That evening, Colette had hid in the bathroom after everyone was asleep. The room was tiny, cold, dark, and smelled of sweat and other unpleasantries. Nonetheless, she sat huddled in the corner as far away from the door as possible, eagerly awaiting the alone time she needed to check out the game shop privately.
"Shop" she had whispered in the dark, the green shimmering menu materializing out of thin air. Her clear baby blue eyes sparkled.
There were several items available depicted as if she were online shopping, but she had no way of knowing what effects they had, how much they were, or how much she had. They were all potions. All different colors. Pink, blue, yellow, and purple.
She guessed she would have to just buy one to find out. Biting her lip, Colette selected a pink potion- her finger pressing on the image of the pink bottle. her fingertip tingled and the menu glitched slightly, making her blink rapidly.
[…You are about to purchase The Potion of True Intent. This first purchase will be free, but every item thereafter will cost experience points.]
[Experience points can be gained 1 at a time for every 10 affection points earned from any/all characters.]
[ Only 1 shop item can be purchased per day. Current balance is 3 XP.]
[Do you wish to proceed with the free first purchase?]
"Yes."
[…Potion purchased. Thank you for using the shop.]
With a flashing glow of green light, the shop window disappeared and the potion, a glass bottle wrapped in a leather strap and sealed with a cork, was left in Colette's child sized palm.
Colette squinted as she stared at the swishing pink liquid inside- then gasped as a new window popped up. Colette noticed now that when the system was speaking directly to her, the tone of the words changed…At times like this when the system simply laid out rules and information- it was more like the original game, more matter of fact and robotic. But it wasn't perfectly consistent, as if certain words were exact and automated or directly copied, whilst others were personable and generated. She did not know what to make of that…but seeing as she was here in this game now, it was a given that things would be different. It just slightly unsettled her how the system was now being so cold and mechanical, after speaking to her like a guide seemingly just hours ago.
[…Potion of True Intent]
[…See the true feelings of character, and detailed thoughts of characters upon request.]
[Lasts 10 days in game.]
[Active effects: The window will open when a target is approached that depicts the target's general intent.]
[…Use Limit: 10 game days.]
[…Restrictions: Cannot see all thoughts as they appear, only the dominant ones of the target character. Cannot see memories of characters.]
This was a game changer. With this, she could more easily navigate winning over the romance interests who were the most difficult to deal with. It's a shame it was only 1 bottle that lasted 10 days- but who's to say the same item wouldn't appear sometime later and she could save it for later if she bought it? It would make the game as seamless as possible…she might actually be able to reach her ideal ending and find that secret love interest….
What a crazy cheat.
Colette flinched as a new window popped up- just as the clocks of the town struck 12.
The ringing from outside startled her and made her heart pound. She was not sure what would happen outside of main storyline game scenes as she was moving about- if things would change because she wasn't doing what the original Colette was doing, etc…. So she was a bit concerned about being caught.
Would she just cease to exist if she died here? Or would she just respawn? She didn't want to risk it. But she had to at least in this manner.
Colette turned her attention back to the brand new pop up window. It was pink again, and the system's tone shifted once more.
[…Congrats on clearing your first tutorial mission today. You befriended the character Manon. This action means the tutorial will proceed.]
[…For your first reward, the system will grant you 2 of 4 possible gifts. Please select 2 gifts.]
[Easy Recovery]
[Starter Affection Points]
[Information]
[Right Your Wrong]
Colette stared blankly at the choices in front of her.
"Um…can you explain what each of these are?" she whispered softly. The system didn't answer right away.
[….We cannot do that at your current level. As you increase affection across all characters, more perks may be available. For now, you must choose blindly.]
In that case, Colette had a better idea of what she should probably do. She absolutely needed to get as many affection points as possible as soon as possible if she was going to fully take advantage of these perks.
"Will the gifts take effect as I select them or after I've selected them both?" She asked, hoping for the first.
[…They will take effect after selecting both.]
Colette cursed under her breath. Still, she did decide what her first choice was. It had to be this since she couldn't garner too many affection points until she enrolled in the academy.
"The first gift I want is Easy Recovery."
[…Understood. You selected the gift "Easy Recovery" please confirm.]
