落とし穴１６４堀：ゲームの曖昧さ (Part1)
### Pitfall 164: The Ambiguity of Games
**Side: Yuki**
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"..."
We spent the entire night clearing the game set in the Twilight Town.
It was a scenario with a lot of heart—a 300,000-character labor of love, fully voiced.
Under normal circumstances, a game of this length would take two or three days, but we’re veterans of this genre. We didn't get hung up on the "moe" moments, nor did we make any major mistakes with the choices, so we managed to power through it.
"We should probably make sure we see the bad endings, too, right?"
"We’ll save that for after today’s schedule. Still, I’m glad it was the type where a single wrong choice leads to an immediate bad end."
"Tell me about it. If it had been a 'cumulative affection' type, we would have been in real trouble."
We were discussing the mechanics of these romance games.
Because the scenario was so dense, if it had been a cumulative affection system, we might not have realized we were locked into a dead end until the very end. Some games even require specific affection levels just to reach the survival route.
Fortunately, this game was straightforward: once you entered a heroine’s route, a wrong choice meant an instant bad end.
"Alright, let’s get fired up and explore the town. Seriously, though, the game didn't even bother to list addresses for any of the locations."
That’s right. I had held a faint hope that the game might provide some clues about the layout, but as expected, the actual geography of the game’s setting was a total mystery. We’d have to deduce it from the exterior shots and the protagonist’s commentary.
"To begin with, the locations for each heroine’s supernatural incidents all used the exact same background assets. But in reality, they’re clearly different places."
"Haaah... I really wish they’d spent the budget on that."
The stages for the ghost stories that served as the keys to saving each heroine were all represented by the same uniform background. That’s why we had no idea where anything actually was.
"At least we know there’s a new residential district, an old residential district, a school, and a shrine. That’s something, I suppose."
"More than the ghosts, I think the real problem is that we have no idea where the protagonist or the heroines actually live."
"Exactly! They didn't write down a single address in the game! Damn it!"
"Well, well. We can meet the protagonist at school, and the childhood friend lives right next door to him, so once school starts, that should all be resolved."
"Let’s hope so. Now, about exploring the town... What do you think? Should we split up or go together? Honestly, I can’t predict the pros and cons."
The issue is that we don't know what kind of trouble might occur if we intervene directly in the game’s plot. Moreover, the essence of this game is a supernatural mystery. Since we’re looking for the heart of that mystery, it’s entirely possible we could be attacked by something paranormal.
"Hmm. True. But I don't think we’ll get caught up in the supernatural, right? We just have to avoid entering those specific areas. If we find somewhere that looks suspicious, we’ll just make a note of it and move on without investigating further."
"I suppose you're right."
"Oh, but let’s go to the school and the shrine together. Those feel like they’ll definitely be dangerous. How about we split up to search the new and old residential districts, meet up at the shopping district to buy supplies, and then head to the school and shrine?"
"Sounds like a plan. That’s the most logical approach."
Split up for the low-risk areas, stay together for the dangerous ones. Yeah, that works.
"Alright, let’s look at the time. It’s 8:00 AM now. We’ll spend until 12:00 exploring the residential districts, meet at the shopping district at 12:30, grab supplies, and then hit the school and shrine."
"Got it. Let’s get moving..."
Taiki-kun stood up from the sofa, then suddenly froze.
"What’s wrong?"
"Uh, I think I just saw one of the heroines, the upperclassman... Naoko Sudo, outside."
"Where?"
My current base of operations is a house where you can see outside from the living room. Like many modern homes, it doesn't have high walls or hedges—just a fence—so the exterior is visible. Some might think that’s bad for security, but high walls actually provide cover for burglars. Regardless of the logic, the fact that one of the heroines was right there was what mattered.
"Let’s head outside. We’ll strike up a conversation. Since the setting is that we all go to the same school, we can just ask her about that."
"Good idea. Let’s go catch her!"
We were just about to head out when... *Ding-dong.*
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We exchanged glances. We didn't know anyone in this game world. It was impossible for anyone to be visiting us...
"Is that... a solicitor?"
"Yeah, seems likely."
Regardless, we wanted to catch Naoko Sudo, so we’d just have to get rid of them quickly. I opened the front door, and—
"Hey there, Torino-kun. Happy New Year. Oh, Nakazato-kun is here too, I see."
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For some reason, the very person we were about to chase was standing right there. She was about 160cm tall, with long black hair in a ponytail, sharp eyes, and a well-balanced figure. Incidentally, all students in this world are over 18. But that aside...
"Ah, uh... Happy New Year to you, too."
"Happy New Year."
We offered the customary greeting.
"Yep. Happy New Year. Though, this is the first time we’ve met, so I guess it’s 'nice to meet you' as well."
"Uh, right. Who might you be? And why do you know who we are?"
"Huh? You didn't hear? Well, the adults seemed busy. I’m your cousin, Naoko Sudo. I’m here to show you around the town and the school today. Nice to meet you properly."
Naoko Sudo reached out to shake our hands.
"Oh, right. Nice to meet you."
"Thanks."
"Yeah. Phew, I’m glad. My mom suddenly told me to go guide two guys I didn't know, and I was pretty nervous. I’m glad you both seem polite."
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We didn't know what else to say. Sending a female student to guide two guys she’d never met? This game is way too convenient. No, this has to be Riel’s doing.
"This is probably a setup to make it easier for us to get involved in the main plot," I whispered.
"I see. In a way, isn't this a chance? We can use the tour as an excuse to gather information."
"Let’s do that. The exploration can wait."
The upperclassman heroine who seemed the hardest to approach had come to us herself. We’d better ride this wave.
"Alright, it’s cold, so let’s get started with the tour. Follow me."
We obediently followed Naoko Sudo.
"It must be tough for you two, moving right at the start of the year because of your parents' work. And changing schools, too."
"Not at all. It must be a hassle for you, Sudo-san, being asked to guide us around."
"Yeah, sorry to bother you so early in the year."
"It’s fine. I’m getting properly compensated for it, after all."
As she said that, Naoko Sudo made a circle with her thumb and index finger. In other words, she was talking about money.