I'll kill you after I finish this game!

The horror of this world far exceeds everyone's imagination: otherworldly monsters that devour human existence, and madmen who kill and devour souls without any scruples.

And all of this was entangled with Fujii Ren, who was just like a protagonist who was drawn to trouble.

"I really don't know whether she's pitiful or extraordinary." La Furia Lihavain, the first princess of the Kingdom of Aldeqia, looked at the bewildered Fujii Ren with a sigh.

Recalling the incredibly real yet indistinguishable dream from reality, La-Fria, who lives in a world where demons and humans coexist, knew that the world Fujii Ren lived in was extraordinary.

The leaked information is just the tip of the iceberg; the mere existence of the Crimson World Apostles has already caused some demons in her world to reject and fear them.

"The runes that flashed briefly in that girl's eyes are somewhat intriguing."

In the office of the private Saikai Academy High School on Itogami Island, Nanami Nagatsuki, holding a folding fan, was very concerned about the twin snakes entwined in the depths of Fujii Ren's eyes.

"It looks a lot like the scepter of the god of commerce..."

The knowledgeable Nangong Nayue clearly thought of the origin of the shape of that mystical rune.

The scepter of the god of commerce, also known as the scepter of two snakes to distinguish it from the scepter of Asclepius.

It consists of a golden staff carved with a pair of wings and two snakes wrapped around it, and is regarded as a symbol of commerce and international trade. It is the staff held by Hermes, the messenger of the gods in Greek mythology.

Because Hermes made a lot of money trading with this staff, it was also known as the Staff of the Merchant God or the Staff of the Two Serpents.

The various mysterious and unusual things about Fujii Ren were being discussed enthusiastically in both the live chat and the chat groups.

[Bleach Ichigo]: Was that perspective of him indiscriminately killing people and devouring souls really Fujii Ren's nightmare? My intuition tells me that it doesn't seem like it.

【Platinum Star】: Everywhere is filled with chilling mysteries, especially this Fujii Ren herself, who just indiscriminately slaughtered innocent people... Could she have a split personality?

[Golden Fairy]: It's unlikely. The fact that Fujii Ren is valued by Skadi and Nanami suggests that she is not ordinary, such as the mystical runes that appeared in her eyes when she woke up.

【Black Reading Princess】: The runes in the shape of a double snake scepter, could they be related to Hermes in Greek mythology?

[Head of the Hall of Rebirth]: Greek mythology? Are you talking about gods? The runes that flashed in Fujii Ren's eyes are related to gods?

【Bishop of Destiny】: The scepter of Hermes in Greek mythology, a short staff made of gold, with two snakes entwined around it and a pair of wings. The symbol in the eyes of Fujii Ren is nearly 80% similar to this.

[Guest of the Hall of Rebirth]: So this symbol is indeed related to gods, right? Are there gods in that world too?

[Thunder General]: I don't see anything strange about this Fujii Ren. Apart from her own nightmares and the surrounding environment, how can she be connected with gods?

[Mondstadt's First Bard]: Ah, the veil of mystery must be lifted little by little. I believe that this Fujii Ren is no ordinary person.

There are too many mysteries surrounding Fujii Ren, which has piqued the curiosity of many viewers, both about her and the world she inhabits.

All mysteries are incredibly enticing to uncover the truth, but what that truth actually is will likely be a huge shock.

The video continues, and Fujii Ren still has to live her life. Even though she had a terrible nightmare last night, she still has to continue with her cherished daily life.

But after what happened yesterday, can things really go back to normal?

"So I wish time could stop for a moment."

Thinking this way, because he sensed that something ominous was about to unfold, he didn't want to continue.

Without a doubt, the most beautiful moments in life can only be appreciated when one looks back on their life on their deathbed.

However, everyone has probably thought that way at some point.

I hope the joyful times can last, and I hope to relive that moment countless times.

Even when I'm tired of it, no, even when I'm tired of it, I still want this precious moment to last forever.

Ren Fujii was afraid of losing it, and afraid of the unknown that lay ahead.

This unease began in her childhood, so her longing grew stronger over time.

She's a high school student now, so it's not surprising that she has this kind of thinking about reality.

During periods when she has to make choices about her future, such as further education or employment, the sense of uncertainty between childhood and adulthood can give rise to these thoughts.

It sounds like a value system that talks about escaping reality, but Fujii Ren doesn't mind.

Because it has always been like this, I want these ordinary, unremarkable, and mundane days to continue forever.

Fujii Ren was so satisfied with her life before that she developed the idea of ​​practicing passive enjoyment, prolonging the delusions in her mind.

Escaping the unknown and taking the known as the truth is, in short, playing the game called life by following the strategy.

This is her, Fujii Ren's philosophy of life, which she held in the past, holds now, and probably will not change in the future.

Slow down your body and feel the speed of time.

After all, from a normal perspective, stopping is impossible.

Up to now, Fujii Ren has been struggling through practical means, which can be described as a strategy of compromise.

Therefore, she understands very well that nothing can last forever.

It will eventually come to an end, which also means that time will pass.

Reflecting on her life values ​​since the accident yesterday, the girl thought with such helplessness and indifference.

After Fujii Ren finished washing up, he waited for Kasumi to arrive.

We had arranged to go shopping together today, but then a phone call came in from an acquaintance.

Fujii Ren took out her phone, saw the caller ID, her eyes flickered slightly, and then she answered the call.

"...Si Lang, since you've disappeared without a word, why are you calling?"

Shirou, or rather, Yuza Shirou, can be considered Fujii Ren's childhood friend.

Regardless, their relationship is more like that of accomplices in some sense, the kind where they did bad things together.

