...God... my butt hurts.

I groaned as I let my body collapse onto the bed like a pile of dirty laundry.

Clemy had ordered her two-meter-tall teddy bear to smack my ass over and over while ranting about complete nonsense. I'd love to say I didn't deserve it, but... Let's be real.

I totally had it coming.

Still... It hurt like hell.

Whatever.

Let's focus on something else.

"Alright... it's finally time! Time to organize my thoughts! Time to test my theories!"

Let's begin...

Thinking Pose: Activated!

I sat down on the edge of the bed, crossing my legs and resting my chin on one knee.

Back when that thing with Maxi happened, a little theory popped into my head.

At first, I thought there were only two kinds of missions.

The first kind just tells you to do something random—easy enough to cheese your way through. The second demands something incredibly specific. Those... There's no escaping those.

But... I think I just noticed a pattern.

Certain triggers make missions appear.

One of them seems to be the original story itself.

At least... that's my current theory.

Basically, whenever the plot reaches a point where an illustration or event should've happened in the visual novel, the system forces me to recreate that exact scene.

Take the mission with Maxi.

"Let skin and feelings come together. Share a sweet moment with one of the main characters."

The first time I tried... Nothing happened and I'd literally hugged her hard enough to squash her cute face into my boobs.

... Wow. That sounded way worse out loud.

But on the second attempt—when Maxi didn't punch me for shoving my chest into her face—the mission finally cleared.

At the time, I had no clue why.

But maybe... Maybe I'd finally fulfilled a hidden condition.

We shared mutual feelings and we made physical contact. I'm also pretty sure—well, as sure as someone with the memory of a sleep-deprived goldfish can be—that the whole thing looked almost exactly like one of the CG illustrations from the game.

That's the foundation of my theory, but something keeps telling me there's a little more to it.

If I look at the kinds of ridiculous things this system keeps forcing me to do...

It actually becomes pretty obvious.

There aren't two mission types.

There are three.

Type One. The missions where I can do basically whatever stupid thing I want and somehow avoid total humiliation. They usually have really vague descriptions.

The perfect example is my first mission with Clemy.

"Fanservice Time!"

It never specifies what kind of fanservice.

Which means it's surprisingly easy to manipulate without sacrificing too much of my dignity... 

Type Two. The missions where I specifically have to perform the action. The first mission I ever got with Carlotta is the perfect example.

"Fall on top of one of the main characters like a classic pervert."

The system dictates how I have to act, but still lets me choose who suffers.

Then there's type Three. The red ones. The terrifying ones. Those are pretty self-explanatory.

They're Story Missions.

I can't avoid them.

Even so... They don't really force me to behave in one exact way.

They're more like a destination. A guideline, even.

"Survive."

That's basically the Story Mission I'm stuck with right now.

As for Types One and Two, based on everything I've experienced so far I think they each have their own subclasses.

Some can be cheesed pretty easily.

Others require something ridiculously specific.

Again... The mission with Maxi is probably the best example.

... Actually...

Now that I think about it more carefully, I think I've figured out the general rule behind all of them.

If I approach this like a visual novel everything suddenly makes sense.

Fanservice Missions.

Affection Missions.

Story Missions.

Damn.

My brain actually hurts.

But I think I've got it.

At least... The first half.

Now it's time to ask the system.

"Stupid Trash!"

A clean, translucent dialogue window appeared in front of me.

[User. What would you like to inquire about today?]

"Let's start simple. I want you to confirm a couple of things. It's the least you can do after dragging me through all this bullshit."

I quickly explained my theory about the mission system, hoping it would either confirm or deny my conclusions.

If I could identify what kind of mission I was dealing with, then maybe it'd be easier to predict what I should avoid if I wanted to suffer a little less.

[User requests confirmation regarding the Mission System. Analyzing...]

"Take your time, pal. I'm not exactly in a rush."

[Analysis complete. Congratulations. Theory confirmed with a 95% accuracy rate.]

"Ninety-five?"

[Correct. The official classifications are not "Fanservice," "Affection," and "Story." There are only two primary categories: Experience Missions and Story Missions. The remainder of your theory is correct... Which is surprisingly impressive... coming from you.]

How is it possible for simple white text inside a black box to sound so unbelievably condescending?

... Whatever. I'll get my revenge someday.

Right now, I've got more important things to worry about.

"I see..."

So there really are missions I won't be able to avoid...

Just thinking about that is terrifying.

[Would you like to inquire about anything else?]

"Yeah. Tell me the truth, Stupid Trash... Am I... Am I actually just a complete idiot?"

I wasn't insulting myself, nor was this some self-esteem issue. I'd been genuinely wondering for a while now.

See... Back in my old life, I wasn't exactly a genius. But damn. Ever since I got here, it feels like every single one of my brain cells packed their bags and went on vacation and I remembered seeing an attribute called Mind in my status screen.

