In order to take his mind off of his newfound 'power' for a while, Kiyotaka opted to take a nap inside the bus on the way to his new school. However, he also knew that this was only going to prolong the inevitable because there would be nothing that can stop this dating simulator from going nuts once he arrives at the campus.
Surely, there would be a lot of beautiful girls at school whom the dating sim can consider a 'Potential Heroine', and Kiyotaka was already dreading that possibility.
The young man himself was a calm and rational person but since this situation involved something that was completely out of his control and had no chance of manipulating to his advantage, it was starting to get to him.
Perhaps the feeling of being helpless and defeated can be considered a consolation prize?
Anyway, he wanted to enjoy his high school life, damn it! He didn't want to be a 'protagonist' or whatever status this stupid mechanic treated him as! Kiyotaka was also sure that there's a 'potential heroine' somewhere inside this bus, which made him decide to take a nap instead.
Unfortunately for him, his nap wouldn't last long with the voices that he would hear afterwards.
"Excuse me, shouldn't you offer up your seat?"
"What are you talking about, lady? Why should I offer up my seat when it's clear that I am the one using it?"
Kiyotaka tried to ignore the two voices, but also felt interested in seeing what was going on. But it also means opening his eyes and possibly causing his 'power' to activate again. He was even in a public place where he can be seen, and that scenario is bound to create some problems for him...
Oh, screw it. He'll just take a little peek at what's happening and that'll be it. Nothing more.
Opening his eyes, Kiyotaka then took a glance at the ongoing commotion that was happening behind him.
There was an office lady who appeared to be scolding a young man with slicked back blonde hair, sitting in an arrogant manner with his arms folded and his leg crossed over the other. The blonde man was wearing the same uniform as him, so he must be heading to the same school.
The office lady was standing next to an old woman. Now that he got a better look at things, it seems like the young man was being scolded for sitting on a priority seat.
"You're sitting on a priority seat, which naturally means you have to give it to the elderly. You seem like a high school student, yet you don't know such a thing?
"That guy feels like he's too prideful to even think of giving up his seat," Kiyotaka was tempted to go back to his nap now that he knew what was happening, but he ultimately decided to watch for a bit just to see where this goes.
"I don't understand. Priority seats are just priority seats, nothing more. I am under no obligation to move and because I am the one sitting here, I will choose whether to move or not. Am I supposed to give this up simply because I'm young? Ha! What nonsense," the blonde man laughed.
"W-What kind of attitude is that towards your superiors...?!"
The blonde man smirked. "Superiors? While it is true that you and that old woman have lived longer than me, you are in no way superior to me. In fact, you don't even know who I am, do you?"
"Y-You're just a high school student! Honestly, just listen to what the adults say!"
"Dearie, it's nothing big, really..." the old woman spoke in an attempt to defuse the situation, but it was no use. The office lady became angrier with every argument that was thrown towards her, while the young man continued to act arrogant without a care in the world. By now, the argument had gotten the attention of almost everyone in the bus, but it seemed like nobody wanted to intervene.
That is, until a girl with short beige hair, crimson eyes, and a well-endowed figure walked up to the middle of the vehicle with a pleading look on her face. Almost immediately, Kiyotaka tore his gaze away from the scene before a pink screen with white text could show up.
"I'm not looking to activate a dating simulator right now, of all times..." he shook his head while inwardly cursing whoever it is that gave him this power. Oh, who was he kidding? He would surely meet this girl again because she was wearing the girls' uniform of the same high school that he's going to.
"Excuse me? Is there anyone here who would be willing to give up their seat? Please?"
Kiyotaka then heard the girl's cute voice, and he could already tell that she easily got everyone's attention just from her appeal and kind nature alone. Well, maybe except the person who was seated to his left.
Beside him was a girl with long black hair and red eyes reading a book entitled 'Crime and Punishment'. In short, she was a beautiful young woman. Kiyotaka was interested in her choice of reading (because of what it was about), but he was also curious about whether she was too busy reading to notice the issue that was happening around her or she didn't care at all.
While he was looking at her, the brown-haired teen failed to realize what he was doing and it was too late for him to do so when a familiar pink screen appeared above the girl's head.
