20demayo Page 128
Page 128
She stood up, bowed deeply to the tombstone.
"Thank you, Mr. X."
This time, her voice was calm and relieved, with a smile.
A night breeze swept by, swirling up a few fallen leaves that danced and twirled in the moonlight, like an embrace that transcended life and death.
Nanami knew he had heard it.
He transformed into a star, into the wind, into the undying tenderness and faith in her voice, forever with her.
His short life, in her world, gained eternity in another way.
[Simulated World: The Sickly Boy and the Girl Chasing Her Dreams (Completed)]
……
……
[Thanks to (Zeppelin) for the generous donation!]
[P.S.: The third simulation is finished, around 8 words, similar in length to the second simulation, but with significant differences in plot.]
[The theme of Nanami's simulation is growth, but it's written in a different style, from Nanami's perspective, with Yuto acting as a spirit behind her.]
[This might be a bit off-topic; it has basically nothing to do with lifelong regret.]
[As mentioned before, this was written after abandoning another simulation project. There wasn't enough time when outlining the content, which resulted in a somewhat bland plot.]
I apologize...
[Then, the following chapters will be slice-of-life stories. As for simulations, we'll see if we write one, or maybe we'll write another one after 600,000 words. It's hard to say.]
On a side note, several friends are preparing to start new books recently, and everyone is brainstorming new themes. Some have even advised me to give up, but I scratched my head and said that I plan to write a long novel this time.
[After all, I've already written 400,000 words, so what's the harm in writing another 400,000 or the one after that? On the one hand, I want to accumulate more experience with longer works; on the other hand, I want to reflect on my shortcomings in plot design while writing.]
Volume 1: Chapter 130: Turtle Soup
[Simulated World: A Sickly Boy and a Girl Chasing Her Dreams (Completed)]
[Simulation time: 2652 days]
Overall Rating: A
[Comment: You never stood center stage, yet you became the light of the stage itself; with your short life, you ignited an inextinguishable dream and left behind a legend called "X" in the hearts of countless people.]
[Rewards are being drawn...]
Congratulations on achieving the B-level skill in ventriloquism (skill levels are divided into five levels from highest to lowest: S, A, B, C, and D, which are respectively extraordinary, world-class, professional, proficient, and beginner).
[Skill Description: Your vocal cords have undergone special training, granting you superhuman voice imitation and control. Whether imitating the voice of a specific person or producing various sounds from nature, it is not difficult for you.]
[Simulation ended, returning to the real world...]
Yuto Itsuka felt his consciousness being slowly pulled away from a long and profound exhaustion.
His last memory was gazing through the window of his hospital room at the starry sky that had become so brilliant because of him, his heart filled with a sense of fulfillment and contentment.
Then, consciousness sank into endless darkness.
With the final prompt, Yuto Itsuka suddenly opened his eyes.
What came into view was the familiar ceiling of my room, and the faint chirping of cicadas and the noise of the distant street drifted in from outside the window.
He slowly sat up, looked down at his hands, and then tried to take a deep breath. He felt a smooth and powerful sensation in his chest, and the suffocating feeling of being choked was gone.
came back.
Yuto leaned against the headboard and closed his eyes.
From initially sending emails under the name "Mr. X," to paving the way for Nanami, and finally spending his life on his sickbed...
The heavy emotions that spanned nearly seven years, the satisfaction of watching a girl go from obscurity to brilliance, and the peace and no regrets at the end of his life were all clearly imprinted in the depths of his soul.
He had never felt the weight of the word "living" so profoundly.
"Phew..." Yuto let out a long breath.
He was no longer the sickly, terminally ill Itsuka Yuto.
He is a healthy student in Class 1-B at Toyonosaki Academy, named Yuto Itsuka, who has an unlimited future.
These vibrant and readily available everyday moments are all he has now.
His experiences in the simulated world made him realize that some people and things, once missed, can never be made up for.
He could no longer ignore their approach simply because he was afraid of trouble or felt that feelings were a burden, as he had done in the past.
He picked up his phone; the screen displayed the current time and date, only a few minutes had passed since he entered the simulator and into the real world.
He looked up and his gaze fell on the screen, on the desk, on the movie script that only had a title written on it.
Horror movies at the cultural festival...
I have no clue.
Yuto thought for a moment, opened the group chat, and sent a message.
[Who's more handsome than me?: Hey everyone, it's Wednesday for club activities, how about we play a game?]
……
……
Wednesday afternoon, in the club activity room.
The last rays of the setting sun streamed through the window, casting long shadows on the floor.
The club's four core members sat around a long table.
"So, junior, you called us over not to show us the first draft of the script, but to play this..." Kasumigaoka Utaha held a cup of black tea, looking at Itsuka Yuto with a scrutinizing gaze, "...Turtle soup?"
"Well, it's all about balancing work and rest," Yuto said, shrugging with a relaxed smile. "I've hit a roadblock in my scriptwriting and wanted to get some inspiration from everyone. These kinds of question-and-answer games are the best way to stimulate imagination, aren't they?"
"Hmph, I think you just want to slack off." Eriri crossed her arms, her golden twin tails swung behind her head, complaining, but her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
She has never been able to resist such novel games.
