Flip The Script

Apparently it's called BBB, or Build. Base. Battle.

Also Three B or B cubed, Apparently also you can put your finger in your mouth and go 'B-b-b-b-b-b-b' because BBB has a very negative reputation. Unlike in his old world, here in reverse Japan, competitive gaming hasn't really taken off. It exists, but it's just not popular. In fact, anything involving confrontation seems to be far more subdued than his old world. The major wars were all there, and the outcomes the same, but they were not as... vicious, for lack of a better term. The death tolls were lower. The war crimes seemed less terrible. This was something reverse world seemed to get right.

For example, in world war two the Germans occupied Madagascar and forcibly deported the Jews from German via Italy. Right up until the point where they declared war on Poland and England declared on Germany in kind. They couldn't deport anymore because England controlled the Suez canal. At that point Germany started their 'Final' Solution. The end result was that the final total barely reached half a million dead. A horrible act, true, but no where as bad as it could have been.

Toshi chewed on his thumbnail as he searched GooHoo and felt that sense of disorientation he'd been dealing with slowly grow and with it the threat of another migraine, ~There's so many changes in the past, it makes no sense the world should be this way. I need to stop trying to figure out how this is all possible and just roll with it.~ He pressed the button on the side of his phone to turn it off and watched the clock, waiting for the bell to release him. However, today he wasn't heading right home.

Kenko tapped Toshi on the back, "Hey. Did you want to do any shopping? I was thinking I needed a new outfit for tonight." Toshi slowly turned around, "You want to buy a new outfit... for a game release?" Kenko nodded, "Uh, yeah?" Toshi shook his head, "I've got plans. Sorry." Kenko pouted. Toshi sighed, "Next time. Unless I absolutely have to do something with the family." Kenko looked at Kenko with big eyes, "Pwomise?" Toshi recoiled a bit, "Gah! FINE! Just stop that!" Kenko giggled, "So what's you got planned?"

The bell went off as Toshi looked up at the clock, "Was going to go check out some after school clubs."

The annex was where departments went to die.

Behind the school, across the open field where they had the limited outdoor athletic activities was the annex. At first glance you could be excused for thinking the building was abandoned. It was a squat two story building, unlike the three stories of the main building. The main building looked alive, vibrant, and active. The annex resembled a squatting constipated toad. It was built in an entirely different era where the powers that be had the idea that children should be treated like possible rioters. The building was built to make sure it was easy to isolate and siege if such a need became necessary.

It is little wonder why this building became the school's storage/dumping ground.

The hobby group he wanted to join was the computer club. The flyer he had found indicated that it was held in the computer science room. Finding the computer science room was more akin to an epic quest than a simple check of a map. The fact was nobody even heard of the place. Computer science department was for 'deep geeks' and for whatever reason, it was socially unacceptable to be seen as a 'deep geek'. Eventually he figured out the CS department wasn't in the main building, but in the annex. This revelation is what led to Toshi standing in front of the annex, wondering if Nosferatu was on the school board.

The computer science department wasn't the only thing abandoned there.

For example, when the last budget came through, the school's chorus was banished to the annex. If you don't have enough students interested in your department, but the school is still required to offer the course, that department gets sent to the annex. Lots of students enjoyed playing musical instruments, very few enjoyed singing. Most teachers who are in charge of said departments catch a clue and quit to get a job elsewhere. Since some teacher needed to be in charge of all these vestigial departments, they simply transferred control of all these  department to one teacher.

Okabe Jurou.

The world's most depressed teacher worked the world's most depressing job. If this is where departments come to die, then Jurou's career has died with it. As Toshi entered the building, he found Jurou sitting behind a desk in the middle of the hallway. It looked like this wasn't just his 'post', but his 'office'. It gave one the impression that this might be a guard post, either to keep people out...

...or keep people in.

Jurou was a short, gaunt man in his fifties. His hair was long, black, greasy and thin. He tried to keep it back in a pony tail, except over the length of the day his hair would somehow escape it's restraints and wind up hovering around his head. Eventually he'd give up and just let his hair down, which resulted in this pale man staring out at you from between clumps of hair that looked more akin to dying seaweed.

"You're looking for what?"

Toshi smiled cheerfully in an attempt to lighten the mood, "The computer club!" He looked at flyer in his hand, "Apparently they meet after school in room B01A." He glanced up at Jurou as he turned the paper around to show Jurou, "Took me a while to figure out what the A stood for. I spent the past twenty minutes wandering all over the main building." Jurou just stared at Toshi completely ignoring the flyer. Toshi stood there shifting back and forth on his feet. As the silence continued, he glanced about and cleared his throat.

Nothing.

Finally Toshi asked, "Is it okay if I join everyone else?" Jurou finally spoke, "Why?" The hair on the back of Toshi's neck began to stand up, "Because I want to play video games with other people?" Jurou shook his head, "No. Why are you here? You're a guy. Good looking too. Like... do you even know where you are?" Toshi narrowed his eyes and his annoyance started to seep into his tone of voice, "Yes. I know where I am. You got a problem with me joining the computer club?" Jurou finally broke eye contact. He glanced off to the side, made a fist, and pushed it up under his nose as he stared at nothing in particular.

Time passed and nothing happened while Jurou appeared lost in thought.

Toshi was just about to speak when Jurou finally answered him, "I suppose not. Although, I really don't think you understand-" He paused, his mouth open, frozen, for a good five more seconds before he continued, "You know what? You'll figure it out." Jurou pointed to a door marked 'BASEMENT', "The unmarked doors should all be locked. If you find one unlocked. Call me immediately." He pointed a finger at Toshi, "Do. NOT. Go in. To those rooms." He dropped his hand and leaned back in his chair, "Just go in the door marked 'Computer club'"

Jurou leaned back further and put up his feet on the corner of his desk, "Elevator's broken. Yes. I put in a work order. That was last semester. Don't get your hopes up." Then he tilted his head forward a bit, his hair covering his eyes. It looked like he had every intention of going to sleep. Toshi stared at Jurou while he contemplated just what the hell was wrong with this man, then over at the basement door. Toshi sighed as he walked to the basement door. He pushed it open to reveal a stairwell lit by a yellow and flickering sodium lamp. Its light didn't go far and there was a huge gap in illumination between here and the bottom of the shaft. As the door slowly closed behind him, he caught a glimpse of Jurou wiggling fingers at him.

"Toodles."