Chapter 3

"...I'm not the kind of person Reiya thinks I am."

Saying this, she closes her eyes tightly in pain.

What kind of expression is that? Regret? Guilt?

What on earth is making you feel bad?

I gently touched her cheek as if to comfort her, and asked her what she really meant.

"...What do you mean?"

"I... there was a time when I avoided Reiya, right?... At that time, my mind and body were not in sync, and it was difficult for me to come to terms with myself."

As she gently rubbed her cheek against the hand that touched hers, I finally felt like I understood what my childhood friend was trying to say as she looked at me and smiled awkwardly.

"Could it be that Ruri is also a reincarnated person...?"

"...Haha, I thought so."

Ruri-chan laughed, looking a little embarrassed.

Ah, I see. That's how it was. You're just like me. Not the "Ruri-chan" from the game, but my childhood friend, "Ruri."

“I’ve thought about it sometimes. Since I’ve been reincarnated, there might be other people who have been reincarnated as well. …If it was 'Reiya' then of course that was a possibility.”

"Ruri, you know about Flower of Histoire too, huh?"

That's what it means to know that 'Reiya' is the main character player.

"Yeah, I know that very well... I see. So that's why you call me 'Ruri.' I should have realized it by then."

"I don't think its weird to call you 'Ruri'."

"You call me "Ruri-chan" because you like my lapis lazuli eyes. You read this story somewhere, right?"

"Oh. That's right. On the artist's social media. If you know this story, then Ruri must be a pretty big fan, too!?"

I find another person who has been reincarnated just like me, and it's my beloved Ruri.

I felt a sense of closeness, or perhaps a sense of camaraderie, and was so happy that I ended up embracing her soft body while she was still on top of me.

But she didn't seem to mind, and gave me a vague smile with a somewhat apologetic look on her face.

And then what she said was something unexpected.

"...Sorry. That was me."

"Huh? That's..."

"'Reiya' and 'Fleuriverge' were both drawn by me in my previous life."

"...Ehhhhh?"

I was so surprised that I screamed, but Ruri quickly covered my mouth with her hand.

"Shhh! It's the middle of the night! Dad will wake up!"

Surely.

I nodded and listened carefully to what was happening outside the door.

...There was no noise. It seemed I hadn't woken him up.

I think Ruri was moaning pretty loudly just now, and if that didn't wake him up, then this house must be pretty soundproof. Is this just a convenient plot device in an erotic game?

Damn. Remembering her provocative voice and her lewd appearance at that time, my lower body once again went into battle mode, but now was not the time for that.

"So you're the creator of those super beautiful characters, the divine artist?"

Even if I lower the volume of my voice, I can't let down the rising tension.

For someone like me who has absolutely no artistic talent, now or in my previous life, she is an object of respect and admiration!

"Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration...?"

"No, no, no, no! I'm a really big fan! Ruri-chan has been especially kind to me."

That is in many different ways.

"That's a bit graphic..."

"Isn't it inevitable since my sexual preferences have been completely distorted?"

"I guess it's a bit unusual... Fururi was really unpopular. She was often called the typical loser heroine."

"That's not what I meant."

"?"

I don't want to see you forcing a smile to make fun of yourself.

You might be put off if I tell you, but I want you to know. I want to show you. The feelings I'm harboring in my heart.

"I was a woman in my previous life. But I had these huge feelings for Ruri, so in this life I even grew a penis so I could stick it in her."

"..."

I was drawn to her after all.

As she straddled me, I pulled my hips back and released the thing that was currently pressing against her buttocks, wanting to enter her again.

I don't want to do anything that Ruri doesn't like.

"Sorry, it's gross huh."

"... No, it's not that... I was so happy that I was surprised... I was moved..."

Ruri said, burying her face in my chest.

All I can see is the cowlick, but even Ruri's cowlick is cute.

She trembled slightly and looked up again, probably in pain.

"I was also a man in my previous life. You may already know that."

"I've never really thought about gender, but I guess that's probably the case. From the way the conversation went."

"Even in my previous life, I've always liked beautiful things and people. To be honest, out of all the faces I've created, Reiya is the one I like the most."

Saying this, Ruri smiled softly and poked my cheek with her white fingers.

"Oh, I know! Reiya is seriously an incredibly handsome guy."

"...But when you say those words with that face, it makes me feel indescribable."

"Hehe, sorry."

The face of the main male protagonist in erotic games is rarely depicted clearly, and even if it is, it's almost impossible for him to be this handsome. Even in "Flower of Histoire," the erotic scenes were drawn in a way that didn't show the main character Reiya's face. Well, it's understandable. It takes away the sense of immersion.

