This time, the game didn't overplay the romance between the male and female leads, but instead left most of the detailed content to the members of the [League of the Disqualified], driving the plot forward through the protagonist's interactions with them and their heartwarming daily lives.
Instead, it made Hirozawa Furukawa feel incredibly comfortable.
These guys, who seemed strange and had already lost their qualification as humans, came together because of their shared loneliness, just like a real family.
Although they each had their own shortcomings, they could get along harmoniously and think of each other.
This kind of spending a large amount of space to depict supporting characters, especially male supporting characters, almost never happens in galgames.
But in "Blanket Man", everything is so natural.
Even because the screen time of this group of people increased, it filled in many emotional blanks, making Hirozawa Furukawa feel for the first time—
These people seem to be alive.
But the story took a sharp turn, completely beyond Hirozawa Furukawa's expectations.
The fire that Kohi had been accumulating in her body for a long time had already led to multiple organ failure, and it was estimated that she wouldn't live much longer.
He saw this scene and felt his scalp go numb.
Baka!
Ishino Mika!
You really aren't human!
The story, which was still warm and comfortable just a moment ago, why did it start stabbing the heart so quickly?
Damn it!
Who is the scriptwriter for this?
The stab came so suddenly, yet so naturally.
The story was so warm and comfortable just a moment ago, how did it start dishing out the misery so quickly?
Damn it!
Who is the scriptwriter for this?
It was such a sudden, yet natural, twist of the knife.
For some reason, Furukawa Hirozawa saw the shadow of Kogahara Tsubakiaki.
When they saw Kohi lying in agony on the floor mat, his whole body soaked with sweat from weakness, everyone couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.
This included Furukawa Hirozawa, who was playing the game.
Although he was the one controlling the game, he was experiencing everything just like the Blanket Man.
His good friend was going to die...
Even though it wasn't the heroine, it was still heartbreakingly cruel.
"Let's take him to the hospital; it's too painful otherwise," Blanket Man suggested.
"We can't take him to the hospital," Angel resisted firmly. "Kohi will be taken away for dissection and research."
But... if they didn't take him to the hospital, Kohi would definitely die.
In the end, everyone left the choice up to Kohi himself.
Kohi coughed up specks of ash, then slowly shook his head, saying with difficulty, "No, I don't want to go to the hospital. I don't want to leave you all, and I certainly don't want to be used as some weird experiment after I die. Actually, death doesn't scare me."
There was one thing Kohi didn't say: what truly terrified him was not being able to see Fireworks again.
Fireworks in every sense of the word.
At night, the male protagonist couldn't sleep; his mind was constantly filled with thoughts of Kohi.
In the cold wind, through the window, he saw Fireworks Girl sitting on a swing in the small park outside, looking melancholy.
"Fireworks?"
Blanket Man, Shun Uesugi, appeared to be the most scatterbrained of them all, but he was also the one who cared for others the most.
In the moonlight, Blanket Man had a conversation with Fireworks, comforting her.
In reality, everyone could see that Fireworks liked Kohi, and Kohi had always liked her too.
Now that Kohi was dying, Fireworks looked at everything with hollow eyes.
Tears flowed into the night.
Playing to this point, Hirozawa Furukawa felt unbearably heartbroken, even wanting to stop right there, afraid to continue.
However, thinking about it carefully, this had always been P Corporation's style.
It was just that in the past, they would wait until the grand finale to break the players' hearts, but this time they moved it to the beginning.
Damn it, which genius came up with this idea?
After finishing this game, I'm definitely going to ruthlessly scold the scriptwriter.
Of course, the producer deserves to be scolded even more; not only scold them, but I'll send them razor blades too!
Ishino Mika, well done!
Hirozawa Furukawa gritted his teeth hard and continued with the game.
***
Kohi's condition was getting worse by the day. At first, it was just blindness, and the ashes he coughed up weren't that severe. But as time went on, his cheeks sank in at a visible rate, and he grew weaker and weaker.
When the Blanket Man took off his clothes to wipe his body, he discovered that Kohi's entire torso had become like charred coal.
Only the area around his heart still had flesh attached.
It was like a furnace on the verge of extinguishing, with only a few lingering embers of warmth remaining.
Damn it...
It's too damn cruel...
"Blanket Man" is truly a work created by a devil.
Hirozawa Furukawa could already feel the deep malice from both the producer and the scriptwriter.
Following P Corporation's usual style, although they would break your heart, even killing off the heroine, the "stabbing" process was usually very fast, completed in almost an instant.
In "Onmyoji", the female protagonist's sacrifice is depicted in at most 20 seconds.
As for "The Entropic Man", it could be said that it was Kogahara Tsubakiaki's mercy; no matter how unsatisfying the ending was, he wouldn't show the gruesome details of the character's death.
