◇003 The Game World
"Starlight Symphony."
A romance simulation game developed and released by Renfill Corporation.
Set in a world of swords and magic, the story follows the protagonist as she attends an academy, experiencing love, adventures, and mysteries—it's a classic otome game.
In Starlight Symphony, one of the antagonists is Sakauraile La Philharmonie, a duke’s daughter who harasses the protagonist in various ways.
──And that’s me.
"Why!?"
"My lady!? What’s wrong!?"
The door suddenly opened, and a flustered maid rushed into the room. Of course, if a duke’s daughter is screaming by herself, it’s only natural to be worried! Sorry!
"N-nothing! I just had a bad dream!"
I really hope I wake up from this dream soon. It’s been going on for three years. Even for a long series, this is way too long!
"I see... Don't worry. There’s no one here who would try to harm you. Please, rest easy."
The maid smiled at me with an expression that seemed to mix laughter and tears.
...Wait, is she misunderstanding something? It’s not like I was having nightmares about my past sufferings.
Well, I managed to dodge that situation, so I quietly returned to bed.
In the dim light of the room, I stared up at the bed’s canopy and tried to recall my memories of my past life.
The first time I played Starlight Symphony was when I was in middle school. I wasn’t particularly interested in it, but my cousin recommended it to me, so I decided to give it a try. Surprisingly, I found it pretty enjoyable and ended up finishing it.
My memory’s a bit hazy, but I’m sure that Sakauraile was one of the villainous daughters... there’s no doubt about that.
She was the fiancée of the prince, one of the main love interests, and she couldn’t stand how the protagonist got closer to him. As a result, she harassed the protagonist in various ways.
Eventually, she tried to have the protagonist killed, but in the end, she caused her own downfall. I can’t recall the exact details, but I remember it was pretty swift.
What kind of death was it again...? No, no way am I going to die!
"I have to avoid it at all costs!"
...Hmm? Wait a minute... Actually, if I just don’t become the villainous daughter, wouldn’t that solve everything? If I don’t harass the heroine, there’s no way I’ll end up self-destructing.
No, even before that, if I just don’t become the prince’s fiancée, I won’t have to oppose the heroine, right? I’m not really into that prince, anyway.
Maybe I should just help the heroine out... If that avoids the bad ending, then I’ll consider it a win.
"Ah, but it might depend on which route the heroine ends up on..."
In the prince’s route, I’m the villainous daughter. However, in Starlight Symphony, there are four other love interests besides the prince.
In each of their routes, there’s a villainous character who causes trouble for the protagonist or acts as a trial, but... Well, that’s not important right now.
The real issue is that no matter which route the heroine follows, Sakauraile will appear and meet a tragic end. Before the route branches, she’s a common antagonist in all paths.
I remember there were a few different endings for me: getting caught in a battle, self-destruction, exile, becoming a cripple, and even the downfall of my family.
The downfall of my family was because I got involved in a crime... Well, exile and family ruin don’t involve death, but I’d never want to make my kind parents sad.
"Anyway, it's better if I stay away from the love interests... and the protagonist heroine as well."
I’m pretty sure the heroine is the daughter of a baron from a rural territory. When she turns sixteen, she heads to the capital to enroll in the academy.
The academy is located on an island floating in the sky, and the only way to travel there from the ground is through a teleportation gate at the church in the capital.
On the day before heading to the academy through the teleportation gate, she runs into the prince, who is out incognito and hiding his identity while visiting the city... Haha, it’s the classic setup.
The heroine possesses a "Gift" called the Holy Miracle, which is basically super powerful holy magic.
A "Gift" is a talent or ability that people in the world of Starlight Symphony receive from the gods—everyone gets one, but it’s not something that can be learned by just anyone like regular magic.
When someone undergoes the Revelation Ceremony at a church in their childhood, they receive their "Gift" from one of the gods. In other words, everyone who undergoes the ceremony has some kind of special skill—whether it's useful or not, though, is another story.
...Wait, I didn’t get one, did I? I think Sakauraile had a "Gift" called Beast Summoning, which allowed her to summon powerful creatures.
Ugh, that was such a hassle. You have to prepare special paralysis potions to deal with the summoned beasts, or you’re done for.
Well, this time around, I won’t need any paralysis potions since it’s my "Gift."
It’s actually pretty great to be able to summon beasts. I could summon wolves or lions and have a fluffy time. And then...
Lost in thought about what the future might hold, I slowly drifted back into the dream world.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Good morning, Sakauraile. Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, I slept soundly until morning."
"Did you have any trouble? If anything happens, be sure to tell your mother right away."
"I'm fine. Thank you."
I exchanged greetings with my father and mother, who were smiling warmly at me.
Hmm, I'm still a little nervous... Actually, it's a bit embarrassing since I cried so much yesterday.
With my mother's hand guiding me, I went to the dining hall and sat down at the table. The table was long. Really long.
There are only three of us sitting here, yet there's this many seats? I couldn't help but voice my confusion. Apparently, when hosting parties or banquets, they need this many seats. I wonder how many people they’re inviting.
The breakfast that was served was worlds apart from the food I used to have in the slums of the poor district. I think this is the first time I’ve tasted proper meat since my reincarnation...
Back in the slums, it was just potato and bean soup every day.
But, since I know what food tasted like in my previous life, I can’t help but feel a bit dissatisfied.
The bread is surprisingly hard, the meat is just seasoned with salt and pepper, and the salad is drenched in greasy dressing. The fruit is delicious, though. The soup is okay too.
For an upper noble family like the duke’s, this feels rather simple, but it seems like my parents aren’t the type to lay out an overwhelming amount of food. I agree with them there. If the people from the slums found out, they’d probably start a revolt.