It was originally made for all ages, for an audience of both genders, and I'm grateful for that when I think about how you in your past life created this face.

"It's true that I really liked Ruri-chan too. I think you were able to draw her incredibly cute, and above all, her breasts, they're so beautifully shaped and erotic that they're almost artistic, they're the best."

"Yeah. It's the best of the best."

Saying this, Ruri lifted her breasts gently and placed them on my chest so that I could see them again clearly.

The comfortable softness and weight almost made me lose my sense of reason, but I somehow managed to endure it.

"Of course I tried to draw these amazing breasts in a way that would make people want to squeeze them... but I also thought that it might feel good to squeeze myself. In my previous life, I tried to squeeze breasts that weren't there, and ended up climaxing from my nipples, so that's a bit of a dark history."

Nipples are erogenous zones for men too, so it's only natural that they feel good, right?

But I still can't help but grin. I'll definitely get her to show me how she orgasms using only her nipples someday.

"...Also, I've heard that when a man ejaculates, it's only for an instant, but when a woman ejaculates, the pleasure lasts for a long time and feels incredibly good, so I was jealous... because I was a really, uh, premature ejaculator..."

"Oh, so you were a premature ejaculator."

I couldn't stop grinning at the embarrassing confession that came out next. Sorry, I didn't mean any harm. It really made me realize once again how cute Ruri is. Right?

It's okay. I'm well aware that I'm gross.

"...Then, the next thing I knew, I'd become a girl. At first, I didn't even know I was a Fleuriverge. I was supposed to be a boy, so why had I become a girl? Those were the questions I had. I was living with this sense of incongruity when, then, you appeared."

Saying this, she stroke my cheek again.

So loving, so sad.

“When I saw you as a baby, picked up by the priest, I remembered. You were a ‘Reiya’, and this world was very similar to 'Flower of Histoire’. My parents called me ‘Fururi’, but I was actually ‘Fleuriverge’.”

Perhaps remembering that time, her lapis lazuli eyes seemed to be looking at my face, gazing off into the distance.

"At first, I was just moved. You were embodying my ideals, taking action, and growing. It was truly amazing. But then my mother said, 'Reiya, he's going to make a lot of girls cry in the future. I wonder if Fururi will be one of them?'"

That's annoying. I've decided that I'll only make Ruri cry in bed, mother-in-law!

"And then I remembered. It's decided that Fururi will be the losing heroine."

"..."

I hate the people who made you think that. They're just making stuff up.

"Around that time, I was slowly getting closer to having a girl's body, so I was emotionally unstable. I was a man in my past life, after all, and the only reason I had feelings for Reiya now was because of the setting in 'Flower of Histoire'. I figured if I was going to end up being the losing heroine anyway, I shouldn't have chosen been chosen by you, so I tried to distance myself from you."

"When you avoided me, I was so shocked I nearly collapsed."

"Liar. You were fine."

"Damn... My healthy body is unaffected by my wounded mind, so Ruri can't comfort me..."

Let's be soothed by looking at the breasts in front of me... yes, it's very effective.

"And yet, like that, you keep looking at my breasts with those lewd eyes!"

"What! What are you talking about?"

"That's why I wanted to leave you but couldn't! You always told me that 'boobs are the only thing I like,' and it was so obvious that you absolutely loved them, so I just couldn't give up on the idea that there might be a chance!"

"It's not like I only like Ruri's boobs, you know?"

"Well, I know... but it's true that you do like boobs, right? Nina, who's also a member of the vigilante group, was also bragging with such glee, saying, 'Reiya's always staring at my breasts~♡ Boys are so naughty, it's a pain~♡'"

After hearing that, Ruri blushed, bit her lip, and looked away.

What's with that reaction? It sounded like jealousy, but she didn't look angry or sulky.

Hmm, is it embarrassing? Like that? Was there anything about the conversation we just had that made you feel embarrassed?

"Well, in this world, there are no underwired bras, and girls with big boobs jiggle when they walk. It's inevitable that people's eyes will be drawn to things that are jiggle."

"I understand that, and I'm not blaming you or anything. However, I realized that I was getting excited about the fact that Reiya was looking at me in a sexual way, so I thought that it would be okay for me to be the losing heroine."

How did it come to this? Don't be so bold as to take a weird approach!

