Death is an issue that humanity cannot avoid.
Generally speaking, everyone undergoes a process of aging from youthful vigor to frailty.
Yes, generally speaking.
But there are always a few who experience exceptions, ending their lives prematurely due to accidents, illness, or other misfortunes.
If such misfortune does not happen to oneself or to friends and family, most people do not give it much thought.
It's a case of "out of sight, out of mind," not out of coldness, but rather a natural tendency of people.
After all, unfortunate lives are like raindrops falling from the sky—no amount of effort can salvage them, and one can only watch as they fall to the ground and slowly dissipate.
However, for someone like Chisato, who has experienced such events firsthand, maintaining a normal mindset becomes difficult.
He is a direct witness; he could have prevented such tragedies but ended up neglecting those who quietly stood by him due to his overemphasis on his current loves.
He did not even notice her deteriorating mental state beneath her seemingly normal exterior, leading to her complete breakdown.
Fearing that her gradually uncontrollable self might cause trouble, she chose to end it directly after weighing the pros and cons.
Even from a third-person perspective, witnessing such a process would be heart-wrenching and filled with guilt.
At the same time, Chisato recalled the update content from the dark simulation before yesterday's simulation.
[Fixed the issue where the female protagonist in the simulation would retain simulated memories in reality]
He had read this sentence multiple times and thought he understood it, but it turned out he was still deceived.
The female protagonist does not retain simulated memories, but non-protagonists might.
Following this line of thought, Chisato wondered how many more traps the dark simulation had hidden for him in this simulation.
But this time, he found himself unexpectedly accepting it.
It was similar to the surprise he felt when the important character, Dark Wing, appeared in reality.
However, some things still needed confirmation.
Hitori, who had been suddenly embraced by Chisato, was feeling dizzy.
All she could sense were his unusually pleasant scent and the intense body heat coming through his clothes, almost melting her.
So much so that after Chisato released her, he had to shake her shoulders heavily to bring her back to her senses.
"I want to ask you something."
Looking at the now clear-eyed Hitori, Chisato directly voiced his thoughts.
"Hitori, did you encounter something strange last night?"
After experiencing such a close embrace and being stared at so intently, Hitori could no longer lie.
She didn't even think about why Chisato knew she had encountered something strange last night.
She nodded slightly, her eyes filled with a bit of unease.
She didn't know how Chisato had noticed and feared that her sudden feelings might trouble him.
"Can you tell me what happened in detail?"
Chisato paused, then stood up and led Hitori to a small storage room behind the bar.
Once the door was closed, cutting off the outside world, they were in a close and enclosed space, continuously breathing in each other's exhalations.
"Don't lie. I want to hear the truth. If you can do that, I'll reward you later."
"Reward… reward…"
Hitori's mind was spinning. There was no shyness, only excitement.
Heaven knows how much she wanted to receive a reward from the man in front of her!
"Yes… reward…"
Chisato took Hitori's trembling hand and guided it to his abdomen.
"This is just an appetizer. If you obediently tell me everything, there will be even better rewards later."
What a familiar feeling!
Not in that strange dream, but in reality, she was truly touching Suzumiya's body!
But Hitori's hand was taken away by Chisato after only a few seconds, and the dreamlike and wonderful moment ended quickly.
But it's okay. Suzumiya said that if she answered his questions obediently, there would be better rewards. Maybe she could even touch his chest and back!
Hitori restrained her fantasies and tried to calm herself. Under Chisato's expectant gaze, she began to answer carefully.
"Last night, I had a… very strange dream."
"A dream?"
It was somewhat similar to the experiences of Eriri and Utaha.
Chisato had a general idea and felt that things were probably as he had guessed. He nodded patiently, signaling Hitori to continue.
"This dream was very strange. I don't know if this metaphor is accurate… It was like watching a VR movie."
"I was immersed in it from a first-person perspective, experiencing and perceiving many things."
"Is that so? It doesn't sound strange. Most dreams are like that."
"Not quite. In the dream, I wasn't myself. It felt like I was playing a game."
"Playing a game?"
Chisato frowned. This description made him feel a bit perplexed.
"Yes."
Hitori timidly nodded, describing the situation in the simplest terms.
"Every once in a while, several options would appear in front of me, and I had to choose one to make the strange dream continue."
"!"
Chisato's eyes widened slowly.
Options?! Doesn't that mean it's similar to his own experience?! What exactly is going on?!
He took a deep breath to calm himself.
"Be specific. What kind of dream was it, and what options did you encounter?"
"I dreamt of… a dream related to Suzumiya-kun…"
After shamefully admitting this fact, Hitori continued when she saw that Chisato did not show any special reaction.
"I encountered many options… like choosing a direction for university, reporting time at school…"
She paused, slightly turning her face to the side.
"Whether to agree to someone's request for a relationship, whether to help with someone's request, choices for dealing with unpleasant things…"
For some reason, her explanation began to become vague.
Chisato's heart was pounding faster and faster.
He almost trembled as he stopped her.
He placed his hands on Hitori's shoulders and asked the most pressing question.
"What was the final option? Tell me, without any concealment."
Hitori was stunned, panic flooding her heart, but she suppressed the negative emotions and obediently answered.
"Kill… kill Isshiki Iroha… kill… kill Chisato… and then…"
"And then what?"
"Don't… don't disturb them. It's enough if I'm gone…"
"Which option did you choose?"
"The… last one."
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