[Horikita Suzune: 'Icy Loner']
[Relationship Status: ?]
[Affection Points: 0/100]
[Heroine Summary: Suzune is the younger sister of the current Student Council President of Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, a talented young man named Manabu whom she looks up to very much and desires to be like him one day. She chose to go to the same school as him for the sole reason of following in his footsteps, as well as to make him acknowledge her. Unlike her brother though, she is very isolated and refuses to make friends of any sort, believing that she is above everyone else and doesn't need social connections to achieve her goal.]
"I got distracted. How embarrassing," the young man thought to himself in disappointment. This dating simulator power was clearly going to be annoying to deal with. "Well, I suppose this means that this girl, Horikita Suzune, is a Heroine like Nanase."
Can't there be some sort of warning when a girl he comes across with is a Heroine? That's one of his skills, right? Or is the 'Heroine Summary' the extent of that skill? If it appears, then a girl is a 'Heroine' and if not, she is a 'Filler Character'. What a disappointing skill.
On the brighter side of things, the 'Heroine Summary' gave him valuable information about the girl, including who she is and what she's like.
"So this girl looks up to her older brother... he's someone to keep an eye on, if that's the case. I'm surprised that a girl like her is considered a Heroine. With that kind of attitude, we might not get along. In fact, I can tell that it would offend her if she ever finds out that there's someone better than her."
He was referring to himself but of course, he wouldn't do something stupid like showing the girl his true abilities within. That's a one-way ticket to getting attention and he didn't want that, considering what he's already dealing with at the moment.
While Kiyotaka was unaware of it, Horikita had noticed that he was staring at her, prompting her to give him an icy glare that looked like it could freeze lava itself. When he did realize it, he was too late. The girl looked pissed with him, and he knew why.
"You know, it is rude to stare."
As he thought of something to say as a response, Kiyotaka felt the world around him freeze and everything lost its color. The three choices appeared before him and for the first time, he actually felt grateful that his power intervened and saved him from a difficult situation. Kiyotaka truly had no idea what to say as an excuse to the girl and to make matters worse, he knew to himself that he was staring at her.
A. [You're right. I apologize for staring and I won't do it again.]
B. [That's an interesting book you have.... you must be a really smart person to be analyzing a book that plays with your rationality and morals.]
C. [I mean, can you blame me? You're too beautiful for me to ignore.]
*WARNING: Choosing the Wrong Choice will forever block this Heroine's Route.
Kiyotaka blinked. He thought about what surprised him more, the fact that there was actually a way for him to avoid romancing random girls whom he encounters or that the 'system was actually telling him how.
Well, since this was a chance to lessen the headaches that he would get from dealing with more than one girl, then he would take it!
"Based on how Nanase had reacted to the choices that I made earlier, the third option will surely affect Horikita in the same way. I'm staying away from that, which leaves me with the first two choices," he mused, turning his attention to the options that were left. "The first one sounds like something I would say, but it would be a waste to end a conversation between us. A perfectly normal conversation, without any danger of gaining those 'Affection Points' with her, that is. The second one looks better... and I can even talk to her with it."
Feeling confident about his choice, Kiyotaka pushed 'Option B' as the world around him went back to normal. He then felt his actions being taken over again, keeping him from saying anything although he could still think freely.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," Kiyotaka thought, before turning his attention towards Suzune. "That's an interesting book you have... you must be a really smart person to be analyzing a book that plays with your rationality and morals."
After listening to his words, the glare on Horikita's face slowly softened until it completely disappeared. It was then replaced with a look of wonder, as she wasn't expecting him to say those words. In particular, what got her attention was how he thought of her as smart just because she was reading a specific book.
"I-Is that so?" she replied, before realizing her little blunder by stuttering slightly in her words. She quickly recovered by clearing her throat and straightening her posture. "Well, I wouldn't say that about myself. I simply like reading novels such as these. They are more interesting than anything that was published recently.
[You gained 1 Affection Point with Horikita Suzune!]
[Suzune Route has been Unlocked! You can now see 'Heroine Status' with Horikita Suzune!]
[Your current status with Suzune has changed to 'Strange Friends'!]