But now, "Blanket Man" not only depicts the details vividly but also prolongs the entire process.
Cruel!
It's just too cruel!
Even though he is a male supporting character, he can still make you empathize through extreme, vivid rendering.
Even as he played to the end, Furukawa Hirozawa didn't dare to continue, only hoping for Kohi to be released from his suffering quickly.
Such a tragic life, with no dignity or quality to speak of, would be better off ending in a blaze of glory.
If it weren't for his friends, perhaps Kohi would have long since chosen the same path as Furukawa Hirozawa.
Yet, he still forced himself to go on every day, bringing joy to those around him.
***
At night, Fireworks Girl took Kohi to swing in the park.
Not far away were the lights of thousands of homes and the sound of flowing water.
Although the river wasn't depicted in the scene, Hirozawa Furukawa could imagine it just by hearing the sound.
The soothing, beautiful music of Atsushi Shirakawa began to play slowly.
In such a night, it seemed so moving.
Just then, a firework rose in the distance.
It bloomed brilliantly like the glow of sunset, splashing colors onto their faces.
"Wow, it's fireworks!" Fireworks Girl pointed at the sky.
"Really?" Even though he couldn't see anything, Kohi still tilted his head up.
Fireworks Girl smiled slightly, hugged his head with her hands, and turned his face toward where the fireworks were rising.
Whoosh—pop!
The sound of the fireworks.
Kohi said with a smile, "I love it, I love fireworks so much."
Fireworks Girl froze for a moment, tears streaming down quickly, "Me too."
Damn it...
Seeing this, Hirozawa Furukawa couldn't help but raise his finger to wipe the corner of his eye.
Fireworks was stunned for a moment, tears streaming down quickly. "Me too."
Damn it...
Seeing this, Furukawa Hirozawa couldn't help but raise his finger to wipe the corner of his eye.
These two sentences are clearly a double entendre.
But at the very least, for them, the process of mutual confession has been completed.
It's moving enough to die for.
"I've figured it out," Fireworks said.
"Hm?"
"You don't have to worry about our feelings so much. Instead of living in such pain, it's better to bloom like fireworks—even if it's fleeting, it's still brilliant."
Kohi didn't speak, the starlight in his eyes drowned by tears.
"You've always wanted to know what I look like, haven't you?"
The Fireworks Girl suddenly stood up and said to Kohi with a smile.
"Hm? What do you mean?"
The rhythm of the BGM gradually accelerated, like a heartbeat.
What was playing here was "Hanabi," specially written for them by Jun Maeda.
Soon, Kohi immediately realized what the Fireworks Girl meant, so he hurriedly supported his body to stand up, waving his hands in the air.
"No, don't... I don't want to see, I don't like fireworks!"
"I hate fireworks the most, I don't want to see what you look like!"
What?
Just at this moment, Furukawa Hirozawa's heart gave a heavy jolt.
He suddenly remembered that in this world, after losing his sight, the only things Kohi had ever seen were the fireworks set off by the Fireworks Girl.
What?
At this very moment, Hirozawa Furukawa's heart gave a heavy thud.
He suddenly remembered that in this world, after losing his sight, the only thing Kohi had ever seen were the fireworks set off by the Fireworks Girl.
Fate had thrown a boomerang at them.
Damn it!
Stabbing me right here!
But Hirozawa Furukawa could no longer stop what was happening.
The Fireworks Girl had a brilliant smile on her face, and although tears hung from the corners of her eyes, at this moment, her entire face was illuminated by the fireworks in the sky.
"Kohi. For fireworks, if there is no fire in this world, they lose their meaning."
"It's the same for me."
"I can finally embrace you!"
Immediately after, the Fireworks Girl smiled and lunged at him.
Bang!
The sound of a heartbeat.
Kohi was embraced by her.
A flame ignited at the point where their bodies touched, racing up along the Fireworks Girl's arms.
Bang!
In the darkness, a firework ascended.
Then another one followed...
Fireworks ignited one after another, overlapping to form a colorful pattern in the sky.
It was the image of the Fireworks Girl.
"So beautiful~"
The voice of a young child came from the night sky.
The music stopped abruptly.
Kohi knelt on the spot, holding a handful of ashes.
As the night wind blew, they scattered and danced like starlight...
The fireworks were gone.
***
"Fireworks is gone."
Hirozawa Furukawa was completely stunned by this plot twist.
It took him a few seconds to react, his fingers trembling slightly as he gripped the controller.
Nani?!
Fireworks is gone?
Damn it, he originally thought Pokeni only wanted to kill off Kohi, but he didn't expect them to kill Fireworks before Kohi.
My Fireworks...
Hirozawa clutched his chest, feeling a sharp pain.
Such a wonderful girl.
Gone just like that.
He didn't know what other players were thinking, but right now he had the urge to stab the producer and the scriptwriter.
***
However...
