But this only made Ichinose Honami realize one thing:
It was her mistake, her failure, her sin that had caused the people around her to get hurt.
The guilt and sorrow of being the guilty party almost instantly shattered her spirit.
Because of her, innocent people who had nothing to do with this had been hurt.
For Ichinose Honami, a kind-hearted girl who had been raised well, that was more painful than being punished herself.
And this person was her own mother—the very person she had committed a crime to protect in the first place.
"This is my fault."
A whisper no one heard slipped from Ichinose Honami's lips. It was a statement that made one's heart tremble.
[But I no longer have that kind of future. My life will never change again. I've already passed the few branching points before reaching this point, so all that lies ahead is a single, straight track.]
Her mother's words came back to her, and Ichinose Honami's life seemed to have become a straight road, with everything visible at a glance.
The rumors, all jumbled together, circled above the shopping mall before growing richer in detail and more dramatic, satisfying everyone's curiosity and desire to pry.
On this day, Ichinose Honami became "The Guilty."
[Story CG: The Guilty, reading complete]
Chapter 5: The Second Simulation
"A story about stealing for your family?"
"So the chapter mission's objective to change Ichinose's past is to erase this incident..."
After reading the story CG "The Guilty," Ryo had more or less pieced together the timeline and what had happened.
"The key to failing the first mission was that, in the first ten days of the game, I made almost no real progress in building a relationship with the Ichinose Family. So when something major that could affect their family happened, I had no standing to intervene."
Ryo looked over the notes he had written in his notebook.
"'Piercing Heart and Carved Bones' was basically useless. The description says it might affect the chapter's ending, but if it doesn't help the mission progress, then even a purple-tier talent isn't worth keeping."
"'Taciturn' was nothing but a drawback in this simulation. Scrapped."
"'Pooper Scooper' only attracted Ichinose's younger sister, which indirectly got me some information. But it seems I wasted several days because of it..."
"'Affinity' is useful for building trust, but at green tier, it didn't seem to get me much useful information. Though I'm not sure whether it conflicted with 'Taciturn.'"
"The key to 'Modest Assets' is whether that property actually spawns near the Ichinose home. I'm also curious how I'm supposed to get close to the mission target without a talent like this."
After mulling it over for a while, Ryo finally made up his mind.
[You chose to keep 'Modest Assets' (Blue Talent)]
[This talent has been locked in. Begin the second simulation?]
[Ding—Life Restart Simulator simulation launched.]
[Please name your character]
[Player chose random name]
[Name assigned]
[The second simulation of Chapter One will now begin.]
[Chapter: Ichinose Honami's Summer Time Rendering]
[Five talents have been drawn for the player, as follows:]
[A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold (Gold): You are incredibly lucky. You have been childhood friends with this chapter's heroine since you were young. You are both part of each other's youth, and your lives are intertwined and will never separate. No matter what happens, neither of you will abandon the other, even if you can be stubborn, shameless, or meddlesome at times. (The person who walked beside you day after day, from innocence to maturity, through school, through rumors, and through the passing years.)]
"I got a gold talent?"
[Tokyo Handsome Guy (Purple): Your personal charm has greatly increased. (This talent has certain negative effects.)]
"This purple talent looks a lot better than that incomprehensible one from last time. But that negative effect is pretty concerning."
[Protector of Flowers (Blue): You are quite skilled at protecting women. In an emergency, you will unleash unimaginable fighting power. (Let go of that girl.)]
"Hmm... I feel like even a cat would be better."
[Scion of a Prestigious Family (Blue): Your family is quite influential locally. (Reborn as the Heir to a Profligate's Fortune.)]
"Uh, what is this, some thousand-year-old family setting? A blue talent can't possibly do that, can it?"
[Younger-Woman Complex (Green): Girls younger than you are exceptionally attractive to you. (Prison-bound Male Lead.)]
"...I'll replace that one."
Although he hadn't drawn any white talents this time, the description of this green talent was just as malicious. Ryo barely gave it a second thought before using the Talent Refresh Card he had just obtained.
[Refresh the 'Younger-Woman Complex' talent?]
[Success]
[Drawing a new talent for the player]
[Congratulations! The player has obtained the 'Attracted to Younger Women' talent (Green)]
[Attracted to Younger Women (Green): You are exceptionally attractive to girls younger than you. (Prison-bound Male Lead +1)]
"This doesn't seem much different from the one before."
