17: Why Is It So Complicated?

Suzumiya Chisato felt a bit frustrated with the original owner for having so few useful memories about school, even forgetting the names of classmates. 

Yet, trivial things like anime live streams featuring a sheep and a wolf were remembered vividly. What good is remembering such things?

The original owner even donated money to those streams, even though he was just a student without financial means.

Now, he found himself with less than 20,000 yen left, and eating out in Tokyo would cost at least 1,000 yen. 

With over half a month until the next time money would arrive from home, he wasn't sure how to manage the coming days.

Suzumiya Chisato crushed the empty drink bottle and threw it in the trash. He checked his wallet and decided not to dwell on it. 

It was clear he didn't have enough, so he would either have to ask his family for money or find a side job. With hands and feet, he wasn't likely to starve in the modern city.

He bought a bread roll and a bottle of milk. These were the tools he needed to increase his favorability with Touma-san.

He hoped everything would go smoothly and that she would develop a positive feeling for him soon, unlocking the love system's store feature.

As he was about to leave, he noticed a corner space down the stairs. It was filled with dust and cluttered with desks and various items.

He saw something that looked like a person's lower legs and realized someone was lying there!

Was it an incident? Suicide? Murder?

Was the world he had entered finally getting exciting?

With a mix of nervousness and excitement, Suzumiya Chisato walked towards the space.

There, he saw a strange girl. The strange part was her fashion sense.

She was wearing old-fashioned sports pants under a proud JK pleated skirt. Her fashion sense was overwhelming.

She lay on the floor, seemingly unresponsive, with her eyes glazed over and mouth open, drooling.

Though it might be inappropriate to think so, Suzumiya Chisato couldn't help but imagine her in a scene from an inappropriate movie, with a similar expression.

It was equally awful and made one want to do something even more extreme.

[Ding ding, Gotoh Hitori... confirmed as a high-quality female.]

Huh?!

Suzumiya Chisato looked at the love system's notification and then at the girl lying on the floor.

He was deep in existential doubt.

He couldn't understand why the strict love system he'd dealt with before now had such low standards for judging a high-quality female.

Even though he tried hard to find any redeeming qualities, seeing the pink liquid on the floor made him give up with a twitch of his eye.

The love system's explanation was simple and firm.

[Host, we are of one mind. Please trust that I won't harm you.]

"…"

Alright, if it says so, he'll trust it this time.

Suzumiya Chisato crouched down, reached out to the girl whose consciousness had not yet returned, and picked up the phone that had fallen near her hand.

He thought that the cause of her state might be related to the content on her phone.

He imagined that she received a distressing message, checked her phone, and then collapsed on the floor, like a sad pink slime, revealing a pitiful and somewhat amusing posture.

Looking at her phone, he confirmed his guess.

He wasn't proud of guessing correctly. Looking at the chat history on the phone, he felt a mix of sympathy and amusement.

The chat history on the girl's phone looked like this:

[Hachimiya: Where's this week's friend fee?]

[Gotoh Hitori: Sorry… My allowance hasn't come in yet.]

[Hachimiya: What? You promised weekly friend fees. I only agreed to be your friend because of that.]

[Gotoh Hitori: I'm really sorry. I'll have an allowance in two weeks. Can I give it to you then?]

[Hachimiya: No, it's better if we're not friends anymore. People already look at me strangely when I'm with you.]

[Gotoh Hitori: No, don't! I'll break my piggy bank tonight and get the money for you by tomorrow!]

[The other party has removed you. Your message was not successfully sent.]

The last message sent by Gotoh Hitori had a glaring red exclamation mark pop up.

This indicated that her friendship with Hachimiya officially ended at that moment.

After reading the chat on the phone, Chisato quietly locked the screen and put the phone back.

It was strange—his eyes were inexplicably moist. He hadn't seen anything directly, but the content was incredibly sad.

Looking at Gotoh Hitori lying on the floor, Suzumiya Chisato had a completely different feeling now. He felt a bit sorry for her. And he was concerned.

It was surprising that in this society, someone could be so socially awkward and clumsy that they'd use money to make friends.

He sighed. Though he knew that ignoring her would eventually lead to her waking up on her own, he couldn't just leave her like this after realizing her situation.

In his simulated life, he had used his scheming to make Kasumigaoka Utaha fall in love with him and have a child. But in real life, he was still a good-hearted young man.

"Hey, wake up."

Suzumiya Chisato gently shook Gotoh Hitori's shoulder.

Her partially open mouth made indistinct sounds, but she didn't seem to be react.

He had no choice but to try a method he had seen in many TV dramas to wake someone up from unconsciousness.

He pressed his thumb slightly downward on her philtrum.

"Ugh—" Gotoh Hitori, who had been unconscious, let out a muffled sound as Suzumiya Chisato applied pressure.

Although her appearance might give a regrettable first impression, her voice was actually quite pleasant—very feminine and soft.

Gotoh Hitori slowly regained consciousness and, upon focusing her eyes, saw Suzumiya Chisato up close.

"Ah, it's not easy, but you're awake. Are you okay?"

"Heaven..."

"What?"

"Angel-san... Are you here to take me to heaven?"

"…"

The girl's disjointed thinking left him at a loss. He didn't know how to continue the conversation.

This reaction made Gotoh Hitori believe it was confirmation. She suddenly began to sob, her body twitching like a broken clock. Her once-clear eyes were now losing their light.

Don't go back to that state so easily please!

"I'm not an angel. You just fainted, you're not dead!"

Suzumiya Chisato said this very quickly.

"Oh, I see…"

Gotoh Hitori finally remembered what had happened before she fainted, but there was something more important to address now.

Looking at Suzumiya Chisato, she suddenly stepped back and, with a frightened expression, knelt in a respectful manner.

"I... I'm sorry for wasting your time and causing trouble!"

"No…"

"I'm truly sorry!"

Gotoh Hitori didn't look up, and her apology came out smoothly and naturally, suggesting she had often been in similar situations.

"…"

Suzumiya Chisato thought that if only the Japanese government officials had been half as sincere as Gotoh Hitori when apologizing for the nuclear wastewater incident, they wouldn't have faced such global criticism.

"...Please get up and talk."

"I'm sorry!"

"No, no need to apologize like that. Don't be so nervous. Anyway, you should…"

"Eh! Ugh!"

As he reached out to help Gotoh Hitori up, she twitched suddenly the moment his hand touched her shoulder. 

Then she collapsed again, stiffening like an electric shock, and fell unconscious once more.

"…"

How can someone be this troublesome?!