Heartstopper

"If lifes a game then I can easily win," is a famous saying originating from the younger generation

But would it be easier if life was all a game? Status indicator, class selection, talent allocation, and, even the ability to save a certain timeline. I thought the same as well, a life that's based on a game. I thought I'd be cool until I learned the horrible truth

3 months ago

[Hikaru Aoi

Age: 15

Sex: Male

Hobbies: Esports, reading, live streaming]

"So, I've heard that you want to talk to me?" Today was the arrival of spring and love was blooming in every nook and cranny of young Hikaru's school

"I-I uh, please go out with me, Hikaru senpai!" Utter silence filled the air and the back of the school grounds where they stood were flooded with students from every grade

At this point, they're not even hiding the fact that they're eavesdropping. Their voices can easily be heard and some even cheered from afar. It seems this girl standing before him was someone important to all these people to unite

'... Sigh, I guess I can't leave with my usual route, since it came to this I might as well... Get this over with,'

"Thank you for sharing your thoughts... Truly, I never thought I'd receive such wonderful news! What's more, it happens to originate from such a cute girl,"

"Then you'll take me as your girlfrien~"

"Hard pass... You see I rather like my life~ Arrrggg!!!" As expected, one of the bystanders showered him with the heaps of trash he collected and the others joined along

Their screams and outrage encircled his hearing and all he could have ever heard was a bundle of enraged voices. They threw everything they collected, but one of the things they tossed was a rock that took his consciousness away. Afraid of what's to come, the bystanders disappeared, and his graduation came to a shitty end

...

1 hour later

[System: You died!!!

Cause of death: Your character has taken a lot of damage from the mini-game!]

"I died again!!?" It's been an hour or so and Hikaru finally returned to his dorm he spent the first hours of his vacation with a stream

[(Live chat)

6:11 PM [King of Bruh]: What is this game?

...

6:12 PM [IloveErillia]: This game looks so old. Is this a retro game...? But the design, it's too good!

...

[Oppai daisuki 69

$50.0

__________________________

Just tell us already! Are you still mad when we diss you about streaming an old game?]

...

6:15 PM [Two piece is real]: Does he want a super chat...? Is this the reason why he's all silent?]

"What do you guys take me for, a child? I might be sixteen but I won't start a tantrum, didn't you see the Icon? It glows blue when im taking a bathroom break... Since you guys are interested I'll tell it from the very beginning," Whilst he continues playing this stunning game to entice his viewers, he tells them of its origins

1 week ago

"Thank you for shopping at 922!!" Correction, Hikaru wasn't streaming, for the enjoyment of his hobby but as a means to pay his rent

He was an orphan who lost his parents at a young age, and he's been living under a rock for most of his life. Since his school wasn't anything special, he managed to study whilst he tried to manage his work and the burden of being a student. When his shift finally ended, he walked through the same route over and over again until he reached his apartment

"What's this...? Did someone mistake me for my neighbor? But it's in my mailbox? Let's check the address first," He found a mysterious box in front of his apartment and took a look at the address

To his surprise, this box was mailed to his apartment it wasn't an accident nor a mishap. He never had any money for anything apart from his necessities. The arrival of this box made him grow wary, and yet he was tempted to open the forbidden box. He checked it again and again and the result cleared his suspicion

"This shape and feeling... It can't be...?" When he finally disclosed its content, he found a game for his laptop, and from its appearance, it was undoubtedly old

"Heartstopper?" It was a CD cover with its drawing highlighting a pixelated bloody Yandere

...

Present day

"So yeah, that's how I found it. I didn't get a note or anything concerning the game. It's already three hours...? Sorry guys, but I'll have to end today's stream a little earlier than I planned. Thanks for watching as always," He turned off his monitor and headed off to his bed after changing into his pj's

'Sigh... bed, I miss you so much. Your warmth is the only thing I've always been waiting for on a tiresome day. I did it again, why can't I just stand up and say I'm not available instead of flat-out rejecting those girls?'

