episode_0003

As I moved to the restaurant, a status window appeared before me.

▶ Tutorial I cleared! ◀

▶ This game is about clearing by choosing the right options. Results vary based on the player’s choices, even with small changes… ◀

It was a message that only appears after clearing the tutorial by playing the game, something I already knew.

Originally, this scene should have ended there. The tutorial only explained how even small changes affect choices and provided an explanation for the part where I defined intimacy.

So, this scene should now be skipped to move to the next screen.

But it didn’t skip.

I was still lingering in that restaurant. The scene didn’t skip.

“The game… must not be over.”

I need to move. Since there’s no skip, I have to fill in all the time that was cut out with my body.

This is my reality now.

One by one, I took a seat in the restaurant, naturally ending up in the seat next to Claire, which seemed to take quite a while, prompting Claire to taunt, “Why are you moving so slowly? Even Mom must be hungry, so move faster.”

Damn pink-haired girl.

“If I could move quickly, of course, I would have.”

The issue wasn’t that I couldn’t move fast, but rather my abnormal cold-like condition. After using cold water and taking a bath in this winter, my body couldn’t possibly be normal.

As the status window had warned, Karceine was currently suffering from an abnormal cold-like condition, and given that he already looked frail, it was a double whammy.

I had wondered why the movement speed was so slow in the game, but feeling it with my actual body made me realize that was also very fast.

“Enough. Let’s order first.”

“Yes, Mother.”

And so, Isabella began a peaceful mealtime without saying anything more.

-Ding!

▶ Tutorial II in progress! ◀

“When did you get into today? Karceine.”

Upon hearing Isabella’s voice along with the status window indicating Tutorial II in progress, I found myself involuntarily holding my breath.

“Today… again,” I thought.

No, it couldn’t be.

At the moment, I did have a foreboding thought, but it probably won’t be like that. Just a casual greeting…

▶ Tutorial II Information! ◀

▶ Players will face challenging trials ahead. ◀

▶ Each time, they must gather information without missing any, and choose the correct options. ◀

▶ As it’s a tutorial, information is provided! ◀

[ Carcine visited Isabella every morning. ]

“…What’s this.”

Tutorial II?

I’ve never seen or heard of it before. It’s a tutorial I’ve never personally experienced in the game.

But for it to suddenly appear.

“Are you telling me to consider this as one episode and clear it?”

As the status window reappeared, I swallowed hard and looked around.

The eyes around me were fierce. Claire and Arina were already starting to glare. Flora was blatantly anticipating what I would say this time.

I could vaguely sense that if I said something wrong here, it would cause big trouble.

“Carcine? Do you have anything special to tell me today?”

-Ring!

[ 1. (Slamming the table and standing up) Do you know what I went through today?! ]

[ 2. (Deciding it’s time, pounding the table with a fist) I took a cold bath today. The maid filled the tub with cold water! ]

[ 3. You’ve worked hard today. Other than that…(hesitating) nothing happened. ]

In response to Isabella’s repeated question, an absurd choice popped up.

It’s an easy, obvious choice. The answer seems so obvious.

I began to think that these two choices might reflect Carcine’s true feelings.

Not even looking in my direction, just cutting the meat and speaking. I didn’t even expect this.

“Yeah. You’re just like them. No matter how close you seem, you were never a mother to Carcine.”

I’ve made up my mind about what to do.

Of course, I have to clear the game, but leaving this house comes first.

Just like I did in that house.

With a rising sense of heat, I calmly replied without giving anything away.

“Nothing happened.”

Flora chuckled at the remark, and Claire and Irina quickly averted their gaze. Finally, Isabella spoke.

“…So.”

She replied solemnly. At that moment, I knew I had done something wrong.

“Am I… Did I not choose option 3 just now?”

Despite feeling a cold coming on, I responded as if there had been no mistake or any mention of hardship.

Come to think of it, it was the same when I greeted Isabella. Didn’t her response as “Mother” also get cut off before reaching the end?

At that time, too, there was no response to the choice. This meant that even though it was a slightly incorrect line, there was no issue at all. Just like now, this was acknowledged.

“Yeah. This is my body. Not Carcine’s.”

