[Chapter Two Completion Objective: Identify and correct Karuizawa Kei's personality weakness – Completed. Final overall score: 61 points.]
[Congratulations, player has cleared Chapter Two. Drawing corresponding reward based on score tier.]
[Congratulations, player has received reward item: Karuizawa Kei's White Rose.]
[Karuizawa Kei's White Rose: Equip to gain Blue Talent "Floriographer"]
["Willing to stand in the shadows, to highlight your brilliance."]
[Floriographer (Blue): You are skilled in cultivating, nurturing, and preserving all kinds of flowers. In your hands, flowers that normally wither quickly can remain vibrant for a longer time.]
[Current highest score: 61 points.]
[Remaining simulation attempts for Chapter Two: 4. You may choose to simulate Chapter Two again or finalize it with the 61-point rating. The remaining four simulations will default to the 61-point reward tier.]
[You may choose one talent to retain. This talent will be automatically used in future simulations.]
[Achievement Unlocked: "Deeply Rooted Feelings" – Reward: Gold Talent Refresh Card x1]
[Deeply Rooted Feelings: Gain favorability from three key story characters in a single simulation.]
[Gold Talent Refresh Card: Can refresh any one talent, guaranteeing a Gold-tier talent.]
[Achievement Unlocked: "I Want Them All" – This achievement has been unlocked, no further rewards granted.]
[I Want Them All: Trigger three or more CG events in a single simulation.]
[Achievement Unlocked: "Pinky Promise" – Reward: "Engagement" item.]
[Pinky Promise: Enter a marriage relationship with a key story character during a simulation.]
[Engagement: One-time-use item. Allows you to form a marriage contract with any character.]
[Achievement Unlocked: "Advanced Nurturing" – Reward: "Enrollment Pass" item.]
[Advanced Nurturing: Attend and graduate from Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School in a single simulation.]
[Enrollment Pass: Reusable item. Grants admission to Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School.]
[You have chosen to retain the talent "Captivating Aura" (Purple).]
[Captivating Aura (Purple): Greatly enhances your personal charm (appeals to both genders).]
[Current fixed talents held: 8 – Childhood Sweetheart (Gold), Etched in Heart (Gold), Perseverance (Gold), Captivating Aura (Purple), Master Pet Owner (Purple), Martial Artist (Purple), Small Assets (Blue), Close Friend (Green)]
[Current held items: Ichinose Honami's Blessing, Ichinose Honami's Self, Karuizawa Kei's White Rose, Engagement (one-time item), Enrollment Pass, Gold Talent Refresh Card.]
[Ichinose Honami's Blessing: You will never receive White-tier talents during initial talent draws.]
[Ichinose Honami's Self: Before each simulation begins, three of your talents (including initial and fixed) will be randomly upgraded in quality. (Gold-tier talents cannot be upgraded further.)]
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"It's over."
"Compared to the previous text-only versions, this simulation felt like a real-life experience... as if I had truly lived another life."
"And has virtual reality technology already advanced this far? This was more immersive and realistic than any so-called fully immersive 100% real game I've played before."
Ryo subconsciously pressed his lips together, as if a lingering softness still remained.
Unlike the previous three simulations, this time he experienced the entire process firsthand. Although the game company claimed only "story CG" parts would be immersive, this time the whole simulation was basically made up of story CGs.
"Sight, sound, smell, taste, touch."
Even with his eyes closed, he could still see the female characters from this simulation, moving, running, frowning, and interacting with him as if they were real.
Whether it was Shiina Hiyori, Horikita Suzune, or Karuizawa Kei—seeing them for real was always different from imagination.
"Come to think of it, I still haven't seen Ichinose Honami's appearance..."
It was odd, but all three previous simulations involving Ichinose had been dry text narrations, not even a single image. Although Ryo had pictured her appearance in his mind, he had never actually seen her. He was hoping she might appear in Karuizawa's simulation, but after that long immersive experience, Ichinose didn't show up even once.
"If I had to retain a talent, 'Single-Minded Devotion' seems kind of useless. Even though it's a gold-tier talent, it only made me passive and easily led around. 'Irresistible Charm' is far more practical."
While reviewing the previous simulation and looking for a breakthrough, he casually selected "Irresistible Charm" to keep. The moment he confirmed his choice, Ryo received a feedback survey from the "Meritocracy" studio.
