Chapter 1: New Game.

A high school student runs in the middle of the night, desperate to get home. When he arrives, he enters and locks the door, then sits on the floor and breathes a sigh of relief for having escaped from something. Suddenly, his sister appears in front of him, covered in blood with murderous eyes, and says in a cold voice:

"I've been waiting for you, dear brother..."

The boy starts screaming in fear and tries to escape, but his sister stabs him in the back, causing the screen to turn red, and then show a sign.

When the player saw this, he started screaming and raising his arms, excited about the achievement he had reached.

"Finally, the damn son of a bitch died. After two whole weeks, I managed to get all the endings!"

This healthy young man is named Fushita Makoto, he is 16 years old; has dark brown hair; and eyes of the same color.

"Ha, another game that can't handle me!"

After making some strong statements about the game, he turns off his computer and lies down on his bed.

How horrible it must be to die like that... anyway, the protagonist was stupid, I would have done something else... like...

He falls into a deep sleep. Tonight is the last night he will sleep peacefully.

Suddenly, he hears a sweet and gentle voice say:

"Wake up, Mako... come on, you're going to be late..."

That voice... it's my sister's, late for what...? High school!

And so the day began, rushing to get up, poorly washing his face and brushing his teeth, with his clothes badly buttoned, and without breakfast... What other misfortune could happen to him?

"Mako, isn't that your bus?"

"Huh?"

No way, I missed the bus!

He arrived at high school looking terrible. The teacher was annoyed by his tardiness and scolded him, then sent him to sit in a free seat at the back of the classroom.

What a first day of classes!

As he was about to reach his seat, he caught a glimpse of someone he immediately recognized.

What!? That idiot is in the same class as me!?

And it was none other than Konoka Ryoji, Makoto's nemesis since kindergarten. This boy is the only child of the Konoka family; his father is the president of an important technology company, and his mother was a foreigner who died when he was in kindergarten. Regarding his appearance, he has a handsome face; blond hair; and blue eyes; tall and athletic, the complete opposite of our unfortunate protagonist.

I thought his grades were the best, and that he would go to a rich kids' high school... But he decided to come to my high school! Why does this happen to me!?

Makoto's hatred for Ryoji comes from several years of bullying and also from something specific that happened years ago, but that's a story for another time.

Looking closely, I realize that apart from Ryoji, there's no one else I know.

Classes proceeded normally until the break when several girls and boys went to talk to Ryoji. This didn't surprise Makoto, but what did catch his attention was a blue-haired girl sitting in the front seats. She was slender; had a beautiful appearance; a pair of striking blue eyes; and medium-length hair. She was looking out of a window, but when she caught a glimpse of Makoto, she immediately smiled.

She is... Hasegawa Akane. I've heard many things about her... like how athletic she is, or the outstanding student she became in middle school. Much is expected of her.

The break ends, and he no longer pays attention to the girl.

After leaving high school, Makoto goes to a video game store to see if there's anything that interests him. Once there, he goes to the recent game's shelf and spends half an hour searching, but no title catches his attention.

What a shame, it seems there's nothing interesting today... maybe another store will have something that catches my eye...

He is about to leave when he passes by the discount games shelf. Suddenly, he stops walking, turns around, and looks at the shelf, somewhat puzzled. He feels a strong urge to see what is there.

Well, I could see if anything is interesting on sale... I don't think anything bad will happen to me... Right?

He starts looking at some titles, but none catch his attention until he finds a black CD case with no title or description, just the CD. For some reason, this captivates Makoto.

Why is it like this... marketing...? I have no idea, but it looks like I found what I'm going to buy...

"Excuse me, but what's the price of this game?"

The man attending responds.

"The games on that shelf are ¥100."

"Ok, I'll take it..."

Once home, he goes straight to his room to try out his new acquisition. When he opens it, he finds a small manual. This surprised him, as he hadn't noticed it carried anything other than the CD. He starts reading the manual.

