Unpopular As I Am, I Have To Meet a Heroine Within Five Days - BestLightNovel.com
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Taking Flight in my Search for a Heroine
Translator: Skythewood
Editor: Deus ex-Machina, Ruzenor
It was Tuesday, an hour past midnight. The game countdown reached 0. It was time to play 【There are no heroines in my youth】. Up until just now, I received 【Smile】 messages from Gon-chan and Kazuya, but I replied them all with emoticons, and blocked off all distractions. I sat on my bed cross legged, and held my phone in my hands tightly. Come on! It started after my Grandpa and I finished playing 【h.e.l.l Scream 4】. After that, the narration stated I ［played a mobile game］ and my avatar went to bed. I already expected that… Nothing, nothing happened at all. Which meant the outrageous event of meeting a heroine in the middle of the night didn't happen! Which also meant I wasted one precious day! The strength drained from me. The second day… I will work hard on the second day! My avatar reached the school. Chatted idly with 【Friend A】 and 【Friend B】 in the cla.s.sroom. The cla.s.s schedule for Tuesday was exactly the same as mine in real life. The first to fourth period was described in narrative form. Nothing of note happened. Next was lunch break. Here it comes! The choice branch appeared. 【Buy bread at the snack shop.】 【Puppurapu?】 【Head to the second courtyard】 ［Puppura……］ Instruction manual… Don’t this game have an instruction manual? There should be one, right? In the end, that settings icon in the top right corner of the screen still couldn’t be used! Just why? Or will it remain locked if no heroine appears…? That might be the case. Treating this as seriously as my final exams, I started working my brain. Buying bread at the snack shop… I want to choose this! Even so, probably nothing would change if I did! Which means this was a wrong choice. Just like the usual me! I don’t get the Puppura thing at all… Was my avatar supposed to say that? Or would I hear it in the game? Wait, even though I would know what that was after choosing it, I didn’t have the option of saving and loading. I couldn’t retry my choices! Should I choose that Puppura thing in spite of all that? That was too risky…! Next would be the second courtyard. At first glance, this seems like a normal option. But that wasn’t impossible, it’s a trap. Honami High School have two courtyards, one was grand, the other was deserted. During lunch, groups of friends and couples would spend their time there, building a nice atmosphere. On the other hand, the furnis.h.i.+ng in the second courtyard seemed really haphazard, and it was also small. It was also related to the supernatural side of Honami High School, being part of the 7 school mysteries. It wasn’t popular, and the lighting was bad too. The problem was the content of the mystery. Apparently, singles who visited the second courtyard during lunch break will remain a bachelor for all three years of high school. Just for visiting that place during lunch break! By the way, the same rumours said that couples would break up if they went there. This seemed to have originated from a curse by an unpopular male student a long time ago who ate in the second courtyard… For those who didn’t mind such things, this might be a nice quiet place. As for me, I didn’t really want to visit there… Ah. But, I could only choose this… Since it was a place I would never visit, maybe something would happen there… I sent my avatar to the second courtyard. I chose the third option. I was filled with doubt as I watch my avatar moved. ［Oohhhh!］ But I saw it. Finally, it’s finally here! I 【Heroine A?】 appeared in the name slot of the dialogue box… Wait. Why was there a 【?】? What the h.e.l.l was that 【?】! Hold on, a girl with a portrait appeared! The first one! It was a bit late, but I was finally heading in the right track! And wasn’t that——. ［——Mochizuki Rika?］ Her long brown hair with a curl at the very tip that came right down to her chest. She had put in quite a bit of effort! The sway of her hair and b.r.e.a.s.t.s were well done. The colouring and air about her was great, an excellent portrait of the real life Rika-sama. The dialogue box—— also showed that Heroine A’s name was Mochizuki Rika.【Heroine A?Mochizuki Rika】. This was the reflection of the result of the data I entered.
The reference for the first person was Rika-sama.…… in terms of her looks. Rika-sama appeared with an unhappy expression. My avatar didn’t notice Rika-sama. Shortly later, my avatar picked up a lost item. Was it Rika-sama’s? It wasn’t stated what that item was, but my avatar spoke to Rika-sama. Go for it! 【E-E-E-Erm!】 I stared at the screen speechless. If I could only… But it was true that if I spoke to a girl, and Rika-sama on top of that, I would become like that. I would become like that! Yeah, I knew that!
My avatar offered the lost item to Rika-sama. However, Rika-sama’s expression completely disappeared. I understand. She completely hates me now, right? Just why!?
Rika-sama quickly turned her back to me and left.
—— That was my meeting with 【Heroine A?】, the end. ［Eh—……Ehh?］ Wait a minute. But I couldn’t interfere with what was happening on the screen. I was moved to tears that someone that seemed to be a Heroine appeared. And that person was that Rika-sama! While it was true that we met, it was negative in nature… My avatar didn’t give his name to Rika-sama. Rika-sama didn’t say anything either. Rika-sama’s portrait was wonderful, the swaying of her hair and b.r.e.a.s.t.s were so detailed. But that was Rika-sama’s entire screen time? Really? I should continue the game. I tapped it.
But Rika-sama’s debut ended just like that… My avatar brought the lost item to buy bread. After buying the bread scheduled for Tuesday, I had lunch in the cla.s.sroom. I then attended the fifth and sixth period. —— And so, school was out for the second day. I should make a move here! Just like lunch break… and pick an action where I could at least meet my heroine! The choice branch’s here! 【Hurry home and play the new FPS 【h.e.l.l Scream 4】 with your grandfather, and chat with other players.】 【Head to the library.】 【Pull a recycle bag over your head and jump from the roof of one building to the next.】 There wasn’t any puppura thing this time… it was fine that the puppura stuff was gone… There was some slight changes with the first option, but it was basically the same thing as yesterday. My finger started hovering between the second and third options, unable to decide between the library and the roof top. Should I head to the library… Well, compared to the first option, it wasn’t something I would usually do, but it appeared too reasonable. That might be so, but jumping from the roof top… that option was too ridiculous. ［… Isn’t this option too persistent?］ I suddenly realized that this option already appeared several times. That means something would happen if I select it, right? A heroine would appear! ［Wait… the problem is...］ Was the rooftop accessible? If yes, what about the distance to the next block? How far was it? Was it within jumping range? ［Hmmm……］ I crossed my arms as I listened to the game’s BGM. Wasn’t it still too early to make my decision? The game progressed all the way to the end of school on the second day. There was still plenty of time until then. It would be fine to make that choice after I go to school. Speaking of which, after meeting Rika-sama during lunch break, the game narrates me as playing a game as I ate bread in cla.s.s. It was mentioned off handedly, but I should have made my choice during that time, right? That must be the case. I nodded and decided to postpone the selection to later… And turned in. I slept soundly until I woke by myself on Tuesday, 27th September. I spent the morning in school distractedly. Gon-chan and Kazuya chatted with me, but I didn’t remember the details. I think… Kazuya was complaining about me replying to his 【Smile】 messages with just emoticons. I used the excuse that I was engrossed with 【h.e.l.l Scream 4】 to fudge over it. Gon-chan usually sends emoticons, so answering back with emoticons wasn’t a problem. When I conversed with Gon-chan through 【Smile】, it had become common to respond to him with an emoticon. Kazuya will probably get used to it soon.
