The “Partner Game” had officially started. According to Shikijo, spending ten days alone with a guy in a room like this was unbearable. First, the bathroom and shower setup was a problem; the walls were all glass, so anyone outside could see in, and sounds went right through too. The whole idea of privacy was just thrown out the window, and next, there was only one bed.
I suggested I take the floor, but she shot that down too. In her Shikijo Family, they have old-fashioned values where men are treated as superior, and apparently it’s not allowed to make a man sleep on the floor. I guess a rich girl raised in modern society has a hard time when her environment changes. I’m the type who can sleep anywhere, even with a different pillow, so it didn’t bother me at all.
…Could we actually make this work, living together for ten days? Well, I guess we just have to try. By the way, my “Inventory” has tents and sleeping bags, so we do have ways to sleep separately, but… I’m also a guy. I get to share a bed with a cute girl like this? Of course, I kept quiet about the tents and sleeping bags.
”Anyway, what do you suppose today’s ‘secret’ theme might be? Kageyama, do you have any thoughts on the matter?” Shikijo asked.
”I have no clue at all!” I replied cheerfully.
”You needn’t say it so proudly. How foolish of me to expect anything of substance from you,” she sighed. Looks like my reputation with her is pretty low, as I’m still paying for mistaking her for a game NPC earlier.
There’s a “theme” assigned once a day. This time, it’s “read your own secret out loud while looking the other person straight in the eyes,” I don’t have any big secrets I need to hide from others; if I had to think of one, maybe that I secretly buy and play games rated for ages 18 and up? But that’s totally normal, since every guy has checked out some adult content before turning eighteen-it’s just how it is. I mentally defended myself.
”Wait, hold on! I did figure one thing out. This game is a ‘real-life romance simulation game.’ In other words, it’s a dating sim! And in situations like this, I think Shikijo is the one who’ll get picked for the ‘theme,’” I explained.
”My… I have absolutely no notion of what you are referring to,” she murmured.
”No way…” I gasped. I shared my brilliant theory, and she didn’t get it at all, which was just sad…
”However, I must agree that I should likely be the one selected. I possess far more ‘secrets’ I should prefer to keep concealed than you do..,” She said that and looked down.
So it picks you based on how many secrets you’re hiding? I still don’t really get this game system. Wait, Shikijo’s secrets are stuff like “only daughter of the Shikijo Zaibatsu” or “was kidnapped in the past,” right? I already know all that from “Appraisal,” so it feels like I got spoiled ahead of time.
”For the present, we have ample time before the theme commences, so let us establish some propriety for residing together here for ten days,” she suggested.
Rules, huh-definitely necessary for sharing a space. A young guy and girl alone under one roof-maybe something steamy could happen, like nothing’s supposed to but it does. But knowing Shikijo, she’s probably just worried about food.
”Rules? Like splitting the food? Don’t worry about that. I got food cards from the last game,” I offered.
The supplies lined up on the shelf were barely enough to get through ten days, and we were clearly short on water. Then again, for water, we could just drink the bathroom or toilet water. I mean, I can make water with my magic sword, but… the food shortage problem only applies to other groups because I have tons of food I collected in the previous game. Plus, the unique skill “Material Editing” I got as a bonus for clearing the first “dungeon (Abyss Labyrinth)” can…
[Material Editing]
[An editing-type skill that rewrites item information.]
[Can increase, decrease, transform, repair, break down, or combine materials.]
The description is so broad I haven’t tested it all yet. I’m guessing it’s a versatile skill that can do all sorts of things to items I already have, and I can probably duplicate items too. That means all the food and monster materials I have right now can be supplied endlessly. This is broken and totally overpowered. I’ve got ten days, so I’ll test it out little by little when I’m bored.
”Sigh… Goodness no, while that is indeed significant, that was hardly my meaning,” she remarked.
”Huh? It wasn’t? I thought I nailed it. Guess it’s hard to understand what a rich girl’s thinking,” I said.
”Pray cease referring to me as ‘rich girl.’ Kindly address me properly,” she requested.
”Okay, Yuna,” I tried.
”Do not presume to address me by my given name either. Are you mocking me?” she snapped.
”Sorry, Shikijo,” I answered. I tried to lighten the mood by getting closer, and she got mad. Since this is a game, I’d like to deepen our bond a bit more, but from the way things are going, that seems like a high Difficulty Setting. Man, trying to win over a rich girl is tough.
”In any case, let us return to the matter at hand,” she urged.
”Yeah,” I nodded.
”Do say ‘yes,’ if you would be so kind. Should I continue engaging in conversation with you, the ‘theme’ time shall arrive before we realize it,” she instructed.
”Yes, I’ll be quiet now,” I promised.
She took a breath, then pulled out paper and pen. When I took out a small wooden table from my “Inventory,” she looked a little surprised but said “thank you” and started writing rules while sitting on the bed.
・Rule 1: When using the bathroom or shower, wait at the entrance farthest away.
・Rule 2: When sleeping, always tie each other’s hands and feet with rope.
・Rule 3: Don’t eat food without permission.
・Rule 4: Always respect each other.
・Rule 5: Escape from here alive, no matter what.
”Do we really need to tie our hands and feet? That sounds uncomfortable to sleep in,” I protested. I don’t think I could sleep with my limbs tied, though maybe someone with that kind of hobby could handle it…
”…Very well. However, should you attempt anything improper with me, you are well aware of the consequences,” she warned.
”I’m fully aware,” I affirmed.
”Splendid,” she noted.
