The supermarket was bustling with people coming and going.
In the fresh meat section, there was an area that attracted a lot of attention, drawing many people to stop and watch.
Some even poked their heads around, trying to find the source of the commotion.
The reason for their curiosity was that the scene before them looked remarkably similar to something out of a movie.
Whether it was a flaxen-haired girl throwing herself into a boy's arms and crying or a boy who appeared slightly bewildered as he was embraced by a girl, they all exuded youthful charm, good looks, and an idol-like perfection.
The supporting female characters next to the boy also performed admirably, their shock mixed with anger.
Emotions like jealousy and unwillingness flowed from their beautiful eyes, making the scene feel all the more real.
One girl with long black hair and black stockings delivered a performance full of tension.
She didn't have a single line; her sullen face and clenched fists were enough to project an aura of suffocating terror, embodying a spirit of defeat.
Chisato paid no mind to the onlookers.
He didn't even have time to care about the reactions of the two "little wives" around him, who had begun to live together in a sense.
All his attention was focused on Iroha, who had thrown her arms around him tightly.
A significant amount of time had passed since the last simulation.
He had asked the Dark Wings to monitor the situation around him, and during this period, he concluded that everything was normal.
He took it for granted that the evil system had resolved the issue of the heroine of the strategy game retaining residual simulation memories in reality while the simulation was in progress.
Upon realizing that Hitori also participated in the simulation, he thought he had seen through the language trap of this prompt.
The heroine who is a raider wouldn't retain her memory in reality, but that might not apply to the heroine who isn't a raider.
However, he never expected to underestimate the insidiousness of the evil simulation.
Would any system truly deceive its host like this?
When Iroha rushed over and threw herself into his arms, Chisato's muscles tensed up instantly.
Not from surprise, but from fear.
Only he and Hitori knew the terrible things he had done to Iroha during her simulation. It would be an exaggeration to say that both humans and gods were angry.
He had deliberately crafted a conspiracy that stretched over time, gradually subjecting her to guilt-filled events that left her helpless, sad, and unable to think clearly.
She could only follow the path he had set for her, numb.
According to the script, she would be tenderly redeemed in grief, fall in love with him, marry him, and spend the rest of her life with him.
Thus, when Chisato, the instigator, saw Iroha rushing toward him, his first reaction was guilt, wondering if she was planning to stab him to death.
He took a small step back, relieved to confirm that she wasn't carrying any deadly weapon.
And now—
"Chisato Nii-san…"
She called out to him.
Chisato quickly concluded that Iroha was likely in a situation similar to Utaha or Eriri; she was also aware of the events in that simulation.
This was somewhat troublesome.
Ignoring Iroha, who had buried her head in his chest to vent her emotions, Chisato turned toward the source of the ominous aura while simultaneously pushing away the white radish that Utaha had pressed against his neck.
"…I can explain," he said, the first words out of his mouth being a typical scumbag's opening line.
Utaha felt as though her teeth were about to crack. She truly felt slapped in the face.
Just before this, she had been so pleased with herself for convincing Eriri to agree with her suggestion.
If everything went well, and Chisato could stop working part-time in the future, she could legitimately occupy his spare and rest time.
As for Eriri, that guy had such a strict tutor that she couldn't frequently stay in the apartment.
But she was different. She was a senior in high school about to graduate.
Her family was very worried about her, so she had made up an excuse to rent an apartment nearby to start living with Chisato without worry.
Even if Eriri got the first taste of his affections, she believed she could slowly regain her advantage in the future.
There was still more than a year left before Eriri graduated from high school.
With so much time ahead and in such a favorable situation, if she couldn't elevate Chisato's feelings for her above Eriri's, then she wouldn't need to waste any more time.
She could simply lie back and enjoy the same dream-like life—being a lover without worry.
Despite all her efforts, she hadn't anticipated that just as she was regaining control of the situation, a strange girl would appear out of nowhere while she was simply downstairs buying groceries.
Even from a female perspective, the girl was quite cute, with soft, purring hair and an extremely delicate voice.
She embodied the soft-girl style that most people found appealing, likely igniting a desire for care in men.
In this sense, she bore some resemblance to Eriri.
Of course, physical appearance was secondary. The most important issue was her current intimate behavior with Chisato and the words he had just spoken.
Can explain…
Didn't that imply there was indeed some unspeakable connection between them?
Utaha's chest rose and fell violently from anger.
She glared fiercely at Chisato.
The experience gained in the dream told her that she couldn't allow her runaway emotions to dictate her thoughts; otherwise, the already bad situation might worsen.
So she made what she thought was the best choice.
She turned to look at Eriri, her gorgeous eyes reflecting undisguised murderous intent.
Yes, they needed to unite with any strength they could rally around them.
She felt anger and anxiety towards Eriri, who seemed in a daze and didn't grasp the situation. Desperately, she tried to signal her with her eyes.
What are you doing? This girl just jumped right in our faces!
Why are you just standing there? Can you give me some kind of reaction?
However, Eriri was not as confused as she assumed.
Eririli understood Utaha's desperate glances but was unwilling to respond.
Her experience of being Mrs. Chisato for two lifetimes had taught her one important lesson:
Never embarrass your husband in front of others due to your own reasons.
__
W ERIRI
_______
25+ advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
_______
If any of you noticed an error, please point it out in comments!