That’s why I was so nervous when I initially met Miku in her village. I decided to act just like the game Ektor would. Seeing Miku blushing right in front of me was almost too much to handle! According to the otome game story, she should’ve fallen in love with me right on the spot, but for some reason, she didn’t, although she did seem quite charmed. I was a little disappointed, but not a big deal.
Why not? Because in the bishōjo version of the game, she doesn’t fall in love with the protagonist at the beginning. It wouldn’t be much of a dating sim if the girl falls for you with zero effort, after all. So, perhaps the world we’re in isn’t the otome version, but the bishōjo spin-off? The difficulty goes up knowing I’ll have to do my best to win her over, but that only spurs me to greater efforts. A part of me is pretty pleased by these developments. However! This is no time to let my guard down.
Regardless of what I know about the game, this is our reality now, which introduces the possibility of fluctuations and changes to the main story. Everything would be for nothing if the girls stayed in their village and didn’t end up joining my guild. Besides, if that happened, Miku might fall in love with someone in her village, and I absolutely cannot let that happen! She’s mine!
Which is why I had to keep her village from getting destroyed. The village is completely decimated in the original otome game, but due to overwhelmingly negative criticism, there’s a chance to save the village in the bishōjo game version. That’s the first choice you make in the game, which is also how you can easily determine what version of the game you’re playing.
The choice is dependent on the player’s actions. We had to slaughter the attacking monsters. Failure was not an option. Most guys do it because they want cute girls fawning over them, which is pretty sleazy, in my opinion! I just don’t want the cute and innocent Miku to be sad!
Besides, since she didn’t fall in love with me at first sight, the only way to get together with her is to force things to follow the plot of the bishōjo game. I’ll have no idea what’s in store for us if we break off course from the original story. If I want to save her life, then I need her to fall in love with me!
It took everything I had and a bit more to get Rinny and Macro to follow my lead. After all, we needed to go in the opposite direction from where we were told. Of course, they were resistant. The village was about to be destroyed! They suggested splitting up into two groups, which seemed perfectly reasonable, but I knew better. Taking down that horde of monsters without all three of us would be tough. Plus, we had to go straight there without any detours. It was a race against time.
“The monster horde will come from the Southern Wood. Please, I need you to believe me!”
There’s no way I could tell them I knew this because of my memories from a previous life. I’m sure they’d believe me at some point, but to spring something like that on them without warning would be a bit too much. I haven’t told anyone about my past life in order to avoid the inevitably resulting chaos, and in that moment, I regretted it deeply. All I could do was hope they trusted me. I basically forced them into doing so.
“Stop groveling like that! You sound like you’ve lost your flipping mind!”
“It just doesn’t make any sense. You know we’re the only ones who would ever believe you on your spoken word alone, with not one ounce of proof to back you up.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. But if we’re wrong, the village will be destroyed. I know that they’re coming from the south!”
They finally came around at the very last possible second. They were right, though. If we went south and the monsters weren’t there, the village would be done for.
“I’ll take full responsibility for what happens. Please!”
But I knew I wasn’t wrong. I couldn’t be wrong. I’d played through both versions of the game enough times to know one of the most important scenes in the story. And if the scene played out as it should…
“Idiot. All our butts will be toast if you’re wrong.”
“Stop talking out your butt and let’s go. We don’t have time.”
“Rinny… Macro…”
They ultimately believed me. Well, I’m not sure if they actually believed me or not, but they listened. In the end, the monsters came from the south, as I said. We could feel their evil presence growing stronger as we got closer. Honestly speaking, it was an immense relief. All that was left was the battle itself, which honestly was a piece of cake considering how hard we’d been training until then. Not to toot my own horn, but I was more than capable of taking down a few monsters by myself at that point.
To be fair, I’d been fairly anxious ever since the fox twins headed off on their own. I’m just glad we made it in time!
In the end, I guessed that Claire was a Reborn like me, and that Claire is the reason why so many things are so oddly off. But there’s one miscalculation I made that I’m grateful for, and that’s how unusually powerful Miku and Claire are. In both versions of the game, the twins are still pretty useless at this stage of the story. I’m still worried about what lies in wait for us thanks in part to these story deviations, but for now, I think we can make this work.
I was able to convince their parents that their powers would simply go to waste in a peaceful village like theirs. I had to get rid of any obstacle in the way of the twins joining us on our journey. I could feel Claire’s death glare from afar, but her parents were surprisingly grateful, and thus, the story was back on track! The village was saved, and we’d befriended both girls! The game was progressing in our favor, and now I could take my time wooing Miku. Granted, there’s still the problem of other girls potentially falling for me, but I’ll be fine as long as I can keep a level head, and I know I can. Never underestimate a Miku stan!
Still, I can’t forget that this is the real world and not the game. In other words, you never know when a mature young lady like Miku might suddenly find herself falling in love. Rinny and Macro are here, and the city being so much bigger than her village means there are plenty of eligible bachelors I have to be wary of. It’s only a matter of time. After all, she’s stupidly adorable. I have to get her to fall in love with me while simultaneously keeping other guys away. This is like a dating sim on hard mode! The danger keeps things exciting!
Besides, Miku will be safest in my arms. If she falls in love with someone else, the chance of her death only rises alongside the danger of infidelity. We’re truly meant to be! My love for her is real! There’s no way I’ll let you fall for anyone else! As long as our love is mutual, then I can save her.
I absolutely won’t let you down, Miku! I’ll make you fall in love with me if it’s the last thing I do!