"Hey, Reiya. You make a displeased face every time I call myself the 'losing heroine,' but you weren't planning on choosing me tomorrow morning, were you? At least until yesterday, you were planning on leaving me in this village and going on your journey, right?"

"I knew that once I held you, I'd never be able to let you go, so I was determined to hold off. That way you could live safely here, and I still think that's the way I should do it if I care about you."

Now that I've held you in my arms and my body and soul are completely consumed by you, I can no longer make that choice.

This is the world of Flower of Histoire, and as I am Reiya Richke, choosing and taking Ruri with me would be fraught with great danger. That's why I've been worrying about it for so long.

"If that's the case, doesn't that mean I'm the 'losing heroine' after all?"

Seeing Ruri express such a genuine question, I realized one possibility.

"...By any chance, Ruri, haven't you played Flower of Histoire yet?"

It seemed like you knew that FoH exists, but do you know about the event that will happen at the end of the journey starting tomorrow?

"Huh? I did play the closed beta. I didn't know anything and just picked Ruri-chan at random, and I got wiped out early on, so I haven't played since then."

So that's how it is. If that's the case, I can understand why Ruri has doubts.

But you were involved in the production, so I can't imagine you're completely unfamiliar with the script for "Flower of Histoire."

"I see... so when you were designing the characters, how much did you hear about the story?"

"The scenario writer for that game was a friend of mine, or rather, a close friend since elementary school. It was technically a job, but the deadlines were tight and the pay was low, so I reused the character designs of original characters I had drawn in middle school for most of the characters. I feel like I listened to the story over and over again through voice chat while we were working, but I was so busy that I barely heard it."

As I listened to the story, I thought to myself that unlike me, she remembered her past life quite clearly.

"Ah, but I do know a basic profile. Reiya is half demon, half human, and when he awakens, his hair turns black and his eyes turn red. In fact, his father was the previous Demon King and his mother was the female hero."

"Uh, yeah."

She's not hesitant to reveal the biggest spoiler of "Flower of Histoire." It's the secret of Reiya's birth that will come as a huge shock to player and cause them a great deal of conflict.

Well, it's okay because I already know.

"So, do you know why "I" Reiya awakens as a demon?"

"That.... I just drew a black-haired, red-eyed Reiya. I'm not really in charge of stills anyway. When it became an adult series, I was the only one who could draw Ruri's breasts, so I did draw a few erotic scenes."

"I see."

I wonder what to do.

I've already decided to choose Ruri and I have no intention of changing my mind.

Is it okay to take her without her knowing the truth? Is that the worst?

But...if I tell her, she might not come with me.

To begin with, player set out into 'Flower of Histoire' without knowing anything... Well, that's because Reiya doesn't know either...

As I was thinking about this, Ruri leaned forward and brought her face closer to mine.

"Is the reason you didn't want to choose me have something to do with Reiya's awakening?"

"Well, the problem is what happens after he awakens..."

Seeing Ruri's puzzled expression in close-up, I made up my mind.

There's no point in lying, and I don't have the confidence to keep it up.

I've already chosen you!

So I have no choice but to tell her everything I know, and have her still choose me.

 "...I've played Flower of Histoire twice. Let me start with the first playthrough.

When Reiya awakens as a demon at the end of his journey, he goes berserk. His allies try to stop him, but an auto-battle begins, with no regard for the player's will. While he's out of control, Reiya single-mindedly targets the character with the highest affinity rating. His allies are forced to defend themselves, unable to stop the overdeveloped Reiya. When the most favorable character he's been targeting dies, Reiya's rampage ends and he comes to his senses. Unable to accept what he's done, he breaks down. All of Reiya's memories of traveling as the player's alter ego are erased."

"No way...!"

I thought it was a cruel thing to do. They're the character with the highest likeability, and of course the character you feel the most attached to. And now having them killed by the protagonist, Reiya, who is the player's alter ego.

A world where the Lost system exist. Once you die, there is no salvation.

I've heard that even players who played Flower of Histoire knowing the tagline was "There is no happy ending beyond this story - Flower of Histoire," many left at this point, the final chapter of the first part.

For me... well, if you ask me whether it was good or bad, I'd honestly say it was good. Otherwise, I don't think I would have continued after that.

The person that the protagonist, Reiya, killed in that game, for me, was a mercenary named Samuel, who had joined the party shortly after setting out on my journey. To begin with, the game was aimed at all ages at the time, and I didn't even know there was an internal system called affinity level; he was just the male character who I had had in my party the longest and had trained the most.