"Let's see, what does it say here? Attention, this game is for ages 17 and up."

Well, I'm 16, so that's no problem.

"This game is the best game in history..."

I highly doubt that.

"It offers a unique experience, guaranteeing an unparalleled reality..."

A unique and unparalleled experience? Whatever, I want to start this game right away!

He inserts the CD into his computer, and a pink screen suddenly appears, giving him difficulty options, with the option to start the game at the top.

Interesting, it has a very simple introduction. There are three difficulties: easy, medium, and hard. The last one is said to be the most terrifying and satisfying of the three...

"Okay... let's go with hard..."

He clicks to start the game.

"Wow... nothing's happening! Did it break?"

Just as he's about to check the problem, there's a knock on his bedroom door.

"Brother, it's time to eat!"

"I'm coming!"

What a shame, I would have liked to see what the hard mode was like. Well, maybe another time.

He goes to eat. Meanwhile, the computer screen shows large red letters.

[Loading complete, let the game begin.]

Makoto goes downstairs and finds his sister, a year younger than him; with light brown hair; hazel eyes; and a slim figure, setting the plates while his mother is about to serve dinner.

"Hi son, finally out of your cave. Sit down, dinner is ready..."

"Okay, mom."

Dinner proceeds without any problems, and from the outside, it looks like a pleasant moment when a mother enjoys a good meal with her children.

After dinner, Makoto goes to his room and sees that the computer has ejected the video game disc. He doesn't give it much importance, puts the disc away, and turns off the computer.

That meal was delicious. Honestly, my mother and younger sister cook very well... it's time to sleep. I have to go to high school early tomorrow.

He turns off his room light and goes to bed.

Well... tomorrow will be another day of suffering in this rotten world... Maybe after school... I'll go return to that game... yes, tomorrow...

He falls into a deep sleep, not knowing he has just opened the door to hell itself.

The next day, he wakes up with the feeling that he's being watched, but when he sees the time, that feeling vanishes.

I'm going to be late again!

Immediately, he changes and leaves without eating anything. Since he didn't eat and left in a hurry, he's half-dead all morning. Eventually, he goes to the infirmary and rests a bit. When he falls into a deep sleep, everything turns black, and he falls onto a cold, damp floor. The darkness is so dense that he can't see more than an inch away. Suddenly, he hears a friendly voice say,

"I finally found you!"

He manages to see where that cheerful voice is coming from and immediately notices a pair of red eyes that instill indescribable terror. Immediately, that being starts to speak.

"Don't be afraid, human, I won't harm you... at least not now. How about we introduce ourselves? I am the one who created that game you bought yesterday..."

Makoto starts thinking and after a few seconds, he remembers.

"That piece of junk game I couldn't even play!?"

"Why does everyone have to insult my video game?"

It says, somewhat disappointed, but quickly regains its enthusiasm.

"Anyway, first of all, did you read the little manual that comes with the game?"

Manual... that little book?

"I skimmed through it..."

"Just skimmed? That manual is very important. It has all the answers to any questions you might have about the game..."

"Really? How much could that little book contain?"

"It has a QR code that you can scan with your phone, so you can have it handy when you need it..."

"Why did you do it that way?"

"Believe me when I say you're going to need it... you'd better hurry and scan the QR code, your life depends on it..."

My life is in danger?

"Well, it's time for me to go... I hope we meet again... Goodbye!"

"Wait!"

Suddenly, the floor of the room opens, and Makoto falls from the sky.

"What's happening!?"

He's about to crash into the high school roof when he wakes up, jumping off the bed from the shock.

"I thought I was going to die!"

The nurse comes to see what happened.

"Are you okay? I heard a noise and got worried..."

"I'm fine, I'm going to my class now..."

"Oh, before you woke up, a girl came to see you..."

"A girl?"

"Yes, she said she was your fiancée."

"Huh... Whaaaat!?"

My... fiancée!? Could this be a joke? Anyway, I better get to my class.