She laid down the warning and crossed out Rule 2. Right then, an eerie chime echoed through the room-it was time for the “theme” to start. We lined up in front of the Monitor.
[Today’s ‘Theme’ – (Disclosure)]
[The target’s “secret” appears on the Monitor.]
[The chosen target must look the other person straight in the eyes and read it aloud within one hour.]
[Secret]
[Target: Shikijo Yuna]
[Content:]
[I was kidnapped in the past.]
[It was because my body was much more developed than others my age.]
[I took many men’s penises in my mouth.]
[It was because I was very lustful and in heat.]
[I climaxed over and over again right there.]
[It was because my body is very naughty and perverted.]
[Time remaining until ‘theme’ ends: (0:59)]
”W-what is the meaning of this..,” Shikijo gasped, her face stiffening as she was left speechless.
I knew from “Appraisal” that she was kidnapped in the past, but what the Monitor showed was malicious and insulting. The countdown had already started, and the time limit was ticking down.
”Can you read it out loud?” I asked.
”N-no, absolutely not. It is entirely impossible for me to utter such atrocious things. Furthermore… everything written here is a complete falsehood!” she cried, shaking her head in refusal.
”Look, if you don’t read it, we’ll both die from the Penalty. If that happens, we’ll die horribly like those other guys. I don’t want that… so please,” I urged.
If I die here, I might have to restart from the “Blue save point” of the first game, and I don’t want that. Plus, if the first and second games are independent, dying here might mean no revival at all, which is why I didn’t want to die here.
”Do not make it sound so utterly simple. Why must I recite such vulgar, filthy words to you… ugh..,” she stammered.
”…I’m sorry,” I replied quietly.
Shikijo shut herself off stubbornly, and I realized this is bad. She knows she’ll die if she doesn’t read her secret out loud, but she really doesn’t want me to hear it. I don’t want to drop out here either, so fine-I’ll try what I can do…
The condition is “look the other person straight in the eyes and read it aloud,” I don’t actually need to hear the content. I took tissues out of my “Inventory” and stuffed them in my ears.
”Okay, Shikijo. Now I can’t hear you. You don’t want me to listen, right? You can do it now. Hang in there,” I encouraged her.
”Why… why must you be so..,” she muttered.
”Huh? Did you say something? Don’t worry, I can’t hear anything right now,” I said, pretending not to hear on purpose.
The truth is, my hearing got enhanced as my level went up, so tissues in my ears don’t block sound at all. Even like this, my hearing picks up every faint noise in the room. But the point of this is to reduce Shikijo’s mental burden; I figured if she thought I couldn’t hear, it’d be easier for her to speak. In these situations, mindset and momentum matter more than anything.
”…It appears I have no alternative, do I,” Shikijo said, slapping both her cheeks before standing right in front of me.
”I was kidnapped in the past,” she read, her narrow eyes looking straight into mine.
Looking at her like this, she really is beautiful, so cute that I almost looked away myself.
”It was because my body was far more developed than others of my age,” she continued. She really does have a sexy figure, and I’ve never seen a girl my age with such a large chest-even now, her uniform seemed to be crying out under the strain, though there was nothing vulgar about her at all.
”I took many men’s… p-pe… penises in my mouth,” Her lips trembled as she spoke, and if it’s true that she took so many men in that small mouth of hers, I felt sorry for her-and at the same time, I got really excited.
”Th-that was… because I was terribly… lustful and… in heat,” Even I could tell that part was a lie. Given Shikijo’s personality, the emotions rising in her were probably negative ones like anger and pain, but this cruel “theme,” designed to wound her dignity, was dragging up her trauma.
”I… right there… repeatedly… over and over… I climaxed,” A tear rolled down her cheek as I wondered if she was forced to orgasm against her will in that situation. That’s unforgivable, making a cute girl like her go through something so awful.
”It was because… my body is… exceedingly… n-naughty… and… pe-perverted…” The moment she finished reading, Shikijo collapsed right there, hugged her knees, and sobbed.
I felt like I had touched a deep wound she carried that “Appraisal” couldn’t show, leaving all I could do to stand silently beside her and watch. If this had happened to my little sister Manami instead, I wouldn’t have hesitated to kill every single person responsible, as I felt sympathy for her situation.
I checked the Monitor screen and saw an announcement saying the “theme” was completed, while at the same time, the Trust Level number went up a little. I didn’t know how much we needed to avoid death on the third day. I don’t like dark scenes like this, so I’d been trying to act upbeat since entering the room, but seeing her break down like that, I realized I needed to step up more.
After that, Shikijo stayed silent and only ate a little bit of the canned food provided. Then she mumbled, “…Good night,” and got into bed. Her past trauma was ripped open by force-her mind must have been at its limit. Lying there in bed, there was nothing I could do for her right now. I didn’t get into bed; I lay down on the floor and closed my eyes, since the mood definitely wasn’t right for sharing the same bed.
Trivia:
- Kageyama’s decision to pretend he can’t hear Shikijo reveals a subtle but important character trait: he understands emotional boundaries even when his own survival is at stake, choosing psychological comfort over practical necessity despite his enhanced hearing making the gesture technically meaningless.
- The “secret” displayed on the Monitor weaponizes Shikijo’s trauma by twisting factual events (her kidnapping) into humiliating falsehoods about consent and her character, showing the game system’s cruelty extends beyond physical punishment to psychological torture.
- Kageyama’s earlier internal monologue about keeping the tents and sleeping bags hidden contrasts sharply with his later compassionate gesture toward Shikijo, establishing his moral complexity as someone capable of both selfish opportunism and genuine empathy.