One spring day, I had an encounter with destiny
and remembered a dream I'd always had.
To create a dating sim that makes people laugh, and touch their hearts.
And to create a main heroine that would make everyone's heart sing!
Yes, just like that girl did!
The response from those around me to me and this dream was chilly at first.
However, by not giving up and telling them of my dream,
these newfound comrades returned one by one!
And, having had a dramatic reunion with that girl,
I have taken the first steps to realizing that grand dream!
Don't drop huge lies in the middle of an episode recap!
And don't you blow off anime tropes
by having a character interrupt the voiceover!
Houkago futari de sugoshita kyoushitsu
Tsukue no ue muchuu de hazumu kimi no koe
Donkan na kimi no sono taido ga
Itsumo watashi wo ijiwaru ni saseru no
Hitoribocchi da to omou toki mo aru
Namida tomerarenai hi mo aru
Hontou no watashi wo mitsumete hoshi no
Kitto tsutawaru to shinjite iru yo
Kimi wa itsu datte itsu datte kawaranai kara
Watashi ga nankai mo nankai mo SHIGUNARU okutte ageru
Yumemita ano oka mezashite
Kujike sou na toki mo ganbare souda yo
Kimi ga iru kara
A Girlfriend Without a Raised Flag
Say, Kato...
Yes?
I never really noticed it before, but you're actually pretty cute.
Thanks, but what you never noticed isn't that I was cute,
but that I even existed.
I guess.
Toyogasaki Academy, Class 2B
Megumi Kato.
In the same class as me since first year.
A girl who's always been nearby.
Thank you for waiting!
The layered cheesecake, please.
Now that I look at her, she's definitely cute.
Coming right up!
She has classic features.
She's not too tall or too short.
Her skin is reasonably smooth.
She curves out where she's supposed to curve out.
And where she's supposed to curve in, she curves in, too.
I mean, it's only natural to think she's cute.
After all, I felt the hand of fate at work with this girl.
And yet...
I didn't order this!
what's up with this total lack of presence?
I'm so sorry!
I'll go ahead and dig in, then.
Sorry for making you treat me.
No, I should apologize for asking you out so suddenly.
It's okay, I didn't have anything in particular planned today.
That reminds me, what happened to that hat?
Oh, I gave it to a relative.
My cousin was visiting, and she liked it,
so I gave it to her as a souvenir before she left.
So our fateful encounter is worth less than familial obligations?
Excuse me?
No, I was just thinking, "Boy, that sure was a coincidence that day!"
If you had known I existed like I knew you did,
I suppose that might count as a coincidence.
Gosh no, you just have one heck of a memory!
You must, to have remembered a unremarkable otaku like me!
You're an otaku, I'll give you that,
but don't call yourself unremarkable.
Why not? There's not a single thing about me that stands out.
You're one of the top three celebrities at our school.
Come again?
You got light novels added to the library
and you hold anime film screenings at the school festival.
There isn't a student at our school who doesn't know the name Tomoya Aki.
How can that be?
Even now, with the otaku population having climbed as high as it has,
the eyes of society are still on us, and not in a good way!
I wasn't talking about otaku in general.
I had no idea! Am I really that well known?
But I'm the opposite of you.
I'm totally boring.
Boring... you say?
Look, I didn't order this.
My grades aren't particularly good,
and I'm not in any clubs,
I'm so sorry!
and I've never served on any class committees.
I don't have all that many friends,
but I'm not particularly interested in trying to make more.
So with all that, it's not all that surprising that you didn't remember me.
You're wrong!
Kato... You aren't boring!
Hey, what's gotten into you?
Don't call yourself boring!
Stop pigeonholing yourself based on mistaken typecasting!
Kato, I guarantee you this.
You're anything but boring!
Aki-kun...
Your character is dialed way down!
It's just because your character isn't fleshed out! You're unfinished!
That's why you don't stand out!
Excuse me.
If I might interrupt?
What is it?
Isn't that worse than being boring?
Of course it is.
Don't underestimate boring characters, Kato.
Not many characters are as well developed as they are.
For instance, braids, glasses, freckles!
If you combine such utterly boring elements,
they become something charming that attracts people!
The character becomes defined!
Kato, do you have a trait of being unforgettable once someone sees you?
You don't! You don't at all!
You've been sorta cute all along.
There's no disconnect there!
So what are we gonna do about your lack of individuality?!
Sorry, mind if I interrupt again?
