NOVEL NEXT WORLD Is this...an April fools!?
"Yo… Wait, where am I?" Proxy asks, darting his eyes everywhere.
Proxy finds himself in a white space devoid of any objects or people except him and two others.
"Proxy, there you are!"
Richard runs to Proxy, glad he could find him. Nunnalé, wearing her usual expression, walks behind him, unfazed by the white expanse they find themselves in.
"Where the hell are we? Is this…?"
"Well, if I had to guess, it's an April Fool's chapter."
"April fools?" Nunnalé inquires, curiously interested in the idea.
"It's just a day where people say or do something played as a joke," Richard explains.
"Interesting… Then allow me the privilege of hearing a joke!"
If it were anyone else, it would be a joke, but Nunnalé being Nunnalé, she is serious.
"Umm, I'm not all that funny. Proxy," he whispers. "Say something funny!"
"Why do I have to!? You're her master. Set an example!"
"If I do, then she'll be disappointed! Besides, even if you fail to make it good, it still might be fun!"
"Hey, hey, hey! That's too much responsibility to handle! I can't let it be my fault if she doesn't laugh! Actually, can she even laugh?"
Their eyes glaze over to Nunnalé. Her face remains as neutral as always.
"We need to test her," Proxy says
"Agreed."
Proxy slouches next to her, putting the back of his hand beside his mouth. "Hey, Nunnalé, can you, ya know…give us a laugh?"
"Laugh? I am unsure if I can."
"Come on! Give us your best one! The best you got! You just gotta use your diaphragm!"
"Again, I do not know if it is within my capabilities to–"
"I'll give you these."
He holds a lollipop in his fingers.
"I shall do my best!"
"At least show a little restraint, Nunnalé," Richard mutters, slightly amused by the sudden attitude shift.
"Alright, you got this! Remember, you need to let it come from the gut!"
They stand back, giving her space. A moment of tranquility falls on the girl. Though unintentionally, she emitted an air of elegance. She slightly opens her small mouth, ready to perform her task. Proxy and Richard watch in anticipation…
"Ha." …Silence, tumbleweed flies past them… "Was that satisfactory? Was I able to laugh properly?"
The two boys stand there stunned, flabbergasted even.
"Man, that was…"
Proxy clams up as he stares at the doll's face. Though it was a poor attempt, her face shows genuine investment in their input. As tough as he comes off, even he can't resist her odd determination.
"...That was great! You did so well!"
"Then, I can…?"
"Aw, what the hell. You can have it."
He hands her the lollipop. Innocent bliss paints her face as she enjoys the piece of candy. Her reaction pleased both Richard and Proxy.
“There might have been a lack of jokes, but at least it was fun. Right Proxy.”
“Yeah, you said it… But seriously, where are we?”
“Oh, the world ended when it got invaded by an alien armada. Turns out they were just watching us from space and decided to destroy everything while we were sleeping. But for some reason, they left us alive.” Richard states, speaking with an ominous, straight face.
“WHA-WHA-WHAT!?”
“April fools!”
“Hey, that–that wasn’t funny! What if I had a heart attack?”
Richard falls quiet for a moment before speaking under his breath. “I didn’t think of that.”
“HEY! Now you’re just playing with my heart!”