[Identity verification in progress… Passed.]
[ID validation… Passed.]
[Iris recognition… Passed.]
[Life Restart Simulator]
[Each time you simulate life, five talents will be drawn at random. Talent grades are categorized into White, Green, Blue, Purple, and Gold. After each simulation, the player can select one talent to solidify and carry over to the next simulation.]
[Note: Each chapter allows up to five simulations. If all five fail, the game ends.]
[Successfully completing a chapter allows the player to permanently acquire all talents obtained during the run and use them in the next chapter.]
[Clear all chapters to receive a mysterious prize.]
[Enjoy your game.]
[Current Chapter: Karuizawa Kei's Autumn Lie]
[Objective for Chapter 2: Discover and correct the psychological weakness of Karuizawa Kei until she can live independently at Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School. Objective Completed. Final Composite Score: 100 points.]
[Congratulations. Chapter 2 cleared. Reward tier being determined based on final score.]
[Reward Acquired: "Karuizawa Kei's Self"]
[Karuizawa Kei's Self: Before each simulation begins, one random talent will be upgraded to the highest gold level.]
["A bullied child may become either a bully… or a protector."]
[Current High Score: 100 Points.]
[Three simulation attempts remain in Chapter 2. You may simulate again, or lock in the perfect 100 score. Remaining attempts will be auto-simulated as 100 and rewards will be granted.]
[Achievements unlocked: "Advanced Nurturing," "Rooted Feelings," ...]
[Achievement Unlocked: "Harem Protagonist" - Reward: 1 Gold Talent Draw Card]
[Harem Protagonist: Gain the affection of six key plot characters in one simulation (Ichinose Honami, Horikita Suzune, Sakayanagi Arisu, Karuizawa Kei, Shiina Hiyori, Ryuuen Kakeru)]
[Gold Talent Draw Card: Guarantees a gold-grade talent draw.]
[Achievement Unlocked: "One Take Wonder" - Talent Acquired: "Photography Expert (Blue)". Since duplicate detected, upgraded to "Photography Master (Purple)"]
[One Take Wonder: Only one CG cutscene triggered throughout entire simulation.]
[Achievement Unlocked: "Heartbreaker" - Item Acquired: "A Ring"]
[Heartbreaker: Abandon a key plot character after forming a relationship.]
[A Ring: Supposed to be one of a pair. You don't know who has the other.]
[Achievement Unlocked: "Lifelong Rival" - Nagumo Miyabi's initial favorability reduced.]
[Lifelong Rival: Defeat Student Council VP Nagumo Miyabi multiple times in a simulation.]
[Achievement Unlocked: "Class Promotion" - Initial favorability with 1st Year Class C increased.]
[Class Promotion: Achieve a class promotion within a single simulation.]
[Achievement Unlocked: "Points Maniac" - Item Acquired: "2 Million Personal Points"]
[Points Maniac: Hold over 20 million personal points at one time.]
[2 Million Personal Points: One-time-use item. Grants 2 million personal points through legal channels.]
[Achievement Unlocked: "Unorthodox Path" - Talent Upgrade Card Acquired]
[Unorthodox Path: Clear the chapter without advancing a romance route with the main heroine.]
[Talent Upgrade Card: Upgrade any talent by one grade.]
[Perfect Simulation Achieved. All talents retained.]
[All talents solidified.]
[Current number of solidified talents: 15]
- Gold: Childhood Friend, Etched in Memory, Persistence, Grand Master, Trickster, Super Detective
- Purple: Orator, Commanding Presence, Crowd Charmer, Supreme Pet Owner, Martial Artist, Photographer
- Blue: Well-Read, Modest Assets, Kindred Spirits
[Current inventory items: Ichinose Honami's Blessing, Ichinose Honami's Self, Karuizawa Kei's White Rose, Karuizawa Kei's Self, Engagement (One-Time Use), Admission Certificate, Gold Talent Draw Card, A Ring, 2 Million Personal Points (One-Time Use)]
[Ichinose Honami's Blessing: Ensures no white-tier talents during talent draw.]
[Ichinose Honami's Self: Randomly upgrades three talents before each simulation (excludes gold). Applies to both initial and solidified talents.]
[Engagement: One-time-use item to form a marriage contract with any character.]
[Karuizawa Kei's White Rose: Grants Blue Talent "Floral Whisperer" when equipped.]
After finishing work for the day, Ryo logged into the game "Life Restart Simulator" again. A dense wall of notifications instantly filled his screen.
Come to think of it, he had exited rather hastily last time and hadn't even checked the final score.
Lifting his gaze slightly, he saw the 100-point score and nodded in satisfaction. This run had high freedom, and he had maximized the gold talent "Trickster." Shiina Hiyori was right—Karuizawa Kei had always been dancing within the world he constructed. With his help at the sports festival, she should now survive just fine at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High. The perfect score made sense.
He had unlocked a chaotic mess of achievements and gained many new items, but Ryo had no mind to inspect them one by one.
The interview he fought so hard for that morning now seemed hopeless. It was just another failure, but it still unsettled him.
Maybe it was because of the dream he had about his sister last night. The emotions still hadn't faded.
Looking at the dazzling talents he held, Ryo couldn't help but recall the crude "simulator" he used to describe to Hotaru.
Just like the fixed talents he now had, he always told Hotaru the same three imaginary talents:
"Good Health, Happy Family, Beloved by All."
