#i just played kazuomi's route and i have so much feels right now

[otomescriptdoctor]

Masking - Chapter 4

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27939147/chapters/68499806 Kei’s voice breaks your concentration. “I couldn’t help but overhear some of the things you were saying. I was a bit surprised at the breadth of your knowledge.” Your throat is almost painfully dry, being so affected by his scent just being everywhere around you.

Just have to keep calm, you tell yourself. You turn around to face him, saying, “What a lovely place.” Your eyes flit to a keypad on this side of the door, including a motion sensor. The lock must have been automatic. That’s a rather serious setup, and you realize that you likely have no escape route here. This is the top floor after all. And you’re not exactly equipped to break out of plate glass windows and rappel down a building. This means you’re at Kei’s mercy. Shit. Shit. Shit.

It takes everything to keep your face a neutral slate, and you watch him as he goes to casually grab a glass from his cabinet, filling it with water and taking a drink. Kei watches you in turn, with amusement. You know your face hasn’t broken out in panic, but wonder if perhaps he’s figured it out some other way.

“You can’t be too careful about security in my line of work. Sorry to scare you.” He almost sounded apologetic. Almost.

“Scare me? You’re… not going to lock me up in here, are you?” Fear creeps into your voice, despite your best efforts.

Kei laughs, “Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“This is a lot of space for just one person.”

“Well, I invite my close friends, Kazuomi and Yuzu, sometimes. But...I don’t often have women over.”

“You know, no one believes men when they say things like that.” You keep walking around the lounge, looking for any other paths of escape. Kei laughs, “You’re surprisingly...Actually, nevermind, it’s not that much of a surprise.” His piercing, darkened gaze grips you. “You’re tough.”

You daintily sit down on the large sofa, and watch Kei for a while instead. He returns to the kitchen area, and grabs two small glasses, a tall green bottle, and brings over a tray with an odd spoon and a sugar bowl.

Kei sighs, as he sets the tray down on the coffee table and sits on the adjacent loveseat. He loosens his scarf just a bit, and runs his hands through his hair.

“I wish I could hire a full staff for afternoon tea, but… with so many people discussing possible investments, I can’t hire just anyone. It’s all about...trust.”

This was not what you’d expected. “I’m sure,” you offer sympathetically.

“I’m always understaffed when I host afternoon tea outside of England. You ended up helping me out this time around, but I really ought to come up with a better solution.”

He picks up the unfamiliar deep green bottle. You’ve never seen this before.

“What’s this?” you ask.

“Absinthe. It’s an anise-flavored spirit. It’s very well known in Europe. It has a distinctive taste. People either like it or they hate it.” He continues, in a lower tone, as he swirls the liquid in the bottle meditatively, “I chose it for you because you have piqued my curiosity. To tell you the truth, I only bring out the absinthe if I’m with someone I’m certain will enjoy it.”

Anise-flavored? Oh, the madeleines were anise-flavored, weren’t they, you think. Licorice is a very polarizing flavor. That explains why the bottle is nearly full, then. Your heart flutters at his gesture, even knowing it’s likely a ploy just to make you feel special.

“There’s something very appealing about a man who can sate a woman’s curiosity.”

You’ve never had absinthe before. You remember hearing about it when studying abroad. The green fairy. Rumored to be hallucinogenic, but it’s probably just a strong liquor. Made with wormwood, you think. You don’t typically accept drinks from targets while on the job, and there’s no telling what he could slip in there. ‘Never accept drinks from the bad guy,’ that’s literally secret agent 101.

Alpha wouldn’t do that to us.

Kei places the curious spoon on his glass. It’s shaped like a leaf, and perforated with tiny holes.

“And what’s that?” Curiosity is getting the better of you tonight. “Les cuilleries, an absinthe spoon essentially. You use it when drinking absinthe for the preparation. You place a cube of sugar on the spoon and pour the absinthe over it.” He cracks open the lid and the licorice-y scent wafts out, intermingling with his natural Alpha scent. He pours a little absinthe into both glasses. He opens the pewter sugar bowl, and delicately uses the tongs to dip a sugar cube into the green liquid before setting it on top of the pierced area of the spoon. Then he strikes a match to light it on fire. You both watch the flame flicker and caramelize the sugar for a few moments before he dips the spoon into the absinthe and swirls it, starting a controlled burn inside the glass. He repeats this process for your glass. His eyes are so dark, with the flames twinkling like small torches in a deep dark cavern. Threatening to swallow you whole. He then pours ice cold water carefully into both glasses to extinguish the flame and cause it to cloud over.

“So, this is how you’re supposed to drink absinthe?” you ask.

“Well, I’m being a bit showy about it, but I like to play with fire, a little. I find it makes quite the impression, don’t you?”

The flames could also have been seen as a little romantic, but you want to perish that intrusive thought. Kei is a little too much of a smooth operator, you realize.

“Absinthe has been called ‘forbidden nectar’, ‘the devil’s drink’, and--”

“La fée verte,” you offer a little too quickly. Oops.

“The green fairy, yes. But I thought you’ve never had Absinthe?”

“I’ve never seen it before in the flesh, but I’ve at least heard of it.”

Kei continues on his lecture, “Well, it has had a long history with connections to a number of cultures. Medieval Europe, ancient Greece, the middle east...” His voice trails off as you both realize you’re staring at each other. You look away and he clears his throat, continuing, “Absinthe preparation had been poisonous due to adulterants like copper sulfate, or antimony, and was rumored to cause hallucinations so it was banned for a time. That’s how this infamous liquor earned its nicknames, but the modern day product is perfectly safe.”

Sensing my unease at him being so close, with his scent growing stronger, he softens his tone. “It’s captured the likes of Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec among its fair share of hearts… making it the perfect drink for you.”

“Just who is capturing whom?” you murmur softly. Oh no, that was out loud.

He just smiles, and offers you a glass.

“We won’t find out until after we drink.”

You take the glass of green liquid, gone somewhat milky with the swirled, burnt sugar.

“I hope you like it.”

He sips at his glass and watches you. You bring the glass up to your nose to sniff at the interesting olfactory bouquet.

“It smells very strongly of licorice, I can see how this is an acquired taste.” You make no move to drink, however.

Kei leans forward in his seat, grinning. “Well...why don’t you tell me a little about yourself, Nagisa Mikami? Or...would you prefer I called you by another name?”

Your heart hammers away ominously in your chest. Your mind empties itself, trying to think of what to do. You think of the cyanide capsule in your clutch. You foolishly thought you were holding your ground with this unreadable man, but now you’re the one caught in the honey trap. You curse at yourself for not being able to resist your own biology. You don’t dare let this show on your face.

Kei notices your loss for words, and his grin becomes a triumphant smirk. You’re not sure if it’s just his face, or the affect his scent is having on you, but you find it dangerously alluring. Just the notion sends a chill racing down your spine. You’re intent on calmly meeting his gaze directly, even as you’re feeling like your heart might stop at any moment.

So he thinks you’re possibly using a fake name. Still have no reason to give him the satisfaction of being right. You allow your face to settle into a sultry sneer, “Another name? Whatever do you mean? Is that absinthe getting to you already?” You giggle before continuing, “Do you have me confused for another woman? I thought you were better than that.” You pointedly cross your legs, intending to take back control of this situation by using your Omega’s desire to appeal to his Alpha, exuding an unflappable, purposeful confidence.

