The early morning sunlight streamed through the hospital room window. Wu Qiao looked at the warm breakfast that had been placed in his hands, then at Ichinose Honami, sitting by his bed with a serious expression. He was honestly at a loss for words.
As he slowly unwrapped his chopsticks, he patiently listened while she recounted everything that had happened the day before, along with Horikita Manabu's invitation to join the Student Council.
"So," Wu Qiao said, taking a bite of his sandwich and looking at her in confusion, "why are you asking me? You can make this decision yourself."
Ichinose Honami's gaze softened considerably. She shook her head gently and said, "Wu-kun, I want to hear your opinion. I'd like you to answer three questions."
She held up two fingers, her tone solemn. "First, should I join the Student Council? Second, if I do, what should I watch out for?"
Wu Qiao froze for a moment, then couldn't help pointing out, "Hey, hey, those are obviously two questions, aren't they?"
"Please answer first." Ichinose Honami ignored his protest, her eyes filled with a determination that brooked no refusal.
Wu Qiao sighed helplessly, set down his breakfast, and leaned against the headboard as he thought it over. "Since Horikita Manabu personally invited you, then go for it. It's a good opportunity. As for what to watch out for... Miyabi Nagumo."
At the name, Ichinose Honami's lashes trembled slightly. She didn't seem particularly surprised, only smiled faintly. "As I thought, Wu-kun, you probably know even more than I expected."
She took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind, then softly asked the last question she had kept in her heart. "Then, my final question. How did we first meet? And what kind of person am I in your eyes?"
Wu Qiao's mouth twitched. He swallowed the words he had been about to say. "Those are obviously two questions, too. And that's a huge leap."
"Please answer." Ichinose Honami folded her hands over her knees and leaned forward slightly, her clear eyes fixed intently on him. "You have to be completely honest."
Watching the girl's earnest, almost stubborn expression, Wu Qiao fell silent for a moment. He avoided Ichinose Honami's penetrating gaze and turned to look out at the blue sky, his voice growing distant, yet carrying an oddly firm conviction.
"Long before you realized it, a very, very long time ago, I already knew you."
He paused, then turned back to meet Ichinose Honami's gaze. "You're kind, Ichinose. But sometimes, you're really too kind."
A brief silence fell over the hospital room.
Ichinose Honami didn't press him any further. She slowly closed her eyes, and her mind involuntarily returned to what that boy had said to her in the simulated world.
"I fell for Ichinose Honami before we ever met."
So the moment he had fallen for her was even earlier than she had imagined—so early that, before she had even noticed, someone had already been watching her from afar.
But just how long ago was that?
There was no need to ask. She didn't need to know.
She opened her eyes again. A faint mist welled in them, yet a relieved, tender smile curved her lips. "Thank you, Wu-kun. I think I know what to do now."
Ichinose Honami sat in a corner of the Class B classroom, surrounded by a group of boys who were usually all laughter and jokes but now sat ramrod straight. She took a deep breath, her expression resolute, as if she were burning her bridges, and approached several of the class's well-known veteran GalGame players.
She had no choice. If she relied on her own brain and tried to simulate everything herself, she was afraid she'd end up going down the wrong path again. After all, in those bizarre simulated lives, the endings she and Wu Qiao reached were always full of regrets and uncontrollable variables.
And so Class B's class representative, Ichinose Honami, made the boys in her class the people she would humbly seek advice from. Seeing their usually gentle, kind, and academically accomplished class rep earnestly asking them for tips on clearing a GalGame, the boys were so shocked their jaws nearly hit the floor.
"Ahem, Class Rep, you... you're sure you want to ask about this?" A boy in glasses pushed up his frames, looking utterly incredulous.
"I'm sure." Ichinose Honami nodded firmly, her gaze utterly serious. "Please help me. Just think of it as... a very serious tactical review."
So they wouldn't be confused, Ichinose Honami presented her simulated experiences to them as game endings she had already reached.
"Let's say," she began after clearing her throat, "the male lead is a book-loving, harmless-looking pushover, but he's actually very deep. Under external pressure, his personality can slide in all kinds of extreme directions. The heroine—the character the player controls—has a strong sense of morality and justice and hopes to become friends with everyone."
The boys listened with great interest, each slipping into the role of a "game designer."
Ichinose Honami held up a finger and reviewed the "bad endings" that had left such deep scars on her, one by one:
"Route one: At first, the male and female leads are on friendly terms, but they aren't close. Later, under enormous outside pressure, the male lead goes on a rampage to protect his friends and turns Blackened, using overwhelming force to crush everyone who opposes him. The problem gets solved, but he becomes a Tyrant feared by everyone."
"Route two: The male and female leads form a close partnership. But because of some early misunderstandings, the male lead's affection for the heroine isn't just low—it's practically at zero. At the end, to achieve some goal efficiently, he takes a shortcut and betrays the heroine in the worst way."
"Route three: The heroine does everything she can to stop the male lead from turning Blackened. But the price is that he's forced to drop out and leave the school. For the rest of their time there, the heroine and her classmates spend their school days in the oppressive aftermath of the crisis. They don't see the dropout again until graduation. They may get to start a new future together, but the youth they missed can never be reclaimed."
"Route four: The heroine invites the male lead to get involved in the class's affairs early on, but his methods are too focused on efficiency and maximizing benefits. He doesn't care about the heroine's moral boundaries or feelings at all. This creates an irreparable rift between them, and even though they still love each other, they can only go their separate ways. The heroine spends the rest of her time quietly atoning for the consequences of the male lead's underhanded tactics, even punishing herself."
After recounting these four "tales of blood and tears," Ichinose Honami looked at her classmates, who had fallen into thought, and voiced her biggest concern. "So, if it were you, where would you start? If I focus on raising his affection, I might miss the chance to resolve key events early on. But if I don't address those problems early, the pressure from later events will increase exponentially, and everything could fall apart."
The classroom was quiet for a while. The boy in glasses was the first to break the silence. He stroked his chin and analyzed the situation. "Class Rep... I mean, the heroine. If the male lead likes reading and is a pushover, then his fundamental desire is for a peaceful life. But he turns Blackened under outside pressure, which means he's severely lacking a sense of security."
Another boy chimed in. "Exactly! Male leads like that usually hate being used. If the heroine treats him like a tool for solving problems, his affection will definitely drop. But if she doesn't rely on him at all, he'll feel excluded and end up going to the other extreme."
"So the key is balancing involvement with boundaries!" The boy in glasses snapped his fingers. "You can't just force his affection up. Early on, the heroine should show him her vulnerability and confusion, so he feels she needs him instead of thinking she's using him. And when the male lead is about to resort to extreme measures, the heroine has to step in right away—not to blame him, but to tell him they'll find another way together."
"Exactly!" another boy said excitedly, slapping the desk. "The early events have to be dealt with, but the male lead can't bear the burden alone. The heroine has to get involved herself, even if she gets hurt, and show him that she's willing to face the risks together with him. That'll deal with the early problems and pull him back from the edge of becoming Blackened. His affection will naturally go up!"
Listening to the boys' lively discussion, Ichinose Honami's tightly furrowed brow gradually relaxed.
So all she had to do was be willing to stand side by side with Wu Qiao and face the storms together.
"I understand..." Ichinose Honami stood and bowed deeply to the boys. "Thank you! You've really helped me!"
Seeing their class rep's radiant, sun-bright smile, the boys scratched their heads, their faces red all the way to their necks.
Ichinose Honami took their advice and left excitedly, planning to go back and carefully review everything.