When I came to, hundreds of people were staring at me. The worst way to wake up, I thought. What flooded my vision was a high ceiling and flickering flames. A massive candelabra hung from the ceiling, bathing the stone walls in orange light. The soles of my feet felt the cool touch of marble. My nose caught the sweet scent of incense drifting from somewhere. And my ears—the murmur of hundreds of people. (……Where is this?) First, assess the situation, a corner of my mind said. I faced forward. It was vast. Incredibly vast. A tall, elongated great hall packed with formally dressed people. Men and women alike, all wearing elaborate dresses and tailcoats. Nobles, probably. A few people whose eyes met mine looked startled. (Why am I standing on a platform?) I lowered my gaze slightly and saw my own hands. Slender, pale hands. Nails polished to perfection. Tracing my arm up to my shoulder, I saw silver embroidery on the cuff of a purple dress. I moved my body. It felt slender, graceful. Hair fell past my shoulder. Long, silky hair in a silvery-gray color. (Ah. I see.) Riona Hayama slowly accepted the situation. This was the Royal Crescent Academy of the Filsenia Kingdom—the great hall in its east wing, Stella Hall. Capacity: approximately five hundred. Nearly that many nobles were gathered here now. "Starlight Romance," a hit otome game with cumulative sales of eight hundred thousand copies. The final climax event in that game. The Hall of Judgment. (This is bad. Bad, bad, bad.) Riona—real name Riona Hayama, second-year high school student in Japan, the kind of otaku girl who blended into the background of her class—should have been in her room at her computer the night before. She should have been watching the Judgment scene for the nth time while looking at a "Starlight Romance" walkthrough site, thinking "This part really is the best," eating potato chips. So why was she now the villainess in the game's world? She had no idea. But this silvery-gray hair, these pale purple eyes, this marble floor, this incense smoke—it was unmistakably the game's world. I am Varmoon Anelia. Only daughter of the Varmoon Duchy. The villainess common to all routes in the game. Destined to be condemned here today and exiled from the country. (Okay. Stay calm. Five routes total, including one hidden route—twelve playthroughs in all. I've seen the Judgment scene over a hundred times. I know the whole flow.) Riona took a quiet, deep breath. First, the prince comes out, points at me, exposes my misdeeds, and declares the engagement broken and my exile. During that time, Anelia acts tough at first, but gradually her complexion worsens, and eventually she breaks down crying. That's how the Judgment scene goes in the game. I've seen it a hundred times. I know it. So for now—I just need to stay silent, stand here, and go with the flow. The murmuring fell silent. Footsteps approached from the opposite side of the platform. Riona faced forward. Gold. Wavy golden hair. Over one hundred eighty centimeters tall, a slender young man in formal attire bearing the crest of the Filsenia royal family walked toward her. Deep blue eyes looked straight at Riona—at Anelia. Filsenia Arnold. Second Prince. Nineteen years old. Anelia's fiancé. The one who condemns her in the Judgment scene. (Here he comes. This is where it starts.) Riona gave herself a silent fist pump in her mind. Arnold came within a few steps and stopped. He raised his arm slowly. His index finger pointed straight at Anelia. The staging was identical to the game. Something like emotion welled up in Riona's chest. This is it, this is the one I've seen a hundred times, she thought. Arnold opened his mouth. "I—I——" His voice cracked. Riona tilted her head. "I……" Arnold's fingertip was trembling. She could see his blue eyes growing red and wet. What should have been a grand opening speech came out as a strained, strangled voice. Huh? The next moment, Arnold covered his face with both hands and began to cry aloud. "I was terrible……! I hurt you……!" Riona's thoughts stopped. The hall stirred. Understandably. Riona honestly wanted to stir too. (Wait? I'm not the one who's supposed to cry?) Arnold couldn't stop. "I'm sorry……! Really……!" , he sobbed, tears streaming down his face. The golden-haired, blue-eyed prince was even starting to produce snot. That was when it happened. Quiet footsteps approached from beside her. A young man with black hair. Jet-black short hair with just a hint of deep crimson streaks. Sharp silver eyes that reflected no emotion, a refined face with almost no expression. About one hundred seventy-eight centimeters tall, slender but well-built. Crest Ivan, Arnold's aide, eighteen years old. Ivan walked straight to the front of Riona—and then dropped to his knees on the floor. A perfect bow. "[serious]I apologize profusely." The hall's murmur grew even louder. Riona was completely frozen. (Wait. Does the game have this scene? No. Definitely not. No route had a bow like this.) She desperately searched her game knowledge in her mind. First route, second route, third route—none of them. Not even in the hidden route. This development didn't exist anywhere. "[crying]I knew……! I knew everything……!" A different voice now. From the right side of the hall, a girl with honey-colored hair rushed out. Small, probably around one hundred fifty-eight centimeters. Long, fluffy hair, large brown eyes streaming with tears, coming toward her. Rose Emilia. Seventeen years old. Young lady of the Rose