“Drunk? Maybe.”

He sips a little more of his drink before leaning toward you.

“But I think I was right to seek you out. You’re perfect.”

His cool fingers reach out toward your cheek. His elegant fingers are perfectly manicured, and make contact with your skin, drawing away some of the heat flushing there.

Alpha is curious about us.

“So, what name will I call you by?” His hand cups the side of your face. You’re already feeling that uncomfortable dampness that you thought was over for this month.

“Nagisa Mikami is just fine. Why are you so eager to give me a nickname already?”

Kei continues to smile, touching his forehead to yours. “James Bond...MI6...The Secret Intelligence Service...England is obsessed with spies. So when a beautiful woman -- an unmated omega, no less -- appears in front of me, out of nowhere...” He flicks his eyes’ focus into yours. “I have got to assume she is either a spy or an assassin.”

You protest, “Are those the only two options, then? That’s not terribly creative. That doesn’t sound like the educated, intelligent Kei I met downstairs.”

“You think you know me pretty well, hmm?” Kei regards you with fascination twinkling in his eyes.

You continue, “If you were trying to hide your intelligence, you really messed that up for yourself with the way you were talking at afternoon tea.” You’re flying by the seat of your pants, scrambling through anything that might be used to bolster your confidence. It looks bad at the moment. You feel like your own bravado might have finally failed you this time when thinking about getting alone with an Alpha who affected you this deeply. You regret not handing this off and removing yourself from this mission sooner.

But, Kei must have known this would happen. Curiosity killed the cat, and you were very curious. Maybe, just maybe you can simply charm your way out of this.

“Last I checked, James Bond is fictional.”

“I know, but 007 jokes aside...I’m on an unofficial visit to Japan. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the government took the precaution of putting me under surveillance. The British government takes those kinds of measures when other countries’ diplomats start acting strangely.”

What a fortuitous turn! At least he doesn’t know where you’re from. “You mean...You think I’m a spy sent by the government?”

“Or maybe an assassin,” his smile is cold, and his face settles once again into a sharp glare as his grip tightens into your hair.

The crushing anxiety you were feeling at being caught in a trap evaporates. Maybe you can salvage this. He still essentially knows nothing. Not your real name, not your agency. He may be moving me into check, but he hasn’t clinched the checkmate yet. You refocus your alias in your mind. He should believe you are a government spy, cleverly caught out by him. This is your last chance to catch him unguarded.

You speak, but with the air of neither confirming nor denying his suspicions. “You must like spy movies. I do too, but it’s important to distinguish fiction from reality. If what you’re suggesting is true, Kei...Why not shoot me dead right now?”

“That kind of thing happens in movies all the time… I’m not a huge fan of guns, though.” He releases his hold on your hair, trailing his fingers downward until they rest on your neck, his elegant fingers on both sides of your throat. Your heart is racing again. His hand is large enough to crush your windpipe.

Kei moves his head close to your ear. “If all you want to do is watch me, I don’t mind. You can watch me all you like.” His voice somehow reminds you of some lovers’ pillow talk. But that may just be your Omega reacting.

“What...what do you mean?” That comes out a little breathier than you expected.

“In exchange...I’d like for you to be my accomplice.”

Something tells you this isn’t just picking up the slack on his afternoon tea duties.

“I’ll tell you more once you’ve signed a contract. You don’t have to worry. It won’t be anything illegal.” You look at him curiously, but he continues, “There’s something I need to take care of, and I could use the talents of a capable woman like yourself.”

You think, this could work out well, you’d definitely find out why he’s in Japan. And he wouldn’t think to look further to find out your real identity. That’s a risk you’re willing to take to get out of this. May as well play a little though, flirting is the fun part, after all.

“And if I refuse?”

Kei frowns a little, furrowing his brow. “That would be a problem. I hadn’t considered that possibility. What should I do if you tell me no…?” You feel his grip on your neck pressing ever so slightly into your skin. No one ever said Alphas were normal.

“...Fine, I’ll indulge your little fantasy. After what’s happened today, it would probably even be educational.” You make a big show out of being ‘found out,’ lowering your eyes in resignation. You submissively meet his gaze again to look at his triumphant expression. At last, his hand pulls away from your neck.

“Well then, it’s a deal. Let’s drink on it.” Kei pushes your glass of absinthe towards you.

You reach for it, bringing it up to your lips; aware of Kei’s steady gaze trained on you the whole time.

“You actually have to drink this time. No pretending like you did last time.”

Guilty. You steel your nerves. Is there still some way to avoid drinking with him? If the final nail in your coffin before was your refusal to drink, maybe you should refuse again? As long as I can keep him on his toes, I can regain the advantage. “You want me to drink something this strong all alone with a man I just met…? I’d have to have a death wish.” You craft your expression into something innocent.

Kei smiles at you, cheerful in reply, “We’re no longer two people you ‘just met.’ If you’re going to be my accomplice, you’ve got to trust me.” He picks up the glass, pressing it into your hand. He then grazes his fingers along your lip, to show you he is watching this very closely.

You take a single sip of the absinthe. Licorice flavor is awash over your taste buds, and you hesitate to swallow. Kei’s fingers trail back down your face, along your neck as you involuntarily swallow. You feel a trickle of the cocktail dripping out of the corner of your mouth. That sneak is looking so smug, and self satisfied. You’re wondering how you ever thought he looked like a fairy tale prince.

“What do you think of the flavor?”

“It’s.. a lot to take. Like you, in a way. You and the way you do things.”

Kei lowers his voice once again and brings his face into your neck, breathing deeply, “I’ve just been captivated by your beauty, that’s all. The way your veins show ever so slightly under your delicate skin… makes me want to kiss them.” You feel his lips move downwards along those very spots and you shudder. Controlling someone like this is playing with fire, you think.

He moans into your neck, “Mmm, yes I definitely like you better without the mask. I want to see all of the different sides of you.” His voice tickles your rapidly heating skin.

Alpha wants us.

“...You just might get the chance. If you play your cards right, that is.” When did your voice become so breathy? Your throat is so dry.

Kei pulls his face up to look back into your eyes in response, “Sounds like a challenge has been issued. I’ll have you show you what I’m made of.” He punctuates his comment by licking the remaining absinthe from your lips. His tongue sends arcs of pleasure thrilling through your every breath.

You’re frozen, staring at Kei. He leans back, smiling.

“Well then, I suppose it’s now my turn…” Kei picks up his glass and knocks back the whole thing in one go.

“That seals our deal.”

“If you say so.” You feel your confident Nagisa mask slipping. What was that feeling? Logically this is still going your way but… as you look at his confident smirk, worry starts melting into an impending sense of anxiety and doom.

