NOVEL WEB Chapter 6: Discussion
I went into my room and changed my shirt. I also realized I had left my phone on the bedside table next to my bed, so I decided to take it. I took a closer look at the sticker on the back of it, which depicted a hideous woman with white fox ears and blue eyes. Who exactly was she? I was almost certain she was a character from an anime, but I couldn't recall any characters like her; perhaps there are new franchises in this reality. This at least lifted my mood a bit.
I checked the time on my phone and realized it was only a few minutes before school started; if I remember correctly, I had to walk about five minutes to get there, so I sighed, grabbed my backpack after brushing my teeth, and went back downstairs.
My steps up the stairs were especially heavy this morning, possibly due to my mood. Anyway, when I returned to the living room, Nola was comfortably sitting on the sofa, her bare feet resting on the small glass table in front of her. This attitude was yet another sign that she was not my sister, or at least not the sister I remembered.
In an attempt to ignore the train of potentially harmful thoughts, I tightened the strap of my backpack around my back. "I'll go now." I said listlessly, trying to make my voice overpower the TV presenter's.
I expected the usual nod or for her to simply ignore me, but instead.
Nola frowned as she turned her head to face me. She swung both feet off the table and stood up straight, using the remote control to lower the volume on the TV. "Where do you think you're going?" She inquired, her brow furrowed.
Her words made me raise an eyebrow of my own, as I gave her a confused look "To school?"
She shook her head. "Wait for Luna, you mustn't go to school alone, I've told you many times, remember?" Nola explained, in an authoritative tone.
I frowned, trying to think of a reason why I shouldn't go to school by myself. We lived quite far from a city, but it wasn't like this place was unsafe; it was more like a small town where families moved to get away from things like city noise and so on. Finally, I concluded that it had to be because of Luna; perhaps the Nola of this reality was more overprotective. If I wanted to adjust to my new reality, I needed to use common sense and be understanding.
I gave her a small smile as I shook my head. "That's right, I'm sorry," I said as I moved to sit next to her on the couch.
Nola nodded in satisfaction and continued watching television.
I settled on the couch and watched the flat screen in the living room while I waited for Luna, who had gone up to her room.
The voices of the presenters of what appeared to be a discussion forum reached my ears at that moment, and the camera focused on several middle-aged women as they discussed something in a rather formal manner that I couldn't understand due to a lack of context.
The heated debate was gradually becoming more heated, with slightly more aggressive words thrown in here and there, but I still didn't understand what they were arguing about, so after a few more seconds, I decided it would be easier to just ask.
I turned to face Nola, who was staring intently at the screen. "What are they discussing?"
"A new law." She replied, without taking her eyes off the screen.
I nodded and returned my attention to the camera, this time to a woman with stern features, black hair that let in some gray, and a style that screamed I haven't had sex in 20 years.
The woman in question shook her head and approached the elongated microphone on her wooden pulpit. "I'm telling you, Liliana, androcide are up ten percent since last year, and rapes have skyrocketed as well." She said sadly, but continued with determination. "This law is important so that our husbands and sons can feel safe."
As the camera on the screen shifted its focus, another woman appeared, her hair almost white, with subtle flecks of gray, and she was dressed in a well-tailored office suit.
The new woman, whose name I assumed was Liliana, shook her head with a slight smile. "You don't understand anything; a new law won't stop rapists." She reasoned before turning her head to face the camera. "Will a law prevent a woman from raping a man? Certainly not!"
Huh? a woman?
I cast a quick glance at Nola to see what she thought, but she only smiled and nodded her head. I thought some more, and an idea came to me that made some sense. There was only one explanation for this program: it was a parody. Why would they play such a contentious topic if it wasn't a parody? I reasoned, almost trying to persuade myself, because the other possibility I had considered was too ridiculous to even consider.
I returned my gaze to the TV with trepidation; the women on the screen were now practically shouting their opinions, clearly agitated.
The first woman, who thanks to a banner that appeared with her name on the screen I knew was Sophia, gave Liliana a scathing look. "So, what do you suggest?" She asked sharply.
Liliana held the microphone to her mouth and spoke slowly after a brief pause. "Just go on as it has always been, women have to defend their man from danger." To emphasize her point, the woman tapped her finger on the wooden pulpit. "That's how it's always been, and that's how it has to be forever."
A mocking chuckle was heard. "You have some very backward thinking there."
To my surprise, the woman on the screen abruptly came to a halt, rolling up her shirt sleeves. "Oh yeah? I'll show you what it's like to be backward."
Following that, the woman in question lunged at her debate partner, intending to strike her. I couldn't help but open my mouth in surprise, but that was before more people arrived to separate them, one of whom was doing cosplay as a demi-human —I mean, it had animal ears and a tail,— another was quite small, and others had odd features. Doing something that you could only find in a comedy show when a pitched battle broke out in the middle of filming, a bizarre comedy show.
I laughed, and Nola gave me a strange look. Now it was clear that this was a strange parody.
"What's so funny?" Nola asked, confusion evident in her golden eyes.
"They simply acted too well, for a moment they caught me. " I shook my head. "What's the name of the show?" I asked, watching as the screen now showed commercials.
"News, from channel 7"
“Huh?”
Before either of them could say anything else, hurried footsteps were heard, Luna's figure jumped into the living room with an energetic gait. "Let's go, it's late!" She said, sounding hurried.
Although confused, I gave Nola a look. "See you later."
"Be careful," she said as she returned her attention to the television.
With that, I joined Luna who looked rushed as she walked towards the door, she was worried about being late and I was having strange thoughts in my head.