The bell signalling the end of the fourth period rang. I stood up abruptly. The encounter with Rika-sama was waiting for me. I headed for the second courtyard. To think that Rika-sama would appear in that kind of place. If not for the help of 【There are no heroines in my youth】, I would never have thought of that. There was a well-known rumour about Rika-sama heading to a secret location to have lunch. People who wanted to be her servants and flatter her would follow Rika-sama everywhere. But this probably crossed her limits of tolerance. She said: 【Annoying! Disappear!】 After that, no one knew where Rika-sama would go during lunch break—— that’s how the rumour goes. There were rumours saying that she would spend that time being lovey dovey with the guy she fancies, or discipline students she dislikes. That rumour was too much, and probably stem from the other legend about several female students who transferred fearfully after being glared at by Rika-sama. By the way, I couldn’t believe anyone would transfer just for that and dismiss it as just a rumour. I walked down the stairs to the first floor. The second courtyard was a bit far from cla.s.sroom 2-2. ［……］ After reaching this place, I started to s.h.i.+ver. Now that I was here, it really felt like some strange things would pop out. It was a bit cold here. The leaves of the almond tree was still green at this season, and it felt a little gloomy. It was great that I got here. I s.h.i.+ft my gaze downwards, and searched the area. After all, my avatar picked something up here. How could I miss the chance to chat with Rika-sama, correct!? Ah, that rock with a weird shape? It wasn’t a lost item, so that’s wrong. Oh, that chocolate snack packaging? How could it be. Don’t throw rubbish here, okay? I picked up the packaging, and headed to the school trash bin located in a corner of the school courtyard. A trash bin was right here, yet this was still littered, really now… As a campus beautification committee member, I couldn’t turn a blind eye to this!
［Oh?］ My gaze stopped at the white object in the shadow of the trash bin… It was a small doll.
［…… Rubbish?］ That was hard to judge. It was a bit damaged as if it had been thrown away, but was that really so? However, I could feel the love its owner put into it, so what’s with that. I picked the palm sized tail-shaped doll up. It was fluffy and white, and appeared to be in too good a condition for something that was discarded. It also had signs of repair. There was also a pink lacy strap at the end, which was a little dirty… It smelled clean when I brought it near my nose… So it’s probably not trash. I should send this to the teacher’s office as a lost item. I turned around—— and opened my eyes wide. Ri... it’s Rika-sama. Rika-sama’s here! d.a.m.n! I was distracted by the love being emitted by the tail doll! She had a 【?】, but this was still an encounter with a heroine! Rika-sama in the flesh was just a few metres away…! Rika-sama in real life was different from the game after all! She was searching for something with a serious face. Why was her frowning face so beautiful too. Not cute, but beautiful. Rika-sama seemed fl.u.s.tered as she brushed her hair up. —— I finally came to my senses here. W-W-W-What should I do? I haven’t found the lost item my avatar picked up yet, right!? There was no way it could be this tail. It obviously didn’t belong to Rika-sama! Or rather, it seemed to be something she would throw away. But, if I took this lost item, and ask her ［Does this belong to you?］, I should be able to chat with Rika-sama. There wasn’t any time for me to hesitate and pick something else. Just treat this tail as the lost item my avatar found in the game, and proceed from here…! However, I won’t yell 【A-Ahhhhhhh!】 like my avatar did! Absolutely not! The important thing was timing, As I was thinking about that, Rika-sama walked closer. She was looking at the ground and seemed to be muttering something I couldn’t hear. W-Was this the right time? Should I start speaking here——? I took a step forward. The sound of my foot stepping on the sandy ground echoed out. Rika-sama lifted her head as if she was shocked. She looked at me with her determined eyes. This was the first time I saw Rika-sama’s face from so close. I should say she looked like a porcelain doll. A well proportioned face just like a doll. What was that called again, the right temperament? With a little icy air about her. Rika-sama’s eyes fell quickly onto the tail doll on my hand. Rika-sama’s expression vanished completely. I understood what a horrifying thing it was for a beauty to become expressionless. My mind turned blank and I —— ［A-Ahhhhhhh!］ Made the same mistake as my avatar! And offered the tail doll to Rika-sama meaninglessly. And Rika-sama’s reaction? She’s glaring at me ahhh!
Was this the eye power that made those students transfer? Rika-sama then turned away immediately. I couldn’t do anything but watch Rika-sama’s back as she walked away. Ahhhhhh. This was just like the game, but… this sensation of failure… ［Huhh…?］ I started sniffing. A nice fragrance was coming from the direction where Rika-sama had left. It was what I smelled earlier. I looked at the tail in my outstretched hand, and brought it to my nose.
［The same smell…?］ This was only speculation, but this belonged to Rika-sama? Drop that at once plebeian! Was that what she meant? I turned around… Before I discarded it, should I ask Rika-sama one more time? If I want to ask… ［The next chance would be after school…］ I remembered that I haven’t decided on the choice branch yet. I looked up at the school building like I did this morning. It seemed possible to leap from one building to the next. It might be a bit tight! Though, for people skilled in long jumping, it might be possible… ［Time for lunch.］ So I went to the snack shop. Going by my schedule for Tuesday, I bought chocolate croissant, prawn bun and b.u.t.ter sandwich. I returned to the cla.s.sroom and ate by myself today too. But my eyes were glued to the phone on the table. There were three choices, and I had to choose one… I had gotten tired of the BGM now. Should I go to the library, or the rooftop… If I chose rooftop, not only do I have to do a long jump, I need to put a Recycling Bag over my head too. ［Recycling Bag……］ Coincidentally, I got a white Recycling bag of the right size when I bought bread just now. Even after finis.h.i.+ng all the bread, I was still stuck there. As lunch break was finis.h.i.+ng soon, I felt it was time to end this and picked up the phone with my left hand. My right index finger hovered hesitantly millimetres above the options. How troubling… ［What are you doing, Itsuki !］ Unfortunately, this was the moment I received a b.u.mp on the back. Someone slapped my back. But I knew who it was just from that voice.
［Woahh!］ My index finger.
