Chapter 6

Satou stirred her ramen as she said, “Well, there are six girls in total, seven if you count the tutorial girl. Three are new and three are from the original game. The three OGs are Minoru, Oshiro, and Aina. The three newbies are Yuma, Aoi, and Himari. The tutorial girl is some girl named Sumiko.”

“Sumiko Doma?” You remembered her. The girl from World History with the long, luscious black hair. Or at least it was long before Kimiko chopped it off and threw it at you for looking at Sumiko too long.

She transferred schools after that incident. Her parents evidently cared about her mental health and that she was being bullied. You knew you shouldn’t speak ill of the dead… Aina’s parents did cloth, feed, and house you. But they were kind of sucky parents.

You didn’t blame them too much, however. Everything in this world was angled for yanderes and against their victims. Even undeveloped characters such as Aina’s parents.

In reality, four teenage girls could never get away with killing a classmate and stashing their body around a school. But they did, because the game said so.

“Yeah, that’s the one. She’s my roommate. Apparently she had a cameo in Aina’s route. The dev team didn’t even bother to draw her, though, so did it even happen?”

“And you skipped the tutorial? So she’s safe,” you sighed in relief. You barely knew the girl, but you still didn’t want her to be grotesquely murdered by yanderes. No one deserved that. You thought of Hiro again and your heart ached.

“Kinda,” she said, bursting your bubble. She took a large slurp of her ramen before continuing, “See, I want what you had. A harem. If I can seduce all the girls without going too far down any of their routes, I think I can get it. I get too close, they off Sumiko and I’m stuck with their route.”

“I think you’re nuts for wanting a harem of unstable individuals, but to each their own.” It was all fun and games until you were transmigrated into the yandere dating sim you were playing.

All the things you had suffered through at the hands of Minoru and Oshiro… It wasn’t quirky or cute. It was awful. You weren’t sure reality had hit Satou yet.

“Why don’t we help ourselves by helping each other?” You suggested at last.

“What do you have to gain by helping me?” She asked, blinking incredulously. Or maybe she was batting her eyes at you. You had a hard time telling when people were flirting with you.

“I want out from under Minoru’s thumb,” you said quite simply. “I think if she has a new favorite, she just might let me go when I run away.”

It worked with Hinata. After she was released from the psychiatric hospital, her family left the country and never came back. Another example of good parents. You hoped she was doing well, wherever she may be. You just kinda wished she had said goodbye. You understood why she didn’t though. You were part of her problem, not her solution.

Minoru never reached out to her, never tried to win her back. Instead, she poured all her love and attention into you.

“And why do I need your help? I’m the Main Character.” It looked like someone was coming down with main character syndrome. You guessed it was kind of justified when you were the main character.

“For two reasons. One, your harem isn’t complete without ‘Aina.’ And, two, I can work as insurance. Any of the girls try to pull you in, I pull you out.”

You weren’t sure Satou would really want to keep playing the game once the fact that this was her new reality set in. The idea of someone loving you unconditional and being willing to do anything for you was nice conceptually. In practice, it was much scarier than that.

“Okay, deal,” she said with a nod.

“Good,” you replied. “Now, I know all about Minoru and Oshiro. What do you know about the new girls?”

She made an annoyed face. “Not as much as I’d like considering how much I spent on Patreon, but enough. I know their names, faces, types, and little tidbits about them. I don’t remember all their subtypes like I do yours.”

She had a dreamy look in her eyes when she looked at you. She was obviously having a hard time differentiating you -Y/N- from the character she loved.

“Okay, so tell me about them.”

She started listing off information on the girls, holding up a finger for each one.

“First there’s Yuma. She has a deep skin complexion and matching, acid green eyes and afro. She’s a hacker and a conspiracy theorist. Obsessive. I don’t love obsessives. They’re pretty boring as far as yanderes go.

“Then there’s Aoi. She’s cute. She has freckles. I looove freckles! Tan skin, brown eyes, sky blue hair. She’s a singer and musician. She makes female versions and Japanese covers on YouTube. Obsessive. Like I said, boring.

“Finally, there’s Himari. She’s Sumiko’s older sister. She got all the looks. Pale skin dappled with beauty marks, crimson eyes, and long, dark hair. Unfff! She’s a tutor here at the university. Plus, she’s possessive.

“Possessives are my favorite,” she said once she was finished. “They’re the nuttiest of the bunch. Kimiko was a possessive. I miss her. I cried so hard when she died.”

You nodded sympathetically. Despite all the horrible things she had done to you, you did too.

“Let’s start with the devils we know. I’ll talk to Minoru, get her to consider adding somebody new to our little group. That’s when you swoop in and act the part of the perfect little baby.” It would be a breath of fresh air for her considering the brat you’ve been the last couple of months.

“Maybe we should seal our deal with a kiss,” she suggested, eyes on your mouth.

“No.”

“You’re so mean, Aina!” She pouted and whined like a child.

“Y/N.”

“What?”

“When we’re alone, call me Y/N. You’re the only one in this world who knows who I really am.”

She looked at you solemnly before nodding. “Okay. Y/N.”