Threat
Threat
Pink Mushroom.
I decided to call the mushroom in my hand that.
[ Harin, quickly eat that mushroom. ]
"Uh, excuse me? You just suddenly appeared... and that's all you have to say?"
I lightly ignored Seis's words.
[ Well, do you have anything else to say? I think this is enough of a welcome. ]
"N-No, it's not like that..."
A welcome, huh....
Honestly, I was glad to hear Seis's voice after a long time.
Well, now that he's appeared, it'll be hard to avoid a Bad Ending from now on....
Nevertheless, the feeling of communicating with the outside world was more precious than I thought.
[ Now, quickly eat that mushroom. ]
"...Hmm."
I should change my mind.
I'm not very glad.
Now that I think about it, he's been urging me to choose the Bad Ending option since earlier.
But what can I do?
I have an endless amount of Sex Points.
"Excuse me. I have 70 Sex Points. I'll use 10 of them."
[ ...Ah. ]
Seis sighed briefly after a slight pause.
It was clear he was disappointed.
Serves him right.
"Don't worry. I've experienced a lot anyway."
I said it in a deliberately sarcastic tone.
Of course, I know. That I can't escape Seis's grasp.
Just like when he adjusted my sensitivity, he can treat me like a toy right now.
[ ...Mm-hmm. That's right. That existed. ]
But he is a Guardian.
It's not that I trust the title of Guardian, but I trust his arrogance.
The rule to avoid Bad Endings that Seis himself created.
'...This is a matter of pride.'
Honestly, I don't think he would break the rules he made himself.
'Well, surely he wouldn't just break it like that...'
[ Hmm...? Wait, Harin. Your Sex Points are currently 9. ]
He's calling it Sex Points again.
It's not Sex Points, it's Sex Points.
...No, wait, what did you say?
[ Check properly before you speak. I almost fell for it. ]
"What? What are you talking about......"
I immediately opened the Status Window and checked my Sex Points.
——
Name: Seo Ha-rin
Age: 25
Gender: Female
HP: 500
MP: 500
Sex Points: 9
——
The purple Status Window floated in the air.
I stared intently at the Status Window for a while without blinking.
"...Eh?"
Only 9 Sex Points...?
...No, something is wrong.
Considering everything I've experienced so far, it definitely shouldn't be just 9 points.
I saw it in the first place.
I clearly saw with my own two eyes that there were more than 10 Sex Points accumulated.
I don't know the exact principle of how points accumulate, but if I think about that Flower Bud...
"...Eh?"
Then, another figure caught my eye.
"E-Excuse me?! Seis-nim?!! What is this now?!"
It was HP and MP.
For some reason, HP and MP had increased from 100 points to 500 points.
[ Ah, you mean that. I specially took care of the HP and MP. It will make future progress much smoother. ]
"Progress smoother... A-No, that's not it...!"
Surely he didn't upgrade HP and MP with Sex Points...?
It was certainly the only remaining use for them, but....
"Excuse me!! Using these arbitrarily is...! It's cheating!!"
[ Cheating, you say? If you put it that way, isn't the problem that you proceeded with the game when I wasn't around? ]
What...? What kind of ridiculous sophistry is this...?
"That's pure sophistry!"
I let out a hollow laugh and shot back.
[ Hmph... Don't worry. Raising HP and MP is genuinely helpful. ]
...Is that important right now?
[ Now! Quickly eat that mushroom! ]
He arbitrarily modified the points and then tells me to choose the Bad Ending... Does that even make sense?
"No. This isn't right. What do you mean by spending points like this? Those are rules you set!"
The act of breaking rules....
I really hate that kind of behavior.
[ ...I have no intention of delaying any further. Quickly eat the mushroom in front of you. ]
After a slight hesitation, he continued speaking as if it were nothing.
'...He's more stubborn than I thought.'
Perhaps I overestimated the title of Guardian.
"No, no. I won't eat it. Why would I eat this?"
Well, it doesn't matter.
If so, I can just counter him with stubbornness too.
"Seis. You're a Guardian. Those are rules you made. Aren't you ashamed?"
Go ahead and raise my sensitivity then.
You just pay back those who break the rules in kind.
[ ...Harin. ]
"So Guardians are no different from ordinary people, huh."
Perhaps the current me could endure the sensitivity of a triangle horse.
⋯It's embarrassing, but I've gotten somewhat used to pleasure now.
"You're just faithful to your own desires... you just want to see me suffer, don't you?"
—A momentary silence.
[ ...Is that so? Is that how it looks? ]
Seis replied as if intrigued.
"...Of course. Honestly, why me of all people...? Why me, who hasn't even met many men... Do I look easy to you?"
Then I let out a light laugh.
I stopped speaking informally.
When silence fell a moment ago, I involuntarily felt a chill.
—And then silence fell again.
[ ...As expected, you're that Doctor's assistant. ]
Subtly, Seis's tone of voice changed.
It seems my provocation had crossed his limit.
"...!!"
...My body won't move.
[ Well, then I'll have to punish you. ]
I can't move.
[ Hmph. Harin-yang. You seem to keep forgetting, but in such cases, you just say 'Yes, I understand-' and move on. ]
Flash—!
A brilliant flash of light unfolded before my eyes.
[ After all, the choice is mine. ]
At the same time, a cool breeze enveloped my entire body.
"Hmph...!"
I wasn't even given time to think.