"Dear Beta Tester, do you have any suggestions or questions regarding this simulation or its future content?"
"Suggestions? How about the lack of freedom? Even with the improved immersion through virtual reality, the core issue of simulation games remains – there's no real freedom. Of course, I'm not asking for Galgame-style branch options."
A bold idea suddenly popped into Ryo's mind as he continued typing:
"I hope for more freedom, including in conversations and actions. At the very least, let players control decisions at major story forks."
To put it bluntly, Ryo didn't want pre-selected Galgame choices. Those options never meant freedom—they were all preset by the developers. Sometimes maliciously, they'd even give you three identical options, leaving you with no real choice.
Perhaps because the developers were closely monitoring him, a reply from the "Meritocracy" studio arrived swiftly:
"Thank you for your suggestion. We've held an emergency discussion and have decided to partially adopt your idea. In the next simulation, players will enjoy greater freedom. However, please be advised this may lead to endings we cannot predict."
Ryo nodded in acknowledgment. Just as he was preparing to begin the next session, another email came from the studio. Unlike the last personal reply, this one was formatted as a game update announcement:
"Life Restart Simulator: Meritocracy Edition - Version Update Announcement.
Major Updates:
- Increased player freedom. Players can now make decisions at key story branches.
- Major overhaul of the simulator: Time indicators like 'Day 1, Day 2' will be removed. Players will now experience a more seamless simulated life.
Additional Optimizations:
- More detailed backgrounds and characters; many new characters will appear.
- Richer story CGs, more branches, and improved storytelling.
- Players may now choose whether to add fixed talents before each simulation, to avoid clashes with newly drawn talents and aid progression.
- Achievement system optimized. More diverse achievements added for players to unlock.
- Minor bugs fixed.
Update time: 7:00 PM June 5 to 7:00 AM June 6. Players will be unable to log in during this period."
"Pretty fast response... Looks like the dev team really cares about the game."
With just a quick glance, Ryo could feel the sincerity from the "Meritocracy" studio. His suggestions clearly made an impact. Glancing at the time—6:50 PM, June 5—he exited the virtual space with growing anticipation for the update.
As Ryo's figure disappeared from the white simulation zone, the single-view announcement vanished into glowing particles, as if it had never existed.
-------------------------------------
[Identity Verification in Progress...] [Status: Passed]
[ID Verification in Progress...] [Status: Passed]
[Iris Scan in Progress...] [Status: Passed]
[Life Restart Simulator]
[Each life simulation randomly draws five talents. Talents are categorized into five levels: White, Green, Blue, Purple, and Gold. After each simulation, one talent can be retained and brought into the next simulation.]
[Note: Each chapter allows a maximum of five simulations. Failure in all five attempts will result in a game over.]
[Successfully completing a chapter permanently unlocks all talents obtained during the run, which can be used in future simulations.]
[Clearing all chapters grants a mysterious reward.]
[We wish you a pleasant gaming experience.]
As brilliant lines of text floated across the starry sky, Ryo stared at the interface.
At a glance, the main UI didn't seem that different from before the update. He lightly tapped the unlocked second chapter. The white-bordered UI shattered into fragments before reassembling:
[Chapter: Karuizawa Kei's Autumn Lies]
"Karuizawa Kei..."
Ryo sighed as he muttered the name.
He originally thought Ichinose Honami in Chapter One was already a problem child, but compared to Kei, she was hardly worth mentioning. Despite two simulations, he still hadn't been able to give Kei a proper outcome.
Unlike the pure-hearted empathy he felt for Honami, Ryo had a far more complicated emotional response to Kei—one he couldn't even articulate.
[Please name your character]
[Player selects name: Kitagawa Ryo]
[Name registered]
[Beginning second simulation of Chapter Two]
[Seven talents randomly drawn:]
[Grand Master (Gold): You have reached the level of an international grandmaster in chess. (Only in chess.)]
"Had this one from a temporary card in the third simulation. Strong, but highly situational. Still, getting a gold talent as the first draw is a great start."
[Orator (Purple): You possess exceptional eloquence and public speaking ability. (Pairs well with high charm.)]
"Nice! Works perfectly with 'Mass Charmer.'"
[Commanding Aura (Purple): You have a powerful natural presence. (Very effective against the weak-willed.)]
"So far, these talents are looking solid."
[Master Actor (Purple): You're a born performer, capable of controlling every tiny expression and movement. (Consider acting!)]
