Prologue Ep-3

 “Mom.”

“What is it?”

“If all the leaves on that tree we can see from the window fall off, will my life end too?”

“The thing shortening your life is your own reckless behavior, not the tree in the hospital courtyard. You should apologize to the tree later. And while you’re at it, you’re definitely shortening my lifespan too, so apologize to me as well.”

“...S-sorry.”

A few days after falling from the jungle gym, I was hospitalized at the hospital I had been taken to. Apparently, right after that incident, Hime-chan grabbed some nearby moms in the park and led them to me.

When the moms saw me lying there with blood flowing from my head, they screamed, but as adults, they responded properly by calling an ambulance and administering first aid.

Well, I was unconscious, so I do not remember any of it. With nothing to do during my hospitalization, I began organizing the current situation in my head.

This world exists inside the otome game 『Cherry Blossom Oath ―The Story of Us That You and I Weave―』

Although it is an otome game, and in recent years many titles have experimented with suspense, horror, and mystery elements, this game deliberately stuck to the classic school-setting route.

Thanks to its simple premise, it managed to appeal to casual players, including beginners, and achieved respectable sales. In my previous life, this was the game through which I learned the basics of otome games, before branching out into other genres.

Naturally, I cleared every ending.

The objective of the game is to capture all the love interests over three years of high school, and on graduation day, receive a confession beneath the cherry blossom tree from the character with the highest affection.

Yes, an otome game is, quite simply, a game about manipulating and capturing men. And the most important person in that game is the protagonist.

“Matsuri-chan, I came to visit you~”

The heavy door of the hospital room opens, and in walks my childhood friend, Ichinose Maki, more commonly known as Hime-chan, age six.

Her given name is Maki, but when we first met, our mothers were chatting, and one of them remarked, “Oh, it’s read as Maki, meaning ‘true princess’? How adorable.” From that moment on, I alone began calling her “Hime-chan.”

Because of that, I never once suspected that she was the protagonist of the game. Even though I was the one who changed how I addressed her.

Accompanied by her mother, Hime-chan enters the room and immediately asks, “Matsuri-chan! Does anything hurt? How are you feeling?”

I appreciate that she comes to visit every day, but being asked about my condition every single time is a bit troublesome.

“Matsuri, we’re going to step out for a moment to talk. Maki, don’t push Matsuri-chan too much, okay?”

After leaving that warning, the mothers exit the room. Watching their backs, Hime-chan replies, “Okay~!” and hops up onto the bed.

It is always the same pattern. We sit together on the bed like this and talk. Sometimes we pull the sheets over our heads and giggle “ufufu” while sharing secrets.

But today, I suddenly felt the urge to tell Hime-chan about the details of the game that had been gradually returning to my memory.

This world is an otome game world, and you are the protagonist, and in ten years you will be manipulating and capturing men. Saying something that outrageous would only lead to six-year-old Hime-chan tilting her head and asking, “What does ‘manipulating’ mean?”

That would be awkward, like teaching a child something inappropriate. I needed to be careful. I placed my hands on the shoulders of Hime-chan, who was peering intently at my face, and spoke as clearly as I could.

“Hime-chan, I realized something. You are a special child who exists nowhere else in this world. It’s no exaggeration to say that this world was created for you. You are a one-of-a-kind existence, the very center of this world.”

Please do not look at me with such a strange expression. Hime-chan’s gaze timidly shifts to my bandaged head.

My head is fine now. Really.

Trying to convey that, I force a cheerful smile, a clear “niko.”

“Um… if I’m that special, then what happens to you, Matsuri-chan?”

“Eh? Me?”

What a kind child. She even thinks about me.Is there really a six-year-old who can be this considerate toward the person in front of her?

She could probably win a Nobel Peace Prize.

“Well, in this world, I’m here to support you, Hime-chan. To help you.”

“Hm… so that means you’re like a prince who protects me?”

That interpretation is not entirely wrong, but it also feels slightly off. First of all, I am not a prince. If anything, I would rather be the princess. But explaining that to a six-year-old sounds like too much trouble.

“Yeah! That’s right!”

For now, I simply go along with it.

“I see! Then Matsuri-chan is going to be my prince! Yay! It’s a promise!”

A radiant smile blooms across her face, like a beautiful flower opening in full splendor. The heroine correction is already incredible. No, she was probably just this cute from the start.

“But this is a secret about the world, okay? So please don’t tell anyone.”

That this world is a game world centered around Hime-chan is something I have managed to convey in feeling, at least. Still, it is not something she should tell others.

It should remain a secret between just the two of us. That way, coordination in the future will be easier, and trust will deepen.

“...Okay, I understand. I won’t tell Papa or Mama or bigbro either. Ufufu, since Matsuri-chan became my prince, that means…”

Her interpretation is drifting in a strange direction, but that is fine. She will understand eventually.

I am Nagase Matsuri, the childhood friend of the heroine Ichinose Maki, and within the game, I am the caretaker who offers advice at crucial moments.

If that is my role, then there is one thing I should aim for. To pair this girl with the most promising love interest. There are still ten years before the game begins. There is so much I can do.

Suddenly struck by an idea, I look at Hime-chan and wave my palms side to side in front of my face with a quiet “shushu.” There it is. The status screen. Just as expected of a game world. I had been half-doubting it until now, but this confirms it.

Once you accept it, everything becomes simple. Ichinose Maki’s current stats appear: Intelligence, Stamina, Luck, Agility, Strength, Mental, HP.

The maximum value is 500, if I recall correctly, so naturally, at age six, her numbers range between one and ten. She really is just starting out. How endearing. I want to raise these values as much as possible before the game officially begins.

To do that, I, as the support character, need to level up first and guide her.

“Mom!”

“Matsuri, visiting hours are almost over, so we’re heading home.”

“Mom! I want to take lessons! Lots of them!”

“Huh?”

First of all "I", Nagase Matsuri's special education.