Reborn as the Villain in a Forbidden Game

*Screech.* 

Yuka and I came to a stop in front of a small corner store after a 10-minute bike ride. 

The name of the store was… 

'Hanaya (花屋)?' 

It sounded like the name of a flower shop. 

At first, I thought I'd come to the wrong place, but I quickly realized my mistake. 

The sign read "Hanaya (はなや)," but in the corner, it also said "Hanaya (ハナ屋)" in different characters. 

Was it some kind of gag? I wondered. 

As I stood there pondering, 

*Slide.* 

Yuka had already stepped inside. 

"Takuya, aren't you coming in?" 

"Ah, I'll be right there." 

I followed her in, and the store had a quaint, nostalgic charm. 

To be precise, it felt like stepping into a scene from the past—like the kind of place where you'd buy snacks in front of an elementary school. 

Of course, this place looked much older than the one I remembered. 

I thought to myself as I carefully scanned the interior. 

The store was stocked with various food ingredients and snacks. 

Among them, one product in the corner caught my eye. 

It was Umaibo (美味棒). 

Umaibo is a famous Japanese snack, so iconic that it's practically a national treasure. From what I'd read on Wikipedia, its taste was somewhat similar to what we'd call "Chakan." 

Well, if you disagree, you're probably right. 

'Hmm. It looks delicious. Should I ask her to buy me one?' 

I'd never tried Umaibo before, so I was curious about its taste and considered asking for one. 

'But still, isn't this a bit too much?' 

It felt awkward to ask someone who wasn't my mom for such a favor, especially on the second day of being in this body. 

While I was debating whether to ask or not, 

"What are you looking at so intently?" 

Yuka approached me, noticing how I was staring at the Umaibo. She grabbed my shoulder and followed my gaze. 

When I casually pointed at the Umaibo, her eyes widened in surprise. 

"Oh, Umaibo? It's been a while. I used to eat these all the time when I was in school." 

Yuka picked up one of the Umaibo and examined it closely—very seriously, in fact. 

After a moment, she nodded and said, 

"Hmm~ It hasn't changed much." 

Then, she grabbed a handful of Umaibo. 

I was about to say something in surprise when Yuka turned to me with a bright smile. 

"Delicious things should be enjoyed in large quantities. Don't you think?" 

At her smile, I nodded without thinking. Pleased with my response, Yuka patted my head and said, 

"Good answer! Let's grab the soy sauce Ayaka mentioned and some snacks." 

"Okay." 

She removed her hand from my head, but strangely, her warmth seemed to linger. 

Not in a weird way, though. 

It was just… 

'I missed this.' 

A fleeting sense of nostalgia, perhaps, from the unfamiliar touch of someone after so long. 

Yeah. It was probably just a misunderstanding. 

After that, Yuka and I picked out soy sauce, snacks, and some ice cream to enjoy on the way home. We then headed to the checkout counter. 

"Haruna Grandma! Come out!" 

The owner of Hanaya was a 70-year-old grandmother. Her husband had died during the war. 

From what I recalled, he'd been conscripted into a unit led by that infamous Mutaguchi and sent on the disastrous Imphal operation, where he'd died almost immediately. 

Of course, there was no compensation for his death. 

As a result, Haruna Grandma harbored a deep resentment toward the Japanese government. 

This was way too much information. 

Since Haruna Grandma wasn't coming out, I found myself digging through Takuya's memories and spilling all this unnecessary trivia. 

'Wait, why isn't she coming out? Is something wrong?' 

Yuka also seemed puzzled by Haruna Grandma's absence and was about to step into the back room behind the counter. 

Then, 

*Slide.* 

The door behind the counter opened, and someone emerged. 

But it wasn't Haruna Grandma. 

"Haaam…" 

A young woman with messy hair, wearing a tracksuit and glasses, let out a wide yawn. 

To be clear, she wasn't just young compared to Haruna Grandma—she looked like a fresh graduate just starting her career. 

Yuka, surprised by the sudden appearance of the young woman, asked awkwardly, 

"Who are you?" 

The woman stopped mid-yawn and answered nonchalantly, 

"I'm Haruna Machiko (春名 真知子). Haruna Grandma's granddaughter and a university student. I'm working part-time here during my break." 

Her explanation was so detailed and rehearsed that Yuka and I couldn't help but nod. 

