Hearing Yuto's words, Furina was slightly stunned, then nodded gently and left.
What Furina could now be certain of was… Yuto definitely knew something, and quite a lot at that.
Although it was just a feeling, combined with her experiences, it was indeed true.
Her five hundred years of life so far had been spent in performance; her Mirror Self told her that her life was like a play, and she had to keep singing until everything ended.
This state was very similar to the one Yuto had just described.
Even if they knew their lives were just a play, they still had to keep dancing.
Because they had reasons they couldn't help but dance for.
After Furina left, Yuto breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Sometimes, knowing too much isn't a good thing.
When he looked at Furina, who constantly had to wear a mask and dance alone on that dark, unlit stage with no audience, he always felt an urge to tell her everything.
But Yuto couldn't speak, because he didn't know if what he said would affect the world's timeline, nor did he know if everything would continue to develop as he imagined.
This was every creature's instinctive fear of the "unknown."
Yuto wasn't sure if the future would be affected by the few words he spoke; he couldn't afford to gamble.
So… from the moment he joined Palais Mermonia, he also put on a mask, separated by just a wall from the theater where Furina performed, and began his own dance.
He had to keep singing, whether for the peace and stability of Fontaine, or so that Furina's hard work over so many years wouldn't be in vain; he had to keep singing.
"Meow~"
A light meow broke Yuto's thoughts. He saw Little Sanhua, who had jumped onto his desk at some point, continuously rubbing against the back of his hand.
Yuto was slightly surprised at this, then smiled and rubbed the little cat's head.
"What an intelligent little fellow, she can even sense human emotions… truly surprising."
Little Sanhua felt the warmth from above her head, gently closed her eyes, and let out purring sounds, as if she was enjoying it very much.
Perhaps because the aura around Yuto was too comfortable, or perhaps because Little Sanhua simply liked Yuto, she instinctively flopped onto Yuto's desk, exposing her fluffy belly.
Her bright black eyes looked at Yuto, as if she wanted him to pet her.
Yuto smiled and nodded at this, then continued to approve documents in his hand while rubbing the little cat's belly.
For Yuto, who had been a corporate slave for nearly five hundred years, approving documents with one hand was no longer a particularly difficult task.
The hard part was approving documents without using his brain.
—Because you never know how many idiots in this world will suddenly throw some utterly baffling work at you.
However, just as Yuto wanted to continue approving documents, that familiar light screen once again appeared before his eyes.
[Main Quest · "Prelude to White Dew and Black Tide" Completed]
[Character Participation: 80%]
[Character Presence Level: A+]
[Overall Character Performance Rating: S-]
[Calculating Popularity Value, please wait…]
[Popularity gained from Main Quest participation: 5500]
[Current Popularity Value: 10000]
Yuto nodded slightly, looking at the continuously rising numbers.
"Suddenly so much popularity… It seems that Main Quests, those unavoidable tasks that stand in your way, really give high popularity values…"
"Ten thousand popularity points… If I wanted to do a Story Quest, I could, but right now… there's no need for it temporarily."
"Unless my Story Quest is a prerequisite for a major version event, otherwise… there aren't many I really want to do."
As Yuto thought this, he called out the panel similar to a game store and began to browse.
In terms of overall content, this panel hadn't undergone any particularly huge changes. If anything… the "Main Quest Adaptation" option, which had cost five hundred popularity points earlier, had lit up again.
"Story Quests aren't cost-effective, other auxiliary functions are too expensive, and the 4.0 Main Quest isn't even finished, let alone side quests…"
Yuto's eyes narrowed slightly, and he ultimately chose the "Main Quest Adaptation."
In his opinion, the object of this "adaptation" wasn't the content, but rather whether he was "present."
To give the simplest example, originally, there was no need for Yuto to appear to welcome the Traveler; Clorinde alone would have been enough.
But after he chose to adapt, Yuto naturally appeared before everyone.
And in "Prelude to White Dew and Black Tide," there was only one plot point Yuto could choose; for the rest, he was either doing something else or he was present.
So Yuto guessed that this thing, to put it plainly, was about changing whether he appeared or not.
After figuring this out, Yuto tilted his head slightly, looking at the new plot cover screenshots that had appeared before him.
"In my memory… tonight, after the farewell dinner with Navia, the Traveler will be targeted by Vasher and his group, who sell 'lesse'…"
"This might be a good opportunity."
As Yuto thought this, he chose the plot cover featuring Navia and Clorinde standing back-to-back with swords, then continued to observe the remaining selectable plots.
"This is about the 'Serial Disappearance of Young Girls'… Perhaps after Navia uncovers some clues, I can become her Licensed Agent and help her argue in court."
"That way… I can not only personally settle accounts with Vasher and vent my anger, but also bring all my previous 'schemes' to the forefront…"
Thinking of this, Yuto smiled and nodded, seemingly very satisfied with his decision.
"Hmm, let's do it that way."
With Yuto's series of actions, all scenes related to the "Judgment" from the end to the middle of the quest were selected by Yuto.
"Although this might be a bit like stealing the protagonist's thunder, it… doesn't mean it's 'not allowed.'"
"As everyone knows, the Traveler doesn't have her own vocal organs, so let her analyze, and I will remind and speak."
"This is very important… for both me and Navia."
Thinking of this, Yuto nodded slightly. After confirming the payment of five thousand popularity points, he turned his attention back to the documents before him.
—He had to quickly finish today's work, and then… go save someone.