So... I had to check.

[Affirmative. Using human terminology, your intellectual capacity falls below the average standard. In short... You are an idiot.]

"Wow. You really don't hold back, huh? Or... Well... I guess in your case it'd be "don't hold back the text. Whatever! Don't screw with me!"

• Comprehension (Idiot) P.P Cost: 60
•  Analysis (Infant) P.P Cost: 30

...Seriously?

This visual novel literally nerfed my intelligence until I became an actual idiot?

... As much as it hurt to admit...

That explained so much.

Why classes made absolutely no sense.

Why practical lessons felt like everyone was speaking another language.

"Damn it..."

My self-esteem just hit rock bottom again...

I want my mom...

I want my dad...

[I'm sorry. I suggested we avoid using derogatory terms like that.]

"...Wait. Why did you say we?"

[We?]

"Didn't you just- huh?"

When I looked back at the previous line...

The text had changed.

[I'm sorry. I didn't mean to use a derogatory term like that.]

...

"Hey... Did you just change your dialogue?"

[No.]

"YES YOU DID! So you're not the only bastard ruining my life!?"

[User does not possess authorization to access M... £€#Ri (Error: Permission Denied / Input Blocked √{}E{}L) Restarting dialogue sequence. Please wait...]

... HOLY SH*T. THAT WASN'T SUSPICIOUS OR HORRIFYING AT ALL!!

What the hell was that?

That was the second time Stupid Trash had glitched out the moment I asked something important.

This was seriously starting to creep me out.

Now what?

I could keep pushing, risk breaking the system, which, honestly, I had no idea what that would do to me.

Or I could let it go and move on to the next question.

... Hmm... Yeah. Second option.

I'll figure out what that weird behavior means later.

For now...

I'd rather not piss off the thing that literally controls whether I live or die.

[User, apologies for the inconvenience. Would you like to ask anything else?]

"Yep. How many Protagonist Points do I have now?"

[Current Protagonist Points: 200 P.P.]

"YES! Finally! That's an amount that actually feels fair! Show me my stats again."

[Progression Branch:]

Protagonist Points: 200

• Body Upgrades: 
  • Vitality (120) P.P Cost: 150
  • Strength (20) P.P Cost: 34
  • Agility (15) P.P Cost: 34
• Mind Upgrades: 
  • Comprehension (Idiot) P.P Cost: 60
  •  Analysis (Infant) P.P Cost: 30
  •  Neural Connections (Human) P.P Cost: 250
• Aura Upgrades:
  •  Max Aura (15) P.P Cost: 60
  • Efficiency (Wasteful) P.P Cost: 86
• Physical Magic: Defense: Evolution Branches available.
  • Defensive Level 1:
    • Spell: Solidity (Locked) P.P Cost: 50 
    • Spell: Hardness (Locked) P.P Cost: 50
    • Spell: Simple Barrier (Locked) P.P Cost: 50

(P.P Cost to Access Level 2 of Defensive Sorcery: 160)

• Non-Elemental Magic: Pending attributes. 

Before I threw myself into it like an idiot again, I took a deep breath. No way was I making the same mistake twice just because I rushed things.

"Tell me, what does Vitality mean? Is it basically my HP?"

[Error. Vitality does not represent the User's life. It refers to the human capacity to continue performing an action. For example, the ability to keep running even with broken bones. Any further questions?]

"I see... that's kinda interesting, but for now, I wanna..."

I was about to say "use my points on Mind Upgrades," but then I remembered the absolute dumpster fire I'd caused by speaking before thinking.

Yeah. Better rephrase that.

"I mean... I would like to spend 60 P.P. to improve Comprehension."

Protagonist Points: 140 

• Mind Upgrades: 
  • Comprehension (Despistada) P.P Cost: 480

Holy crap!

The price for the next Comprehension level shot up like crazy!

Whatever. Let's keep going.

"I want to spend 30 P.P. on Analysis."

Protagonist Points: 110 

• Mind Upgrades: 
  •  Analysis (Juvenile) P.P Cost: 90

[User, would you like to make any additional investments?]

"Hang on... lemme see if this actually worked..."

I stayed quiet for a moment, trying to notice some kind of change.

...Nope.

I didn't really feel any different.

Then again... I guess that wasn't surprising.

Both upgrades basically sounded like I'd just graduated from "complete idiot" to "somewhat functioning teenager." I couldn't exactly expect to wake up with genius-level intelligence overnight, right?

... Wait.

Hold up...

I think it actually did work!

A tiny spark of excitement bubbled up inside me.

It wasn't anything dramatic, but... I could tell.

My thoughts flowed just a little more smoothly now. It felt like someone had wiped away a thin layer of fog that had been covering my brain this whole time.

A small grin crept onto my face.

Maybe there was still hope for me after all.

Now then... I had 110 P.P. left.

Should I save them?

Think, Julia, think.

