I have a life simulator.

But this action will only make Honami Ichinose realize a reality:

It was her mistake, her failure, her sin that caused harm to those around her.

The guilt and sorrow overwhelmed her almost instantly.

Because of his own actions, innocent people who were not related to him were harmed.

For Honami Ichinose, a girl who had received good upbringing and was kind-hearted, it was something more painful than being punished herself.

What's more, this person is her own mother, the one she was willing to commit crimes to protect in the first place.

"This is my fault."

A murmur that no one could hear escaped Ichinose Honami's lips; it was a statement that sent a shiver down one's spine.

But I no longer have that future. My life will not change. I have passed the several forks before reaching here, so only a straight track remains ahead.

Her mother's words echoed in her ears, and Ichinose Honami's life seemed to have become a straight road that could be seen at a glance.

After a flurry of rumors swirled in the air above the mall, they became even more elaborate and dramatic, satisfying everyone's curiosity and voyeuristic desires.

On this day, Honami Ichinose became a "guilty person".

[Story CG: The Guilty One, Reading Complete]

Chapter 5: The Second Simulation

"A story of choosing to steal for the sake of family?"

"It seems that the change to Ichinose's past in the chapter mission is to erase this matter..."

After reading the "The Guilty One" story CG, Ryo roughly understood the timeline and the course of the story.

"The key to the failure of the first mission was that I made almost no substantial progress in my relationship with the Dojino family during the first ten days of the game, which left me with no position to intervene when something big happened that could affect their family."

Liang glanced through the notes she had made in her notebook.

"'Heart-piercing' basically had no effect. Although the description said it might affect the ending of the chapter, even the purple level was not worth keeping if it could effectively help the progress of the mission."

"'Silent and reserved' is a complete side effect in this simulation; it can be ruled out."

"The only benefit of having the 'cat servant' talent was attracting Ichinose's sister, which indirectly gave me information, but it seems that 'I' also wasted a few days because of it..."

"'Affinity' is an effective talent for cultivating trust, but it doesn't seem to yield much useful information if it's only at the green level, although I'm not sure if it conflicts with being taciturn."

"The key to 'having some assets' is whether the property is near the Ichinose family's house, and I'm also curious how I can approach the mission target if I don't have that kind of talent."

After a moment's hesitation, Liang finally made up his mind.

You choose to retain the 'Small Assets' (blue talent)

[This talent has been fixed. Do you wish to start a second simulation?]

[Ding - Life Restart Simulator simulation has started.]

Please name your character.

[Players choose random names]

[Named]

The second simulation of Chapter 1 will follow next.

Chapter: Ichinose Honami's Summer Revisited

Five talents have been randomly selected for the player, as follows:

[A Promise Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold (Gold): You are incredibly lucky to have grown up with the heroine of this chapter as childhood sweethearts. Your youth was intertwined, your lives intertwined and inseparable. At no time will you abandon the other, even if you are sometimes unexpectedly stubborn, shameless, or meddlesome. (She is the one who accompanied you day after day, from naivety to maturity, through the school years, through gossip, and through the passing of time.)]

"Did you draw the golden talent?"

[Tokyo Handsome Guy (Purple): Your personal charm is greatly enhanced (this talent has some negative effects)]

"This purple talent seems much better than the last one that was inexplicable, but the negative effect is quite concerning."

[Beauty Protector (Blue): You are quite skilled at protecting women and will unleash unimaginable fighting power in emergencies (Let go of that girl)]

"Hmm... I even feel like I'd rather have a cat."

[Distinguished Family (Blue): Your family is quite prestigious in the area (Rebirth: I'm a Spendthrift)]

"Um, is this some kind of ancient family setting? Blue talent shouldn't be able to achieve this, right?"

[Younger Man/Younger Woman Complex (Green): Women younger than you have an extraordinary attraction to you (Prison-Sent Male Lead)]

"...Let's replace this one."

Although he didn't get the white talent this time, the description of the green talent was just as malicious, so Liang used the talent refresh card he had just obtained without much thought.

[Should the 'Younger Man/Older Woman' talent be refreshed?]

[Successful]

[New talents are being drawn for players]

[Congratulations to the player for acquiring the talent 'Being Controlled by Younger Men' (Green)]

[You have an extraordinary attraction to women younger than you (green): You possess an extraordinary attraction to women younger than you (adding another prison-aged male protagonist)]

"This thing doesn't seem to be much different from the previous one."