"I confirm."
[…Okay.]
[First gift confirmed. Easy Recovery: This gift will allow the player to recover lost affection points at any time, up to 50 points, up to 3 times per character. Can be used at any time as long as there was a time when the affection points of the target were higher than they are at the time of usage.]
"Whoa….." Colette was wondering what exactly she did to deserve all this. Just as fast as her smile came- it went.
Why exactly was all this happening to her? She felt like she was living a dream she didn't work for- one she shouldn't have. After all she had done.
[…The system detects that the Player is unstable.]
[…If we may suggest a gift to select as your second reward, we suggest choosing "Right Your Wrong".]
Colette's brows furrowed, confused. "But you can't tell me what it is…"
[…No. But based on the player's worries and concerns, this gift will help the player the most.]
Help her the most…. Colette thought about it. The system seemed to know her life, her traumas, her last actions before her suicide…all of it. She had no reason to not trust the system, especially after being given all these perks.
"Okay…I choose Right Your Wrong as my second gift." She spoke slowly and quietly.
[….You have chosen the gift: Right Your Wrong. Please confirm. Colette pursed her lips, hands clenching in anxiety.]
".....I…Confirm."
[….Okay. Second gift confirmed. Right Your Wrong.]
Unlike the first time, the system screen glowed a golden color. It was nearly blinding, and Colette didn't know where to even look. By the time the light had faded away, Colette felt like she had been holding her breath for hours, her red hair wildly floating around her head.
[…Congratulations. The player has chosen a premium gift. Due to the gift level, the gift cannot be fully described immediately while the system prepares your gift. Please standby and monitor the loading bar until preparations are completed.]
Huh? Colette was once again at a loss for words. She would have nearly felt cheated- well, she did- but she would feel more angry that she wasted a gift if not for the fact that she had already received a pretty great one all things considered.
"So I have to wait?? Why?" she breathed, trying not to get louder due to her displeasure.
[….The system needs to make preparations for Right Your Wrong by fully scanning the player's wrongs.]
That changed things…a scan? "You mean you'll find out the worst thing I have done and fix it for me? Is this not limited to the game?", a strange, clenching feeling gripped Colette's chest tightly. A chance to be free of the guilt she had held onto- the guilt that ate her up so badly that it ruined her life and caused her to end it herself. She would be free of this?
[…Yes. We will scan the player's life in their original world to make preparations and then reveal the generated perk based on the information gathered. Please wait for the system to finish preparing.]
Colette could only agree, bewildered but unbelievingly grateful and full of hope. She watched as a loading bar appeared in the upper portion of her line of vision. She guessed the golden bar would fill up once preparations were completed.
It wasn't just about the game. It was about her.
She would do anything….anything to be free of this guilt and shame.
To right her wrongs.
To feel like a good person again.
....
Colette had woken up to a hand shaking her. It startled her awake, the sensation feeling so realistic, and she still was not used to it.
It was Madame Delores, smelling of milk and oats, her nails digging into her shoulder only covered by thin material. This was not good. In the game, there was a 25% chance you'd wake up late the morning after befriending a child. If you did, you encountered Madame this way. It was a challenging task, requiring you to build rapport with Madame or make her hate you.
"Wake up now, Colette. Everyone else has made their beds. What is wrong with you? This is not a palace." She sneered.
Madame was very nitpicky and getting on her good side was tough and required patience. Her response here was extremely important as it was more difficult to correct mistakes later. Failure meant dropping from 5 AP to 1, and suffering more blatant abuse later at her hands. What you could do was always different, and her responses were 1 of 3. Anger, pity, or annoyance. Pity was the best option, but it severely depended on context clues as her mood in the morning and the circumstances were different each round. She was a smart character.
Suddenly the redhead remembered her other reward. Surely she could use it now? Not sure how to activate the ability, she stared at Madame Delores, who raised an eyebrow. Suddenly, floating, swaying words appeared above the woman's posh but atop her head.
[Delores believes the girl may be sick because she heard her wheezing in her sleep. She is uncomfortable as she knows the manager will be angry if he sees the youngest one who just arrived ill.]
Ah, perfect. Colette had the perfect act prepared to avoid the worst case scenario.