As he walks to his classroom, he starts to think about who could have said that.

If a girl came to see me, it means someone sent her, who could have played this joke on me? I don't have any enemies in this school...

His brain reminds him of someone he despises, and it seems all clues point to that person.

Ryoji... That damn bastard! Isn't it enough that he can have any girl he wants, that he also makes fun of me and my lack of popularity!?

When he arrives at the classroom, break time has already started, and he heads over to where Konoka is and says abruptly.

"Hey Ryoji, don't you think that joke was in bad taste?"

He is surprised, not by the question, but by Makoto. He never expected him to address him. For some reason, this made him happy.

"Wh-What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb! I know you sent that girl to the infirmary."

A silence governs the atmosphere for a few seconds.

"Huh...?"

Those last words wipe the smile off Konoka's face, and a cold expression appears.

"What girl?"

"What do you mean what girl? The one who said she was my fiancée!"

Ryoji's eyes darken even more, but Makoto doesn't notice. What he does notice is the blue-haired girl breaking a pencil with her hand. Immediately, Konoka leaves the classroom.

"Wait, Ryoji, where are you going?"

He responds in a cold tone.

"To the infirmary."

Suddenly, Hasegawa stands up and leaves the classroom. One of her classmates asks her.

"Where are you going?"

She responds in a cold tone.

"To the infirmary."

This leaves our protagonist confused, but he doesn't pay much attention to the situation. After a while, the two who left return, and as if nothing happened, they sit in silence and continue the classes without any issues.

Makoto quickly leaves as soon as the dismissal bell rings; something is intriguing him.

I have to go find that manual.

As he walks home, he starts to feel an uncomfortable sensation of being watched. At first, he turns around to see who it might be, but the streets are full of students and passersby.

When he reaches a less crowded area, he feels that someone is following him from behind, so he begins to walk faster. The person following him also starts to walk faster, prompting Makoto to run, knowing something is wrong. Although he runs for several blocks, the pursuer doesn't seem to tire.

This is bad, I'm at my limit...

He enters a narrow alley, which ends with a gate locked with a padlock.

"Damn..."

He can hear his pursuer getting closer.

"Please, someone open up!"

Suddenly, Akane appears on the other side of the gate.

"Well, it looks like you need help, am I right?"

"Hasegawa?"

What is she doing here? Anyway, I need to escape from the person chasing me!

"Hasegawa, please open the gate!"

"I'll open it, but on one condition… I want you to be my boyfriend."

This request leaves Makoto's mind blank.

"Sorry, I think I didn't hear you well…"

"I want to be your girlfriend."

What!?

He doesn't understand why she would ask something so absurd in this situation.

"Honestly, I don't know how to respond right now."

"I see…"

Akane takes a bunch of keys out of her bag and starts looking for the key to open the gate, but she does it very slowly.

"Let's see, which key was it? Maybe this one..."

She tries it, but it doesn't open. Meanwhile, Makoto starts to hear the footsteps of his pursuer getting closer.

"No, it's not this one… maybe this one…"

Makoto starts to panic.

"Come on, open the gate!"

"No, it's not this one either…"

She's ignoring me!

He starts to think better about the situation.

Damn it, I'm cornered and being blackmailed!

He whispers something to Hasegawa.

"Alright..."

"Sorry, did you say something?"

"I accept your proposal…"

Akane's face lights up with happiness, having achieved her goal. She immediately grabs a key marked in red and opens the gate.

She knew which key it was from the beginning!

Hasegawa grabs her beloved by the arm and shuts the gate, and they quickly flee the area. After running for a while, they stop to catch their breath and Makoto notices where they are.

"It's my house!"

"Yes, I know."

She responds indifferently.

"How do you know where I live!?"

She stays silent for a moment, then smiles innocently.

"Makoto... nowadays, you can find anything on the internet…"

I feel doxxed.

Suddenly, without warning, Akane heads straight to open the door to the house, so Makoto stops her and asks.