[aqvarius]

What do you think it'll be if the titles switch MCs? Like if HLITF MC is the new doctor in the EICU, or if MK's MC is the one entering Public Safety Academy?

haha okay who’s ready for my Controversial(tm) opinions about voltage heroines...

i actually want so badly for hlitf mc to be the mc of rmd because... she’s so much cuter? and has... dimension... like you want someone who’s spunky and dorky and relatable but still very humble and hardworking and sweet and cute and empathetic? detective mc is YOUR GIRL. honestly, i can seriously believe every single EICU doctor falling head over heels for how sincere and genuinely kind she is, even when she’s being naive or idealistic. also when she talks back, it’s actually enjoyable and doesn’t come across as arrogant. 

on the flipside, if rmd mc was in the public safety academy, i feel like she would basically just be naruko? and just end up in a friendly and non-romantic instructor/student dynamic with all the instructors (putting aside my personal desire for naruko to end up with chiba... or subaru for some reason?) except she would not just be naruko, but also that one really bitter ex-student from ishigami’s route. 

the masukisu mc is actually like... perfectly suited for being an actual public safety working detective, but we never get to see her actual development/training so if she was as she is now in the academy, it would be super boring bc she never makes mistakes lol and hasn’t yet been pushed into a position where she has to learn and change. plus literally none of the public safety guys are at their best romantically unless they’re dealing with someone as sincere and wholesome as hlitf mc (except like... tsugaru/mk mc banter would be fun maybe? tbh not to be Controversial but i think they could all outsmart her except for goto bc he’s too pure and ishigami bc he just doesn’t have time for that kind of nonsense). personally i’d love to see the kbtbb mc in masukisu bc she’s literally the exact opposite of mk mc so i presume that none of the men would fall for her bc she can’t hold up to that level of like... playing games/trickery (since the premise of each LI’s route only holds up bc mk mc can flirt her way out of a box). but equally, as demonstrated in the eisuke/kazuomi crossover route, mk mc is useless in kbtbb and no one from that game (or from hlitf) likes her. 

i also have a conspiracy theory that destind mc is just mlfk mc from a different timeline, with the difference being that in her (destind mc’s) timeline, she never had a group of childhood friends. but everything else about them is basically the same (except that destind mc is 20x more high maintenance). 

all the “normal mcs thrown into suddenly dramatic situations” are interchangeable (kbtbb, scm, msb, eitm, bmp) bc they’re essentially the same person and i love every single one of them, but i would love for the ‘historical’ mcs from akd and pil and such to be thrown into a modern day title tho and just be absolutely baffled. can you imagine akd mc in like... modern day tokyo? (yes, bc she’s literally the exact same as msb mc but can you imagine her waking up one day in modern japan when the night before she was princess of rapier?) 

anyway i would LOVE for the celebrity darling mc to get some pep talks from hlitf!mc bc our poor sweet girl desperately needs some more confidence. not to be hyperbolic bc obviously i never exaggerate but if she made a cameo in scandal as a popular idol who really made it, i could LITERALLY die a happy camper right then and there. 

irresistible mistakes mc is flawless and would literally be perfect in every single title do NOT @ me on this unless you agree.

i get that the player/reader is supposed to be the mc, but i feel like they’ve started giving their mcs distinct enough personalities that i would love to see them actually interact. i have a longstanding dream of hlitf mc being on security detail for msb mc, and another one where she has a love/hate frenemy relationship with llftx mc. i mean basically maybe i’m biased but i just want a thousand hlitf crossovers where we get to see detective mc interact with men from other games bc honestly the way she treated kyohei and eisuke like.... sends me 

thanks for this ask!! really got those brain juices all ripe

[voltage-vixen]

My Review of Main Story: Boss

I received a question asking what I thought about Boss’s route (thanks @ctaishy !) and I’m glad they asked, because I have had a lot of conflicting feelings about this one, so I’m going to share them.

*WARNING-there will be spoilers ahead and I’m writing this first thing in the morning as I drink my morning caffeine. (In other words, please forgive my rambling!)

Sigh. I went into his route with little expectations. I didn’t really care for him when he was in the routes of the other guys, but I knew I wasn’t going to be able to resist reading his route. I’m really glad I read him while he had no wait times (I’m going to elaborate more on this later)! I was about thirty seconds in to reading his story when I messaged a friend saying how smooth I thought Boss was, and I knew I was going to like him. I received all the cgs and wound up reading the SHE, so my review is based on those facts. Honestly, I was so absorbed into his story that I wasn’t really paying close attention to the heart count, but I believe I used over 115 hearts total.

Let’s start at the beginning. The whole plot really begins when MC & Boss are on a mission together, and she finds out the mission was fake, and that poor MC was being evaluated by their agency the EAC. This is only the beginning of many times where Boss isn’t honest about his intentions. MC ends up meeting with the director of the EAC, and while the director questions her competency for upcoming top-secret assignment, she’s surprised when Boss steps up and defends her. Swayed by Boss’s insistence of using MC, it’s determined the two will pose as husband and wife, as they infiltrate a drug ring. Boss then tells MC that they will probably at some point need to sleep together in order to keep up their personas, and this is where MC puts her foot down. She explains how she refuses to use her body, and he argues back that it’s not a big deal. Eventually, Boss realizes they aren’t going to see eye-to-eye on the situation, so he agrees they can try things her way first.

Fast forward, MC & Boss are now living together as “husband and wife” and we get to see some very rare sweet sides of Boss. From insisting they share the household chores when MC offers to do them, to him waking up in the morning all confused and vulnerable, made me literally swoon. I didn’t realize he was capable of being so cute, nor was I expecting to see that side of the Boss! The pair eventually make contact with the target from the drug ring, and Boss is an associate of the target, so they get invited to stay the night at the target’s home. Not wanting to raise suspicion they accept the offer. Like any true spies would, they search their room at the house, only to find a hidden camera. Both know that they are being watched and MC accepts the fact that she is going to have to throw her values away and sleep with Boss. She’s prepared to do just that, but to her shock, Boss only pretends to have sex with her (see my blog for screenshots of this scene). MC is confused as to why he changed his opinion on this (because remember he could care less about the concept of casual sex earlier) and she starts to feel something towards Boss.

They start spending more time together, and MC finds herself confused as to who this man really is, but also realizes her feelings for him are starting to grow. Time goes on and MC & Boss confront the target and MC is shocked to learn that Boss is a double agent! AND HE SHOOTS MC!!!! MC doesn’t want to believe it at first, and she’s feeling hurt and betrayed. Boss takes her into a different room, and she somehow manages to escape, only to be rescued by Kazuomi driving by in his limo (because of course we all know this guy just has to make an appearance). He hires a doctor to help her, and MC thanks him before trying to figure out what Boss’s motivates could truly be.

She eventually decides she’s going to believe in Boss, and she goes to where him and the target are. Here we find out that Boss is double-crossing the double-cross (I think that’s right?) and they manage to escape together. As I said before, I read the SHE, and I personally felt it was a bit lackluster. Maybe it’s because the writing was incredible throughout the rest of the story, but the ending was just “meh” in my opinion. Also, we still don’t know Boss’s real name! For spending almost $20, I was expecting to at least find that much out about the guy! I get that he’s supposed to be mysterious but come on!

Overall, I’m glad I read his route, and I would encourage you to read it while there are no wait times. Boss is a complex character, and we see a good mix of his sexy and sweet sides. The writing and plot were incredible throughout the story. There were sexy scenes, scenes of angst and betrayal, and just all-around suspense. The cgs were BEAUTIFUL! I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride from all of the twists, and I loved it!

