Episode 159: A Secret Message

"If our means of communication is ever lost...

Don't worry♪ I'll definitely leave you a message☆"

"It's fine. It won't be something hard to understand♪ — You'll surely notice it."

Looking back, that was the last message I ever received from Haruna.

Even now, still clinging to secrecy.

...Back then, I thought that was just how she was.

(Now I see, she was being considerate of me all along.)

A look of bitter resignation mixed into the gambler's expression.

It seemed he’d once again made another debt to that goth-loli girl.

While pretending to casually glance at the PC screen, the gambler's mind raced, decoding the message from Haruna.

The warrior didn't notice. Neither did the watcher, the "King."

The only one who noticed was the "cardsharp" who wielded deception.

"The Master Dungeon's" final challenge: "Game #4."

Among the text, a few characters stood out with a different font size.

It was a subtle difference, barely noticeable under normal circumstances—but the gambler spotted the variation and deciphered the hidden message.

(‘ko’… ‘re’… ‘wo’… ‘yo’… ‘n’… ‘de’…)

"If you're reading this, that means we've lost contact, doesn't it?"

As you say.

Ever since the 'King' started watching me closely—since that moment, I've been unable to reach Haruna.

(Or maybe she's already been taken.)

The gambler, careful not to let anyone nearby detect even the slightest shift in emotion, let out a quiet sigh.

At that moment,

"Alright! We just took the good ending route, right?!"

The warrior's cheers erupted, cutting off thought.

"Man, this is deeper than I expected. It feels less like a dating simulation and more like chess."

"Right?"

"Who would've thought the guy lounging around in the background art was actually Makoto-san...!"

"Hinting at things in the prologue—whether you notice the characters not shown from Sanada's perspective is what sets up the clues."

...That's what makes it fun, above all.

The "warrior" who'd just learned the game's mechanics was on an incredible roll.

At first thought to be the story's protagonist, Sanada Yoshio is now nothing but a scumbag, despised by every female character he encounters.

"Kukekekeke! It's too late to try fixing things with your childhood friend now! Everyone thinks you're just a dirty stalker bastard, after all!"

Ignoring his companion, who was fixated on conquering the heroine with a bloodshot expression, I continued reading the message from Haruna.

('S'... 'S'... 'E'... 'Y'... 'E'... 'N'... 'S'...)

'Sasagiku and Ena think you have enough power to overthrow the 'King.' Unfortunately, I don't share that belief.'

Progress on the game and decryption of the cipher had been going smoothly.

"Hahahaha, I can't take it anymore! If it's come to this, I'll send you straight to hell!...Fall into the cesspool, you bastard!"

Satoru, overwhelmed with nervousness in front of his red-haired parents, ends up accidentally releasing a torrent of feces like a landslide.

Satoru discovers that the stuffed toy given to him with golden hair is stuffed entirely with tightly curled hair.

Satoru, beaten up by a group of elementary schoolers right in front of his blue-haired classmate, has his pants—and underwear—ripped off along with them.

Satoru, caught red-handed with a collection of erotic manga that leaned a little too heavily on youthful indiscretion.

The "Warrior" had long since become a shadowy embodiment of malice, eagerly working to bring Satoru down.

Still, moving forward meant doing just that. It was a brutal game.

Even so, the "Gambler" remained intensely focused on deciphering messages from Haruna throughout it all.

('su'... 'de'... 'ni'... 'tsu'... 'ta'... 'e'... 'ta'...)

"I already conveyed the strategy, but I still feel one move is missing to take down the 'King'.

That's why 'The Gambler'. I'll give you one more ace up your sleeve, a final twist of fate."

A final twist, huh.

Just like Shunna to think that way.

('ka'... 'gi'... 'ni'... 'na'... 'ru'... 'no'... 'wa'...)

"The key lies in the skill you've been hiding all along."

"Operation of Fate."

You know, don't you? You can't keep living with "the warrior (her)" while keeping everything a secret.

Of course, I understand.

But that's the end of it.

So, once again—she returns to solitude.

Facing the dirtied state of my own heart.

▼

Please don't take it the wrong way, Sanada-kun... The truth is, this is just my sweet little blonde-haired girl getting punished for repeatedly, and repeatedly, being devoured... Fhahaha...

At this moment, "Tokikoi" had spread across the entire school that Sanada-kun's favorite thing—a beautiful girl's behind—was now infested with a parasitic worm, thanks to a warrior's scheme.

"Ha! You worm-eater, you!"

The warrior, now wearing a dark smile unlike his usual self.

Apparently, this guy is one of those who gets deeply immersed in games. Given how he didn’t even notice the area had become overrun with zombies while focused on gameplay, it’s hardly surprising.

"Goodbye, Sanada-kun. It’s not your fault—but your extraordinary charm is what’s to blame..."

The image displayed on screen shows a single illustration of Sanada-kun, during his school trip, "accidentally" losing his footing and nearly falling off a cliff.

The choices are:

『1. Save him』

『2. Pretend not to see』

『3. Actively push him off』

Of course, the "warrior" will choose option 『3. Actively push him off』.

She had been meticulously planning this murder for this very day.

"Then,... this is the final blow! Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Wait."

At that moment, the "Gambler" grabbed his partner's hand just as it was about to press the Enter key.

"...Wah!...What the hell are you doing? Stop interfering! I was just about to do it at the perfect moment!"

"Come on, calm down."

Soothing his friend.

"Just got a sudden revelation. Choosing '3' here is a bad idea."

"Revelation?"

The "Warrior" stared in utter confusion.

Meanwhile, the stout man standing right nearby—“Dungeon Master” Nakamichi En, wore an expression of relief.

Exactly.

It seemed that the reason he had deliberately guided the “Warrior” here was to make him read a secret message.

"Remember your original purpose. The game's victory condition wasn't to send Shinya-kun to hell, was it?"

"Wait... was that right?"

The “Warrior” stared, utterly stunned.

Sometimes I wonder if this guy might actually be an idiot.

"It's about reaching a good ending with one of the heroines." Just looking at you, you've been treating the heroines like they don't matter at all.

"…I can't help it, can I? If I don't, it'll just spiral into an NTR scenario right away."

"I understand how you feel. But isn't it about time you faced the heroine head-on?"

But if I don't completely destroy him now, who knows when we'll be struck by tragedy again...

The gambler seized the mouse without hesitation,

Trust me. This is the place—

1. Help

Select.

What if that were the case?

An overly dramatic background music played, and wasn't it真田-kun who reluctantly began expressing his gratitude?

"Thank you, thank you! Lately, I've been going through nothing but bad luck—I was even thinking I might as well give up and die. But thanks to you, I've found the courage to keep living!"

Then, the heroines, hidden behind the rocks, stepped out and clapped enthusiastically, praising the protagonist.

"We've been watching the whole time! Helping someone like you, a real perverted scumbag, shows just how kind you truly are!"

"Awesome!"

"Manly!"

"Get married!"

And then—plunging into the happy ending with overwhelming momentum.

The warrior, after a brief moment of stiffness,

"Uhh... I can't accept this... this ending... seriously..."

He gave a forced smile. It was understandable—after all, this script was probably hastily thrown together.

But he couldn't explain that here and now.

"Stop worrying about the details. It's just a crappy doujin game, right?"

Under the eyes of the "Dungeon Master" who answered, dark circles from a sleepless night were clearly visible.

"Y-yeah... hehehehe..."

He let out a weak, forced laugh.