Chapter 58
"What's wrong, Hatori? You look really unwell."
During the break, Mikoshiba Mikoto took the initiative to talk to Hatori Kazuma.
He looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to him, then held up his hand to his mouth and quietly asked the other person.
"Did you stay up too late playing games last night?"
"…………"
Kazuma Hatori silently turned to look at his friend, his eyes were a light bluish-black—at first glance, his expression carried a hint of resentment, which startled Mikoshiba Mikoto.
"They're in a relationship."
Mikoshiba Mikoto: "Oh... um?!"
Mikoshiba Mikoto: "Wait, with whom?! How come I didn't hear anything about this? Or are you with Ryoko, the one who confessed to you last time...?"
Kazuma Hatake said quietly, "No, it's from a game."
Mikoshiba Mikoto breathed a sigh of relief: "That's quite normal. I've had many unforgettable romances in games, and I even bought their... cough cough."
"...This time is different."
Kazuma Hatori exuded an unusually depressed aura, coupled with his perpetually expressionless face, which prompted his female classmates who were secretly glancing at him to whisper among themselves, exchanging opinions such as "So cool," "His aloofness today is amazing," and "He's a completely different type from Kashima-kun."
Unlike Kashima Yu, the super popular school prince who likes to spend time with girls, Hato Kazuma prefers to be alone. Apart from his good friend Mikoto Mikoshi, who lives nearby and is in the same class, he hardly interacts with anyone and has no interest in doing so. Mikoto has complained to him many times, "You are the real loner."
Incidentally, Kashima Yu is a genuine woman.
However, after he entered his second year of high school, his so-called "alone" status quo did change somewhat.
"Hey you two, what are you secretly chatting about?"
Accompanied by soft gasps of surprise, the campus prince made a dazzling appearance at Deer Island.
As she watched the two whispering, she bent down to get closer, her perfectly timed smile as cool as ever.
"Let me hear it too."
Mikoshiba Mikoto choked up instantly—he didn't want anyone to know his secret of playing video games! Not even his best friend Kashima!
Even Yukichi Kazuma only opened up to each other and exchanged gaming experiences because they shared the same hobby... That's right, it was because the other person was a fellow gamer that he reluctantly opened up to them and exchanged gaming thoughts!
Although the types of games that Kazuma Hatori usually plays don't quite overlap with his pure galgame (bishoujo game) fandom... at least they're both games.
"No...we didn't talk about anything. I just noticed that Yuqu didn't sleep well last night, so I was just checking in on him."
Mikoshiba Mikoto stammered for a moment, then quickly changed the subject.
"Ha...haha, what's up? Came to ask us to go to the toilet together?"
Even someone as composed and mentally strong as Kashima Yu couldn't help but be speechless at this moment.
Even if she looks like a boy, she still needs to use the women's restroom. Why would she come to these two to use the restroom together?
"Chiyo and Nozaki are looking for you outside."
She pointed to the door, "I don't know what's going on."
"Oh, I remember now!"
Mikoshiba Mikoto thanked him, then pulled up the still dejected Hatori Kazuma and walked outside.
"Didn't I say before that I was going to introduce you to my new friend? Come on over here."
As they passed one of the desks, they could hear boys gathered around a phone looking at something, vaguely hearing words like "signal" and "rumor." Kazuma Hatori's dark eyes flickered slightly, and he only glanced at the scene briefly before being pulled back into the corridor by Mikoshiba.
"This is Kazuma Hagoromo, whom I mentioned yesterday. Isn't he super gloomy? Although he has a good-looking face, I've basically never seen him smile, even when he's playing games... cough cough, even when he's with the type he likes, he won't smile."
When introducing her longtime friend, Mikoshiba Mikoto almost blurted out "playing video games," but thankfully she stopped herself in time, preventing herself from revealing that she was also an otaku.
"Huh, doesn't he smile even when he has a crush on someone?"
One of the girls, petite and quite cute, spoke up and introduced herself with great energy, "Hello, I'm Sakura Chiyo!"
"I am Nozaki, Nozaki Umetarou," the rather tall boy next to him also spoke, his voice steady.
Hello.
Kazuma Hatake remained silent for a moment, then explained very seriously to Chiyo Sakura.
"I will still smile when I'm with someone I like."
