Chapter 1: A Tale of the Cuckolded Hero

——I hate the NTR genre.  

NTR. Also called netorare.  

Mainly used for works where another man steals the woman the male protagonist is romantically involved with.  

In many cases, the heroine gets seduced by the other man.  

You could just call it cheating.  

It’s not a very popular genre, but it has a dedicated fanbase.  

Apparently, the appeal lies in its immoral nature.  

I first learned about NTR in my first year of high school.  

Luckily—or maybe thanks to my own efforts—I passed my high school entrance exams.  

I studied really hard, and I remember being genuinely happy that my efforts paid off.  

Around that time, my older brother gave me some games as a congratulatory gift.  

They were so-called eroge—adult games that minors obviously shouldn’t play.  

But, well, I’m a guy too, so I was interested in dirty manga and games.  

More than anything, I felt a thrill from knowing I was engaging with 18+ content, so I played the games he gave me.  

There were several games, and honestly, they were really fun.  

Don’t underestimate eroge.  

School life, fantasy worlds, sci-fi, Japanese folklore—there were all kinds of genres, and they were surprisingly deep.  

The common thread was that cute girls appeared in them.  

And among those games was one—  

An NTR game.  

This one was the "hidden" type of NTR, where you couldn’t tell from the packaging or synopsis that it was NTR.  

And, as luck would have it, this game was later hailed as a masterpiece in the NTR community, with incredibly high production value.  

Of course, I had no way of knowing that, so I dove right in.  

I started playing and quickly got absorbed.  

I guess that’s why it was called a masterpiece.  

The setting was your typical sword-and-sorcery fantasy world where humans and demons were at war.  

The protagonist was a young hero—strong, kind, and down-to-earth.  

You could say he was easy to empathize with.  

Strangely enough, I found myself deeply relating to him.  

And, of course, the girls—essential to any eroge.  

Three heroines appeared, all of them cute.  

Love blossoming amid battle.  

Bonds between comrades.  

Heartwarming, exciting developments.  

And love finally realized.  

Some might call it cliché, but I thought it was amazing.  

It really was… amazing, but…  

As the story reached its latter half, an unsettling atmosphere began to creep in.  

A sense of unease toward the heroines.  

Minor misunderstandings.  

Lies so subtle you wouldn’t notice unless you were paying close attention.  

Of course, both I and the protagonist trusted the heroines.  

I thought it was just a narrative low point.  

I was a high schooler, after all—I’d seen enough manga and anime to know that.  

This kind of flow usually meant misunderstandings or minor conflicts.  

Something that would lead to stronger bonds.  

…If only this hadn’t been an NTR game.  

To cut to the chase, the heroines were stolen.  

The culprit was the Demon King—basically, the final boss of an RPG.  

The details varied slightly depending on the route, but the outcome was the same.  

The unshakable bonds, the love that had finally been realized, the affection that had grown little by little… everything.  

It all crumbled away.  

The heroines, who had claimed to love the protagonist, gave in to pleasure and hurled abuse at him.  

The protagonist still tried to believe in them, but the fallen heroines were beyond reach.  

The despair was so overwhelming that I, at the time, was more shocked than the protagonist.  

Honestly, I couldn’t comprehend what was happening.  

I mean, it was a pretty long game, and over that time, the protagonist and heroines had grown close and gotten together.  

They had the strongest bonds imaginable—they shouldn’t have been breakable.  

But what unfolded on-screen was the heroines being stolen, and the protagonist dying in the end.  

And by the heroines’ hands, no less.  

That’s just too much.  

The protagonist had worked so hard, done so much good, always done the right thing.  

Why did he have to suffer like this?  

…Is this what they call a bad ending?  

Having played a few eroge before, I immediately thought that.  

Eroge branch based on choices.  

Some games lead to tragic endings if you pick the wrong ones.  

This must be one of those.  

—That naive thought was my mistake.  