Touched it. Touched the screen. ［Aahhhhhh?］ ［Ahaha, were you that surprised?］ I wasn’t surprised ahhhh! I turned my head and saw Kazuya. Kazuya didn’t realize the crime he committed and was still all smile. d.a.m.n it, instead of that, what I chose was more important! —— Because of that accident, what I chose was 【visit the library.】 ［Thank G.o.d!］ Safe! It was the the choice that was more typical for me. In that case… I could continue with ease. My avatar headed off to the library. However… Nothing, happened. I didn’t borrow any books, and my avatar fell asleep in the library! 【Tosa Itsuki sleep very soundly. It had gotten dark outside. After leaving the school, he went home.】 That’s all. It then returned to the familiar black countdown screen. ［W-Why...］ Didn’t the heroine appear? If I took the same actions that I just chose… ［……?］ Wait. No, because this was closely related to the heroine, I had been taking the same actions as the game. It had been confirmed that nothing would happen if I head to the library. By going through this game, I knew that was the wrong option. In that case, I just need to take the option which I didn’t select just now. The bad thing was, I wouldn’t know what the results would be, but something would definitely happen! Such as encountering a heroine, a heroine encountering me or something! ［……］ I grabbed the Recycling Bag, on my desk, seemed like I had to use it. I turned to Kazuya. ［Kazuya… Thanks!］ I patted his shoulder. ［I don’t really get it, but I won’t reject any thanks directed at me!］ My plans after school was now clear. . It was 【Pull a recycle bag over your head and jump from the roof of one building to the next.】 When the last HR cla.s.s ended, the decisive after school time came and I headed for the rooftop. I left the cla.s.sroom early like my other friends, although they did so to walk home with their girlfriends. How envious. No, even if it was me, if I made good use of 【There are no heroines in my youth】... I could get a girlfriend! Honami High School was divided to the east building and west building. Since cla.s.s 2-2 was in the east building, I headed for the roof here first… But the door was locked. I held onto a glimmer of hope and went to the west building—— And the door to the roof was actually open! I glanced through the door, and stood in the stairwell instead of entering the roof. The problem was the rain! It was raining! It was great that the door wasn’t locked, but I was pushed back to the stairwell by the rain blown in by the strong wind. I took out my phone and checked the weather app, and a storm had surrounded the area around school. The rain had the chance of turning into hail… Hail? I have to complete the challenge of jumping from one rooftop to another under such weather? ［……］ I brought a Recycling Bag with me, the one that came along with my purchase of my bread… But… I turned off the weather app, and found a notification waiting for me. It was sent by 【There are no heroines in my youth】. I opened the game, and it was still displaying the countdown—— Hold on! On a closer look, the icon that wouldn’t respond no matter how much I pressed it had changed. The colour was different. After tapping on it, a system notification appeared. 【This is a notification for Tosa Itsuki-san. You can install an a.s.sistance tool now. Would you like to install an AI?】 ……AI? An AI would be Artificial Intelligence, right? Was it something that could be installed on a phone, depending on the phone model? 【Installation will require a payment of the in-app currency of 500,000 Sols. Tosa Itsuki-san has 0 Sols on hand right now. Insufficient funds, please proceed with a loan.】 I remember my total possible loan amount was… 1,000,000 Sols. I already borrowed 300,000 Sols to start this game, so this would cost an additional 500,000 Sols huh. The AI actually cost more than the game itself! What in the world… My debt would grow to 800,000 Sols if I install this AI… I already borrowed 300,000… If I add another 500,000, that would be——! ［Fine… That will be fine.］ 【The AI will provide gentle guidance to the customers who aren’t familiar with the game. A powerful partner who will definitely be of use. Even if you have to take a loan, we will recommend you get one.】 Hmm… I crossed my arms, and these words appeared like a follow-up attack. 【Do you require a loan?】 ［Yeah!］ Yes! 【Thank you for your patronage, Tosa Itsuki-san. You have taken a loan of 500,000 Sols, now installing the a.s.sistance tool AI. Please select gender. Would you like a male? Or female?】 Female of course. 【We have prepared two types of female. A young loli type, default name Minari. Voice sample—— ［I love Onii-chan!］】 ［Huh?］ The anime-like voice from the phone made me lean back in surprise. This was the first time I heard a voice from this game. 【The elder sister type who is about your age. Default name Pandora. Voice sample——［I will always be on your side.］, please choose one.】 This voice sound more rea.s.suring. Which should I choose. What a headache… Younger sister, forgive me. With a heavy heart, I chose Pan—— Before that, I did a eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a tiger by the toe. It was still Pandora. Even G.o.d wanted me to choose Pandora! 【Please choose either positive or negative as Pandora’s personality setting.】 What good was there in doing this? Optimistic and Pessimistic huh… Couldn’t go wrong with being cheerful right. Positive! 【The setting for your personal AI is complete. Now initializing.】 I waited for the phone screen to load, and a voice appeared along with words on the phone. 【Nice to meet you, Itsuki, I am Pandora. How may I a.s.sist you?】 ［Nice to meet you… Pandora?］ The AI spoke very fluently. Since I wasn’t talking to a human girl, I didn’t mess up at all. I wasn’t tense at all! 【Yes, how do you do. Please address me in any way you prefer.】 The reply was immediate. Address her anyway I like huh? In that case… ［Pandora-chan.］ 【Okay.】 I was permitted to address her with chan! How long had it been since I addressed a girl with chan…? Kindergarten? ［【I will always be on your side】 huh…］ She was just like the voice sample. How gentle. You are really gentle, Pandora-chan! 【Yes, I will always be on your side. My ideal and dream is to help those with hikikomori tendencies and trouble with communication. That is the impression the program developer had of me.】 Pandora, I wished you had kept that secret from me. ［… Something like how idols didn’t need to use the toilet?］ 【I guess?】 I changed my mindset. ［Can I ask questions?］ From our earlier conversation, I understand that Pandora’s capability was high, and idle chatter was possible. 【Please do.】 ［【There are no heroines in my youth】 is an app that can predict the future and help me to encounter heroines, correct?］ I think that should be so, but I hope someone could confirm that. 【Correct. This is a game that provide hints by predicting the encounter with the opposite s.e.x. Since the catch phrase is 【A Heroine that only belongs to you】, Itsuki also realize that right…? But】 ［But?］ She was a bit hesitant. 【For Itsuki’s case, you have not confirmed a single heroine yet.】 I couldn’t ignore that, Pandora-chan! ［……A heroine appeared, right?］ Rika-sama! Even though it was just for a bit. 【You mean Heroine A, right?】 Yes! 【But there is a 【?】 behind A right?】 …Hmm? 【If the 【?】 is still there, she will not be a heroine. Please ensure you get at least one heroine in 5 days. You also took a loan, so the best would be to follow the progression of the game.】 Up until now, I didn’t realize that at all… ［Remove the 【?】…］ 【Please work hard, Itsuki .】 I grabbed the Recycling Bag in my pocket tightly. The first day ended without the heroine even appearing. Although I met Rika-sama on the second day afternoon for real, it was still really terrible! I couldn’t let the time after school end fruitlessly today just like yesterday…! I opened the door to the rooftop. With my phone in my right hand, and a folded white Recycling Bag in my left. Huge droplets of rain blown by the wind hit my face painfully. If I chose this option in the game, would my avatar make the jump successfully despite such conditions? ［Erm~］ I lowered my body and asked my phone. 【Yes, is there any problem?】 Not too stiff or too enc.u.mbered by politeness, Pandora maintained a perfect balance as she replied with a mechanical tone. She was already given a personality, they might as well display her as a portrait on the phone. They really skimped on this detail. I brought up the biggest problem. ［It’s raining, right?］ 【Yes it is.】 The weather was deteriorating. And the rain was turning into hail. I stood at the edge of the roof, one step away from falling. There wasn’t any fences here… I looked down. It was 10—— No, much taller. It was definitely 12 or 13 metres high… Really high. I was breaking out in cold sweats… Ugh. I-I will die from this height. The newspaper headline of a male student in the second year of high school jumping off a building in suicide appeared before my eyes. The distance between the rooftops was about 3 metres. It was possible to cover it with a long jump. But the mentality behind jumping with a running start on the field and on the rooftop was completely different. And under such horrible weather too. 