The first ray of sunlight slipped through the broken window.
The light, though faint, was enough to make Alex open his eyes.
This wasn't his room.
This wasn't his body.
By now, he had accepted it.
Yamada Takashi.
Delinquent. Manipulator. The antagonist of an NTR game.
And now… his new skin.
He felt something warm on his shoulder. He looked down.
Megumi.
Asleep. Hugging him.
Her small hands clutched his shirt tightly, as if she feared he'd vanish if she let go.
He stared at her in silence.
Small. Fragile.
And pregnant.
A knot formed in his stomach.
Not because of her.
But because of the one who had left her like this.
Carefully, as if lifting a porcelain doll, Alex carried her in his arms.
He didn't want to wake her.
He didn't want to shatter that peace, even if it was false.
But as he lifted her… he felt it.
He wasn't just carrying Megumi.
He was carrying the consequences of the real Yamada Takashi's actions.
Every lie.
Every forced night.
Every ignored "no."
That was what weighed in his arms.
He laid her gently on the bed. Watched her for a moment longer, then turned away.
His stomach growled.
He needed to make some breakfast.
He walked to the kitchen. Opened the fridge.
Empty.
Beer bottles. A couple of cheap chu-hi cans.
Half-finished sake.
Nothing edible.
He sighed. Scratched the back of his head.
—Not even rice… What a mess.
He searched the shelves. Old bread. Stale cookies.
Nothing that could be called "food."
No other choice.
He put on someone else's hoodie and headed to the nearest store.
As he walked, memories from the game resurfaced.
Megumi. The true ending.
After Yamada got her pregnant, he bailed.
Said it wasn't his problem.
That she brought it on herself.
That he wasn't raising any brat.
Her parents kicked her out.
Hikaru, the so-called "protagonist," did nothing. Just watched from a distance, paralyzed by his own uselessness.
No family.
No support.
No love.
Megumi tried to find a job.
But no one hired a pregnant teenager.
Too young for office work.
Too "tainted" to continue school.
Despair came quickly.
And then… she started selling herself.
At first out of necessity.
Then out of habit.
Eventually, for the addiction.
Her clients showered her with empty praise and dirty money.
And also drugs.
They offered pills to calm the anxiety.
Powder to forget the pain.
Needles to sleep without dreams.
And Megumi accepted.
Again and again.
The game didn't show it in detail.
Just one final scene:
Her, with dead eyes, smoking something in an alley, while her son — already born — played with an empty box.
"He looks like his father," she thought bitterly.
Yamada Takashi.
The face that ruined her life.
And the face she now saw repeated in her son.
Alex clenched his fists as the store's automatic door slid open.
—I won't let that happen again.
This wasn't his world.
But she was real now.
And as long as he was breathing…
he'd do everything in his power to change her ending.
The convenience store was almost empty.
Alex pushed his basket slowly, mentally reviewing what he could cook.
Rice. Eggs. Some instant soup.
Maybe some fruit for Megumi — something not ultra-processed.
He stopped in front of the pre-made bento section.
Grabbed two. Added some milk and cookies.
"This should be enough for now," he thought.
As he headed to the register, he instinctively took out his phone.
Locked screen.
Facial recognition activated.
He looked at it warily. It worked.
—How convenient… —he murmured.
Curious, he opened the banking app.
After guessing the password on the second try (using a key in-game date), the balance appeared:
¥6,872,900
His eyebrows shot up.
—What the…!?
Almost seven million yen.
Not a fortune, but more than enough to live comfortably for a while.
More than enough to take responsibility for Megumi.
—Then why didn't he…? —he muttered, frowning.
The real Yamada could've helped her.
Could've avoided all that pain.
But he chose to let her fall.
That money...
was tainted with the filth of parties, blackmail, gambling, and worse.
And now it was in his hands.
And she was still sleeping, alone, pregnant, unaware.
He paid in silence. Packed the bags. Left.
As he walked home, the morning air hit his face.
The streets were still quiet. Students were just starting to head to school.
And then he saw him.
Across the street.
Wakane Hikaru.
Perfectly pressed school uniform. Neatly combed hair. Impeccable glasses.
Walking beside a girl.
One of Megumi's former friends.
They laughed.
Sounded happy.
As if nothing had happened.
As if Megumi hadn't disappeared.
As if the child she carried didn't exist.
Alex froze.
Rage bubbled up without warning.
Was this the "protagonist"?
The one who was supposed to fight for the heroine?
The one who should've saved her from the villain?
And yet…
He had just stood by. And then… forgotten.
In that moment, the world froze.
A mechanical click echoed in his mind.
A blue screen appeared, floating before him.
White letters. Familiar design.
📱 [Decision System Activated]
The player has reached a critical divergence point in the story.
What do you want to do?
🔹 Return home
🔹 Don't go back and live freely
🔴 Punch Hikaru
The icons glowed, awaiting a choice.
The cursor blinked over the third option.
Alex clenched his jaw.
Megumi.
Her belly.
Her sleeping voice.
Her whisper the night before:
"Even if you hurt me… please, don't leave."
And across the street…
A boy with glasses, pretending none of this involved him.
Perfect. Let's rewrite this ending.
> 📱 Option Selected:
🔴 Punch Hikaru
Time slowed.
A dull buzz rang in his ears.
Alex didn't think.
Didn't reason.
He just walked.
He crossed the street without checking the light.
Cars screeched to a halt. Someone shouted.
But he was already on the other side.
Just steps from Wakane Hikaru.
Hikaru barely had time to blink.
The girl beside him turned, confused.
—Huh? Yamada…?
Alex didn't respond.
He just raised his fist.
And brought it down with full force.
CRACK.
The punch was clean. Precise.
It landed square on Hikaru's jaw.
The boy crumpled to the ground, tumbling like a ragdoll.
His backpack burst open, books flying.
—W-what the hell?! Are you crazy?! —the girl screamed.
But Alex didn't hear her.
His eyes were locked on Hikaru, who groaned on the pavement.
He grabbed his collar, lifted him slightly.
Their faces were now level.
—Where were you… when she cried?
Hikaru didn't respond.
Fear had stolen his voice.
—When she was kicked out of her house.
—When she had to crawl through alleys looking for work.
—When no one opened their doors.
—When her legs shook from hunger.
—When… she looked at her belly and said "nobody loves me."
Alex's voice trembled.
Not from anger.
From something worse: desperation.
—Where were you, "hero"?
—Playing nice? Waiting for someone else to fix it?
A crowd had gathered.
Students, adults, phones raised.
But Alex didn't see them.
He only saw Hikaru.
The "hero" who did nothing.
He let go of his shirt.
Hikaru collapsed again.
Alex stared at him once more… and spat to the side.
—Keep living your perfect life, coward.
And he walked away.
Without looking back.
---
He returned home.
The grocery bags dangled loosely from his hand.
He opened the door.
Megumi was standing in the kitchen, barefoot, trembling.
Her eyes were wet.
Her lips slightly parted.
—I-I thought… you had left…
Alex said nothing.
He just stepped forward.
Dropped the bags.
And hugged her.
Tightly.
With fear.
With rage he hadn't released.
She clung to his chest.
—Thank you… for coming back, she whispered.
And in that moment, for the first time since arriving in this world…
Alex felt that maybe… just maybe…
he had done the right thing.