??? POV:
I woke up to the sound of rustling leaves and distant chatter. A soft breeze brushed against my face, carrying the scent of cherry blossoms. It felt... peaceful. Too peaceful.
My body felt oddly light, as if I had been sleeping for days. As I slowly sat up, a faint headache pulsed at the back of my head. Something wasn't right. I didn't remember sleeping outside. I didn't remember much of... anything at all.
I looked around. I was sitting on a wooden bench in what seemed to be a school courtyard. Neatly trimmed hedges lined the walkways, and beyond them stood a grand school building—its white walls almost glowing under the sunset. Students in well-designed uniforms walked past me, chatting, laughing, completely at ease.
"Where... am I? What is this place?"
I glanced down at myself. My clothes were unfamiliar—a cleanly pressed school uniform with a neatly pinned name tag on my blazer.
Hoshino Kaito.
The name felt foreign, yet strangely natural. Like it was mine, but not at the same time.
A dull ache throbbed in my head as I tried to recall how I got here. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to focus. What was the last thing I remembered?
Darkness. A sudden, overwhelming darkness. No pain, no sounds—just an abrupt end.
Did I get into an accident? Am I dead? Am I reincarnated?
My breath hitched, but I forced myself to exhale slowly. Panicking wouldn't fix this. I needed answers.
I took a slow, shaky breath, forcing myself to stay calm. Okay... Let's examine things.
I checked my pockets and found a phone. It wasn't mine—or rather, it wasn't the phone I remembered owning. I pressed the power button. The screen lit up instantly reacting to my fingerprint, showing a perfectly organized home screen.
Strange.
I opened the contact list, hoping to find a familiar name. Scrolling down, I saw only a few saved numbers.
Mom, dad, Reina, and Fujimura Ren.
That name sent a jolt through my mind. I recognized it—but why? My fingers hesitated before tapping on the details. A simple profile picture, an ordinary number, nothing suspicious.
But something about it gnawed me.
I tried thinking harder. Who is Fujimura Ren? Why did his name feel important?
Then, like a dam breaking, the realization hit me.
Fujimura Ren is the protagonist of Love & Lies: Fateful Bonds.
A sharp chill ran down my spine. I stared at the phone screen, my grip tightening. A cold sweat running from my head.
This school. This uniform. That name...
My mind scrambled for more proof. I yanked my bag open, digging through the contents until I found a student handbook.
I flipped through the pages, my hands shaking slightly.
Shirakawa Academy A Prestigious School for Academic and Romantic Success!
"No, no, no, no!"
This is impossible. This is unreal...
But everything lined up.
This is Love & Lies: Fateful Bonds, a visual novel I really loved. A high school romance game with multiple routes and different endings. And somehow... I was in it.
Not as the protagonist.
Not as a love interest.
But as Hoshino Kaito—a side character. The protagonist's buddy. The guy who offered occasional comic relief and generic life advice before fading into the background.
I swallowed hard. If this really was that game, then that meant...
I flipped further through the student handbook, desperately searching. And then, there it was.
Shirakawa Academy's Prestigious Partnering System (PPS)
A ridiculous in-game rule that forced every student to be in a relationship by the first semester in their second year. If they didn't choose a partner in time, the school would randomly assign one to them using some sort of ticket like a gacha. If both person has the same number on their tickets, they will be in a relationship.
I let out a long, slow breath.
I have no idea how I got here.
But one thing was clear.
I needed to survive this game's story.
And if possible... avoid getting a bad ending...
I need more information.
Standing up from the bench, I dusted off my uniform and tried to blend in. If this really was the world of Love & Lies: Fateful Bonds, then everything should follow the logic of the game. Which meant...
I needed to find Fujimura Ren.
The protagonist usually ended his day by meeting his best friend—me—at the school gate. If the game followed its usual routine, I looked at the time on my phone.
He should be arriving right about now.
I made my way toward the front entrance, keeping my head low and listening to the students around me. Fragments of conversation drifted past—talk about weekend plans, upcoming tests, trivial gossip. Nothing seemed out of place.
Then I saw him.
A tall, slightly disheveled guy with dark brown hair, adjusting his bag strap as he walked toward the gate.
I hesitated. In the game, Fujimura was the kind of guy who attracted heroines without even trying—kind, dense, and somehow effortlessly cool. Talking to him might help me figure out where I stood in this world.
But before I could call out to him, another voice did.
"Ren! You're late again."
A familiar voice. My heart skipped a beat.
I turned toward the source and felt my stomach drop.
Sakuragi Ayane.
One of the main heroine of the game. The perfect student council president type. The girl Ren was supposed to fall in love with.
This is bad...
I wasn't ready to interact with the heroines yet. Not until I fully understood my role here.
I quickly changed direction. I needed to gather more information before getting involved with the main story.
And most importantly...
I needed to find a way to avoid triggering a bad ending.
With that thought in mind, I decided to explore the campus. If everything was designed like a visual novel, then the key locations should be exactly where I remembered them.
First stop, the library.
In the game, this was the place where players could find extra lore hidden in background dialogues. If I'm lucky, I might be able to overhear something useful.
I pushed open the heavy wooden doors and stepped inside. The faint scent of ink and aged paper filled my nose, a quiet hum of whispers lingering in the air created a peaceful atmosphere. I walked along the rows of bookshelves, keeping an ear out for any conversations that might hint at the current timeline.
A few students sat at the long wooden tables, flipping through textbooks and writing notes. As I moved closer, I picked up bits and pieces of their conversations.
