After the opening ceremony, I sat in a cafe and consulted with my childhood friend, Najimi Ota.
"I want to consult with you ... about Minato. It's like he's changed, like he's become a different person."
Before continuing, let me briefly talk about the main character, Minato. In this dating simulation game (all-ages edition) called OreNaji, Minato acts as the player's avatar. He was born into a completely ordinary family, and if one were to describe any of his distinguishing traits, perhaps only kindness.
In the game, Najimi, Minato and I have been friends since kindergarten until about the age of 10. However, for family reasons, Minato had to move out of town. The game begins with him returning to this city in the spring of his freshman year of high school.
Minato's character is unusually popular, and unnaturally so. There are constantly "romantic events" happening around him. Simply put, wherever he goes, heroines hit on nonchalant guys (not me), and Minato comes to their rescue. This pattern is repeated multiple times early in the game. As a result, Minato gets a lot of girls. And because Minato is kind, the heroines fall in love with him and gradually become more and more attractive - that's the scenario.
This is where I would like to voice my concern. It's about the overly convenient instances involving Minato. Too often there is a "save the girl" scheme at the beginning. Why is it so convenient that beautiful heroines are constantly being hit on by flirty guys (again, not me)? In my 17 years of life, I've never once encountered such scenarios. What is the reason for this disparity?
Well, there's nothing you can do about it. In order for heroines to fall in love, there needs to be some kind of trigger. The easiest catalyst for romance is the hero saving the heroine in a time of need. It's the most instant formula. Despite this, I cursed the creators more than once for endowing it with such events too often.
Anyway, enough complaining.
"Minato is acting strange, you say? Come to think of it, I haven't seen him lately. What's he doing now? What's strange about him?"
The wide-eyed Najimi and my half-sister Mai were probably thinking about how things weren't as bad for them as they were for me. I'd be grateful if they just ignored it. Mastering this skill is essential when you become a working adult. It's best to instill it from a very young age.
"Well... how should I put it... he's been more aggressive lately."
"Aggressive?"
"I mean, he's... um, insists on... intimacy."
"Hmm... so he's demanding sexual contact, right?"
"Uh, uh, yeah... that's right."
The OreNudge game, itself, is suitable for all ages. While there are many "lucky pervert" situations in the game (such as accidentally seeing someone undress), any explicit scenes are completely avoided.
"Bitch. What's wrong with that? You're dating this piece of shit, right? So what's the problem with having sex?"
"Whoa!? Yo Mai~? Your words are so obscene, you know?" (Mai, your words are inappropriate).
"Bitch" probably refers to Najimi, and "piece of shit" refers to Minato. Nevertheless, I want to argue that such foul language is not befitting of a heroine.
"Mai, you're a woman too, you shouldn't call your friends 'Bitch' and 'Piece of Shit'"
"А!? Uh, uh, yeah..."
Mai looked puzzled. I apologize. It's just that the enchanting language gave me too much to work with.
"Najimi, as Mai said, if you're in a relationship, it wouldn't be a problem to get to this stage, would it? Of course, I believe that ignoring the other person's feelings is wrong."
"Right... I know... But... look at this."
Najimi showed me her smartphone. The screen displayed a conversation between her and Minato.
[Hey, are you free today? Do you want to come over?]
[My parents aren't home today.]
[Hey, come on. Let's do it today].
[Missed call. Duration: 6 hours].
[Let's do it.]
[Hey, let's have sex.]
[Missed call. Duration: 7 hours.]
[I've waited so long for you to come. Let's do it.]
[Missed call. Duration: 8 hours.]
[Let's do it.]
[Missed call. Canceled.]
[Don't ignore me.]
[You, being a woman.]
[You've become my girlfriend, so you have to do it. It's natural, right?]
[Missed call] [Missed call] [Missed call] [Missed call] [Missed call] [Missed call] [Missed call] [Missed call] [Missed call] [Missed call] [Missed call] [Missed call] [Missed call] [Missed call] [Missed call] [Missed call] [Missed call] call][Missed call][Missed call][Missed call][Missed call][Missed call][Missed call][Missed call][Missed call][Missed call][Missed call][Missed call][Missed call][Missed call][Missed call][Missed call][Missed call][Missed call][Missed call][Missed call][Missed call]
"It's..."
"Ew, gross."