Now what?
Setting aside the fact that you're not one to talk,
How about now?!
Still wrong.
is my lack of individuality a problem for you?
Um, maybe you should read back my order.
It does! It's a huge problem!
Kato, you have to be special or it won't work!
Your personality traits have to be well defined!
For what reason?
Because you're the girl who was supposed to become my main heroine, that's why!
Uh, was that you professing your feelings for me?
Me? To you?
Why would I do that?
I thought so.
You might be speaking to me,
but it's felt like your eyes have been looking at something far away.
Not far away in distance. In another set of dimensions.
Kato...
Give me back my creative urge.
I'm sorry, I don't understand how you arrived at that.
Give me back my dream girl! Er, my dream!
Be that as it may, Aki-kun...
Don't change the subject!
Are you going out with the most beautiful girl in school?
Two of them, no less?
Kato, there were three errors in your statement just now.
The first is "the most beautiful girl in school,"
which is a dating sim trope that doesn't exist in reality.
The second is having two of the "most beautiful girl in school" is contradictory.
And the third is the wildly mistaken notion that a 2D-only otaku like me
could possibly have a 3D girlfriend!
What are those people outside the window, then?
Excuse me? Aki-kun?
What is it?
What are Sawamura-san and Kasumigaoka-senpai doing here?
Oh, if you know who they are, that simplifies things.
Actually, I don't think there's a student at our school who doesn't know them.
I mean, they're the top two beauties of Toyogasaki Academy.
Please stop using dating sim terms with real people.
Add you into the mix, and the three celebrities of Toyogasaki Academy are here.
It's a small world!
I'm just saying that I stick out like a sore thumb.
Don't worry.
They might look stuck up, but they're not so bad.
Really?
Yeah. In addition to having foul mouths and nasty personalities,
they're both even bigger otaku than I am.
Let me introduce you, Kato.
These two ladies are the members of my game creation circle.
Eriri Spencer Sawamura, my illustrator,
and Utaha Kasumigaoka, my scenario writer.
I'm sorry, I don't know what that means.
I certainly don't understand this either, Mr. Ethical.
Is this what a man says when he stands up one girl
and has been on a date with another one?
And this is Megumi Kato.
The newest member of the circle,
as well as the main heroine of the game we will make.
Heroine?
Not only is that news to me,
am I imagining things, or are you giving me an inappropriate job title?
Her?
Um, Aki-kun...
Sawamura-san is staring daggers at me.
Don't sweat it, she's incredibly nearsighted.
It just looks like she's giving the stink-eye.
Actually, I have my contacts in at the moment.
I went to bat for you, so don't blow it!
So, you're Tomoya's...
Um, his classmate.
I really couldn't care less if you're his classmate,
girlfriend, fellow otaku, or friend-with-benefits.
Um, I think that last one is rather mean. To me.
That's the real her. She just acts all innocent at school.
Stop it!
Don't talk about me like you know me!
We've been acquaintances for years, that's all!
Stop picking a fight with someone who's only been an acquaintance for years.
What's with you?
Please stop embarrassing yourself, Sawamura-san.
It's nobody's business but mine what I do to this jerk!
Says the girl who's been embarrassing herself just as much...
Won't it cause problems later if Toyogasaki students are here,
Miss-not-so-innocent Sawamura-san?
That's none of your business, Utaha Kasumigaoka!
Enough, enough!
Zero points yet again.
This one's useless, too.
It's still no good?
This tells me nothing about what you want to show the players
or what emotions you want to make them experience.
Is it because you yourself still can't envision what you really want to make?
Wow, you two are talking like creators.
- Because we are! - Because we are!
You two are actually friends. You are, aren't you?
In any case,
the way things stand now, you trying to make a game is a dream within a dream.
What will it be?
Rewrite it yet again?
Or will you give up?
I...
I'd say it's about time to throw in the towel, don't you?
True, it looks like Mr. Ethical is about to have his heart broken
by the gap between ideals and reality.
For one thing, pictures showing stuff like fateful encounters
aren't the same as cute, shallow light novels.
I have no intention of disagreeing with you on that score.
If fate or coincidence played no role in encounters,
the world's couples would be composed of nothing but childhood friends.
What's wrong with that?
That's not what I'm saying!
I've decided.
- On who?! - On who?!
I won't give up yet.
I'll rewrite it as many times as it takes to get your stamp of approval.
