True Education: I Have a Life Simulator

[Congratulations! Achievement unlocked: "Devotion". Final score for this chapter increased by 10 points.]

[Devotion: In a single simulation, remained wholeheartedly devoted to the main heroine of the chapter.]

[Achievement unlocked: "Masterpiece". Permanent Talent Slot +1]

[Masterpiece: Defeated the key storyline character Ayanokouji Kiyotaka in a single simulation.]

[Permanent Talent Slot: You can now draw 7 initial talents instead of 6.]

[Achievement unlocked: "Double Romance". Already unlocked, no reward granted.] [Double Romance: Gained affection from two key female characters in one simulation.]

[Achievement unlocked: "Salvation". Ichinose Honami's initial affection increased.] [Salvation: Cleared Chapter 1 "Ichinose Honami's Summer Revisited" via the hidden ending "Salvation".]

[Achievement unlocked: "Ten Years of Scooping Poop". The "Pet Owner" talent upgraded to Purple and now a fixed talent.]

 [Top-tier Pet Owner (Purple): You own a clever, intuitive cat. Lately, though, it's been looking at you oddly. (Still, it's just a cat... Maybe you should name it "Hotaru"?)]

[Chapter 1 Completion Goal: Discover and correct Ichinose Honami's life turning point ✓ Completed. Final score: 90 + 10 = 100]

[Congratulations on clearing Chapter 1. Drawing reward based on score tier...] [Reward Item Obtained: Ichinose Honami's Self]

[Ichinose Honami's Self: Before each simulation, three talents (excluding Gold) will randomly upgrade in quality. Applies to both starting and fixed talents.]

["I don't want Ryo to walk ahead of me one day, nor do I want him following behind. I just hope we can walk side by side."]

[Highest Score So Far: 100 Points]

[Remaining simulations for Chapter 1: 2. Since this simulation reached a perfect score, the two remaining attempts will be automatically treated as 100-point completions and their rewards distributed accordingly. Keeping these until final chapter completion will double the amount of the mystery prize.]

[Player chooses to temporarily forgo the reward.]

[Player achieved perfect clear. All talents retained.]

[Current Fixed Talents (7): Childhood Sweetheart (Gold), Unforgettable Love (Gold), Perseverance (Gold), Top-tier Pet Owner (Purple), Martial Artist (Purple), Small Inheritance (Blue), Close Companion (Green)]

[Current Items (2): Ichinose Honami's Blessing, Ichinose Honami's Self]

"Aaaahhhh!"

Ryo rolled around on the bed, hugging his pillow, unable to contain his excitement as he stared at the lines of text flashing across the screen.

"Finally, a good ending!"

It was just a Life Restart Simulator, but he had ended up playing it like a galgame. So many events, branching paths, and countless endings. Clearly, the devs had poured their heart into it.

Lying back on his bed with eyes closed, Ryo reflected on the third simulation. He'd had more of a presence compared to the first two, though most of it was limited to using the "Temporary Talent Card" right before the final showdown.

After all, the core gameplay of this simulator was talent combo optimization. Choosing the right talents to steer life toward a desired ending. If he got too involved, it would just turn into a regular text-based adventure.

Still, he couldn't deny that during the middle stages—both in the second and third runs—he felt the frustration of being an outsider. Like a reader watching a tragedy unfold, fully aware of what was coming yet powerless to stop it.

He held his phone up and, instead of diving into the next simulation, began investigating the game studio behind it. Despite the game's impressive writing, there was barely any online chatter about it. The studio, called "Meritocracy," had a dead-looking website, completely inactive.

Even the download link he had stumbled upon earlier was no longer accessible.

Ryo sent them an email:

"After playing your Life Restart Simulator, I think it's a truly remarkable game. Maybe it lacks exposure, but I believe good things will eventually shine. This is honestly a great work!"

He didn't expect much from the message. Just a player offering encouragement.

But within a minute, he got a reply from the "Meritocracy" studio:

"Thank you for your love and support. This Life Restart Simulator is currently in a small-scale closed beta. Your email shows us your passion for the game. Would you be interested in becoming an internal beta tester?"

Ryo blinked. He knew big games went through closed and open betas, but those were usually VR titles. This was still a text-based mobile game. Did it really need testers?

"Please rest assured. Though currently limited to mobile format, the final version of the Life Simulator will use Unreal Engine for world-building. As an internal tester, you'll have the chance to experience it in VR."

Seeing his hesitation, they followed up with a second message.

Ryo glanced around his cramped basement room and replied with a sigh:

"Sorry, I don't have VR equipment."

He was barely scraping by. Others might dive into cutting-edge VR titles like Sword Art Online, but all he had was a phone and his imagination.

Then came a third message:

"From our backend data, we saw that you are the only player so far to clear Chapter 1. This shows your deep connection to the game. If you're willing to join as a beta tester, we will provide a VR headset free of charge."

"We believe this collaboration will be a win-win."

Honestly, the offer struck a chord.

Without this opportunity, he might never get to experience VR in his lifetime.

"Alright, I accept."

