Chapter 113: Is the Protagonist’s Personality Changing a Bit?

The door of the dessert shop was pushed open, and the bell hanging above rang out with a clear “ding-ling-ling.”

It was only after Xiao Chun Miura entered the shop that she realized this wasn’t the same place Yui Hori and the others had taken her before, but just a chain store under the same brand.

The air conditioning inside was strong, and the sweet, creamy aroma hit her the moment she walked in.

The mix of sensations made Xiao Chun Miura feel a bit uneasy.

But she had no other choice.

All she could think about was not letting Kanzaki Sou meet Kiyono Arisa here, so Xiao Chun Miura could only focus on getting away from the stage as quickly as possible.

As a result, it wasn’t until she had pulled Kanzaki Sou to a seat further inside that she realized she had been holding onto his sleeve the entire time.

“Miura-san……”

“Ah—! Sorry, I just—”

Feeling her hand’s movement, Xiao Chun Miura looked down, hurriedly let go, and stood up to move away from Kanzaki Sou.

In her nervousness, she instinctively sat down across from him.

Kanzaki Sou tactfully said nothing.

A short silence passed, and then, like a lifeline, the shop assistant handed them the menu.

Only then did Xiao Chun Miura’s tensed shoulders finally relax.

“Haa……”

Watching Kanzaki Sou start to order, Xiao Chun Miura let out a long breath.

She felt like her back was already drenched in sweat.

Even now, she still felt a lingering sense of fear.

If she had been just a little slower, Kanzaki Sou would have walked right up to the idol group where Kiyono Arisa was.

Although she hadn’t seen Kiyono Arisa among them when she left,

If she had mistaken someone for her, and Kiyono Arisa was really there…

She couldn’t even imagine what kind of consequences would have happened if she let him get closer.

If Kanzaki Sou met Kiyono Arisa several months earlier than he was supposed to, what would happen to the Game World?

According to the original plot of the game, Kanzaki Sou first met Kiyono Arisa at school, had some interactions with her, and only later encountered her outside the school as an underground idol.

This kind of dual-identity character, showing different sides in public and private, was a common trope in text-based romance adventure games—it naturally made players curious about her.

In the game, the event where Kanzaki Sou and Kiyono Arisa, as an idol, met at a performance venue was the trigger for Arisa’s Main Route.

On that day, players could choose for the protagonist to avoid going to Store Street, and the plot would lose a crucial turning point, causing Arisa and the protagonist’s relationship to develop much more slowly.

But once they met, the Main Route would begin.

Xiao Chun Miura couldn’t imagine the consequences.

The Game World was already experiencing so many problems, and the System was probably still investigating.

She really couldn’t afford any more errors.

“Miura-san?”

The voice from across the table pulled the girl’s mind back to reality.

Kanzaki Sou was looking at her, concern in his eyes.

“Are you alright? Your face doesn’t look so good.”

“Ah….. No, it’s nothing, maybe I walked too fast earlier.”

Xiao Chun Miura picked up the glass of water the shop assistant brought and took a sip to hide her embarrassment.

“A little… a little dizzy, maybe?”

“That water is mine.”

“Ah?!”

Still pretending, Xiao Chun Miura immediately froze when she heard this.

She quickly grabbed a folded napkin from the table and wiped her mouth.

“That napkin is mine too.”

“? Ah?!”

Startled, Xiao Chun Miura’s hand shook and the napkin fluttered to the floor.

“……Haha.”

To her surprise, Kanzaki Sou on the other side actually burst out laughing.

“.Kanzaki-san?”

“Sorry, Miura-san.”

Kanzaki Sou wiped his eyes, looking genuinely amused.

“The napkin isn’t mine. I was just joking.”

What.

“But the water really is mine. It’s fine, I haven’t drunk from it yet. Let’s switch.”

As he spoke, Kanzaki Sou reached over and moved the glass of water by Xiao Chun Miura’s left hand in front of himself.

“Let’s order first? I’m already done.”

“If you’re tired from walking, eating something sweet should help you feel better.”

After placing their order, Xiao Chun Miura looked at Kanzaki Sou’s calm and gentle demeanor across from her, but her own heart just couldn’t settle down.

Partly because of the prank he had just played.

But also because of the scene still stuck in her mind.

That performance group at the corner of Store Street.

Those familiar deep blue stage outfits.

And… the missing center position.

In the original game setting, Kiyono Arisa was the core of this group.

Though they were an underground idol group, thanks to her outstanding looks and ability, the group was actually quite well-known in the local scene.

As for Kiyono Arisa herself, because her idol activities kept her busy, she was often absent from school.

But today…

Among those four girls, she wasn’t there.

Strange.

Xiao Chun Miura thought to herself.

If Kiyono Arisa wasn’t present, then what did this mean?

Did she simply not come today?

Or had she not joined the group yet?

Or perhaps, due to problems in the world, Kiyono Arisa’s settings were changing too?

But no, that couldn’t be.

That stage outfit was unmistakable.

In the game, it was designed by Kiyono Arisa herself.

It was her only splash of color in this gray world, and a symbol of great importance in her personal story.

If the costume was still there, then the group had to be connected to her.

So why wasn’t she there?

Moreover…

If she wasn’t there, then even if Kanzaki Sou had walked over,

Wouldn’t the personal storyline not be triggered either?

Was she overreacting?

“–Miura-san? Miura-san?”

Kanzaki Sou waved his hand in front of her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

“Ah! Yes!”

Xiao Chun Miura snapped back to reality, finding that the shop assistant had already brought over the desserts.

“Spacing out again.”

Kanzaki Sou pushed the dessert toward her, smiling.

“Were you thinking about that group of idols just now?”

” cough cough “

Just as she picked up her fork, Xiao Chun Miura almost dropped it at those words.

“N-no! Why would I be thinking about that—”

“Is that so?”

Kanzaki Sou looked at her, his gaze tinged with curiosity.

“But earlier, you kept staring over there. I thought you were interested, so I wanted to go with you to check it out.”

“But halfway there, you suddenly tried to pull me away.”

He scooped up a spoonful of ice cream, his tone laced with a subtle trace of amusement.

“Somehow, it felt like… Miura-san was really afraid of letting me get close to that area.”

“—!!”

Xiao Chun Miura’s heart tightened abruptly.

Why is his intuition always so sharp!

“N-no such thing…”

“And with so many people and noise there, I figured Kanzaki-san wouldn’t like that kind of place either.”

Her voice grew quieter and less confident as she spoke.

“Mm……That’s true.”

Kanzaki Sou nodded, seeming to accept her explanation.

He smiled.

“Compared to over there, it really is much quieter and more comfortable here.”