TPH04
[Date: Dec/12/24]
[Cycle: SNOW PRIME]
[Barista: Vanilla]
[Subject: Mr. Nex]
[File Reference: TPH04]
I guess we’re really doing this, huh? Last night, Mr. Nex dropped his façade and revealed his true self—a twisted game show host who’s hell-bent on making us “buzz in.” Now we’re all trapped in the BU-ZZ Station until the game ends. We’ve got one day to prepare, and then it’s game time. Either we win, or Snow and Doris O’Neal do.
Oh, yeah—that’s who we’re up against. Snow, obviously, we’ve got a handle on. But Doris O’Neal? No clue. She’s the mom from that weird sitcom Peppermint’s been watching. Hopefully, sitcom mom isn’t a secret genius at these… what were they called again? Complexities?
Here’s what I’ve pieced together about how the game works. Mr. Nex will load all the Complexities into our CaDComs, and we’ve got to solve them faster than our opponents can. The Complexities can be anything—trivia, ciphers, wordplay, riddles—you name it. But there’s a catch: we also need to figure out the “meta” theme. That’s the only way to fully win, according to Mr. Nex.
Apparently, he’s played this game with other versions of the Cafe from other Cycles before, so he’s expecting it to go smoothly. Honestly, that’s what makes me uneasy. If this isn’t his first rodeo, then how many have lost?
Oh, and the prize? It’s actually pretty good. It’s one of those shards—like the one that got us to Snow Prime—but this one’s supposedly calibrated to get us home. If we win, we can leave this mess behind.
But if we lose… well, Mr. Nex claims there aren’t any “major” consequences. He says Snow’s Quisby and Doris O’Neal will just have a way into our Cycle. No big deal, right? Except… he made one thing very clear. If we know the answer to a Complexity but don’t buzz in? Let’s just say that’s not going to fly in his game.
Everyone’s got to buzz in. When you know, you buzz. That’s the only rule we need to follow.