Chapter: 100. Daughter Training Play (6k8) 16/
Although the “Star Pull” series of games is undoubtedly a piece of garbage, it is essentially an R18 galgame.
Many character abilities are designed to serve the game itself, essentially catering to the players as part of the rewards.
It is precisely because of these shining points buried under the mechanisms and plots of the garbage game that some players are motivated to tackle it.
The most representative ability is that of the fantasy monster – Hydra.
Though the “Star Pull” series is a galgame, its level of freedom is absurdly high, making it hard to imagine how much effort the scriptwriters put into filling it with content.
In “Star Pull 2”, it has been confirmed that over 80% of the characters are affected by Hydra’s infantilization ability, and if only female characters are counted, this figure rises to over 90%. By the way, the remaining 10% mostly consists of characters that appear with a childlike body type or petite loli characteristics from the outset.
Not all affected characters can trigger H events; most only have experiences in the main storyline or battles. However, conversely, any character that does have H events has corresponding texts, illustrations, and CGs that depict the changes after being infantilized by Hydra, and voice actors give these characters the appropriate childlike voices through their superb performances.
That’s right.
Even though Hydra is set to revert the target’s body to a younger appearance, various “servicing” settings will be added for various reasons. For example, certain bodily systems can still function normally even in an infantilized state and may even be more sensitive than usual.
However, it’s clear that even in fictional works, themes and gameplay regarding this aspect often cannot pass societal scrutiny or gain public acceptance, making it difficult to promote in advertising or other contexts.
So fundamentally speaking,
Hydra’s power will only change the target’s appearance to a younger form, while all other factors, including age and body, remain exactly the same as before.
Everyone is a legal loli or shota, which is a very healthy setup.
…
This is one of the responses made by the producer of “Star Pull 2” during the game’s promotional phase when replying to a netizen’s message.
These thoughts lingered in Nagi’s mind while she quietly waited for Kanade at the table on the first floor of the Shikikan.
— Who would have thought I would be worried about this too!?
Nagi let out a deep sigh.
After just comparing her body to a certain size, an urge to retreat surged in her mind.
All past thoughts about “compensation” or “awareness” had vanished in an instant.
The so-called “infantilization outbreak” was just an excuse; Nagi had just been preparing to gather information.
Regarding the side effects of Hydra’s ability, Nagi was of course well aware, after all, in the original “Star Pull 2”, female characters have shown signs of temporary infantilization leading to many special events more than once.
But Nagi’s mindset from ten years ago remains unchanged, so she will not be affected by this effect.
However, it was different in the eyes of Kanade and others; a young girl wouldn’t have any ill intentions, just a child afraid of loneliness who loves to be coddled.
Nevertheless, the information Nagi had just gained by hugging Kanade was slightly unexpected.
Those CG scenes she had once seen on the computer screen felt entirely different now that they had come into reality.
Especially in her currently exceptionally small form, comparing the two made a part of Kanade’s capabilities as a male protagonist in a galgame appear somewhat terrifying.
Nagi couldn’t help but shiver at the recollection.
“It seems necessary to reassess the risks of continuing to tease Kanade-kun…”
While it was delightful to tease the innocent Kanade-kun under the guise of infantilization, the thought of an accident—
Gulp.
Nagi unconsciously swallowed hard.
The excessive descriptions from the original “Star Pull 2” flashed in her mind, like Pandora’s box gradually opening, those dull words transforming into invisible temptations—
—If something goes wrong, she could rightfully enjoy… no, no!
“Uh—ha—!” Nagi suddenly took a deep breath and slowly exhaled to calm her restless heart.
Having already tasted the experience of being a girl alone, Nagi found herself slightly intoxicated by this different feeling from her past.
To be honest, she… was somewhat captivated, allowing her to vaguely understand why the protagonists in TS works are often very lecherous.
And if the interactions between the opposite sexes could evoke even more stimulation—
It was impossible not to be curious, but in the face of this temptation, Nagi found herself hesitating at the last moment due to the psychological barrier remaining from her past as a boy.