Let me say it again: this game is hailed as a god-tier NTR game.  

There is no happy ending for the protagonist in this game.  

Every heroine’s route ends with the protagonist being cucked.  

And meeting a miserable end.  

The worst is the harem route.  

Unlocked after clearing all three heroines’ routes, it’s exactly what it sounds like—the protagonist dates all three.  

But, of course, even here, the heroines are stolen.  

After fighting the Demon King for so long to bring peace, he steals them all.  

And in the end, the protagonist is publicly executed.  

By the heroines’ hands.  

Next, you unlock the heroines’ perspectives.  

How they fell in love with the protagonist, how they fell from grace.  

The story oozes with depravity.  

And then it links back to the protagonist’s story.  

Of course, the heroines have their reasons too.  

Being a god-tier NTR game, the psychological aspects are thoroughly explored.  

That’s why, as online reviews said, the despair hits so hard.  

To me, it was just: "Screw you, you bitches!" But…  

When I finished the game, I was numb from the sheer shock.  

It was too much.  

At the very least, it was impactful enough to leave a lasting mark on my life.  

After playing it, I developed mild trust issues.  

Of course, I don’t confuse games with reality.  

But deep down, I found myself unable to trust others.  

On top of that, I fell into depression.  

Guess it was too much for a high schooler.  

I ended up seeing a counselor for a while—that’s how bad the mental damage was.  

My brother apologized, and I forgave him.  

It was partly my fault for getting too invested.  

But I’ve heard that time heals these kinds of traumas.  

Like with gore or extreme shock—trauma fades, and you build tolerance.  

I know that going through these experiences is part of growing up.  

But… years later.  

Even now, as a college student, I can’t forget that game.  

How many times has it haunted my dreams?  

The protagonist’s despair, his hatred for the heroines, his murderous rage toward the Demon King.  

Those feelings just won’t fade.  

To distract myself from the turmoil in my chest, I threw myself into sports and studying.  

Maybe because of that, I got into a decent college and built some stamina.  

But sometimes, out of nowhere, I remember.  

It’s just a stupid game, yet I can’t forget.  

Why do I have to live with these feelings?  

—That’s what I was thinking when it happened.  

"You’re Tsuyama, right?!"  

On my way home from college, a stranger yelled a name I didn’t know, his face twisted in anger as he approached.  

Who’s Tsuyama? My name is…  

As I tried to explain—  

"...Huh?"  

A sharp pain erupted from my chest.  

Blinking hard, I looked down to see metal embedded in me, red spreading outward.  

Too-red crimson.  

Vivid scarlet turning black… Yeah, blood.  

I’d seen it in games.  

Well, blood’s a common trope, but I mean that game.  

The art, the direction—up to the moment the protagonist died.  

This was eerily similar.  

"Ghk—"  

A second stab to the gut cut through my dazed thoughts.  

A forceful pull, then another thrust.  

The second one made a sickening crunch inside me.  

Must’ve hit bone.  

"Ugh—"  

Three, four, five times.  

After enough stabs, the pain-numbing silence set in.  

In that moment, I thought, detached:  

…This guy must really hate me.  

"Serves you right! This is for stealing Momoka!"  

His face was twisted with rage.  

I didn’t recognize the girl’s name, but somehow, I understood his expression.  

I’m gonna die.  

Stabbed this many times? It’d be weird if I didn’t.  

Thinking about what comes after death scared me like anyone else.  

But before dying, I realized one thing:  

The protagonist from that game must’ve felt like this guy.  

Still, let me say one thing:  

Wrong person!  

"Your soul is cracked."  

Strangely, I heard a voice—despite being dead.  

My vision was still blurry, everything dark.  

I should’ve been unconscious, but here I was.  

Maybe this is the afterlife.  

So… is this person God?  

"Are you… God?"  

Timidly, I used honorifics I rarely spoke with.  

The woman replied matter-of-factly.  

"Well, what do you think? You’re free to believe what you like."  

