While Kasumigaoka Utaha was dealing with the emotional trauma from reaching the true ending of the game, Akifumi group at his's house was finally managed to reach the end of their playthrough.
"Haah..."
With a satisfied sigh, the credits began to roll in front of everyone's eyes.
Eriri chuckled and said, "The ending was actually pretty good, yet he had to trick me!"
"Mugiho-kun shouldn't be lying to us about things like this, right?" Mahiru spoke softly, sharing her thoughts.
"Well, who knows about those things?" Eriri shrugged.
Just then, there was a "click" sound from the inner room.
Akifumi walked out of the room.
"Mugi, we finished the game." Mashiro called out to him as Akifumi was about to pour himself a cup of water.
"Oh?" Akifumi approached, and as he did, he saw the final screen of the game with the word [END?]
He smiled and ruffled Mashiro's hair. "That's not really the true ending."
"Besides in this game, there's the true ending, the one-life clear true ending, and the last hidden ending."
"..."
Eriri, who had been about to boast, immediately lowered her face in disappointment.
She tried to act nonchalant as she said, "Well, that's how it is."
"Mashiro, for a game, unlocking all the endings is what truly counts as completing it!"
"Oh." Mashiro nodded, her eyes filled with confusion as if silently asking, Didn't Eriri look pretty happy just now?
Eriri chose to completely ignore Mashiro's gaze and shifted the topic.
"Speaking of which, this ending was pretty ordinary, right? It wasn't anything like you said!"
"You actually tried to trick us!"
"..."
As expected of Eriri!
She had just finished it, and yet she didn't notice anything out of place!
Even though it was a fake ending, there were many subtle clues that hinted at something being off, but this girl managed to miss all of them!
'Was it because my foreshadowing was too deep hidden, or is she just too oblivious?'
Akifumi nodded expressionlessly. "Right, right."
He then turned and headed toward the kitchen to pour himself a drink.
"Hmph, hmph, hmph." Eriri proudly lifted her small face, raising a tiny fist to encourage herself. "Alright, tonight we're putting in the effort to reach the true ending together!"
"Oh." Mashiro raised her tiny fist and followed Eriri's lead.
Mahiru, however, wore a reluctant expression. "Eriri, maybe we should stop here for now?"
It seemed like Mahiru had noticed something that Eriri hadn't.
"Eh? Why?"
Mahiru thought for a moment and said, "It's already so late, and we spent so much time on just the ordinary ending..."
Eriri immediately understood Mahiru's concern and interrupted. "Once we get the hang of it, it'll be much faster! Trust me, we won't take long to find the true ending!"
Mahiru couldn't help but smile wryly.
'That's not what I meant!' Mahiru just wanted to find an excuse to get Eriri to stop, but it had turned into this situation instead!?
The girl couldn't help but look at Akifumi for rescue.
Seeing this, Akifumi spoke up, "It is actually very easy to unlock the true ending."
"Just..."
??
'That's not what I meant!'
'Please, stop talking!'
Akifumi, of course, didn't hear Mahiru's silent cries.
"...In the final chase scene, you just need to find a certain item in a particular room."
'It's over.' Mahiru seemed to deflate, her entire body turning pale.
"Oh, so that's how it is!" Eriri blinked, then grinned widely.
Despite receiving a spoiler, the girl wasn't the least bit upset.
Though self-discovery is crucial in a puzzle game, there are cases where a guide becomes essential!
After all, in a situation like this, where everything is the same as before, but the absence of a key item leads to the lack of the true ending, having a guide is incredibly helpful!
This just means replaying the game would be a pointless waste of time. Having a guide means they can find the solution quickly.
Moreover, Akifumi only provided the idea—he didn't even tell them exactly where the item was, so finding it still relied on their own efforts!
Seeing Eriri so happy, Akifumi returned her smile and strolled back to the inner room with his water bottle.
'Let's see if she's still smiling after this.'
"Let's go! Let's work together and find the true ending!"
"Oh!" Eriri and Mashiro, full of determination, turned their focus back to the screen.
"By the way... I need to talk to Mugiho-kun for a moment. You guys go ahead, I'll be right back."
As Mahiru suddenly dashed off, Eriri scratched her head in confusion.
"Did she suddenly remember something? Why is she in such a hurry?"
"Forget her, let's find that key item!" Eriri declared confidently.
"Mhm." Mashiro nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Mahiru entered the room, and Akifumi wore a playful smile.
"Mahiru is getting bolder, huh? Eriri and Mashiro are still outside."
"What's the difference between them being outside and me coming in..."
At this point, Mahiru paused, realizing what Akifumi meant. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
"Jeez!"
Akifumi didn't continue teasing her, and instead asked, "Why did you suddenly come in?"
"Because of that game you made."
"So Mahiru has figured it out?" Akifumi didn't get an answer to his question.
Instead, Mahiru sat next to him, resting her head on his chest, her eyes full of affection.
She took a deep breath, savoring his scent. "It's the real Mugiho-kun. Now I can relax."
Akifumi was taken aback. "This world doesn't have demons, nor any strange magic."
"Is that so?" That sentence said it all.
Mahiru sighed and then curiously asked, "Before, you told Eriri not to play, but now you're telling her how to get the true ending?"
"You saw what happened when I told her not to play."
That's right, she spent the whole day playing and even dragged Mahiru and Mashiro into it.
Akifumi shrugged. "She won't listen to advice anyway, so why not just let her do it?"
"Even if she gets hurt, I've done my part. She can't blame me."
Mahiru couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for Eriri outside.
Inside the room, the two shared a quiet moment while outside, the other two were still focused on the screen.
Ten minutes later...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"
Suddenly, Eriri's scream echoed from outside.
The sound of footsteps followed.
The door flew open, and Eriri immediately rushed into Akifumi's arms, crying hysterically.
"So... so scary, so... so terrifying..."
Looking at Eriri, crying uncontrollably in his arms, Akifumi's face remained expressionless.
In his mind, a phrase slowly appeared: The Clueless Loving Girl.
It seemed to describe someone like Eriri perfectly...