David stared at the floating button on his system screen.
[Enter Slot C – Yukari Himemizu Route]
Warning: New timeline will overwrite current world access until manually switched.
He hesitated for a second. Seika and Reika's voices echoed faintly in his mind. The beach, the festival, their smiles. But curiosity—and the itch for progress—won.
Click.
The room blinked. Like someone hit pause and resume on a totally different movie. He wasn't in his dorm anymore.
This new room was way too clean. A modern, sleek space with minimalist furniture, a wide window overlooking a bright Tokyo skyline, and a marble desk with a high-end laptop glowing faintly. A stack of envelopes sat beside it. David stepped forward, still adjusting to the new atmosphere.
"...alright," he muttered. "Let's see what we're working with."
The system chimed.
[Slot C Activated]
New Route: Yukari Himemizu (Locked)
Objective: Make the Heir to the Himemizu Conglomerate fall for you.
Side Goal: Establish your presence in her business world and earn her trust.
Assets received: ¥1,300,000 in current account. Laptop access granted.
David opened the laptop. The background was a Himemizu Conglomerate logo—intimidating gold against black. He clicked around. Apparently, he was registered under a company training internship.
"They even gave me a role? Okay, this system's stepping up."
Then came a knock on the door.
David tensed.
It opened, and a tall woman in her early twenties peeked in. She had waist-length black hair tied in a low ribbon and piercing eyes that looked like they could file taxes and kill a man at the same time. Her presence felt like a living contract. She wore a neat office blazer over a white shirt and plaid skirt.
She blinked at David, slightly confused.
"You must be the new intern," she said plainly. "You're earlier than expected."
David nodded, swallowing a bit. "Uh, yeah. David."
She walked in like the room belonged to her—which, to be fair, it might.
"I'm Yukari Himemizu," she said. "Your direct supervisor. I hope you're not one of those who expects hand-holding."
"Not at all. I'm good at adapting," David replied quickly.
She gave him a once-over. Not flirtatious. Analytical. Like she was calculating ROI just from his posture.
"Fine. You'll be joining me tomorrow at the company's public-facing research division. It's not glamorous, but it'll give you insight into how we operate."
David nodded again, trying not to look like a deer in headlights. Yukari's words were formal, her tone a little cold. There was no sign she knew anything about systems, quests, or parallel worlds. Just a girl doing her job. A very rich, powerful, slightly terrifying girl.
She turned to leave, then paused at the door.
"By the way," she said, looking over her shoulder, "don't touch anything labeled 'confidential' in the meantime. The last intern did, and he... left early."
"Got it. Loud and clear."
She nodded once and left.
The door clicked shut.
David exhaled like he'd been holding his breath for five minutes. "Alright. Slot C… she's gonna be fun."
The system pinged again.
[New Route Requirements Initialized]
Relationship Level: Neutral (0%)
Suspicion Level: 5% (You are new and untested)
Route Strategy Tips:
– Gain Yukari's trust professionally.
– Impress her with creative problem-solving.
– Avoid triggering suspicion too early.
David sat on the bed and stared out at the skyline. This world felt different. It wasn't romantic or dreamy like the Seika-Reika route. This one felt like a cold corporate RPG on hard mode. One wrong move and the girl might fire him, literally or metaphorically.
He grabbed the laptop again and browsed files preloaded under his name. Some were presentations. Others were blank templates.
"Alright," he murmured. "Let's play this right."
But then, like the system couldn't help itself, another notification popped up.
[Bonus Challenge Unlocked]
Make Yukari smile genuinely within three interactions.
Reward: Business Skill +1
David snorted. "Smile? I'm not even sure she knows what that is."
Still, he wasn't complaining. Slot C was different—but that made it exciting. This wasn't a high school setting or beach episodes or moody love triangles. This was business warfare. A slow-burn route. No immediate affection or soft eyes.
Just… tension.
And something about that made David smirk.
"I wonder what you're like when you're not all buttoned-up, Yukari."
He closed the laptop, stretched, and leaned back on the bed.
Tomorrow was Day One. His life as a fake intern at the Himemizu Conglomerate was about to begin.
But tonight?
Tonight he was just a guy in a rich Tokyo high-rise suite, with ¥1.3 million in his bank account and a love route locked behind a fortress of professionalism.
Let the next game begin.
[Main Quest Updated]
– Attend Day One of internship without being kicked out.
– Make at least one strong impression.
– Avoid triggering the "Early Failure" flag.
Reward upon success: System Insight +1, Access to Public Records.