[Congratulations! You unlocked the Achievement: 'Quelling a Maiden's Anger'! You gained +1 in Charm]
Wha—
"Wait... that was the right choice...?" a dumbfounded Kiyotaka thought to himself as he stared at the four new notifications that popped up in front of him. "I thought for sure that I made the wrong choice. How was the second option the right one?"
It appears that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka still had a lot to learn about interacting with other people properly, even with a 'dating sim' superpower backing him up.
If there was a wall nearby, the young man felt like punching it and leaving a big dent in the process.
Unaware of what he was going through in his mind, Suzune decided to ask him something to sate her curiosity.
"Am I correct to assume that you've read this novel before?" she asked. It was actually surprising for her to meet another person who knew his fair share of books and novels, but she wasn't going to complain because the same can't be said for every other teenager these days.
Horikita's question was enough to snap him out of his thoughts, as Kiyotaka sighed to himself in defeat. There's no use getting hung up over the issue now. He would just have to accept and live with the fact that this girl, Horikita Suzune, was one of his 'Heroines' now. At least, according to this weird 'superpower' that he possessed.
Curse his weakness in social interactions!
"Yes, I've read it before. It was actually one of the learning materials in..." he replied, before stopping midway through his words. There's no way he can tell her that he had read 'Crime and Punishment' in that place, so Kiyotaka quickly thought of a good excuse. "...the school I've attended before."
The girl looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "Your former school had this novel as a part of the curriculum? "
"That's because the school I used to attend only accepted those who excel greatly compared to other students." God, he hoped he was making sense. If he felt thankful for his 'superpower' earlier, he was now cursing it once again. Thanks to the fact that this girl was a 'Heroine', he was now having a hard time trying to keep this conversation afloat.
"So you're a student with outstanding capabilities, then..." Suzune nodded slowly, as if she was trying to digest this information for now.
"That's right. Does that make you uncomfortable?" Knowing that this girl thought of herself as someone who is superior over others, Kiyotaka wouldn't be surprised if she stops talking to him, challenges him to a contest of some sort, or insults him for even insinuating that he's on equal footing with her.
She shook her head. "No. As a matter of fact, I would like to know the name of the school that you attended."
Kiyotaka was surprised with her reaction because it wasn't what he expected from her, but quickly recovered from it so he could state his answer. "I apologize, but I cannot disclose the name."
"Why not? If it only accepts those who are superior above other people, then surely it must be popular all over the country," asked Suzune, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
"That's not it," he began to explain. "Let's just say the school wishes to remain anonymous in the eyes of the world because in all my years there, I was confused why the school isn't involved in the top schools of the country. Even I had no exact idea how I got enrolled in it. If I had to make a guess, the chairman or the director of the school contacts the parents of the potential students and in turn, they inform their children about being enrolled into the school."
Well, technically, he wasn't lying. His father was the creator of the White Room (who was also the one to put him there as one of its subjects) and the place was like a school, as fucked up as it was. It was a place that was designed to 'produce the future leaders of society', but Kiyotaka knew that was only a cover for what its true purpose was.
"Interesting..." The black-haired girl stared at him for a few moments, before turning her attention back to the book that she was reading. "I'll take your word for it, then."
"Really? You don't think I'm lying?"
A small smirk graced Suzune's lips. "Oh, I definitely think you are."
Kiyotaka stared at her in return, as he could tell that she had more to say.
"However, it's not like I have any evidence to prove that you are. The only way to know for sure is to see if you can back up your claims," she smirked. "You say that your former school only accepts students who have outstanding potential and capabilities? Let's put that to the test, since it's clear that we are both going to the same school."
"Are you talking about a competition between us?"
"Exactly. Perhaps with you around, things might become more interesting for me."
Just from the smirk on her face, it was clear that she was feeling amused with this interaction between the two of them, confusing the young man to no end. The way she was acting now was completely different from what was shown on her 'Heroine Summary'. Was it all natural? Or was the system making things easy for him by lending a hand in winning her over?
[You gained 2 Affection Points with Horikita Suzune!]
[You're doing well in talking to a Heroine on your own! You gained +1 in Wisdom!]