Barony, special scholarship student at the academy. The game's heroine. "[crying]I couldn't help you……! I'm sorry, Anelia……!" Emilia cried out and collapsed to her knees. Then, from the upper seat, heavy footsteps sounded. Riona looked up. An elderly man with white hair and deep wrinkles, both hands covering his face, shoulders shaking. Probably in his late fifties or early sixties. Prime Minister Günther Heidemann. The seasoned politician who had supported Filsenia's domestic affairs for fifteen years was breaking down in tears without regard for appearances. "[crying]It's my fault……I'm the most at fault……" Riona stood alone on the platform, motionless. Arnold was crying. Ivan was bowing. Emilia had collapsed to her knees. Prime Minister Günther was breaking down. The entire hall was silent. Not a single person spoke. Five hundred gazes were fixed on Riona. (……What?) (What, what, what?) (No one's moving like in the game. Not a single person.) Riona's mind spun through twelve playthroughs of game knowledge. She cross-referenced everything. This development didn't exist in any route. The Hall of Judgment was supposed to be where the prince condemns the villainess and exiles her. Yet everyone in this room—for some reason, they were all apologizing to Anelia. Silence continued for a while. Arnold lifted his face. His golden hair was a mess, his blue eyes swollen and red. The face that should have been handsome was ruined with tears and snot. Riona carefully opened her mouth. "[serious]……Um." "[crying]Anelia……!" Arnold reacted eagerly. "[serious]Well. I haven't done anything, have I?" She thought it was a strange thing to confirm. But she had to ask. Arnold, his face a mess, looked straight at Riona. "[serious]That's right. You haven't done anything. It was all our fault." That voice pierced something deep in Riona's chest. It wasn't dissonance. The weight of that voice was too real. A game character was holding real emotions, shedding real tears, speaking with a real voice. These people are alive, Riona thought. Not game sprites. Real human beings living in this world. "[serious]Then……perhaps we should adjourn this gathering for now?" "[surprised]Yes! If Anelia doesn't want this, I'll throw everyone out!" Arnold shouted through tears. The hall's murmur reached a crescendo. Ivan spoke quietly from the floor. "[serious]……Your Highness. Please calm yourself." "[serious]But——" "[serious]We should prioritize Lady Anelia's wishes." Still in his bow, Ivan said that. His face was turned to the floor, but his voice carried strange persuasiveness. Arnold fell silent with "……I understand." Riona looked around the hall. Five hundred nobles, none of them moving. All of them holding their breath, watching her. Waiting for Anelia to decide how to resolve this. Why am I the one managing this? she thought. But no one else seemed about to move. Riona took one slow, deep breath. "[serious]……Then, let us conclude today's ceremony here. Thank you all for your attendance." There was another murmur, and then slowly, people began to move. Riona stood quietly on the platform. That was when her left shoulder grew warm. That's strange, she thought, and gently pulled back the dress sleeve. There was a mark on her skin. Star-shaped. Close to a hexagram, a faint, glowing, thin-lined birthmark. (……What is this?) Riona searched her mind. "Starlight Romance," five routes plus hidden route, twelve playthroughs of game data, setting materials included—nothing. There was no setting that Anelia had such a mark anywhere. The mark grew warm again. (The game and reality are diverging.) The reversal of the Judgment scene, the existence of this mark—they both pointed to the same thing. This world had a true story that wasn't depicted in the game. There was a reason Anelia wasn't an arrogant, vicious villainess. Riona pulled her sleeve back. She tried to suppress a laugh and failed. What is this? she thought, and her mouth curved upward. I might only be able to laugh while I can. As she walked toward the hall's exit, someone moved near the door. An elderly man with white hair. Probably in his mid-fifties. A dignified old butler in formal attire, standing straight-backed. Tears glistened in his eyes as he took a step toward her. "[crying]My lady……!" With that one word, something changed inside Riona. Sebastian Nouvel. Butler of the Varmoon Duchy. A man who had watched over Anelia since childhood. This man knew Anelia. The real Anelia. Riona looked at the old butler's face. His eyes glistened with tears in the deep wrinkles. The weight of those tears made Riona truly feel for the first time that Varmoon Anelia was a real person who had lived in this world. "[gentle]……I'm home." She didn't fully understand why she said that. Sebastian bowed deeply. His shoulders trembled. Riona passed through the door and out into the Stella Hall corridor. Stone walls caught the evening light from the windows. In the distance, the cityscape of Crescent, the royal capital, was visible. The Milena River glittered in the sunset. (What was Anelia really doing?) That question began to take root. The Anelia in the game was a villainess. But everyone in that hall had apologized to her. No arrogant, vicious villainess would make people shed tears like that. Maybe the real story of this world was completely different from the game. Riona gazed out from the corridor window. The sunset painted Stella Hall's white spire in shades of red. At least I survived today. That much was certain.