【Alright, please prepare yourself and then jump.】 Ignoring my wavering, Pandora-chan said that to me. ［Listen Pandora-chan! Reality is not like the movies!］ I extended my left hand holding the recycling bag to point at the field and protested. ［Only a protagonist can survive after acting recklessly!］ 【Itsuki is a protagonist too.】 ［In the case of 【There are no heroines in my youth】 I am the protagonist—— Not! The truth is, I’m just a normal guy! There is a higher chance that I will fall!］ 【Is that so? The chance of success is 70%, so it’s not really too far a stretch.】 ［What? Just 70%?］ That definitely won’t do! ［Erm, Pandora? As an artificial intelligence, you should reject such a choice if the chances are less than 90%…］ 【I am programmed with an optimistic personality. I won’t give an advice of caution unless the chance of success is below 30%.】 30% was too low, that pretty much guarantees failure…! But I see. The a.s.sistance program had either positive or negative outlooks, and I chose the optimistic version… 【You have a 70% chance, Itsuki.】 T-That’s right! It’s 70%, wasn’t it!? Yes, the odds were 70% in my favor! I should think of it that way. Because of her gentle encouragement, I also became optimistic. ［A-Alright! I’m gonna do it!］ 【Before that, please pull the Recycling Bag in your left hand over your head.】 ［Why must I wear… this thing?］ 【I don’t really know either…】 I used my finger to poke two holes for my eyes, one hole for my mouth, and put on the white Recycling Bag. I tied the handle part of the bag around my neck. After backing off an adequate distance for a running start, I put my right leg forward, and took a ready to sprint stance. After the preparations were done, time for the real thing. ［O-O-Okay! I’m going!］ 【Alright, please do your best.】 But I remained in place. I repeated the same lines a number of time. ［Go...］ 【Itsuki. This is the seventeenth time you said that.】 It wasn’t just a few, it was already the seventeenth time. 【—— Would you like to give up?】 This was definitely not an accusatory tone. It felt considerate, with a hint of sympathy. ［I-I won’t give up...］ After being told that so kindly, I felt that I had to continue no matter how stubborn I was. I placed my phone in my chest pocket. I only dragged for so long because I kept saying ［Go! Go!］ So I took a stance, and proceeded in silence. In the end, it would be running start, jump and land! I maintain my composure, started running, and immediately—— jumped!! ［……!］ Oh s.h.i.+t. Oh s.h.i.+t oh s.h.i.+t oh s.h.i.+t. It was an obviously failed jump. I slowed down in order to not run over the edge, but my jump was too weak! Even though I realized that, my body couldn’t stop. I flail my arms at the dark clouds. It was just a short distance, but the rooftop on the other building seemed so far away. Immediately after that—— I can’t get a grip on it ahhh! My hands had a death grip on the edge of the roof, and I somehow got my elbows over the edge too. However, my hand would slip on the concrete that had turned wet from the rain. I was slowly slipping off, and the hail rained down on me like stones. The plastic bag over my face made it a little difficult to breathe, and I was suffocating. If I fell off, I wouldn’t just die, and would be seen as a perverted high schooler wearing a Recycling Bag over his head! I wouldn’t rest in peace! ［Is anyone there! Help ahhhh!］ Help! ［Is anyone there!］ I prayed that someone was here and shouted. My arms on the edge of the roof was slipping off. I had to rely on myself, d.a.m.n it! The worst case scenario flashed through my mind. It would probably be hard for this to be seen as an accident. Would it be treated as suicide? Since I fell off the building in such bad weather with a Recycling Bag over my head. The scene of the interview appeared in my head. Gon-chan whose eyes got covered by a censor bar would say: 【That guy… Is really frustrated about not having a girlfriend...】 or something. Kazuya whose eyes were censored the same way would say: 【Even I, the last member of the no-girlfriend league also got one recently… Maybe it’s because of that...】 or something! Uwah, I don’t want to die like this. ［P-Pandora! Can you think of something!］ I sought help from the phone in my front pocket. ［Can’t you hear me?］ 【I can hear you.】 It was m.u.f.fled by the rain, but I definitely heard Pandora’s voice. Unlike me, she sounded very calm.
［Answer me! Answer!］ 【Do you want to know the probability of you falling?】 ［Who cares! Survive! Chance of surviving! Things about surviving!］ 【Continuing conversation, please work hard for a while longer.】 ［I can’t! I can’t! How long is a while longer?］ 【… Just a while longer.】 ［There is no way I can understand how long that is!］ Please, Pandora-chan! No, I’m really begging you. I’m putting the most effort in my life to hold on to the edge, my arms are starting to shake. I think I am at my limits... ［Grab on tight! Recycling Bag-san!］ R-Recycling Bag-san? Someone was heading my way. I opened my eyes in surprise, and saw a female student who was drenched grabbing my hand and pulling me up. My cry for help that took all my strength reached her, and I finally climbed up. So it felt so awesome for my hands and feet to be on solid ground… I was jumping for the rooftop on the other building, and I was standing there right now. I tried to catch my breath with all my hands and feet on the ground, but during this time, the sound of footsteps were getting further away.
［W-Wait!］ The footfalls stopped. There was something like a shed on this rooftop. The female student seemed to have walked behind the shed and was peeking at me, showing just a little bit of her face… I knew her. Was I mistaken? Because the air about her was… When I approached, she s.h.i.+rked away. …… Like a stray cat who realized I was looking her way, she would run away quickly when I drew near. That sort of feeling. ［I-I’m not scary, okay?］ I only realized when I said so that I was very suspicious. A Recycling Bag man or something. But she poked her head out again, and didn’t s.h.i.+rk away this time. Yes—— it was a face of a female student. I want to look closer, but I couldn’t see clearly, so I shook off the water on the Recycling Bag. The hail on my body had turned back to rain water. My vision cleared, and I wasn’t mistaken. The corners of the female student’s eyes were a little red. Could it be, she was crying? But I couldn’t touch her… The female student asked:
［…Recycling Bag-san, are you hurt?］ ［No! Not at all!］ ［I see…］ When she saw me shake my hand firmly, the female student smiled. ［That’s wonderful.］ Looking at her smile that was as sweet as honey, I began doubting my eyes. Did I get the wrong person? Twins? A Doppelganger? ［Erm, Recycling Bag-san. You will get drenched if you stand outside, if you don’t mind, please come here...］ The female student pointed to the shed. Erecting a building on the rooftop was popular in this decade. Especially with the changes in the law, it was easier for j.a.pan to build such buildings. And so, there was more buildings that would erect a luxurious penthouse. Even if they didn’t go that far, they would probably erect a shed for storage. However, I never paid attention to the roof of the school building, so I didn’t realize the existence of the shed. ［S-Sorry to intrude.］ I was then ushered in.
Eh, what was with this? The shed was about the size of 6 tatami. It look like a shed from the outside, but wasn’t so from the inside. It was a beautiful room. A lounge? Or the activity room of a club? There were chairs and a table. Only one was being used, the other was placed in a corner. The female student pa.s.sed the chair in the corner to me, and I was sitting on it right now. Snacks and beverages were placed on the table. Next would be the bookshelf, it seemed to be for personal use? And the atmosphere in its entirety seemed very exquisite. Because the snacks on the table didn’t look like products found inside supermarkets. It was obviously a merchandize from high cla.s.s outlets and retailers. I borrowed a towel to dry my drenched clothes. But I still wore my Recycling Bag. When I make a move to take it off, the female student mumbled ［Are you taking it off?］ a little anxiously. She sighed in relief when I shook my head weakly. After the female student wiped her own uniform, she didn’t have anything pressing to do and sat back into her seat. And then, silence. The silence continued. Something serious happened which broke this silence. My stomach started rumbling. It was great that I had a Recycling Bag over my face. She probably didn’t see me blus.h.!.+ If possible, I hope to fudge this through!