Of course, I was attached to him, and the shock of his sudden death carried with me for a while. But it wasn't so bad that it made me want to quit the game. I think one big factor was that, unlike a normal loss, all of the in-game resources I had invested in training him were returned to me.

But the reason I was able to accept this was because "Flower of Histoire" is a game, and it's fiction.

"...So, if Reiya chooses me and we continue our journey... does that mean you'll kill me...?"

"See? You can see that it's not that easy to choose Ruri, right?"

"Can't you do something about it? That would be too painful for Reiya! Even if you doesn't choose me, the girl you fall in love with in the future... you'd kill her..."

"...Ruri is so kind."

I cupped Ruri's cheeks, who had a look of genuine concern on her face, in both hands, pulled her close, and kissed her with a soft squish.

"Ngh... come on! I'm being serious!"

"Sorry. I thought you were cute, so I just did it."

I put my arms around Ruri's back as she tried to get up in anger and held her tightly to prevent her from letting go.

I've been training my arm strength well, so there's no point in flapping your arms and legs around.

"What I just told you was my first playthrough. Now let me tell you about the second playthrough. I chose Ruri-chan when I set out on my journey, and proceeded while admiring only Ruri-chan."

"Oh come on! I get it! So loosen your arms! It hurts!"

I kiss Ruri's eyelids as she complains, apologizing, and relaxes my arms.

"Like I said earlier during sex, if you take Ruri-chan around and do lots of naughty things with her, her stats will surpass those of Reiya and become the strongest. If you enter the awakening event in that state, Ruri-chan will be able to fight back against the out-of-control Reiya. Then Reiya will die as a human, and be resurrected as a demon."

"Well, I can't believe I'll become the strongest, but... Reiya dies once... Once someone dies in Flower of Histoire, it's Lost event. How was that handled...?"

"If you've hit that ending, you've probably seen the Game Over screen, but instead it didn't end just like that. The text clearly stated, 'Reiya Richke is dead.' Afterwards, there's a scene where the teammates are sad, and just as Ruri-chan tries to take her own life out of guilt, Reiya wakes up and grabs her arm."

"So if we go that route, Reiya will be able to live together without killing anyone?"

"Hmm..."

It would be heartbreaking to make Ruri, whose eyes are shining with anticipation, feel depressed again, but that's probably not the case.

"This is just my speculation based on my analysis of the scenario, but...

I think this route is the 'official' route that the creators envision. Fleuriverge was originally the main heroine, so there's no upper limit to her stats. If you pour love and training resources into Fleuriverge, she will become someone who can kill the strongest protagonist, Reiya, and have his beloved Fleuriverge kill Reiya with her own hands. I think this was the core of what they wanted to write in Flower of Histoire. As a scenario writer... as your friend, they probably wanted to end it here, but...  Flower of Histoire is a commercial game. The second chapter, "Demon Reiya Reigns as Demon King," in which Reiya settles things with his predecessor and sets out on the path to control the demons as the new king, and the final chapter, "Sea of Emotion's Vow of Betrayal," which depicts the battle with the Creator God who manifested on Earth to purge Reiya, who destroyed the laws of the world, may have been nothing more than unnecessary additions. That's why the death of Reiya is clearly stated in the Fleuriverge route, and I think that in the route where Reiya kills someone he loves, Reiya is broken. Either way, Reiya, who has been on a journey up until this point, dies."

Since being reincarnated into this world, I have been thinking about my past life and the "Flower of Histoire."

"...It's true that she liked yandere and bittersweet stories... I guess she wrote honestly about her own sexual preferences..."

"I see... Well, whatever the content may be, I think that Reiya's death is certainly a death for me."

It's just a guess, but I'm pretty sure of it.

"Eh!?"

Ruri's face turned pale and her eyes widened in shock.

"Well, even if it says that Reiya's memories have been erased or that he has died as a human, that doesn't mean that the player's memories will be erased, right? If that phenomenon were to occur in this world, it would make sense to think that I, who has memories of my previous life, would be erased."

"That's not okay!"

Ruri, who had scolded me for speaking too loudly earlier, now spoke much louder than me and looked at me with a serious expression.

I was so happy about that that I couldn't help but smile.

"If I disappear, the one that will probably come out will be the true Reiya."

"To me, you're Reiya! You love boobs, you're a little mean, you're incredibly perverted, and you have these huge, twisted feelings for me! So you must never disappear!"

This time it was me who widened my eyes in shock.

What's that? You said that even though you knew I liked Ruri. My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. I might die from being so happy.

No. I love you too much. I can't take it anymore. I've reached my limit.