[Lock in the 'Modest Assets' talent]
[Modest Assets (Blue): You own an 80-square-meter property and have five million yen in savings. (The property is located in Tokyo.)]
[Talent selection complete]
[Chapter One clear objective: Find and correct the turning point in Ichinose Honami's life]
"Phew."
Ryo took a deep breath. Before starting the second simulation, he reviewed his talents once more. One gold, one purple, three blue, and one green was unquestionably much better than his previous setup of one purple, two blue, one green, and one white. On top of that, the newly drawn gold talent, A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold, practically solved the problem of earning Ichinose Honami's trust. Unless something unexpected happened, his chances of completing the mission should be much higher this time.
Ryo thought again of the CG he had just read, The Guilty. Even though he knew it was only a virtual game, he still couldn't help wanting to save her. He gave a self-deprecating smile.
Perhaps it was only because this was a game that he could occasionally have such thoughts. After all, in the reality he lived in, Ryo could barely even save himself.
[Simulation begins]
[Day One: It was July 9. Tokyo was sweltering in the early days of July. Passersby hurried along, some carrying parasols, others taking shelter from the blazing sun beneath the shadows of buildings or trees. The car's air conditioning was running at full power. After checking the time on his wristwatch, you lowered the window of the Mercedes-Benz S600 and whistled at Ichinose Honami as she came out of a chain supermarket by the roadside.]
"Why does the whole vibe feel so different all of a sudden...? Some clichéd story about a rich playboy and a hardworking girl from a poor family."
The second simulation had thrown Ryo for a loop right from the start, but it also piqued his interest. He got up again, poured himself a glass of water from the kettle, and leisurely continued reading.
[After more than a decade together, you knew Ichinose Honami—your childhood friend—inside and out. So when she mentioned a few days ago that she wanted to buy her younger sister a hair clip for her birthday, you didn't offer to pay for it. Instead, you introduced her to a cashier's job at a chain supermarket. The company's general manager was an uncle of yours, and after chatting with him for a while, Ichinose Honami officially began her part-time job.]
[You knew very well that Ichinose Honami's mother didn't want her working outside the home. She was a practical mother, serious to the point of being excessive. In her worldview, Ichinose Honami should devote all her energy to improving herself—in other words, to her schoolwork and responsibilities. She didn't need to worry about things at home. On the one hand, she was willing to take on the burden of supporting the household as a mother; on the other, she wanted her daughter to follow the path she had laid out, straight and true, without deviating in the slightest.]
[Based on your years of experience dealing with her, Kitagawa Ryo could say for certain that if Ichinose Honami did anything her mother considered a deviation from the path, she would use the crudest methods without hesitation to drag her daughter back onto the track she had laid out. That was why she had never thought much of Kitagawa Ryo's presence. Part of it was his privileged upbringing, which she feared would have a bad influence on her daughter, especially compared with the Ichinose Family's circumstances. The other part was that she saw signs of "straying from the path" in Kitagawa Ryo.]
[Straying from the path was a privilege for children from wealthy families. Poor families couldn't afford to let their children run wild. Although her mother often made pointed remarks like that to Ichinose Honami, she still couldn't stop Ichinose Honami from spending time with Kitagawa Ryo. They had grown up together; they were childhood friends.]
[On the way to take Ichinose Honami home, you chatted with her about what you had seen that day. Ichinose Honami mentioned that she'd received a flyer for the Fireworks Festival being held next month. After a brief discussion, you decided that unlike in previous years, the two of you would go watch the fireworks alone together this year.]
[The car soon stopped outside the Ichinose home. Until last year, you had lived across the street from the Ichinose Family, but for reasons that were hard to explain, you had moved out this year. Ichinose Honami invited you inside, but you waved her off. You and Ichinose's mother disagreed on some fundamental things. It hadn't reached the point where you couldn't stand the sight of each other, but both of you consciously avoided meeting to keep Ichinose Honami from feeling awkward.]
[You agreed to come pick Ichinose Honami up again tomorrow, then had the chauffeur drive away.]