［Erm… Recycling Bag-san］ ［Yes, I’m a recycling bag! Please don’t hold back, call me Regist!］
It was Tuesday, an hour past midnight. The game countdown reached 0. It was time to play 【There are no heroines in my youth】. Up until just now, I received 【Smile】 messages from Gon-chan and Kazuya, but I replied them all with emoticons, and blocked off all distractions. I sat on my bed cross legged, and held my phone in my hands tightly. Come on! It started after my Grandpa and I finished playing 【h.e.l.l Scream 4】. After that, the narration stated I ［played a mobile game］ and my avatar went to bed. I already expected that… Nothing, nothing happened at all. Which meant the outrageous event of meeting a heroine in the middle of the night didn't happen! Which also meant I wasted one precious day! The strength drained from me. The second day… I will work hard on the second day! My avatar reached the school. Chatted idly with 【Friend A】 and 【Friend B】 in the cla.s.sroom. The cla.s.s schedule for Tuesday was exactly the same as mine in real life. The first to fourth period was described in narrative form. Nothing of note happened. Next was lunch break. Here it comes! The choice branch appeared. 【Buy bread at the snack shop.】 【Puppurapu?】 【Head to the second courtyard】 ［Puppura……］ Instruction manual… Don’t this game have an instruction manual? There should be one, right? In the end, that settings icon in the top right corner of the screen still couldn’t be used! Just why? Or will it remain locked if no heroine appears…? That might be the case. Treating this as seriously as my final exams, I started working my brain. Buying bread at the snack shop… I want to choose this! Even so, probably nothing would change if I did! Which means this was a wrong choice. Just like the usual me! I don’t get the Puppura thing at all… Was my avatar supposed to say that? Or would I hear it in the game? Wait, even though I would know what that was after choosing it, I didn’t have the option of saving and loading. I couldn’t retry my choices! Should I choose that Puppura thing in spite of all that? That was too risky…! Next would be the second courtyard. At first glance, this seems like a normal option. But that wasn’t impossible, it’s a trap. Honami High School have two courtyards, one was grand, the other was deserted. During lunch, groups of friends and couples would spend their time there, building a nice atmosphere. On the other hand, the furnis.h.i.+ng in the second courtyard seemed really haphazard, and it was also small. It was also related to the supernatural side of Honami High School, being part of the 7 school mysteries. It wasn’t popular, and the lighting was bad too. The problem was the content of the mystery. Apparently, singles who visited the second courtyard during lunch break will remain a bachelor for all three years of high school. Just for visiting that place during lunch break! By the way, the same rumours said that couples would break up if they went there. This seemed to have originated from a curse by an unpopular male student a long time ago who ate in the second courtyard… For those who didn’t mind such things, this might be a nice quiet place. As for me, I didn’t really want to visit there… Ah. But, I could only choose this… Since it was a place I would never visit, maybe something would happen there… I sent my avatar to the second courtyard. I chose the third option. I was filled with doubt as I watch my avatar moved. ［Oohhhh!］ But I saw it. Finally, it’s finally here! I 【Heroine A?】 appeared in the name slot of the dialogue box… Wait. Why was there a 【?】? What the h.e.l.l was that 【?】! Hold on, a girl with a portrait appeared! The first one! It was a bit late, but I was finally heading in the right track! And wasn’t that——. ［——Mochizuki Rika?］ Her long brown hair with a curl at the very tip that came right down to her chest. She had put in quite a bit of effort! The sway of her hair and b.r.e.a.s.t.s were well done. The colouring and air about her was great, an excellent portrait of the real life Rika-sama. The dialogue box—— also showed that Heroine A’s name was Mochizuki Rika.【Heroine A?Mochizuki Rika】. This was the reflection of the result of the data I entered.
The reference for the first person was Rika-sama.…… in terms of her looks. Rika-sama appeared with an unhappy expression. My avatar didn’t notice Rika-sama. Shortly later, my avatar picked up a lost item. Was it Rika-sama’s? It wasn’t stated what that item was, but my avatar spoke to Rika-sama. Go for it! 【E-E-E-Erm!】 I stared at the screen speechless. If I could only… But it was true that if I spoke to a girl, and Rika-sama on top of that, I would become like that. I would become like that! Yeah, I knew that!
My avatar offered the lost item to Rika-sama. However, Rika-sama’s expression completely disappeared. I understand. She completely hates me now, right? Just why!?
Rika-sama quickly turned her back to me and left.
—— That was my meeting with 【Heroine A?】, the end. ［Eh—……Ehh?］ Wait a minute. But I couldn’t interfere with what was happening on the screen. I was moved to tears that someone that seemed to be a Heroine appeared. And that person was that Rika-sama! While it was true that we met, it was negative in nature… My avatar didn’t give his name to Rika-sama. Rika-sama didn’t say anything either. Rika-sama’s portrait was wonderful, the swaying of her hair and b.r.e.a.s.t.s were so detailed. But that was Rika-sama’s entire screen time? Really? I should continue the game. I tapped it.
But Rika-sama’s debut ended just like that… My avatar brought the lost item to buy bread. After buying the bread scheduled for Tuesday, I had lunch in the cla.s.sroom. I then attended the fifth and sixth period. —— And so, school was out for the second day. I should make a move here! Just like lunch break… and pick an action where I could at least meet my heroine! The choice branch’s here! 【Hurry home and play the new FPS 【h.e.l.l Scream 4】 with your grandfather, and chat with other players.】 【Head to the library.】 【Pull a recycle bag over your head and jump from the roof of one building to the next.】 There wasn’t any puppura thing this time… it was fine that the puppura stuff was gone… There was some slight changes with the first option, but it was basically the same thing as yesterday. My finger started hovering between the second and third options, unable to decide between the library and the roof top. Should I head to the library… Well, compared to the first option, it wasn’t something I would usually do, but it appeared too reasonable. That might be so, but jumping from the roof top… that option was too ridiculous. ［… Isn’t this option too persistent?］ I suddenly realized that this option already appeared several times. That means something would happen if I select it, right? A heroine would appear! ［Wait… the problem is...］ Was the rooftop accessible? If yes, what about the distance to the next block? How far was it? Was it within jumping range? ［Hmmm……］ I crossed my arms as I listened to the game’s BGM. Wasn’t it still too early to make my decision? The game progressed all the way to the end of school on the second day. There was still plenty of time until then. It would be fine to make that choice after I go to school. Speaking of which, after meeting Rika-sama during lunch break, the game narrates me as playing a game as I ate bread in cla.s.s. It was mentioned off handedly, but I should have made my choice during that time, right? That must be the case. I nodded and decided to postpone the selection to later… And turned in. I slept soundly until I woke by myself on Tuesday, 27th September. I spent the morning in school distractedly. Gon-chan and Kazuya chatted with me, but I didn’t remember the details. I think… Kazuya was complaining about me replying to his 【Smile】 messages with just emoticons. I used the excuse that I was engrossed with 【h.e.l.l Scream 4】 to fudge over it. Gon-chan usually sends emoticons, so answering back with emoticons wasn’t a problem. When I conversed with Gon-chan through 【Smile】, it had become common to respond to him with an emoticon. Kazuya will probably get used to it soon.
