Valentine's Day is a holiday about love, romance, and flowers, chocolates, and greeting cards.
On this day, men and women exchange gifts to express love or friendship. Valentine's Day dinner dates usually represent a critical development in a couple's relationship.
Originally a Western holiday, it gradually spread to the East. Neon is one of the earliest East Asian countries to adopt and popularize Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Day in Neon has a very strict and complicated process. First, on February 14th, girls give chocolates to the boys they like.
Of course, chocolates are also divided into two types: one is called Honmei Chocolate, and the other is called Giri Chocolate.
Simply put, Honmei Chocolate is for expressing love to a boy, while Giri Chocolate is a smokescreen used to give Honmei Chocolate, which is to say, it expresses 'gratitude'.
If it's Honmei Chocolate, a card clearly stating one's feelings will be included with the gift, and of course, a response from the other party is hoped for.
Or they might arrange to meet behind the school building after school, or on the rooftop, and so on.
Giri Chocolate, on the other hand, is a smoke bomb.
If a boy accepts a girl's feelings, he will return the favor with chocolate on March 14th.
So March 14th is also known as White Valentine's Day.
But for single people, this day is the one they least want to experience all year.
"By the way, did any of you receive Honmei Chocolate?" Hayamikawa asked.
The few of them exchanged glances, then all lowered their heads, somewhat dejectedly.
Ah...
The manager was a little moved.
What kind of collective is this?
"I do have one Giri Chocolate; it was given to me by Ono from the marketing department," Kinoshita said, taking out a box of chocolates from his bag.
"Damn it, Kinoshita, a man who has been in love before is indeed different. Among us, only you have Giri Chocolate, right?" Hayamikawa said, displeased.
At this point, the manager felt that the remaining two were even more pathetic.
Giri Chocolate can actually stand firm among the three and become the best. What kind of story is this?
Looking outside the shop, couples walked by in twos and threes, full of laughter, and from time to time, one could see young girls holding flowers, their faces beaming with happy smiles.
On this day, no matter where you go, you can feel a strong romantic atmosphere.
"Even if it's not mentioned, it's fine for couples to celebrate on their own. Why do they have to create a romantic atmosphere in every street and alley?" Hayamikawa said, distressed. "It's like someone is constantly reminding you that you're a single man with a loudspeaker next to you, it's really annoying."
"Yes, I completely agree," Furukawa Hirozawa nodded seriously.
Only Kinoshita remained unmoved.
You two, who have been single since birth, simply don't understand how good it is to have a girlfriend.
But...
Kinoshita still hadn't quite figured out how he lost his girlfriend and how he ended up as a single man like Hayamikawa and Furukawa.
"Forget it, thinking too much is useless," Furukawa Hirozawa was very open-minded. Anyway, he had lived for 30 years without a girlfriend, so having one or not probably didn't matter.
"How can girls be as fun as game?"
Furukawa said calmly.
The other two exchanged glances, deep worry in their eyes.
"Furukawa, do you know, we only became like this because we were with you," Kinoshita said.
"Huh? So it's my fault that I lent you the game cartridge back then?"
"Of course, it's your fault!" Kinoshita said shamelessly. "It's because playing Pokeni's game makes people despair and think that such good girls can't exist in reality."
"Exactly, exactly," Hayamikawa also echoed.
The manager looked at these elementary school-like arguments and couldn't help but be amused by them.
"Anyway, you decide for yourselves whether to buy it or not," Furukawa smiled, then picked up a copy of "reverse degree person" from the shelf.
"Pokeni's latest galgame, and it's said to definitely not be a tearjerker."
"Huh? Really?"
Kinoshita quickly grabbed a copy too.
"Valentine's Day or whatever, it doesn't matter. Anyway, when we play galgames, it's like we're dating," Hayamikawa concluded.
Ah...
These silly children.
The manager couldn't help but feel even more sympathetic.
Can you really marry the girls in the game?
Some things cannot be replaced by game.
...
Furukawa Hirozawa is a firm single person. Valentine's Day, Honmei Chocolate, marriage, none of it exists for him.
Only game is eternal.
After purchasing "reverse degree person," Furukawa Hirozawa walked all the way, passing a cake shop where a boy was putting his cake-stained finger into a girl's mouth.
He also passed a guy dressed in a mascot costume selling balloons, around whom a couple was taking photos.
Then, at the street corner near his home, a girl was throwing flowers into an incinerator.
A gust of wind blew, and an unburnt piece of paper flew past him, rolled once on the ground, and then stopped.
The girl walked away without looking back, seemingly not noticing the unburnt card that had flown by.
Furukawa Hirozawa saw this, picked it up, and took a look.
It read:
[Dear:
This world keeps blooming, flowers...
I want to put them in your heart...
One flower.
Dear Yingli]
Some parts of the handwriting were already burnt away, so only these contents could be vaguely discerned.
Tsk tsk.
There's one more sad person in this world.
...
Furukawa Hirozawa became even more determined not to find a girlfriend.
Let's see when he can meet a girl who actively pursues him.
