There Must Be Something Wrong with Seeking Reality in a Virtual World (Continued)

"It's the boy you met before, President."

"I know."

Horikita Manabu nodded, pondered for a moment, and then stood up and said:

"Once the First Year students return, let's add him to the Student Council."

"Eh, President? But didn't the Student Council recruitment already end? Ichinose- Ichinose First Year."

Tachibana Akane asked, somewhat surprised.

As the highest-ranking club in Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, the Student Council has some ability to set rules. Therefore, the recruitment of new members for the Student Council has always been done with great care. This year in particular, the First Year was not planned to be recruited under the instruction of Horikita Manabu. However, Vice President Nagumo took the initiative and forcibly recruited Ichinose Honami Class B.

Hearing Horikita Manabu suddenly say that someone else should join the Student Council at this time, Tachibana Akane shook her head in confusion:

"It's not allowed according to the rules; we'll have to wait until next year's recruitment."

However, Tachibana Akane also knows that by this time next year, the two of them will have graduated and left, and the Student Council will undoubtedly be controlled by the currently popular vice president Miyabi Nagumo.

"No problem. I had already recruited them back then, but I just didn't make it public. All the procedures and documents are complete."

Horikita Manabu calmly explained, his eyes behind his glasses gazing at the azure sky:

"He is the game-changer."

The image of his first meeting with the other person, and the contract he made with Kitagawa Ryo, flashed through his mind.

As the Student Council, Horikita Manabu views Kitagawa Ryo as a trump card against Miyabi Nagumo.

Horikita Manabu, as the older brother, also hopes that he can change his younger sister, Horikita Suzune.

From every perspective, there is no one more suitable than Kitagawa Ryo.

It was 7 PM. In Kitagawa Ryo's room, Kitagawa Ryo and Ryuen Kakeru were idly pressing buttons on a retro game screen while chatting casually.

"As expected of the game you chose, Ryuen, it's brimming with nostalgia."

Kitagawa Ryo stared at the game's homepage, which was made up of pixels, with the game's name— Dungeons & Dragons —at the very center.

"From the name to the visuals, it's like something from the last century."

Ishizaki Daichi was initially very interested in participating in the games, but after watching the scene for a while, he became bored and looked away. In the end, he called Yamada to go swimming with him. It's amazing that they can swim for so long without getting tired of it.

But maybe this guy went to the pool to look at the girls' swimsuits.

Lost in thought, Kitagawa Ryo leaned back lazily in his seat and turned to look at Ryuen Kakeru:

"Open it."

"Although the game is a bit old, as one of the originators of RPG games, I personally still think the story is quite good."

Skillfully maneuvering the little figure into the maze, and having passed two Special Exam, Ryuen Kakeru smiled with relief, realizing that there would be no more surprise attacks on the school.

"Fighting takes place in multi-layered dungeons, constantly searching for treasures and equipment to strengthen yourself, and finally seizing the ultimate treasure from the boss deep underground."

After glancing at the description on the back of the game box, Kitagawa Ryo also curled the corners of his mouth:

"This plot is really... a pretty classic development."

The game system looks extremely complex and is not very beginner-friendly, but according to Ryuen Kakeru, you'll get used to it after playing it a few times and then you won't be able to stop playing. That's why Ryuen Kakeru invited Kitagawa Ryo to play the game together tonight.

The full story isn't directly revealed in the game; rather, it's gradually deduced from the monsters' dialogue and item descriptions. As a result, the game was highly praised for its storyline back in the day.

The prologue screen on the computer has ended, and a pixelated image of a group of adventurers gathered in a tavern has appeared:

"Alright, hurry up and create characters to form a team."

"I didn't expect it to actually be possible to play online..."

After making a subtle comment, Kitagawa Ryo casually created a character and joined the server that Ryuen Kakeru had already set up.

While waiting for the game to log in, Kitagawa Ryo picked up the juice next to him and took a sip:

"It feels like it's been ages since I played games with you, Ryuen?"

"After all, we used to just start fighting right away."

