After going through the dishes, Kiyotaka went back to his room and prepared his new school uniform, before heading to the bathroom.
As he lowered himself inside the bathtub, Kiyotaka thought about this strange power that he now possessed and what it was capable of doing.
"Somehow, this thing is strong enough to make someone like me show emotions, especially a smile. I wonder what else this thing can do....."
Even though he wasn't in control of himself when he chose from the three options earlier, he still felt himself smiling and acting like a normal person around Tsubasa, which was quite the experience, if he had to be honest.
Kiyotaka also wondered if he could be capable of smiling completely on his own, without the intervention of this strange power. The last time he smiled was before he was sent to that place, and it had been many years since that happened.
"Time to put my knowledge about games to the test, I suppose," Kiyotaka leaned back, staring up at the ceiling as he thought deeply about figuring how this dating simulator worked. "Hm, I know that in every game, there's some kind of tutorial that helps a player in how to play the whole thing. Should the player require another tip or hint, he could always open the menu-"
With another musical chime that his ears picked up, a new 'screen' materialized before him that was different from the 'choices' earlier. It was also further proof that this wasn't a dream by all means, but reality.
"Voice activation, huh? That's pretty convenient," Kiyotaka washed his face before analyzing the pink-colored 'Menu' before him and what it had to offer.
[Dating Stats]
[Heroines' Status]
[Titles]
[Skills]
[Gallery] (Locked)
[Achievements]
"So, it's pretty much the same as a normal visual novel, but with an emphasis on romance," he concluded.
Your life turning into a video game was likely a dream that many people shared, and even Kiyotaka thought about it once or twice after being introduced to them.
Having this happening to him was pure irony. He, who wished to know how to fall in love and have a girlfriend someday, was now bestowed with a strange gift that can help him accomplish that.
However, this was never what he wanted.
He could have been an RPG character who had limitless potential and can train to be the strongest there is but no, he was still a normal person who had this strange ability to stop time itself for the sole purpose of choosing from a list of options.
"If it was up to me, I'd rather be reincarnated in another world where I'm in complete control of my life. This whole thing makes me feel like my freedom has just been taken away from me..... again."
Okay, perhaps he was being too pessimistic about this. Maybe there was something within this dating simulator mechanic that would be useful to him in the long run, so he turned back to the Menu and began to explore it for an ability or skill that can be beneficial for him.
Unfortunately, he was wrong.
[Dating Stats]
Charm: 13
Wisdom: 20
Aura: ?
These 'stats' were completely useless, at least for him. 'Charm' stood for his natural ability to make other people find him approachable/attractive/likable. He was actually surprised that it was more than a '1', as he was completely sure that his expressionless look was something that can chase other people away. 'Wisdom' didn't pertain to his actual intelligence or experience in life, but for his capacity to know what others liked/didn't like about him. The other stat was 'Aura', which apaprently stood for his natural ability to draw other people to himself. The question mark could either mean that it was something that couldn't be measured or he just can't access it yet.
'Heroines' Status' was likely going to show him the same screen that he saw above Tsubasa's head before, so he ignored it. The next one, though...
[Titles]
[The Protagonist]: You're the MC! The most complicated and downright impossible things are going to come your way! (Grants mental immunity to any kind of illusion or trick that is designated to throw you off guard)
What a letdown. This title meant nothing in his eyes. Well, at least he was reassured that he can never be manipulated by someone else, even though he himself would never let that happen. Time to move to the next sub-menu, which looks more interesting than 'Titles'.....
[Skills]
[Eroge Protagonist]: Your life can be played like a Dating Sim.
[Eyes of the Main Character]: Grants you the ability to discern between 'Filler Characters' and 'Potential Heroines'.
[To Protect Her Smile]: ? (Skill Locked)
Nope. These skills were a disappointment as well, especially that last one which was apparently locked, so he couldn't see what it was about. Eh, it'll probably be a lame one thanks to that ridiculous name. The first one couldn't even be considered a 'skill' in his eyes, it's more of a status. The second one was pointless as well, because it was only a reminder that Tsubasa won't be the only girl who will be considered a 'heroine'.
ραпdα nᴏνa| сom Finally, Kiyotaka turned his attention to the last sub-menu, 'Achievements'. However, it wasn't any helpful either, because it worked the same as in many games. About 99% of the achievements were hidden but showed the conditions on how to get them, while the two that were already unlocked didn't even show any rewards that he got from them. Who knows? There might not even be any rewards for these achievements, which would be disappointing.
[Achievements]
[First of Many]: Unlock a Heroine Route.
[Smooth Like Butter]: Choose the Best Option during your first interaction with a Heroine.
.....yep, there's nothing here that's helpful as well. The hidden achievements only served to disappoint him even further, actually. One of them even had the condition of 'unlocking more than 8 routes', which was a ridiculous thing to think about.
All in all, it felt like someone above tried to put together a complicated system for a dating simulator in real life and just slapped it on him for no reason. If it was a god who did this, then Kiyotaka expected better. It may seem interesting at first glance but after taking a look at what this 'power' had to offer, it wasn't anything special.
