"Kei-senpai..."
Aoki froze for a moment.
Before he could respond, a familiar electronic voice—one he hadn't heard in a while—suddenly echoed in his mind.
———————————————————————
[Congratulations, Host.]
[You've unlocked your first CG for the heroine 'Kita Ikuyo']
['Autumn Wind, Lead Vocalist, Apprentice Guitarist, and Senpai'.]
———————————————————————
Snapping back to reality, Aoki stood silent for a beat.
He didn't focus on the CG right away. Instead, his attention naturally shifted back to Kita.
Before she could say anything more, he gently interrupted:
"You can call me whatever you like. Just Aoki is fine. No need to worry about formalities. For now—let's head to the BBQ place. The others have been waiting a while."
...
The conversation started abruptly—and ended just as suddenly.
On the way to the restaurant, neither Aoki nor Kita said another word.
Kei's mind, however, was busy.
He was still thinking about what she'd said… and the CG that had just been unlocked.
He clearly remembered wondering—almost three months ago—what exactly the conditions were for unlocking a CG.
Now, at long last, he was beginning to form a theory.
He had long suspected something.
His "golden finger"—this system called Romantic Obstacle Simulation Game—well, just the name alone hinted at what it might really be.
Despite the word Obstacle, there was undoubtedly a strong romance element.
Every system choice so far had revolved around girls.
From the layout that resembled a galgame, to the heroine selection screen, to the CG feature and ending flags—everything screamed dating sim.
And if this truly was that kind of game… then what were the conditions for unlocking CGs?
Aoki didn't consider himself especially emotionally intelligent, but he wasn't clueless either.
He remembered when Nijika had told him she wanted to win the contest together.
Or how, later in the arcade, she had insisted he just call her Nijika.
Or now—Kita calling him Kei-senpai in that soft, trembling voice…
But real life isn't a galgame. Life doesn't have neatly packaged "routes."
Unlocking a CG might bring a reward, might let you freeze a girl's most adorable expression in time. But that's all.
Real relationships are complex. Every step carries consequences.
From the system's heroine menu, Kita's avatar was now glowing faintly.
As they walked toward the BBQ restaurant, Aoki hesitated.
Knowing his own personality, he might one day act on impulse—and commit to a choice without looking back.
But not now.
Attraction isn't the same as affection. And affection isn't the same as love.
For now, he had his reasons to hesitate. The luxury of indecision.
Maybe his heart did skip a beat when Kita smiled at him through her tears and called him Senpai.
But…
Keeping things the way they were wasn't so bad. So—for now—he would stay still.
...
Lost in thought, Aoki opened the [Heroine Menu].
He selected a character.
A translucent pale-blue screen shimmered into view, resembling a classic galgame interface.
———————————————————————
[Current heroine: Kita Ikuyo]
[Unlocked CGs: 1 (Reward available)]
[Achievements: None]
[Ending Progress: None]
———————————————————————
Just like last time, the CG tab now displayed a small "1" next to it.
Also like last time, the status had changed to [Available to Claim].
Without overthinking it, Aoki tapped the button.
The interface shifted again.
The full CG gallery opened—neatly arranged, most of them still locked, except the one he had just earned:
———————————————————————
'Autumn Wind, Lead Vocalist, Apprentice Guitarist, and Senpai.'
———————————————————————
Aoki clicked on it.
The image filled the screen: a perfectly filtered, stunning still frame.
Kita glanced over her shoulder, a soft smile tugging at her lips.
Her hair danced in the autumn breeze, a few strands brushing gently against her cheek.
It was beautiful.
Once again, Aoki couldn't help but admire how amazing this CG feature was.
At the same moment, the system delivered the reward.
Unlike last time, it wasn't points, cash, or skills—and not another [Clover Lucky Charm Shard] either.
This time, it was an odd little item:
———————————————————————
[Kita's Maple Hairclip Fragment (1/3)]
———————————————————————
Though the names were different, the nature of the item was the same—something you couldn't immediately use, with an unclear purpose.
Its description was brief:
———————————————————————
"Once all fragments are gathered and given to Kita, something significant might happen."
———————————————————————
Could it be tied to an ending? To CG unlocks or achievements?
For now, Aoki had no way of knowing.
He didn't bother overanalyzing it. After claiming the reward, he closed the menu.
They had arrived at the restaurant.
...
As they stepped inside, a cheerful staff member greeted them with a warm "Welcome!"
The employee walked over and asked how many were in their group. Upon hearing they already had friends waiting, he led Aoki and Kita toward a private room.
When the group had originally picked this place via Google Maps, they hadn't really looked at the price range.
But judging by the polished decor and attentive service…
Soft background music filled the space—just loud enough to hear, but not enough to disturb conversation.
The private room smelled faintly of wood, and everything was impeccably clean.
It was obvious this place wasn't cheap.
Not that it mattered.
With Kessoku Band riding high in popularity, money wasn't exactly an issue right now.
Aoki followed the server into the room and greeted Nijika and the others, who had been waiting.
Bocchi and Nijika were seated on one side, with Kita joining them.
The opposite side had only one seat left—next to Ryo.
Just like during the Kyoto trip, Aoki ended up sitting beside her.
But the moment he did, Ryo leaned in ever so slightly, twitched her nose—and sniffed.
On the other side of the room, Nijika and Kita were helping Bocchi decide what to order, and didn't seem to notice what Ryo was doing.
But Aoki definitely noticed.
He flinched slightly, caught off guard.
But remembering Ryo's usual antics, he composed himself quickly and asked in a quiet voice:
"Ryo-san... what was that about?"
Ryo blinked up at him, her voice just as low, but laced with unmistakable suspicion.
"You had ice cream without me, didn't you, Suki-san?"
"…."
"…?"
———————————————————————
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