Time passed.
Early July. The weather was getting hot.
As final exams approached, the members of Kessoku Band decided to hold a study session.
That morning, they gathered at a café with a nice atmosphere.
Originally, they'd planned to study inside the live house, but another band was rehearsing there today, making it far too noisy.
"This is so hard," Hitori mumbled, sipping her drink.
Studying was really boring.
If only she could play the simulator again.
Unfortunately, it had been nearly a month since the last one, and the cooldown still wasn't over.
Sigh, whatever. Even if I play again, I'll just lose anyway.
Bocchi-chan glanced around at her bandmates, who were all studying seriously.
[...]
Hm? Simulator-chan, you have something to say?
[Detecting player's negative attitude. This simulator is now considering methods of recovery...]
And?
[According to main protocol, this simulator possesses one emergency override privilege.]
What does that mean?
[It means that in your next simulation, the Love Simulator can grant you an extremely powerful advantage to greatly improve your success rate.]
"Eh?"
Hitori let out a small sound before she could stop herself.
If there was such a convenient feature, why hadn't it been available earlier?
"Bocchi, what's wrong?" Ryo looked up.
"Did you choke?" Nijika asked with concern, gently patting her back.
Hitori quickly set down her cup.
"N-no, it's fine."
[Would the player like to use this feature?]
Of course she would!
[Executing override process.]
[Deploying bait... deployment successful.]
[Altering romance simulation options... success.]
[The Goddess of victory is now established. May fortune be with you!]
Why does it sound like you just jinxed me...?
Hitori felt uneasy.
"Gotoh-san, are you stuck on a question?" Kita began to offer help, then heard her own simulator chime in.
[Warning: A subunit is attempting to interfere with main unit operations...]
[Friendship Simulator requests input: would you like to consume your one and only override privilege to cancel the subunit's interference?]
Only one use?
That sounded important.
Kita thought for a moment, then chose not to intervene.
Cough, cough.
Ryo had just taken a sip of water when her simulator popped up, making her choke.
"You okay, Ryo?"
"I'm fine." She shook her head and checked the notification.
[Alert: A certain trash subunit has used an override. Would the master like to consume her own single-use override privilege to nullify it?]
What's a subunit?
Is this important?
[Single-use only. Not recommended for casual activation.]
Then forget it.
Ryo wasn't worried anyway, her simulator didn't have usage limits.
Besides...
Right now, she was the one closest to Toru. Just last week, they'd gone to see a sci-fi movie together. Her "home invasion" operation had gone perfectly.
"Mou~ hurry and wipe it up, Ryo, you're spilling juice on your shirt," Nijika said, offering her handkerchief.
Before her hand reached over—
[Alert: Master, an unexpected event may occur in the next simulation. Would you like to use your override privilege to prevent it?]
"Thanks," Ryo said, taking the handkerchief and wiping her mouth.
Then she used a napkin to clean up the spilled juice on the table.
Her review notes had almost gotten soaked. Close call.
"No need," Nijika replied automatically. Saying "thank you" over something small felt too formal.
[Command received: Abandoning interference.]
When did I say I was abandoning it?
['No need.']
"..." Nijika.
Her simulator didn't seem very smart.
And so, on a bright morning, the four girls with simulators all gathered in one place.
[Attention, player: Simulator cooldown complete.]
Hearing the notification, Hitori calmly sipped her drink.
This time, she wouldn't lose.
——
Meanwhile.
Toru yawned in bed.
How should he spend this beautiful Saturday?
Practice piano? Take another nap?
Wait, how was it already nine o'clock?
He'd gone to bed late last night and overslept today.
So sleepy.
Maybe he should fire up a simulation to wake himself up?
It had been a while since he'd last played. Life in reality had been fulfilling lately, so he hadn't felt particularly bored.
[Game Life Simulator activated.]
[Please select a profession for this simulation: ]
[1: Post-Apocalyptic Scientist (What Are You Doing at the Time When the Stars Fall? Are You Free? Can You Come Save Us? Note: This profession features a unique world setting.)]
[2: Program Designer (Flesh in pain, machine ascension, heh heh heh, poor organism, it's too late. In this simulation, choosing this profession grants 10x learning speed and 10x comprehension rate. Final evaluation doubled.)]
[3: Harem King (Cherish your life. Beware of knives.)]
[4: Random (Unknown fate. Choosing this option grants a 130% evaluation bonus.)]
What exactly did "unique world setting" mean?
[Would you like to view detailed information for Profession 1: Post-Apocalyptic Scientist?]
Sure, let's see.
[World Overview: Year 2025, parallel world. Global observatories report that asteroid Mirai is on course to collide with Earth in 20 years...]
Pass.
Kitahara Toru dropped it immediately. A wise man knows his limits.
He preferred to live through ordinary worlds. Whoever wanted that kind of chaos could have it.
"Which one should I pick..."
Option one, discarded.
Option three didn't suit his loyal, one-woman type personality.
Option four... now that he knew "special worlds" were a thing, he didn't dare. The thought gave him a headache.
Option two...
He suspected it was a trap. Getting a buff and bonus rewards? Yeah, right. There had to be a catch.
Maybe... still try three?
After so many pure-hearted playthroughs, a harem route sounded kind of fun.
No.
Better stick with two.
Having a harem was unfair to the girls. Loving one person in a lifetime already took enough energy.
[Year 1 of middle school: upon transferring schools, you set your life goal... to become a Program Designer.]
A normal start...
Wait, middle school? And a transfer? Was that right?
Kitahara Toru instantly perked up. The previous four simulations had all followed the real-world timeline. This one suddenly had a new starting point.
[You have obtained Buff: Gifted Mind (Learning experience x10, comprehension speed x10).]
At least the simulator wasn't lying.
The boost applied properly. It wasn't as overpowered as cheats, but it was decent.
And this time, there was no debuff.
Maybe he wouldn't die young and leave the girls in heartbreak.