Program immediately jumps to the else clause in my code

I just started learning python. I'm building an adventure type game right now as my first project, but unfortunately one of my if statements (line 12-18) doesn't work. If anyone could point out the problem to me, I'd greatly appreciate it.

print("Hello and welcome to the Virgin Club Adventure Game! The main objective of this game is to befriend every "
      "member of the Virgin Club. \n But before we start...")
user_name = input("Please tell us your name:")
user_age = int(input("And your age:"))
friendship_points: str(2)

if user_age >= 13:
    print("Great! You're old enough to play the game.")
    start = input("Shall we begin? (yes/no) ")
    ***if start == "yes":
        left_or_right = input("A path diverges before you. \n To your left, the path leads to a small forest in the "
                              "woods. \n To the right, the path leads to a bustling city. \n Where do you want to go? "
                              "(left/right)")
        if left_or_right == "left":
            print("You head down the path and towards the cottage.")
        elif left_or_right == "right":
            print("You know no one in the city. You look around for a familiar face, to no avail. A car hits you as "
                  "you try to cross the road. You die alone, with no virgins beside you. \n Game Over!")
        else:
            print("Choose an actual path, you &*(%!")
    else:
        print("Alright then. Come back when you have better taste!")***
else:
    print("You're too young to play. Scram, ankle biter!")