That's what you meant.
And one day,
I'll create the ultimate dating sim that will make everyone's heart sing!
Yes,
and I'll turn Megumi Kato into a main heroine who will melt everyone's hearts!
When did she...
I didn't even see her get up...
Dial down the stealth settings, would you?
Sorry I'm late!
Hey.
I'm glad the weather turned out to be nice today.
The forecast was on the fence, so I was worried.
Oh, so this is where your house is.
I pass by here sometimes.
Kato, do you remember what kind of place this is?
Sure, the locals call it Detective Hill. Because there's a detective agency over there.
No, that's not what I meant...
What do you think the point is of my choosing here to meet up?
Isn't this near your house?
No, that's not why! That's not why at all!
It's far away?
Oh, come on!
This is the spot where you and I first met, remember?!
Well, the first time we actually met was at the entrance ceremony a year ago.
Anyway, do you fully comprehend what today's objective is?
You said you had something to talk about, so I should come to your home.
Starting right there, there's a problem!
Which girl goes to the home of a guy she hardly knows?!
Plus, don't get dressed up like a normal person would.
Nobody's ever come to my place looking that normal.
Right, I thought that was strange.
I figured that you would never ask a real-life girl over.
You thought it was strange and you still agreed to come?
If a guy's an otaku, you'll go to his house without batting an eye?
I certainly didn't expect to be lectured like this
by the boy who asked me to come over.
Listen, Kato.
You've been living your life haphazardly,
and today I'm going to give you a lesson in reality!
Could it be that your room is set up so that nobody could hear cries for help?
Yes, prepare yourself.
I'm going to drum the conventions of moe content into your head!
Isn't that incredibly unrealistic?
Come on in. Sorry for the clutter, but don't let it bother you.
Thanks for having me—
Wow, talk about the very image of an otaku's room...
Come on, that's wrong, too!
Why are you so totally relaxed?
You're supposed to casually say, "Gosh, it's so warm!" and open a window.
Or inadvertently sit on the bed out of habit and get all flustered.
Stick to the established heroine behavior patterns!
How do you expect me to tense up with you ruining the mood like that?
Whatever.
I'll be able to get the proper reactions out of you soon enough.
After all, today is a boot camp that will hone your 2D heroine sensibilities.
I don't have any say in this, do I?
So, which shall we play?
All that you see before you are preeminent dating sim titles
that will make you laugh, cry, and swoon.
Uh, whatever's shortest, if you don't mind.
I know, let's play this one! Total sales, 300,000 units!
A legendary dating sim that was spun off into various media, including an anime adaptation!
I really don't have any say in this...
Amusement Park
Hanazono:
Today was really fun!
I had fun today.
Go straight home.
Go see the night view.
Give her a present.
Go straight home.
Go see the night view.
No, that was the wrong choice!
Thank you.
Shouldn't giving her a present here be a surefire thing?
It's to commemorate their date.
You don't get it...
You just don't get it, Kato!
But going to look at the night view now wouldn't—
Look, what she's looking for at this date event isn't some trinket!
I think I'd be better off getting what I can while I can.
Take it more seriously!
What's important isn't things, it's shared memories!
Oh, right.
When you get a present, it makes things awkward after you break up.
Kato... Put down the controller for a minute.
It's Break & Lecture time.
I'm all for a break, but why a lecture?
Kato, you don't have the first clue about heroines in dating sims.
They might just be symbols, but they aren't automata
that always give the same reply when you press them in certain spots.
They're human beings who are more appealing than real girls
with warm blood running through their veins! That's what you have to be!
But if that's the case, wouldn't they sometimes be incredibly fickle and break up with you?
Let's call it quits...
Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it!
Stop it, stop it, stop it!
If even 2D girls stop wanting to go out with me,
what can I hope to live for?!
Oh, sorry. Let's pretend I didn't say that.
Thank you for everything.
Isn't this sad?
Doesn't this scene make you tear up?
Sure, I suppose it's emotional.
Now do you see it, Kato?!
The way it flows from this dialogue to the insert song is so epic!
But get this! Get this!
This isn't the real climax!
Something even more astonishing will come after this!
Oh, is that so? I sure am looking forward to seeing that.
Prepare to be astonished, Kato! To save the protagonist, she offers...
It's something that I decided, so it's time for me to go.
You're right, it's interesting.
If I had played this alone in peace
without someone offering commentary or spoilers, I might have cried.