HOWEVER….. you know the feeling you get when you regret buying something? That’s how I feel. The SHE was underwhelming for the price of the game. This is coming from someone who spends a ridiculous amount of money in the Love 365 app (much more than I care to admit) and if I could go back, I wouldn’t have spent as many hearts as I did. I’ve played other Love Choice routes, but this one made me feel guilty for spending the amount that I did. 

If this game weren’t a Love Choice route, I would say 100% go for it, but the Love Choice price wasn’t worth it. As I said before, read it while there are no wait times, but don’t feel bad if you can’t/don’t spend the hearts. Other than the SHE, I didn’t have any complaints about this route, and thought it was quite good.

Yuzuru is still my number one guy from Masquerade Kiss, and Boss would probably tie with Kazuomi for my second-place spot.

I hope this review helps!

[benichi]

Money Jar and Illusion of Choice

aka Story Jar by NTT Solmare and Love Choice by Otome Romance (former Voltage Inc.) Since I haven’t been around much the last few weeks and because I got an ask about it I decided to look at these new ways to “enjoy” Otome games. I already vented about Money-... I mean Love Jar yesterday, and while Voltage isn’t quite as hardcode (yet) it still should be talked about.

I’ll start with Masquerade Kiss, Otome Romance (former Voltage Inc.)’s new game which introduces Love Choice as a way to read Main Stories. Apparently the only way for future releases. Though it doesn’t matter much where I start since both of these new “systems” have a lot in common. This is how the Love 365 app greets you currently.

FOR FREE OMG. However as you know nothing in life is free, if you look closely you’ll see “Use hearts to read without wait times ♪”. So literally in the same breath they tell you that this new system is shit. We’ll take a more in-depth look at those wait times later because they play a big role for this entire new system, including the situation in Story Jar. To put the second part into words that aren’t sugar coated “Use money to deepen your affection! If you want to see CG’s and get a satisfactory ending you had better open that wallet of yours cause those are behind a paywall♪“. Otome Romance (former Voltage Inc.) is trying to be charming about this but the bottom line is: without money you get the short end of the stick. Which isn’t all bad or uncommon. They are a company so obviously they have to make money. But they’ve come up with quite a cunning way to do just that.

CELEBRATION! NOW OR NEVER! READ THE WHOLE STORY WITHOUT WAITING!!! WHAT A NEW AND REVOLUTIONARY CONCEPT?! HAS THIS EVER HAPPENED BEFORE? Yes. That’s the old system we’ve had until now. Where you pay 4€ once and own the entire thing to read at your own pace and revisit as often as you’d like. I honestly couldn’t help but scoff when this screen showed up as I was playing. 

Which brought me to my first question. Why don’t they simply let us consumers choose between buying the entire thing and this “f2p” version? It’s the same simple answer for all questions related to this topic:  💰 💰 💰

The elaborate explanation is that obviously no one would touch this “f2p” version unless they’re forced to. As stated above stories used to be 4€. However Love Choice is much more expensive.

This part made me especially sick. They know exactly that for a lot of us Otoge is something we use to treat ourselves. These sugar coated words “special” “exciting outcomes” “spicy ending” aim exactly for that. You’re already here, surely you don’t want to miss this super special spicy scintillating sexy breathtaking ending.

However that’s not even the worst part yet. One choice costs 5 hearts which is not too bad right? Too good to be true almost, which is exactly what’s happening here. As you progress the amount of hearts needed steadily increases. The biggest amount one choice costs is 26 hearts.

That singular choice plus CG costs almost as much as an entire route with all CG’s etc. used to cost (400 Coins).

Granted as you can see above you “only” need 12 points to get the super special spicy scintillating sexy breathtaking ending. Which means you don’t always have to select the ~special choice~. However the amount of points you get per special choice is different each time (ranging from 1pt to 3pts), there’s no other way to earn them. So unless you use a Walkthrough you’re grasping at straws. Like here, you’ll get a CG sure but only 1pt. In theory a choice with 3pts is more lucrative but who knows when one of those might show up.

Ultimately guessing whether the money you’ve invested so far will be enough to get you that desired ending might be more thrilling than Eisuke 2.0 trying to shove his tongue into your mouth.

Let’s get back to our numbers though. In order to get all the CG’s + that super special ending you’ll need at least 85 hearts. Which basically translates to 900 Coins.

11€. Only possible if you play it smart by using a Walkthrough, which means someone else took the plunge and paid the whooping 22€ instead. Because that’s what you’ll have to pay if you go for every single special choice. Granted you don’t have to spend the entire 2000 Coins, there are 300 left over because Otome Romance (former Voltage Inc.) simply never offers the exact amount of 1700 Coins you’d need. But what do these leftover 300 coins even do for you? Nothing much anymore as we’ve seen.

Plus there’s the wait times we haven’t experienced yet. I mean how much does it cost if I don’t want to wait for 5 hours? Will those “leftover” 300 coins even cover that? A part of me honestly doesn’t even want to know.

Moving on to the illusion of having a choice. As stated above the only way to raise points is by using money. Only these paid choices change the Love Meter. Every other ~choice~ might as well not be there because it doesn’t make a difference. Let’s look at this one scene in particular. For context my dude Kazuomi Shido wants to get rid of a woman because she “knows too much”.

As stated before you could skip this special choice and still get that ~Super Happy Ending~. I mean ppffft what’s she to me amirite? Random Woman Nr.1 is definitely not worth my 50 coins.

But how is this enjoyable? How am I supposed to be pleased knowing that the only way to get a different ending is paying up. That my choices don’t matter except for the ones where I make it rain money for Otome Romance (former Voltage Inc.). They might as well just remove the “choices” and sell the entire story for 11€ or 22€ if they’re feeling bold. 

But again, if the amount you spend was displayed in such a blunt way no one would ever go near these stories. I mean just look at Wand of Fortune (Story Jar). A single route consists of 27 Chapters (the 1st one being free). One Chapter costs 20 diamonds. So to read everything you’ll need 520 diamonds, which translates to 44€. How is this real life? Who thought this was a good idea?

Which brought me to my next question: What’s up with this sudden increase we see for the amount of Chapters? Could we be... getting more for our money? Again, no. It’s still all about them getting more  💰 💰 💰

Because each Chapter is incredibly short. And while the Chapters in Masquerade Kiss at least make sense despite their shortness the same can’t even be said for Wand of Fortune.

I think this sudden rise serves a few different purposes. Obviously more Chapters means more money. In WoF you just straight up have to pay and in Love Choice it gives them the option to put in even more “””special choices”””. Plus when there’s no CELEBRATION NOW OR NEVER PLAY WITHOUT WAIT TIMES event that’s another point where you could possibly pay to progress more quickly. I mean 5 hours wait time means you’ll only get to play 4 Chapters per day. If that’s even an option for you. I certainly can’t whip out my phone at work to get raunchy with Eisuke 2.0 simply because 5 hours have passed. But that’s an entirely different matter.

