Stepping Beyond the Pixels: Loves Intricate Game

Chapter Nine: Mid Morning Crisis

That night was probably the best sleep you've had all week.

It was around eleven p.m. when you finally woke up, you guess your mother decided to let you sleep in after all that you went through yesterday. Sitting up in bed, you stretched your arms wide over your head, humming in satisfaction, you actually felt good today, despite how sore your face and hand felt. You had a feeling today was going to be a great day. While yesterday didn't pan out the way you expected, seeing as you found yourself back in the hospital, you still accomplished your main adjective and saved Makino. You did end up more battered and bruised than you expected, you were just glad to get past that chapter of your life, but now comes the more tricky part.

With the first week technically over, the actual plot of the game starts next week, and with it comes many uncertainties. Even though Akui hasn't gotten his first taste of murder there is still the possibility he could end up killing someone anyways, he is at his breaking point after all. He's been at his breaking point ever since Yuki first left him, and when she came back he became obsessed with the idea of keeping her to himself. Makino's death might have been an accident, sure, but so was Suzuki's. It was Suzuki's death that really gave Akui a taste for blood, and he couldn't escape the sickening sweet feeling he had after killing to 'protect' his love. Actively killing anyone he saw as a threat to him and Yuki. There was no doubt that, if you left him alone, Akui Minato would eventually kill someone.

With your mood temporarily soured, you left your bed and made your way to your desk. On it was pretty much the same contents as before: school papers, a cup full of pens and pencils, sticky pads, and your calendar. Nothing has changed on it, the date that every character died on is still circled in red. 'So nothing changed even though I prevented Makino's murder,' you think to yourself, picking up the calendar. 'Does that mean I have to stop each of them? Wait, but some of the characters can only be killed in certain routes. Even if this world followed the plot of the route with the most deaths, only five dates should be marked. Hold on, let me...' Flipping through the calendar, you count every date that was ominously circled and came to the conclusion that ten dates were circled. Ten dates for ten different people's deaths. Seven rivals, three love interests.

'The only ending where everyone dies is the secret ending, but I stopped Makino's death. There should be no investigation, no snooping around, no reason for Yuki to–' your train of thought was cut off by your own realization. 'Yuki has already met two out of the three love interests that I know of. Already, they have gained an interest in her, and, because I was so distracted with dumb Makino, I completely forgot that Suzuki was slowly growing attracted to Yuki this week. Have those two even properly met yet? And what about the other boys who fall for Yuki? Sure, I can prevent the bullies from harassing her so that they don't die, but can I really keep the love interests from falling for her?

Akui is so sick in the head that I doubt it would take much for him to want to kill someone. At this point, what is the use of knowing the plot if most of it revolved around Yuki trying to solve a string of murders. Events, the investigation, and opportunities to gain favor with the love interest were all factors that prevented Akui from killing all willy-nilly, a fact I picked up in the secret ending, but now that I prevented the original plot, what's going to stop Akui from killing someone one day out of jealousy. Saving Makino meant nothing, and I'm still gonna have to prevent so many more murderers, but look at how I turned out after just the prologue! I have been hospitalized twice already, am I really gonna have to keep this up for nine more people?'

As your mind began to spiral, you failed to realize how labored your breathing became, nor did you notice the quivering of your hands, and you didn't even bother to care about the globs of tears rolling down your face. You didn't know it at the time, but all those feelings of dread and turmoil that your brain was subconsciously burying were finally breaking to the surface. 'How–how am I even gonna be able to keep doing this? I-I can't, I don't think–' Feeling like the room was spinning, your eyes seemed to dart around before they settled on the brightly colored sticky notes on your vanity mirror.