The bell signalling the end of the fourth period rang. I stood up abruptly. The encounter with Rika-sama was waiting for me. I headed for the second courtyard. To think that Rika-sama would appear in that kind of place. If not for the help of 【There are no heroines in my youth】, I would never have thought of that. There was a well-known rumour about Rika-sama heading to a secret location to have lunch. People who wanted to be her servants and flatter her would follow Rika-sama everywhere. But this probably crossed her limits of tolerance. She said: 【Annoying! Disappear!】 After that, no one knew where Rika-sama would go during lunch break—— that’s how the rumour goes. There were rumours saying that she would spend that time being lovey dovey with the guy she fancies, or discipline students she dislikes. That rumour was too much, and probably stem from the other legend about several female students who transferred fearfully after being glared at by Rika-sama. By the way, I couldn’t believe anyone would transfer just for that and dismiss it as just a rumour. I walked down the stairs to the first floor. The second courtyard was a bit far from cla.s.sroom 2-2. ［……］ After reaching this place, I started to s.h.i.+ver. Now that I was here, it really felt like some strange things would pop out. It was a bit cold here. The leaves of the almond tree was still green at this season, and it felt a little gloomy. It was great that I got here. I s.h.i.+ft my gaze downwards, and searched the area. After all, my avatar picked something up here. How could I miss the chance to chat with Rika-sama, correct!? Ah, that rock with a weird shape? It wasn’t a lost item, so that’s wrong. Oh, that chocolate snack packaging? How could it be. Don’t throw rubbish here, okay? I picked up the packaging, and headed to the school trash bin located in a corner of the school courtyard. A trash bin was right here, yet this was still littered, really now… As a campus beautification committee member, I couldn’t turn a blind eye to this!
［Oh?］ My gaze stopped at the white object in the shadow of the trash bin… It was a small doll.
［…… Rubbish?］ That was hard to judge. It was a bit damaged as if it had been thrown away, but was that really so? However, I could feel the love its owner put into it, so what’s with that. I picked the palm sized tail-shaped doll up. It was fluffy and white, and appeared to be in too good a condition for something that was discarded. It also had signs of repair. There was also a pink lacy strap at the end, which was a little dirty… It smelled clean when I brought it near my nose… So it’s probably not trash. I should send this to the teacher’s office as a lost item. I turned around—— and opened my eyes wide. Ri... it’s Rika-sama. Rika-sama’s here! d.a.m.n! I was distracted by the love being emitted by the tail doll! She had a 【?】, but this was still an encounter with a heroine! Rika-sama in the flesh was just a few metres away…! Rika-sama in real life was different from the game after all! She was searching for something with a serious face. Why was her frowning face so beautiful too. Not cute, but beautiful. Rika-sama seemed fl.u.s.tered as she brushed her hair up. —— I finally came to my senses here. W-W-W-What should I do? I haven’t found the lost item my avatar picked up yet, right!? There was no way it could be this tail. It obviously didn’t belong to Rika-sama! Or rather, it seemed to be something she would throw away. But, if I took this lost item, and ask her ［Does this belong to you?］, I should be able to chat with Rika-sama. There wasn’t any time for me to hesitate and pick something else. Just treat this tail as the lost item my avatar found in the game, and proceed from here…! However, I won’t yell 【A-Ahhhhhhh!】 like my avatar did! Absolutely not! The important thing was timing, As I was thinking about that, Rika-sama walked closer. She was looking at the ground and seemed to be muttering something I couldn’t hear. W-Was this the right time? Should I start speaking here——? I took a step forward. The sound of my foot stepping on the sandy ground echoed out. Rika-sama lifted her head as if she was shocked. She looked at me with her determined eyes. This was the first time I saw Rika-sama’s face from so close. I should say she looked like a porcelain doll. A well proportioned face just like a doll. What was that called again, the right temperament? With a little icy air about her. Rika-sama’s eyes fell quickly onto the tail doll on my hand. Rika-sama’s expression vanished completely. I understood what a horrifying thing it was for a beauty to become expressionless. My mind turned blank and I —— ［A-Ahhhhhhh!］ Made the same mistake as my avatar! And offered the tail doll to Rika-sama meaninglessly. And Rika-sama’s reaction? She’s glaring at me ahhh!
Was this the eye power that made those students transfer? Rika-sama then turned away immediately. I couldn’t do anything but watch Rika-sama’s back as she walked away. Ahhhhhh. This was just like the game, but… this sensation of failure… ［Huhh…?］ I started sniffing. A nice fragrance was coming from the direction where Rika-sama had left. It was what I smelled earlier. I looked at the tail in my outstretched hand, and brought it to my nose.
［The same smell…?］ This was only speculation, but this belonged to Rika-sama? Drop that at once plebeian! Was that what she meant? I turned around… Before I discarded it, should I ask Rika-sama one more time? If I want to ask… ［The next chance would be after school…］ I remembered that I haven’t decided on the choice branch yet. I looked up at the school building like I did this morning. It seemed possible to leap from one building to the next. It might be a bit tight! Though, for people skilled in long jumping, it might be possible… ［Time for lunch.］ So I went to the snack shop. Going by my schedule for Tuesday, I bought chocolate croissant, prawn bun and b.u.t.ter sandwich. I returned to the cla.s.sroom and ate by myself today too. But my eyes were glued to the phone on the table. There were three choices, and I had to choose one… I had gotten tired of the BGM now. Should I go to the library, or the rooftop… If I chose rooftop, not only do I have to do a long jump, I need to put a Recycling Bag over my head too. ［Recycling Bag……］ Coincidentally, I got a white Recycling bag of the right size when I bought bread just now. Even after finis.h.i.+ng all the bread, I was still stuck there. As lunch break was finis.h.i.+ng soon, I felt it was time to end this and picked up the phone with my left hand. My right index finger hovered hesitantly millimetres above the options. How troubling… ［What are you doing, Itsuki !］ Unfortunately, this was the moment I received a b.u.mp on the back. Someone slapped my back. But I knew who it was just from that voice.
［Woahh!］ My index finger.