But what else is happening here? Honestly these Chapter splits are nothing but sneaky practices to pick the money right out of our pockets. By splitting the costs into different Chapters people will be less aware of how much they’re actually paying. If they straight up tried to sell one story for 44€ or 22€ who in their right mind would buy that? Unless you sit down and do the math first you’ll just kind of pay slowly as you progress the story. Plus on Love Choice you don’t even necessarily have the option to figure out how much it’ll cost in the end unless you go through the thing for yourself once or find someone that wrote everything down. At this point we can’t even say if the requirements for Kazuomi’s route are the norm. Are 85 hearts always the minimum requirement? 169 the most? There’s no telling at this point.

What I do know at this point however is that these companies are taking advantage of us. It’s true, we are currently in a dire situation. Our niche market is slowly running cold with the Vita being officially dead and no announcements for the Switch overseas. Currently mobile games are the only thing that’s going strong in the Otome Market here. But this? This can’t be it!

I won’t pay for a game that’s so completely butchered from it’s original release that it's barely functional and makes no sense. With core mechanics and voice acting removed. I won’t pay to be stripped from the right to make my own choices in a visual novel and to be played like a fiddle with all these sugar coated words that hide shrewed tricks.

Only if you give him 13 hearts first though. I gotta admit the image of Kazuomi standing there with his palm stretched out like 

“I could stick my tongue into your mouth BUT that’ll be 2,29€ first. We don’t take checks, by the way” is a little funny but ultimately too expensive for my taste.

I honestly understand that these are not easy times to be a fan of Otome Games. However, if we let these companies play us like this then we’ve already lost. Why would Aksys or any other company bother translating major titles that take so much more effort to localize if mobile Otoge with considerably less work can be sold for almost the same amount? I mean if someone pays 44€ per route that’s 264 € for the entire “game”. You could probably buy half of the Vita games Aksys has released so far with that amount. Maybe all of them if you wait for sales, this is insanity.

And 22€ is in no way better either. Just think of all the things you can buy for that amount of money, I mean not even games. Plus Otome Romance (former Voltage Inc.) is becoming worse and worse as time goes on. I’ve defended them for a long time because in a way I’m grateful. I still remember when Pirates in Love was practically the only thing we had. But I’ve reached my limit. Love Choice is just as bad as Story Jar. 

This post has become long enough, but I’ll add this later or make a seperate post of how f2p can work. I don’t want to be misunderstood, I know some people prefer f2p instead of just buying the entire stories which is perfectly fine. But these two companies have missed the mark completely and we have to be vocal about it.

PS: If you want to experience good f2p games please check out Cybird games, they’re our only hope in these unholy times.

[hungnitan]

Some PLOTHOLE That Still Left in Kei Soejima Story

After read Kei’s ms and his PoV I think his story intentionally or unintentionally leave TOO MANY plothole that makes him the most misterious out of those three main characters (I’m not talking about Boss here since his ms isn’t avaliable now).

So after discussed with someone for sooooo many hours, I think this post is needed for someone who still not or think to read his story.

It’s truth his ms isn’t about romance like otoge must do and trigger everywhere, but his story have good writing skill that makes you sometimes forgot that you’re reading otome stories and doesn’t hold a punch on choosing it’s word (well, some triggered word explicitly tell though)

Okay, into the plothole, I going to pointed some of it more like joke or unimportant enough to see. I start from the most important :

(All screenshot here are self recorded one)

1. This one NEVER got touched, HIS NATIONALITY !!!

Voltage even bother to give us ??? on his nationality, so I think there something suspicious here.

With he’s using *pure Japanese Name, there’s no way he doesn’t have snippet Japanese blood, while he’s have blond hair, it’s pretty sure too that one of his parents is British. His friend too like Kazuomi and Yuzuru (I’m not include Luke here, as they’re just an acquaintance) are Japanese... Even so then again why bother to give us unknown nationality ?

From my point of think this gonna be exposed deeply on later story, I think when Kei getting his humane emotion back

*I mean pure here, using kanji not katagana or hiragana while if foreigner change their name, it’s still have some katakana or hiragana on it 

2. This one more like unimportant things, still on picture above, I think the different colour answer on his interview are LIES !!! 

Well, for last answer you gonna know the answer after read his ms (and to be honest, his first answer too sounds lie to me) but THIRD ANSWER... I must say, it’s blatant lie, after read his story, you will know he’s DON’T KNOW NORMAL WAY TO LOVE SOMEONE PLUS HE’S VERY DOMINANT TO THE POINT HE CAN BREAK SOMEONE ON PROCESS...

3. There’s no preview for Kei ms if you follow campaign information of Love365

Usually Voltage put 3 episodes for MK next character release like buying Kazuomi all cgs will get you preview for Yuzuru main story.

Why ? It’s because Kei’s first 3 episode will mislead reader. I know most characters 3 episodes doesn’t do much to know him, but his ms what we called VERY MISLEADING !! Tbh, if I just read his 3 episode, I will think of him as very observant gentleman prince in different world that giving us mysterious vibe and finish.

BUT HE’S REALLY AN ENTIRE DIFFERENT BEING !!!

4. Unimportant things, but looked at this one :

I know how annoying to sleep while having a mirror beside you (especially gigantic one), so my guess is one, this how he relieve himself after having his daily bad dream, you know it’s like reminded that you’re here, in your bedroom not in church...

and second one, I think it’s for his kinky hobbies, like makes someone feels arouse after being watch or watch themself doing kinky play~ XD

But these two never get explained more in his ms, so let’s just wait on his epilogue or other stories XD

5. Scenes in Tres Spades with Luke

It’s alright if you read one of KBTBB characters especially Luke route, but for everyone that don’t know Luke this one bring up some question, like what’s that man doing that even revealing his job as doctor will bring trouble ? Plus even when mc asked him where they meet, Luke kinda pondering his answer...

It’s true those two relationships kinda intriguing, but without more explanations beside from his PoV I think everyone can guesses much about what happened to those two but it doesn’t hurt to give KeiLuke more interaction later~

6. I already said this on previous post, but after EAC doing everything pretty flashy things to catch Kei and mc after Allan Clark’s party I think it ended flatly

Like wow you just reveal Kei name and face plus mc agent name on world, but you didn’t do anything after that... they can do for example, chasing after them to church while it’s pretty obvious Kei last destination will be there !!! Plus it doesn’t strike me if Boss pitying on mc especially Kei...

Better they explain this one (brief one are fine too) on Lover Obsurace

7. This one is the very important point and have the MOST plothole. KEI’S PAST !!!

It’s already obvious that Kei involved in child abused and it’s really a deep one ! With his memory kinda vague (and I can’t blame him), there’s soooo many plothole on those story...

Like this one :

I really in deep discussion with someone about this one ! With Kei himself doesn’t really remember what’s happened after he know that his friend died and before church burned, so we’re have so many guesses like :

- Kei snapped when he know his friend died or think he will into same situations if things keep up like that, so he set the church on fire and escaped

- Someone sane enough to help him but get killed on process and he/she set the church on fine before died

- Those dirty people fight over the right of Kei ownerships, then kill each other and accidentally burned the church (but seems this one is least possible)

8. I can’t called this one as plothole, so let’s just say character development. Kei relationships with mc isn’t romantic one, more like possessiveness

With Kei’s past, it’s impossible (for now) to love someone in normal manners, so his love always based on dominance, bind, tie her up etc. While on his ms plus pov doesn’t explained much about Kei mc love progress, I can’t blame Voltage if their relationships sounds so platonic. But what I want to blame is just what makes them fall in love to each others ? Tbh I don’t see anything except when mc give Kei list of auctioner member and everytime mc looked at his eyes then pitying him but that one sounds too forced for me.

