...Cheat Code

When Did This Game Get a Patch Update

My Wholesome Dating Sim Got an M-Rated Patch Update and My Boyfriend Holds the Cheat Code

Episode 1

When Did This Game Get a Patch Update

​Cory Wyatt didn't particularly mind the walk from the Academy to the Town Square. It broke up her mundane schedule and gave her time to process the sheer, exhausting volume of narrative interference she'd witnessed throughout the day. As a dating simulator, Heartstrings Academia had always been a late-night guilty pleasure that eased the tension between countless hours of overtime. It was a puzzle-based dating sim where success depended on solving social and environmental obstacles; the world was structured like a massive, perpetually unsolvable game show. Sure, she'd been ridiculously excited when she first saw her favorite characters in "real-life," but after a week, the wholesome, "No PDA" world of Heartstrings Academia was starting to wear on her. Even outside the school walls, the universe was determined to censor any "almost" romantic moments by creating the most absurd situations possible to interrupt its citizens, no matter how few there seemed to be.

​She paused by the ornate, multi-tiered fountain and took in the quaint yet bustling city. This spot was a classic backdrop in every route for every playable character combination, and every encounter led to a platonic declaration, a task-based event, or to romantic disappointment. It seemed even the background characters weren't safe from this unwritten law.

​She observed a couple she didn't recognize from the main cast with mild interest. They were reaching for the same dropped ice cream cone, a simple, picturesque moment with a beautiful sun setting in the distance. In a romance film, they'd blush when their hands touched and she'd witness a shy exchange of names, but in this world, their meet-cute was destined for ruin. Sure enough, a sudden and rather aggressive gust of wind roared through the square, not only snatching the cone away but plastering the remains in the man's hair just as he was about to make some charming comment or other.

​Predictable, Cory thought. Not even the background characters get to progress romantically when their world is rated E for everyone.

​"Who needs kisses anyway?" she grumbled, sending her question to the wind as it played with the ends of her hair.

​"If it's a kiss you want?" A voice, low and dripping with mock-seriousness, asked. "I'd be willing to trade you one for one of our bouquets." Cory didn't jump. She was already so accustomed to the world's absurdity that this NPC's delivery felt more like a scheduled event rather than a surprise declaration.

​She turned to face the flower seller. He was holding a ridiculous bouquet of aggressively red roses. His uniform blazer was unbuttoned at the top, and he wore the kind of overly-smug confidence that usually signaled a purposely unachievable side quest. He's not one of the Main Ten, she mused. His subtle, understated presence was the very thing Media assigned to all background characters.

​The flower seller didn't move or take the hint from her silence; he merely waited patiently. "Oh, you are ridiculous," she murmured under her breath, a genuine, tired giggle escaping her. She wasn't one of the five heroines, and he was far from being one of the predictably stereotypical male leads. She pitied him. "Shouldn't you offer those to Milly Haines or Heather Calderon perhaps," she decided, naming the two most desirable female characters.

​The boy didn't flinch. He simply tilted his head, his dark eyes fixed entirely on her. "I didn't ask Heather or Milly." He stepped in closer his scent, a sudden rush of something clean and floral, caught her off guard. Scent was still one of the things that played with her mind, telling her that she wasn't playing a game anymore. "The flowers are yours, Cory." He informed, catching her off guard with the use of her name. "So, are you willing to let me claim that payment?"

​The question was overly formal, almost silly, but the look in his eyes was searching.

​Is he testing me? she thought, suddenly weary of this performance. She knew the script; any affirmative would be a hollow formality, instantly followed by some predictable interruption that would halt the exchange. Nothing would actually happen between her and this flower seller. Yet, part of her wanted to test the audacity of the world she now found herself stuck in.

​Why not?

​"Yes," she practically whispered, nodding her head slightly, unable to suppress a faint, exhausted smile. "Your delivery was absurd," she chastised, reaching for the bouquet, "but the flowers are blameless. You may claim your payment."

​He moved slow, with an unwavering concentration that defied his earlier bravado. As Cory waited for the inevitable tipped over wagon or blaring siren, he closed the distance. He didn't rush, but subtly shifted their stance, using his tall stature to block out the citizens, the fountain, and the sunset beyond. Then, with a focused unnerving precision, he kissed her.

​It was immediate and deep. Not the sweet, chaste brush after an E-Rated love confession, but a demanding, unapologetic press that felt impossibly mature. Cory's breath hitched, every analytical thought momentarily obliterated by the sensory shock. Her ears caught some sort of disturbance, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he took advantage of the distraction to cup her waist and the back of her head. He pressed himself fully against her, further deepening his claim on her mouth. Her body reacted before her brain could fully comprehend that she was still in a game. Her hands rose, gripping his shoulders and pulling him closer, with an urgency that surprised them both. Was he using tongue? How was he good at it? This was not some end-game, happily-ever-after kiss, and it certainly was not an "almost." It was an intense, spine melting, great kiss, and  the impossible fact was that in the world of Heartstrings Academia, it had remained entirely uninterrupted.

​When he finally pulled away, there was a satisfied, triumphant glint in his eyes, but he didn't boast. His composure was entirely unnerving. "Pleasure doing business with you, Cory," he said, picking up the dropped bouquet and handing it back to her.

​Cory clutched the roses, her mind reeling. Was his hair wet? Why? It took her a moment to realize that the game had tried to stop them. Somewhere in the middle of that heart-pounding kiss, the fountain had exploded sending a gust or water towards them, and his position had shielded her from the mist as well as kept any potential onlookers from interrupting them. The world had screamed no. And yet, he'd managed to deliver a kiss that felt like a universal patch update.

​He turned back towards the flower stall, and Cory ran after him. "Wait," she managed, her voice struggling to catch up, her knees shaking. Pull yourself together, Cory, she chided. It was just a kiss, you've been kissed before, it's not like— she paused, realizing, "I... I don't know your name."

He raised an eyebrow, and a smirk plastered itself on his face. "You can call me Boyd Dent." His phrasing caught her off guard. Boyd. She glanced past him, his gaze sweeping the square before settling back on her face. "I've got to get back to my post, but I'll see you tomorrow at school."

​He goes to the Academy?

​As he rushed back to his stall, Cory couldn't help but marvel at how effortlessly he faded into the background. She stared at the roses. Their rich scent grounded her, reminding her that while she may have been a spectator, a happy visitor in her favorite game, for the last week, this world was anything but fake. Now, it seemed she had just been dragged into some world-forbidden scenario by another player.

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