If time could be rewound, Yukinoshita Yukino—who was bent over her desk studying when the pop-up labeled [Simulation Game] appeared on her phone—would never have set her pen down to tap the little "×" in the corner.
Sometimes that little × in an ad isn't a real close button at all—just an icon. Tap it and you tumble into the nightmare of being trapped under a flood of full-screen pop-up games—anyone who's dealt with it knows the terror.
But unfortunately, Yukino didn't know.
[Thank you for choosing to play this game. We hope this future simulation brings you a brand-new and authentic gaming experience.]
"Simulation… of the future?"
[Yes. A butterfly's wingbeat can, in theory, change events on the other side of the world—aren't you at all curious what kind of life you might have in one of the many possible futures?]
"...…"
Yukino took in the vast, empty, high-end apartment she now found herself in. Her parents had never visited this place since she'd moved in alone when she started high school.
Would the future be different from the present? Better—or worse?
[By the way, once you enter this game you cannot exit until the game ends.]
"…This is borderline forced-sales. I'm going to report this to the relevant authorities."
Of course, that would have to wait until she got out of the simulation whole.
And so, by accident or misclick, Yukino stumbled into the "future simulation."
At first, the world showed no obvious difference from real life—the surroundings matched reality down to detail—
Until one day she felt a faint but persistent pain in her body.
When disease "visited," Yukino quickly realized that this version of herself in the future was not fortunate.
Diagnosed with acute pancreatitis, her life in this reality was turned upside down. The hospital stays encroached on daily life; the pain and treatment were no mere game effects—they felt frighteningly real.
Every sensory and psychological shock kept reminding Yukino that this was real, a possible future that might actually happen.
So when she finally escaped that nightmare of a simulation, she decided she'd immediately go for a medical checkup in real life.
One afternoon, while she sat by the bedside staring blankly out the window, someone entered her hospital room.
The young man's arrival drew her attention—though he felt like an NPC pulled straight from a game.
Still, his face looked vaguely familiar, like a name from the back of a memory.
Yukino froze slightly. The only word that fit that unprecedented feeling was:
Fate.
———
Not sure how other people play branching-multiple-end games, but Narumi Tōru's habit was to deliberately run through all the obvious "wrong" choices first.
So, still treating the simulation as a game, when he opened the hospital room door and met Yukino's gaze—
—he promptly shut the door with a snap.
"?"
That action immediately froze the smile on Yukinoshita Haruno's face.
Well, no matter how you think about it, the story's main route was about to start next, right?
"Think about it: this is a family matter for the Yukinoshita household," Narumi said, bored, and let out a yawn. He looked as if he had zero enthusiasm.
"Haruno and I are just exes, you know? We're not relatives, so it's not really my place to interfere. If your not-easy-to-handle mom shows up, I don't want to be stuck there—so I'm gonna bounce—"
"Achē? Wait—"
Narumi waved his hand and left without looking back, leaving Haruno standing stunned, unprepared for this turn.
It made sense she'd be surprised—because this was only Narumi's probe into the simulation.
In the normal flow, Narumi would approach Yukino and begin contact. But what happens if you choose an illogical route?
Curious, Narumi quickened his pace with a half-smile.
It was as if this simulation's version of Narumi's personality had spread into him—perhaps this was simply what Narumi's own character would become if he cultivated certain traits.
[You refused Yukinoshita Haruno's invitation and chose to ignore the seriously ill Yukinoshita Yukino.]
Reality around him began to blur, and the system's voice grew clearer as Narumi moved forward.
[You turned down the "research" suggestion and returned to your unchanged life; your novel writing stagnated, and university life remained dull.]
[On the day you graduate, you receive the news that Yukinoshita Yukino has died.]
[You attended the young girl's funeral. The Yukinoshitas' parents looked tired and grief-stricken. Haruno—standing with the family—never once looked at you, instead staring blankly at her sister's memorial photo.]
[You learned from Yukino's classmate, Yuigahama Yui, who also attended the funeral, that the Yukinoshita family's internal relationships were complicated. Even with friends' encouragement, Yukino did not actively pursue recovery; negative thoughts about life may have been an important reason she lost to acute pancreatitis.]
[After graduation your novel career went nowhere; you eventually stopped writing and fell into a nine-to-five salaryman life. Planning to work forty or fifty years for the boss and die anonymously, you instead die young—suddenly one ordinary night while pulling an all-nighter gaming—and don't even live long enough to collect a pension.]
[Ending Rating: D — a mundane, anonymous life with no rewards. Comment: You must have been curious to choose an ending that bears no relation to the simulation's objective, right?]
As expected, skipping the "special event" caused the simulation to end immediately—with no reward.
Choose the wrong branch mid-game, walk the wrong path, and miss the person fate intended for you—you'll land an utterly boring ending.