Chapter 3

In the meantime, as I moved to the restaurant, my status window popped up.

▶Tutorial I has been cleared!◀

▶This game is about clearing it by choosing the correct options. The results vary depending on your choices, and even small changes can—

This was the message that appeared after clearing the tutorial, which I already knew from playing the game.

Originally, this scene was supposed to be the end. The tutorial only explained how small changes affect options and described what I defined as affinity.

So, this scene should have skipped to the next screen.

But it didn’t.

I’m still in that restaurant. The scene didn’t skip.

‘This game… must not be one.’

I need to move. Since there’s no skipping, I have to fill all those skipped moments with my body.

Now, this is my reality.

Moving slowly, I sat down naturally at Claire’s seat, which seemed to be where Carsein would sit.

Claire seemed annoyed by my slow movement.

“Why are you moving so sluggishly? Mom is also hungry, so hurry up.”

Damn pink-haired girl.

‘I could have moved quickly if I could.’

The problem was that I had a cold, an ailment. Having doused myself with cold water and taken a bath during winter, I couldn’t be normal.

As the status window had warned, Carsein currently had a cold ailment, and his already frail-looking body made things worse.

It was then I realized why my movement speed was so slow in the game. Feeling it with my real body, I understood how fast it actually was.

“Alright. Let’s eat first. Listen.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Isabella started a harmonious meal, seemingly not noticing anything unusual.

-Beep-

▶Tutorial II is in progress!◀

“Tell me, Carsein. What happened today?”

As the status window announced Tutorial II and Isabella spoke, I clenched my teeth involuntarily.

‘Today… again, she said.’

No way.

A foreboding feeling crossed my mind, but it might not be that bad.

Just a normal greeting…

▶Tutorial II information!◀

▶You will face tough trials ahead. Choose the right option by gathering information.◀

▶Information provided for Tutorial!◀

[ Carsein greeted Isabella every morning.]

‘What is this?’

Tutorial II?

I’ve never seen or heard of it before. This tutorial I’ve never encountered while playing the game.

Suddenly popping up like this…

‘Does it mean I should consider this episode and clear it?’

Seeing the status window reappear, I swallowed hard and looked around.

Everyone’s eyes were fierce. Claire and Arina glared at me. Flora, openly expecting something.

I could vaguely sense that one wrong word here could lead to big trouble.

“Carsein? Do you have nothing special to tell me today?”

-Beep-

[ 1. (Banging the table) Do you know what I went through today?! ]

[ 2. (Seizing the moment) I washed with cold water today. The maid filled the bathtub with cold water! ]

[ 3. You’ve worked hard on territory affairs. Besides that… (pausing) Nothing happened.]

With Isabella’s follow-up question, insane options appeared.

Even though these were obvious choices, they felt like the true feelings of Carsein.

Not even looking at me, he continued slicing meat.

‘I see. You’re a kindred spirit. No matter how high the affinity, Isabella is not a mother to him.’

What to do was clear. Clearing the game was necessary, but leaving this house was more urgent.

Like I did in that house.

With my feverish body, I answered calmly.

“Nothing happened.”

Flora tilted her head, Claire and Arina stopped glaring, and Isabella replied dismissively.

“…Then.”

Realizing I had done something wrong,

‘Am I not picking choice number 3?’

Caught by a cold, I mistakenly said nothing happened instead of mentioning working hard on territory affairs.

Recalling when I greeted Isabella, I cut off before saying ‘Mother’.

There was no reaction to that incorrect dialogue either. So, apparently, it wasn’t a problem.

‘Right. This is my body. Not Carsein’s.’

Accepting this reality, I knew variables existed.

Clattering dishes filled the restaurant as the family chatted. Meanwhile, I checked the status window.

▶Tutorial II information provided!◀

[ Carsein’s meal is saltier than others due to Flora’s manipulation! ]

[ Warning! Health will worsen upon consumption! ]

▶Shall we eat breakfast?◀

[ 1. Eat it. ]

[ 2. (Rage) Flora, why did you mess with my food again! ]

[ 3. (Throwing the bowl at the maid) Eat it yourself, you wretched woman! ]

[ 4. Don’t eat it. ]

‘She messed with my food again.’

Unpleasant memories kept flashing in my mind. Why was I experiencing this twice?

That third, being the youngest, adding salt to my food and the silence made me feel like I was back in that situation.

‘Maybe that’s right.’

The attitude of the two elder sisters who disliked me and the mother who took me in despite having mental issues were similar.

Maybe that’s why I found it somewhat acceptable.

Having experienced it once, I wasn’t afraid of it happening again.

-Clang-

“…”

Putting the salty soup in my mouth, Flora’s mocking eyes suddenly flickered.

Like the status window’s warning, this confirmed Flora’s trick. She was looking at me with an expression that seemed to ask, “Are you going to eat this?”

Regardless, I ate more defiantly.

▶High-sodium food consumed!◀

▶Warning! Health will worsen!◀

Though the warning popped up, I couldn’t avoid eating. Below the warning, I needed to eat because I was hungry.

I had already experienced dying from hunger multiple times in the game, so I had to eat when possible.