"...Did you hear about the second-year pairing deadline? Only a few weeks left." (Girl A)
"I wonder if the school will actually force people into random pairings this year..." (Girl B)
"Last year's results were a mess. Some people didn't even last a week before breaking up." (Girl C)
So the partnering system was already a hot topic among the students. That meant I wasn't too far from the main events of the game.
I needed to confirm the exact date. If I could figure out how much time I had before the deadline, I could start planning my next steps.
I looked around to gather as much information as possible.
After a while, I was able to catch up a little with the lore of this game. I remembered that the deadline before the force-pairing is the 1st of May.
There's only two weeks left before the force pairing happen.
"Shit... Is there anything I can do?"
I hope my pair won't be pain in the ass, I can only pray...
I decided to leave the library.
Just as I was about to leave, a familiar voice spoke up from behind me.
"Kaito? What are you doing here?"
I turned around and saw Fujimura standing there, his usual laid-back expression was replaced with mild surprise.
"I've been waiting for you at the gate you know?"
"I saw you running away near the gate."
Crap, I wasn't ready for this.
I forced a casual chuckle. "Ahahah, Fujimura! Sorry, I saw Sakuragi-san calling you, so I thought you'll walk home with her. "
"Huh? Fujimura?" He tilted his head.
"What? Your name is not Fujimura?"
"No... I mean yeah, but you always call me Ren, right? Why are you calling me by my surname? Do you perhaps hate me now?!"
"C-calm down jeez... I forgot I had to call you by your name."
"Did you hit your head or something?"
"No, everything is fine. I'm just... Adapting."
"Adapting?"
"I-it's nothing! So, why don't you go home with Sakuragi-san?"
"Ah right, Listen about this Kaito..."
"Ayane suddenly gave me this letter, what do you think about it?"
"Hoho~ is it a love letter?" I teased.
"From Ayane? Hah, that's funny."
"Then read it. I want to know what's inside."
Ren hesitated but finally opened the letter. His eyes scanned trough the whole letter, his expression appears to be confused. He handed it to me.
I took the letter and read it silently.
Fujimura Ren, meet me at the old student council room after school tomorrow. There's something important I need to discuss with you.
— Sakuragi Ayane.
I gave him the letter back.
He tapped the folded letter against his palm, looking at me expectantly.
"So, what do you think?"
"Honestly? This is weird. In the game, she never sent letters like this."
I scratched my head.
"Wait, 'in the game'?" Ren gave me a confused look.
"Uh—never mind! What I mean is, it's kinda suspicious, right? Why be so secretive?"
"That's what I was thinking too. I mean, she's always been direct, so why a letter all of a sudden?" Ren sighed.
"Maybe she's nervous?" I grinned.
"Imagine if this actually was a love confession."
"Yeah, no. There's no way she's confessing to a person like me." Ren sighed.
"So, are you going?" I laughed.
"Well, I kinda have to now, don't I?"
He looked at me again.
"You're coming, right?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'll be there. Gotta make sure you don't get roped into anything crazy." I wave my hand dismissively.
"Somehow, I feel like you'd be the one causing trouble." Ren chuckled.
"Me? I'm just a normal student trying to survive this place."
"Right." Ren smirked.
"Well, let's go home then?"
I nod.
Sigh... This situation was getting more unusual by the second. What if things kept diverging from the original game's events? What exactly am I getting myself into?
As we walked, Ren opened another conversation.
"what do you think she wants?" Ren rubbed the back of his neck.
I crossed my arms, deep in thought. In the game, Ayane wasn't the type to send letters like this, unless... She's planning for something.
"Did you do something to her?"
"I don't think so?"
"She's your childhood friend right? Try recall anything."
"Hmm..." Ren thinking for a while.
"Nope, I don't think I made her angry or sad." He shakes his head.
"I'm guessing there's connection with the pairing system."
"The pairing system huh?" Ren sighed.
"But hey, at least it's not a dramatic and cliché love confession, right?" I smirked.
"Hahah, true."
Not long after, we separate our ways and right now I'm thinking about everything that happened.
Hmm, so this is a reality huh? I guess I'll just try my best living as Hoshino Kaito now.
...
Wait—where do I live again?
I stopped in my tracks, looking around as if expecting an answer to magically appear. My mind raced, trying to recall any details about Hoshino Kaito's home, but nothing came up.
I sighed, there's only one way to find out. I pulled out my phone. If this was really my reality now, then maybe the easiest solution was just to call my 'mom'.
I hesitated for a moment before tapping on the contact labeled 'Mom'. The phone rang a few times before a gentle, familiar voice answered.
"Kacchan? Is everything alright?"
"Ah, yeah! Just... heading home. I, uh, just forgot something. Where do we live again?"
I forced a nervous chuckle, hoping it didn't sound too weird.
A brief silence. Then, I heard a soft laugh.
"Oh, Kacchan, you must be exhausted from school. We live in the Aoyama district, dear. Did you forget the way?"
"Yeah, just a little tired, I guess..."
"Ara~ Thanks for your hardwork today Kacchan. I made you your favorite dish today. We'll wait for you okay?"
"Okay, thanks Mom. I'll be home soon."
After ending the call, I let out a sigh of relief. That was close. At least now I knew where to go.
I started walking again, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling in my gut. Everything about this world felt real—too real. The scent of the evening air, the distant sound of students chatting, the warmth of the setting sun against my skin... it was nothing like playing a game.
If I was truly stuck here, I needed to take things seriously.
As I navigated through familiar yet unfamiliar streets, a thought crossed my mind—what if the story didn't follow the original route at all? What if Ayane's letter was just the beginning of something entirely new?
I need to be ready for whatever came next..