"Deepest Desire" was set in a typical Japanese high school like most otome games. The span of the game is one year. All the characters are first years and in the same class.
The game had some stat building during recess time, which was after lunch, to help up a target's affection. After school, the player has to choose a place to go spend time at with each designation having a certain character associated with it. For example, one place was the cafe Ryuu worked at. Sometimes flags would be triggered, allowing for chances to fill the love meter. When a flag isn't raised, the MC would usually end up building a stat as compensation.
It's a normal, simple dating sim.
It's a game... Fiction...
...So, then why am I here?!
I woke up to find my surroundings foreign but also oddly familiar. When I looked in the mirror, I realized where I was and, more importantly, who I was.
My short, unruly black hair had turned brown, silky, and long. My tan skin was now pale. I was slightly shorter and thin. The only things that didn't change was my brown eyes and my not-large-nor-small chest.
I turned into the MC's vague portrait.
Scared, I looked around the room for clues.
Looking at the calendar on the desk, I saw that the date was a week before school starts in the game. Filing through my desk, I found out that my name was what I usually named my MCs, Haruka, and it seems my family name has been autofilled to Suzuki.
I flopped back onto bed after looking around for a bit more to confirm that this is, indeed, the bedroom from the game.
I let it sink in that this is the world of "Deepest Desire" as I stare at the ceiling.
The name of the city is the same. The name of the school is the same. Everything matched up. There's no denying it.
Cold horror gripped my heart when I finally admitted out loud: "I am in a dating sim filled with yanderes."
I quickly sat up.
As much as I loved the game and enjoyed the characters, there's no way in hell I will follow any of the routes! All of them lead to pain and some even death! I don't fucking want to die or get raped!
But, I don't know if I'll be forced into a route. There's no neutral ending, and even if there was, I don't think it would be any better than the other endings.
What do I do?
A light bulb lit up.
If I'm male, I can avoid a yandere, right?
I mean, they should be straight. I don't see them possibly being interested in a guy. I don't think they even had any real friends either.
If I'm a guy, they shouldn't have any reason to get involved with me. And maybe if I pass the game timeline, I can go home.
Wait a second.
How did I get here? And why?
I pondered for a bit.
The last thing I remember doing is falling asleep after finishing the last bad route in the game before unlocking the hidden character. Nothing else pops into mind...
Eh, maybe I'll get the answer down the road. Survival takes priority.
With no other idea, I ordered the boys' uniform and changed some information given to the school. Luckily, the MC's parents were abroad, as per otome game convenience, and she was living with her senile grandmother. It's how everyone gets away with their endings, after all.
I then spent the rest of the week preparing by practicing the masculine way of speaking Japanese, which was already in the MC's brain (Speaking of which, it's strange I still know English, but I can only shrug in acceptance.), and doing whatever I could to help appear male, like cutting my hair and getting a chest binder.
I went out a few times to see if I would be stared at oddly or recognized as a girl, but no one gave me a second glance.
So, time slipped by, and now my grandmother thinks she has a lovely, feminine grandson. When I left for the first day of school, she wished me well. She's a sweetheart.
Before I walked out the gate of our house, I patted my chest to make sure my binding was secure and fiddled with my hair a bit. It was no longer lengthy and now a two block cut with bangs framing my eyes.
I wanted to cover my eyes in hopes of avoiding eye contact, so I made sure the stylist didn't cut my hair too short.
With my small stature and feminine face, I'll hopefully be seen as a cute boy.
The walk to school was filled with my stomach anxiously churning. I was both excited and fearful.
I get to see the characters I was so deeply enraptured by, but they are also psychopaths. If I were to slip up once, my chances of a peaceful high school life could take a deep dive for the worst.
I'll definitely have to be on guard for the first half of the year. I can't raise any flags and have to avoid all the events I can. I can't ignore stat raising as that's part of being a good student like studying and participation, but that should be fine. After school, I'll go straight home or join a club that has no connection to any of the targets.
Everything should be fine.
But as I stood in front of the class listings, I couldn't help but feel an ominous sense of foreboding.
I stared at the names on the list for my class.
They were all there: Ryuu Yamamoto, Tatsuya Tanaka, and Yuu Saito.
As I turned around to see the cherry blossom petals peacefully falling, I prepared myself for the first character introduction.
Walking with an air of "don't get near me," a figure towering over the crowd with blonde hair threateningly swaggered closer. After staring in awe for a minute, I realized he was heading directly towards me.
With a start, I remembered I was the MC.
This was the first scene where the players get to see his introduction portrait.
Ryuu bumped the MC onto the floor while trying to get a glance at the class listings. A CG of Ryuu looking down with a scowl and a background of fluttering pink petals would appear as the VA said the opening line and effectively expressed the type of character Ryuu was.
I scrambled to get out of the way, but the crowd of students was a solid confinement.
I tried one last time to push through. At the same time, I was pushed, and before I knew it, I was on the ground. I gulped and refused to look up as a shadow engulfed me.
It's okay. I just have to ignore him and leave.
As I started collecting myself, I heard a tongue click. Reflexively, I looked up and immediately regretted it.
No longer 2D, Ryuu stood tall with broad shoulders and looked down at me. His shoulder length, untamed hair shined brightly and was decorated by cherry blossoms. His sharp gray eyes were narrow in a glare.
I bit my cheek when I saw the scowl I knew all too well.
"Get out of my way."
My heart raced as I heard the familiar voice. He actually had the VA's voice. He also said the opening line!
When his eyes locked onto mine, I suddenly felt like he saw through my disguise. I shivered before scrambling to my feet, bowing in an apology, and bolting off to the classroom in a panic.
I may have looked like a complete wimp to my peers, but I rather that than getting beat up!
As I walked to my classroom after my escape, I calmed down and went through the game's opening in my head.
Ryuu's intro was already done. The next two's were in the classroom.
Yuu is going to greet everyone as they enter the classroom and hand out cookies his mom baked. His mother owned a bakery, by the way. The moment Yuu hands the MC a cookie is when his intro CG is triggered.
The bell will then ring to signal the first homeroom. The teacher will give a speech with a welcome and explanations and such. Before homeroom ends, the teacher will ask for a volunteer for the class representative position.
This is where Tatsuya makes his appearance.
After nominating himself, he will stand in front of the class and introduce himself, which is his intro scene.
I can't avoid either of them.
As the class sign 1-B came into view, I sighed in defeat. I just have to accept the cookies and sit down. Also, I need to make sure Yuu doesn't get a clear look at my face. He thinks the MC is cute, so I need make sure he doesn't get a good view of me. And as for Tatsuya, there's nothing for me to worry about. There's no flag in his intro.
Determined, I marched to the classroom.
I'm not the MC. I'm a mob character, a background character.
So, please spare me from your demented love!