All I did was blink.
[ Ah, this must be your first time here, right? ]
What unfolded before my eyes was a mysterious space that looked like a museum.
That colossal rectangular space was easily comparable in size to a large stadium.
[ Do you know where this is? ]
Moreover, although it was clearly a place I had never seen before, I instinctively realized.
"Could it be the Playback Room...?"
[ Ho-ho. You're quite clever to figure it out. That's right. This is the Playback Room. ]
Well, I couldn't help but realize.
Countless holographic monitors spread out in the vast space.
On those screens, there was none other than me.
My various forms being humiliated.
Like watching short videos, they were frantically appearing on countless monitors.
[ Can you guess what I'm about to say now? ]
Seis spoke to me, but I couldn't hear him.
"Heeek...!?"
The Tentacle and Slime play I experienced early in the game.
Memories I enjoyed with Pai and my appearance suffering inside the Flower Bud appeared on the screen.
"Ahhh...."
And for some reason, I saw myself being gang-raped in what appeared to be a prison.
'Could it be a branching point I didn't choose...?'
A future I hadn't experienced, possibilities that I might reach....
I shifted my gaze to the next monitor as if fleeing.
However, the humiliation didn't stop in the subsequent scenes either.
"Aargh⋯!! Why on earth would you show me this⋯!!"
A heat that felt like it was rising.
I barely managed to hold onto my slipping sanity.
But even if I didn't want to see it, I had no choice but to look.
Because everywhere my gaze landed, I was there.
"Haaah...."
Moreover, this was from a third-person perspective.
Watching myself shamelessly enjoying it, a wave of disgust rose within me.
I thought I had become somewhat hardened while living in this eroge game...
It seems I was greatly mistaken.
"Seis... you... you really are..."
Why on earth is he showing me this?
Is he planning to break me with shame?
[ Hmph. Stop that presumptuous tone. ]
Seis didn't hide his annoyance, as if subtly bothered.
[ Ah, yes. Just this once, I'll give you a choice. ]
"...A choice?"
[ It's simple. If you experience all the Bad Endings here, I won't interfere with your progress anymore. ]
"...."
[ Or there's the option of just eating that mushroom. The interference will continue, but you won't have to experience all the Bad Endings. ]
It seems that in the Playback Room, you can freely choose and experience Bad Endings.
There was a strangely protruding round button in front of the monitor... Was that what it meant?
No, there's no need to worry about buttons. I have no intention of pressing them of my own free will anyway....
[ Now, choose. Will you eat the mushroom, or will you experience all the Bad Endings and gain free progress? ]
"...Haha."
...Yes, let's consider it fortunate.
Because now I don't have to experience all the Bad Endings.
* * *
"It's just a mushroom. Eat it."
"...."
"Don't worry. This is a contract. If you eat it, I'll help you with anything."
As soon as I came out of the Playback Room, I was faced with the Witch in the Black Hat.
She was still in the same state as when I first met her, gazing into the air and smiling.
"Phew.... Alright, I'll eat it."
Ding~
Ignoring the Status Window notification sound, I slowly brought the mushroom to my mouth.
"W-Wait, Harin! Are you really going to eat it? No matter how I look at it, it seems like you shouldn't...!"
Dina, who was clinging close to me, opened her eyes wide and spoke.
"Don't worry. This is a contract."
The witch smiled lightly.
"The terms of the contract are very simple. If you eat that mushroom, I'll grant you everything you wish for."
"...B-But...!"
Looking at the contract terms alone, it seems fine....
"Harin... I trust your choice."
Pai, who had somehow taken her hand off my shoulder, said that.
"...U-Uh-huh."
Right, well... if I eat it, I'll probably find out why it's a Bad Ending.
"Ugh—"
—Munch munch.
A dry, earthy smell spread in my mouth.
It didn't taste like anything special.
It was tough rather than chewy, and it was harder to swallow than I expected.
...And the moment I finished eating the mushroom.
—Thump.
"Hehe... How is it? Is it delicious?"
The witch in front of me stood up and whispered to me.
A captivating voice whispering in my ear.
"W-What? You could move the whole time—"
"Shh."
The witch raised her index finger and abruptly brought it to my mouth.
"What do you need now?"
Gray eyes.
I stared blankly into those eyes.
"Uh...? No, that is to say..."
"Mm-hmm. Tell me."
"We, uh, ugh, ugh..."
What? Why can't I speak?
For some reason, my mouth won't open properly.
"...Harin. Didn't I tell you not to eat it?"
"Ugh, n-no."
"Haa. I'll speak for you. We need to unseal the Spring..."
That's when it happened.
"Be quiet."
My mouth, which seemed like it would never move, moved on its own.
"H-Harin...?"
"...I said be quiet. Someone take her away."
"Hoo-hoo. Yes. If that's what you want."
"W-Wait, Harin! What do you mean...! L-Let go of me!"
The villagers obeying my command.
To be precise, countless brainwashed people snatched Dina's arm and took her somewhere.
"Hmph...!? H-Harin? Is this right? Suddenly Dina..."
"Pai. I like it here. I think living in this village would be good."
No, wait, what am I saying right now?
"W-What are you talking about...?"
"Well... it's much safer here, isn't it? Everyone's brainwashed, and I have a witch friend. Now I have enough magic power too..."
"Eh, ehh?"
I sneered at the bewildered Pai.
"Pai. Will you take off your clothes?"