[Cultivating Talents and Achieving Some Assets]

[Small Assets (Blue): You own an 80-square-meter property and five million yen in savings. (The property is located in Tokyo)]

[Talent selection complete]

[Chapter 1 Completion Objective: Find and correct the turning point in Ichinose Honami's life]

"call."

Taking a deep breath, before starting the second simulation, Ryo reviewed his talents once again. The configuration of one gold, one purple, three blue, and one green was undoubtedly much better than the first one of one purple, two blue, one green, and one white. Moreover, the newly drawn gold talent, "A Promise Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold," almost directly solved the problem of how to gain Ichinose Honami's trust. If nothing unexpected happened, the success rate of this mission should be much higher.

Liang recalled the CG of the guilty person he had just read. Even though he knew it was just a virtual game, he still couldn't help but feel the urge to save the other person. He smiled self-deprecatingly.

Perhaps it was because it was a game that he could occasionally have such thoughts, since in his reality, Liang couldn't even save himself.

【Simulation starts】

[Day 1: The date is July 9th. Early July in Tokyo is the height of summer. Pedestrians hurry along the streets, some using parasols, others walking in the shade of eaves and trees to avoid the scorching sun. The air conditioning in the car is running at full power. After checking the time with your watch, you roll down the window of your Mercedes S600 and whistle at Honami Ichinose, who is coming out of a chain supermarket by the roadside.]

"Why does the style suddenly change... It's all about melodramatic stories of rich playboys and poor girls striving for success."

The second simulation immediately caught Liang's eye, but it also piqued his interest. Liang got up again, poured himself a glass of water from the kettle, and leisurely continued browsing.

Over the past decade or so, you've come to understand Ichinose Honami's personality perfectly. Therefore, when she mentioned wanting to buy her younger sister a hair clip as a birthday present a few days ago, you didn't offer to pay for it yourself. Instead, you introduced her to a job as a cashier at a chain supermarket. The general manager of this company is your uncle, and after exchanging pleasantries with him for a while, Ichinose Honami officially began her part-time job.

[You know very well that Ichinose Honami's mother doesn't want her to work outside the home. She's a pragmatic and overly serious mother. In her worldview, Ichinose Honami should focus all her energy on improving herself—that is, on her work and studies at school. She doesn't need to worry about things at home. On one hand, she's willing to shoulder the financial burden of the family as a mother; on the other hand, she hopes her daughter will follow the path she has set for her, straight and unwavering.]

Based on her experience interacting with her over the years, Kitagawa Ryo was certain that if Ichinose Honami did anything she considered a deviation from the right path, she would not hesitate to use the most forceful methods to pull her daughter back onto the track she had set. Therefore, she had never had a good impression of Kitagawa Ryo, both because Kitagawa Ryo's privileged background, especially compared to the Ichinose family, might have set a bad example for her daughter, and because she saw signs of 'deviation' in Kitagawa Ryo.

[Going off the rails is a privilege of rich kids; poor families can't afford their children's antics. Although the mother often says these veiled things to Ichinose Honami, she still can't stop Ichinose Honami from seeing Kitagawa Ryo, because they grew up together and have a childhood friendship.]

On the way home, you chatted with Honami Ichinose about her day. Honami mentioned that she had received a flyer for a fireworks festival next month. After a brief discussion, you decided to go see the fireworks together, just the two of you, unlike previous years.

The car quickly stopped in front of the Ichinose house. Before last year, you lived across the street from the Ichinose family, but due to some awkward reasons, you moved out this year. Ichinose Honami invited you to her house, but you waved her off. You and Ichinose's mother have some differences in opinion; although they haven't reached the point of mutual dislike, both are consciously avoiding each other to avoid embarrassing Ichinose Honami.

After agreeing with Honami Ichinose to pick her up again tomorrow, you had the butler drive away.

[Day Two: After dropping Ichinose Honami off at her workplace, you feel aimless. You clearly remember that Ichinose Honami's birthday is July 20th, two days after Ichinose Maki's. However, unlike her younger sister, thirteen-year-old Ichinose Maki is still eagerly awaiting her birthday present, while Ichinose Honami, two years older, stopped being curious at seven. Your relationship with Ichinose Honami has long surpassed exchanging birthday gifts. You naturally share your lives, and on ordinary days, you exchange small, inexpensive, but thoughtful gifts. For example, the Buddhist prayer bead bracelet on your left wrist was a gift from Ichinose Honami sometime last year, strung together bead by bead by her.]

