Board Thread:What Would You Do?/@comment-32558333-20180213152343/@comment-33398500-20180220081731

Here we go again...

This time of year was always a pain in the ass for me, but this was starting to get out of hand. After all, the way things were, a male human like myself being single was practically a crime in this city, and something similar had happened last year.

However, this year was different...

As I turned to get away from the cupids that had rushed out of their vehicle, a second vehicle had come from behind me onto the sidewalk: it seemed as though my evading of them last year had made them come more prepared... A second group of suited cupids emerged from that vehicle, now starting after me from both sides, leaving my only option to rush into the alleyways to my immediate left “You! Come back, now!” one of the cupids demanded as I sprinted down the alleyway.

Continuing down the narrow alley, several cupids in hot pursuit, I turned to the right, rounding the next corner, coming out to the exit of the alley to see... the first vehicle again.

As I got to the end of the alley, the SUV blocked the exit of the alley, several suited cupids now standing at the end of the alley, as the alleyway behind me filled with the second group of cupids, leaving me literally against the wall with regard to the situation.

“Well, well... it looks like we got you this year...” a young cupid in a black suit and sunglasses then spoke coolly, stepping over to me, one behind her holding a clipboard as she stepped over to me, the group quickly surrounding me to deny me any kind of exit strategy. “...you’re quite a difficult man to reach, Mr. Schmitt...” she continued calmly.

“...and how do you know that?” I asked, eyes shifting around the group, starting to get nervous that the cupids themselves intended to have their way with me as it was.

“Simple.” She answered me “I was placed in charge of your case after our failure to apprehend you last year... you are, of course, aware of city policy on solitude and loneliness during this most sacred of days?” she then asked me.

“Yeah, I am...” I responded. “But I’m not going to be forced into some carnal fling if it is not my decision!” I shouted at them defiantly.

This choice of words seemed to surprise the cupids, the more passive-looking one behind the leader who was holding her clipboard, looked as if I had actually hurt her by saying that. “You make it sound as if we are tying you up and throwing you into a carnivore pit...” the leader then commented, her tone sounding somewhat bitter at my reaction. “...but, I guess that’s why we have our agency, have a nice nap, you jaded prick...” she commented before blowing some kind of dust into my face, my world turning black as I started to lose my footing.

When I regained consciousness, my eyes opened slowly, able to feel a slight weight at my wrists and ankles... although, the rest of me felt oddly comfortable. As I fully regained my sight, I realized why: my hands and feet were chained to the posts of a large bed, and the rest of me was pressing into a delightfully soft mattress. “W-what the...?” I started musing, before a voice called from across the room

“Oh, you’re awake? Good~” Standing there, in the middle of the room, was the lead cupid from the group that had grabbed me earlier, seeming in a much more chipper mood than when she had found me.

“You seem in a better mood...” I commented groggily, shaking my head slightly to try to return myself to full awareness, allowing me to now see the TV screen behind her. Shown on it was a hallway, though the details were only seen in passing, as there seemed a continuous flow of mamono wandering through the hallway, eying small signs posted by doors in the hall, each door, now that I noticed, looking rather like the door to this room.

“Oh? Yeah, that’s because I managed to get you here this year! Everyone said I’d make it the second flop in a row for your case, but now, you’ll finally get to fall in love~ Isn’t that wonderful?” she then asked, her face lighting up as if her very existence was being fulfilled before regaining some composure “Sorry, cupid’s habit... Even someone as defiant as you will be able to find true love here, because... well, the odds are absurdly in your favour~”

Noticing me watching the screen, she then commented “I see you’ve taken an interest in the outside camera... yeah, that camera points right outside this room, and all those mamono out there, they’re all lonely like you on valentine’s day, but, unlike you, want to do something about it...” darting over to the bed, she pointed “All those girls out there are considering whether or not to take a shot at you right now... some of them are too shy to get someone normally, and some are too... ummm... ‘outgoing’? Let’s say outgoing, to get a partner normally...”

Now that she mentioned it, there were numbers of mamono who would walk by, looking nervously at the image displayed before continuing, looking at each of the images in turn, before going back to think about it to an outer lounge, others, who would practically beat down the door of one of the rooms before a cupid would restrain them a moment. “We believe in taking things a little slower than some like here...” she explained. “...you’ve gotta let the guy fall in love too rather than simply forcing it on him...” she continued, her voice taking on a quality that told me she was starting to daydream.

“Buuut... enough from me... you’ve already got 10 perspectives lined up to see you...” upon seeing my shocked expression, she giggled “Ten’s nothing, my jaded friend, a couple of them wanted to meet you as we were bringing you in... Oh, look, you’ve already got five more in the queue... I told you, the odds are in your favour, far more single mamono than single humans in the city, and everyone gets lonely this time of year...”

“W-wait... h-how does this...” I started nervously.

“...work?” she finished for me. “Well, we cupids have our ways of knowing things, and you’ll be interacting with each of your suitors in turn, and when your spirit bonds to one of them, we’ll know you’ve found your love here... though you’ll still have to at least entertain your other suitors, you never know if you’ll leave here with a harem or not... love IS in the air here~” she continued with a smile as the door opened, a young elf girl stepping into the room and looking across at me “O-o-okay... this is the r-r-right room then...” she stammered shyly, turning red as the cupid led her along “Mr. Schmitt, this is Kylie... she was the first to take an interest in you... please relax and just let your heart do the work...”

“Umm... hello, Kylie... one moment...” I started, looking at the cute elf before turning my head to the cupid again “...can’t really ‘let my heart do the work’ when I’m chained here like a prisoner, now can I?” I protested to her.

“Oh, that was just to make sure you didn’t try to leave... now that your suitors are entering, there’s no chance of that, trust me...” she told me, before the chains were unlocked as one, releasing my limbs.

Even though I could attempt to escape at this point, the adorable expression on the elf’s face, combined with not wanting to hurt this sweet, shy girl in front of me by trying to abandon her right now, kept me in place, merely straightening up and sitting up on the edge of the bed as Kylie moved to join me, sitting a few feet from me along the bed.

“Oh, come now, dear, lovers don’t keep enough room for a crowd between them...” the cupid declared pleasantly as I felt a strange pain in my back, turning to see the cupid holding a metal arrow in her hand, having stabbed me with it. However, it didn’t bring the massive pain that a piercing wound should have, in fact, as it started to disappear, and seemed to merge with me, I didn’t feel any pain at all, until... well...

Until it hit me: That empty hole I had in my heart from loneliness made its presence known in force, forcing my mind to see what I had been trying so long to keep others from seeing, by trying to conceal myself from others’ company, particularly anyone who might try to actually get close to me... however, in trying to do that, I kept myself from doing the one thing that might actually fill that hole, and complete myself...

At this point, I didn’t even notice that the cupid hadn’t done anything to affect the elf beside me, or the holstaur who had just entered the room, or the embarrassed-looking lamia who slithered in behind her, or the several other mamono who had entered with her. I only distantly heard her say “Oh, and by the way, by ‘in turn’ I meant if they decide to take turns... but you’ll know who your heart calls to...” that was the last I heard from the cupid as she left the room, the door still not closing as the spacious room was now filled with at least fifteen mamono, the minotaur who arrived last advancing through the crowd and started “Well, who’s first?”

However, before the forceful minotaur could lay a hand on me, Kylie, who had arrived first, practically flung herself at me, the shy girl seeming terrified of losing her chance to the more aggressive mamono in the crowd. “M-m-me! I’m first!” she managed to get out, now locking her lips onto mine as the group closed in on the bed.

I guess I should be glad this bed is so big...