Chapter 99: Pilgrims...
Today, at the hospital we visited, the protagonist received a terminal diagnosis...
In that moment, it felt as if something inside me split apart with a thunderous crack.
What's happening? Why?
From that moment on, the protagonist in the game could no longer pursue a normal relationship with Miyuki.
It was like their vision would suddenly blur, or Miyuki's appearance would distort, as if in excruciating pain.
Every time this happened, I had to frantically mash buttons or enter simple commands to keep the protagonist's mind intact.
I was being forced to make a choice.
Should I continue hiding the illness from Miyuki, or should I tell her the truth?
...
In the dimly lit room, I grasped the controller and stared at the screen. Inside the screen, Miyuki had come to the protagonist's house.
What should I do? My condition is terrible right now. If the game prompts a command in this state, it might end in an instant.
After receiving the terminal diagnosis, a red light started flashing on the status gauge displayed on the screen. When the red light flashed, the protagonist's vision would rapidly blur, making it impossible to see things clearly.
"Uchimura-kun... Are you in there?"
Choosing to ignore her voice, Miyuki knocked on the front door and called my name.
"Why are you suddenly acting like this, Uchimura-kun? Have you come to dislike me?"
"Ugh... Miyuki... I... ugh... I can't... I..."
Forcing back tears, I pressed the button. Miyuki continued calling my name, sitting in front of the front door.
"Waaahhh! What do you want from me~~?! Wahhh!!!"
"Uchimura-kun, do you remember the park where we first started dating?"
Miyuki kept talking even though I remained silent.
"I've liked you since I was a child. You always held my hand on the way home from kindergarten. I couldn't believe it when you confessed your feelings to me. My heart was pounding so hard."
[Will you open the door and meet Miyuki?]
With trembling fingers, I moved the directional key and pressed the button.
"No."
"I can't take this anymore... Why are you suddenly treating me so coldly when you used to be so kind? I don't want to break up without knowing the reason. Please, Uchimura-kun... Answer me... Okay?"
"Ugh... Ugh..."
I messed up... Please, let Miyuki break up without knowing about my illness... Ugh...
I don't want to see her sad when she finds out about my illness...
But this cruel game would never let me escape from this heart-wrenching event.
In the game, it was December, a bitterly cold day, and Miyuki called my name even as she was buffeted by the strong wind.
As her voice gradually faded into a soft murmur, I couldn't help but worry that she might be in danger, thanks to the rapidly approaching snowstorm.
"Uchi... mura... kun... Haa... haa..."
[Will you open the door and meet Miyuki?]
No... Miyuki. No! I messed up!!
"Miyukiiii!!!"
As I frantically pressed the buttons, the protagonist, almost in sync with me, moved toward the front door. Just my luck, it had to happen now.
I rapidly entered the commands that appeared on the screen, guiding the protagonist to the front door.
Crreeak... The sound of the heavy front door opening, and on the screen, I saw Miyuki collapsed with snow falling on her.
Seeing that scene, I thought my tears had already run dry, but they started pouring out again.
In the end, I told Miyuki the truth about my illness, and she sobbed while hitting the protagonist's chest, asking why he hadn't told her sooner.
I really want to know who created this game. How can someone write such a cruel scenario?
And then... I was able to spend the rest of my life with Miyuki-chan.
Whenever I stumbled, she held my hand, no matter where we went.
The Odaiba beach where we spent time together, the Fuji TV broadcasting station, Tokyo Tower Observatory, Ueno Park—our memories together were piling up.
I should have told her about my illness from the beginning.
As the farewell moment drew closer, I couldn't help but feel terribly sorry that I couldn't spend more time with her because of my own shortcomings.
One of the things that made me truly despise this game was the fact that I had no idea when I would die.
When I first played this game, I couldn't understand the purpose of the stat called "Stamina." But now I do.
It's all about enduring through stamina. As the doctor's forecasted deadline draws near, I had no way to predict if I'd live an extra month based on my stamina or if I'd die before that. I couldn't grasp it at all.
It felt like a scenario written by a demon that belonged in the fiery depths of hell.
Thanks to this, I had to play while constantly on edge, just to ensure I wouldn't collapse by her side.
I never imagined that a dating simulation game, a genre I've never tried before, would have such a hellish difficulty level. I thought it would be as simple as pressing the A button, but it feels like I've fallen into a trap.
This is a kind of trap like no other.
Fortunately, I had raised my stamina quite a bit in the early stages unknowingly, allowing me to spend a little more time with her than the doctor's predicted timeframe.
However, as they say, every beginning has an end...
One day, while we were at an amusement park buying ice cream, she left her spot for a moment...
That's when death came for the protagonist.
It was a death as peaceful as falling asleep. The protagonist leaned against a bench and took their last breath, and their stamina pointed to zero.
The ensuing event cutscene showed Miyuki buying ice cream and running toward the protagonist.
"Hey... I'm so sorry I couldn't be with you..."
With the protagonist's final words, the fallen ice cream was illuminated as the ending credits slowly rolled.
"Ugh... ugh... ugh..."
It felt like my brain had turned into pudding. I was broken and couldn't gather my thoughts.
I just clung to the controller for a while, crying. The calm BGM playing on the TV was digging deeper into my wounded heart.
From the middle of the game onwards, I couldn't let go of the controller. When I finally lifted my head to check the time, it was already 3 AM.
"Should I sleep now? What should I do..."
For some reason, it didn't seem like I could fall asleep like this.
Then, after all the credits had rolled, I noticed a familiar name in the part that listed the people who had contributed the most.
"Yukiko Ishikawa?"
And next to her name, it said, "Directed by Ogiso Nanasae."
At that moment, I remembered the words Yukiko-san had said.
-Excuse me? Hmm, I'm Ogiso Nanasae, the scenario director.-
Could it be... she came to buy the game cartridge that she personally wrote?
"Ugh... No way..."
However, it seemed like those involved were on friendly terms. I can't believe it!
After all the staff credits had passed, a message appeared, announcing a new scenario.
"Hasegawa Miyuki's Afterstory? What's this?"
What's this again? I stared blankly at the message button announcing a new story.
Was this a reward for enduring the melted brain story?
An afterstory would be about the protagonist, right after their disappearance, wouldn't it?
Does that mean it's about her, all alone?
This is dangerous.
Really dangerous.
The moment I saw the message about the afterstory, my shattered mental faculties were strongly warning me.
The instant I press this, I have no idea what story will unfold. I was too scared to find out.
But in the end, I couldn't resist and pressed the confirmation button.
Alright then, let's go wherever it takes us. I'll endure until the end!!
The realization that it was an extremely foolish choice only hit me the next morning.
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