One who can play game would be best.
At the very least, she can't interfere with his game playing.
Returning to his apartment, Furukawa Hirozawa immediately closed the door and drew the curtains.
It wasn't for anything illicit; mainly, the couples outside were too noisy.
The soundproofing in his apartment wasn't very good; sometimes, at one or two in the morning, he could still hear the miserable screams from the girl next door.
This screaming would last for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Fortunately, the sound didn't last very long, so he could still manage to sleep.
Of course, sometimes Furukawa would intentionally amplify the sounds from his galgame to stimulate the boy next door.
At such times, it wouldn't be long before Furukawa could hear the girl next door arguing.
...
"Sorry, guy next door," Furukawa Hirozawa murmured to himself.
Although today is Valentine's Day, it's also my galgame night.
Whether it will affect you mainly depends on how Pokeni Co., Ltd.'s game is.
...
He turned on the TV, connected the game console, and inserted the cartridge.
He pressed the power button, and the game officially started.
Furukawa Hirozawa's movements were fluid, without any delay.
On the TV screen—
A deep blue background was cut in half, the left side black and white.
The right side was in color.
People were walking to the right.
While the male protagonist and female protagonist were walking to the left.
A strange scene.
The crowd also had distinct characteristics, from left to right, they were children, young people, and middle-aged people... all the way to white-haired elderly people.
As always, slow and lyrical, with a hint of sadness in the music.
Needless to say, this must be the soundtrack by that guy named Tenmon.
Pokeni Co., Ltd. seems to only have this one composer.
But honestly, Furukawa quite likes his musical style.
However, upon hearing the soundtrack, an ominous premonition rippled through Furukawa Hirozawa's heart.
Although Pokeni Co., Ltd.'s president said there would be no tearjerkers, he felt something wasn't quite right.
Never mind, he'd continue playing; he'd know once he finished the game.
A president wouldn't lie like that to the media.
Furukawa Hirozawa still believed him.
...
As if a pebble had been dropped into a lake, the screen rippled with splashes.
Immediately, a line of dark ink text emerged from the center of the splashes, becoming—
[reverse degree person]
Below it was a small line of text, reading—[Produced by 1i Co., Ltd.]
After two seconds, a button menu appeared on the screen.
Furukawa Hirozawa picked up the controller and pressed [New game].
...
Entering the character selection screen, two different figures, a male and a female, appeared on the screen.
The male was wearing a black suit and a white shirt, a standard office worker, and the female was dressed similarly.
Both had black hair and good-looking faces.
Below, text explained—
[Please select the role you want to play]
[The storyline will differ depending on the character selected]
Huh?
Was it a dual protagonist mode, then?
Furukawa Hirozawa's face showed a puzzled expression.
Before this, he had never played such a galgame.
It was quite common in arcade games, but those were because different characters had different abilities. What was the deal with character selection in galgames?
However, he had to admire Pokeni Co., Ltd.'s imagination and creativity.
No matter what kind of game the company could make, Furukawa Hirozawa would not be surprised now.
After a long consideration, Furukawa Hirozawa still chose the male protagonist according to his gender.
Mainly, he really couldn't imagine how he would experience a galgame after becoming a girl.
… …
Select character, enter game.
A drop of rain fell from the sky.
It landed on the ground, spreading out a small black spot.
Followed by the second drop.
Before long, heavy rain began to fall from the sky.
The male protagonist, Yamasita Sei, glanced at the sky, quickly held his briefcase over his head, and then ran quickly.
Not long after, he found a corner where he could shelter from the rain.
At the same time, another well-built girl also hid under the eaves with him.
From the very beginning of the character selection interface, it could be seen that this girl was the female protagonist.
The two of them smiled at each other.
Then they started chatting with each other.
The girl said, "Do you know, in this world, there is a magical thing."
The male protagonist asked, "What is it?"
The girl stretched her neck to look at the gloomy sky outside, then extended her right hand and gently flattened it.
A raindrop hit her palm, followed by another.
The rain drizzled into her palm.
The female protagonist smiled sweetly at the male protagonist, "mermaids tears."
"According to legend, a mermaids tears will grant one wish, but the price is—
It will bring a beautiful and tragic love to that person."
"Huh? That's really a good story."
The male protagonist laughed, but he didn't really believe it in his heart.
… …
This scene was entirely described through pictures and text, coupled with the magnetic voices of the male protagonist and female protagonist, making it easy for Furukawa to immerse himself in it.
He didn't know if it was due to the 16-bit machine or if Pokeni had indeed improved, but when Furukawa Hirozawa saw this part, he only felt it was exceptionally beautiful.
Although the entire picture didn't use many colors, it was so beautiful that it made people feel as if they were there.
In the background, rain streaks stretched, giving the entire city a romantic, misty hue.
The two chatted for a while, the rain stopped, and then they parted ways.
The male protagonist thought: [If there really were mermaids tears, what kind of wish would I make?]
… …
After this, players could move freely.