On rainy days, she would carry the large black umbrella you gave her, and the alarm clock she gave you would ring by her bedside every morning. The white cat you once owned together died of old age and was buried in the park where you played as children. When you wanted to give her another white cat of the same breed, she replied, "There won't be another cat exactly like that; one is enough." So you gave that cat to her sister as a gift one year, and that little one should still be growing up healthy.

[Before you knew it, you'd wandered into a department store, lost in thought. You lingered in the jewelry section, searching for a while before finally finding the hair clip you wanted. The price of over ten thousand yen wasn't expensive for you, but Ichinose Honami wouldn't allow you to give it to her younger sister as a birthday present. In a way, Ichinose Honami had been well-educated by her mother, and she herself was actively instilling a healthy and positive view of money in her sister. You didn't dislike Ichinose Honami's approach; on the contrary, you approved of her and respected her.]

[Day 3: This morning you received a text message from your junior, Hirata Yosuke. He and Ichinose Honami are both third-year junior high school students, while you are a year older than them. The private junior high school Hirata Yosuke attends is one of your family businesses, and you yourself graduated from there. You met Hirata Yosuke because of a bullying incident. Hirata Yosuke's friend committed suicide by jumping off a building due to long-term bullying. If you hadn't been there and grabbed the bully's ankle, he would probably have been paralyzed at the very least. After learning what happened, you swiftly cleaned up the bad atmosphere at the school, which not only prevented a scandal from spreading but also made Hirata Yosuke admire you greatly. Overall, you are a junior with whom I have a pretty good relationship.]

As expected, Hirata Yosuke contacted you this time to invite you to play a soccer match at the school. As the former student council president and soccer club president, you still wield considerable influence even though you graduated about half a year ago. According to Hirata Yosuke, this friendly match is co-organized with the soccer club of a neighboring school, and he hopes you can return to lead the soccer club, since their rules don't prohibit graduating seniors from playing.

Since you happened to be a bit free these past few days, you readily agreed to Hirata Yosuke's request.

That evening, when you picked up Honami Ichinose, you asked her if she wanted to go watch the game together. Honami hesitated for a moment and said she would go if she finished work early. Although you could have secretly arranged for her to leave work early, given Honami's honest nature of being paid for what she did, you refrained from interfering and smiled, telling her it was fine.

[Day 4: You return to your alma mater's playground after a long absence. The current soccer club president, Hirata Yosuke, jogs over to introduce you to the new members and freshmen. The scale of this friendly soccer match seems to be even more extravagant than you imagined. Perhaps because of summer vacation, students from your school and neighboring schools have almost filled the stands. You even see that both schools have put up banners and organized cheering squads.]

With your excellent physical fitness and superb skills, you quickly became the focus of the entire field. However, the opposing team was also quite strong. After being caught off guard by your one-on-one breakthrough with a goal and an assist at the beginning, they quickly changed their tactics, deploying more players to mark you. Ultimately, the first half ended with the score at 2-1, with your team having a slight advantage.

During halftime, the cheerleaders from both schools began their performances. Amidst the cheers of the crowd, you replied to Honami Ichinose's text message, "I'm off work, coming right away," while noticing that one member of the opposing school's cheerleading team was moving somewhat stiffly and looking a little unnatural. You secretly memorized the person's appearance.

[In the second half, the two schools engaged in another fierce battle, but ultimately, your last-minute winner secured a 5-4 victory for your team. Amidst the enthusiastic celebrations, one of the strikers who scored the goal confessed his feelings to a girl in the stands in front of the entire stadium. Amidst the cheers of "Say yes! Say yes!", you watched this unique confession with amusement, and in this atmosphere, the girl blushed and accepted his confession.]

Amidst the chaotic scene of onlookers, many students, whether genuinely or insincerely, made confessions. You had just changed out of your soccer team uniform and were heading to the stands to find Honami Ichinose when you encountered a throng of people pushing and shoving you towards you. It was the opposing school's cheerleading squad, their bright yellow outfits attracting considerable attention from the spectators.

