Chapter 2: The Heroine Committed S*icide. Chapter 2
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[Experience it for yourself.]
[Is Ian Von Pong Istan Blackangers really deserving of all the criticism?]
[The culprit is the non-v*rgin heroine.]
[I wish you luck.]
◆
Kim Ian opened his eyes.
Quite literally, he just opened his eyes.
His body couldn't move.
— Aghhh!
Water splashed on his face.
He flinched unconsciously, but it wasn't cold.
He didn't feel any sensation at all.
It was as if he could only see.
"…Is this a bathroom sink? No. Did I just possess someone?"
It felt closer to the sensation of 'real possession', where you are stuck to someone's body like a ghost.
What was going on?
The owner of the body looked into the mirror.
'…!!!'
Ian Von Pong Istan Blackangers
Newbie Guillotine of Fanta X Aca.
Shortened to Pongpong.
Seeing this guy's face in the mirror meant that he had possessed that body.
'F*ck.'
Kim Ian cursed unintentionally.
It made sense… It's Pongpong, after all.
He was a guy who accumulated a lot of dislikes from players and characters alike.
Memories immediately after possession slowly come to mind.
[Experience it for yourself.]
[Is Ian Von Pong Istan Blackangers really deserving of all the criticism?]
Experience it for yourself.
It probably meant to experience it with a reverse perspective.
'No, I don't want to experience it to this extent.'
Kim Ian felt unjust.
Why should he see the world from Pongpong's perspective like some sort of punishment for some crime he had commited?
Upon careful consideration, it seemed like he did commit a crime.
The crime of giving feedback to a lunatic developer.
The crime of wasting his life on such a crappy game and becoming a hardcore player.
It was a serious crime.
'F*ck.'
Even if he inwardly sighed, nothing would change.
He could only blankly watch Pongpong's actions.
The guy muttered to himself.
"Hmm. Lina accepted my homemade lunchbox, but I failed to confess to Sharon."
… What is this nonsense?
Kim Ian was confused.
He gave the homemade lunchbox to Lina and confessed to Sharon?
"Aria… Can I consider that a rejection? She didn't look well. Let's confess again later."
Huh.
At this point, he wondered what kind of confession machine this was.
"And Emilia? Well, if I ever need her, she'll call me back, won't she?"
Emilia, one of the heroines, was a top heiress in the world's lore. I don't know if there's anything Pong Pong needs from her, but…
One thing was for sure; he had been rejected by all four heroines.
"Alright. Let's try our best again!"
Pongpong clenched his fist while looking in the mirror.
Kim Ian couldn't help but be amazed.
"He's something else."
Given the circumstances, he got rejected by the heroines all four times, and he's recovering so quickly.
For some reason, it feels a bit uncomfortable, but is it because of the mood?
Without finding a reason for the discomfort, Pongpong started walking.
He walked through the Academy's corridors.
The sunset light streamed in through the windows, creating a beautiful sight.
When he opened the door, an empty classroom unfolded before him.
'…Could it have been that he came to steal the heroine's gym uniform?'
For some reason, it seemed like something Pongpong would do.
But fortunately, he obediently took his seat.
Then, he rummaged through the desk and took something out.
"…Huh?"
Round handwriting.
A cute envelope.
He unfolded the paper as if puzzled.
[To Ian Von Pong Istan Blackangers. Can you come to the rooftop before the sunset? I have something to talk about.]
"!!!"
Pongpong abruptly stood up. Then, he started running towards the rooftop.
Kim Ian was somewhat bewildered.
'Was there a story like this?'
This part was a development that Kim Ian had never seen before.
Something felt unsettling.
The rooftop… Something seemed to have happened on the rooftop.
– Bang!
Pongpong forcefully opened the door.
"…"
But there was no one there.
The sunset had already set, and a deep navy darkness had descended.
'Ah!'
Only then did Kim Ian manage to recall a vague memory.
Fanta X Aca's side story.
[In the early evening, a student attempted to jump from the rooftop. The extent of injuries from the sicide attempt is not yet known, but four letters were found at the scene, suggesting they may be the sicide notes of the student who jumped.]