[Day Two: After dropping Ichinose Honami off at work, you found yourself with nothing to do. You clearly remembered that Ichinose Honami's birthday was on July 20, two days after Ichinose Maki's. But unlike her younger sister, who was thirteen and still looked forward to birthday presents, Ichinose Honami—two years older—had stopped being curious about them when she was seven. Your relationship with Ichinose Honami had long since gone beyond exchanging birthday gifts. You naturally shared your lives with each other, giving one another small, inexpensive but thoughtful things on ordinary days. The Buddhist bead bracelet on your left wrist, for instance, was a gift from Ichinose Honami one day last year. She had threaded the beads together herself, one by one.]
[When she went out in the rain, she carried the big black umbrella you had given her. The alarm clock she had given you went off by your bedside every morning. The white cat you had raised together had died of old age and been buried in the park where you played as children. When you wanted to give her another white cat of the same breed, she had said, "There'll never be another cat exactly like it. One was enough." So you had given that cat to her younger sister as a gift one year. The little thing should still be growing up healthy.]
[Without realizing it, you had wandered into a department store. You spent a long time looking through the accessories section before finding the hair clip in the style she wanted. A price of over ten thousand yen wasn't much to you, but Ichinose Honami wouldn't let you give it to her younger sister as a birthday present. In a way, Ichinose Honami had been raised very well by her mother. She also practiced what she preached, teaching her younger sister a healthy and positive attitude toward money. You didn't dislike the way Ichinose Honami handled things. On the contrary, you approved of and respected her.]
[Day Three: You received a text from your junior, Hirata Yosuke, this morning. He and Ichinose Honami were both in their third year of middle school, while you were a year older. The private middle school Hirata Yosuke attended was one of your family's businesses, and you had graduated from it yourself. You had met Hirata Yosuke because of a bullying incident at school. His friend had suffered prolonged bullying and chosen to jump off a building. If you hadn't happened to be there and grabbed his ankle, he would at the very least have been left paralyzed. After learning what had happened, you acted swiftly to stamp out the school's misconduct. This not only prevented a scandal from getting out, but also earned Hirata Yosuke's utter admiration. All in all, he was a junior you got along with fairly well.]
[As expected, Hirata Yosuke had contacted you to invite you to play in a soccer match at the school. You had been the student council president and captain of the soccer club, and although you had graduated half a year ago, you still had considerable influence. According to Hirata Yosuke, this friendly match was being held jointly with the soccer club from a neighboring school. He hoped you would come back and lead the team, since the rules didn't forbid graduates from playing.]
[You happened to have nothing much to do over the next couple of days, so you readily agreed to Hirata Yosuke's request.]
[That evening, when you picked Ichinose Honami up, you asked if she wanted to come watch the match. Ichinose Honami hesitated and said she'd go if work ended early. You could have secretly arranged for her to get off early, but knowing how honest she was—she believed you should be paid for the work you did—you decided against interfering. You just smiled and told her it was fine.]
[Day Four: You returned to your old school's field after a long absence. Hirata Yosuke, the current captain of the soccer club, jogged over and introduced you to the new members and freshmen. The friendly soccer match seemed to be on a much larger scale than you had expected. Perhaps because it was summer vacation, students from your school and the neighboring one had nearly filled the stands. There were even banners from both schools and organized cheerleading squads.]
[Your excellent stamina and refined technique quickly made you the center of attention, but the other team was strong too. After being caught off guard at first when you cut through their defense for a goal and an assist, they quickly changed their strategy and put more players on you. By the end of the first half, the score was two to one, with your team holding a slight lead.]
[During halftime, members of both schools' cheerleading squads began performing. Amid the crowd's cheers, you replied to Ichinose Honami's text—"I'm off work. I'll be there soon"—and noticed one girl in the opposing team's cheer squad moving stiffly and looking uneasy. You quietly memorized her appearance.]
[The two schools clashed fiercely again in the second half, but in the end, your last-minute winning goal gave your team a five-to-four victory. Amid the jubilant celebrations, one of your team's forwards confessed to a girl in the stands in front of everyone. As the crowd laughed and chanted, "Say yes! Say yes!", you watched, amused, as he staged an unconventional confession. Swept up in the atmosphere, the girl blushed and accepted.]
[Amid the chaotic excitement, many students made confessions—some sincere, some not. You had just changed out of the soccer uniform and were about to head to the stands to find Ichinose Honami when you ran into a crowd jostling its way over. It was the opposing school's cheerleading squad. Their bright yellow outfits had caught the attention of plenty of spectators.]
