Chapter 56: Future Plans

“Sigh…”

In the agency office.

Hikari sighed, lying on the sofa in the president’s office.

[Hikari-san? What’s wrong?]

A voice came from beyond the cell phone.

It was her manager, specially assigned by Kobayashi.

Well, in reality, it was closer to a role of relaying her daily activities to her uncle.

“It’s just, the game story isn’t going the way I wanted.”

[Ah, that is frustrating.]

After finishing the call with her manager about her day’s schedule, Hikari sat on the edge of the bed.

‘This is problematic…’

Unlike its grand name, ‘Scenario Editing Rights’.

This item couldn’t do very much.

At most, it increased the probability of a user-desired event occurring?

Even then, if the probability of that event occurring was zero, it couldn’t be used and would just be wasted.

You know, like those skills that the system recognizes as activated, but don’t actually activate in-game.

It was a similar feeling.

Besides that, wishes that directly harmed the other party couldn’t be made.

This current situation was a case in point.

[This character does not have a bad ending route]

[Editing rights cannot be used]

This was the message that appeared on her status window the moment she tried to use the editing rights.

‘If I couldn’t use the editing rights, you should have told me beforehand.’

At this rate, I’m going to die of a stress-induced illness first.

‘But, why can’t I use it?’

No matter how popular she was, Ren was undeniably a villain.

In the original game, she was famous for meeting all sorts of ends.

Among them, routes where she died already existed.

So what did it mean that a bad ending didn’t exist in the first place?

“Ah, whatever.”

There’s a status window anyway, so what could possibly go wrong?

Since it wasn’t something she could figure out just by thinking about it, Hikari decided to just entrust her body to the plush sofa.

---

Even though the dark clouds had lifted, the sky was still dark.

The rain that had been pouring down continuously finally stopped only when night fell.

A hallway exuding an eerie atmosphere, its floor wet with water.

“….Ren, can I come in?”

Sion spoke to Ren, who would be cooped up inside the house.

‘A stalker….’

He had received the call from the police station this morning.

Did they say he was the only person she could call family?

Normally, it wouldn’t have been unpleasant words to hear, but in a situation like this, it was utterly unbearable.

How much time had passed since he started waiting in front of the door?

[You know the password. Come in.]

Through Line, the message he had been waiting for so long arrived.

Beep beep beep-!

With the sound of the door lock’s keypad.

The door opened, and Sion stepped inside.

“Ren?”

Looking towards the living room, he saw her figure huddled on the mattress.

Sion cautiously approached her.

“….Sorry, you were the only one I could call.”

“It’s okay. It’s good to see your face after a long time.”

Having spent the past 10 years together, a month was both a long and short time for the two of them.

Especially since they hadn’t parted on good terms.

“Hey, want to eat this? I bought your favorite.”

“No, it’s fine.”

In the silence that resumed, it was Sion who spoke first.

“Hey Ren, I don’t have many friends. So I don’t really know how to comfort people.”

Because she had always shown a strong front, he had no idea how to console her.

That words like ‘cheer up’ wouldn’t comfort her now.

Even a passing child could tell.

“Still, this is all I can do.”

“……….”

Sion quietly sat down next to Ren.

“That. It’s not your fault, Ren.”

He could only stay by her side.

How much time passed like that?

It was Ren who broke the silence first.

“….It was him.”

“Him…?”

“The person who came after me this time, it was that f*cker I reported for stalking and got thrown in jail back then.”

At those words, Sion’s expression hardened.

The incident where he stalked her from the concert venue and somehow followed her to the dorm.

He had met all sorts of strange people while working in the industry, but he remembered this one because he was particularly prominent among them.

“But Ren, are you okay?”

“…..No.”

A shock once received doesn’t heal that easily.

There’s a reason why malicious comments and stalking are major social issues.

I even encountered a thug who actually tried to kill me, so the effect was doubled.

“—Still, I think I’m a bit better thanks to you. Thank you.”

They say it’s good to have at least one person by your side when you’re having a hard time.

The trauma from the stalker’s appearance was triggered for a moment.

Thanks to Sion, my mind returned to a state where I could think somewhat clearly.

Is this the positive influence of a dating sim protagonist?