Pongpong's s*icide threat.
And the shocking contents of the letters.
This rooftop was the perfect place for all of those things to happen.
The pieces of the "S*icide Threat Incident" that turned Pongpong into the worst character in Fanta X Aca were gradually falling into place.
◆
Thump, thump.
Pongpong wandered around the rooftop.
'The s*icide notes… Are they written here?'
The key to the s*icide threat incident was the suicide notes.
Lina, Sharon, Aria, Emilia.
Letters from an incorrigible sender mentioning each of the four heroines. In summary, it was a suicide note that said, 'I'm jumping because you didn't accept my confession'.
It was one of the reasons Pongpong's evaluation had plummeted.
'… No, wait.'
Something didn't add up.
Why? Why does this feel so uncomfortable?
Right.
Pongpong, this guy, isn't the type to jump off just because he got rejected a few times.
He knew Pongpong well enough to despise him.
'Just because your confession got rejected a few times, you jump off?'
No. Instead, this guy is the type who won't give up and will confess dozens or hundreds of times. That's why he's even more of a nuisance.
A clueless and naive b*stard. That's how kind he is, and he doesn't understand the concept of giving up.
"Yeah. Let's shake it off and get up. Someday, someone will recognize me!"
That's right.
ven if he falls, he'll get up and act like a fool again. That's who Pongpong is.
That's why his irritation grew stronger.
Seriously…
Why did this guy jump off?
No. Jumping off is one thing.
But it's definitely not the atmosphere for writing such a messed-up s*icide note.
'How is this even happening?'
At that moment…
– Whoosh!
The letter with an unknown sender that Pongpong was holding burst into flames.
Then, it transformed into four pieces of paper.
'…The s*icides notes!'
Could it be?
Puzzled, Pongpong examined the paper.
"What's this? To Lina, Sharon, Aria, Emilia…? Huh? This is my handwriting?"
…!
This.
It's a trick to leave fingerprints.
That means someone intentionally wrote that suicide note.
And the reason is…
'No way…'
Sinister premonitions are usually accurate.
Something dull slammed into Pongpong's back.
"…!"
His vision blurred.
Pongpong reached out to the railing.
Pathetically grazed it.
And was pushed off the rooftop.
"!!!!"
Panicking, he turned his gaze.
The rooftop he looked up at.
All he could see were scattered strands of hair before they disappeared. The deep sunset made even their color indistinguishable.
Kuung-!
A dull impact sound.
"Ack!"
A brief moan.
Along with Ian Von Pong Istan Blackangers, Kim Ian's vision began to blur.
"I haven't even… performed the Growth Blessing Ceremony yet…"
The experience points buff that Pongpong used to give to the heroines.
That was the last words Ian Blackangers left behind.
◆
"..."
Kim Ian opened his eyes.
This time, his body moved properly.
He was in a bed in some residence.
His body felt somewhat awkward after moving for the first time in a while. When he looked at the mirror nearby, it was still Pongpong's body.
This seemed to be Pongpong's residence.
"Ugh."
His head throbbed as if it was about to split.
Was it a side effect of the possession? Or was it the pain coming from being flung to the ground?
But there was something else that was more shocking than anything else.
"That crazy developer was right."
The developer's voice echoed right after the possession.
[Experience it for yourself.]
[Is Ian Von Pong Istan Blackangers really deserving of all the criticism?]
[The culprit is the non-v*rgin heroine.]
[I wish you luck.]
There was a culprit. Someone framed Pongpong, tried to eliminate him by pushing him off the rooftop, and manipulated the s*icide notes.
Not an extra or a supporting role.
One of the heroines.
"…F*ck."
It was hard to recover from the shock.
It made sense, though…
Heroine and culprit.
Isn't that the most incompatible combination of words in this world?
And not just any villain.
An incredibly malicious person who pushed someone off a rooftop and manipulated the sicide notes with such calculation that they wouldn't be suspected. Moreover, not a vrgin.
Such a person was hiding among the heroines, pretending to be one of them, disgustingly.