Kiyotaka dismissed the two notifications while resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Well, he had come this far, maybe he could push things even further with her. It doesn't seem like she was angry or displeased with him in any way...
"I'm Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, by the way."
Suzune turned to him, an eyebrow raised in confusion. "Why are you telling me your name?"
"Is it not common courtesy to introduce yourself when you're talking to another person?" he said. It was almost funny that Horikita was asking him for a reason why he was telling her his name. This girl might be even more clueless in social interactions than him. "For the sake of making things easier, why don't we tell each other our names in case we meet again? You want a competition between us as well, right? How can that even happen if we don't know who the other person is?"
"Very well," she conceded. "My name is Horikita Suzune."
"It's nice to meet you, Horikita."
"So much for holding back so that I don't draw attention to myself," the young man thought to himself, while feeling disappointed that he basically ruined any hope he had left of having a peaceful high school life. "Suppose I do hold back, Horikita will either laugh at me for trying to make up a story that held no truth within or she'll feel insulted that I tried to make a fool out of her. Hm, in the case that she does figure out that I held back, she'll be angry as well because I wasn't showcasing my capabilities..."
Kiyotaka sighed. Somehow, he didn't feel that there would be anything exciting that might happen anymore, because this dating simulator was slowly draining the excitement out of him instead.
~XoX~
The bus ride itself took about twenty minutes before it arrived at the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School. Surprisingly, the little dispute over the priority seat didn't last long, because the old woman involved simply insisted that she can still stand on her own. However, she did praise the beige-haired girl for trying to be a helpful person towards her, something that made the younger girl smile like an angel.
After getting off the bus, Kiyotaka and Suzune agreed to walk together through the campus until the time when they would have to separate in order to head to their respective classes.
It confused Kiyotaka to no end. As time passed, it seemed more and more likely that the system itself was influencing Suzune to act like this, because she was acting completely different compared to what her 'summary' said about her. But who knows? She might just be showing signs of changes and she's not aware of it or something...
As they entered the campus, the two of them were amazed at what they were seeing. Despite it being known as a 'school', the whole place itself might as well be considered a small town due to how big and wide it is.
"People weren't kidding when they said that this school has everything," Kiyotaka muttered to himself.
"It does have the reputation of being the most prestigious school in the country. To be anything less than amazing would be a dent to that,"
After admiring the school for a minute, the two continued on their way. However, Suzune wouldn't be able to take more than five steps further when she saw a familiar person walking across the courtyard, which made her freeze in place. Kiyotaka noticed how his companion stopped moving right away and looked like she had seen a ghost, making him turn his attention to what she was looking at.
"So that's her brother..." Kiyotaka thought as he got a good look at the man whom Suzune looked up to. He was a well-built man of average height, bore short gray hair, violet eyes, and a pair of square-rimmed glasses. "He has a serious aura to him, just like his sister when I first met her earlier, but he's different. While his sister feels like someone who's been alone for a long time, he on the other hand, is the opposite. It wouldn't be surprising, since he happens to be the Student Council President."
Horikita Manabu seemed to have noticed that someone was staring at him, so he quickly threw a glare at whoever it was to make them stop. Even from a considerable distance, he immediately recognized the unmistakable form of his younger sister looking at him in shock, which was understandable. It had been two years since they last saw each other, after all.
But instead of acknowledging her presence, he simply narrowed his eyes and continued walking with the purple-haired girl who was beside him.
Suzune knew right away that she just got ignored by her brother even though they had been separated for a few years. All she could do right now was look down, feeling disappointed and dejected that she wasn't worthy of being acknowledged even after she followed in his footsteps..
"Nii-san..."
Kiyotaka stared at her for a few moments, letting the girl have a moment to let out what she felt before speaking up. "Horikita, I don't mean to pry into your personal business, but do you perhaps know who that person was?"
"Y-Yes..." she mumbled, looking up at him with a defeated look on her face. It was a complete paradigm shift from her earlier demeanor and it intrigued Kiyotaka to no end. Did she really look up to him that much? "He's... my older brother."
"You seem strangely uncomfortable talking about him. Are you two perhaps on bad terms with each other?" he asked.