Aside from those progress, I don’t think Kei will get his senses of emotion soon so he still trying to get feels of it or express those feelings with his kinky play. Well, the later sounds more realistic and fortunately his mc moreless M so maybe it’s fine XD

While on real life it’s nearly impossible to “heal someone mental disorder with true love” but then again this is otome game~ so I’m not discussing about this one

From these soo many plothole I really hope much on his development and that his writer will expose all of these in his ms kind of writing skills...

I just hoping that Kei stories can still get going until MassKiss more than two season (I mean discontinued bc of too many triggered and sensitive things on it)

And don’t worry, I just want to write these long review because my feelings still hurting inside~

[agaliar3pt]

With Love Choice now an inescapable aspect of Love 365, I figured I’d share some thoughts / concerns on the system and Love 365 itself. Several issues have been brought up previously by others, including:

- Love Choice limiting actual choice insofar as the choice with hearts is the right one, thereby creating a less engaging gaming experience – add to this the standard 5 hour wait time between chapters outside the campaign period

- doing away with the utility of the monthly pass

- the high cost needed to complete the story, or to re-read it a later date

- that we cannot keep the story outside the campaign period

Adding to these, are the following issues I’ve found from playing Kazuomi’s route, which I was thankfully able to complete only because I already had the necessary number of hearts accumulated.

 Warning: this will be a long rant.

1. The increase of hearts required by international players in comparison to Japanese players. I’m actually surprised I didn’t see more of an outcry over this. In Japan, 144 hearts are required to unlock all premium options, which is already a ridiculous amount to charge. In the international app, that number has been bumped up to 169 hearts. Seriously, why are we paying more?! I can’t fathom the rationale behind charging us more, especially given how fervently we have protested the Love Choice system. The only reasons I can come up with are:

- they think there is a viable international market that doesn’t mind paying more (though I find this hard to believe)

- they’re not expecting as much user engagement, and think they can offset those who won’t pay with those willing to pay by charging them more

- they’ve purposefully inflated the cost with the intent of lowering it to what Japan is paying (or lower, but I doubt it) in future routes, all so they can claim: “we’ve heard your concerns, and we’re going to lower the amount of hearts required, see guys, we’re not that greedy and we totally care about your opinion!” Those who don’t know about the Japanese app will think they’re getting a better deal, and will be more likely to buy hearts as a result. A scummy sales tactic, but one that works as people are more likely to fork out money if they think they’re gaining something or saving in some way. Though this option seems likely, I’m still not sure it’s the case, mainly because of….

 2. The lack of engagement with their customers. No announcements have been made whatsoever to address everyone’s concerns about Love Choice. Further, no survey has been released asking for feedback despite their automatic emails on this issue having mentioned considering player opinion through surveys (not that they’d necessarily listen, but as a business you need to at least give the illusion of engaging with your concerns and caring about their opinion). The silence on Voltage’s end, the complete disregard to what their player base have said, and their stubbornness in steamrolling ahead with Love Choice with no regard for player feedback is quite frankly disgusting. Add to this the possibility that they’d further refuse to placate or do right by their international customers by at least lowering the amount of hearts required to, at the bare minimum, what Japan is paying.

 3. The limited means with which to obtain free hearts. Currently hearts can only be acquired through reading a character’s main story endings (both SHE and HE) and the log-in wheel. Once the main story options have been depleted, all that’s left is luck with the log-in wheel. Main issue here is that the main story options are limited, and with every future main route for new titles being Love Choice per Japan’s release schedule, obtaining hearts via this method will soon become obsolete, thereby forcing players to fork out money.

Which is entirely the point, but given the ridiculous amount of hearts one route requires and the unpopularity of Love Choice, Voltage should meet their customers somewhere in the middle as a gesture of good faith and smart business acumen. If they’re not going to decrease the amount of hearts required, then they should implement other avenues to obtain hearts, be it through a daily log-in bonus similar to the Liar! app, with progressively better rewards for more consecutive log-ins, heart rewards for random missions, a 5 or 10 heart option on the long-in wheel that replaces one of the single hearts, and/or extending heart rewards for reading all story endings.

Voltage should reward players who spend their hard-earned money to purchase their stories. There’s no reason to limit heart rewards to a character’s first main story beyond sheer greed and indifference. Season 2, 3, etc. mains cost the same amount (400 coins), and for significantly fewer episodes than their season 1 counterparts (13 vs 10 for recent stories, and let’s not get started on the utter cheek in charging, such as the case of Ayame from OTBS, 400 coins for a season 2 main that only has 5 episodes and 1 CG (WTF Voltage?!)). Other season mains also require you to unlock two different endings. Why not reward your customers with hearts for finishing these routes? Players are already getting less in terms of content for the same if not more money (older title mains were 16 episodes long!). Previous Love Choice options at least allowed us to unlock the collector’s edition, with all choices made available, provided we got the CG – now we get a version with only the choices we paid for unlocked, all to force us to purchase/use more hearts.

 Unfortunately, I don’t see Voltage implementing such a change. There are characters who appear later on in a title’s story whose first main story does not award hearts (eg. Eiji and Kenta in MSB). So even if you’ve paid to read a new character’s route, you get no hearts, all because they weren’t around since season 1. Further, and perhaps most alarmingly, I don’t consider it a coincidence that the frequency of free mains for us to read was reduced around the same time Love Choice was being prepared to be fully rolled out with Masquerade Kiss. Further, there have been multiple characters whose main stories have reappeared in the free section (Shunichiro and  Eisuke, to name a couple). Not only does this limit access to free hearts for those that do not own those stories by giving them less variety less frequently, but further limits hearts by recycling the same mains over and over again, for which no further hearts can be gained. They could showcase some more obscure characters from less popular titles that the majority less than likely owns, but they don’t, as that grants access to new sources of free hearts.

 4. Lack of transparency of the Love Choice system going forward, particularly with regards to campaign editions. Will there be a campaign edition for every Love Choice release? Many players have stated that if Love Choice is here to stay, they’d be happy to pay a little more so as to be able to keep the story (500-800 coins being the most reasonable estimates). At the moment, keeping the story is limited to the campaign period. Is this a permanent feature or not? Voltage needs to make this clear, though it would pay them not to do away with it as many players are more likely to buy hearts at a premium so long as they can keep the story. No collector’s edition, no incentive for many to play Love Choice as it’s just wasted money.

This is why Voltage should consider being more generous with free heart sources. Supposing players need something like an extra 50-80 hearts to get the SHE and acquire the collector’s edition because they don’t have enough free hearts accumulated, they’ll likely fork out the money given that it is time limited and a somewhat reasonable price to pay in comparison to dropping money for the 169 hearts (for all unlocked options) they don’t have just to earn one route. 50-80 hearts is 500-800 coins, still more than the standard 400 coins a main costs, which means Voltage earns more and players don’t feel wholly ripped off. Expecting players to spend somewhere around 1700 coins in their local currency after free heart sources have disappeared for one route is laughable and untenable. Very, very, very few are willing to do this, which means less revenue across the board for Voltage.