Furthermore, they already tried to kill Pongpong once.
There was no guarantee they wouldn't try again.
The problem was that Ian himself was in Pongpong's body.
So, the heroine who was the culprit was undeniably Ian's enemy.
"…Wow. Gives me the creeps."
Coincidentally, Ian had experience raising all the heroines.
Naturally, he never suspected that such a crazy person existed. After all, you don't usually suspect the heroines, right? Even if one of them pretended to be a heroine while not being a v*rgin.
"This is unsettling."
Ian scratched his head while scanning the room.
If this was Pongpong's room, there should be some evidence here.
He happened to find something interesting.
"…A love journal?"
Even though Pongpong had never been in a relationship.
Ian, filled with curiosity, decided to read the journal.
"Then again."
It was more like a "strategy guide" jotting down how to win over the heroines.
For example, there was a diary entry about Lina Rosewell.
———
Lina still didn't have any money lately.
She only had something to eat during tea time with her friends.
Even then, just a few cookies and pieces of cake.
No matter how you looked at it, she can't survive on that level of nutrition.
So, today, I woke up early and made a lunchbox.
The menu was "
This dish, with vegetables and meat finely chopped for easy consumption, was perfect for Lina to enjoy a light lunch with her friends.
The sous-vide-cooked turkey could provide her with the much-needed protein.
———
"That's some serious dedication, Pongpong."
The journal was so impressive that Ian couldn't help but be amazed.
No. Who goes to such lengths to prepare a homemade lunchbox?
"If this guy were by her side, she'd grow like a storm."
Of course, a homemade lunch from a person you don't like can be overwhelming, and with all the extras… the recipient might feel like they're being stalked.
Ian continued to read the journals for the other heroines.
Sharon Pierce. A high-performance final boss character with a reputation as a cool and popular girl. He gave her a "Famous Sword" as a confession, but he had to sell his parents' heirlooms to buy it… it said.
"Wait a minute."
Did he sell his parents' heirlooms just to do this for her?
Ian looked around in a hurry.
Upon closer examination, it was a cramped lodging.
'Could it be that he squandered all his fortune?'
Pongpong, despite being an heir from a well-to-do family near the capital, faced a bleak future.
"Sigh."
… Let's continue reading about the remaining heroines for now.
Aria, the Saint Candidate.
A heroine based on the grim saint concept.
There were some unexpected facts about her.
"Aria was childhood friends with Pongpong."
In truth, Aria was a heroine with significant mental instability. Like many gloomy well-endowed heroines, she had been a hikikomori since childhood and had even been bullied.
The game didn't provide specific care methods, though.
"Pongpong took pretty good care of her."
Pongpong's notes contained detailed information about Aria's symptoms and how to stabilize her.
But it seemed that he had confessed recently and been rejected.
"… Pongpong, you really live life to the fullest."
It seemed he had made a significant contribution to Emilia as well.
Thanks to this, she was able to learn the magic that Pongpong had learned.
"
What kind of human interface was this?
Anyway.
— Taak!
Ian closed the notebook loudly.
Pongpong seemed to sincerely care for the heroines more than expected.
Having him around significantly boosted the heroines' growth rates, which wasn't just an empty claim.
While he was detested when playing the game, being in his shoes revealed a surprisingly sincere side.
"Of course, the direction of expression was seriously wrong."
But no matter how well he cared, if the recipient thought, 'Isn't this guy a stalker?' then he should have stopped.
Pongpong couldn't do that.
And that's why he committed s*icide.
The culprit was one of the four heroines.
The only non-v*rgin.
Who could it be?
Lina, the affectionate Elemental Mage?
Sharon, the relentlessly cold-hearted Knight with extraordinary talent?
Aria, the gloomy Saintess Candidate?
Or perhaps Emilia, the top heiress of the continent?
"It's complicated."
A heroine who seemed incredibly kind, and naturally, she would be a v*rgin. There seemed to be a twist to her character, etc.
The possibilities were all there.
To see free female character art and read the first 14 chapters for free, visit Patreon. patreon.com/zennin12