—But what if it wasn’t intentional, just an accident…
—Just a moment of carelessness leading to a mishap…
The echoes of the devil’s hell reverberated in Nagi’s mind.
She didn’t know whether her changed mindset was due to successfully overcoming the End of Days after a fierce battle or her desire to escape past truths by seeking something to shift her focus.
Her mind was entirely occupied by these thoughts.
“Good morning, little Nagi.”
At that moment, Kanade’s voice interrupted Nagi’s wandering thoughts.
Kanade, having just washed up and changed into her school uniform, had come down the stairs, walking toward the dining table.
Her footsteps echoed in the spacious Shikikan.
After all these events,
now there were only Kanade and Nagi in the Shikikan.
Mana, although not in serious condition, had to stay in the Zero District at the request of Ark Academy to assist in treating the injured due to her special abilities.
Even though Nagi had initiated the domain in advance for that battle,
after the domain was shattered by the End of Days’ Nagi, the disturbances caused by her and Omega still inevitably led to a large number of injured at the academy.
As for everyone else in the Shikikan,
there were severe injuries, comas, disappearances, or even deaths.
Nagi found herself at a loss for words regarding this outcome.
She had thought there were moles at the Shikikan, but it turned out that everyone in the Shikikan was a mole.
Aside from Kanade and Mana, there was not a single normal person left.
Even the dormitory’s advisor, Maria, turned out to be a mole lurking in the academy.
Can one really say Kanade is truly the protagonist? Who would have expected this kind of development?
“Ah, good morning, just a moment, let me help prepare breakfast for Kanade-kun~”
After saying that, Nagi jumped off her chair and quickly made her way to the kitchen nearby to serve the already cooked meal.
Breakfast was a simple Japanese meal.
Rice, grilled fish, and miso soup.
When Nagi lived in Kawano City, she had frequently helped her mother prepare meals, so naturally, she had learned the skills of cooking, which her older brother evaluated as “good enough to get married.” Thus, she was quite confident.
However, as the thought of “getting married” flickered briefly, Nagi couldn’t help but squeeze her legs together.
—Wait, wait! Am I that dissatisfied?!
—No matter how curious I am about the gameplay in “Star Pull”… No, does Kanade-kun really have spare chances to use on this?!
—Rather, why waste chances on such trivial matters?!
—No, I need to clarify the extent of Kanade-kun’s awakened abilities first. After all, this time he awakened not because of my death; I don’t know how many times he can use it.
—Ah, it’s not that if there are enough times he’d rewrite to that aspect… It’s just necessary to understand my work results, yes! Everything is for the sake of checking the work outcomes.
As Nagi intended to take the meal, another pair of hands unexpectedly reached out from behind her.
“I’ll do it myself,” Kanade had quietly come up behind Nagi.
At that moment, Nagi, having lost her extraordinary senses, suddenly not adapting to the feeling of being approached silently, startled and leaned back, her head bumping against Kanade’s stomach.
In this position, Nagi once again clearly felt the difference in size between herself and Kanade.
In such stark contrast, the various lewd thoughts involuntarily surged in Nagi’s mind as she had once been a boy, her bright clear eyes began to tremble madly, the lowering of her head gradually turning red, and she couldn’t help but slightly part her lips, exhaling what felt like could turn into mist.
…
But Kanade seemed completely oblivious to Nagi’s odd reaction.
His thoughts were entirely focused on Nagi’s cooking.
During Kanade’s time in Kawano City, Nagi’s cooking had been synonymous with hell, a truly nightmarish dish that could knock one unconscious with just one bite.
However, he also remembered in the second year that Nagi once made him a bento; the taste had already become tolerable at that time.
—I wonder how it is now? It looks quite normal, and it smells really good…
Kanade observed the miso soup in the pot and the perfectly grilled fish beside it, completely unaware that the small girl before him was reacting oddly.
“Let me help with your portion, little Nagi,” Kanade said, cheerfully smiling as he looked forward to enjoying Nagi’s homemade dishes.
After he brought both their meals out from the kitchen, Nagi slowly walked out.