Indeed, there was a reason why he went around plugging flags with celebrities all the time.

‘….No matter how I think about it, it’s strange.’

Since it wasn’t just a simple stalking incident, the sentence he received was 2 years.

There was no mention of a reduced sentence, so considering the time, he should have just been released from prison not long ago.

But he found my house in that short amount of time?

Time and resources were insufficient to find out someone’s personal information.

“You didn’t happen to leak my address, did you?”

“Would I have?”

The question thrown out just in case was met with a denial, as expected.

Still, common sense dictates that unless someone leaked it…

“…Huh?”

Then, it suddenly dawned on me.

Someone other than Sion who knows my address.

No, the fact that there’s a group.

“Don’t tell me…”

I cautiously looked at Sion.

Perhaps he was thinking the same thing, as his complexion was quite dark.

“….This crazy company?”

If the company was involved, it could be explained.

‘Honestly, the idea of the company specifically targeting an individual and handing over their information is a bit far-fetched…’

Come to think of it, this world is basically a dating sim game, isn’t it?

A work where as long as the protagonist and heroine have a proper romance and the service scenes are good, it’s already halfway to success.

Treating it purely as a game is a bit much, but there’s a status window anyway.

It seemed like a sufficiently plausible scenario.

“….For now, I’ll try to handle that somehow.”

How will he resolve it?

He didn’t know the method, but for some reason, his answer felt trustworthy.

So this is what a protagonist is.

For the past month, the reason he and Cornelia had remained quiet was singular.

Because Ren didn’t want it.

He thought that forcibly dragging out an incident the victim didn’t want was also something one shouldn’t do.

‘But, things are different now.’

It wasn’t just about online comments; she had suffered direct harm from a stalker.

This was no longer a matter to be passively observed.

“If you want it, I’ll do my best to clear your name.”

Of course, that was impossible with Sion’s strength alone.

However, there were still some people in the world who would side with Ren.

From her fellow Cornelia members, to Director Tatsuya.

And even some celebrities they had worked with on projects.

Just as he had done for Hikari in the original work, if Ren wished it, he would find a way somehow.

‘That doesn’t mean I can fabricate false evidence, though….’

If he did that and the opposing side came with evidence, there was a risk of a counterattack.

Above all, Ren wouldn’t appreciate having her name cleared in such a way.

“….Ren, those kids aren’t little anymore.”

Despite the small age difference.

Ren’s attitude towards the members was always consistent.

Like a mother towards her daughter.

Always trying to let them hear only good things, and to avoid getting them involved in bad situations as much as possible.

Sion didn’t know the reason well either.

If he had to guess, perhaps she was trying to give others the love she hadn’t received from her own parents.

Thinking about it that way, he felt sorry for Ren’s attitude.

“We can’t coddle them forever, can we? Isn’t it okay to let go a bit now?”

Once they’ve entered the entertainment industry.

Cornelia, without Ren, must also be swept by the waves of the entertainment world and learn to survive within it.

And, in Sion’s view, they were already sufficiently prepared.

“….Alright.”

Ren had no choice but to agree.

Separate from the responsibility of having drawn those kids into the entertainment industry, they had to properly experience what needed to be experienced.

Weren’t there many idols in her past life who had various incidents like this?

This too might be an unavoidable flow.

“Anyway, I didn’t expect you to think like that.”

“Ah, this? I just remembered a line from a game.”

Ah, so you just copied and pasted something you heard somewhere?

Pinch-

“Ouch.”

Feeling somewhat annoyed, I pinched Sion’s cheek out of spite.

Needlessly honest.

This is why he doesn’t have a girlfriend despite those looks.

What on earth should be done with this picture to get him married?

His mother must be going through a lot.

As someone like family, I felt sorry.

“….But, what do we do now?”

Come to think of it, my home address has been exposed now.

A stalker has already latched on; living in a place like this feels strangely uneasy.

Refutation is refutation, but I don’t have a place to stay right now.

“Ah.”

Had he not thought of that?

Sion’s face colored with embarrassment.

“Hmm…..”

Did an alternative come to mind shortly after?

Sion, after a moment’s hesitation, replied with a slightly flushed face.

“Um, for now, do you want to come to my place?”