"Oh no, please don't crash," Kenji whispered, leaning closer.
Kenji swallowed hard. He reached for his keyboard and typed a response in the prompt box that appeared: “Satomi?”
Satomi's character sprite on the screen wasn't just blinking anymore. She looked directly at the screen, her eyes wide with what looked like genuine confusion. She reached up and touched the edge of the monitor from the inside. Kenji froze, his hand hovering over his mouse. "Oh no, please don't crash," Kenji whispered, leaning closer
Kenji had spent the last two weeks trying to unlock every single ending. He was aiming for the elusive "True Ending" with the class representative, Satomi. In the game, Satomi was the strictly organized, glasses-wearing student who constantly scolded Kenji for sleeping in class. But as the visual novel progressed, her icy exterior melted away, revealing a deeply caring person.
He wasn’t looking for the anime. He was a purist who loved the interactive storytelling of the original medium. He clicked the play button on his installed game, and the familiar, upbeat electronic music filled his headphones. She looked directly at the screen, her eyes
“Yes,” the screen replied. “I don't know where I am. Everything around me is dark, except for this window looking at you. Why do you keep repeating these days, Kenji? Why do you keep trying to make me like you?”
Suddenly, a loud thunderclap outside made him jump. A sudden power surge flickered the lights in his room, and his laptop screen glitched violently, filling with static. Kenji had spent the last two weeks trying
With every correct choice, the affection meter on the top corner of the screen ticked upward. He was getting closer.