Mai said with obvious disgust. I was forced to agree. What is it? As a man, he shows a complete lack of respect for women, prioritizing only his own needs and desires.
"In the end... I had to block him out."
Tears began to drip from Najimi's eyes. I took out a handkerchief from my pocket and gently held it out to her.
"Najimi, you should use this. A sad face doesn't suit you."
"Uh-huh... uh-huh... Charao..."
Najimi took a handkerchief and wiped her tears. It must have been very hard for her. If a man pursued her so aggressively, it would be very unpleasant.
"Я... I liked Minato. But the Minato I liked... was kind, he always came to my aid when I was in trouble. But this... this isn't the Minato I liked..."
Najimi continued to cry. How pathetic. My heart squeezed with pity for her. On the other hand, Mai spoke with a very sober expression.
"Isn't it just your own wish?"
"Uh...?"
With eyes as cold as the Arctic wind, Mai said while looking at Najimi.
"That piece of shit... Minato is kind, isn't it just your imagination?"
"But... He really was kind before, you know? At least he wasn't as blatantly lecherous as he is now."
"Don't you know the difference between true feelings and a facade? The way I see it, he was holding back his desires because you weren't together yet."
- "I've waited so long for you to finish. Let's do this.
Of course, one could interpret it as Mai suggested. However, I felt a kind of discomfort.
''So you're saying that Minato was a lustful monster from the beginning. It's just that he was hiding it. But he wouldn't have dared to act like that before he started dating you. And when he started dating you, he felt he didn't need to hide it anymore and showed his true character. Isn't that an option too?"
"It is..."
"What you saw was the 'good Minato' you wanted to see. You never got to see, let alone understand his true nature."
At this remark from Mai, Najimi fell silent. Irritated, Mai clicked her tongue.
"First of all, you! You chose this lowlife over Onii-sama after rejecting Onii-sama! It's too impertinent of you to come and cry about it! That damned b-"
"Mai, that's enough."
"But..."
I restrained my sister with my hand.
"Mai, I understand that you're mad at me. Thank you. You're really right. That's really nice of you."
"Onii-sama..."
"But look at Najimi. She's crying, isn't she? What do you think of throwing harsh words at someone who's already crying? What will you gain by throwing stones called 'harsh truth' at someone whose heart is weak?"
I got up and sat down next to Najimi. She was trembling, her lips were pale blue. How pathetic she looked. I hugged her tightly.
Whether it was my act or Charao's act, I leave it up to the readers. However, I would like you to understand that both Charao and I share the feeling of not wanting Najimi to cry.
"Charao..."
"Najimi, I understand that you are in pain. Thank you for trusting me. I want to help you."
"But... I abandoned you..."
"Don't worry about that. I don't feel abandoned by you at all. Didn't I tell you? I support your love with Minato. Our relationship as childhood friends remains unchanged."
I stroked Najimi's head.
"...Are you really going to help me?"
"Yes, leave it to me. I'll find out Minato's true intentions towards you. So please, no more tears. When you're sad, I'm sad too."
Thus, I decided to find out the truth behind Minato's abrupt change.
～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～
★★ Najimi
Until I moved to high school, I - Najimi Ota - was in love with Charao.
But last year, when Minato came back, it was like electricity ran through my body. Like magic, Minato looked incredibly handsome.
Until that moment, I had been drawn to Charao. His actions might have been strange, but he was kind. If Minato hadn't come back last year, I think I would have confessed to Charao.
But... after reuniting with Minato, I... changed. I changed. I couldn't think of anyone but Minato.
At the same time, I completely forgot about my feelings for Charao. I liked him. I really liked him. I loved Charao... But why?
Why couldn't I say I loved him? Why did I think I liked Minato? I liked him last year, that's for sure.
We started dating, and I should have been on the cusp of happiness...
But the messages that came from Minato began to make me uneasy. His sudden changes frightened me... disgusted me. And I couldn't consult anyone about it.
So... Charao protecting me, listening to my concerns, made me incredibly... incredibly happy.
When Charao hugged me, I felt a heartbeat for him that I hadn't felt in a long time.
...I don't understand anything anymore. I don't understand my feelings. I don't know why I suddenly liked Minato.
I was scared and anxious... That's why, Charao, being able to talk to you has made me very... very happy.
Forgive me for saying terrible things. For being cold. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.