This of course doesn’t benefit newer players down the line, as they miss out on past campaign periods. One solution would be to offer VIPs access to past campaigns, in which they can gain the collector’s edition of any currently released Love Choice route. As Voltage will never allow players to buy these stories outright, this is the next best thing in allowing all players, current and future, the opportunity to earn the collector’s edition. It also incentivises the purchase of the monthly pass, which as of current is practically useless as all new mains are Love Choice.

 5. Finally, and this is geared towards Masquerade Kiss itself, the advertising and mechanics of the route are a tad misleading. It’s 26 episodes long, but each episode is about half a standard one, so in the end it ends up being around a usual 13 episode main in length. Further, this title was advertised as being especially mature, in the vein of Kings of Paradise and Irresistible Mistakes. The latter two have actual detailed depictions of sexual acts; Kazuomi’s did not (and yes, there is a plot reason for it given, slight SPOILER, the bet, but it still doesn’t change the fact the marketing for this was misleading). You don’t introduce a billionaire playboy and not allow us to hump like rabbits at every opportunity, Voltage! Talk about wasted potential! As for the story itself, it was enjoyable and different to the usual workplace offerings, but the overall enjoyment was nothing substantially greater than some of my other favourite routes, especially not enough to justify the premium price tag. Every title has its own soundtrack, so again there is nothing really unique or exceptional on that front. And as far as CGs and backgrounds go, they’re comparable in quality to Kings of Paradise.

Again, nothing to justify the exorbitant pricing.

And finally, can we stop comparing Kazuomi to Eisuke. Please. They’re absolutely nothing alike beyond being rich. I get that Eisuke is Voltage’s most popular ikemen, but comparing Kazuomi to him won’t make Eisuke fangirls flock to the new guy with open wallets (because that’s exactly what Voltage intended, let’s not kid ourselves). Kazuomi is a great character with depth that can stand on his own; don’t diminish him or his character’s worth by comparing him to the fan favourite in what is obviously a desperate marketing ploy. Even if they exist in the same universe, with future crossovers in the works, let the title stand on its own.

Or it would, if it wasn’t Love Choice. And Voltage knows they need all the help they can get with making it more appealing to its customers.

  To close things off, as a long-time customer I’m disappointed with Voltage. Ideally I’d like to see them do away with Love Choice altogether, but the odds of that happening are practically non-existent. The least they could do is compromise and listen to player concerns. They’ve shown no indication of doing either, and I doubt they’ll even consider any of the suggestions I and others have proposed, which is sadly unfortunate. The only way to make them listen is by hitting them where it hurts: their wallet. I’ve already cancelled my monthly subscription and I’ll be far less generous with my future purchases, especially if Voltage continues to ignore our concerns and not change Love Choice as it currently is to be more customer friendly. It’s no loss for me as I have quite a backlog of stories I’ve yet to read, and other otome options that are well worth the money.

During a Steam sale last year I picked up Amnesia, Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms for around $11. That’s almost a 90% discount as all three titles sell for around $90 AUD. The games are entirely voiced, interactive with various endings, beautiful artwork, CGs and soundtrack, not to mention translated with no mistakes. The number of love interests I have access to is beyond satisfying. To put all that in perspective, for the price of one character’s main and two sub stories from Voltage, I purchased three professionally developed games of incomparable quality with numerous routes and love interests to choose from.

In contrast, Voltage has never had a character’s main available for less than 300 coins – that’s only 25% off – not even for their older titles (In Your Arms Tonight, Kiss of Revenge, Dreamy Days in West Tokyo etc.) or less popular titles (Sakura Amidst Chaos, First Love Diaries, Kiss Me On Clover Hill, Office Secrets etc.). Their bundle sets are priced around 2-3 times the price I paid for the 3 Otomate games, and that’s just for one character. And if I happen to already own one of the included stories, I’m unable to purchase it.

Voltage offerings are already quite expensive when considering all this (for $60, I can buy an entire PSVita game with, again, numerous available love interests). The only thing they have above other competitors is their quantity and accessibility – I wish Otomate would release more games more frequently (without compromising on quality), and I wish more otome games were translated and made available internationally. But even as I say this, even with so much uncertainty in the otoge market, more titles are bound to be localised as developers will realise a market exists. At some point, we will be spoiled for choice, and Voltage won’t be who we choose to give our money to. Why would we? There are hundreds of Freemium games on mobile. Voltage had a niche in that they were P2P; that’s why their customers chose them. They don’t even have that going for them anymore (so much for their promise that Love 365 would remain a P2P app).

They had a customer base willing to pay their more expensive prices just so they could own a story and read it whenever they like. Now Voltage says we can’t do that; we have to pay much, much more and outside of a limited time period cannot keep the story. They’ve alienated their customers, and so I’ll be taking the majority of my business elsewhere.

[aqvarius]

Masquerade Kiss: Do Bad Girls Like to Self-pleasure? Kazuomi Shido - otona love - chapter 4 summary/translation

in case you missed it, you can read the previous chapter here or  check out my translations page to read from the start.

is it just me or have we never seen this background before?

the reason for that is because it’s the day of your day off and you’re setting off in a hot air balloon. you thought you’d be taking the private jet as usual, but it turns out it was diagonally upwards (no idea what she’s actually trying to say here, maybe that you’re going diagonally upwards in a balloon rather than jetting off down a runway and taking off). 

kazuomi says that the place you’re going to can only be reached by balloon. a place you can’t go to without a balloon...? you’ve never heard of something like that

“it’s an island that doesn’t admit transportation other than balloons”

(bro how rich do you have to be to become part of a rich people club where you learn about an island that only allows balloons. next we’re gonna learn that kazu is part of a club where they hunt man for sport)

kazu says that the owner changed and boats and jets aren’t allowed, and then he comments that you look like you want to say “that’s weird”. 

you: “by the way, this balloon... has the “SHIBA company” logo 

“yeah. i borrowed yuzu’s [balloon]”

THE FACT THAT YUZURU CASUALLY HAS A HOT AIR BALLOON... AND NOT JUST HIS OWN ONE BUT IT’S A COMPANY BALLOON ALSDKFJSL. i like how we sometimes think yuzu is so bland and minimalist but then he’s literally just as extra as kazuomi and kei but in his own equally ridiculous way. 

kazuomi thinks “balloon huh... you don’t get that many opportunities to ride one*, so when yuzu recommended/offered it, i thought it would be good”

*i’m not sure if he’s saying that you don’t get that many opportunities to ride a balloon or if he himself doesn’t (since there are like no pronouns lmao!!) but i think he’s talking about you since everything he does is for you~ also cause he basically slates balloons in the next slide

“it’s slow and plain and most of all, the altitude is low”

“it’s good if we’re talking about being romantic, but honestly i prefer something more flashy”

“but mc is surprisingly enjoying the situation”

ughhhh the things he does for you!! 😍😭

you tell him that unlike with airplanes and helicopters, you can actually feel the wind which is so nice, and it’s so great that you can see the scenery without any distance/gap.  

“you’ve been busy these days, haven’t you?” you ask. “sometimes it’s not bad to feel the wind like this, right?” 