I guess it's over.
Yeah...
Huh, I wasn't expecting it to end that way. That was a little surprising.
And I'm a little surprised that you're this fun to hang out with, Kato.
Though I guess I'm not one to talk.
That's definitely a "I dunno about that..." sort of thing.
So, now that you've played one all the way through, what do you think?
It had its ups and downs, but it was fun.
Right? Right?
The artwork was really cute, the performances were passionate,
the music was good, and the story was interesting, of course.
Kato...
I've never touched one of these "moe" games or anime before,
but it's not what I always mocked.
Kato...
You're exactly the girl I knew you would be!
It's not that big a deal.
No, but it is a big deal!
Anyway, this is the sort of main heroine I'm going to mold you into!
Meaning that I'm going to suddenly drop dead at the end like in this game?
Kato... You aren't mocking this game as one of those tearjerkers
that kill off a heroine just to elicit an emotional response, are you?
You don't get it...
You just don't get it, Kato!
Well, maybe I don't.
I certainly don't understand what you are saying.
Have a seat for a second.
I already am sitting.
Listen, no matter how facile and worn-out a weapon it is,
if it has the support of lots of players, it should be used without hesitation!
Um, I haven't really given it that much thought.
There's no greater weapon in a creator's arsenal than a short attention span!
Don't let criticism lead you astray!
Look at the big picture with big eyes!
Do a general assessment of what will hook the players the most!
This tells me nothing about what you want to show the players
or what emotions you want to make them experience.
Is it because you yourself still can't envision what you really want to make?
Now I see...
I was the one who didn't understand.
Thank you, Kato.
Thanks to you, I've learned the most valuable lesson of all!
Okay...
Good for you?
And with that, today's study session has ended on a happy note.
I'll see you at school, Aki-kun.
Hold on.
This game actually has a sequel.
It's been three years since the shocking bad ending with the heroine's death!
This is the series' conclusion which is the best and went on sale at the right time!
It's the beginning of a tale of rebirth and resurrection!
Wait, she comes back to life?
I won't spoil it!
I won't say a word!
See how it plays out with your own eyes, Kato!
But if I start a new game now, I won't finish until the middle of the night.
It's okay. My parents are out of town on an overnight trip today.
Isn't that not okay at all?
Besides, today's Saturday.
There's no school tomorrow, right?
Look, that's not the problem...
I'm begging you, Kato! Don't leave!
Aki-kun?
For the sake of my— no, our dream — stay the night!
Make a man of me!
Well, I did tell my folks that I might be out late today, so I guess it's okay.
You'll stay?!
Hang on, Kato!
Are you sure it's okay?
To be blunt, the way things are now,
I can't excuse my behavior if something happens!
But you're you, Aki-kun, and all we're doing is staying up all night playing a game.
Yeah, but you—
I mean, you're right, but still...
I think such an irresponsible and carefree attitude is crazy for a 3D girl, though.
Again, I'm hardly one to talk, but still...
Play from beginning
Resume
Options
That's definitely a "I dunno about that..." sort of thing.
Play from beginning
Bai bai no ato samenai binetsu
Yokaze ni fukare kangaeru
Suki kirai kirai suki kurikaesu
Sono hitomi ni utsutte iru no wa
Riaru? Soretomo nijigen?
Tayasuku kawaii da nante iwanaide yo ne
Ashita mo me wo kosutte "ohayou" wo itte
Taai mo nai koto takusan oshiete
Sukoshi zutsu chikadzuiteku kyori ni doushiyou
Jibun ja nai mitai da
MERII-GOO-RANDO ga tomaranakute
Mawaru mawaru keshiki ga kawatteku
karafuru na yume wo miru
Doku doku shite karadajuu wo
Meguru meguru kimochi mada kotoba ni dekinakute
Hitikoto sore de juubun na no ni
It's over...
It is.
So, how was it for you?
Reaching the true ending, I mean.
I'm so sleepy...
I won't let that be your only impression.
Cut me some slack for now...
Listen, Kato.
If this game made you feel something,
it means you're a member of my circle.
Fine, I'll join. I'll join, okay?
So let me sleep for a bit...
Don't make a crucial decision that might alter the very course of your life
based on you being sleepy or bored!
Sheesh, you're so annoying, Aki-kun...
I mean, this is just gonna end up being a circle
where everybody plays games every day instead of making them, right?
Don't pull me down to the level of people who have no ambition.