Chapter 7 : The Opposite of a Night Raid?

“Ha—ah—choo!” Walking home, Shangguan He lets out a massive sneeze. “Who’s secretly handing me a good guy card?”

He pulls a handkerchief from his pocket, wipes his nose, and starts planning his next move. The family restaurant situation is fine for now. Suzuki Hikaru is shy, sensitive, and socially anxious. If he comes on too strong, it’ll backfire, triggering her defenses. Thickening her emotional walls would just make things harder for him as a pursuer. So, keeping it light is the way to go. Today’s greeting was enough to establish familiarity. Anything more would cross the line.

There’s a saying, isn’t there? “Companionship is the longest confession.” If he decides to pursue her later, the best strategy is to show up at the restaurant during her shifts. No need for anything fancy—just eat, check in, and leave. After a few visits, once she’s used to him, boosting her affection will be easy. Besides, as long as the “protagonist” and a “romanceable character” share a scene, related events will trigger eventually. That said, Shangguan He hasn’t decided whether to pursue a single-girl route this playthrough.

He opens the front door, slips off his shoes, and steps inside. The empty house echoes with every small sound he makes. Wash up, shower, change into pajamas. Lying in bed, he reviews the intel he’s gathered one last time.

[First: If this world is a game, it must be clearable.] His first playthrough’s Bad End clearly wasn’t a win. Getting killed sent him back to the start, like a game reset. By that logic, a Normal End probably won’t clear the game either. Through elimination, the only paths to victory are likely a Good End or a True End.

[Second: In most games, the True End is required for a perfect clear.] Unfortunately, he has no leads on the True End. If he had to guess, the mysterious girl who killed him might be a “hidden character.” In Galgames, hidden characters often unlock only after completing all main heroines’ routes. Some are tied to the main plot, others are standalone side stories, and some trigger earth-shattering twists. If romancing the mysterious girl is the True End, he’s out of luck. He couldn’t even get into her school—how’s he supposed to pursue her?

For now, the most practical plan is to pick a girl he romanced in his first playthrough, speed through her route to a Good End, and test if that clears the game.

[Finally: Even if the game is cleared, there’s no guarantee he won’t die.] It feels like popping champagne at halftime, but it’s a real concern. In a real Galgame, clearing the game rolls the credits. After the credits, the game returns to the title screen, maybe with minor changes. That’s all fine, but Shangguan He’s a living person in this world! The game can’t just end with cozy BGM as he and the world vanish in a puff of smoke, right? That’s not funny!

If he achieves a Good End and clears the game, what happens next? Another loop? Back to the real world? Or whisked off to another game?

These thoughts banish his sleepiness. Sweating in bed, he barely drifts off by midnight.

January 14, 6:10 AM. The bedside alarm blares, and Shangguan He, in a light sleep, reaches to silence it. After lingering in bed for five minutes, he drags himself up to wash. Today is Yingcheng High’s first day of school, the day he thought the “game officially started” in his first playthrough. His choices are simple: Try to clear the game. Or give up and coast. Time waits for no one—second-playthrough Shangguan He needs to decide. But first, breakfast.

He grabs four slices of bread, five cheese slices, six eggs, and a head of lettuce from the fridge. He shuffles to the kitchen. While the bread toasts, he drizzles oil in a pan, cracks the eggs, and covers it once the heat’s right, letting residual warmth cook them through. The lettuce is pre-washed, but habit makes him rinse it anyway, shaking off the water and slicing it roughly. As the lettuce is prepped, the eggs are nearly done.

Ding. The toaster chimes. Perfectly browned bread pops out. Shaking the mayo bottle, Shangguan He squirts some on the toast, stacks lettuce, cheese, and eggs, and voilà—a simple egg sandwich, not quite a burger. Paired with milk, it’s a calorie-packed breakfast. He enjoys this cooking ritual. Immersing himself in it brings a strange, satisfying joy.

Untying his apron, he washes his hands and sits to eat. A sudden, jarring noise grabs his attention. Clickety-clack. Odd sounds echo from the front door, out of place for early morning. Before he can react, the door swings open. The visitor slips off their shoes at the entrance and, without a word, strides inside.

As Shangguan He rises from the table to check, a white blur flashes past him down the hallway, heading straight for the second floor. ‘What the f*ck is going on?’ He’s baffled. ‘A burglar? That bold?’

Before he can process, light footsteps descend, growing closer. Tap-tap-tap! With the speed of a gale, Yamazaki Miki storms into the living room, scans the room, and spots Shangguan He holding a sandwich, unsure whether to take a bite. She exclaims in surprise, “You’re up this early? And already eating breakfast?”

“Uh, this is my house, right?” Shangguan He sweats. “I’m pretty sure I locked the door.”

“Haha, don’t you always keep the spare key under the cactus pot by the entrance?” Miki grins, flashing a shiny key. “I cleared it with your parents over the phone. This isn’t breaking and entering!”

He freezes. The spare key’s location? Even first-playthrough him didn’t know that! Taking a calm bite of his sandwich, he asks cautiously, “So, what’re you doing here this early? Just so you know, this breakfast isn’t for you. Half’s for my school lunch.”

“You made it yourself? Wow~” Miki plops down in a chair, grabs a sandwich, and takes a bite. “I’m claiming your lunch today… Hey, this is good! When’d you start practicing to be a bride? Why didn’t you tell your sis? We could’ve gotten a two-for-one deal!”

“You think bride training’s like a circumcision discount?” Shangguan He quips. “You didn’t seriously come just to mooch food, right?”

“How could I?” Miki says, all righteous. “Do I look like the kind of idiot who’d barge in on a friend at dawn for a meal?”

Shangguan He thinks. He ponders. He racks his brain. “Yeah, you do.”