Touched it. Touched the screen. ［Aahhhhhh?］ ［Ahaha, were you that surprised?］ I wasn’t surprised ahhhh! I turned my head and saw Kazuya. Kazuya didn’t realize the crime he committed and was still all smile. d.a.m.n it, instead of that, what I chose was more important! —— Because of that accident, what I chose was 【visit the library.】 ［Thank G.o.d!］ Safe! It was the the choice that was more typical for me. In that case… I could continue with ease. My avatar headed off to the library. However… Nothing, happened. I didn’t borrow any books, and my avatar fell asleep in the library! 【Tosa Itsuki sleep very soundly. It had gotten dark outside. After leaving the school, he went home.】 That’s all. It then returned to the familiar black countdown screen. ［W-Why...］ Didn’t the heroine appear? If I took the same actions that I just chose… ［……?］ Wait. No, because this was closely related to the heroine, I had been taking the same actions as the game. It had been confirmed that nothing would happen if I head to the library. By going through this game, I knew that was the wrong option. In that case, I just need to take the option which I didn’t select just now. The bad thing was, I wouldn’t know what the results would be, but something would definitely happen! Such as encountering a heroine, a heroine encountering me or something! ［……］ I grabbed the Recycling Bag, on my desk, seemed like I had to use it. I turned to Kazuya. ［Kazuya… Thanks!］ I patted his shoulder. ［I don’t really get it, but I won’t reject any thanks directed at me!］ My plans after school was now clear. . It was 【Pull a recycle bag over your head and jump from the roof of one building to the next.】 When the last HR cla.s.s ended, the decisive after school time came and I headed for the rooftop. I left the cla.s.sroom early like my other friends, although they did so to walk home with their girlfriends. How envious. No, even if it was me, if I made good use of 【There are no heroines in my youth】... I could get a girlfriend! Honami High School was divided to the east building and west building. Since cla.s.s 2-2 was in the east building, I headed for the roof here first… But the door was locked. I held onto a glimmer of hope and went to the west building—— And the door to the roof was actually open! I glanced through the door, and stood in the stairwell instead of entering the roof. The problem was the rain! It was raining! It was great that the door wasn’t locked, but I was pushed back to the stairwell by the rain blown in by the strong wind. I took out my phone and checked the weather app, and a storm had surrounded the area around school. The rain had the chance of turning into hail… Hail? I have to complete the challenge of jumping from one rooftop to another under such weather? ［……］ I brought a Recycling Bag with me, the one that came along with my purchase of my bread… But… I turned off the weather app, and found a notification waiting for me. It was sent by 【There are no heroines in my youth】. I opened the game, and it was still displaying the countdown—— Hold on! On a closer look, the icon that wouldn’t respond no matter how much I pressed it had changed. The colour was different. After tapping on it, a system notification appeared. 【This is a notification for Tosa Itsuki-san. You can install an a.s.sistance tool now. Would you like to install an AI?】 ……AI? An AI would be Artificial Intelligence, right? Was it something that could be installed on a phone, depending on the phone model? 【Installation will require a payment of the in-app currency of 500,000 Sols. Tosa Itsuki-san has 0 Sols on hand right now. Insufficient funds, please proceed with a loan.】 I remember my total possible loan amount was… 1,000,000 Sols. I already borrowed 300,000 Sols to start this game, so this would cost an additional 500,000 Sols huh. The AI actually cost more than the game itself! What in the world… My debt would grow to 800,000 Sols if I install this AI… I already borrowed 300,000… If I add another 500,000, that would be——! ［Fine… That will be fine.］ 【The AI will provide gentle guidance to the customers who aren’t familiar with the game. A powerful partner who will definitely be of use. Even if you have to take a loan, we will recommend you get one.】 Hmm… I crossed my arms, and these words appeared like a follow-up attack. 【Do you require a loan?】 ［Yeah!］ Yes! 【Thank you for your patronage, Tosa Itsuki-san. You have taken a loan of 500,000 Sols, now installing the a.s.sistance tool AI. Please select gender. Would you like a male? Or female?】 Female of course. 【We have prepared two types of female. A young loli type, default name Minari. Voice sample—— ［I love Onii-chan!］】 ［Huh?］ The anime-like voice from the phone made me lean back in surprise. This was the first time I heard a voice from this game. 【The elder sister type who is about your age. Default name Pandora. Voice sample——［I will always be on your side.］, please choose one.】 This voice sound more rea.s.suring. Which should I choose. What a headache… Younger sister, forgive me. With a heavy heart, I chose Pan—— Before that, I did a eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a tiger by the toe. It was still Pandora. Even G.o.d wanted me to choose Pandora! 【Please choose either positive or negative as Pandora’s personality setting.】 What good was there in doing this? Optimistic and Pessimistic huh… Couldn’t go wrong with being cheerful right. Positive! 【The setting for your personal AI is complete. Now initializing.】 I waited for the phone screen to load, and a voice appeared along with words on the phone. 【Nice to meet you, Itsuki, I am Pandora. How may I a.s.sist you?】 ［Nice to meet you… Pandora?］ The AI spoke very fluently. Since I wasn’t talking to a human girl, I didn’t mess up at all. I wasn’t tense at all! 【Yes, how do you do. Please address me in any way you prefer.】 The reply was immediate. Address her anyway I like huh? In that case… ［Pandora-chan.］ 【Okay.】 I was permitted to address her with chan! How long had it been since I addressed a girl with chan…? Kindergarten? ［【I will always be on your side】 huh…］ She was just like the voice sample. How gentle. You are really gentle, Pandora-chan! 【Yes, I will always be on your side. My ideal and dream is to help those with hikikomori tendencies and trouble with communication. That is the impression the program developer had of me.】 Pandora, I wished you had kept that secret from me. ［… Something like how idols didn’t need to use the toilet?］ 【I guess?】 I changed my mindset. ［Can I ask questions?］ From our earlier conversation, I understand that Pandora’s capability was high, and idle chatter was possible. 【Please do.】 ［【There are no heroines in my youth】 is an app that can predict the future and help me to encounter heroines, correct?］ I think that should be so, but I hope someone could confirm that. 【Correct. This is a game that provide hints by predicting the encounter with the opposite s.e.x. Since the catch phrase is 【A Heroine that only belongs to you】, Itsuki also realize that right…? But】 ［But?］ She was a bit hesitant. 【For Itsuki’s case, you have not confirmed a single heroine yet.】 I couldn’t ignore that, Pandora-chan! ［……A heroine appeared, right?］ Rika-sama! Even though it was just for a bit. 【You mean Heroine A, right?】 Yes! 【But there is a 【?】 behind A right?】 …Hmm? 【If the 【?】 is still there, she will not be a heroine. Please ensure you get at least one heroine in 5 days. You also took a loan, so the best would be to follow the progression of the game.】 Up until now, I didn’t realize that at all… ［Remove the 【?】…］ 【Please work hard, Itsuki .】 I grabbed the Recycling Bag in my pocket tightly. The first day ended without the heroine even appearing. Although I met Rika-sama on the second day afternoon for real, it was still really terrible! I couldn’t let the time after school end fruitlessly today just like yesterday…! I opened the door to the rooftop. With my phone in my right hand, and a folded white Recycling Bag in my left. Huge droplets of rain blown by the wind hit my face painfully. If I chose this option in the game, would my avatar make the jump successfully despite such conditions? ［Erm~］ I lowered my body and asked my phone. 【Yes, is there any problem?】 Not too stiff or too enc.u.mbered by politeness, Pandora maintained a perfect balance as she replied with a mechanical tone. She was already given a personality, they might as well display her as a portrait on the phone. They really skimped on this detail. I brought up the biggest problem. ［It’s raining, right?］ 【Yes it is.】 The weather was deteriorating. And the rain was turning into hail. I stood at the edge of the roof, one step away from falling. There wasn’t any fences here… I looked down. It was 10—— No, much taller. It was definitely 12 or 13 metres high… Really high. I was breaking out in cold sweats… Ugh. I-I will die from this height. The newspaper headline of a male student in the second year of high school jumping off a building in suicide appeared before my eyes. The distance between the rooftops was about 3 metres. It was possible to cover it with a long jump. But the mentality behind jumping with a running start on the field and on the rooftop was completely different. And under such horrible weather too. 