Squeal of Depressing Game

Hitomi tried everything, calling all of Asahi's friends, but got nowhere. Finally, she reported him missing to the police.

A day later, a policewoman called. "Hitomi, I'm sorry, but your brother died in a car accident. His body's at City Hospital. Please stay strong."

The policewoman kept talking, but Hitomi didn't hear it. She froze, stunned. For a long time, she didn't move.

"No," she whispered after a while. "No, it's not true."

She stumbled out of the house, leaving the door open, and rushed to the main street. She flagged a taxi and told the driver, "City Hospital."

The driver demanded a high fee. Hitomi didn't care—she paid it. At the hospital, she ran inside and asked where the bodies were kept. A nurse led her to the morgue.

Her hands and legs shook as she walked, but she told herself it wasn't Asahi. When she reached the bed, she saw a body covered in a white cloth. Her heart raced, and her breathing grew shallow. She took a deep breath, forced herself to lift the cloth, and slowly uncovered the face.

Her knees buckled. The nurse caught her before she fell. The nurse spoke comforting words, but Hitomi didn't hear them. Darkness swallowed her vision, and she felt nothing.

---

Hitomi fainted. She stayed in the hospital for days. At first, she refused to believe Asahi was gone, but the doctors helped her accept it.

When she did, she broke down crying. Her mind wasn't stable enough to leave, so she stayed longer before returning home. She went to Asahi's room, looked around, and fell asleep on his bed. When she woke, she noticed something she'd missed while cleaning—a bit of plastic sticking out from behind the monitor, which was fixed to the wall.

She stood, reached behind the monitor, and pulled out a plastic bag. Inside was a game CD. It showed a handsome black-haired guy with five beautiful women, and the back had adult scenes of them together.

Hitomi played the game. In it, the guy's best friend stole his women. She made choices that led to a happy ending for the guy and the five heroines—an update added after gamers demanded it. Asahi died before this version, so he never played it.

But the three sub-heroines didn't get a happy ending. Hitomi replayed the game—one time, two times, five times, ten times—but couldn't save them. She asked online and learned there was no way to give them a good ending, though many gamers wanted it.

She sighed, unlocked all the endings, and confirmed the sub-heroines were never saved. After that, she stopped playing. She spent her days lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, doing nothing.

Then Hitomi decided to become a game designer. She poured everything into it and, in 20 years, owned the biggest game company. She bought the rights of game she played in Asahi's room and made a sequel about the protagonist and five heroines in university after their happy ending. She included the three sub-heroines and gave them all happy lives too.

She kept making sequels—university, jobs, passions, marriages, world travels, raising kids, and even the kids' stories. It became the most famous story game ever. At her death, Hitomi wondered what Asahi would think of her games.

---

"Okay, little brother, push me as hard as you can," Saki said, settling onto the swing.

Ryuki stood behind her and pushed with all his strength, sending her swinging high into the air.

"Older sister, just learn to swing by yourself," he told her. Saki tried, kicking her legs a few times, but after one or two swings, she slowed to a stop.

She turned her head to look at him. "Little bro, swing me."

Ryuki sighed. Compared to his real older sister, Hitomi, Saki wasn't as cool or mature. He wondered why he even bothered comparing them.

Still, his thoughts drifted to Hitomi. Was she doing okay without him? Had she found a boyfriend? She'd once said she wanted a husband and kids—did she have them now? Maybe she was happy. He hoped she was.

But a wave of sadness hit him. He'd never gotten the chance to say goodbye to her.