I've laughed countless times while I'm with Satoru... Although most of the time it doesn't seem to show on my face, Satoru can always sense it keenly.
"Huh, I knew it after all."
I only smile at people I like, wow, it feels even better...!
Sakura Chiyo blinked her bright eyes and couldn't help but whisper to him to ask him the question.
"So, Hatori-kun, who is your crush?"
Mikoshiba Mikoto and Nozaki Umetarou, who were standing to the side, also pricked up their ears to listen secretly.
"Um……"
After thinking for a moment, Kazuma Hatake summarized it to them succinctly.
"28 years old, over 1.9 meters tall, white hair, with beautiful blue eyes like a clear sky. She is very cute when she smiles or deliberately acts cute, and she is also handsome and reliable when she acts cool. In short, she is a college teacher who is especially cute no matter what she does."
The three people were stunned: "…………"
Mikoshiba Mikoto blinked in disbelief that Hagoromo Kazuma had described his in-game love interest so directly.
And, he also had an unspoken thought in his mind—as expected, this guy still prefers white hair!
"Huh... she's actually a super charming older sister type?"
Upon hearing about the age difference, Sakura Chiyo gasped, and then inexplicably felt... a sweet scent.
Awesome!
And he's even taller than Nozaki, who's 1.9 meters tall! Isn't that half a head taller than Hato?
It suddenly smells even better!
"oh……"
Nozaki Umetarou didn't make any comments, but instead scribbled furiously in his notebook.
His other identity behind the scenes, which is also the reason for his visit to see Kazuma Hatori, is that he, who uses the pen name Sakiko Yumeno, collects relevant materials for newly appearing manga characters.
Kazuma Hatori frowned, about to explain to them that he wasn't their older sister, when Mikoshiba Mikoto quickly pulled him behind her.
"Ha...haha, that's just how this guy is. He's usually quiet, but he secretly has some amazing romances behind the scenes, haha...hahaha...class is starting, so I'm not going to talk about it anymore!"
Mikoshiba Mikoto pulled Hagoromo Kazuma back to the corner of the classroom, looking at him with disappointment but only able to whisper a reminder.
"Idiot, don't tell anyone about our game!"
"…………"
Kazuma Hatori didn't respond, but his expression clearly showed—what was there to hide?
"You don't care about talking to girls, and I don't want them looking at me like that... really,"
Mikoshiba Mikoto scratched her head, unsure how to explain to Hagoromo Kazuma, so after he nodded, she stopped pursuing the matter and instead showed concern.
"So, that's why you're not feeling well? The strategy failed?"
“No…” Kazuma Hatori paused for a moment, “I think, probably not.”
He spent several breaks between classes briefly explaining the whole story to Mikoshiba, and his final summary was listless and incredibly negative.
"I can't access the previous save file, and I don't want to start over."
"Ah, I understand. The white-haired wife who spent those times with you is the most special white-haired wife, irreplaceable and unique."
Even if it's just data written in a bunch of code, after being with him for so long, it's certainly worth his friend's wholehearted devotion.
Mikoshiba Mikoto sat in the chair with her legs crossed, pinching her chin as she pondered for a long time before asking him.
"But from what you're saying, isn't the other person in a pretty bad situation? There's a deeply hidden villain behind the scenes, who's been plotting against him all along."
Kazuma Hatori paused for a moment, then nodded.
It wasn't just bad; it was even more like being isolated, belittled, and feared, with almost no positive emotional projection.
"My suggestion is to play the game again, even if it's not the same white-haired wife and you can't be together like in the first playthrough."
Mikoshiba Mikoto opened her eyes wide and looked intently at Hatori Kazuma.
"Besides, don't you want to do that yourself? That's why you're sad about the breakup."
"But heartbreak aside, I'm still unwilling to let my white-haired wife be left in the game forever, facing all the malice alone, right? Whether in reality... or in that virtual world."
How about trying a second playthrough, not for the walkthrough, but just to get a good ending?
Kazuma Hatori's dark eyes flickered slightly; his innermost thoughts had been completely exposed.
In addition, Mikoshiba Mikoto, who also enjoys playing games, offered her own guess.
The save file crashed. Could it be because the ending where Kazuma Hatake dies together with the villain is not part of the game's intended ending, thus preventing the game from continuing?
So... that scene was supposed to be a plot-driven kill?
