In this game, each heroine has various “traits” woven into their character.
For the heroine Suzuna Kanzaki, there are three: “little sister character,” “tsundere,” and “terrible cook.”
The “little sister character” trait comes from her being Eiji Kanzaki’s stepsister.
The “tsundere” trait is sort of a refined version of the cold shoulder I’m getting right now… Early on, she was pretty cold to the protagonist, reluctant to be open or honest about her feelings. It’s not exactly the classic tsundere prickliness; it’s more like a mix of aloofness with a bit of embarrassed warmth.
And then there’s the “terrible cook” trait. This might be the most defining aspect when talking about Suzuna Kanzaki.
When the protagonist first meets her, she’s a girl who brings ingredients to school (with the teacher’s permission) and practices cooking in the home economics room. To get closer to her, players need to visit the home economics room regularly. After a few conversations, they’ll get a chance to taste her cooking… which brings in an impressive element of randomness.
Every time, something negative inevitably happens.
In terms of gameplay, the protagonist has a set of “stats” that can be improved to make it easier to increase a heroine’s affection level. Sometimes, reaching a certain stat threshold is necessary to unlock certain events. So, it’s not just about meeting the girl; players need to balance self-improvement, raising the necessary stats, and gaining her affection in a tactical way.
But in Suzuna’s cooking events, at best, one of the protagonist’s stats will get a forced decrease. At best.
At worst, he might end up getting sick, forced to skip a few days.
The game’s timeframe runs from the protagonist’s transfer in April to Christmas in December. Given the limited period, this mandatory break can be pretty terrifying. Depending on the timing, it might make players miss key events, making her route difficult.
So while Suzuna Kanzaki is indeed a very charming heroine, she’s also known among fans (if there are any for this game) as an exceptionally difficult heroine to pursue.
…However, this “terrible cook” trait isn’t just there to make things hard; it also touches on a core part of her story.
“But whether to address that at this point…”
One must remember that these traits apply to Suzuna Kanzaki in her high school years.
And the reason she turns out this way depends on how her current self grows.
One possible result is that she becomes a terrible cook, but it’s likely she hasn’t reached that stage yet. Rather, it’s important to save her so she doesn’t end up with that trait.
“Touching on that too soon might make things worse. For now, it’s probably best to explore her general events and dates to get a sense of her likes and try a different approach.”
With that in mind, I start drafting information about the other heroines, like Wakana Amamiya, and turn my notebook into a makeshift strategy guide.
But it’s been nearly a decade since my past self played this game. Even though I loved it and have strong feelings about it, I honestly don’t remember every detail.
Plus, just like how Wakana and I reconciled as childhood friends, there will be discrepancies, big and small, over the three years leading up to the start of the game.
It’s best to use this as a reference without putting too much faith in it.
“…Speaking of which, if I hadn’t regained my memories from my past life, Eiji Kanzaki would’ve just ended up as a gag character.”
I pause to think about myself.
In the game, Eiji Kanzaki is such an intense siscon that he even weirds out Suzuna and the other students. There wasn’t even a childhood friend connection with Wakana Amamiya.
I can see why, if not for that incident, our relationship would have faded away naturally… But what was the trigger for me becoming a gag character?
“Hmmm… it’s hard to see things clearly when it comes to yourself.”
In my case, I didn’t get possessed or taken over by my past self; I simply remembered my past life… It’s like a fusion of both lives. Naturally, I should still remember who I was before regaining my memories… probably.
“That’s it!”
I get up from the bed and head to my bookshelf.
Lately, my new hobby has been reading. I stop by the bookstore on the way home from school and buy any books that catch my eye.
Being on a middle schooler’s allowance, I can’t spend too much, but reading is surprisingly cost-effective since a single book can keep me entertained for a long time.
I once heard that a bookshelf is like a reflection of one’s mind.
It should be pretty clear what I’ve been thinking about lately by looking at my shelf…
“…What is this…”
I’m speechless.
“‘100 Perfect Phrases to Make You Chuckle,’ ‘How to Be the Life of the Class,’ ‘Finding Your True Self’… What’s all this?!”
The recent additions to my shelf are essentially self-help books for middle schoolers.
“There are even celebrity autobiographies here. What was I aiming for?”
It’s so typical of adolescence. Looking at myself now, I feel a bit dizzy.
This is me… I guess? This is probably what I was like.
Middle school’s ending soon, and I’ll be a high schooler. Right at the peak of my adolescent worries, I was clearly facing the big question: “What makes me appealing?”
I wanted to be more popular. I enjoyed laughing with the guys and wanted to be someone who could liven up the class, someone central to everything… Even if I didn’t consciously admit it, I think I was craving that.
Come on, snap out of it. You’re Eiji Kanzaki! You’re a high-spec guy with no flaws besides your personality. Surely, you’d attract attention if you just kept quiet… But that’s not it, is it?
There are two types of adolescence: those who aim to be popular and those who don’t. I was the latter. Caring about being popular just felt uncool… or something like that.
This bookshelf is a reflection of my brain back then, muddled up with concerns that, looking back now, are incredibly trivial.
It’s filled with self-help books I clung to as if they were guides to life.
“With my mind in such chaos, it’s no wonder that with such a cute little sister suddenly in my life, things went in that direction…”
Maybe I even bought books with titles like How to Get Along with Your New Sister. That could explain the strange behavior.
“…No, it’s honestly not funny.”
Looking at it objectively, handing myself over to advice from some random author… well, I’d like to think I wouldn’t do that now, but honestly, even in my previous life, there was a time when work had worn me down so much that I clung to any self-help book I could find.
Adding that experience to my current one… it’s really not funny at all.
“Maybe, in a way, I’m fundamentally similar. The old me and the current me…”
I never thought I’d feel this kind of connection.
Honestly, it’s not a happy one!