In the quiet Shikikan, the sound of their movements was clearly transmitted to each other’s ears.
Whether it was the clinking of bowls and chopsticks or the sound of saliva secreted by the aroma of food…
Especially the latter made Nagi very conscious, as she kept her head down, not daring to look directly at Kanade.
But this strange reaction, in Kanade’s eyes, had a different explanation.
“Little Nagi doesn’t need to force herself,” Kanade set down the bowl and chopsticks, speaking sincerely, “To be honest, I don’t care why little Nagi is here.”
Nagi was taken aback by these words.
Kanade’s statement pulled her back from her lewd fantasies.
Nagi had never explained to Kanade why she, who was supposed to be kidnapped, suddenly appeared at the center of the extraordinary catastrophe, facing the End of Days’ Nagi and Omega alone.
This was not something that could be easily explained.
No matter how she wanted to weave a lie and portray herself as a victim caught up in it, she could not explain why the End of Days’ Nagi had held back her attack, let alone how an ordinary esper could maintain consciousness against a fantasy monster like Omega.
It should be known that at the moment the domain shattered, many people on the artificially created academy island fell unconscious due to the magical pressure emanating from Omega.
“Kanade-kun, I…” Nagi knew she couldn’t remain silent, but after slightly parting her lips, she couldn’t think of what to say.
If Kanade were to discover that she was not an ordinary person, that everything she had done to him was merely a plan, a lie—
Perhaps such a warm scene as this would never be seen again.
“It’s all right,” Kanade stood up, leaning forward from across the table and gently placing his hand on Nagi’s lowered head.
“I don’t care about the secrets that little Nagi carries. For me, as long as little Nagi is alive, it’s enough.”
“……”
“As for those secrets, when little Nagi wants to tell me… no, even if you never tell me, that’s fine.”
“…… Why?”
“Because I already promised little Nagi, didn’t I? Even if little Nagi deceives me, it doesn’t matter. If it’s little Nagi, I—” The bright sunlight streaming through the window illuminated the room, causing their shadows to overlap: “—am willing to be deceived for a lifetime.”
“Kanade-kun… it’s easy for you to be deceived by bad women like this…” Nagi still didn’t lift her head.
“It won’t happen.” Kanade smiled as he denied Nagi’s words.
“Because I have already found the only girl I love in this life.”
“And she is not a bad woman.”
————————————-
Ark Academy Zero District.
After breakfast, Kanade took Nagi here to await Kurokawa, who was to deliver his examination report.
Although Kanade only needed to come by himself.
After that night when he left Nagi alone in the dormitory and she was kidnapped, he would never again leave Nagi unattended in any scenario, at least not without a reliable acquaintance by her side, giving him peace of mind—
“Tsukimi-kun, are you this child’s father? Besides being a loli lover, are you developing into an irredeemable daughter lover?” Mana shot him a disapproving glance.
“I’m not, not, not like that!” Kanade argued weakly for himself.
But this morning, as he finished breakfast and waited outside Nagi’s room for her to change, there was indeed a vague sense that Nagi had become his daughter.
Once this feeling began to arise, it spread uncontrollably—
If he had a daughter as adorable and reassuring as Nagi…
Kanade felt that his current actions wholly embodied what might happen under such a possibility.
Now, Kanade and Mana were waiting in the corridor of the medical area for the report.
While Nagi was chatting with Amou, who lay in a hospital bed in the adjacent room.
Based on the information from Kurokawa, Kanade learned that after Nagi was kidnapped, she was inadvertently spotted by Amou, which ultimately led to her rescue.
This made Kanade very grateful to Amou. Moreover, he had known for quite some time since his second year, before coming to Ark Academy, that Nagi and Amou had a very good relationship.
Thus, logically and emotionally, he decided to allow the two some time alone.
“About Nagi-chan’s current condition, I’ve gathered some news… it seems that it won’t impact her health, and she will gradually grow back to her original self—” Mana informed Kanade of various messages she had heard from yesterday until now.
Among them, the matter of Nagi’s infantilization was the one she was most concerned about.
