Chapter 13: The Reason
"Mew have only two hours! Mew-ve it then everyone, let's get started!"
And with that, Katie throws us out of the cafe.
Big and I trudge through the alley with all the electronics shops.
"What a load of shit," Big hisses.
"Not in a good mood, I see."
"I'm so pissed I could scream. That cat-eared bitch! She's probably laughing at me right now…like I'm some little girl who can't find her way home. Just because I look small doesn't mean I'm a damn child!"
That's what she was mad about?
"This is ridiculous," she goes on. "We're getting on the train and going home right this instant. I'm not a child. I'm a grown woman. And I remember the way we came."
But no matter which way we turned, we couldn't seem to reach Akihabara Station.
We thought we were retracing our steps, but we eventually ended up right back at the AKIBA maid cafe.
We tried again, then again. All three times with the exact same result.
It's not like this was one of Big's clich? moments.
And this story was turning out to be anything but predictable.
In fact, we're finding ourselves in a completely unprecedented situation.
"Man," Big says, "I guess it's too late to say it now, but I really have a bad feeling about this."
"We're on the same page, Big," I assure her. "My alarm bells have been going off for a while now."
My little Big and I have gone on plenty of adventures together…exploring new places, taking trips…
We've certainly had our share of strange experiences.
"I'm pretty sure we're in a worst-case scenario here," she admits.
"I agree completely."
"If you can find the way…" Katie's warning was still ringing in my ears.
Were we trapped here then? Stuck in Wonderland forever?
"Oh, crap!" Big cries out. "I forgot to ask her something really important!"
She crosses her arms, gazing suspiciously back the maid cafe mansion.
"What's supposed to actually happen to us when we win or lose this game?" she asks out loud.
I stand there in silence.
Sure enough, Katie had never mentioned that.
Her whole explanation was really full of holes.
Was she purposely hiding something from us?
The game…
Katie's "quest" for us…
Did it mean that if we completed it we'd be able to get out of here?
That we'd be able to find our way back?
The game is supposed to be a quest to find what we are looking for.
I suddenly remember the conversation I had with Big yesterday.
Akihabara.
Where you can find almost anything you want.
Where there's so much to find, you might not find anything at all.
Where some go in and never come out.
A place that's like another world.
Like being lost in a dream…
AKIBA.
"Do you want me to call Katie?" I ask.
"No," Big answers, "I think we'd better not. Even if we asked her, she's not going to tell us anything she intends to keep hidden. And…"
"…and what?"
"Never mind."
And with that, my little Big starts walking away from the cafe.
". . . . . . . . ."
Silently, I follow behind.
There must be some explanation for why we were led into this strange world.
Something that caused it.
A reason.
But what the hell could it be?