Tokyo: Oreimo

Suzuki was already feeling increasingly heavy-hearted as he played this piece, and this song was like a spark that ignited the sense of panic in his heart.

He's about to become a father, isn't he? They've already agreed to go to the hospital to give birth.

In the earlier part, when Tomoya agreed to give birth at home, Suzuki was quite angry, because no matter what, the danger of giving birth at home was too high.

"It should be alright, right..."

The scene shifts, and a town buried under heavy snow appears on the game screen, accompanied by Tomoya's voice talking to himself.

That day, it snowed heavily.

"Neither bicycles nor electric vehicles can be moved; the town seems to have fallen ill and become paralyzed."

"Nagisa developed a fever and started labor pains, going into labor two weeks premature."

"......"

Hiroki Suzuki's hand holding the mouse froze.

Are you kidding me...? Premature birth... Traffic paralysis caused by a blizzard...

Everything was going in the wrong direction. He suddenly recalled the scene when he talked to his friend a day earlier, and the friend was sobbing uncontrollably on the phone.

"If something like that were to happen... I would be really angry!"

"I'm not as easygoing as Shota, who would refund your money. If that happens, I really will send you razor blades..."

He muttered to himself, his eyes never leaving the screen, his fingers twitching as he clicked the mouse.

"I'm fine. I'll give birth to the baby, and the three of us—Tomoya, Shio, and I—will live together."

Nagisa lost consciousness several times, only to wake up again due to the pain. This repeated itself over and over, a truly horrific sight.

Hiroki Suzuki clicked the mouse rapidly, wanting to get through this scene as quickly as possible, as if he were also there, enveloped by the cruelty that could kill at any moment.

It felt like a wad of cotton was stuck in his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe.

"It's okay, everything will be alright!"

A baby's cry came from the stereo, and Hiroki Suzuki slumped into his chair like a deflated balloon.

But just a second later, his eyes widened and tears streamed down his face like a flood.

A CG image appeared on the screen, showing Nagisa Furukawa looking so peaceful as if she were dead.

Chapter 126 That's how it's even.

"It's so great to have met Tomoya."

So... please stop being confused.

"No matter what awaits you ahead... please don't regret meeting me."

"No matter what... please keep living strong, forever."

......

"What? This is what you wrote? You just have to make people cry."

In Ryosuke's room, Ryouna straddled him, her hands resting on either side of his ears.

Those eyes were like a tap that had been turned on, tears falling drop by drop onto Ryosuke's face.

The girl raised her fist high and slammed it into his chest, but the force was less of an outburst and more of a plea for comfort.

She even cried until she was almost exhausted.

Can't you even handle this much?

Ryosuke sighed inwardly.

What will you do if you play to the end?

Does this mean we have to repeat the scene of her rushing into her brother's room in the middle of the night, sobbing uncontrollably on his chest?

Ling Nai sat on him and cried for a long time, at least half an hour, before she could barely stop crying.

"So, don't play this game at night, you have school tomorrow."

"Ugh... Mind your own business!"

"So, can you get off me now?"

Upon hearing Ryosuke's request, Takagi Ryouno remained completely unmoved, instead staring at him with her eyes red from crying.

"...It has a happy ending, right?"

"Of course."

"Don't lie to me like you did last time! Promise me this time it will end well!"

Takashiro Ryouno still remembered that when she got the 'Sakura Dream' ending, this hateful guy in front of her said the same thing, that there was an even better ending. Then, after she finally got the Heaven's Feel ending, she watched helplessly as Illya died in place of Emiya Shirou.

"I promise, I promise."

Ryosuke reluctantly stretched out his hand, as if making a vow.

Clannad has a perfect ending; as long as players patiently collect the Light Orbs, they will achieve a happy ending where everyone is happy.

Ryosuke had actually considered deleting the Light Orb concept.

He always believed that if the work didn't have a happy ending for everyone, and instead had that kind of imperfection, it would leave a deeper impression on people.

In the end, fearing being stabbed in the back, I chose to keep it.

But getting hurt on your first playthrough is something you'll experience no matter what; it's unavoidable.

I knew this would happen, which is why I told Ling Nai from the beginning that we shouldn't play around anymore.

But that still didn't stop him. He bought the game on his own and played it for three days straight, completing the entire school arc.

After that, it's like this in the After Story.

I was sleeping soundly in the middle of the night when the other person suddenly sat me up forcefully, and I almost threw up my dinner.

Therefore, game developers should not get too close to game players.

The value of this statement is still increasing.

I'll try to move out after I graduate from high school. If this happens a few more times, I'll get a nervous breakdown.

"If you dare to lie to me, you're dead!"

Ling Nai wiped away her tears, jumped off the bed, and kicked Liang Jie quite hard as she left, as if venting her anger.

"Ouch, that hurts!"

Ryosuke winced in pain.

"Didn't you make me cry like this too? Now we're even!"

The blonde girl left his bedroom without looking back.

"Don't play the rest of the game tonight, you have class tomorrow."

Ryosuke, wanting to get a good night's sleep, spoke to Takashiro Ryōno's retreating figure.

If they keep playing like this, they'll probably have to stay up all night again.

After watching that kind of storyline, it's not easy to fall asleep easily again.

"I want you to take care of it!"

Bang! The door slammed shut.

.......

"It's just that we've been surviving by inertia."

"Get up, go to work, eat, sleep... endlessly repeating the cycle that my body has already memorized."

"That's all there is to it."

Hiroki Suzuki clicked the mouse mechanically, surrounded by a pile of used tissues.

Those were originally meant for other things, but now he used the whole bag to wipe his tears.

Despite claiming he wouldn't cry and being a tough guy, he nearly broke down in tears the moment he saw Nagisa Furukawa die.

If I had known it would turn out like this, I shouldn't have bought this game.

When playing bishoujo visual novels, you'll definitely use tissues in the right way, right?

Suzuki took a moment to open a new pack of tissues and placed it aside.

"It should be nearing the end, right? After I finish the game, I'll play some fun visual novels to change things up."

He decided to play through the entire After Story of Clannad in one go. Now that he'd come this far, seeing Tomoya living a decadent life because of Nagisa's passing, he had to keep playing no matter what.

This guy is really infuriating.

Nagisa already said that before she left, didn't she?

No matter what, you must be strong and live well. What's going on with you now?

Giving up on himself? Numbing himself with alcohol and gambling—isn't that just making him the father he hates most?

"If a man can't even face his daughter and keeps running away from her, can he still be considered a man?"

When he said those words, even Hiroki Suzuki was taken aback.

When did he, a NEET, become qualified to say such things?

It seems that he is no different from Tomoya now.

This sudden feeling almost overwhelmed him, and he began to understand Tomoya somewhat.

"I'm a useless person too."

"A coward who doesn't know why he lives, only lives in a world of fantasy, hiding inside and never coming out."

Perhaps running away is not a bad choice; at least you won't have to think about that face anymore.

But Hiroki Suzuki discovered that his resilience was not as fragile as he had imagined.

When I saw tide appear on the screen, I felt inexplicably calm.