"That's..." For a moment, Suzune felt like denying what he said but stopped herself, because even she knew that it would be ridiculous to say something that is so far from the truth. "I suppose so..."
The only thing that Kiyotaka could do was listen to what she had to say, wanting to get a better picture of the siblings' relationship.
[A Special Event Has Been Triggered!]
"What the—"
The young man didn't even have time to analyze the new notification before the sound of a piano being played rang in his ears as if it was an alarm.
Almost immediately, Kiyotaka turned his head in several directions, and his eyes widened upon realizing that they weren't at the entrance anymore.
They were in a completely different place; the park, to be exact, but they were still within the campus premises.
There were wooden and marble benches all around, trees scattered across the area, a few nearby food stalls, a little spot where birds have gathered, and a student who was playing a piano in the middle of it all.
The young man couldn't help but be shocked at this turn of events.
"Is there something wrong, Ayanokouji-kun?" asked Suzune, who noticed that her companion was growing restless for some reason. Earlier, he just seemed so calm and now it looked like he was panicking.
In return, Kiyotaka raised an eyebrow at her in confusion.
What the hell? Didn't she even notice that they were now at the park instead of the entrance to the campus? How could Horikita not even see that they have suddenly changed—
Wait a second... was this dating simulator pushing him to cheer up Suzune in some way? Before they were teleported to another place, the girl was feeling depressed after getting ignored by her brother... was that what the notification a while ago meant?! Did the system transport them here for that reason alone?!
He didn't even notice that the notification from before had vanished.
No way. There's no way this was on purpose. This had to be a trick. It had to be... but then again, the damn system was bizarre and powerful enough to literally teleport both him and Horikita from the entrance to the park within the campus. For a regular person, it would scare the shit out of them but for Kiyotaka, he felt lost instead.
For what seemed like the first time, Kiyotaka didn't know what to do. He could choose to ignore this and simply go to class instead but his gut was telling him that doing so would be a very bad idea. He could also choose to give in and do this 'special event' that the system referred to, even though he didn't know what to do.
In the end, though, Kiyotaka sighed and groaned to himself. He had no experience in cheering up another person, much less a girl, and yet this dating simulator was pushing him to do so.
Seriously, the only possible benefit this 'superpower' gave him was the fact that it can make him feel defeat, something that he has never been able to experience ever since he was raised at that place. At least, that's what he thought.
Anyway, he hoped that he wouldn't make a fool of himself with this.
"Do you want to talk about it over a little walk?" he asked, still feeling hesitant about this.
Suzune stared at him dumbfoundedly as she took in his words. "But class is starting in a few minutes-"
"We won't be long," Kiyotaka assured her.
"I... well, all right..."
The young man was surprised at how she agreed to his proposal easily but simply chalked it up to his weird 'power' doing its magic again.
The pair began to take a walk through the park, as the two of them continued to admire the school for what it had to offer to its students. However, Kiyotaka knew that he had to cheer the girl up in some way, so he had to be the one to initiate the conversation between them.
"So what's the deal between you and your brother? It looked like he was angry with you about something," he asked.
"You could say that," replied Suzune. "I look up to him, but I can't say the same for how he sees me."
"Why is that?" Kiyotaka pressed on, even though he already had an idea about the answer.
The girl took a deep breath, remembering her past with her older brother. "Nii-san wasn't always like that. As children, we were inseparable, as close as siblings can get. And then one day, he changed. He stopped spending time with me and he was like a completely different person from before."
"Different how?"
"Every time I would ask if he could help me in my own studies, he would brush me off and say that I can do it on my own. Whenever I asked him what he was doing or how he was doing, Nii-san just ignored me. Does that make it clear?"
"Yeah, I think I get it now," he nodded. "How did you react to his sudden change? Were you hurt by it?"
"No. I realized that change was inevitable, so I accepted what he had become. Instead, I aimed to prove myself to him so that the next time we see each other, he would see me as an equal."
"I'm guessing that's the time when he left for this school."
A hint of a smile appeared on her face. "Yes. I wanted to follow in his footsteps because he is an amazing person, and I wanted to be like him."