Aside from the last one, the first two seemed far too humble compared to these golden and purple-tier powers. They might barely qualify as White tier.
But the truth was—neither he nor Hotaru had ever drawn those two.
The real world had no refresh button, no upgrades.
That was why he was so obsessed with this simulator.
It let him indulge in different lives at midnight, while constantly reminding him of the simulation's falseness.
The third chapter—[Chapter: Horikita Suzune's Winter Fantasy]—was now unlocked from its previous greyed-out state.
With a single tap, his massive pool of talents could launch him into yet another brilliant second life.
But Ryo didn't move. He remained on the main menu.
It wasn't hard to guess. Chapter 3 likely revolved around Horikita Suzune, and the key conflict would be her relationship with Horikita Manabu—unraveling the heavy chains that had bound her since childhood.
After all, from past simulations, Ryo had already come to understand the emotional burdens each of these girls carried.
He touched his gold-tier talents:
Persistence, Grand Master, Trickster...
If his real self had a talent list, it would probably read:
Gave Up Many Times and Achieved Nothing, Chess Quitter, Only Good at Lying to Himself...
With a slight thought, he activated the Gold Talent Draw Card.
A new talent emerged, glowing brilliantly:
Drama King (Gold): You possess astonishing talent on the theatrical stage. Your every movement and sigh captivates your audience.
"...Ha."
A strange laughter escaped him.
He quit the game.
If you indulge in too many self-deceiving dreams, eventually you won't be able to live in reality.
They were short on daily necessities. As Ryo walked out the door, he typed an email to the "Meritocracy" game dev team on his phone. He planned to quit as a beta tester.
He didn't expect much pay after just a few days of work, but there was still some hope.
If it exceeded expectations, maybe he could finally enjoy a bowl of ramen from the shop nearby.
It had been so long he could barely remember the taste.
Noodles: firm. That gave the bite some realness.
Chili: just a little.
Broth: light. He was taught from young to avoid heavy oil and spice to protect the throat.
No cilantro. He just didn't like it. Probably born that way.
Extra vinegar. Added depth. A little joy.
[Firm noodles, light broth, no cilantro, just a bit of chili, extra vinegar.]
That was the order.
He squinted up at the crosswalk signal. The green light lit.
Ryo stepped forward.
He'd taken this road so many times, it was second nature.
Then came the screech—rubber tearing across asphalt from his right.
Instinctively, he turned his head.
Blinding headlights swallowed his vision.
A man's terrified scream from the driver's seat.
Pain—sharp but brief.
Then, only endless darkness.
-------------------------------------
At the Central Theater, bold phrases adorned the posters lining the corridor walls: "A Shakespearean Classic!", "One of the Four Great Tragedies!", "A Must-See Drama in One's Lifetime!"
The audience had mostly taken their seats. As the scheduled start time approached, the heavy curtains on stage slowly drew back.
A meticulously prepared set revealed the interior of a medieval Danish palace. Seated on the throne was the newly crowned King Claudius. Before him, standing with his back to the audience and posture perfectly straight, was Prince Hamlet.
"My dear nephew Hamlet, my son..."
A line saturated with false affection and probing undertones.
"Hah..."
A faint sigh, yet miraculously, it reached every ear in the theater.
"Though we are kin by blood, we are not of the same kind."
A quiet murmur—a weary, resentful breath from Hamlet's soul.
From his lofty seat, Claudius posed a question, bearing the arrogance of a victor:
"My son, why does the cloud still hang upon you?"
Hamlet slightly turned his body. The stage lighting shifted accordingly. Under the searing spotlight, the corners of his mouth curled faintly into a sneer directed at Claudius. But he soon bowed slowly, left hand over his chest:
"Not so, my lord. I am too much i' the sun."
"He's a child actor... huh."
From the third row, Shiina Hiyori let out a small exclamation. The tiny girl sat on her mother's lap, craning her neck upward to get a closer look.
"They say he's about your age, Hiyori. A rookie actor, but he really captures the essence."
Her mother smiled gently and whispered in Hiyori's ear.
Hiyori had shown a love for reading since she was four or five. She'd even read simplified versions of Shakespeare. Hoping to cultivate her daughter's artistic sensibilities, the mother had brought her to see this play.
Seeing how captivated she was, the mother relaxed, nestling deeper into the plush, comfortable seat. Just as she reached for her water bottle, her daughter's tiny hand suddenly gripped her own tightly.
Puzzled, the mother turned to look and saw Hiyori completely absorbed by the performance. Her mouth was slightly open, eyes wide with focus. It seemed like an unconscious reaction from being too engrossed.
She hadn't expected Hiyori to be so enthralled. Apparently, she liked drama just as much as mystery novels.
Still, the mother couldn't help but worry that such interests might make it harder for her daughter to make friends.
With a sigh, she gave up on reclaiming her hand. Letting Hiyori hold on, she refocused on the unfolding tale of "Hamlet."
She recalled the name she had seen on the poster before entering:
"If I remember correctly, it was Kitagawa..."
In a corner of the audience, a small girl with honey-colored hair stood up excitedly, trying to catch a better look at the stage. Her enthusiasm drew a gentle scolding from the parents beside her:
"Kei, mind your manners. We're in public."
Though she was reluctantly made to sit back down, her sapphire-blue eyes sparkled with delight.
[It's Ryo!]
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