Although he is a genius who can achieve a high level in all fields, precisely because of this, his days are boring, he pursues pleasure, and goes on a rampage.

"Oh dear, still that same dismissive tone, Ren. Has Oubai developed any new growth lately?"

The voice on the other end of the phone sounded like a thug, spouting vulgar and obscene words.

Unconsciously, Fujii Ren touched her chest, which was neither particularly voluptuous nor flat-chested. When she came to her senses, a look of exasperation and disgust appeared on her face.

"You'd better just die already."

"I've thought about it too. It's not like I haven't tried to commit suicide before. Every day of my life feels like a repetition of the past, and I don't feel like I'm truly alive."

In Fujii Ren's memory, Shirou's personality was the opposite of her own; she had no aversion to familiar feelings and wished she could experience the same moments a million times every day.

But the other party felt it was terrible, completely different from what they had predicted, basically useless, and very disappointing!

Because I'm so bored, I crave the unknown.

Therefore, one must do a lot of abnormal things and use abnormal feelings to disrupt the sense of established knowledge.

For this reason, Silang said that he was willing to give up his life, or rather, if he didn't do this, he wouldn't even feel like he was alive.

"Let's not talk about that. How have you been lately? How does it feel to have your daily life turned upside down?"

Shirou's words made Fujii Ren's eyes narrow. She understood the subtext in Shirou's words, and then she asked in a heavy tone, "Is this why you've been missing recently?"

"Well, a little bit." Shiro's tone was still light and frivolous, and he continued, "After all, I'm not like you, who likes to live a repetitive daily life without getting tired of it. This annoying sense of familiarity makes me want to die right now."

Although Shirou's words remained flippant, Fujii Ren knew this bastard all too well; he was hiding something.

She had a gut feeling that the other person knew more about her experiences than she did.

"...You're still in this city, right? And you're even monitoring me," Fujii Ren said with certainty.

"Hey, don't make me sound like a perverted voyeur," Shirou said, sounding troubled, but he didn't deny what Fujii Ren said.

"After all, you've been refusing to move forward, or rather, you've been running away from something, haven't you? What happened in Suwahara City can't keep you running away any longer. If you feel like your life is about to be thrown into chaos, then try to imagine yourself as the protagonist of a novel."

This guy, he's saying encouraging words, yet he says them in such a sarcastic and ironic way. Only he could do that, right?

Fujii Ren didn't know whether he felt close to this friend or disliked him.

"...The protagonist?" For some reason, Fujii Ren felt a bit disgusted when he heard the word "protagonist".

She had a vague feeling that if she were the protagonist, she would definitely be the one with the worst script, the kind who was often secretly manipulated.

Her intuition told her so.

"Yes, whether it's a comic or a game, whatever it is, let's just think of your life as a long story told from a first-person perspective. Besides, everything that happens around you can definitely be considered the plot development of a novel~"

As a close friend who knows Fujii Ren very well, Shirou knows this guy's nature very well. If he hesitates at this point, he will definitely face the worst possible outcome.

The so-called protagonist of life is a long epic that includes the story from birth to death, from insignificant things to irreplaceable things, and all the people and things related to oneself.

"I wish my life were like this," Shirou told Fujii Ren.

"Next, as someone who just wants to live an ordinary life in Suwahara City, is the novel you're writing actually interesting? As the protagonist, have you developed your own personality?"

Fujii Ren was speechless. Shirou had always liked to say these self-righteous, cool things, which were just clueless chuunibyou.

Of course, most of what he said was just to tease her.

"Chatting with friends, fooling around, participating in club activities, or finding a boyfriend to marry in the future—it's neither bad nor unusual. Every day in this world, people do similar things." Silang casually shared his life insights, then said in an ambiguous tone, "Hey, Ren, you have to decide where your life is headed. Don't turn your life into a galgame."

A visual novel? If it really is, Fujii Ren sounds pretty good. At least he can freely experience whatever moment he wants, and if he's not satisfied, he can simply save or delete the game and start over. (Mercury: As expected of my little one.)

"Is this all you called to say?" Fujii Ren said expressionlessly, even though she and Kasumi had been worried about this jerk.

"Ha, how should I put it, everything seems so familiar, haven't I done this before—that's the awful feeling."

Silang's tone turned disgusted, as if he were complaining about his life so far, saying, "No fun, no novelty, this kind of life story feels like I've already read it before... So I just want you to do me a favor."

"What kind of help do you need?" Although she didn't know what Silang wanted, she was probably looking for something new from Fujii Ren.

"Setting up a flag and breaking up a flag."

Again with these incomprehensible words, Fujii Ren was extremely annoyed by Shirou's way of speaking. Did all boys think they were cool by talking like this?

"Well, even if I told you, you probably wouldn't understand." As if he could see Fujii Ren's headache through the phone, Shirou said helplessly, "Because you like boredom (a sense of déjà vu), right? Everything is contained within the realm of the known, and you want to keep repeating the same things, from birth to death—I don't know another weirdo like you."

Recognizing this abhorrent sense of déjà vu, and even enjoying and not resisting it, from Shirou's perspective, Fujii Ren is simply an offbeat and mentally unstable idiot.

Fujii Ren felt the same way about Shirou; she thought the same way about him.

This guy is unfathomable; she has no idea what he's thinking. He's the complete opposite of her.

She was a character who shouldn't have appeared in the life she had hoped for.

However, there is also a sense of incongruity that seems closely related to the core.

To give an analogy, it's like a misimplantation...

Both Fujii Ren and Shirou have suffered various forms of rejection since childhood, and a lighthearted school comedy is simply not suitable for people like them to act out.