"I think I remember a term for this..." Kiyotaka thought to himself, noticing the smile that she had upon thinking about her brother. "Eiichiro told me about it... brocon, was it? Is Horikita like that?"
If Horikita was indeed a brocon then by god, why is she even considered a 'Heroine'?
"But, if you saw what happened earlier, then you know what he thinks of me. Even after I worked hard to get to this school, to be like him, he still doesn't think I'm worthy of being acknowledged."
"That's because your brother doesn't seem like he's pushing away everyone around him," the brown-haired teen thought to himself while listening to her. "He wouldn't be the Student Council President if he preferred to be alone."
As they walked through the area, Kiyotaka noticed that one of the nearby food stalls was selling ice cream. As a subject of the White Room ever since he was a kid, the young man never had the luxury of trying out food that was universally loved, the most prominent of them being ice cream.
Almost immediately, his attention was drawn to the stall and he began to head there.
"W-Wait, where are you going?" Suzune asked, quickly following after him as soon as she noticed that he was going somewhere else.
"Excuse me, how much is an ice cream cone?" he asked the man who was behind the counter.
The man laughed earnestly. "Haha, you don't need to pay any points, young man! You happen to be our 100th customer, so you can have all the ice cream that you want for free!"
"Points?" he asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.
The clerk looked surprised at hearing that question. "Wait, you don't know?"
Kiyotaka noticed Suzune's presence beside him, the girl sending him a little frown for what he did. "We're new students. We just arrived today," he told the clerk, while hoping that his eagerness to taste ice cream didn't ruin everything for him just now.
"Ah, never mind then!" The man laughed again, before giving Kiyotaka a copy of the menu. "Anyway, what flavor would you like? You can order as much as you want for yourself and your girlfriend there!"
"She's not my girlfriend," he quickly denied that notion, while Horikita was surprised by it and even blushed as a result.
"Haha, just messing around! So what flavor will it be?"
Kiyotaka turned to his companion first and showed her the menu, who seemed unsure about this whole thing at first. The young man didn't say anything but continued to stare at her, making Suzune sigh in defeat. She took a quick look at the available flavors before uttering her response.
"Uhm... chocolate, I guess?"
Kiyotaka nodded at her choice before giving his own answer. "I'll have two vanilla ice cream cones."
"Hehe, coming up! You teenagers just stay right there."
As the clerk tended to their orders, Suzune looked at him curiously.
"Two ice cream cones?" she asked, a tinge of amusement in her voice. "Did you not eat breakfast on your way here?"
The young man scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrassed regarding this little fact about himself. "I... have never tasted ice cream before and I have always wanted to try it."
"Seriously?" Instead of feeling amused, she felt surprised instead. Was he being serious about not being able to eat ice cream until now? "You've never had ice cream before?"
Kiyotaka shrugged. Even while staying with Matsuo, he was never able to eat ice cream because, well, he couldn't really go outside and buy a cone. "As embarrassing as it is, yes."
Suzune stared at him for a brief moment, as though she was thinking about something deeply. She then shook her head, making Kiyotaka wonder what she had in mind. "I don't think there's anything embarrassing about that. We all have things that we want to experience."
"Then how about you?" he asked her in return. "Is there something that you want to try eating for the first time?"
"I..." Suzune was surprised at his sudden question, though it did make her think about what kind of food she wanted to try that she hasn't eaten yet. "...I suppose I would like to try out taiyaki if I ever have the chance. I always wondered what it would taste like, although I know it has many flavors as well..."
"Then how about we get some? There's a stall that sells taiyaki over there," Kiyotaka suggested, pointing to the taiyaki stall that was next to the popcorn store.
The girl blushed at the thought. "Oh, uh... no, thank you. I don't feel like spending money this early."
Kiyotaka almost felt amused at the sight of Suzune being the complete opposite of what he expected her to be. He truly had no idea if the system was making her act this way, but it honestly intrigued him. Perhaps he could still push this further, since it doesn't seem like she's angry with all of this.
"I'll pay for it then. We'll go there after we get our ice cream."
After getting their orders from the ice cream stall, Kiyotaka led the way to their next destination.