So… a godlike being?  

She didn’t claim to be one, but that’s what it meant.  

Somehow, I just knew.  

"To be blunt, your soul is cracked. If we don’t act fast, it’ll vanish."  

"Cracked?"  

"In terms you’d understand, let’s call it a severe illness."  

"How do I fix it?"  

"Hmm… If the cause were clear, it’d be different, but usually, cycling through reincarnation in a blessed environment heals it."  

Cycling through reincarnation.  

This got religious real fast.  

Or maybe just chuuni.  

So… if I’m reborn and live a new life, it’ll heal?  

"Do you have any requests? I can grant wishes to some extent."  

She’d grant wishes, huh?  

There are classic ones, right?  

Eternal life, becoming a billionaire, resurrecting the dead, more wishes, being popular with the opposite sex…  

But…  

"God… What kind of wishes can you grant?"  

"Drop the formal speech. It causes minor damage to your soul."  

"…I-I can’t just talk casually to someone above me!"  

Even if she told me to, I couldn’t just switch.  

That’s just how I am.  

"…Fine. Now, let me ask again: Do you have any idea what cracked your soul?"  

"Couldn’t it be the shock of dying? I was killed by mistake, so…"  

"…No. It’s more fundamental—an event that defined your life."  

I thought of the issue that had shaped my personality.  

That was probably it.  

"Uh… Maybe this, but—"  

I explained what I thought might’ve cracked my soul.  

That game was likely the cause.  

Even I thought, "It’s just a game…" but saying it out loud made me realize how messed up I was.  

I was killed by mistake, yet I barely held a grudge.  

Instead, I couldn’t stop thinking about that game’s protagonist.  

One game among countless, a character who shouldn’t exist.  

I couldn’t forget someone so insignificant.  

Like confessing to a god, I laid bare my heart.  

"I see… That makes sense. Yes, that’s undoubtedly it."  

"Um… It’s weird, right? Getting sick over a game character."  

Even God would find this ridiculous.  

I found it ridiculous myself—anyone would think I’m weird.  

"I’d be lying if I said otherwise, but souls are like that. Even beings like me can only manage and guide them. Don’t worry about it."  

I was being comforted.  

I didn’t fully get it, but God seemed to do this kind of work.  

Maybe she’s like a doctor.  

"Now, your wish?"  

"I want that game’s protagonist… Trust, to have a happy ending. Just let me watch it for a bit."  

That protagonist—no, Trust—worked so hard. It’s sad he got nothing.  

Just knowing such a future exists would satisfy me.  

…Ah. I slipped out of honorifics.  

As I scrambled to explain, God spoke.  

"…By any means necessary?"  

"Huh? Y-Yes."  

"Honestly, it’ll be quite difficult. Still okay?"  

Difficult? How?  

I considered asking for details… but no, I didn’t need them.  

Even if it’s just a game character, I want him to be happy.  

So there’s no need to think—just nod.  

"Yes."  

"It’ll require considerable resolve. Still okay?"  

"Of course!"  

"Let me ask again. It won’t be easy. Even if it means distorting yourself, is it necessary?"  

"Yes!"  

God asked over and over.  

So I nodded over and over.  

My mind was already made up.  

I don’t know why I feel this way.  

Maybe… I just empathized with Trust too much.  

I couldn’t help but want to save him.  

I couldn’t deny this feeling.  

"Understood. Then I’ll proceed."  

"Th-Thank you!"  

After who-knows-how-many repetitions, God finally agreed.  

Strangely, I felt satisfied.  

It’s like… now I just have to play the game on PC.  

Like an unreleased fan disc with a happy ending.  

"Please do your best. I wish you happiness."  

"Uh, huh?"  

"I hope someone like you—who uses their wish for others—never comes here again."  

As she spoke, my consciousness faded again.  

I felt dizzy.  

But I had something like resolve.  

To see Trust’s happiness, even just a glimpse…