Unlike Kanade, Mana had not gleaned information related to infantilization from Kurokawa, so she learned some information that contradicted what Kanade knew based on her observations.
“Yes, little Nagi will likely return to her original form as time passes,” Kanade nodded to this.
His response made Mana sharply sense that this childhood friend knew more than she did.
However, Mana had no intention of pressing the issue, as she was familiar with her childhood friend’s character.
Since he hadn’t mentioned it actively, he surely had his own reasons.
But Mana still had a few things she was curious about: “Since Tsukimi-kun knows, are you planning to handle it yourself?”
“….. Handle it myself?” Kanade parroted Mana’s words, a puzzled expression on his face.
“Do, do what?”
“Does Tsukimi-kun not know? Those who are infantilized will—” Mana had just started explaining halfway.
On the bench beside them, a male student, after seeing the report document in his hands, showed a surprised expression and shouted, “Training? Why should I help you do such troublesome things?!”
And beside him stood a short boy, seemingly a victim impacted by infantilization. By their proximity and conversation, it could be sensed that they were lifelong friends.
“There’s no helping it, right? I heard that this curse may cause the victim’s experience to influence their character or body shape after restoration,” the small boy said, crossing his arms over his chest, his childish voice belied his appearance.
“So to ensure that the recovery process goes off without a hitch, it’s best to stay around familiar people from the past… How troublesome! Who wants to train some shota? You better turn into a loli and say that!”
…
The voices of the two quarreling reached Kanade’s ears, clarifying the situation.
“Could it be that you’re saying ‘let me do it’ refers to…” Kanade gradually turned his head mechanically to face Mana.
“From an objective standpoint, I’m little Nagi’s childhood friend, and I’m of the same gender, which makes me the most suitable for this job. But… if it’s Tsukimi-kun, you should be able to handle this task well too. Besides, you’ve known little Nagi longer and been by her side all this time, you might be even more suitable than I am,” Mana rationally analyzed.
During last night’s research at Ark Academy, they discovered that victims affected by infantilization might be influenced by their environment during recovery. While it was uncertain whether this influence would be permanent, it needed to be experienced at least to be avoided.
Thus, corresponding recovery suggestions were introduced.
However, in the eyes of the general public, such suggestions carried a complex meaning, as particularly regarding many young children involved, it seemed like—
Some kind of training game.
“However, I hope you can discern right from wrong, and don’t bring your perverted hobby into this recovery process—” Mana said with a gravely serious expression as she stared at Kanade.
“I wouldn’t do that…” Kanade replied on the surface, though inside he was indeed feeling very conflicted.
—Training little Nagi?
—Could it be that he really has to raise little Nagi like a daughter…
Thoughts echoed through Kanade’s mind from the earlier encountered conversation between the two students.
(“…influence their character or body shape after restoration.”)
—What, what in the world is this ability?
This somewhat sinister statement, combined with the innocent and pure form of Nagi in Kanade’s mind, made him think of nurturing a girl who could potentially develop into the type he likes because of his actions…
—Is this effect really healthy?! It’s practically criminal, isn’t it?!
Kanade couldn’t help but silently scoff in frustration.
Especially as the male student beside him continued to grumble, “Ugh, if you were a cute loli, I could take the opportunity to train you into a loli who daily calls me ‘big brother’ while appearing disdainful but stubbornly showing me her panties…”
—Hey, hey! Is this the police station? We have someone preparing for a crime here!!!
As for the short boy beside him, he had been looking at him with a garbage-like gaze, already completing part of that outcome in a certain sense.
“Tsukimi-kun, could it be that you also…” Mana, standing next to Kanade, naturally heard this exchange, and she was now casting a chillingly cold gaze at Kanade.
“W-What? How is that possible?! I… I would never do such perverted things to little Nagi!” Kanade’s voice trembled and, due to the suddenly arising sinful thoughts in his mind, he diverted his gaze guiltily.
“I haven’t even said what it is yet.”
“…Why is my report taking so long to arrive?”
……
……
In the hospital room.
