NOVEL WEB Special Chapter – Valentine’s Day
It was supposed to be a normal day at the House of Imaginary Boundaries, but the four girls found themselves with a curious mystery on their hands.
“Are you sure this isn’t yours?” Hecate spoke to Narumi while pointing at a strange device laying on the dining table, with all four girls gathered around it.
“Of course not. I always carry my phone with me. Well, not always, sometimes I can’t, or it’s impossible… The point is, I almost never leave my phone behind!”
“But if it’s not yours, then whose is it?” Katja was genuinely at a loss. “I’ve seen Shinji’s phone before, so unless this is a new phone, it’s not his either.”
“It doesn’t even look like a phone, does it?” Narumi, the resident phone specialist, weighed in.
“Who cares what it is? If you’re not going to do anything with it, just throw it in the garbage.” All the fuss the girls were making annoyed Carol.
But before the girls could decide what to do with the device, the dorm’s door swung open.
“Oh, Iroha! We’ve been awaiting you! Is this contraption yours?” Hecate lifted up the phone for me to see. “I think you forgot your phone here last time.”
“Uhmm… I’m pretty sure I didn’t… I- I don’t think that’s mine!”
“We’ve tried. Just throw it in the garbage now.”
“Don’t be hasty. Take a closer look, Iroha. If it’s not yours, then we don’t have any other leads.” Katja beckoned me to get closer, and I saw the device again.
“Ah! This is…”
“You know what it is? No way!” Both Carol and Narumi immediately picked up on my surprised reaction.
“I- I think so… If I’m not mistaken, this is a very mysterious device that’s thought to be nothing more than an urban legend!”
“What?!” Narumi leaned in closer, while the other girls had similarly surprised reactions.
This thing that looks like a phone is actually a promotional device made by a certain game company to promote their dating sim. It uses a mysterious algorithm that’s able to predict which of the girls from the game is most compatible with the person using it. It is said that the device is 100% accurate and that it correctly predicted the favorite girl of everyone who used it. The game itself wasn’t even that good, but the technology behind this device was so impressive that virtually everyone ended up hearing about it. Too bad the device ended up not being mass-produced.
It took me a while to explain this to the girls but eventually everyone got it.
“I see… We’ve got a real mystery on our hands. How did this contraption even get here?” Hecate poked the thing like it was a sleeping pet.
“So? What are we gonna do with this thing? It doesn’t feel right to just throw it in the garbage now.” Carol crossed her arms.
“Use it.”
“We have no clue how it got here, and it could be dangerous. Maybe it’s best if we leave it alone.” Katja aired on the side of caution.
“Use it.”
“Isn’t it fine?” Narumi chimed in. “It’s just a game. There’s no way it’s actually dangerous. We should give it a try. It sounds like fun.”
“Use it! Yes! Use it! It’s fine! It was just to promote the game… It doesn’t do anything bad.” Please use it! This is a great opportunity for me! This thing is 100% accurate! So when it finds out what characters the girls are most compatible with, I’ll get to learn what their preferences are, and I’ll know what to do to win their hearts! I’m a genius!
“Well, if Iroha says it’s fine, I say we can play with it.” Hecate spoke up in favor of my proposal.
“Yes! This is gonna be so much! Here, Carol, you go first!” Narumi jumped with joy and pushed the device onto Carol.
“What? I never agreed to this! Why do I have to go first?” Carol reluctantly took the device off Narumi’s hand.
She clicked the power button, and the screen lit up. The device ran its mysterious calculations, and eventually it spit out an answer.
- Your ideal partner is…
“I think it’s done. Any idea what this means, Iroha? It’s just an image of a character.” Carol had no knowledge of the game, and neither did any of the other girls.
“Let me see…” Carol handed me the device so I could verify the result. “Uhmm… This girl is kinda like a lovable idiot that’s super clumsy and can’t seem to do anything right, but makes up for it with lots of energy and positivity.”
“Pfft! Carol is compatible with an idiot! It fits! The two of you were made for each other!” As soon as I finished my explanation, Narumi burst out laughing.
“Oh, shut up! That’s not true! If there’s anyone here compatible with a character like that, it’s you, not me!” Carol’s face turned red, and she snapped back at Narumi.
“I don’t mean to interrupt, but the device is 100% accurate. If it gave you that character, there must be some meaning behind it.”
“Are you really taking its word as gospel? It’s just a toy! It doesn’t mean anything.” Carol didn’t seem to care about the device’s reputation.
“It’s hard to imagine Carol getting along with someone like that, much less being soulmates.” Hecate wasn’t sold on the answer either.
“Maybe there’s a certain trait that character has that’s particularly compatible with Carol?” Katja was interested in making sense of the answer.
“Hpmf. I doubt it. The only thing good about idiots is that they’re easy to push around. Otherwise, I have no use for someone like that!” Carol crossed her arms again while blushing.
“It’s accurate. Even if you don’t get it, I’m sure the device has its reasons. I’m sure there’s some kind of deep reason for it. Maybe you subconsciously crave some kind of balance, or maybe you have some kind of protective instinct that would trigger with a that kind of character, or maybe even-“
“You’re overthinking it.” Hecate mercilessly cut off my train of thought.
“Ehh?”
“Whatever, who’s next? Katja, you go for it!” Carol pushed the device onto Katja who was next to her.
“Me? I suppose it would have to be my turn at some point. I’m not sure what to expect. I don’t really have any preferences when it comes to these kinds of things.” Katja clicked the button, and the device did its thing.
- Your ideal partner is…
“Iroha, you’re up!” Narumi passed me the device from Katja so I could interpret the answer.
