[Route: Rika Tachibana | Affection: 61% → 69%]
[Trust Tier 2 – Stability Moderate | Emotional Conflict: Escalating]
[Warning: Route Divergence Approaching – Future Player Choices Will Lock Path]
The mural was almost done.
After four days of sweat, paint, windburn, and awkward silences, the rooftop had transformed into something sacred.
It wasn't just a school project anymore.
It was hers.
And somehow, also ours.
The skyline had become a sea of emotion. The sky bled with violet streaks. The faceless figure in the center—hands extended, trembling—no longer felt like it was falling.
It was flying.
And maybe, somewhere beneath the pigment, so was Rika.
[Wednesday – Early Morning | Rooftop Mural Site]
[Weather: Overcast]
[Trigger: "Last Stroke" – Heroine Route Event]
She arrived before me.
When I got there, she was already holding the final brush.
The moment she saw me, her hand paused midair.
Then she turned back to the wall and said:
"I want you to finish it."
I blinked. "What?"
"The last stroke. I want it to be yours."
"I'm not—"
"You were here. Every day. You helped build this. So it's yours, too."
Her voice was soft. But there was something else there.
Something sharp.
Like this was her way of saying goodbye—before she ran.
[System Alert: Emotional Displacement Detected – Defense Mechanism Active]
I stepped forward, brush in hand.
The color was a deep navy. The same hue we'd used for the sky's lower edge.
I dipped the bristles, placed them to the wall—and slowly swept a single curved arc below the figure's foot.
A shadow.
Anchoring it to the ground.
Not flying.
Rising.
Rika stepped back and stared.
Then she whispered:
"You didn't draw wings."
"I didn't need to."
She looked at me.
And this time, she didn't look away.
[System Update: Affection +4 | Emotional Clarity Rising]
[After School – Library Office | Time: 17:20]
[Optional Scene: "The Curtain Call"]
She appeared without knocking.
Just slid the door open and stepped in, hoodie draped loosely over her uniform, sketchpad hugged to her chest like a shield.
I looked up from my desk. "You okay?"
"No," she said bluntly. "But I will be."
She crossed to the window and leaned against it.
"Do you know why I agreed to the mural?"
"Because you didn't want anyone else ruining the wall?"
She smirked. "Also true."
Then, quieter:
"But mostly… because I was afraid."
I turned in my chair.
"Afraid of what?"
"That if I didn't give myself a reason to care about something—anything—I'd disappear again."
The words hit me harder than I expected.
"I'm not good at existing," she said. "Not like the others. Hina? Airi? Even Mikasa? They're alive. People notice them."
She tapped her sketchpad.
"This is how I survive. Through things that can't argue or betray me. Through control."
"And I'm guessing I don't fit into that system."
She gave a breath of amusement.
"No. You're a virus. You ruin all my variables."
Then—softly:
"And I don't want you to stop."
[System Log: Emotional Submission Flag Detected – Heroine is Letting You In]
"I think about you more than I should," she admitted.
"I draw you. Even when I try not to."
She approached slowly.
"Last night, I dreamed about your painting."
"The one you made?"
I nodded. "Yeah?"
"It was moving. Like… the colors were alive. Swirling. Crashing into each other. And in the middle—was me."
She laughed under her breath.
"I was drowning. But I didn't want to be saved."
[System Critical Trigger: Desire Conflict | Heroine Emotion Surpassing Comfort Zone]
Rika looked up.
"I don't know what this is. Or what I want it to become. But if you keep standing there…"
She stopped.
I stepped closer.
"If I keep standing here…?"
Her eyes met mine. Bare. Fragile. Afraid.
"Then I might not be able to stop myself."
[Emotional Sync Event Initiated – Heroine Voluntary Vulnerability Accepted]
[Player Action Required: Comfort | Confess | Deflect]
Selected: Comfort
I stepped closer, gently cupping her hand.
"You don't have to stop."
She shivered.
Then leaned into me, head on my shoulder. Her sketchpad slipped from her grasp.
"I'm scared of needing people," she whispered.
"I know."
"But right now… I need you."
[System: Intimacy Layer Unlocked – Emotional Affection Tier Achieved (Rika Tachibana)]
[Passive Bonus: Heroine Will Now Prioritize Player Presence]
[Evening – Dorm Courtyard | 21:00]
[Scene: "Under the Orange Tree" – Optional Character Growth Event]
Later that night, we met again.
No texts.
Just… ended up at the same place. An old orange tree by the edge of the dorm courtyard. The petals had started falling. She stood beneath them, hair loose, expression unreadable.
"You've changed since I met you," she said.
"Because of you."
She frowned. "Don't say that."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want to be someone's turning point. I want to be… me. Even if it's hard to understand."
"You're not a turning point, Rika."
"You're a whole goddamn story."
She blinked.
Then—for the first time—blushed.
A full, honest, unfiltered blush.
She turned away quickly.
"…I hate you."
"No, you don't."
She turned back.
And kissed me.
Quick. Quiet. Like testing gravity.
When she pulled back, her breath trembled.
"…Okay. Maybe I don't."
[System Log: Affection 69% → 78% | First Kiss Flag – Rika Tachibana Route]
[Emotional Sync Maintained | Heroine Now Actively Seeks Player Presence]
[Warning: Route Lock Approaching – Heroine Bond Priority Rising]
[Later – Observatory Rooftop | 23:10]
[Scene: "The Still Frame"]
We ended up at the observatory again.
Just us. City lights below. Silence above.
Rika lay beside me, sketching lazily in her book. I watched the stars. Neither of us spoke for a long time.
Then she said, "If this were an eroge…"
"It is."
"…Then I'd probably be the loner route."
"Maybe."
"But what if… I don't want to be the background heroine anymore?"
I turned toward her.
"Then be the main one."
She stared at me.
Then, quietly: "I'm scared I'll disappoint you."
I smiled. "You already have."
She flinched.
"But that's why I like you."
She blinked.
"Because you're human. Not a painting. Not a perfect mask. Just you."
Rika stared at me like she couldn't decide whether to punch me or kiss me again.
She settled for resting her head on my chest.
"Don't say dumb things like that."
"But they're true."
"…Say them again later."
"I will."