And while he was a perfectly straight and healthy teenager, Kiyotaka didn't feel like taking advantage of this dating simulator to get a girlfriend (it was already doing it regardless). If anything, this system was taking advantage of him because he was forced to make the appropriate choice that one would make in a dating sim, even though it made him uncomfortable.
"Assuming this thing will continue to work even while I'm in school, then I should just prepare for the worst," Kiyotaka sighed.
Since this dating sim mechanic was apparently powerful enough to force him to smile and show emotions to other people even if he didn't want to, there's bound to be some complicated situations which he would have to deal with in the aftermath. That's what the 'Protagonist' title was for, after all.
Hey, at least this will surely make that man lose his mind if he ever finds out about this, so..... consolation prize....?
~XoX~
After taking a bath, Kiyotaka proceeded to dress himself in his school uniform before preparing his belongings. The thought of this dating sim power that he now possessed being a possible headache in the future still lingered in his mind, but he wasn't going to let that deter him from enjoying his new life in high school.
Once he was done with everything, the young man stood by the front door, where he was about to say farewell to the three people in the household.
"I suppose this is goodbye," he said, shifting his gaze towards the man who helped make this possible. If there was anyone whom he felt grateful towards, it was Matsuo for helping him escape his life in the White Room and gave him the freedom to do what he wanted. "Thank you for what you've done for me, Matsuo."
Matsuo offered him a smile, before shaking his head slowly. "I don't believe this is goodbye, Kiyotaka-sama. After three years, we will meet each other again and by then, I hope you have lived your life to the fullest. Be what you want to be."
Kiyotaka nodded in acknowledgement as he turned to the next person, who gave him a big grin before throwing his hand for a handshake.
"We'll meet again, Kiyotaka, I'm sure of it! Hell, I'm thinking of going to the same school as you when I'm done with my current school!"
The young man nodded in response as he accepted the gesture, shaking Eiichiro's hand. "It would be nice to have a familiar face around, so why not?"
Kiyotaka then turned to the last person, who looked so nervous that she had no idea what to say.
"Senpai....." Tsubasa mumbled, as she struggled to come up with the proper words to tell him. She had not went home yet apparently, citing that she wanted to say goodbye to him before that. "Please wait for me! I'll be sure to follow you in that school when I'm done with middle school!"
Kiyotaka waited for a few moments, expecting the world to freeze once again and show him three choices to choose from, but nothing happened. It made him confused, because this was a clear opportunity to have him choose from different options on what would be his response. It also made him more curious about how this strange anomaly truly worked.
"No choices this time? Strange. Does it expect me to say the right thing? Or is it letting me say what I want?" Kiyotaka thought, before quickly thinking of what to tell the girl as a response, since nothing was happening anyway. She was waiting for him to say something, after all. "I'll wait when that happens then, Nanase."
The blonde girl stared up at him for a brief moment, and it was unclear what she was thinking right now.
"Senpai!"
Tsubasa then rushed forward, wrapping her arms around Kiyotaka in a big hug. She buried her head into his chest, while Kiyotaka only stared at the girl hugging him in surprise as two new 'notifications' appeared in front of him, ignoring the amused smiles from Matsuo and his son.
[You gained 30 Affection Points with Nanase Tsubasa!]
[Congratulations! You have unlocked the achievement: 'We Will Meet Again'! You gain +1 in Charm!]
"'30 Affection Points'.... seriously? I didn't even do or say anything that can gain her affection." Kiyotaka was dumbfounded above everything else, wondering how a boring and direct response actually caused that big of an increase in Affection Points with this girl. As far as he was concerned, nothing should have happened. But here he was, getting hugged by a girl and being aware of what she felt towards him.
Maybe it's because he still had a lot to learn about romance, as well as the mind of a girl.
He was too caught off guard to respond to Nanase's sudden hug that she already let go when he was about to take her arms off of him. She then stepped back, as she gave him a big smile that somehow caused the young man's heart to beat faster than before. Kiyotaka felt it and was left wondering if it was because of this strange power that's been bugging him since this morning.
"Good luck, Senpai! Do your best!"
Instead of saying anything else, Kiyotaka simply nodded and walked out of the house before one of those three figure out that something was wrong with him.
Despite what just happened with Tsubasa, the brown-haired teen put the issue at the back of his mind for now, and instead chose to think about his new high school while he stood at the sidewalk. A bus soon stopped in front of him, and Kiyotaka was in deep thought while he stepped inside, then took a seat at the nearest empty spot he could find.
"My new life begins now.... and with it comes this 'dating sim' power that I have. I have no idea what's in store for me in this school but with this 'power' I have, I'm sure it'll be filled with headaches. Still, it's bound to be interesting and I feel strangely excited for what the place is all about."
Somewhere out there, a few beings of higher power were having fits of laughter at the impending chaos that will happen soon enough.