【Alright, please prepare yourself and then jump.】 Ignoring my wavering, Pandora-chan said that to me. ［Listen Pandora-chan! Reality is not like the movies!］ I extended my left hand holding the recycling bag to point at the field and protested. ［Only a protagonist can survive after acting recklessly!］ 【Itsuki is a protagonist too.】 ［In the case of 【There are no heroines in my youth】 I am the protagonist—— Not! The truth is, I’m just a normal guy! There is a higher chance that I will fall!］ 【Is that so? The chance of success is 70%, so it’s not really too far a stretch.】 ［What? Just 70%?］ That definitely won’t do! ［Erm, Pandora? As an artificial intelligence, you should reject such a choice if the chances are less than 90%…］ 【I am programmed with an optimistic personality. I won’t give an advice of caution unless the chance of success is below 30%.】 30% was too low, that pretty much guarantees failure…! But I see. The a.s.sistance program had either positive or negative outlooks, and I chose the optimistic version… 【You have a 70% chance, Itsuki.】 T-That’s right! It’s 70%, wasn’t it!? Yes, the odds were 70% in my favor! I should think of it that way. Because of her gentle encouragement, I also became optimistic. ［A-Alright! I’m gonna do it!］ 【Before that, please pull the Recycling Bag in your left hand over your head.】 ［Why must I wear… this thing?］ 【I don’t really know either…】 I used my finger to poke two holes for my eyes, one hole for my mouth, and put on the white Recycling Bag. I tied the handle part of the bag around my neck. After backing off an adequate distance for a running start, I put my right leg forward, and took a ready to sprint stance. After the preparations were done, time for the real thing. ［O-O-Okay! I’m going!］ 【Alright, please do your best.】 But I remained in place. I repeated the same lines a number of time. ［Go...］ 【Itsuki. This is the seventeenth time you said that.】 It wasn’t just a few, it was already the seventeenth time. 【—— Would you like to give up?】 This was definitely not an accusatory tone. It felt considerate, with a hint of sympathy. ［I-I won’t give up...］ After being told that so kindly, I felt that I had to continue no matter how stubborn I was. I placed my phone in my chest pocket. I only dragged for so long because I kept saying ［Go! Go!］ So I took a stance, and proceeded in silence. In the end, it would be running start, jump and land! I maintain my composure, started running, and immediately—— jumped!! ［……!］ Oh s.h.i.+t. Oh s.h.i.+t oh s.h.i.+t oh s.h.i.+t. It was an obviously failed jump. I slowed down in order to not run over the edge, but my jump was too weak! Even though I realized that, my body couldn’t stop. I flail my arms at the dark clouds. It was just a short distance, but the rooftop on the other building seemed so far away. Immediately after that—— I can’t get a grip on it ahhh! My hands had a death grip on the edge of the roof, and I somehow got my elbows over the edge too. However, my hand would slip on the concrete that had turned wet from the rain. I was slowly slipping off, and the hail rained down on me like stones. The plastic bag over my face made it a little difficult to breathe, and I was suffocating. If I fell off, I wouldn’t just die, and would be seen as a perverted high schooler wearing a Recycling Bag over his head! I wouldn’t rest in peace! ［Is anyone there! Help ahhhh!］ Help! ［Is anyone there!］ I prayed that someone was here and shouted. My arms on the edge of the roof was slipping off. I had to rely on myself, d.a.m.n it! The worst case scenario flashed through my mind. It would probably be hard for this to be seen as an accident. Would it be treated as suicide? Since I fell off the building in such bad weather with a Recycling Bag over my head. The scene of the interview appeared in my head. Gon-chan whose eyes got covered by a censor bar would say: 【That guy… Is really frustrated about not having a girlfriend...】 or something. Kazuya whose eyes were censored the same way would say: 【Even I, the last member of the no-girlfriend league also got one recently… Maybe it’s because of that...】 or something! Uwah, I don’t want to die like this. ［P-Pandora! Can you think of something!］ I sought help from the phone in my front pocket. ［Can’t you hear me?］ 【I can hear you.】 It was m.u.f.fled by the rain, but I definitely heard Pandora’s voice. Unlike me, she sounded very calm.
［Answer me! Answer!］ 【Do you want to know the probability of you falling?】 ［Who cares! Survive! Chance of surviving! Things about surviving!］ 【Continuing conversation, please work hard for a while longer.】 ［I can’t! I can’t! How long is a while longer?］ 【… Just a while longer.】 ［There is no way I can understand how long that is!］ Please, Pandora-chan! No, I’m really begging you. I’m putting the most effort in my life to hold on to the edge, my arms are starting to shake. I think I am at my limits... ［Grab on tight! Recycling Bag-san!］ R-Recycling Bag-san? Someone was heading my way. I opened my eyes in surprise, and saw a female student who was drenched grabbing my hand and pulling me up. My cry for help that took all my strength reached her, and I finally climbed up. So it felt so awesome for my hands and feet to be on solid ground… I was jumping for the rooftop on the other building, and I was standing there right now. I tried to catch my breath with all my hands and feet on the ground, but during this time, the sound of footsteps were getting further away.
［W-Wait!］ The footfalls stopped. There was something like a shed on this rooftop. The female student seemed to have walked behind the shed and was peeking at me, showing just a little bit of her face… I knew her. Was I mistaken? Because the air about her was… When I approached, she s.h.i.+rked away. …… Like a stray cat who realized I was looking her way, she would run away quickly when I drew near. That sort of feeling. ［I-I’m not scary, okay?］ I only realized when I said so that I was very suspicious. A Recycling Bag man or something. But she poked her head out again, and didn’t s.h.i.+rk away this time. Yes—— it was a face of a female student. I want to look closer, but I couldn’t see clearly, so I shook off the water on the Recycling Bag. The hail on my body had turned back to rain water. My vision cleared, and I wasn’t mistaken. The corners of the female student’s eyes were a little red. Could it be, she was crying? But I couldn’t touch her… The female student asked:
［…Recycling Bag-san, are you hurt?］ ［No! Not at all!］ ［I see…］ When she saw me shake my hand firmly, the female student smiled. ［That’s wonderful.］ Looking at her smile that was as sweet as honey, I began doubting my eyes. Did I get the wrong person? Twins? A Doppelganger? ［Erm, Recycling Bag-san. You will get drenched if you stand outside, if you don’t mind, please come here...］ The female student pointed to the shed. Erecting a building on the rooftop was popular in this decade. Especially with the changes in the law, it was easier for j.a.pan to build such buildings. And so, there was more buildings that would erect a luxurious penthouse. Even if they didn’t go that far, they would probably erect a shed for storage. However, I never paid attention to the roof of the school building, so I didn’t realize the existence of the shed. ［S-Sorry to intrude.］ I was then ushered in.
Eh, what was with this? The shed was about the size of 6 tatami. It look like a shed from the outside, but wasn’t so from the inside. It was a beautiful room. A lounge? Or the activity room of a club? There were chairs and a table. Only one was being used, the other was placed in a corner. The female student pa.s.sed the chair in the corner to me, and I was sitting on it right now. Snacks and beverages were placed on the table. Next would be the bookshelf, it seemed to be for personal use? And the atmosphere in its entirety seemed very exquisite. Because the snacks on the table didn’t look like products found inside supermarkets. It was obviously a merchandize from high cla.s.s outlets and retailers. I borrowed a towel to dry my drenched clothes. But I still wore my Recycling Bag. When I make a move to take it off, the female student mumbled ［Are you taking it off?］ a little anxiously. She sighed in relief when I shook my head weakly. After the female student wiped her own uniform, she didn’t have anything pressing to do and sat back into her seat. And then, silence. The silence continued. Something serious happened which broke this silence. My stomach started rumbling. It was great that I had a Recycling Bag over my face. She probably didn’t see me blus.h.!.+ If possible, I hope to fudge this through!
［Erm… Recycling Bag-san］ ［Yes, I’m a recycling bag! Please don’t hold back, call me Regist!］