This guess made a lot of sense, leaving Kazuma Hatori somewhat silent and a little resentful.
The player achieved a victory against the boss early through skill, so why shouldn't the game recognize it?
Look at Devil May Cry 5 next door. If you kill the originally planned final boss directly in the prologue, you will get an achievement called "[I saw a ghost]", and then you can directly complete the game.
However, Spell Simulator is clearly not a typical linear story game or action-adventure game. It is not simply about providing an immersive story experience or a super-satisfying, burden-free hack-and-slash game.
It was too real, and he was too real, causing Kazuma Hatori to completely abandon his initial innocent playfulness and truly devote all his energy to this game...
In order to gain enlightenment.
[Starting the second playthrough.]
Please select a start time.
A few lines of text quickly appeared before his eyes and then disappeared just as quickly. The text introduction and beginner tutorial that he had skipped in the first playthrough no longer appeared. Instead, the option to enter the node appeared.
However, the point in time he entered during his first playthrough, "Heisei 30," is currently locked in dark gray.
Instead, the years "Heisei 17" and "Heisei 1" were displayed, with extremely bright colors.
There are other time points as well, but they are all in a dull light gray, clearly not important time points emphasized by the game.
Kazuma Hatake: "…………"
Based on Satoru's claim of being 28 years old in Heisei 30, Heisei 17 corresponds to 2005 AD. Before his birthday that year, Satoru should have been 15 years old.
And the first year of Heisei... that is, 1989, the year Satoru was born.
15-year-old Satoru, and newborn baby Satoru.
After much agonizing deliberation, Kazuma Hatori finally chose "Heisei 17".
After setting the time, Kazuma Hatake saw no other options, and his vision quickly went black until it changed into another landscape.
[Game entry successful.]
…………
"That's all, did you remember it?"
The middle-aged man in front of me was wearing a standard white long coat, with lead-gray trim on the cuffs, collar, and zipper area.
When Kazuma Hatori, who was sitting opposite him, looked up, the most striking thing about him was his forehead—it looked like a huge tumor, standing there abruptly.
Behind the middle-aged man stood four people in the same uniform, their expressions noticeably more fervent than his.
"No."
Kazuma Hatake shook his head honestly.
When he woke up, all he heard was this person saying to him, "Did you remember?" Of course, he didn't remember a single word.
Moreover, this time, in front of him... was a semi-transparent floating window.
The name field is currently blank, and the age is listed as 16 years old.
Not only was his game over in the second playthrough, but his identity, age, and even level were also reset, starting all over again.
"Were you just spacing out?"
The man rubbed his temples, clearly annoyed that Kazuma Hatake hadn't listened to a word he said.
“I’m willing to raise you, not so you can hold us back at this crucial time. Or do you want to be ‘educated’ again?”
In this playthrough, Kazuma Hatake's background seems to have been set up more completely—although he himself didn't receive any related information at all.
"…No."
Since Kazuma Hatake decided to seriously explore the game's storyline this time, he did not do anything unusual or too player-like and contrary to common sense. He simply gave a perfunctory answer so that the seemingly high-status middle-aged man could continue to reveal information.
Upon hearing Kazuma Hatake's reply, the middle-aged man visibly calmed down, but still spoke to him in an extremely impatient and rather condescending commanding tone.
"Very good, it seems you've finally learned what it means to be obedient. Now, remember your name. Come on, repeat it."
[Please choose a name for yourself this week: _______. Please note that once you click "OK," your name cannot be changed again until the end of this week's game, and it will force players to address you by that name.]
Please choose a name carefully.
The game popped up this pop-up window at the right time, and Kazuma Hatake readily filled in his real name this time.
At least this time, Gojo Satoru can call him by his name directly.
"Hatori Kazuma".
After closing the pop-up window that showed the name had been successfully selected, Kazuma Hatake answered.
"Well, at least I still remember this pseudonym."
The middle-aged man placed his hands on the table, leaning slightly forward towards him.
"Now remember this: you must conceal your identity as the [Holy Son of the Panxing Cult] and enroll in the [Tokyo Metropolitan Higher School of Spellcasting]. The goal is..."
"To prevent the assimilation of the Heavenly Origin, which is expected to occur next year."
[Current Mission: Prevent the assimilation of the Heavenly Origin.]
[Preventing Tengen Assimilation: 0/100%]
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