Strangely enough, when they went to that particular stall in order to buy a bag of taiyaki, they also happened to be the 100th customer and thus, were allowed to order what they wanted for free. It left Kiyotaka confused, but he was able to get Suzune what she wanted. Now she had a bag of taiyaki of different flavors in her free hand.
The two stopped at a bench and sat there as they ate their respective food. They finished their ice cream first, since it will melt if they don't eat it as soon as possible. Somehow, Kiyotaka managed to finish his two cones before they could melt and enjoyed it immensely. He might even end up developing a sweet tooth for ice cream after this.
In Horikita's case, after eating her ice cream, she wasted no time eating her taiyaki and was immediately smitten by the flavor. "This is delicious..." she mumbled to herself, a smile of satisfaction gracing her lips.
While Horikita was busy enjoying her taiyaki, her companion was in deep thought, wondering about a certain peculiar issue that involved them.
"That was weird... first, we got teleported to the park out of nowhere and then we happened to be the 100th customer for the two food stalls that we went to? That can't be a coincidence..." Kiyotaka said in his thoughts, sending a glance at the stores that they just went to. It was too strange for him to believe that he and Suzune were the 100th customer for both stores. In fact, he was sure that if he checked out the popcorn stall, then he would also be the 100th customer, allowing him to buy anything for free. "There has to be something going on behind all this... but what could it be? Is it because of this dating simulator again?"
"Ayanokouji-kun..." Hearing Suzune's voice quickly brought him out of his thoughts, making him turn towards her. The girl looked flustered and nervous to the point that she was clutching the paper bag in her hands tightly, having trouble figuring out what to say. "You didn't have to do this, you know?"
The brown-haired teen thought about what he should tell her, before deciding to simply say what he had in mind right now. "Horikita, I don't know if my words can make everything better, but you can be assured that you have one friend that believes you can do it."
"Friend...?" she breathed out, almost as if that was the first time she's heard that term.
Kiyotaka shrugged in an almost joking manner. "Who else?"
"Yes..." Suzune only found herself nodding in agreement which deep down, surprised even herself. "I guess... we're friends..."
[You gained 5 Affection Points with Horikita Suzune!]
As he dismissed the new notification, Kiyotaka decided that this should be enough to cheer the girl up. It seemed like Horikita had completely forgotten about why she was feeling dejected and sad earlier. Right now, they should head to their respective classrooms and accept whichever punishment their teachers would give them for being late on their first day.
And he was even thinking of not standing out while he was here... what a waste. It's all because of this crazy superpower that he had, which he never asked for in the first place!
"I think we've spent enough time here. We should get to class," Kiyotaka stood up from the bench.
"You're right. It's a good thing that we still have some time to get there," Suzune agreed, finishing the last of her taiyaki just in time.
"What?" Kiyotaka looked at her in confusion, wondering if she was joking before he decided to check the time at the street clock that stood nearby.
The young man couldn't stop his mouth from hanging slightly because of what he saw.
Suzune was right. There's still about ten minutes left before their first period starts, which was absolutely shocking. They had spent more than an hour in this place, so Kiyotaka was completely sure that they must have missed their first class, if anything! The clock couldn't have been broken either, because it was functioning properly for everyone to see. Somehow, Suzune was right!
"Ayanokouji-kun," the girl called out to her companion after throwing the paper bag she had into the nearby trash bin.
Despite his shock at the fact that they still had time to get to class which also meant that they wouldn't get punished, Kiyotaka still turned to face the black-haired girl.
"What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Thank you for listening," she thanked him, a genuine smile appearing on her face.
As the girl smiled, a strange sound filled Kiyotaka's ears, which was something he had never heard before. There weren't any photographers around him, yet he heard the sound of a camera snapping a photo followed by a musical chime similar to the one that he's been hearing from the dating simulator itself.
The world around him then froze as a new screen popped up before his eyes. It contained the 'image' of Suzune smiling at him just a while ago, almost as though he had captured the moment just by blinking. It was then followed by several notifications that, upon reading them, only served to boggle his mind even more.
[Special Event 'A Walk in the Park' has been cleared! You gained 10 Affection Points with Horikita Suzune!]
