[I like you, Tetsuya-kun.]
[Miyuki…]
[What do you think of me, Tetsuya-kun?]
A beautiful woman gazed up at a tall man with drowsy eyes.
Her three-part eyes, with the whites barely visible below, were incredibly alluring.
She looked at him with soft brown eyes that were gentle yet somehow sensual.
It was as if she was urging him to speak his true feelings.
The red-faced man only opened his mouth after a long pause.
[…I'm sorry, Miyuki. I still don't know my own feelings…]
The moment I saw that line, I shot up from my chair in front of the computer.
'Is this guy an idiot?'
No, the world's most beautiful woman had just confessed to him, and this man had shown the most affection toward Miyuki, his childhood friend among all the heroines. So why this…?
I'd been measuring affection levels right up to the final stretch of the game, and this was absurd.
It made me want to crawl into the writer's head.
I laughed in disbelief and clicked the mouse.
I hoped the protagonist was just joking, that he actually had feelings for her too.
But instead,
[Thank you for playing DokiDoki Academy.]
The next screen had no familiar background image, just lines I'd never imagined.
Stunned, I let out an involuntary shout.
"What the fuck?"
What? Thanks for playing? Wasn't that the end?
No, it didn't end by sweetly melting the player's heart.
It simmered frustration and then just cut off?
If it ended like this, what would happen to Miyuki after her confession?
She'd clutch her broken heart and go home to cry for days.
What about the other heroines, Renka and Hiyori? Were they just throwaways?
This was supposed to be a sweet romantic comedy.
Sure, there might be some conflicts, but it was a genre where the protagonist and main heroine ultimately bore the fruit of love.
But this insane ending? No matter how frustrating a romcom could get, nothing like this existed…
Did they do this just to make players cough up blood?
Was the writer a little unhinged?
You'd have to be mentally off to release a final DLC like this.
"Isn't this total bullshit?"
If they wanted an open ending, they should've just had Tetsuya clam up.
That way, I could've filled in the blanks with positive imagination. But this… it only bred negativity.
Did they think I put up with a protagonist way more frustrating than your typical romcom dense guy just for this…?
It might not have been a popular game, but I loved the art style and poured my heart into the tightrope of teasing and flirting.
I'd overlapped myself with Tetsuya, empathized with him, and spent my days waiting eagerly for each new DLC.
I even bought bromides for the first time.
But to betray me like this? Don't you feel bad?
If you were going to hand the heroines this kind of tragedy, might as well pivot to yagame and throw in some service scenes.
Then I could've ditched the empathy and just enjoyed the fanservice.
Stunned, I closed out of DokiDoki Academy—abbreviated as Tokiaka—that I'd just been playing.
Afterward, I headed to the developer's website and hammered out a long, scathing review.
It was the first time in my life I'd vented such raw anger in a critique.
[I'd been so immersed in this game that I was furious at the developer and writer for wasting my time with this garbage ending.
I played romcoms to bask in the sweetness, but this left me feeling filthy.
It was probably the worst piece of crap game I'd ever played.]
After finishing, I glanced out the window, but the night was thick with darkness.
I'd been so hyped for the DLC's ending that I hadn't noticed time flying as I lost myself in every line and illustration.
Chwack—!
Irritated, I yanked the blackout curtains closed and buried my face in the pillow.
'Fuck.'
Playing this game was one of the biggest regrets of my life.
But what could I do? I never saw it coming.
'Still, it was sweet up until then…'
If the ending had been right, it would've been a god-tier game… You bastards…
Struggling to calm my heaving chest, I stared at the three heroine bromides on the wall.
Miyuki, Renka, and Hiyori.
Truly gorgeous heroines.
If only they hadn't fallen for an idiot like Tetsuya… they could've been happy…
It was a game I'd loved for so long, but one ending turned it into shit in an instant.
The sense of betrayal was no joke. Now I understood why it never got popular.
Because the developers had no clue.
I let out a deep sigh and went to bed.
I figured anger would keep me awake, but unexpectedly, exhaustion poured over me.
My mind must've worn itself out from the emotional explosion.
Yeah, that was for the best. Time to forget this crap quick.
With that thought, I drifted off to sleep.
'Miyuki… Renka… Hiyori… I'm so sorry…'
Murmuring the names of the three heroines doomed to a tragic end.
___
[bromides] - (ブロマイド, buromaido) They are a type of commercial photographic portraits or collectible cards of celebrities (such as actors, singers, idols, and anime characters).