"What do you think you're doing!?"

"I just wanted to properly introduce myself to my mother-in-law, there's no time to waste..."

While they struggle, the door opens and Hasegawa sees her beloved sister, Fushita Kaori, a very pretty girl who could be a threat to her relationship. She immediately introduces herself.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Makoto's girlfriend, Hasegawa Akane…"

Kaori is surprised by the indirect comment from the girlfriend, but she doesn't hold back.

"Oh… nice to meet you, I'm Makoto's sister, Fushita Kaori."

Akane feels the urge to eliminate the person in front of her, but fortunately, her affection holds them both back.

"Well, it's time to say goodbye, Akane!"

"Eh?"

"It's time for you to go home…"

The cold look he gives is a sign that his sister and he are in danger.

Without asking much, the girl tightly grabs her boyfriend's arm and pulls him toward her, then wraps her arms around his neck and presses her lips against his in a passionate kiss, which Kaori witnesses with utter astonishment as she watches her brother's lips being violated. Once the kiss ends, Akane bids farewell with a big smile.

"See you tomorrow!"

The two siblings enter the house, and an uncomfortable silence invades the place. Without looking at each other, they go to their respective rooms in complete silence. When Makoto closes his door, he heads straight to his bed to lie down.

I'm exhausted, I need to rest from this dreadful day.

But before falling asleep, he remembers what that guy said in the dream. He immediately gets up and looks for the manual, finds it, and as the guy mentioned, it has a QR code on the back cover.

"Seriously?"

He starts scanning it, and once done, the phone begins to produce static, and the screen shows different colors every second. This scares Makoto, who drops the phone, while the high-pitched static noise increases every second until suddenly the sound stops. He picks up the phone and sees no apparent difference… until it starts talking.

"Hola new user…"

The owner gets scared again and drops the phone, which falls to the floor.

"Ouch! That hurt. Scaring you like that, do you think I don't have feelings?"

"Who are you!?"

"I'm En, and from now on I'll be your assistant in this wonderful and splendid video game…"

Assistant?

"And… what are you?"

"I am an artificial intelligence created by the great lord and master…"

A silence prevails for a few seconds.

"Aren't you going to say his name?"

"Of course not! If I say his name, I could accidentally summon him, and that would annoy him a lot, causing him to cut off my pepino…"

He stares at the phone, a bit confused.

"But… you don't have…"

"He would grow one just to cut it off, he's capable of that!"

"Ah… okay… so, what exactly do you do?"

"I assist with inquiries, I have memorized the rules of the video game… for example, when someone has red irises, it's an indication that you are in danger."

"Wow, that is useful…"

"Right? It's also useful to know that for every 10 missions you complete, you'll receive a bonus reward…"

"What kind of bonus?"

"There are a variety of bonuses, including one that gives you the right to talk to the game's creator himself, amazing, right?"

"I see…"

He thinks for a few seconds.

"So, can you tell me what my mission is?"

"Of course, your mission is… to meet all the crazies!"

Was the last part necessary?

"It doesn't seem like a difficult mission…"

Immediately, En starts laughing.

"The kid thinks it's going to be easy…"

This annoys Makoto a bit.

"At least tell me what's so funny…"

"I would, but… she's already here…"

Suddenly, he hears the front door opening.

Huh? Could it be…?

Without waiting any longer, he goes to see who has arrived. He feels relieved when he sees it's his mother, back from grocery shopping. His mother looks at him, surprised.

"What's wrong, son? You seem a bit worried…"

"It's nothing…"

In the air, he starts to smell freshly cooked food.

Was Kaori cooking?

"I'm glad I left you in charge of the pot, Kushina…"

Huh…?

Makoto is surprised to hear the voice of an unfamiliar girl coming from the kitchen.

"No need to praise me so much, Mrs. Fushita, you'll make me embarrassed…"

She…

The unfamiliar girl looks at him and immediately smiles.

Who is she?