Before that little girl who was exactly like how she was as a child, my body froze.

Her bright blue eyes looked into mine, as if she was trying to ascertain something.

"W-Wait..."

As she boldly took a step forward, I retreated an equal distance back.

Tenryuji Minase, my little sister, frowned slightly when she noticed my action and tilted her head to one side.

"Onii-chan? What's wrong?"

"..."

What should I do? Do I just say, hi? Or do I say sorry for the things I've done to her?

But she... this version of Minase, she hasn't experienced those things yet, right? Would it be weird if I just sounded off to her, and continued this 'new' life like I'd never hurt her before. I was sure the answer must've been simple if I thought about this calmly, yet my heart never stopped beating; My body was filled with an unnerving trepidation, and I could do nothing but back away from the uncertainty before me.

 

This... second chance I had always dreamt of in my delusions. Did I really have the courage to change my past?

When we face our fears once again, that turning point in our lives. 

The people we've disappointed, all being reset to zero.

I...

"—Onii-chan!"

That call to attention brought me out of my stupor.

"Are you really oka— Ahhh!" 

Minase revealed an astonished expression, and in the next moment I felt something warm pressing against me. That momentum pushed me off my footing, and the two of us fell down onto the bed behind us.

"...Ouch..." As I rubbed the back of my head, I felt a rough breathing on my chest. When I regained my bearings, I saw Minase just staring right at me from above. As if those eyes were judging me for all the wrongs I've inflicted upon her in the past, the guilt made me avert my eyes again. The feeling got unbearable as we laid there silently. Neither of us said a word to each other.

...A minute passed by uncomfortably, and then two... until I realized something was amiss. Knowing the Minase now, she wouldn't be the type that would just... But what do I know, I didn't have any rights to assume anything about Minase anyway.

... ...Ahhh, screw it. I'm just making excuses for myself!

When I gathered some courage to look back at Minase, I realized that the girl was still there, but.

Her eyes, expression, everything. They didn't seem to move at all, almost as if they had been frozen in time.

"...What in the..."

There's something written there.

[Option Assisting is available in this scenario.] 

A single pop-up window lay in between us.

"...Option... Assisting?"

What the fuck?

[Would you like to turn on Option Assisting?] 

[Tip: You can turn on Option Assisting anytime using the status window.] 

Having played games before, I subtly understood that time had frozen because of this... option assisting feature.

"This is..."

I laughed nervously as I swallowed down a mouthful of saliva.

"This is insane."

This might really not be a dream. This all... feels strangely realistic. Even though it's incomprehensible at the same time.

What on earth am I experiencing right now.

Feeling skeptical, I tried to lift up my body, but there was some kind of sluggish feeling to my body that prevented me from moving.

...Is activating the option the only way to get out of this situation?

To hell with it. If you want me to play this much, I'll just go along with this game then.

Okay then. Activate this... option thing or whatever it's called.

Instead of time resuming, another window appeared to my right. It outlined the body of Minase, and there were 3 blue lines that seemed to be responses I could make.

"I'm sorry, Mina, did you get hurt?"

"Mina, you should have knocked..."

"Mina, you've grown huh."

Dialogue lines? This seemed exactly just like a galge! "Mina" huh. That nickname brought back fond memories, but also of bad ones.

How did the system... know of this?

These lines, ...were choices? Choices I could make?

As I made that query in my head, I suddenly had a vision of a flashback of something similar in the past.

Onii-chan, Did you buy— Ahhh!

The two of us tumbled onto each other with Minase on top, just like earlier, except this time they were on the ground. 

Ah, I remember now. This was the time when I had rushed home to play the latest "Monster Capsule" game with the money I'd saved for a month. I told Minase about it, but because I was too eager to play it, I started without her... 

Back then, if I recalled, this was what I said to her:

Mina, you should have knocked! You made me lose a life!

Huh, this reply... it's just like the second option. 

"Mina, you should have knocked..."

I see.

...No wonder these lines didn't feel intrusive at all, these were words that I would've said back then.

Feeling as if a puzzle was slowly being solved in my head, I tried to go with the safest choice.

"I'm sorry, Mina, did you get hurt?"

As soon as I picked that option, those words came out of my mouth smoothly like they were unimpeded by my nervousness. 

Time resumed at that moment, and Minase moved away from me slowly in response.

She placed her hands behind her, and shook her head shyly.

"...Nu-uh, I'm fine."

Was that all...? ...That was weird, but in any case, it's great Minase didn't get hurt, I let out an internal sigh of relief.

But things didn't end there.

Before I could try to say something again,

Pat her head.

Shoo her out of the room.

Two new lines sprouted out before me. 

...No, it's different this time?

These two options had a timer ticking in seconds.

...Somewhat understanding what the option assisting was trying to do, I smiled awkwardly.

Even though it felt like the system had probably planned all of this, I couldn't help but go with the flow.

Just like how I've always done it for her as a child, I stroked her hair gently. 

My troubles, the exhaustion from being sent into the past were all washed away slowly.

The fuzzy hair brushing against my palm was comforting, as was the feline expression Minase had on her childish face.

"...Thank you, Onii-chan."

This Minase, was real to me.

[Tutorial has ended.] 

"Ah..."

The space distorted, and Minase vanished before me.

I looked at my small, empty palm used to pet Minase's head.

"...I thought... I'd never see the day... where we could be that close again."

Minase's sudden disappearance in the room took me by surprise briefly, but I quickly recovered, realizing what all that was earlier.

This was the tutorial.

A tutorial on how this game was meant to be played.

"Option Assisting", was just giving me a multiple choice selection.

The system was just trying to teach me what it was capable of.

It wouldn't give me the perfect answer on its own, just the assistance and choices that would allow me to stand back up on my own two feet.

"Not a dream... huh."

It was regretful that I couldn't get to continue petting my little sister's head longer, but then again, I didn't have to feel that way.

Because she was here still, I had returned back in time together with the young and impressionable Minase.

When we face our fears once again, that turning point in our lives. 

The people we've disappointed, all being reset to zero.

Would I step up this time?

[NEW!] [Flag updated!]

I glanced at the third notification given from the system, and opened it, almost as if it was second nature this time.

[Character Bio updated: Tenryuji Minase]

[Do you want to begin Minase's route?]

The answer... I guess it was already there deep within me.

A smile grew on my face, and although it was going to be difficult down the road, I knew I could do it this time.

To correct everything again. To fix my life, and enjoy it to the fullest.

With this system granted to me, the Flag Correction System.

"Yes."

 

[Minase's Route has begun!]

[Character Bio updated: Tenryuji Minase— Click to view]

[You have received 100G!]

[Associated side quests have been unlocked!]

 

I glanced at the bolded objective at the end of the information screen, and laughed.

[Objective: Protect Minase 0/22]

Looks like she has been through more than I'd expected. 

A side of Minase that I'd never once known. The inner feelings of my little sister.

I will accept them.

This is a test for me, to overcome the obstacles that had stopped me from becoming your big brother at that time.

So prepare yourself, world. I won't hold anything back now that you've given this opportunity.

Because knowing all of the things that I did before, I will definitely save my little sister from that turning point. Where our relationship as siblings were destroyed, irreparable.

Yes, I won't mess up again.

 

...This time, I'll correct everything.