“I think that sounds interesting.” Kato Megumi, as always, was very supportive. She tilted her head and looked at Yuto. “So, what are the rules, Itsuka-kun?”
"The rules are simple." Yuto cleared his throat and took on the role of game host.
“I will give a short, seemingly illogical beginning and ending to the story, which is ‘soup noodles’.”
“You can ask me any questions, but I can only answer with ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ or ‘neither yes nor no.’”
"Your goal is to piece together the truth of the whole story, or the 'broth,' by asking questions."
He glanced around at the three women and, seeing that they all looked interested, nodded in satisfaction.
"So, are you ready? Our first pot of soup is here."
Yuto's expression turned serious, and he deliberately lowered his voice to create a suspenseful atmosphere.
"The story goes like this: I exchanged photos with an online friend I hadn't known for long. After seeing the photos he sent me, I was very confused because the person in the photos was myself."
"The next day, people found a murder in my home."
The moment the story was told, the air in the activity room seemed to freeze.
Eriri instinctively shrank back, muttering under her breath, "Was it this scary from the start...?"
“Alright, let’s begin the Q&A session,” Yuto announced.
"I'll go first!" Eriri immediately raised her hand, speaking before Kasumigaoka Utaha could, giving her a slightly provocative glance. "The question is: In the murder case, was I the one who died?"
"Yes," Yuto answered readily.
This answer made Eriri's face turn a shade paler.
Kasumigaoka Utaha snorted and said sarcastically, "What a simple question, Sawamura-kun. The protagonists in these kinds of stories are almost always the victims."
She gracefully set down her teacup and asked, "My question is, is that online friend dead?"
"no."
"Oh?" Shiyu's eyes lit up. "So, if we don't exchange this photo, will 'I' die?"
This question was clearly much more tricky than Eriri's, directly pointing to the core cause of the incident.
Yuto gave her an approving look: "Yes."
"In other words, exchanging photos was the direct cause of 'my' death." Shiyu began to reason logically, her leg shaking unconsciously. "The photos sent by netizens, the person in them is 'me,' right?"
"Yes."
“Then…” Shi Yu pondered for a moment, “Does this story involve schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder? For example, is the netizen actually another personality of 'me'?”
"no."
"Tsk." Shi Yu seemed somewhat dissatisfied with the answer; she had originally thought it would be this kind of clichéd psychological suspense plot.
"Um..." Kato Megumi, who had been listening quietly, raised her hand gently. "Itsuka-san, may I ask a question?"
“Of course, Kato-kun.” yi霖起坝棋丝伍陆峮.
"Um... excuse me, is it because I accidentally captured that netizen in the selfie that he wanted to kill me?" Kato Megumi's questioning style was very unique, starting directly from the content of the photo itself.
This question surprised both Shiyu and Eriri.
A hint of surprise flashed in Yuto's eyes; Kato Megumi's intuition was always so sharp.
"no."
Although the answer was no, Kato Megumi's question clearly gave Kasumigaoka Utaha a new perspective.
“I see…” Shi Yu’s lips curled up again. “So, the main subject of this photo is that netizen, but ‘me’ is in the background, is that right?”
"no."
“On the other hand,” Shiyu pressed on, “the subject of the photo is ‘me,’ but that netizen is in the background?”
"Yes."
The moment that "yes" was uttered, the outline of the truth instantly became clear.
"I get it!" Eriri slammed her hand on the table and exclaimed excitedly, "When 'I' took the selfie, I included that netizen in the picture too!"
“Yes.” Yuto nodded.
"Wait a minute." Kato Megumi spoke again, her expression still calm, but her question went straight to the point, "Itsuka-kun, is the reason 'I' and this online friend I've only known for a short time met because I took this photo?"
"no."
“In other words, we were already online friends before the photo was taken,” Kato Megumi analyzed softly. Then she looked up and asked the most crucial question, “Is the photo that the online friend sent to ‘me’ the same photo that ‘I’ sent to the online friend?”
The room was completely silent; everyone held their breath.
Yuto looked at Kato Megumi and secretly admired her.
"Yes."
"Ah!" Eriri exclaimed in surprise. As if she had realized something, the color drained from her face, and she gripped her arms tightly with both hands.
A look of understanding flashed in Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes. She picked up her now-cold red tea and said slowly, "So that's what happened. What a... unoriginal home invasion murder story."
Kato Megumi looked at the two of them, then turned her gaze to Yuto and whispered the truth: "So, the truth is... 'I' was chatting with a new online friend and suggested exchanging photos."
“I sent them a selfie, and after a while, they sent me the same selfie back exactly as it was.”
“I felt very strange, so I zoomed in on the photo to look at it carefully... Then, in the background of the photo, behind me, I found a face peeking out from the gap in the wardrobe door.”
"That face belongs to that so-called online friend."
She paused, then lowered her voice even further.
"He has been hiding in my room the whole time."
As the last few words were spoken, a perfectly timed gust of cold wind blew in through the crack in the window, sending a chill down Eriri's spine.
"Waaah—that's terrifying!" She clutched her head, almost wanting to crawl under the table. "Stop talking!"
Yuto smiled with satisfaction as he watched their reactions.
The first story was a great warm-up, not only showing him the three people's different ways of thinking, but also giving him great inspiration from the process of piecing together the terrifying truth from the smallest clues.