As an orphan, young Hikaru faces one of the most formidable opponents for someone of his age. Poverty, was an adversary he couldn't conquer and one of the things that beat him harder than anyone could've ever imagined. Just like everyone else, he needs a lot of money and all his time is spent working long hours to support his own

"Damn it! That girl was pretty cute. I even heard she's the best in her class and an angel who likes to give a helping hand. Regardless, why did she have to choose me? I'm not anything special and everyone in my class knows im poor. I don't know why she picked me out of everyone," He pushed his head deep into his plump and squishy pillow in an attempt to bury all of his guilt

'If it were a game then I could easily win! I'd pay any price just so that my life can be a game and escape from my social status... if only it was a game. But that's illogical. The only thing that could ever happen is some mystical shenanigans would appear and change my life,'

Weeks flew by in a flash and Hikaru was met with a jaw-dropping encounter. A long time ago he participated in an examination for a prestigious school intending to gain a scholarship. But in every school, he partakes in their separate examination, his score was high, and yet every one of these letters conveys a single message

"We sincerely apologize, but we've already gained several scholarships before your examination was finalized... Since your talent wasn't something that we couldn't ignore, we'll give you a recommendation. Yeah right, they say they'd help me but I knew for a fact that they didn't care," Just like the time in his third, second, and first year and even till the last year of his junior high

All these letters had a pattern, in their way of writing was similar, and most of their recommendation didn't exist. Is this the end of his school life? Hikaru had nowhere left to go and the money he saved couldn't cover most of his tuition. He thought so too until he opened the last letter mailed to his apartment, and this stands far above them all

"Dear Mr. Hikaru Aoi, I've heard that you're in a bit of a rough since not a single school would like to take you under their wing. If you'd like to further broaden your knowledge then I have a proposition. Do you want to enter as a scholar at my school?" That day passed away in a flash and before he realized it, he was one step closer to the school

Literally, he faced the gates of this prestigious school and the strangest thing was that he'd never heard of its achievements

2 months later

'Morrisoge High was said to be one of the leading schools in developing future geniuses. Why do I feel as though I've heard of this name...? Wait a minute that game! Heartstopper? Oh right, that game may have based itself on a real map, but I never heard of this school?'

"I've been browsing the internet, and yet... maybe I accidentally skipped it! There's no way that a game became true. Now, where was I supposed to go? The gym, I forgot they are about to hold an introduction!" He hurried to the gym and before he knew it, he was lost

"I didn't think I'd get lost on the first day of school! This isn't the impression that I'd want the school to remember. The school's garden is right near the corner, I might find someone I can ask for directions," With the garden as his last chance to find his way through the school, he sought that place for an individual or two

He continued trekking his chosen path, and suddenly he felt a sense of dejavu in the time he'd received the letter. All the things that occurred at this point were one of the scenarios when he'd encounter a mysterious beauty. When he arrived at the garden, he noticed the field of beautiful red flowers and a girl in the middle of this magnificent view. He moved for a closer look, but before he could reach her, his stomps were heard by the girl he sought for advice

"Oh my! Hello there stranger, I never thought I'd see another interested in this view... Ah, a new face! I haven't seen anyone like you around in my middle school years, are you perhaps a transferee?" When she turns and faces Hikaru he then notices a similar voice line from the game whilst striking a pose similar to one of the many capture targets

'N-No way! This is real!!? No! No!! No!!!'

Once he fully understands his situation a panel appears in Hikaru's eyes and reveals the reality of the situation

[Capture target:

Maki Adagaki

Age: 16

Sex: Female

Heroine type: Yandere

Difficulty: SSS+

Strengths: Knife handling, cooking, sweet, caring, gardening

Weakness: Clingy, easily obsessed, potential stalker, easily hurt, can't take a joke, will kill you if betrayed]

"What's wrong? Why are you shaking all of a sudden?" Her innocent image soon disappeared and all he could view was her face tarnished in blood along with a wicked smile