Tokyo: Oreimo

"Just play around with it, it'll be good for killing time."

.....

"That guy left, and then, all that was left was me and 'that girl'."

"After all, she's the one I betrayed in the worst way possible."

"..."

"Eh... so this is the kind of game?"

Eiji Miura clicked the mouse, looking at the protagonist on the screen and talking to himself.

"If that's the case, I seem to recall hearing someone mention that this type of game is also called a visual novel, right?"

The game's opening sequence appears to be in reverse order.

The slightly melancholic atmosphere and the almost self-destructive lines gave Miura a rough idea of ​​what had happened.

"A love triangle?"

He quickly clicked the mouse to advance the plot, and soon entered the main story.

The protagonist of the game is named Kitahara Haruki, a student in Class 3-E of Minegashiro University Affiliated School. He is a member of the school's light music club and serves as the second guitarist.

"Did the club fall apart because the minister mismanaged the club and recruited a girl to join?"

Miura can understand this kind of thing.

In high school, it's perfectly normal for a fight to break out when a girl suddenly appears among a group of boys.

"So women are such troublesome creatures."

Seeing this, Miura recalled his past relationships, which were also quite unsuccessful. Due to differing aspirations, they broke up smoothly after graduation.

"This Kitahara keeps saying he'll give up, but his actions tell a completely different story. And this guy seems to really enjoy meddling in other people's business?"

Even though she had already stepped down as the executive chairman of the student union, she still insisted on getting involved.

Help the current executive committee members interview contestants in the school's beauty pageant.

"But speaking of which, the visuals are truly exquisite. This female student named Ogiso Setsuna must be one of the main characters, right?"

"This voice sounds a lot like the female voice from the beginning?"

Miura clicked the mouse, his eyes fixed on the screen, and after a few simple rounds of dialogue, he easily developed a liking for the character.

Firstly, the beautiful girl on screen was indeed very attractive, and secondly, her personality happened to be exactly the type that Eiji Miura liked.

"The school beauty has won the title for two consecutive years and is expected to win a third consecutive title. She is an aloof beauty, but she is approachable and kind. It is hard not to like her because of her good personality."

It can be said that her character design is almost perfect.

"If girls like that really exist..."

Compared to her, his ex-girlfriend was utterly defeated.

Before he knew it, Eiji Miura had been playing for over an hour.

The plot moves very quickly, and there are not many choices to be made; it's more like the author is simply telling a story.

To his disappointment, he didn't have many interactions with Setsuna Ogiso in the story.

On the contrary, the aloof female student at the next table had more screen time.

"A reclusive beauty, this author really knows how to appreciate that."

If we're talking about the most popular type of girl in high school, it would undoubtedly be someone like Setsuna Ogiso, but Kazusa Touma is no less attractive and is the object of countless boys' secret crushes.

But more than anything else, what Miura really cares about is who the music student who plays with the protagonist the whole time is.

During his club activities after school each day, Kitahara Haruki would play the guitar in the music room. Although his skills were clumsy, the piano next door would always play along with him when the music started.

No matter how you look at it, this can't be an ordinary character, right?

Miura speculated that it was Touma Kazusa, but so far the story has not mentioned this at all.

"Back in the music room again?"

"There's no one left here..."

"It's the last day of the club, right? All the members are gone. They all joined the club just to show off at the school festival, so it's not surprising that it ended up like this."

Eiji Miura felt considerable sympathy for Haruki Kitahara, the main character.

This guy was the only one who was genuinely interested in the guitar, and he was the only one who persevered.

But a club or organization can't be sustained by just one person.

Without a lead singer, there's no point in continuing.

"I need you to play along with my interests today... after all, this is the last time."

The computer played a slightly rough guitar sound, but compared to the previous messy playing, the melody was quite clear.

"Speaking of which, this guy's guitar skills are really average, but this piece is really good. Is it called WHITE ALBUM? Is that the theme song?"

"Oh! That's the advantage of this kind of visual novel; compared to novels, it offers an auditory experience."

Eiji Miura suddenly found it quite novel.

In particular, as he clicked his mouse, the same melody of piano music came from the music room next door.

"Only at the very end, I want to conclude with this piece of music..."

As the plot progresses, the music gradually builds to a higher climax.

"what?"

Eiji Miura suddenly paused for a moment.

Is someone singing along?

"This should have been the last time. With this as the dividing line, our light music enthusiasts' club should have come to an end."

"That should be the case... but..."

Eiji Miura suddenly became agitated.

"Lead singer! She's a natural-born lead singer. If we bring her into the group, wouldn't that keep things going?"

On the screen, Kitahara Haruki rushed to the rooftop without even putting down her guitar.

As the song drew closer, Miura grew increasingly excited.

Who is that person singing on the rooftop?

He had some suspicions.

There isn't a more suitable candidate, is there?

Walking through the corridor and climbing the stairs, I got closer and closer to the door to the rooftop.

As the handle was turned, the computer screen suddenly turned white.

Just as the human eye cannot adapt to strong light, when the white light fades...

The golden sunset bathed the girl, her chestnut hair blowing in the wind. She put her hands behind her back, closed her eyes, and sang with abandon.

The song then aptly transitioned into its final notes.

Eiji Miura stared blankly at the computer screen in front of him, hesitating to click the mouse.

He spent nearly two hours playing here, and he felt it was worth it.

The scene before my eyes is absolutely beautiful.

Chapter 170 Urekiyushu (Bonus chapter for last month's monthly votes, one chapter still owed)

"You've stopped in that awful place again, you idiot!"

On Friday evening at 5 p.m., on the JR line to Fukuoka, Ryoko Takashiro couldn't help but start grumbling.

Last night she wanted to cause trouble for Ryosuke, but he locked the door and completely ignored her.

She almost couldn't resist kicking the door open.

The girl wouldn't have given up so easily if she hadn't been worried about being caught and disciplined by her father, which would have ruined her trip the next day.

What's wrong with this guy? Does he always pause at such a crucial point every time he releases a game demo?

They were about to move on to the next step, right at a crucial point in their storyline with Setsuna Ogiso.

"You're a creator, so don't always think from the player's perspective."

Ryosuke hadn't intended to explain, but when he saw Ayano reach out to pull his ear, he had no choice but to speak up.

"Pausing at key points can boost sales, making players who have played the demo more likely to buy the full game, right?"

"You're nothing but money-grubbing!"

Takashiro Ryouno pouted.

Who cares about that kind of thing? She just wants to keep playing.

The opening scene of the demo made her very curious about what would happen between the three main characters later on.

"Well, say what you will. When making visual novels, good sales mean more capital to create better content, right?"

"Hmph, I can't argue with you. Anyway, after the hot spring trip, you'd better get back to work!"

Ling Nai gave a light snort, deciding to let Ryosuke off the hook for the time being.

She was still quite looking forward to the trip and didn't want this to spoil her mood.

The girl turned to look out the window. The train sped by, and outside, villages and rice paddies rushed past. This scenery was new to her.

.....

When we arrived at Ureshino Onsen, it was already completely dark.

On the way from the train station to the hotel, a faint smell of sulfur filled the air, mixed with the sweet fragrance of osmanthus blossoms in the evening breeze.

The Japanese-style inns on both sides of the street lit up one after another with warm yellow lanterns, casting swaying light and shadow on the stone pavement. Occasionally, guests wearing yukatas would walk by in wooden clogs, making a crisp clattering sound.

The hotel they booked was called "Yujuku-Seiryu," a huge hot spring hotel located on the banks of the Ureshino River.