[You cheered up a Heroine! You gained +1 in Wisdom!]
[CG Gallery has been Unlocked! 'Suzune's First Friend' was added to the gallery!]
What...
[Congratulations! You unlocked the Achievement: 'Reminiscing Memories'! You gained +3 in Wisdom!]
[Congratulations! You have completed the 'Tutorial'! You gained +10 in all stats!]
...the...
[Congratulations! The description for the Skill 'To Protect Her Smile' has been Unlocked!]
[To Protect Her Smile]: Warps reality itself in your favor whenever it's truly needed to make one of your Heroines happy. As long as it's to see them smile, problems will be dealt with so easily that you can just sit back, relax, and enjoy the sight of your Heroines being happy. (Cannot be activated willingly, only triggers when your Heroine's sake demands it)
...hell?!
Kiyotaka didn't even feel like dismissing the notifications himself, so they naturally disappeared on their own as the world returned to normal. The young man just felt too overwhelmed right now, which was saying something considering who and what he really is.
Suzune noticed the weird look on his face right away. "Ayanokouji-kun, is everything alright?"
"Uh... yeah, everything's... fine," he quickly spoke while doing his best to retain the calm look on his face, which was taking a toll on him."Let's go."
"If you say so..."
And the two continued on their way to the school building. After what just happened, Suzune felt reinvigorated and even a little motivated about their first day in school. However, the same couldn't be said for the boy who was walking with her.
While Kiyotaka looked completely calm on the outside, it was different on the inside.
If there was ever a time where the 'Masterpiece' felt disbelief, then this would be it. Within the young man's mind, a mixture of astonishment, hysteria, and chaos were occupying his mind as everything he learned from the past minute began to fully sink in.
First, his 'power' was a thousand times more powerful than what he had thought. Forget about stopping time, it actually caused him and Suzune to go and have a relaxing walk in the park within the campus and made sure that they STILL arrived on time for their classes to start. Nobody else seemed to notice what happened as well. Oh god, now that he thought about it deeply, what just happened between them was totally a date! Of course it would be!
Second, the 'skill' that he unlocked just now mentioned 'warping reality'. Now that he was aware of how powerful this 'dating simulator' was, he shouldn't be surprised if one day, an amusement park suddenly appears in the middle of campus just for the sake of making a potential ' heroine' happy. Hey, it even manipulated those store clerks to have them sell their products for free!
Third, he wasn't sure of it before, but now he was. Suzune's drastic change in attitude was definitely from the influence of the system and the more she spends time around him, the more she's going to fall in love with him! He didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing but nonetheless, he managed to do the impossible and befriend Suzune, someone who was very adamant on being alone based on her 'summary'.
"I wonder if I should just be grateful that this doesn't seem like it will get me harmed in any way," the young man thought, as he began to think twice about insulting this 'anomaly' that he possessed, now being aware of how powerful it could be.
Things will never be the same again for him, huh?
~XoX~
Kiyotaka's Progress:
[Dating Stats]
Charm: 25
Wisdom: 35
Aura: ?
[Heroines' Status]
[Nanase Tsubasa: 'Friendly Kouhai']
[Relationship Status: Loyal Follower]
[Affection Points: 45/100]
[Heroine Summary: Tsubasa is a dear friend of Eiichiro who met you a month ago when his father brought you here. During all the times she has visited, she always looks forward to being around you because of how much of a mystery you are. She constantly wonders why you never show any kind of emotion, but chooses not to ask anything because she thinks it is something you don't want to share. She looks up to you as her 'senpai' and highly values your opinion. She aims to go to Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School like you in a year's time]
[Horikita Suzune: 'Icy Tsundere']
[Relationship Status: Strange Friends]
[Affection Points: 18/100]
[Heroine Summary: Suzune is the younger sister of the current Student Council President of Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, a talented young man named Manabu whom she looks up to very much and desires to be like him one day. She chose to go to the same school as him for the sole reason of following in his footsteps, as well as to make him acknowledge her. She is very isolated and refuses to make friends of any sort, believing that she is above everyone else and doesn't need social connections to achieve her goal.]