Nagi, with the help of Amou, perked her ears to eavesdrop on the sounds outside the door.
She could clearly hear the conversation between Mana and Kanade, as well as the boy’s monologue nearby.
Nagi couldn’t help but admire the practicality of Amou’s ability in this aspect.
As a variant of a contracted beast, Amou’s ability allowed her to use it with nearly no magical fluctuations.
—Am I going to be involved in Kanade-kun’s training play?
A bold thought uncontrollably emerged in Nagi’s mind until it was interrupted by a voice.
“(…Onii-chan, eavesdropping is bad~)” Amou, lying on the hospital bed, said softly.
“(You’re the last person qualified to say that!)” Nagi equally spoke in a hushed tone for a retort.
Now, Amou was entirely wrapped in pristine white bandages, resembling a mummy.
But this appearance was just to put on a show.
Amou had only sustained superficial injuries, and the most serious extent was just a mild fracture, with Ark Academy’s extraordinary power treatment, she would be discharged in less than a week.
Though Amou recalled from her memory that she should have been seriously injured to the point of toying with the notion of death while battling against the rampaging Kanade.
“(I’m sorry, it’s because I— it caused you, Nagi, to get wrapped up in this…)”
“(You’re already apologizing for your boyfriend this soon? Such lovebirds~)”
“(Huh? No, no, how did you hear about that—)” Nagi’s face immediately turned visibly red as her sister had picked up on her relationship with Kanade.
“(Don’t underestimate shadows.)” Amou said triumphantly.
“(So this eavesdropping maniac just lost the right to criticize me?!)” Nagi could only resort to retorts to disguise her current embarrassment.
“(Training, huh… I didn’t expect Onii-chan had already calculated this step at that time; next, you can indulge in sweet and loving training play with your boyfriend~)”
“(N-No, it’s not like that—)”
“(—By the way, Onii-chan, here you go.)” Amou interrupted Nagi’s feeble protest and pulled out something from beneath her pillow with her bandage-wrapped arm.
“?” Nagi, with a puzzled look, reached toward Amou’s palm.
What plopped into her hand was a pink square package.
“……!?”
“(I’ve heard that even in this state, that aspect won’t be affected, so tonight when you and Tsukimi-senpai… don’t forget—)”
“(I-I don’t need that kind of thing!)” Nagi replied, her face flushing. Even she had never imagined that one day she would receive such items from her own sister, rendering her momentarily speechless.
“(No can do. Though it’s your first time, it’s still necessary for girls to be prepared—)” Amou said with a serious tone.
“(That’s not the issue!?)”
“!?” This time it was Amou who displayed a surprised expression under her bandages.
“(Are you saying… you’re concerned about the quantity being too few?)”
“(What kind of person do you see me as in your eyes, Amou!?)”
“(But in the manga I read, the protagonists who turned into girls are all greedy monsters in that aspect…)”
“(You read too many strange mangas!)”
After an intense, whispering back-and-forth with Nagi, they finally pulled the conversation back on track.
As for the pink package, she placed it in her pocket.
—Hmm, this was merely because Amou refused to take it back, and she ended up having to keep it.
—I’ll just throw this away later…
“(Who are you explaining this to?)”
“(Telepath!?!)”
After a round of dialogue between Nagi and Amou, Nagi finally grasped what had transpired with Kanade that night.
And what he did immediately after awakening.
Among the crucial information was—
Kanade had used his ability at least two times or more.
According to Amou’s description, the combat scene between him and Natori was very much in line with a situation where rewriting had been implemented.
As for Kanade’s reaction against the End of Days’ Nagi, he undoubtedly used a rewriting ability against her at least once.
The male protagonist “Tsukimi Kanade” in “Star Pull 2” possesses this ability known as “Wheelchair,” as long as he expends chances, he can turn his attributes, characteristics, and mastered abilities into forms that completely counter the opponent; thus, before he runs out of chances, there’s no existence capable of defeating him in a duel.
By the way, this also applies in “nighttime battles.”
—It seems necessary to ask Kanade-kun how many chances he has in total.