The entire game was set in a city called [Yonezawa City]. Players could control the direction keys to move the male protagonist to any place in the city, and interact with people there to get information.
However, each time you entered an interaction, it would consume one hour of time.
When the time ran out, the day would pass.
But—
After the first day passed, Furukawa Hirozawa finally discovered what the true theme of this game was.
[reverse degree person]
It tells a story of time flowing backward.
After today passed, it wasn't tomorrow, nor was it a repeat of today's content, but time reversed, returning to yesterday morning.
Each time it jumped, a large alarm clock image would appear on the screen, except that the hands of this clock were rotating backward, counter-clockwise.
It also foreshadowed that rule, [Reverse Degree].
So the date jumped from February 14, 1992, to February 13, 1992. If it continued like this, it would keep jumping to February 12…
This is how the game is played.
In the early morning, sunlight streamed into the house.
"I'm going to work," the male protagonist said.
"Okay, have a good trip." A beautiful girl with gentle eyes, wearing an apron, stood in front of the entrance and smiled and waved at the male protagonist.
In the setting, the male protagonist was not a bachelor, but had a beautiful girlfriend named Yoshida Yuu.
If you follow the schedule to find her, you can also go on a date with Yoshida Yuu, go shopping together, and play in the swimming pool.
So Furukawa Hirozawa left the apartment, thinking about where to go next.
According to the predetermined trajectory, the male protagonist should go to work at the company, and then interact with colleagues there and accept sales tasks.
But Furukawa Hirozawa felt he should go elsewhere to take a look.
This look was not trivial; during working hours, the male protagonist returned home and witnessed an astonishing scene—
His girlfriend, Yoshida Yuu, was actually being intimate with another man.
The two were even very surprised by the male protagonist's sudden arrival, with confused expressions, not even having time to prepare.
Yoshida Yuu looked at Yamasita Sei (the male protagonist) with surprised eyes, "Why are you back?"
Ah…
This male protagonist is so miserable.
Sure enough, Pokeni's male protagonists are one more miserable than the last. The previous male protagonist in "Mermaid Heart" lost both parents, but at least he had a wonderful girlfriend like Lún Yīn.
Now in "reverse degree person," the male protagonist not only lost both parents but was also tragically betrayed by his girlfriend.
Seeing this, even a single man like Furukawa Hirozawa couldn't help but feel sympathy.
However, at the same time, there was another strange emotion in his heart.
It made him want to hit someone.
After two seconds of thought, Furukawa Hirozawa finally understood.
This is probably what it feels like to be cheated on, right?
Now that he thought about it, Kinoshita's decision to break up with his girlfriend was very correct.
… …
At this moment, Furukawa Hirozawa had two options. The first was to choose to leave silently.
That would be too tragic, wouldn't it?
Not only was he cheated on, but he also had to swallow his anger?
This is unbearable.
The second option was: beat them up.
Furukawa decisively chose the second option.
As a result, by the end of the day, the male protagonist was bruised and sat silently in the park, feeling sorry for himself.
… …
Time jumped, from 11:59 to 12:00.
It was already February 11th, yesterday.
Ding dong.
The screen went black, and when it lit up again, the male protagonist was back in his own bed.
And lying next to him was his girlfriend, Yoshida Yuu.
"Why are you up?" Yuu rubbed her sleepy eyes.
In this time period, the incident of catching them in the act that happened before no longer existed; Yuu was still the male protagonist's pitiful and incredibly gentle girlfriend.
Furukawa Hirozawa sneered twice, interacted with his girlfriend, and decisively chose [Break up].
"Why?" Yoshida Yuu asked with wide, tearful eyes, "game, you have to give me a reason to break up, right?"
"What else could it be? Who told you to have other men outside?" Furukawa Hirozawa was so angry that his mouth pouted.
… …
During this game process, Furukawa Hirozawa gradually experienced happiness.
If time could flow backward, what would you do?
This is probably what the game conveys to players.
For example, you can directly go to the bank and withdraw all your savings, then spend it all, and anyway, all that money will be back the next morning.
You can also choose to observe other people's lives and discover some small secrets.
Time jumped.
January 10, 1986.
The game initially jumped by days, but it seemed there was no plot in between, so it jumped a segment according to the plot, spanning 5 years at once.
Otherwise, if it kept going day by day, it would be too boring.
At the beginning of this day, the male protagonist was standing in a cemetery.
He was attending someone's funeral.
The name [Yamashita Masaharu] was engraved on the tombstone.
Yamashita Masaharu was the male protagonist's father, who died in a car accident yesterday afternoon.
Before this, their father-son relationship was not harmonious. Due to the male protagonist's work, his relationship with his father broke down, and they had a big argument.
The male protagonist was extremely regretful.
Standing in front of the tomb, watching all this, sad tears flowed from the corners of his eyes.
… …
Seeing this scene, Furukawa Hirozawa's eyes were slightly moist.
He remembered his own father, who also died in a car accident when he was young.
Just then, Furukawa Hirozawa's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
According to the progress of this game, does that mean I can prevent the car accident from happening?
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