Another window popped up soon.

▶Hunger state recovered!◀

After eating half the soup, which was expected to be less salty with some water, the hunger was gone.

“I’ll get up now.”

Wiping my mouth with a napkin, I left the dining room. My feverish body couldn’t handle the dizziness anymore.

***

Watching Carsein leave, Claire frowned uncomfortably.

Arina mirrored Claire’s expression, sighing when she turned back to the dishes.

Both had complaints, but they didn’t show them in front of their mother.

But Flora was different.

Her gaze fixed on Carsein’s soup bowl, she expressed her discontent by dropping her utensils.

“Flora, why? Don’t you have an appetite?”

Startled by Claire’s call, Flora snapped out of it and returned to her usual self.

“Eh, eh… I guess I’m not very hungry.”

“You should eat more. You won’t grow if you keep this up.”

“If I eat a lot later, it’ll be fine. Ugh.”

Arina and Isabella chuckled at Flora’s comment. They hadn’t revealed her dissatisfaction.

Meanwhile, Flora thought to herself about the next time, deciding to skip breakfast.

“What? You barely ate.”

“But I can’t eat it.”

Pouting, Flora ended up making a deal.

“Then, shall we make a promise? Even if we skip breakfast, we’ll eat lunch properly.”

Arina offered her pinky finger, allowing Flora to leave the dining room.

Once outside, Flora’s hidden frustration surfaced.

‘How could he eat that so casually?’

She knew the maid had tampered with his food again, yet Carsein ate almost half of the salty soup.

‘Could it be that the maid didn’t put enough salt?’

That was the only explanation she could think of.

Her plan had been disrupted. It was a rare chance.

If she had kept stirring trouble, Carsein might have been kicked out of the Bargrand family.

Then, they would return to their original family.

‘Ugh! This is weird! This shouldn’t happen!’

Flora hurriedly sought out Head Maid Emma.

“Welcome, Youngest Young Lady.”

Emma understood something wasn’t resolved by seeing Flora’s disgruntled face.

After a brief silence, Flora expressed her frustration.

“Did Camila properly sprinkle salt on Carsein’s dish?!”

“Excuse me? What happened in the dining room?”

“He ate half the soup! And he didn’t mention washing with cold water either. The water seemed really cold!”

An unbelievable story. Eating half of the salty soup was unbelievable. Not complaining about the cold water and staying silent was odd too.

“Ugh. Everything was going well until this. Tell that girl to do it again properly! If she lied, let her prepare for consequences!”

“Yes, Youngest Young Lady. I will ensure a proper outcome.”

A chilling smile spread across Emma’s face.

***

“F*ck.”

Dragging my feverish body into the room, I finally let out a curse.

My current situation wasn’t bad. Avoiding danger and gaining useful information, I also managed to overcome hunger, the most dangerous status ailment.

I had cleanly cleared the tutorial, just like in the game.

However, the feeling of returning to this cursed family wouldn’t easily fade away.

The curse was a spontaneous reaction to the extreme similarity between my past self and Carsein’s situation.

Lying on the bed with a feverish body, I called out.

“Status window.”

Even amidst dizziness, the status window displayed normally.

I saw just two lines.

■Special rewards will be given upon game clearance!■

▶Reward: One wish.

The reward received after clearing. I would definitely wish to return home. I wouldn’t die; I’d fight to survive and return.

Meanwhile, the status window created another window against my will.

-Beep-

▶Tutorial II cleared!◀

▶Successfully triggered results beyond choice options!◀

“Results beyond choice options?”

▶Reward calculation in progress…◀

…

…

▶Reward calculation complete!◀

▶Based on player needs, decided to display the gauge bars of characters numerically!◀

■Rewards

▶Permanent acquisition of affinity box

[Affinity boxes will now appear as numerical values!]

The reward seemed promising at first, but I immediately lost interest. It was probably just a tutorial reward.

But I had already obtained the biggest reward.

There was an unchanging rule in this game: when the choice window appears, you can’t avoid the scene Carsein faces.

If I waited without choosing, a timer would remind you. It meant more bad endings.

But in reality, I am different.

Results beyond choice options. Choices beyond the options. This is an incredible advantage, allowing me to control the story in my own way, unlike Carsein.

“With this, I can gradually weave my actions to avoid the constraints of choices.”

However, I’m not sure if I can completely deny the choices themselves. I’ll have to try that next time.

▶Basic stats window available!◀

■Carsein Bargrand■

Lv. 1

▶Strength 2.09

▶Agility 3.11

▶Endurance 3.50

▶Health 1.33

▶Immunity 0.87

▶??? 0

This part was inaccessible during gameplay. The stats window always made me ponder.

“That’s enough. For now, I’ll…”

Confirming that the game was essentially the same, I didn’t need to look further. But I soon realized it wasn’t over.

“Hold on. Feverish Carsein in bed… right after finishing his meal?”

Just as anxiety started to rise, the episode progress window appeared.

▶Episode I: Malicious teasing begins!◀

-Knock knock-

“Master, dessert is served.”

The skipped time was over, and I entered the regular episode.