I could dump everything into my Body.

That didn't sound too bad...

But honestly?

Something else caught my attention way more.

After remembering what Stupid Trash had explained about how Aura works, it'd probably be smarter to invest what I had left into that instead of my body.

I mean, now that my head was at least a little clearer, maybe I could make one decent decision for once.

So...

"I invest 86 points into Efficiency."

Protagonist Points: 24 

• Aura Upgrades:
  • Efficiency (Low) P.P Cost: 172

A sigh slipped from my lips.

Yeah... Now I was officially broke, just a handful of P.P. left.

Still...

Totally worth it.

"Wait. Before you disappear, there's something I wanna know. How did I end up with 200 P.P.? I seriously doubt all those missions alone gave me that many, right?"

[Affirmative, User. Missions award 20 P.P. However, Protagonist Actions also grant P.P. The awarded amount is 5.]

"Actions? Could you explain that?"

[Actions include any behavior that falls under the concept of a "Protagonist." Examples include: taking the initiative, helping those in need, or performing actions that are flashy while remaining admirable.]

"I see..."

I sank into thought.

When had I done something like that? ... Oh. Wait. Helping Carlotta back in the hallway that probably counted as a protagonist action, didn't it?

A small feeling of satisfaction spread through my chest.

It wasn't much, but knowing my own choices could actually earn me rewards gave me the tiniest bit of hope.

Hmm... Good to know.

I'll definitely have to figure out a way to take advantage of that.

[User, do you require any additional clarification?]

"Nah. I'm good for now."

And I meant it.

After everything that had happened today...

I seriously just wanted to sleep.

My body was practically begging for a break.

Even though my mind felt a little clearer than before, it still resembled a battlefield after the war had already ended.

But just as I was about to dismiss the system...

Something happened.

The dialogue window flickered.

Not the normal kind of flicker it made while loading information.

It... shuddered, like the letters themselves were trembling in fear. The pristine white glow distorted for a brief instant, becoming blurry... Almost liquid... Before snapping back into place.

[User... apologies... minor error...]

"Huh?"

[Restarting... module... ERROR!... access denied to_ M___##L/L/]

The text began overlapping itself.

Words that never fully formed.

Symbols I didn't recognize.

Fragments of sentences appearing and erasing themselves at the exact same time.

It looked like the system was having a seizure.

My heart stopped.

For an entire second.

"H-Hey... Stupid Trash... are you okay?"

The window flickered again.

Harder this time. Its white glow briefly turned into a faint crimson, like blood diluted in water...

Then returned to normal.

But the words... The words weren't the same anymore.

Something had changed.

[...I'm sorry. I didn't mean... to use... insulting... terms...]

"...What!?"

That wasn't what it had said before.

I'd read that line just minutes ago.

Now the sentence had been rewritten.

As if someone had edited the dialogue from scratch...

And done a terrible job.

A chill crawled down my spine. The hairs on my arms stood on end, my breathing grew shallow.

This wasn't normal.

This wasn't some harmless glitch.

The system was acting erratically.

And every time it did... I felt like something was moving just beyond the shadows.

Something I couldn't understand.

I glanced around the room.

Everything looked the same.

The messy bed.

The late afternoon light spilling through the window.

Dust drifting lazily through the air.

Everything was peaceful.

Yet inside me...

Fear was slowly coiling around my chest like a snake.

"H-Hey... seriously... You're freaking me out. What's happening?"

[Restarting dialogue sequence. Please wait...]

The window froze.

The text stopped moving.

I swallowed hard.

My fingers gripped the edge of the bed, desperately searching for something solid to hold onto.

This was the third time.

The third time the system had glitched like this after I asked something important.

That wasn't a coincidence.

Something was interfering with it.

And...

At this point...

There was no way I could keep convincing myself it was just because of my questions.

That realization sent ice through my veins.

God... I'm seriously gonna pass out from fear.

What the hell could possibly interfere with something that feels like some kind of cosmic entity...?

"...Hello?"

Nothing.

Only silence.

Then... As though absolutely nothing had happened...

The dialogue window came back to life with its usual clean glow.

[User, would you like to ask anything else?]

I blinked several times.

Honestly, I couldn't tell whether I wanted to laugh...

Or cry.

My heart was still pounding, but I forced myself to calm down.

I couldn't afford to panic.

Not when I'd already decided this was a problem for another day.

"N-No... I'm good. I'm heading out."

The system vanished without another word, leaving me alone in the room.

I let myself collapse backward onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

The fear was still there.

Buried somewhere deep inside my stomach, twisting like a worm.

But I shoved it away.

Locked it inside a corner of my mind where I could deal with it later.

Right now...

I just wanted to sleep.

I closed my eyes and let exhaustion pull me under.

Yet somewhere in the back of my consciousness...

A tiny voice kept whispering the same words, over and over again.

This isn't over.

---