(Edited: 14 Sept 2024)
Translator Note: There are some mistakes in the earlier chapters. These characters aren’t attending Starlight Middle School but Starlight High School. In Japan’s school system, students goes from: elementary -> junior high -> senior high -> higher education
They are currently in their junior high, and should be around the age of 13. Time skips are planned for later volumes.
Nagine, fresh from her homeroom teacher’s reprimand, returned to her classroom only to be met with a hand chop from her childhood friend.
Mana Hinata, with her straight and cute face now furrowed in annoyance, glared at Nagine with the disapproving expression of a displeased cat.
“That hurts! Why is Mana-chan hitting me?”
Nagine covered her head with her hands and tried to look pitiful, knowing full well that she deserved it.
Mana Hinata, one of the main heroines of “Star Guidance 2” and the unmistakable cover girl of the game packaging. She was also the heroine that has the “childhood sweetheart” attribute in the original work.
As a mixed-race child, Mana inherited her father’s Nordic traits, giving her platinum shoulder-length hair, defined facial features, and a tall, slender figure with snow-white skin. Her slightly raised eyes add to her charm, making her look more captivating than cute.
Her scarlet eyes, dotted with a hint of gold, shine like a rising sun, radiating a dazzling light. Her striking white hair and red eyes catered to the preferences of many players.
In addition, she has an impressive “copy” ability, which allowed her to mimic the skills of others. She was used so extensively in-game that she earned herself the title of “True Protagonist” among the player base.
Mana has never fallen out of the top three in the heroine popularity polls for Star Guidance 2. Even now in junior high, her captivating charm has already started to shine through.
Nagine, well-versed in the original plot, had reached out to Mana as a child and successfully prevented the tragic events that had been destined to befall her in the original story. This intervention had brought them closer together, forming the childhood trio they are now.
Rеαd οո KаtRеаԁіnɡСаfе “Why are you still asking why? What was the point of winking during your freshman speech?! Thanks to you, the scene descended into utter chaos!”
Mana said, reaching out and pinching both of Nagine’s cheeks.
Her soft and jiggly cheeks were now elongated like rice cakes between Mana’s fingers.
“So- Sowwy…” Nagine hurriedly glanced at Sou for help with pleading eyes.
“……If Nagi-chan genuinely reflects on her actions, won’t you forgive her? ”
“It’s because Tsukimi-kun always indulges her that she has become so willful…”
Mana continued to hold Nagine’s soft cheeks. She had wanted to say, “Do you really understand the severity of the situation?!” but decided against it.
Today, being the first day of freshman entrance, students had no classes after the ceremony and were free to leave school directly.
In the 1-A classroom, where Nagine and her friends were, many students had already left. Only a few groups of friends who had known each other before remained, chatting in small clusters.
From time to time, they glanced towards Nagine and her group.
“Is this real? I can’t believe I’m in the same class as Hoshimiya—what a win!”
“Not only Hoshimiya, but that girl over there is also incredibly beautiful! The average attractiveness level in our class is off the charts, isn’t it?”
“Our class is full of winners in life!”
Rеаⅾ οո ΚαtRеаԁіnɡСαfе Nagine could faintly hear these gossips.
It wasn’t surprising, given the extraordinary attractiveness of the trio.
(TL: minus one)
Mana Hinata, a heroine from “Star Guidance 2,” was well-known for her stunning appearance. As a mixed-race child, she had earned the nickname “pure white fairy” due to her dreamy and captivating looks when she began her career as a genius child actor.
As for Nagine Hoshimiya, the female protagonist of the original game, her appearance was described as unparalleled in the world.
This all began with a vote for the addition of a female protagonist to the sequel posted on social media by the Star Guidance 2 dev team.
Many players initially hated the idea of adding a female protagonist to a galgame traditionally aimed at a male audience. The publisher, however, forced the change through by rigging the votes with bots.
Eventually, an insider revealed that the vote was a sham and that the inclusion of a female protagonist had already been set in stone. The whole process was merely a gimmick to generate hype for the sequel.
