Chapter 1

"Rika! We have a problem," Rika's assistant, Hinata, stumbled into her office with a bundle of papers ready to fall out of her arms and her glasses tipping to one side.

Rika rushed out of her chair, over to her before she could run into her desk. "Breathe, Hinata, and then tell me what's wrong."

Hinata took a few deep breaths. "One of our suppliers is pulling out of the deal. Without it, we won't be able to make our product. I tried calling a few others to make a deal, but the timeline is too tight. What do we do?! This product was already launched online, and it's due for release in two weeks—"

"Breathe." Rika took a few deep breaths to get her to mimic her until it worked. "Which supplier pulled out?"

"The one for the sensor. Without it, it isn't much of a health watch."

Rika shook her head. What in the world is going on? She thought. "How can they pull out now? I thought production had already started?"

"We have a couple of hundred watches made with their sensor, but they cut off supply for the rest because of a shortage, as they're prioritizing a bigger client."

"But... Ugh." Rika's shoulders slouched. This can't be happening. I wonder which big company paid extra for our share of the supply. She rubbed her temples, eyes closed. Think, Rika, think. "We'll have to go with a partial launch while I switch suppliers."

"With who?"

A dark shadow crossed over Rika's face. "KairoTech Sensors Ltd."

I really don't want to deal with them again, but it's better than letting this completely fall apart. Let's hope they don't up the prices even more than last time.

Hinata's eyes widened. "Are you sure about them?"

"We have no choice." Rika sighed and stared at the phone number.

"Good luck, Miss." Hinata pumped her free hand in a fist.

"Thanks. I'm going to need it."

Once Hinata headed back to her desk in the empty office, since everyone else had gone home already, Rika called KairoTech. "Hello, this is Rika Kacho from MiraiKen Technologies." I need this deal as soon as possible.

Rika went over the numbers repeatedly, making sure everything would work out before agreeing to a new deal and signing a contract.

It's a worse deal than the original one, but it's done. Finally, time to head home and relax after I find a new otome to escape into.

Knock, knock. Hinata opened her door.

"I've done it. The fire is out." It's no wonder I'm always exhausted. If only life was like an otome, with so many happy endings around the corner.

"Yes!" Hinata pumped her fist in the air and dropped her purse. "Oops." She picked it up, a slight blush on her cheeks. "It's getting late, so I'm heading home."

"Me too. Do you want a ride?" Rika asked as she gathered her things.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course; it's not that far from where I live."

Rika pulled her blazer back on, grabbed her coat and purse, and turned back to Hinata. "Ready to go?"

"Yup."

By the time Rika dropped Hinata off at her place and made it home, it was almost time for bed.

No, I must at least find my next game to obsess over.

Instead of scrounging for food in her fridge, Rika grabbed her handheld console and lay down in bed as she scrolled through the online store.

Played it, played it. I'm burning through this list. Oh! I've never seen this one before. Rose Court? The image showed a woman in a fancy dress with red hair in the front, with four men in different uniforms and a shadowy figure in the back. Behind all of them stood a castle.

No reviews. Rika quickly looked through her phone to see if there was a walkthrough or more information.

Nothing? Maybe I've found a hidden gem. It's like it was waiting for me to find it. A frisson of excitement ran through her body. Time to fly blind.

She clicked to download the otome game Rose Court and dove right in.

As always, she renamed the player character to Rika to immerse herself even more.

The intro played, swooping in with the main character, and then each of the love interests.

A man with blonde hair, blue eyes, wearing blue royal garb, and holding a white rose showed up first. Titled 'The Dutiful Prince, Alric.'

Next was a man with combed back blue hair, wearing silver armour with a blue rose. 'The Loyal Knight, Wolfe.'

The third man had brown hair, a long blue coat and fancy, frilly shirt, alongside a red rose. 'The Charismatic Duke, Dryden.'

Fourth was a man with black hair pulled back into a pony, wearing a green cloak, with a yellow rose. 'The Masterful Mage, Ferran.'

And lastly, a silhouette of a man with a cloak and red eyes, with a black rose and a question mark. 'The Mysterious Interloper.'

A few side characters flew by and it showed a massive palace with a rose stain glass in the middle.

I wonder which route I should try for first. Charismatic Duke? He'll probably be the most fun.

The game started. 'As you're lying in bed after work, a flash of light blinds you.'

A flash of light lit up the sky through the window of her bedroom.

What was that? Rika set her handheld system down on her bed and looked out the window. I know I saw something.

Unable to fight her curiosity, she made her way upstairs to the fenced in rooftop of her mid-rise apartment building with a small garden and clothing lines across one side.

Now, where did the light come from?

She glanced down at the street with a few cars humming along, but didn't spot anything out of the ordinary, so she looked up at the dark, starry sky.

A bright light from directly above her was getting closer.

Is that a meteorite? Wait, is it coming straight at me? No way... Oh, crap.

A beam of light landed on Rika, consuming her, and she lost consciousness.