'Her way of speaking is unique.' 

She had a distinct dialect, but her sentence endings were drawn out, almost like she was slurring her words. 

Anyway, after her introduction, we proceeded to pay. 

Surprisingly, she was quick with the math, and Haruna swiftly calculated the total. 

"That'll be 600 yen." 

Yuka nodded and pulled out the exact change from her coin purse. 

Meanwhile, 

'What is this?' 

A strange screen appeared in front of my eyes again. 

To be precise, 

'Why is that in front of Haruna?' 

Something seemed off, but I was curious about what would happen if I interacted with it. 

'Honestly, I'm curious…' 

I wondered if pressing it would trigger some kind of event, but it felt awkward to check with Yuka around. 

As I stared at the window hovering in front of Haruna, Yuka, who had finished paying, called out to me. 

"Takuya, let's go." 

"Ah, yes!" 

It seemed better to come back later and investigate. 

With that thought, I left the store. 

"Come again~" 

Haruna's drowsy farewell followed us out. 

Once outside, Yuka and I unwrapped our ice creams and started walking. 

*Step. Step.* 

*Ting-a-ling.* 

We walked in silence, enjoying our ice creams. 

To an outsider, it might have looked awkward, but since this was how Takuya and Yuka usually walked together, it felt natural to me. 

After a while, we arrived at the park where we usually parted ways. 

For reference, this was the same park where I'd played with Souta the other day. 

It seemed Yuka and I often said goodbye here, so I decided to do the same. 

Just as I was about to bid her farewell and leave, a strong floral scent wafted by. 

"Wait a second." 

Yuka's slender finger brushed past my ear. 

I was startled for a moment. 

When I looked at her, she plucked a speck of dust from my hair and said casually, 

"You had some dust on you. Poof~" 

After blowing the dust away, she smiled and added, 

"See you tonight~ Be careful not to get hurt!" 

Without thinking, I replied, 

"Okay…" 

"Good boy, Takuya." 

Yuka patted my head once more before heading home with her purchases. 

I watched her until she was out of sight, then turned my bike around and headed back to Hanaya. 

*Slide.* 

When I reentered the store, I found Haruna dozing off at the counter. 

"What is it? Need something?" 

She looked at me with a questioning gaze, and I nodded slightly. 

Without suspicion, she nodded back and said, 

"Find what you need and leave when you're done~" 

As she dozed off again, I quickly clicked on the screen hovering in front of her. 

What appeared was a list of items: 

[Elixir of Stamina] 

[Elixir of Strength] 

[Elixir of Luck] 

[Aphrodisiac] 

[Elixir of Conversation] 

[Elixir] 

. 

. 

. 

'Is this… a game shop?' 

It looked like the kind of shop interface you'd see in an adult game. 

And more importantly, 

'Jackpot. The list is endless, and the prices are a steal.' 

The shop offered an overwhelming variety of items at incredibly low prices. 

I was tempted to cancel my plans for the day and just browse the shop. 

'If I stay too long, she might get suspicious. I'll check it out later when I'm closer to her.' 

With that thought, I was about to leave when I noticed something else next to the shop window. 

Curious, I clicked on it. 

[Sub-Episode: Purchase Haruna Machiko, the granddaughter of the corner store grandmother.] 

A screen with absurd text popped up. 

As I stared at it in confusion, an explanation began to appear automatically: 

[TIP 1. Give her 10 yen and say, "Noona, my dick is weird," and she'll take you to the back room.] 

Unlike with Miyuki, the instructions were surprisingly detailed. 

The problem was how embarrassing it was… 

'But if she's offering sex, can I really pass this up?' 

Swallowing my pride, I steeled myself, handed Haruna the 10 yen I had in my pocket, and stammered, 

"N-Noona…" 

"Uh-huh? What is it?" 

"M-My, my dick is weird…" 

Damn it. I'm over 20 years old, and I have to say something like this. 

I couldn't even lift my face out of sheer embarrassment. 

But whether my words worked or not, 

"Hmm~ Is that so?" 

Her previously drowsy expression instantly transformed into something more predatory. 

"Then, come to the back room for a bit, and I'll help you out~" 

"Ah, yes!" 

At her words, I smiled inwardly and thought, 

This screen is absolutely godlike. 

*** 

[Sub-episodes can be activated with any woman.]