“i see, that’s one way of thinking about it,” kazuomi says. 

you: “if i had to choose one, i’m surprised that shiba-san [is the one] who likes this [kind of thing]”

you say that you think he (shiba) would say that balloons are a waste of time. kazuomi replies that that guy is surprisingly a romantic, which is why he wanted a screw that had gone into outer space. 

(wtf yuzu is so adorable.........)

anyway, the balloon goes to its destination with you, who seems to be having fun from start to finish. 

when you land on the small island, you go to a log house purveyed by kei (more like.......perveyed....... sorry couldn’t help myself)

“...it’s so lovely! such a warm atmosphere,” you gush . 

kazu says that kei said that it was just that it was spacious... seems like it really is so. 

you exclaim that there’s a fireplace in the next room. kazuomi replies that there’s a fireplace here too. nearly all the rooms have one. you say something like that it won’t get cold at night then, and kazu adds that it’s a luxury to spend time listening to the sound of firewood. talking about sound makes kazuomi realise that the log house, with no music, is quiet for now. it’s almost silent because it’s far away from the other log houses. 

“i can’t relax like this ... i wonder if mc is having fun”

you ask him, “hey, aren’t you feeling restless?”  

“hm? no...” kazu says. he can’t help but smile wryly as you guess how he’s feeling. 

“that kind of face...” you explain

you: “plus, i was sure you like brilliant and bustling places”

“you understand me well”

you: “it would take a lifetime to understand you completely”

maybe because it’s a quiet place, but your expression is calmer than usual. he likes hearing your small laugh, and he thinks that the quietness isn’t so bad. 

“balloons, quiet log houses... none of it is very like you, but that’s why it’s fresh” you say. 

you: “shido, thank you for bringing me [here]”

there was no reason for me to add a screenshot here but i just wanted to show that you really just call him shido. 

both the balloon and the log house were loaned from, and proposed by, yuzu and kei. 

“on the surface, they were amused with all their might, but i couldn’t help but appreciate the clumsy compassion of my mates*.”

*悪友たち can mean like bad friends/bad company but can also mean like partners in crime, close friends

“well... there are no interruptions here. what do you want [to do]?”

“we came here so i can indulge your every whim** for the whole day”

“anything is fine. i’ll grant any wish”

**literally listen to your selfishness 

when the main subject comes up, you shake your head after thinking a little. “i don’t want you to do anything.”

“what did you say...?” kazuomi says. 

you: “i don’t need anything. you bringing me here is enough”

you tell him there was a kitchen back there so you brewed some coffee. 

“don’t need anything...?” kazuomi thinks. he stands up, seeing you off to the kitchen after your unexpected response. he can’t infer the true meaning captured in your words. 

after that, the two of you drink the coffee you brewed and enjoy a dinner arranged by kei. he thinks that your profile as you gaze at the firewood in the fireplace looks peaceful and happy and wonders if this is the time you had wished for. he thought you wanted a more enriching time. 

you put your cups down on the table at the same time and laugh. your faces naturally approach and your lips touch, and when they part, you laugh again.

“it’s been a while since we spent time like this,”  you say. kazuomi agrees, saying that [you haven’t spent time like this] ever since he first visited your place. “stop joking,” you retort. “i didn’t get a moment of rest that time.” you tell him that you got cold sweats (from anxiety) at the thought of him coming to your place. 

“and now?” kazu asks.

“now, well...” you say. 

resting your head on his shoulder, he sees your eyes narrow gently as you gaze at the fireplace. 

“i’m not troubled by you seeing me, i’m cool [with it]”

“then, i’ll come visit you again***”

***when kazuomi says またお邪魔しよう he means he’s going to “intrude” in on your place again (since people say “sorry for intruding” when they go to other people’s places) 

you: let me know beforehand. i’ll get my parents to send over some jakoten.

basically they’re referring to that time in kazuomi’s lover obscura route when he came to his mc’s place for the first time and she was really anxious about him seeing her true self and afraid that he wouldn’t be into her bc her true self isn’t as sophisticated as “arisa”. she lied about being able to cook acqua pazza despite not actually being able to cook and instead made yasai itame, nikujaga and tamagoyaki and served miso soup and some side dishes, including jakoten (fried fish cakes) from her hometown (uwajima) that her parents sent, and kazuomi actually really liked jakoten haha. 

“the sound of mc’s giggly laughter fills my heart and heals me.”

“pointless conversations, playful kisses, intertwined fingers... we haven’t done anything special, but this is enough.”

“it’s a good feeling ... i think it’s because i fell in love with mc”

i just want to interrupt here because this makes me so emotional ahhh. like kazu and his mc’s thing has always been about like challenging and playing games with each other and it’s always been about the thrill of the chase, so i just adore it when they’re just simple and wholesome and in love (esp when kazuomi is the one who we get to see being head over heels). 

“falling in love, huh... i never thought the day would come when i would use that word”

this whole time, he thought it was his role to uncover**** your heart and body. however, without him even realising, you may have opened him up. 

****the word used here is more like to unravel/loosen/relax. basically it’s referring to you know how kazuomi and his mc are always talking about like getting each other to open up/expose/reveal their true selves and intentions. 

“i see,” kazuomi thinks. “we open up to each other and heal each other.” maybe that’s why you want to spend such an enriching time together. 

the coffee that you brewed is still hot and kazuomi feels like he’s never had such delicious coffee before. 

“doing nothing but sipping coffee in front of the fireplace ... that time is the most precious.”

“it’s delicious.” you say the same thing [as he was thinking] after drinking your coffee, face softening. 

“it was already pitch black outside, but the inside of the log house was full of warmth and happiness.”

“...i see. so this is happiness”

(LOOK HOW SOFT HE IS AHHHHHH)

he places the cup down and hugs you from behind. placing a hand on his arm, you murmur while staring at the fireplace, telling him that he seems to be so busy lately, you didn’t want to push him too much... you avoided tiring him out as much as possible. 

for the first time, kazuomi is unmistakably hearing the “true feelings”***** that you have hidden until now...

*****i chose to use this phrasing (alongside true intentions/face) here and in the previous chapter to try to convey the meaning as smoothly as possible through the context but you’d probably get a better sense of the meaning if you search “本音” or “honne”. essentially, it’s one’s true inner self/feelings that can’t necessarily be (and in fact is usually contrary to) one’s outward-facing societal/public persona (tatamae). it’s a recurring theme throughout kazuomi and his mc’s relationship (particularly in the earlier stages) as they are both trying to uncover each other’s real selves.

--

anyway i hope you enjoyed chapter 4! can’t believe we only have 2 chapters left to go, and i promise you that they get really steamy. but for now, i so enjoyed seeing kazuomi putting aside his own tastes to make you happy, and then realising that he’s so in love with you that even doing the simplest things with you give him bliss. it’s so rare that we get to see kazu being... not Excessive(tm)? he’s really just a man in love when it comes to you ;~~; also how cute is it that yuzu and kei give him so much shit but really try to help in any way they can when it comes down to it? 

i’ve set up a ko-fi page here and would be incredibly grateful if you would like to support me for translations and being able to purchase more routes to recap in english!

click here for chapter 5