It’s like heaven compared to the slum meals... but maybe the food culture in this world isn’t very developed. There were some delicious-looking foods in the game, though...
Ugh, I’m starting to crave food again after eating something halfway decent. I want rice. I want ramen. I want sweets.
"How is it, Sakauraile? Is it delicious?"
"Ah, yes. It's delicious."
I couldn’t say I was unsatisfied, so I smiled back at my mother.
"Sakauraile, you're a little too thin. Don't hesitate to eat more."
"Ah, haha..."
I’m definitely a bit malnourished, but you want me to eat even more? Duke, this is some serious food education you’re giving me.
"It still feels a bit tough. Oh, I’ve got an idea! Would you call me 'Papa'?"
"Oh, I’d like to be called 'Mama'!"
"Well, um... calling you 'Papa' and 'Mama' is a bit..."
Despite being nutritionally deficient and still quite short, I’m six years old. At this age in this world, it's rare for children to still call their parents 'Papa' or 'Mama.' Plus, I’m an adult on the inside...
I was trying to explain that I was embarrassed to call them that, but they didn’t seem to understand, and they looked rather disappointed.
Maybe they thought I wasn’t seeing them as parents. That’s not it! That’s not what I meant!
"Um, is it alright if I call you 'Father' and 'Mother'?"
I was about to call them "Father" and "Mother" because, after all, I’m a duke’s daughter, and it would be more proper. When I hesitantly said the words, both of them, who had been looking downhearted, perked up in an instant.
"Of course! From now on, we want you to call us that!"
"Yes, that’s right!"
"Understood. Father, Mother... w-wait!?"
Before I could finish, my mother, sitting on my right, pulled me into a tight hug. Uh, I can’t eat like this.
Looking on, Sebastian, the butler of the Philharmonie family... an elderly man who has served the family since my father was a child, was shedding tears of joy. Seriously, someone help me.
Sebastian had been crying when I first arrived here too.
"Oh, by the way. Sakauraile, do you know about 'Gifts'?"
"Ah, yes. I know. They're the gifts given by the gods, right?"
Duke... Father brought up the topic I was thinking about before going to sleep last night.
"Once your health improves, I was thinking of taking you to the church to receive the 'Divine Revelation Ceremony'."
"Yes! I’m fine! I can go today!"
Suddenly, I blurted out my response, and both of them froze. Oh, sorry about that.
But if I can get a "Gift," it’s better to do it sooner rather than later.
One of the flags for my downfall involves being caught up in a battle and dying.
If I can get the Beast Summoning Gift and grow stronger, I might be able to avoid that route. Of course, I’m desperate.
"W-wait, is your health really okay?"
"Yes! I’m super healthy! So I want to go to the church!"
"I-I see. Well then, how about the three of us go to church?"
Yay! Without thinking, I raised both hands in excitement. Realizing how childish that was, I shrank a little in embarrassment, but they smiled at my age-appropriate reaction.
Well, it is summoning magic, after all! It’s only natural to get excited!
As I looked at them, I couldn’t help but ask something that had been on my mind.
"By the way, what 'Gifts' do Father and Mother have?"
To receive the Divine Revelation Ceremony, a large donation is required, but as nobles, they must surely have "Gifts." I assumed they did.
Since Sakauraile’s parents never appeared in the game, I have no idea.
"Huh? Oh, that’s right, you wouldn’t remember. Mine is <Object Restoration>."
"Object...?"
Judging by his tone, it seemed like three-year-old me had known about Father’s "Gift." I felt a little sorry seeing a hint of sadness in his expression.
Father casually picked up the plate he had finished eating from and slammed it on the corner of the table, shattering it.
I was shocked by Father’s sudden odd behavior, but Mother, who was standing behind him, reassured me, saying it was okay.
"<Object Restoration>."
Father placed his hand over the broken pieces of the plate, and it was as though the pieces were rewinding in a video. Before I knew it, the plate was fully restored, whole again. Magic! Amazing!
"That’s amazing! Can you fix anything with that?"
"Not everything. There are some things I can’t fix. First, I can’t restore living things. If too much time has passed, I can’t fix it. Also, complex or very large things are a no-go. Though, if I work on it little by little, I could probably fix it."
It seems that Father’s "Gift" has various conditions.
Even so, this ability seems really useful. If he ran a repair shop, he could make a huge profit... but, of course, we’re a duke’s family. We don’t need to do something like that.
"What about Mother?"
"Me? I have <Time Advancement>. I can force time to move forward. I can’t use it on living things, and the range is limited, but I received this 'Gift' from the Goddess of Space-time, Tokie, just like Cloud-sama. I use it for things like aging wine."
Oh, so one has the ability to reverse time, and the other can accelerate it. What a perfect match for a couple.
Gifts are quite useful things. It’s said that depending on which Gift you receive, your life can be drastically shaped, so much so that it almost decides the course of your future.
However, powerful Gifts come with their own risks, and if you perform actions that go against the gods who bestowed them upon you, the Gift will disappear—and it will never return.
Many people misuse their Gifts, but the gods who grant these powers are often described as being generous, or perhaps careless, or even irresponsible. Someone should really tell them to manage things better.
"I hope you receive a wonderful Gift too, Sakauraile."
"Yes!"
I nodded firmly in response to Mother’s words. Well, I already know which Gift I will receive.
However, I froze when I heard the next words from Father.
"The Divine Revelation Ceremony should have been performed when you were three, but it’s been delayed this much. Gifts received later in life tend to be extreme, so I’m a little worried…"
…………What did you say?
—
TFTC
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