Episode 157: "Heart-Pounding Love Story ☆ Innocent Academy – Girls Everywhere, Right and Left"
"You've made it this far.
This will be the final trial within the 'Master Dungeon.'
The fact that this game is loaded means... you're lucky.
'Game #4' is the easiest challenge among all the works I've created.
But don't think it's easy.
Prepare yourself accordingly."
After that somewhat elaborate introduction, 'Tokiime Koi Monogatari☆Seijun Gakuen ~Right and Left Full of Cute Girls~' began.
I placed the notepad I'd brought just in case beside me and started the game.
"My name is Sanada Yoshio. Seventeen years old. Just an ordinary high school boy."
Summarizing the scenario of 'Tokikoi' which began with such a line,
The protagonist of this story, Sanada Yoshio, is a third-year high school student who has recently transferred to Seijun Gakuen, a private school with integrated middle and high school education. Though he isn't particularly skilled in sports or academics, his goal by graduation is to somehow manage to fall in love with high-caliber girls, share kisses with them, and even get involved in more intimate moments.
That's it.
"Content-wise, it's pretty standard, isn't it?"
"...Oh. Really?"
"Gambling Expert," you seem to play video games reasonably well, but this genre appears to be outside your specialty.
"The main heroines to be攻略ed are four—first, your childhood friend with red hair, then a petite blonde with a tsundere personality. Next, a cool-looking girl with blue hair, and finally, a serious, responsible type with green hair, the class president."
The game's premise is simple: choose from several options regarding that day's activities, raise the protagonist's stats (stamina, intelligence, charm), and progress through romantic events with the female characters...
"This is a bit of a passion project of mine. I spent a lot of time perfecting the script. I'd really appreciate it if you'd take a close look at it."
At that moment, the "Gambling Master" furrowed his brow intensely,
"……Is that so? Then why do all these girls act like they're in heat, like cats in rut?"
"W-what... in heat...?"
"I mean, normally, girls don't usually come on to guys this aggressively, right?"
"Eh? S-sure... is that how it is?"
Hey, En, you're slipping—your true self's showing.
"Anyway, what's the point of making this game in the first place?"
"……I was hoping to release it someday as a doujin game."
"Did you make it with selling in mind?"
"Well, at first, yeah."
"Yet, I don't see any sales potential. Products like this, with that recycled feel, aren't going to sell without a more catchy element, are they?"
"Catchy? …Like, specifically what kind of thing?"
"Beats me. That's your job to figure out."
"I know, but we're creators—we've already thought about all that and ended up here…"
"That's exactly the point—those ideas don't come across at a glance."
"…………"
"…………"
Have we somehow ended up with a tense atmosphere between these two?
An awkward silence stretches on, broken only by the sound of mouse clicks—click, click, click, click.
"So, then—how's it going? How long do you think it'll take to clear it?"
"That's still a bit early. We've just finished the prologue, after all."
After this, it's just a matter of adjusting the protagonist's stats based on the information we've gathered so far, and raising the heroine's affection level.
"The real question is, which character should we target?"
"Let's just go for the easiest one first."
"I understand. In that case, this blonde girl over here seems like the best option."
"Really? From what I can see, the redheaded childhood friend looks way easier."
"Tsk tsk... Characters like this cute, classic heroine type often have hidden pitfalls. What you thought was a safe choice turns out to be wrong, or the stats needed to romance them are unexpectedly high."
"Hmm?"
"Besides, this blonde girl is absolutely adorable. I just want to pet her. Don't you think so?"
"...You're just being selfish, you idiot."
Even though I had kindly answered his question, the "Gambler" man kept a stern expression the whole time.
What's wrong? Is he upset that I took the bet without his permission?
Well, it's too late to worry about that now.
"...Hmm. It seems the blonde little girl is a typical tsundere. Her hobby is collecting stuffed animals. Her preference for cute faces is probably just a reflection of her own complex about looking younger than she actually is..."
"So, if I focus on boosting the 'Charisma' stat, and keep giving plushie-type items, I should be able to lower it, right?"
"Exactly. In fact, it seems we don't need to put much effort into studying or exercising."
I continue advancing through the game, carefully adjusting the protagonist's schedule to maximize the 'Charisma' stat.
But.
It's still early—early in the early stages.
Only a few days after the game began,
"...Wait?"
A strange event has occurred.
"Too bad! The blonde girl has already found a boyfriend! You can no longer pursue her!" (A single illustration showing a mysterious man dragging the blonde girl into a love hotel)
"Boyfriend...?"
A moment of stunned silence.
"Wait... did we mess up?"
"It seems so."
"So what now? Should we restart?"
"No. Let's just aim for another girl instead."
Yet, the abnormal situation continues.
"Too bad! The blue-haired girl has a boyfriend now! It's impossible to win her over from now on!" (A single illustration showing a mysterious man dragging the blue-haired girl into a love hotel)
What's that supposed to be?
I grimaced.
"Having two heroines disappear within just a week of starting..."
Games with this kind of arbitrary, unreasonable difficulty are common in indie titles.
"Um, uh... what's this...?"
"I told you, it's not that easy to clear."
"...Hohooh."
I gave Enzan a cold stare for a moment. Shy as ever, he was drenched in sweat from head to toe.
"…Well then, I'll give you one hint—there's a certain secret hidden in this game."
"A secret? What kind?"
"I can't tell you. I'd rather you find it yourselves."
...Hmm.
That advice feels like it's saying something, yet at the same time, it's not really saying anything at all.
"Can't you just tell us, no matter what?"
The Gambler murmurs softly.
"Well, you see..."
"Absolutely... not, huh?"
A shiver runs through me.
Right beside me, something—something unseen—has just happened.
I can't quite put it into words, but there's an overwhelming pressure in the Gambler's words.
There was a feeling—something like I must never take her words lightly.
It was obvious she was using some kind of skill.
"………Ugh. So unbearable…."
En's expression, as she responded, was pale.
I recognized the skill the Gambler had just used.
——"Negotiation (Death God Rank)."
I'd heard it was a skill that imposed compulsion on questions and negotiations, but this was the first time I'd ever actually seen it in use.
"...I'm currently using a certain skill. So even if something goes wrong, isn't there nothing we can do about it? Isn't that just how it is?"
En was silent for a moment, his face twisted in concentration.
But eventually, he spat out the words like mud:
"...No. I can't tell you. It's a promise... no matter what..."
"Is that so."
At the same time, her dark, oppressive aura vanished.
"Then, I guess there's nothing else I can do."
After that, the "Gambling Master" casually said:
"Let's take it step by step—right, 'Warrior'?"