The girl in the lead practically dragged a member forward, grinning, and pushed her in front of you. She then cheerfully announced that someone here wanted to confess their feelings to you. Upon hearing this, the surrounding crowd erupted in excitement, and instantly, most of the stadium's attention turned towards you.

The girl who was pushed out of the crowd was the one you noticed during halftime, and you're pretty sure you'd never interacted with her before today.

"I...I like you. Please go out with me."

Broken, incoherent words, barely worthy of being called a confession, escaped from her trembling lips. She bowed her head low, her back almost bent at a ninety-degree angle. You noticed a group of chattering girls loudly proclaiming things like "ugly duckling in heat" and "toad eating swan meat." You instantly realized this was some form of bullying.

[You dealt with similar cases a year ago, so you know all too well the tactics girls use. Forcing victims to confess to boys they don't like, the slovenliest boy in the class, or the most popular boy in the grade is a common method.]

"Hey, senior, what do you think? Should we accept Karuizawa-san's confession?"

They showed great anticipation for the upcoming fun.

You recalled your conversation with Honami Ichinose about school bullying.

"When you see school bullying, you've already lost your way."

"Because, from the victim's perspective, the position of the bystander, the so-called third party, is actually the same as that of the perpetrator—"

"Nothing different."

So, you accepted her confession.

[Story CG unlocked: Nisekoi]

[False love: Intense, obsessive feelings are not proof of love; the only thing they indicate is how lonely and bored those men and women were beforehand.]

[Would you like to watch this cutscene? (This may be helpful for your subsequent gameplay)]

Chapter Six: Fake Love (Part 1)

"Hey, Yosuke, this doesn't look like a friendly match."

Kitagawa Ryo, now dressed in the team uniform, stretched his ankles and said to Hirata Yosuke, who was standing beside him, somewhat speechlessly, "The other party didn't mention such a big fuss on the phone."

"Actually, the other side called first, but we had to take advantage of our home field, so we also spread the word that our senior was going to participate, and that's how it turned out."

Hirata Yosuke scratched his cheek with his fingers somewhat awkwardly. The audience today had indeed exceeded his expectations. Students, graduates, and even some teachers from both schools, along with the cheerleading squads on both sides, almost filled the stands of the stadium. People were even crowding into the aisles to peer inside.

"Have you taken all the necessary safety precautions? Have you distributed the emergency response manual and evacuation guidelines?"

Even though he had graduated from here for almost half a year, Kitagawa Ryo was still used to giving orders.

"Student council members have already been arranged to maintain order at the scene. The team left by the seniors is quite efficient."

"That's because they worked hard themselves."

Bending over to tighten his shoelaces, Kitagawa Ryo led his team onto the field:

"They've entered."

Just three minutes into the game, Kitagawa Ryo brilliantly capitalized on a mistake during the opponent's pass, intercepting the ball just past midfield and immediately sprinting forward.

Seeing Kitagawa Ryo dribbling the ball, the audience in the stands naturally focused their attention on him, wanting to see if this incredibly handsome senior also possessed the same level of skill in soccer as his good looks.

Although he hadn't played football for a while, Kitagawa Ryo still familiarly lifted his left foot when he got the ball, using the instep to push the ball forward about half a meter, then stepped out with his right foot to support his body, lifted his left foot back, and quickly kicked the bottom of the ball with the inside of his foot.

The football rose from the left flank, about ten meters from the center line, crossed the halfway line diagonally, and flew straight towards the right flank of the attack.

In that instant, at least a thousand eyes were glued to this football. Just as it was about to hit the ground, Hirata Yosuke, who was running at high speed, was already ahead of the pack and was visibly approaching the point where the football would land.

The opposing defenders, who were temporarily delayed by his explosive speed, could only grit their teeth and chase back, but they still underestimated the combination between Kitagawa Ryo and Hirata Yosuke.

Back when Kitagawa Ryo was still the president of the soccer club, he and Hirata Yosuke had already developed a good understanding. On the field again, this accurate long pass was delivered in exactly the passing style that Hirata Yosuke was most familiar with.

"Good shot! Hirata Yosuke has a one-on-one opportunity!"

The club advisor, who was specially invited to give the explanation, shouted at the top of his lungs.

For spectators unfamiliar with the rules, football is simply a sport for entertainment, watching one side kick the ball into the other's goal. Now, Yosuke Hirata is dribbling the ball straight towards the other side's goal, and this obvious offensive exchange has all the spectators holding their breath.