As long as I accept this situation as reality, there are plenty of variables in which I can intervene.

The clinking of dishes began to echo through the restaurant. During the actual mealtime, the mother and daughter chatted about various things.

Meanwhile, I was looking at the status window.

▶ Tutorial II information is provided! ◀

[ Carcine’s meal has an excessive amount of salt added by Flora, unlike the family’s meal! ]

[ Caution! Consumption will deteriorate health! ]

▶ Shall I eat breakfast? ◀

[ 1. Yes. ]

[ 2. (With a snarl) Flora, do you always pull this kind of stunt with my meals only! ]

[ 3. (Throwing the plate at the maid who put a lot of salt) You eat this! You damn bitch! ]

[ 4. No, I won’t eat. ]

“Hah. A family meal with hands laid on my food.”

Ridiculously, unpleasant memories kept popping up in my mind. Why am I experiencing such an ordeal twice?

The fact that this is the third time I’m playing such pranks with food, and the situation where I can’t even snap back at my own meal, made me feel like I had gone back in time.

“No. Maybe that’s right.”

It’s no different from the attitude of my two sisters who were hated and raised me due to mental illness.

So maybe I feel better because of that.

Because I’m not afraid the second time, having experienced it once.

-Dalggak.

“…!”

As I pick up the utensil and swallow the flavorful food, Flora’s eyes, which had been subtly mocking, trembled violently.

Just like the information in the status window, it seems this action is in line with Flora’s usual mischief. What, you’re just going to eat it? I thought as I sent a glance with that meaning.

Regardless, I continued to fill my stomach as if to show off.

▶ Consumed high-sodium food! ◀

▶ Warning! Health deteriorating! ◀

A warning appeared in the status window, but I couldn’t refrain from eating. Just below the warning window, looking at my abnormal condition, hunger naturally arose.

Having seen the ending of starving to death due to not eating anything while hungry in the game several times, I knew I had to eat when I could.

Soon, another window popped up.

▶ Hunger state recovers! ◀

I had eaten about half of the soup, expecting that the hydration would dilute the sodium. That should do it.

“I will get up first.”

I wiped my mouth with a napkin and got up from the table. My body, which had turned into a furnace beyond the feeling of a cold, was unable to withstand it and was gradually getting dizzy.

***

Claire, who was watching Karceine leave the restaurant, frowned as she looked towards the exit, seemingly displeased.

Ariana felt the same way. When she shifted her gaze back to the tableware, she clicked her tongue.

Both of them were indeed somewhat dissatisfied, but since they were in front of their mother, they didn’t show it outwardly.

However, Flora was different.

Staring blankly at Karceine’s soup bowl, she made a discontented expression and ended up dropping the tableware altogether.

-Clang!

“Flora, why are you like that? Don’t you have an appetite?”

Startled by Claire’s sudden call, Flora snapped out of it and returned to her original expression.

“Uh, um! I guess I’m not very hungry.”

“Still, you should eat well. If you keep doing that, you won’t grow tall, you know?”

“You can eat a lot next time instead of now. Geez.”

At that, Ariana and Isabella chuckled softly. It wasn’t that they revealed their dissatisfaction.

After that? Flora, thinking to herself, decided to stop eating breakfast here altogether.

“What? You’re not going to eat anything else?”

“But I really can’t eat it.”

Resulting in a sulk.

“Then should we make a promise, big sister? Even if we skip breakfast, we won’t refuse lunch and eat well.”

Big sister Arina extended her pinky, allowing them to leave the restaurant.

At that moment, Flora also hooked her pinky.

“Yeah! I promise.”

Once they left the restaurant, the expression she had been hiding all along was fully revealed.

‘How, how could she eat that without any concern?’

She must have known through the maid that she had tampered with her meal again. Knowing that, Karceine still forced herself to eat half of the soup filled with salt.

‘Could it be that the maid didn’t properly sprinkle the salt?’

At this point, that was the only assumption that made sense.

The plan had twisted. It was a golden opportunity that had come after a long time.

If she continued to provoke her mother and two sisters in anger, Karceine might really be driven out of the Bartrand ducal family.

