Kartellis - 2
The situation was so confusing that I wanted to put off Kartellis's request for now.
But with her staring at me with those eyes—like she'd do something to me if I refused—I couldn't bring myself to say no.
"...Alright. Let's do it. A date."
The moment I agreed, Kartellis beamed with joy, her face lighting up like she'd gained the whole world.
"Kyaa...♡ A date with Creator, I'm already so thrilled~?"
I'd definitely set her up as a gentle, nurturing big-sister type for the protagonist, but she'd turned into this full-blown yandere. Knowing my absence was the cause just twisted the knife in my heart.
"...That happy, huh?"
"Yes~ I can't even put into words how overjoyed I am."
Kartellis unwound her tentacles from my body and pulled me into a hug with her arms instead.
"It's because I love you that much, Creator♡"
She nuzzled her face against me in my embrace, confessing like that. I gently stroked her hair.
"Thank you. For liking me so much."
"It's not just liking—it's love, Creator."
"Right, thank you for loving me."
"So don't disappear off somewhere all of a sudden from now on."
Kartellis tilted her head up just a bit from my chest, meeting my eyes. Not with the sparkling gaze from moments ago, but that chilling, murderous one from earlier.
"If you do, I really won't forgive you next time."
...If I run now, I'm actually dead.
Feeling the threat to my life, I hurriedly hugged her back.
"I-I won't even think about running, so don't worry."
"Same goes for getting affectionate with those other bitches. You know how jealous I get, right?"
Of course I did—I was the one who'd set her that way.
I nodded slightly to show I understood, and Kartellis wrapped her tentacles around my waist as she spoke.
"If you keep your eyes only on me like we promised, I'll do anything you want."
"...Anything?"
"I can match every one of your tastes, Creator♡"
Kartellis let out a small laugh, shaking her tentacles playfully.
"So, Creator, what side are you into? The one getting dominated... or the one on top...?"
...I'm losing my mind here.
"Kartellis, save the embarrassing talk for later..."
"I want to know everything about you, Creator."
She leaned her head forward, closing the distance until our breaths mingled. From that closeness, she whispered softly.
"Starting from your ideal type and what you like... to what actions make you feel good, what kinks you have... all of it."
"Kartellis, we can take it slow..."
"I want to, but I've held back for so long...♡"
I hated my past self so much. Why hadn't I finished the game? Why had I just abandoned it and let things turn into this mess?
"Can't you tell me everything? I've endured all this time, looking only at you...♡"
Regret flooded me, but thinking of how long Kartellis had held on made it hard to refuse.
Not just endless identical days, but 5200 weeks repeating eternally. I could barely imagine enduring it, yet Selphira and Kartellis had stared at nothing but me through the agony of their bodies shattering—without even knowing when it might end.
"...Okay. I'll tell you everything, one by one, while we date."
"That's a promise, then?"
"Yeah. I'll share what I like."
In the end, I couldn't overcome the guilt and agreed to her request once more.
"Kyaa...♡ Even your secret tastes...♡"
"Sorry, that might be a bit too much."
Of course, I wasn't agreeing to everything.
"Hehe, got it. I'll be satisfied with this for now... but you have to tell me later, okay?♡"
"...Sure. Once I feel comfortable enough."
"Don't worry—I'll make sure you do."
Kartellis carefully helped me to my feet. She released her arms from around me and took my hand with a smile.
"Let's go on our date, Creator. We only have 6 days left♡"
Her words sparked a question in my mind.
A week was the reset point, and with only 6 days left... did that mean I could only spend time with one heroine per week?
"Kartellis, I've got a question."
"What is it?"
"When this week ends... you disappear, right? I won't see you?"
"Hehe, sad to part with me already?"
She pressed right up against my arm as she said it.
"Don't worry. I'll never leave your side, Creator."
"Really?"
"Yeah. There might be moments we can't see each other, sure."
Something complex flickered in Kartellis's eyes as she spoke—jealousy and sorrow mixed together.
"Once you've seen all the other... no, the others, you can come back to me."
"So when I'm with them, I won't see you at all?"
"Not exactly. But... we have an agreement among ourselves. We try not to interfere with each other's time."
Maybe too much time had passed in-game since I abandoned development. There were so many things I didn't know anymore.
I wanted to fix everything for them, get their time back to normal...
"So don't think about that stuff right now—just focus on our date♡"
Unlike my heavy thoughts, Kartellis grabbed my wrist with an innocent, excited smile, like she was just looking forward to a date with her crush.
"...Yeah, okay."
For now, I pushed down the nagging worries and decided to go on the date with her.
Either way, Kartellis had suffered because of me. At the very least, while we were together, I'd make her as happy as possible.
"Hurry, let's go, Creator!"
"Whoa..."
Followed by Kartellis outside, a gasp escaped me on its own.
I couldn't help it. The imaginary world I'd created for the game was unfolding right before my eyes.
"Seeing it for real is amazing, right?"
"...Yeah. It's totally different from viewing it in the game."
Even deep in the ocean's abyss, the streets were brightly lit by streetlamps everywhere. Residents walked around unfazed by the immense pressure.
And in the city center, that massive sword-shaped statue.
It was the underwater city, Atlantis.
"So, what's the actual size here?"
"Exactly as you designed it, Creator. At 20,000 meters below sea level, with a radius of 1000km."
When I made it, I'd just thrown in some big numbers without much thought, but now that it was real, the scale was insane. I'd set up a massive barrier outside Atlantis reaching almost to the surface—far too distant to see with the naked eye.
"Kartellis."
"Yes? Something you're curious about?"
"Does this place fall within that giant's attack range too?"
She gave a bitter smile and nodded at my question.
"There's no escaping destruction anywhere in this world."
"...Nowhere at all?"
"Nope. We tried sprinting full speed in one direction once, but when the week ended, the shockwave swept us away anyway."
Kartellis clung tightly to my arm—not just with her arms, but all her back tentacles too.
"But it's okay now. You're here with me, Creator. Even dying doesn't scare me anymore."
She rubbed her cheek gently against my arm as she said it.
The warmth of her skin was definitely comforting... but my head had never felt colder.
Of course death would be terrifying. You'd want to run, beg for the pain to end.
But for her, just having me by her side was enough?
Or had countless deaths numbed her to it?
Whichever it was, it was my fault—and that weight crushed me.
"...I'm sorry."
I finally pried open my reluctant lips to apologize. But Kartellis tightened her arms and tentacles around me, speaking in a gentle voice.
"I'm really fine. Just having you here makes me happy."
"...For real?"
"Of course. No lies—it's my honest truth."
She took my hand. Then suddenly yanked it, placing it on her chest.
"Kartellis...!? What the—!!!"
"Shh."
It happened so fast I froze in shock, but she kept my hand gripped firmly in place.
"Don't panic—feel it, Creator."
It was embarrassing doing this in public, with people around... but
I closed my eyes as she asked, focusing on the sensation at my fingertips.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The pulsing rhythm traveled up my fingers.
Strong. And so fast.
Her heartbeat racing.
"Open your eyes, Creator."
At her soft plea, I cautiously opened them to see her face—and those golden eyes gazing at me, brimming with desire.
"Words can't explain it all. That's why I'm showing you."
She pulled my hand even tighter, adding one more thing.
"This is how much I love you, Creator."