Whether it was the mechanical synthesized voice of the System or the words displayed on the screen, they were expressing the same meaning.
But Xiao Chun Miura stood frozen in place.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t understand the meaning of the sentences.
At this moment, her feelings were closer to the shock of “all efforts being in vain.”
Indeed.
If her current identity wasn’t Xiao Chun Miura in the game, but an ordinary player still playing in the real world…
“Kanzaki Sou actually became a Librarian? Is this some kind of hidden route? There was no such plot before…”
“This Xiao Chun Miura actually has so many scenes? What does this mean? Could she be a Hidden Heroine?!”
“Let me check the walkthrough—no, there’s really no walkthrough for this female character’s Personal Route… Am I the first one to discover this?”
She would definitely think that way.
“Xiao Chun Miura” wasn’t a Heroine with a Personal Route to begin with, let alone a Hidden Character… And Kanzaki Sou becoming a Librarian was naturally a storyline error, something that didn’t exist in the first place.
Looking at it this way, if such developments really appeared in the game, it would indeed be an “error that shouldn’t exist.”
Xiao Chun Miura understood the System’s meaning.
But.
——[Kanzaki Sou cannot serve as a Librarian.]
——[Kanzaki Sou also cannot enter Xiao Chun Miura’s Personal Route.]
Having such matters pointed out so directly.
…It would inevitably make one feel defeated.
Xiao Chun Miura unconsciously pressed her lips together.
These errors—if not adjusted, modified, or corrected—probably wouldn’t be allowed.
After all, according to the System, if not corrected, the subsequent plot would also become chaotic.
Those Event Branches? Or whatever, now seem to have already been covered by the current Midterm Exams and haven’t been triggered in the correct order.
“Mm…”
She was still unwilling.
——But there was nothing she could do.
What method would the System use, and in what form would it correct this?
“Eliminate abnormal matters”… Does it forcibly modify the plot to return to the right track?
“System—You say you want to eliminate abnormal matters, but specifically, how will you do it?”
Xiao Chun Miura’s tone couldn’t hide her unease.
“Is there anything I need to do?”
…Xiao Chun Miura asked this to reassure herself.
She hoped to know what she could participate in, and what effects she would face.
If she could participate, at least she would feel a sense of reassurance that “she could still do something.”
Since she had already been informed of the relevant matters, compared to being completely passive, Xiao Chun Miura preferred to have things she could still decide.
…If the System said she didn’t need to do anything, she would feel even more uneasy.
The girl thought.
[O.O……]
[——Originally, forced correction could be performed, but doing so would also consume computational power.]
The System seemed to have deduced some disposal plans and only began to reply after a while.
[According to the investigation results… To describe it in a way that’s easy for you to understand, the plot related to the Midterm Exams hasn’t deviated too deeply yet.]
[The currently progressing Study Group Arc is still within the allowed range for adaptive adjustment. Even without forced correction, it can still conclude smoothly.]
The System smoothly displayed these words.
[However, after the Midterm Exams Arc ends, to ensure subsequent plotlines can be properly triggered, Kanzaki Sou can no longer continue as a Librarian.]
[Kanzaki Sou’s status information should be updated to a certain club activity that was originally selectable.]
[Additionally, the possibility of Kanzaki Sou entering Xiao Chun Miura’s Personal Route must be cut off.]
Xiao Chun Miura listened and silently pondered.
…The logic given by the System was very clear; the key was how to implement it.
The System said that the current Midterm Exams Arc could conclude smoothly without forced correction—so, is it possible for the plot to return to the right track without forced correction?
——Is there a way to make Kanzaki Sou give up the Librarian part-time job?
As the thought occurred to her, Xiao Chun Miura asked.
“What if we remove Kanzaki Sou from the Librarian part-time position?”
“If Sakura-sensei, who is responsible for the relevant affairs, cancels the Librarian part-time position, will this consume a lot of computational power?”
[=.=]
[Simulation results show that only a very small amount of data is required to modify the information status to that of a Library Management Teacher role.]
[——This plan is theoretically feasible.]
The System approved of Xiao Chun Miura’s idea.
——! Good!
Xiao Chun Miura’s eyes lit up.
“Then, as long as Sakura-sensei cancels the Librarian part-time position before the end of the Midterm Exams, it’s fine, right? Can that be done?”
“As for my Personal Route, in the end, even if the Goodwill rises to 100, as long as I reject Kanzaki Sou’s confession in the end, it still won’t enter the Personal Route, right? Is that within the safe range?”
She pressed on and proposed another idea.
[The former is possible.]
[The latter is not.]
The System’s answer was not perfect.
[As a game player, you should know that it’s not only the moment of agreeing to a confession or confirming a relationship that marks entry into a Personal Route.]
[Before that, when key emotional bonds are formed, it is already considered entering a Personal Route.]
Xiao Chun Miura pressed her lips together.
She knew the System was right.
Some key choices would cause the protagonist to enter a Heroine’s Personal Route, which wasn’t directly tied to confessions.
[So you must pay special attention to this.]
[Under no circumstances can Kanzaki Sou enter Xiao Chun Miura’s Personal Route.]
However, the System also seemed to understand that contact between Xiao Chun Miura and Kanzaki Sou was unavoidable.
Goodwill development was, to some extent, an irresistible force.
So it didn’t forcibly state things like “reset Goodwill to avoid the Personal Route.”
…If this is the best outcome, then.
After a brief period of complicated feelings, Xiao Chun Miura accepted the situation.
She temporarily reached a compromise with the System.
Only, she would have to act more cautiously in the days ahead.
She could no longer cause overly obvious changes that would disrupt the plot… And had to be a little more careful about her development with Kanzaki Sou.
Mm… And under such conditions, does she still have to stop other Heroines from entering their routes?
Xiao Chun Miura’s forehead throbbed.
She pressed her temples, and suddenly thought of another question she cared about.
“By the way, System!”
“What’s going on with the Goodwill between Kanzaki Sou and Kondo Haruka?”
“A lot has happened between them these past few days, but the Goodwill hasn’t changed at all… Is this normal?”
[o.o?]
The System displayed such an expression in response to Xiao Chun Miura’s words.
[……O.O……O.O]
Then, it entered that state of repeated cycling through the same dumbfounded expression, as it did during investigation mode.
[——One bad news, one good news.]
After a while, the System’s voice came.
[Upon self-inspection, it was found that the Data Log of the Goodwill Interface stopped uploading updates several days ago.]
“……Haah?”
Xiao Chun Miura froze, her heart sinking.
Was this saying that the reason the Goodwill Interface’s data hadn’t changed for so long was—because it really hadn’t been updated at all??
Her heartbeat began to accelerate uncontrollably, and a sense of foreboding gripped her.
The words on the screen continued.
[The Goodwill Interface failed to synchronize changes in the Favorability Value in real time.]
[The Data Log was just refreshed and normal uploading has resumed. Please confirm.]
It’s refreshed?
With the latest data?
Xiao Chun Miura felt her breath stop, and she subconsciously summoned the Goodwill Interface—the floating window showing Kanzaki Sou’s Favorability toward Kondo Haruka.
However, the moment she opened it, she looked away.
…She was afraid to see that number, but also felt she couldn’t not look.
——This is life or death!
Every time she had checked before, that “50” had felt like an immovable mountain, making her feel that nothing she did had much effect—she even stopped caring about the number after a while.
But now…
Eh, what’s it going to be…?
The anxious girl slowly moved her gaze toward the floating window.
…What she saw was—?