Then, we would return to our original family.

“Ugh! This is strange! It shouldn’t be like this!”

Flora quickly went to find the head maid Emma.

“Welcome. Youngest miss.”

Seeing the youngest miss’s face full of dissatisfaction, Head Maid Emma realized that things hadn’t been resolved well.

After a brief silence, Flora, full of irritation, spoke.

“Camilla, did you properly sprinkle salt in Karceine’s dish?!”

“Yes? What happened at the restaurant?”

“She said she ate half of the soup! And she didn’t even mention rinsing it with cold water. I doubt if the water was truly cold!”

It was an unbelievable story. If there was a lot of salt in the soup, she might not have noticed or not eaten it at all, but to eat half was strange.

Moreover, it was definitely suspicious that she didn’t complain about rinsing it with cold water and remained quiet.

“Goodness. It was going well, but what’s this? So tell her to do it again, no matter what it takes! If she deceived me, tell her to be prepared!”

“Yes, Miss Flora. I will ensure to produce the proper result.”

Emma’s face was adorned with a cold smile.

***

“…Damn it.”

Dragging my body, which felt like a lump of lead, into the room, I finally spat out the curses that I had been holding back. Considering my current situation, things aren’t too bad. I managed to avoid any accidents and obtained some decent information while escaping the crisis. I even succeeded in satisfying my hunger, which is the most dangerous state beyond a bad ending.

I’ve cleanly cleared the tutorial. Just like in the game.

However, the feeling of returning to these damn family members is not something I can easily shake off. The curse that slipped out without my realizing it seems to match the level of disgust I feel towards my past self and Karsein, who has become a part of me.

I collapsed onto the bed with aching bones.

“Status window.”

Even amidst the dizziness, the status window shone brightly.

What I’m looking at are just two sentences.

■ Upon game clearance, a special reward will be given! ■

▶Reward: Anything you desire, one item.

A reward received after clearing. If I get that, I’ll definitely beg to be sent back home. I’ll absolutely survive and return, no matter what.

Meanwhile, the status window created another window against my will.

-Ding!

▶Tutorial II cleared!◀

▶Successfully brought about results beyond the choices!◀

“Results beyond the choices?”

▶Reward assessment in progress…◀

…

…

▶Reward assessment complete!◀

▶After considering what the player needs, it has been decided to quantify the gauge bars of the characters to show them!◀

■Rewards

▶Permanent acquisition of Affinity Box

[ From now on, the Affinity Box will be quantified and displayed! ]

Usually, when they say it’s an ordinary reward, it’s fine, but seeing this made my heart race. It must be a tutorial reward. However, I’ve already obtained the greatest reward.

There’s an unchanging law in this game. That is, when the choice window appears, there’s no way to avoid the scene Karsein faced. If they tell you to wait without choosing a selection, just recall the timer and you’ll understand. There are more bad endings waiting to unfold. But I am different from facing reality rather than a game.

“Results Beyond Choices. Choices that don’t need to be made correctly. Unlike in the game, I have an incredible advantage in leading the development in my own way without being constrained by the choices.”

“If I gradually insert my actions with this, I can avoid the constraints of the choices.”

However, I’m not sure if I can negate the choices themselves. I’ll have to try that next time.

▶ Basic Stat Window Unlocked! ◀

■ Karceine Vagrand ■

Lv. 1

▶ Strength 2.09

▶ Agility 3.11

▶ Stamina 3.50

▶ Health 1.33

▶ Immunity 0.87

▶??? 0

This was a part that couldn’t be viewed before. It was a stat window that led to various thoughts while playing the game.

“Alright. This should be enough. I should get some sleep now…”

There wasn’t much else to see once it was confirmed that it wasn’t much different from inside the game. But I soon realized that wasn’t the case.

“Just a moment. Karceine tossing and turning in bed… right after finishing a meal?”

At the moment when anxiety was slowly creeping up, an episode progress window appeared.

▶ Episode I. The Beginning of Harassment Filled with Malice! ◀

“Knock, knock.”

“Young master, I’ve brought dessert.”

It was the moment when the skipped time had passed, and I entered into the regular episode.