Reflecting on the pain, after a long while, Furukawa Hirozawa readjusted his mindset.
Regardless, at least the male and female leads were still alive, and things were developing quite well for the Blanket Man and the Hedgehog Girl.
"Please, at least let this couple be safe, I beg of you."
***
However, the subsequent plot could only be described as spiraling out of control.
Although they had each left letters and phone messages for their families to inform them, the police still tracked them down.
The Hedgehog Girl's family was so worried about her that they had called the police.
The group fled in a panic, but Angel and the terminally ill Kohi were captured.
Only the Blanket Man and the Hedgehog Girl managed to evade capture, and they hid in an abandoned, unfinished building in the suburbs.
"What do we do?" Minami Hyuga, the Hedgehog Girl, looked ashen.
She couldn't believe something like this had happened.
She didn't even dare to think about the problems they would face in the future.
What should they do?
This was exactly what Furukawa Hirozawa wanted to ask as well.
***
At night, on a cold night, Hedgehog Girl was shivering from the cold, curled up in a corner with her lips trembling continuously.
She kept muttering strange things in her sleep.
"No, I'm not a hedgehog. I don't want to be with you."
Blanket Man was stunned for a moment. Upon hearing these words, his heart was deeply stung.
However, just as he was about to turn and leave, he glanced at the freezing Minami Hyuga and his heart ultimately softened.
He lay down beside Hedgehog Girl and wrapped her in his blanket.
After a while, Minami Hyuga stopped shivering.
But she still seemed immersed in a nightmare, her small eyebrows trembling.
She reached out and hugged Shun Uesugi.
Blanket Man shuddered, then he lowered his head and rested his chin on Minami Hyuga's forehead.
"So cold," said Blanket Man.
"So warm," said Hedgehog Girl.
***
Early the next morning, when Blanket Man woke up, sunlight was streaming in through the empty, windowless openings of the unfinished building.
The entire floor and walls were washed in white.
The composition of this scene was split into two classic parts: only one wall cast a shadow that enveloped Hedgehog and the blanket, while everything else was stark white.
It was painful to the eyes.
Blanket Man, Shun Uesugi, looked around; outside, the world was covered in snow.
It was a scene of desolation, and a sense of sorrow couldn't help but well up within him.
From the two of them living together, relying on each other, to later becoming five—a picture of family harmony.
And now, back to just the two of them.
Memories flitted by bit by bit, the laughter and joy of the past replaying like a carousel.
Playing up to this point, Hirozawa Furukawa felt only endless heartache.
In this world, Hedgehog Girl and Blanket Man were already the last remaining "disqualified" ones.
"It's okay," Hedgehog Girl said, appearing extremely strong. Although there was some sadness, she quickly brushed the emotion aside. "We've always lived this way anyway. No one has to rely on anyone else; no one can't live without someone else."
"Those who have once entered your life will also leave in the same way. That is life."
Blanket Man stirred.
[When I heard the Hedgehog say these words, I didn't feel a shred of warmth from her.
On the contrary, that pretense of indifference, born out of a fear of loss, was actually heartbreaking.
From her, I read only sorrow.
But, I suppose that's just how the Hedgehog is.
Even if covered in wounds, she would never show it, let alone beg for pity.
She can only arm herself with the quills all over her body to cover up that soft heart of hers.
I know, Hedgehog.
You are actually kinder than anyone else.
Even though I thought this, I opened my mouth, but in the end, I still didn't say those words out loud.]
"Blanket, let's live our lives well."
The Hedgehog turned around and gave Shun Uesugi a bright smile.
The sunlight happened to fall on her face, making her smile look bright and radiant.
"Now it's just the two of us left."
"No, just the two of us disqualified people left."
***
Seeing this, Furukawa Hirozawa felt his heart settle slightly, even though he was furious.
At least the male and female protagonists were still there. The future might be difficult; in fact, Furukawa Hirozawa couldn't even imagine how they would manage to survive, how they would evade capture, or how they would avoid being discovered.
But at least they still had a positive and optimistic mindset.
Please, don't let anything else go wrong...
That night, Blanket Man returned to their [Home] with a wild rabbit.
Moonlight shone onto the concrete floor, revealing it to be covered in bloodstains.
With a thud, the rabbit in Blanket Man's hand dropped to the floor.
Moonlight poured in through a gap, like a thin veil shrouding a corner of the room.
Hedgehog Girl lay in a pool of blood, her arm hanging limply at her side. Her exposed half-body—her hands, abdomen, legs... were completely covered in blood.
And in her other hand, she held a silver pair of tweezers.
The white quills that should have been growing on her body were scattered to the side, piled densely, and gleaming with a white luster in the moonlight.
Furukawa Hirozawa: ...???
Seeing this scene made his scalp tingle.
Baka!
Ishino Mika! You are truly inhuman!
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