Tokyo: Oreimo

That's why he became a shut-in and failed to become a useful member of society.

"Could you...?"

He stammered as he prepared to speak.

Upon seeing this scene, the shop assistants frowned and stepped out from behind the cashier.

"Please do not disturb the other guests."

He spoke politely, but his footsteps were rapidly approaching.

In his eyes, Kikuchi Shota had become a dangerous character; if the boy were to get hurt, things would be very bad.

The shop assistant reached out and grabbed Shota, while gesturing for the boy to leave as soon as possible.

No!

Shota Kikuchi was quite anxious, but the more anxious he became, the less he knew what to say.

Just as the boy was about to turn and leave, a noise came from behind him, making him turn back.

thump--

Upon seeing Kikuchi Shota suddenly kneel down on the ground, prostrating himself even lower with his hands raised.

This scene left not only the boy speechless, but also the shop assistants.

"Excuse me! If I may ask, could you please let me have that magazine with the free gift? Thank you!"

Shota Kikuchi let out the loudest voice he had ever uttered.

Chapter 62 BAD END

Ryosuke felt a bit dumbfounded.

Only then did I realize why the other person had been blocking my way.

So this disheveled young man walked into the convenience store, glanced around the shelves, and was about to leave without buying anything. But after he paid, he blocked the doorway.

Do you just want the magazine freebies you already have?

Even so, going this far is simply too exaggerated.

This was the first time in Ryosuke's life that he had been so thoroughly prostrated and worshipped.

"If you want it so badly, I'll give it to you."

"Huh? Is that okay?"

Shota Kikuchi raised his head slightly, an incredulous look in his eyes.

"Sure."

Upon hearing Ryosuke's reply, he hurriedly got up from the ground, took the magazine from his hands, and flipped to the last page, where the complimentary CD was prominently displayed in the center of the color page.

"I finally got it! I can play it as soon as I get back. That's great!"

"By the way, were you specifically looking for this free gift?"

Seeing the satisfied expression on Kikuchi Shota's face, Ryosuke tried to communicate with him.

Observing the other person's posture, he roughly guessed that the other person was probably a shut-in who hadn't left the house for a long time.

Do you have social anxiety?

If a normal person wanted something, they would just say so politely, instead of making this kind of move.

What intrigued him even more was how he came to know about the promotional information for Fate/stay night by specifically searching for CDs.

"..."

Shota Kikuchi remained silent, glancing fearfully at the shop assistant who was still standing nearby. Faced with Ryosuke's question, he hesitated, unsure whether to answer.

Telling him that I'm an otaku might make him dislike me, and what if he changes his mind and takes back the magazine?

When Ryosuke noticed Shota's shifty gaze, he immediately dismissed the staff and pulled him to sit in the small dining area inside the store.

"I also play visual novels, and I'd like to find some like-minded people..."

"Really?!"

Because of that one sentence, Shota Kikuchi suddenly relaxed, and his eyes lit up.

No wonder, the other person understood me. I'm so lucky today.

.....

Ryosuke learned some information from Kikuchi Shota, then said goodbye to him, left the convenience store, and boarded the train home.

"It was a friend's recommendation that made me aware that the magazine included a demo disc of a premium game...and there were also many people on fan websites discussing whether this game even existed..."

"It seems that the publicity efforts through the magazine have already achieved some results."

Ryosuke had initially worried that those who bought the magazine wouldn't care about the free gift, but now it seems he was overthinking it.

On the contrary, because of the limited number of copies released, many people believe that the game is simply a fabrication by some netizens to whet people's appetites.

Ryosuke was also quite interested in the secret 18+ game forum that he learned about from Kikuchi Shota, and he specifically asked him for the domain name.

In this day and age, internet navigation websites would never include such small, run-down sites. Forums for anime, comics, and games are already quite niche, and because they lack stable revenue streams, they might shut down at any time.

Just like the website where Ryosuke and Hououin met, it would be inaccessible by now.

Moreover, websites that contain 18+ content are inherently in a gray area.

The creator was probably just doing it out of passion, and most users only learned about it through word of mouth.

However, this fission method results in the highest user retention rate and the lowest server load.

"Once we get home, maybe we can borrow Ling Nai's computer to access that forum. Who knows, it might have some promotional effect."

.....

At this moment, Ling Nai was holed up in her room, staring intently at the computer screen, gently biting her thumbnail, hesitant as she faced the options before her.

【————】

Have I regained consciousness?

Saber stared at me with her cold eyes.

【I want--】

【1. Save Saber】

[2.....Arm swings down]

"What?! What kind of option is this? That guy's personality is too awful! He actually wants me to kill Saber with my own hands?"

Takashiro Ryouno has been playing the full version for almost half a month now. Although she has successfully completed the other two main routes and unlocked the corresponding true endings, she has already entered the Tiger Dojo more than ten times in this HF route, which is the process of winning over Matou Sakura.

It was during this process that she witnessed the tragic fate of the female protagonist, and she was determined to achieve the true ending and save her.

Takashiro Ryouno hovered the mouse over option two, hesitated for a moment, and finally chose to save Saber.

Text is displayed on the computer screen.

[...I can't stab him.]

His hand, gripping the short sword, trembled uncontrollably; he simply couldn't bring himself to pierce Saber's chest.

"Exactly! How could anyone do that?"

Upon reading Shirou Emiya's confession, Ryōno Takagi deeply agreed.

Having fully experienced the storyline of that Knight King, as a player, she was already captivated by Saber's charisma, leading her to kill him with her own hands...

It would feel like killing your lover.

"This option will lead to a good ending, right? Maybe Saber will break free from her bonds and help me?"

With this in mind, Ling Nai continued to advance the plot.

But things took an unexpected turn. With a click of the mouse, text appeared one after another, and then disappeared.

The plot seems to be heading in an irreversible direction.

[Sakura, Tohsaka, where is she?]

When this line appeared, Ling Nai got goosebumps all over and a conflicted look appeared on her face.

In this strategy route, Rin Tohsaka, as an ally, joined him on the final battlefield, and they split up to carry out their respective missions.

She will deal with Saber, who is being controlled by Sakura, while Rin will personally go to finish off the corrupted Matou Sakura.

Now that this question has been raised, the answer is obvious: there's no one else in the scene except Sakura, right?

As she expected, Sakura on the computer screen quickly responded.

【Yes, just as you thought. My sister no longer exists anywhere in the world.】

Because, well, I just ate it.

...

[It was also the senior's fault; he wanted to help Saber, which is why my sister couldn't kill me at the last moment.]

.....

Let's welcome you in, senior. Come on in, senior, your older sister is all arms outstretched to welcome you!

...

The screen quickly went black, and two English words appeared in the corner.

——BAD END.

"Damn it!"

Takashiro Ryouko clutched her head in anguish and buried herself in the bed.

"I've died so many times and I still have illusions. That guy is manipulating people's hearts, and I still fell for it."

......

As the moon rose and the stars faded, it was time for dinner at the Takashiro family's house.