“Well… this one is the gentle older sister type. She’s very caring, and she’s the type of girl that likes to pamper and spoil her partner all the time.” So that’s what Katja likes… How unexpected…
“What? You want to get spoiled, Katja? Don’t I already do that all the time? You’re telling me to pamper you even more?” Hecate faked concern.
“Hmm… I didn’t see that coming.” Carol looked at Katja with a surprised face.
“You should have told me! I would have pampered you too if you had just asked!” Narumi joined Hecate and Katja started getting agitated.
“I don’t know what this means! I’m not interested in these kinds of things! The device must be wrong.” Katja rejected the answer with a slight blush on her face.
“It’s correct. The device is always correct. If you don’t get it, it must be some kind of subconscious desire. Maybe it’s a reflection of how you wish to treat other, which in turn gives an answer to how you want to be treated, but there’s some kind of barrier that prevents you-“
“You’re overthinking it.”
“Ehh?”
“It’s just a game. It doesn’t matter what it says. You do it, Hecate.” Katja pushes the device onto Hecate.
“Very well… time to see what kind of fate this contraption has in store for me.” Hecate pushes the button, and she quickly gets an answer.
- Your ideal partner is…
“Go on, Iroha. What does it say?” Carol urges me to explain Hecate’s results.
“Oh, this one is the blonde foreign transfer student. She’s very open and friendly and has a very bright personality.”
“Ahahaha!” Narumi immediately started laughing uncontrollably, and the other girls were smiling as well. “No way! That’s impossible! Poor Hecate would just turn into ash-“
“Ahem… Narumi…” Hecate smiled at Narumi, and the pressure forced her mouth shut. All of the girls now had the most serious-looking expression on their faces.
The answer is right, though. There’s no way I can say it out loud since I feel like I would get killed, but the device can’t be wrong. Maybe there’s some kind of reason why Hecate wears such dark clothes and someone with a bright personality is-
“Iroha…” Hecate looked at me, and her amber eye appeared brighter than ever. “You’re overthinking it.”
Ehh?
“It’s just a game. That was an interesting answer, I suppose. It’s your turn, Narumi.” Hecate handed over the device, and Narumi felt compelled to take it.
“Alright. This ended up being a pretty wild ride. I’m curious to see what it gives me.” Narumi clicked the button, and the thing did its magic.
“What does it mean, Iroha?” Hecate asked, and everyone looked at me in anticipation.
“For Narumi, it gave her the intellectual book lover girl. She’s a smart and introspective girl who likes to share her thoughts about a variety of philosophical and some not-so-philosophical questions.”
“Ahahahaha! That’s a good one! Narumi’s little brain would implode one minute into their first conversation! Ahahahaha! I can’t!” Carol laughed both because she found it hilarious and as payback from earlier.
“What? It doesn’t make much sense… I don’t really get it.” Narumi was confused, but the answer the device gave piqued her interest.
“That’s fine. It’s just a guess from a toy. You don’t have to read that much into it.” Hecate maintained that the answers the device gave were just for fun and nothing else.
“No, no, the device is right. It reads into your subconscious to arrive at the answers, and that’s why it’s hard to understand. For someone like Narumi… maybe it has something to do with the contrast between books and phones, and that’s the reason why they’re compatible? It could be because of-“
“You’re overthinking it.”
“Ehh?”
“Well… that’s everyone done.” I feel like I’ve learned a lot about them. I’m glad I asked them to try using the device.
“What are you talking about, Iroha? We still haven’t seen your answer.” Carol pointed out a fact I was trying to gloss over.
“Me?” I don’t wanna do this. I’m not sure I want them to know my preferences! How is this even going to work? I’ve already played the game a little. I already have a favorite character. Many perhaps. I guess I’ll be able to check whether the device really is accurate or not.
“Here you go, Iroha.” Narumi handed me the device. I hesitated for a while before I finally clicked the button. The screen lit up as it looked into my soul.
- Your ideal partner is…
- All of them!
Wait, what?! It’s right! How is that even an answer!? The game didn’t even have a harem route. What the hell? How did it know? This thing actually lives up to its reputation.
- Not the girls from the game. The ones in front of you! All of them!
Huh? How is this possible? How does this thing know? Is this some kind of joke? Is it just a coincidence?
“What does it say, Iroha?” Narumi asked, and the girls started gathering behind me to look at the answer.
- It’s not a joke. They’re behind you now. I know. And you’re compatible with all of them!
At this point, I’m not sure whether I should be happy or scared.
- That’s right! All of them! You heard me right! You think I can’t tell? I know who you like! You like all of them! You’re greedy, Iroha! One girl isn’t good enough for you. You need the whole group. Don’t think you can hide from me! No matter what, I know exactly what-
“Huh? I’m in my room?” What was that? Was that a dream?
I took a look around to assess my situation. I’m sitting in my usual chair in my apartment. There’s a box of chocolate on top of my desk. I remember! I was eating some of these earlier. Do they have alcohol? I don’t think so, that would be illegal. But if I wasn’t drunk, then what was that?
Oh, I’m remembering now. Hecate gave me a box of chocolate earlier today. She said it was for Valentine’s Day and that it was on the behalf of everyone, but… that doesn’t make any sense. Valentine’s Day was a couple months ago, and, like, who’s everyone? Is it from her and the other girls of the House?
Nothing made sense to me. The more I tried puzzling it out, the more confused I became, and my head started to hurt. I was saved by divine intervention as the knowledge of my situation was suddenly imparted into my head.
“Oh… I get it now…”
“I’m in a special chapter.”