Ryuen Kakeru gave a casual reply.

After the team was formed, the screen gradually faded out, and text slowly appeared:

"Adventurers, until now, you have been indulging in sweet dreams, merely wasting your lives."

"However, from this moment on, you will embark on your true journey. No matter what path you choose, there will be an ending waiting for you ahead, and whether it is good or bad, it will change your Fate..."

"The brave adventurers of the last round ventured to the deepest part of the earth, but they did not return alive. I hope you can do it."

Subconsciously, they read the words aloud. As the solemn background music played, the opening scene, which from their current perspective was nothing more than a poor pixel art, left a strong impression on the two of them, as if a vast and boundless labyrinth had already unfolded before their eyes.

However, just to enjoy the storyline, the monotonous RPG gameplay of finding enemies, fighting, and searching for treasure chests became too tedious after a while, so the two of them only tried it out briefly before Ryuen Kakeru used software he had downloaded online to quickly level up their characters to the maximum level.

The story unfolds smoothly and effortlessly, with the main plot progressing smoothly. I must say, the writing is truly impressive, with excellent word choice and phrasing.

"They're here..."

The game's art style abruptly shifts to a battle scene, with a powerful and somber background music signaling the arrival of the penultimate boss, the "Knight of Time."

However, in just three minutes, this boss with its cool entrance fell to the two players who had already reached the maximum level.

As the cave in the game screen collapsed, the final boss, the Red Dragon, appeared before the group. At Ryuen Kakeru's meaningful suggestion, Kitagawa Ryo also saved his game.

With a powerful critical strike, the final boss, the Red Dragon, fell to the ground, and the badge representing the honor of the strongest adventurer slowly floated up on its corpse.

Immediately afterward, under Kitagawa Ryo's somewhat incredulous gaze, the game's story continued, with the main characters, who had seemed incredibly close throughout the adventure, beginning to kill each other, all for the sake of that one and only honor.

"They're all dead..."

Kitagawa Ryo spoke in a low voice, "In this ending, everyone and the red dragon lie quietly on the ground; there are no victors."

"Okay, let's load the save file."

Knowing this plot point was already in mind, Ryuen Kakeru quickly called Kitagawa Ryo, who was still savoring the ending, to load a save file, and the scene returned to the moment when the red dragon appeared.

"What's going on?"

The red dragon, whose strength had suddenly increased several times compared to the previous level, easily wiped out the two-person team whose stats were already maxed out, even though everyone was equipped with top-tier gear.

"It's probably just the author's twisted sense of humor."

Sad music begins to play, the screen gradually disappears, and the credits start playing.

Ryuen Kakeru tossed the controller aside and leaned back in his computer chair.

"Either defeat the red dragon and fight among yourselves, or perish in its jaws. Why must the ending of the story be perfect? Perhaps the difficulties suddenly become many times greater, or perhaps internal disagreements arise. Who can say for sure?"

He put his arms behind his head:

"These are the exact words spoken by the game's creator during an interview."

Kitagawa Ryo stretched his aching neck, shook his head, and sighed:

"So, did this author suffer some kind of trauma in the past to write this kind of plot? Also, this main character group's friendship is practically nonexistent."

Ryuen Kakeru smiled, reopened the game page, and chose to restart the game. The prologue text had now changed to:

"In the last round, the brave adventurers Kitagawa Ryo and Ryuen Kakeru ventured to the deepest part of the earth, but they didn't come back alive. I hope you can do it."

"A reincarnation-themed work, right? Will the ending be different this time?"

Slightly intrigued, Kitagawa Ryo asked while sipping his juice.

In response to Kitagawa Ryo's question, Ryuen Kakeru casually created a new character, dragged the story to its end, zoomed in on Kitagawa Ryo, and whistled:

"See for yourself."

The main characters arrived at the lowest level and saw the corpses of everyone and the red dragon from the previous save file. They guessed what had happened here, so they laughed and mocked the friendship of these people. Then they took the treasure that represented the highest honor and returned to the town in glory, receiving the congratulations and love of the residents.

