[01 — New Game Plus?]

The glow from my computer screen was the only thing standing out in the darkness of my room.

My cat, curled up on my blanket, stared at me with a confused look, as if trying to figure out why I was making so much noise in the middle of a Thursday night.

TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP.

"Freaking devs... how the hell did they manage to make something this perfect?" I sniffled

On my screen was the game's official page, and in the comment section, my eighth review. Fifteen thousand characters of pure love poured into those lines.

"Sigh… That makes eight times now…"

Time really flies when you're doing something that actually matters.

With my feet propped up on the desk, I pushed my chair back. 

"Sniff... damn it. How can this game hit differently every single time I finish it?"

I'd just beaten it, and I was already itching to dive back in.

Nyan

My cat jumped onto my lap. I felt his sharp claws tug another thread loose from my sweater.

"What is it, Abobora-kun?"

He stared straight into my eyes. That gaze I knew it all too well.

"You think I should DM the devs?"

Abobora-kun purred and rubbed his head against my hand. That was the voice of experience speaking.

"Hm… you really think so?"

Purr…

Normally, I wouldn't do something like this, but the little rascal was right: good things deserve to be said. Even if I know they probably won't reply.

"Alright, let's do it!"

I pulled the chair back to the desk and clicked the direct message field.

"What kind of message do you even send to the people who made your favorite game?"

I've beaten this game so many times it feels like those guys are part of my family, but this is the first time I've ever reached out.

[To be fair, I'm speechless. There's so much I want to say, but I can't find the right way to express it. I've played tons of games in this genre, but nothing ever touched me quite like >Vinsatsu Legends<. I'll admit the title isn't the flashiest (honestly, I'd love to know where the name 'Vinsatsu' even came from), but just a few minutes into the game and you can feel all the care your team poured into it. Thank you so much for creating this universe and giving me the chance to experience it.]

[If I had just one wish to ask the gods, it would be to go back in time and forget everything about the game... just to relive that first-time experience again.]

[But I guess it's like the saying goes: you never forget your first time.]

[With love…]

[Murakami Katou]

Nyan?

Abobora-kun looked up at me, slightly weirded out.

"… Too cheesy?"

"..."

Sure, that was disgusting. It read like a love confession.

Abobora-kun raised an eyebrow. He looked genuinely offended.

"Sigh… well, whatever. It's not like they're gonna read it anyway."

"Nn... haa~ What time is it?"

In the bottom corner of the screen, the clock read 3:58 AM.

Way past bedtime.

"Damn... is it already that late?"

I began straightening the sheets to finally get some sleep. After all, I couldn't risk oversleeping and missing the single most important event in my life: the game's global DLC drop at 10 AM.

Just as I was about to shut off the PC and go to bed, a notification icon popped up:

[Are you serious? — ID: VINDT#01]

"Hm?... Serious? What do you mean?"

Maybe it was just the sleepiness, but that ID felt familiar.

"Wait! isn't that the dev's ID?"

I dashed back to the desk.

SLAM! I stubbed my pinky toe.

"ITAI! Who the hell put this bed here?!"

Abobora-kun looked at me like I was an idiot.

But none of that mattered now.

Like… did I just get a reply from the dev?

"I don't believe it…"

But what the hell did they mean by 'Are you serious?'

I scratched my head.

"Well, if you mean what I said about loving the game, then yeah, I was serious…"

[Ridiculously serious.]

Before I could even hit ENTER on my keyboard, a white light pierced my vision.

Everything around me began to spin.

A swirling storm of glowing colors latched onto my body, and a wave of nausea hit me like a truck.

*

What… was that?

...Suddenly, I remembered the last time I was out at sea.

The smell… the sway… the— GWAH!

I threw up all the snacks and junk food I'd eaten that afternoon.

"Um… are you <KATOU DESTROYER 9000>?"

A sweet, gentle voice whispered right into my left ear.

Didn't sound familiar. But if she knew my war name, there was no way she was up to anything good.

"Who dares speak my name in vain?"

"Hmm?" She tilted her head.

The place was so bright it hurt to keep my eyes open, yet somehow I managed to get a look at her.

...Hoh? Now that I really looked, she was actually kinda cute.

I mean, it's not like I have a thing for angel wings and pointy ears or anything, but still…

...Wait a second.

"Angel wings?!....... Ha… maybe I've been gaming too hard. I'm starting to see things…"

But this texture...

"Eh… Destroyer-kun?"

"Ahem, Ahem... yes. That's me."

"Phew… glad I didn't mess it up this time. Ehehe~"

What did she just say?

"…This time?"

"Teehee~"

Something about her told me she wasn't exactly trustworthy.

"Anyway..."

Oi, don't skip the important parts!!

"…My name is Vindt."

Vindt? ....VINDT#01?!

"Wait! does that mean... you're the game dev?!"

"De…bu?" She poked her cheek. "Something like that~?"

What's her deal?

Her smile… 

Her gestures… 

Her voice… 

Why does everything about her feel so…

Fak—

"Fufu~ You're so cute, Destroyer-kun."

"Y-you…!"

Can you hear me?

"…If you keep staring at me like that, I might get embarrassed~" she said, blushing.

Did I get it wrong?

"...Eh… Vindt-san, could you please explain what's going on?"

"Destroyer-kun... I brought you here because I read your message. I must say I was really touched. I received your 'love' with great affection."

I didn't understand why she made air quotes around the word 'love,' but something in her eyes sent a chill down my spine.

"Vindt-san, I don't get what you're trying to say."

"Hihi~ Silly boy… what I'm trying to say is…"

...She paused dramatically, like she was about to announce something huge.

"I'm going to grant your wish~!"

For the first time, her expression slipped. Even through all that acting, the malice in her eyes was impossible to hide.

"M-my wish? What are you—" I tried to ask, but before the words could leave my mouth, the nausea returned even stronger than before.

The space around me began to spin again.

"Memories… world… real… first time…"

Vindt-san… what are you trying to—?

And then…

Everything turned white.