"Strong, but the word 'actor' is giving me PTSD."
[Well-Read (Blue): You've read a wide range of literature. (There's always a gem in the pages.)]
"Still nothing I need to reroll yet."
[Narcissus (Green): You're a bit of a narcissist. (Always carries a mirror. Always fabulous.)]
"Yeah, that's getting deleted no matter what."
[Photography Enthusiast (Green): You're fairly skilled with a camera. (Just decent.)]
"Alright, say goodbye to Narcissus."
[Use Golden Talent Reroll Card?][Select talent to reroll: Narcissus]
[Rerolled: Super Detective (Gold): Insight, critical thinking, situational awareness—you have all the traits of a world-class detective. Time to rival Sherlock Holmes. (Too bad it's not the 19th century.)]
"Looks good on paper, though high school detectives only exist in manga."
[Please select a talent to fixate (carry into simulation).]
This time, unlike before, Ryo could actively choose which fixed talents to bring into the simulation.
[Current fixed talents: Childhood Sweetheart (Gold), Etched in Memory (Gold), Perseverance (Gold), Mass Charmer (Purple), Master Pet Owner (Purple), Martial Artist (Purple), Small Assets (Blue), Close Friend (Green)]
"I have two plans:
- Bring all talents. They're good and would give me strong boosts, but there's a lot of unpredictability.
- Go back to basics and rely only on initial talents. That'd avoid chaos like the last run, but lacks adaptability."
Ryo toggled his choices while thinking.
"Perseverance, Mass Charmer, Master Pet Owner, Martial Artist, and Small Assets are keepers for now. The issue is the remaining three: Childhood Sweetheart, Etched in Memory, and Close Friend."
"Least risky is Close Friend, since it only brings in same-gender friends. But it might interfere, like with Horikita Manabu pulling me into contact with Horikita Suzune."
"Etched in Memory and Childhood Sweetheart are tied together. That's already proven. Heck, Etched in Memory used to be called 'Vow of Destiny.'"
He hesitated but chose Close Friend.
"All? One? None?"
Suddenly recalling a detail from the last simulation, Ryo had an epiphany:
"Given Kei's behavior pattern, Childhood Sweetheart is actually a liability. A savior who shows up then vanishes just distorts her. So, definitely not that one."
"But without it, she and I are strangers."
"Let's test it. It's only my second run anyway."
Ryo selected Etched in Memory.
[Etched in Memory (Gold): You have a mysterious past. You can barely recall it, as though the memories were ripped away.]
"Let's bet on it. Maybe it'll tie into Kei's backstory."
[Talent selection complete. Activating the effect of 'Ichinose Honami's Self':]
[Upgrading random talents]
[Close Friend (Green) → Kindred Spirits (Blue): You have an intimate same-gender friend who understands you deeply.]
[Photography Enthusiast (Green) → Photography Expert (Blue): You shoot at a professional level. Always the perfect angle.]
[Master Actor (Purple) → Deceiver (Gold): You are a natural-born liar. You can both control yourself and manipulate others. (Strangely, people tend to trust you.)]
[Final Talent Set:
Gold: Etched in Memory, Perseverance, Grand Master, Deceiver, Super Detective
Purple: Orator, Commanding Aura, Master Pet Owner, Mass Charmer, Martial Artist
Blue: Well-Read, Small Assets, Kindred Spirits, Photography Expert]
"No green talents at all—this is one hell of a lineup."
[Chapter Two Objective: Discover Karuizawa Kei's psychological weakness and help her mature into an independent student at Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School]
[Simulation Begins]
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April, Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School.
Some of the cherry blossoms had already begun to bloom, heralding the end of winter and the beginning of spring.
Petals danced in the sky like soft pink snow, falling gently like rain in the April breeze.
The shadows of trees swayed as sunlight filtered through the gaps between branches and leaves, casting flecks of light onto the ground. A boy in a red school uniform walked toward the school gate.
"Although I've heard this scene countless times during previous simulations..."
Kitagawa Ryo looked up at the school gate, a faint smile curving on his lips:
"This is still my first time actually being here."
"I wonder which class Honami is in."
The boy double-checked his own class assignment:
"Class 1-C, huh?"
[CG Unlocked: First Year (Unfinished Version)]
[First Year: This is your first year. We look forward to your performance.]
[Would you like to begin your exclusive CG story?]
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