* * *
* * *
[I like you, Izaki.]
[Aiko…]
[How do you feel about me?]
A beautiful girl with deep blue eyes and long silver hair stood before a man, her gaze unwavering. She had just confessed her feelings, waiting for the response that would change everything.
Izaki's face flushed a deep red as he looked back at her. Time seemed to stretch before he finally spoke.
[…I'm sorry, Aiko. I… I don't know how I feel yet.]
I slammed my fist on the desk as soon as I read those words on the screen.
"Is this guy a fucking virgin?"
Seriously, The most beautiful girl in the entire world just confessed to him, and he doesn't know how he feels? What kind of idiocy is this?
I groaned and leaned back in my chair. Months of grinding through this game, dragging that clueless moron of a protagonist through battle after battle, building his relationships, only for him to completely freeze up in the end.
"What a waste of time."
I grabbed the mouse, hoping there was more, some hidden dialogue or an alternate route I missed. Maybe he'd come to his senses in the next scene. I clicked through the text, desperate for some redemption.
But no.
[Thank you for playing Hero's Academy]
The words on the screen shattered any remaining hope.
"You're fucking with me…"
That was it? No closure, no proper ending?
Aiko pours her heart out, and the main character just… leaves her hanging? I could feel the rage bubbling up inside me. What kind of psychotic sadistic developer thought this was a good idea?
If they wanted an open ending, at least make Izaki shut up and say nothing. Months wasted, and this is how they repay me?
I stared at the screen, my frustration simmering. It wasn't worth it—this whole game wasn't worth it. I ran my hand through my hair, letting out a deep sigh.
"Whatever. I'm done with this," I muttered.
I pushed back from the desk and glanced at the clock. It was way too late, and my brain felt fried. Sleep was probably the only thing that made sense right now.
I powered down the computer and shuffled toward the bed, still irritated. My thoughts kept circling back to that horrible ending, but I forced them away.
"Forget it," I mumbled, pulling the covers over me. "Not worth losing sleep over."
Within minutes, I was out, the frustration fading as sleep took over.
* * *
The warmth of sunlight kissed my skin, pulling me from sleep. Birds chirped in the distance, their sounds far too real for the time I usually woke up. A normal morning scene.
Except… sunlight?
I never left my curtains open when I sleep. It meant any sunlight had no chance of hitting me until I opened them.
And sounds of birds? In a high-rise apartment in the city? Fat chance.
I groaned, my eyes squinting against the blinding brightness pouring in from somewhere.
With each blink, my vision cleared, revealing a room that was… definitely not my bedroom.
"What the…?"
I blinked, looking around, trying to wrap my mind around what I was seeing.
Tatami mats stretched across the floor in an intricate woven pattern, the faint scent of grass drifting up from them.
Sliding shoji doors with delicate paper panels separated the rooms. Wooden beams, polished to perfection, lined the walls and ceiling.
It looked like one of those luxury traditional Japanese houses—the kind you'd only see in a tourist magazine or those travel shows highlighting the most exclusive ryokans in Japan.
I gaped, fully awake now.
Everything screamed traditional Japanese elegance, from the low wooden table to the immaculately arranged cushions surrounding it.
"What the actual hell is going on here?" I muttered, running a hand through my hair.
I was in some stranger's house, in who-knew-where-Japan, surrounded by expensive antiques and a kind of serenity that didn't belong in my chaotic life. As I processed the surreal reality around me, one thought raced through my mind.
'How the fuck did I get here?'