Although their names are still Kitagawa Ryo and Ryuen Kakeru, they seem like completely different people.

Last time, they fought each other to the death; this time, they fought side by side until victory.

What if we did it again?

Kitagawa Ryo asked with great interest.

"Each of the two branches has a probability of about fifty percent."

Ryuen Kakeru explained:

"They could be enemies, or they could be close friends."

Pixelated flowers are scattered on the streets, and the NPCs in the game sing and dance around the protagonists, celebrating their completion of the dungeon.

So, is this happy ending the real ending?

"No."

Ryuen Kakeru shook his head. He opened the system menu, selected to exit the game, and clicked confirm, but the game screen continued to play.

The protagonist group, now out of control, stood frozen in the middle of the street. The NPCs who had just been cheering for them—the town mayor who issued the quest, the weapon shop owner who sold equipment, the general store merchant, and the apothecary—all walked up to them and skillfully stripped the players of their equipment, treasures, and potions.

Then, the main characters were immediately thrown into an abyss, and each of them shouted at the screen:

"Get out, you stranger!"

After doing all this, they returned to their respective posts. The mayor stood on the street, the merchants went back to their places and put up their discount signs again. Everyone had a smile on their face, as if they were waiting for the next group of adventurers to arrive.

During the playback, the image flickered and became increasingly eerie, making the originally majestic Victory Symphony sound somewhat unsettling.

"Is it a game about breaking down walls?"

Despite being an incredibly crude pixel game, the story presentation truly moved Kitagawa Ryo.

"The main characters are merely projections of our real-life counterparts. To the NPCs in the game, they are naturally aliens. Once they've achieved what they wanted, they won't have any goodwill towards us."

Ryuen Kakeru shrugged and smiled at Kitagawa Ryo, saying:

"Don't players almost never see the characters in games as equals to themselves?"

"..."

"There might be players like that too."

"I can only find solace in virtual games."

Kitagawa Ryo propped his head up with his right hand and looked at the screen, the bizarre and distorted images reflected in his dark pupils.

"If only you had been there."

It was clearly a nonsensical remark, but Ryuen Kakeru seemed to understand Kitagawa Ryo's meaning, and for the first time, he answered with some distress:

"Yeah, I've thought about it many times. If I had been there back then, many of the things that happened afterward wouldn't have happened, and perhaps your relationship with Karuizawa and Shiina wouldn't have turned out this way."

"Actually, I don't know why you acted that way back then. You shouldn't be an impulsive person."

Kitagawa Ryo wiggled his fingers, the viscous sensation of blood seeming to surge up again in an instant:

"Perhaps Karuizawa and I are very similar in some ways."

"You may not have had any friends before, but you weren't bullied at school either, were you?"

Ryuen Kakeru looked at Kitagawa Ryo suspiciously. Ever since the Werewolf game ended, he had felt that the other party was acting strangely, otherwise he wouldn't have forced him to play games to relax.

"... Who knows?"

Kitagawa Ryo casually crossed his legs and replied.

He clenched his five fingers into a fist, and could feel the explosive power contained within it. Even when he fought against Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who had succeeded in the White Room, he was not at a disadvantage.

"Isn't it a bit strange to seek reality in a virtual world?"

Kitagawa Ryo's sudden question startled Ryuen Kakeru, who looked at Kitagawa Ryo with a strange expression.

"Is the reason you haven't accepted her feelings because you've fallen for a character in anime?"

I can't be bothered to talk to you.

Kitagawa Ryo pursed his lips and lay back down on the bed.

Everything felt so real, including the image of my friend looking at me with concern.

The glass of chilled juice on the table was covered with water droplets, and the ice cubes inside jingled.

If he closes his eyes and calms his mind, he can hear the sea breeze and the sound of waves outside the window; he is on a Luxury Cruise Ship sailing on the boundless sea.

If he so desires, he can step out of his room right now, where a spacious swimming pool, a variety of upscale restaurants, and a privately-serviced spa await his visit.