David was alive.
Well, kind of.
He survived his first mission: stop the protagonist from meeting Airi Minase, the soft-spoken main heroine with a deadly combo of innocence and melons. She'd walked past his dorm, just like in the original game intro, ready to trigger the meet-cute.
But David had used the only item in his system menu—a freakin' ice cream stick—to lure her away. The event got canceled. No flag. No flirt. No falling into harem hell.
For now.
Now he stood in front of the mirror again, wearing his new uniform. Blue blazer, white shirt, clean slacks. Schoolboy drip. He looked like a fresh anime side character. The glasses were a nice touch—just enough to make him "mysterious background guy" but not enough to scream main cast.
He stepped back, looked down.
"At least I have pants now."
Small wins.
He grabbed the keycard on the desk and left the dorm. Outside, the sun blazed overhead. Warm breeze. Summer cicadas screamed like they were paid hourly.
A normal-looking Japanese neighborhood stretched in every direction. Clean streets. Shops. A café across the street. A small park nearby. It looked peaceful.
Too peaceful.
"This is the calm before the boobs," David muttered.
The system pinged.
[New Zone Discovered: School District – Summer Break Mode]
Random Event Chance: 24%
Special Notice: Important Characters now roaming freely
Caution: Summer events may start without warning
He stiffened. "Great. I'm walking through a minefield of sexy accidents."
He pulled the map from his pocket. It was marked with key locations: the café, the school, the beach, the train station, and several red zones labeled "High Risk Event Areas."
Naturally, they were all places he needed to visit eventually.
Still, knowledge was power. He started walking, avoiding crowds and especially girls holding books, bento boxes, or water bottles—those were the classic love-trap props.
After twenty minutes, he arrived at the small plaza from the game's early chapters. Vending machines. A quiet shrine. A public bathhouse. All carefully rendered in too much detail. Even the pigeons looked like they had side quests.
Then he saw her.
A girl leaning on a lamppost, sipping bubble tea like she owned the world. Red tank top. Tight shorts. High ponytail. Sharp eyes. Legs longer than Monday mornings.
"Oh no," he whispered. "That's Reika."
Reika Saionji. The dangerous upperclassman. In the game, she was the "cool older girl" route. Confident. Mysterious. Secretly clingy. She had a whole arc where she trapped the protagonist in a love hotel.
David turned to leave.
Too late.
"Hey," she said, her voice smooth as caramel. "You look lost."
He froze.
The system pinged again.
[Event Triggered: Chance Encounter – Reika]
Interest Level: 1
Dialogue Options: A) Flirt B) Lie C) Run D) Be Weird
David panicked.
He picked D.
"Uh… Hi. I'm Glassey McTransfer," he said. "Just out looking for pants."
Reika raised an eyebrow. "That's a first."
She smirked. "You go to Seiryu Academy?"
"Yeah. New student. First day."
Flag Triggered: Reika Affection +1
Route Progression: 2%
Quest Received: Escape the Cougar
David kept a straight face, but internally he was screaming.
Reika leaned closer. "You've got an interesting vibe. What's your name again?"
"Still Glassey."
She chuckled. "You're weird. I like weird."
Affection +1
Risk Level: Medium
Exit Strategy: Available
"I should go," David said quickly. "I have… exploding laundry."
"Sounds hot," she said, winking. "See you around, McTransfer."
David speed-walked away like a man who'd just escaped death by thighs.
He ducked into the nearest alley and collapsed against the wall.
"That was close," he muttered. "I smiled for five seconds and now I'm on the cougar's radar."
The system pinged again.
Affection Radar Unlocked
Tracked Characters:
Airi Minase (0)
Reika Saionji (2)
Reminder: The more affection you gain, the harder it is to interfere with the story. Harem routes adapt. Stay invisible.
David groaned.
"I can't even accidentally be hot in this world?"
This wasn't going to be easy.
He pulled up his full system menu for the first time.
[H-SYSTEM MAIN MENU]
Inventory
Affection Radar
Mission Tracker
Route Disruptor (Locked)
Gallery (Empty... for now)
Shop (Coming Soon)
The only thing active was the mission tracker.
Main Quest:
Prevent protagonist Yuuto from meeting Airi Minase
Time Remaining: 29 Days
Next Possible Flag: Airi Watermelon Event (Chance: Medium)
Location: Beach
Time: 2 Days
He sighed. Two days until the next big flag.
If he could stop Yuuto from going to the beach, or keep Airi away, he'd delay the story again. But how?
He didn't even know where Yuuto was yet.
"Right. I need to find the protagonist before he finds his harem."
He left the alley and made his way back toward the dorms. Along the way, he passed a café with soft jazz playing and three girls sitting outside: a shy one reading, a sporty one drinking soda, and a mysterious girl with silver hair.
All three turned to look at him.
David stared at the ground and power-walked.
Random Event Chance: Avoided
Nice dodge, Player. You lived today.
He reached his dorm and locked the door behind him.
He sat on the bed, stared at the ceiling, and took a deep breath.
He was alone in a lewd dating sim. His job was to sabotage love. He had no cheats, no weapons, no money, and barely any clothes.
But he had one thing the protagonist didn't.
Knowledge.
David smirked.
"Alright, Yuuto. You may have the girls, the story, and the plot armor—but I've got the walkthrough."