It includes a long presentation on the game by KohaD with occasional flipchart commentary from Happy (the person in the dog costume from various GCM livestreams). KohaD has an emotional moment on stage at the end of the broadcast.

• Supercontinent of Emerg: Another Metaverse reference! Emerg is the setting of the final Digital era in Crystal, and the place the Surface arc Returnees hail from.

Episode 7:

• The Deserter: Yet another -100 chart. Genesis and Yume no hajimari aren't by -100, but they are also uniquely tricky.

• More stories mentioned! Mirei and Elsa are both sweet, heartfelt Relation Label stories, while Miim is an emotional Metaverse story (not yet translated). On the other hand, Juna from Sibyl is not having a very good time...

• "Pure:" Crystal's tagline was "the world's purest rhythm game," a highly contentious statement given the amount of risqué content in it.