[The girl leading them practically dragged one of the squad members over and pushed her in front of you with a grin. She cheerfully announced that someone wanted to confess to you. The people around you erupted at once, and in an instant, the gaze of half the soccer field turned toward you.]
[The girl who had been shoved forward was the same one you had noticed during halftime. You were certain you had never interacted with her before today.]
"I, I... like you. Please go out with me."
[The words came from her trembling lips, broken and barely recognizable as a confession. She kept her head bowed low, her back bent almost ninety degrees. You noticed the girls around her chattering loudly about "the ugly girl getting all lovesick" and "a toad trying to eat swan meat." You immediately realized this was a form of school bullying.]
[You had dealt with this kind of thing a year earlier. You knew the girls' tactics well. Forcing a victim to confess to a boy she disliked, the messiest boy in class, or the most popular boy in the grade was a common tactic.]
"Hey, senpai, what do you think? Are you going to accept Karuizawa's confession?"
[They were impatient for the entertainment they expected to follow.]
[You remembered a conversation you had once had with Ichinose Honami about school bullying.]
"If you see someone being bullied at school, you can no longer escape being involved.
"Because to the victim, a bystander—the so-called third party—is no different from the perpetrators—"
"They're one and the same."
So you accepted her confession.
[Story CG unlocked: False Love]
[False Love: An intense, dizzying feeling is not proof that love exists. It only shows how lonely and bored those men and women had been beforehand.]
[Read this story CG? (It may help with your next steps in the game.)]
Chapter 6: False Love (Part One)
"Hey, Yosuke, this doesn't look much like a friendly match."
Dressed in his team uniform and loosening up his ankles, Kitagawa Ryo looked at Hirata Yosuke standing beside him and spoke with a touch of exasperation. The other boy hadn't mentioned anything like this over the phone.
"Actually, they were the ones who started it. But we had to make use of our home-field advantage too. Then we put the word out that senpai was going to play, and things turned out like this."
Hirata Yosuke scratched his cheek awkwardly. The crowd really had exceeded his expectations. Students and graduates from both schools, even some teachers, along with the cheerleading squads from both sides, had nearly filled the stands. People were even crowding the aisles to peer inside.
"Did you take care of safety measures? Did everyone get the emergency response manual and evacuation procedures?"
Kitagawa Ryo had graduated from the school barely half a year ago, but giving orders still came naturally to him.
"We've already arranged for student council members to maintain order. The team you left behind has quite an impressive work ethic, senpai."
"They've earned that themselves."
Bending down to tighten his shoelaces, Kitagawa Ryo led the team onto the field.
"Let's go."
Just three minutes into the match, Kitagawa Ryo took advantage of a mistake in the other team's passing to snatch the ball just past midfield. Without missing a beat, he surged forward.
The spectators naturally turned their attention to Kitagawa Ryo as soon as they saw him dribbling, eager to see whether this impossibly handsome senpai had soccer skills to match his looks.
Although he hadn't played in a while, Kitagawa Ryo instinctively lifted his left foot and nudged the ball half a meter forward with the inside of his foot. He stepped out with his right foot to brace himself, drew his left leg back, then quickly struck the underside of the ball with the instep.
The soccer ball lifted off from the left wing, about ten meters from the halfway line, and sailed diagonally across the field, straight toward the right side of the attacking line.
For an instant, at least a thousand pairs of eyes seemed to be glued to the ball. Just as it was about to hit the ground, Hirata Yosuke came sprinting up at full speed, closing visibly on its landing point.
The opposing defender, who had fallen behind because of his explosive acceleration, could only grit his teeth and chase after him. But he had still underestimated the coordination between Kitagawa Ryo and Hirata Yosuke.
Back when Kitagawa Ryo was captain of the soccer club, he and Hirata Yosuke had already developed excellent chemistry. Now that they were back on the field together, this precise long pass had been made in exactly the way Hirata Yosuke was most accustomed to.
"What a pass! Hirata Yosuke's through on goal!"
The club's instructor, who had been specially invited to commentate, shouted himself hoarse.
For spectators who didn't understand the rules, soccer was mostly just something to watch for fun: one side tried to kick the ball into the other side's goal. And now Hirata Yosuke was charging straight at the opposing goal with the ball. This obvious attacking play made every spectator hold their breath.
Before you continue