The new female protagonist’s design was underwhelming, essentially just a gender-swapped version of the male protagonist with the same storyline, leading to significant backlash from the players.
To address this uproar, the officials invested heavily in improving the character’s appeal. They commissioned a renowned doujinshi artist to redesign “Nagine Hoshimiya.” The result was a dramatic transformation from an unremarkable girl with hair covering her eyes to a sultry and curvaceous black-haired beauty with long, straight hair.
Despite being a player character, Nagine’s new design was cuter and more sensual than any other heroine, outshining them all. If we compare it to character portraits in gacha mobile games, her illustration would be akin to a FESTIVAL-exclusive fully enhanced SSR superhero character.
Even though Nagine is still a junior high school student at the start of the original story, her design already features a more developed figure and a trace of allure that sets her apart from her peers. For teenagers and girls in this age group, her appearance already contained the power to distort their sexual orientation and preferences.
If she continues to grow as she did in the original…
Nagine could only mourn for both herself and for Sou. She silently hoped internally: “I hope you can endure this figure in the future.”
A naturally bright and cheerful childhood friend, with a beautiful face and an alluring figure, completely unaware of her own sex appeal. One that lacked any sense of personal space or understanding of appropriate distance between men and women.
Reaⅾ oո ΚаtReαⅾiոɡСаfеThese are the character settings that Nagine and Garuda had meticulously crafted for her to adhere to.
According to Garuda’s advice on the roof earlier, physical contact between girls is seen as a sign of strong friendship, and this has been reflected in her past experiences. Nagine recalled her memories from her previous lives and agreed that this was often the case.
With this in mind, Nagine plans to fully utilize her “character traits” to execute her strategy of becoming an “ideal lover.”
“It’s so great to be in the same class as Mana~”
With a cute smile, Nagine used her “lack of personal boundaries” to her advantage. She stepped forward and hugged Mana’s delicate and soft body.
Mana was taken aback by the sudden embrace. The softness of Nagine’s chest and the sweet scent that filled her senses caused a startled reaction.
“Wait, Nagine-chan… Don’t suddenly hug me like that…”
Mana knew that Nagine had a tendency to ignore personal space, but she didn’t expect such an overt display of affection in public.
If Nagine had suddenly embraced Sou like this… Mana noticed that many boys in a nearby small group were already casting envious and predatory glances at Sou.
The sight of a humble boy sandwiched between two lovely girls was bound to stir feelings of resentment and competition among them.
Realizing this, Mana mustered up the resolve to push Nagine away with a gentle but firm shove, before tapping her on the head with a reprimanding hand chop.
“It hurts!”
“That’s enough for today! Nagine-chan is already a junior high student, so please be mindful of personal boundaries!”
Seeing Mana’s sharp, cat-like gaze, Nagine understood that she was genuinely upset. She could only bow her head in apology.
Reaⅾ оn ΚatRеaԁіnɡСαfе Mana, observing the careless and carefree childhood friend of hers, sighed inwardly with the concern of a worried mother.
Hey, teacher, why does this cuddling strategy seem ineffective?”
“It shouldn’t be… I’ve seen it work for others.”
“And who exactly are you referring to?”
“The main characters of a series of romance manga on the Internet.”
“……So what right do you have to criticize me for using galgames as reference?!” Nagine was frustrated. Her strategist talks big but can’t execute plans in practice. She couldn’t help but think. He was a theoretical tactician.
“In the future, I’ll prohibit you from using my phone to browse the Internet.”
“I can’t help it. After all, the women I used to see fighting for men would each wield a long spear in the arena, and the last one standing would claim the man as prize…” Garuda explained, then quickly shifted the topic.
“Speaking of which, haven’t you known her since childhood? Haven’t you both become besties after all this time?”
“I worry that if I, a man nearing ‘uncle’ age, approach a young female student with such deliberate intentions, I might be reported to the authorities.” Nagine said with a serious expression.
“For a junior high school student, is it possible that you’re already out of the game?”
“……”