-------------------------------------

To say the least, the speed of the "Meritocracy" Studio was impressive. The day after Ryo filled out his personal information, a package—larger than he was—arrived at his tiny basement apartment, a place barely two meters deeper than the city sewer lines.

It took him a full two hours to assemble the device using the enclosed instruction manual. He even had to shove his desk inward to make space for the machine to barely fit inside the room.

Though it was his first time playing a virtual reality game, he had long since familiarized himself with the process through the internet. His movements weren't clumsy.

He strapped on the game watch, put on the headset, and connected to the virtual network. From the menu, he selected the only available option: Life Restart Simulator: Meritocracy. Without hesitation, Ryo entered the game.

In the haze of consciousness, lines of white text appeared:

[Verifying identity... Passed] [Validating ID... Passed] [Iris confirmation... Passed]

[LIFE RESTART SIMULATOR]

[Each simulation will randomly draw 5 talents. Talent grades range from White, Green, Blue, Purple to Gold. After each simulation, you can choose one talent to permanently retain.]

[Note: Each chapter allows up to 5 simulations. Failing all 5 results in game over.]

[Successfully clearing a chapter allows permanent retention of all obtained talents, usable in the next chapter.]

[Clear all chapters to unlock a mystery prize.]

[We wish you a pleasant gaming experience.]

As the text scrolled across a dazzling starry sky, Ryo navigated to the second chapter. According to the studio, only CG segments had been fully integrated for immersive VR, while daily simulation content still used text-based presentation. Still, this was a huge improvement over reading on a phone.

He lightly tapped the now-unlocked Chapter Two. The white-bordered UI fragmented and reassembled:

[Chapter: Karuizawa Kei's Autumn Lie] [Please name your character.] [Player has named: Kitagawa Ryo] [Name confirmed.] [Beginning the first simulation of Chapter Two...]

[Drawing seven talents for the player. Results as follows:]

[Devotion (Gold): You are wholeheartedly devoted to this chapter's heroine. When I open my eyes, you are in the breeze, the trees, the rivers, the stars. When I close my eyes, the constellations turn into you. (Final score +10 if cleared)]

"Ooh, this one's good. Since my character has so many fixed talents now, if I don't play like a flirt, I should be able to complete the mission smoothly."

Then he paused, frowning.

"Wait... the mission hasn't even been announced yet. The first chapter was about changing Ichinose Honami's past. So this one must be about changing Karuizawa Kei's."

[Crowd Favorite (Purple): Massively boosts your personal charm. (Appeals to all genders)]

"...I seriously can't tell if this is better or worse than 'Tokyo Pretty Boy'. Too bad I didn't get any Talent Refresh items this time."

[Soccer Prodigy (Blue): Your soccer skills are top-tier among peers. (Behold my bicycle kick!)]

"Another meh talent... though I did meet Karuizawa during that friendly soccer match in Chapter One."

[Heir of a Prestigious Family (Blue): Your family is well-known and respected in your area. (Rebirth: The Disgraced Rich Kid Returns 2)]

"Great, that brings back all kinds of bad memories."

[Cold Persona (Green): You maintain a cold, aloof demeanor around others. (Only handsome guys can pull this off)]

"This looks like an upgraded version of 'Silent Type'... but barely."

[Aggressive Lover (Green): You crave physical intimacy and pursue it actively in relationships. (Better to consume than be consumed)]

"Cold + Aggressive... what kind of closet perv combo is this?"

Ryo had already facepalmed. With no Talent Refresh or Upgrade Cards available this time, his only hope was the item Ichinose Honami's Self.

[Siscon? (Green): You have an unusual attachment to the 'little sister' character trope. (Though you feel nothing for your actual sister)]

"If a green talent doesn't mess things up, I'll count that as a win. There's no way Karuizawa has a younger sister like Ichinose did, right?"

[Talent draw complete. Activating item: 'Ichinose Honami's Self'. Randomly upgrading three talents...]

[Talent Close Companion (Green) upgraded to Soulmate (Blue)]

[Soulmate (Blue): You have a close, trustworthy best friend (same gender)]

[Talent Aggressive Lover (Green) upgraded to Carnal Predator (Blue)]

[Carnal Predator (Blue): You actively seek physical intimacy and escalation in relationships. (You're used to always getting your way)]

[Talent Heir of a Prestigious Family (Blue) upgraded to Scion of Nobility (Purple)]

[Scion of Nobility (Purple): You are the sole heir of the century-old Kitagawa clan (Rebirth: The Urban Overlord)]

[Talent selection complete. Current Talents:]

[Gold: Childhood Sweetheart, Unforgettable Love, Perseverance, Devotion]

[Purple: Top-tier Pet Owner, Scion of Nobility, Crowd Favorite, Martial Artist]

[Blue: Small Inheritance, Carnal Predator, Soulmate, Soccer Prodigy]

[Green: Cold Persona, Siscon? ]

[Chapter 2 Objective: Identify Karuizawa Kei's psychological weaknesses and correct them, guiding her toward independent survival at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School]

[Simulation Start]