Prologue

“Kanda-senpai, Have you finished with your work?"

I had been sitting and typing on my laptop for so long that I couldn't help but lean back .

Then I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"I just finished."

I turned around to the place where I heard the voice as I answered.

There was a woman smiling at me, just as I had expected.

She was a junior colleague at work who, like me, enjoys video games and anime, and we often chat in the office.

By the way, I am "Hajime Kanda," an ordinary company worker who likes games and anime.

"Kanda-senpai, did you play the game I recommended the other day?　Did you finish it?"

"Oh, ......, that's the game you recommended to me the other day, right? It's an Otome game, but it's pretty fun. I played it a lot and completed the whole game soon after."

I told my younger colleague as if I was showing off a little.

She looked surprised and continued talk in a frightened manner.

"That game is an Otome game, but the battles and territory development are highly valued. The story is just an added bonus, so I think Kanda-senpai would like it."

“...... I thought it would be a good idea for the story to be an extra, even though it's an Otome's game."

The game introduced to me by my junior was "Tokimekuru Cinderella! The game was called "Tokimekurera! for short,

I told her that I was not interested in Otome games because I like " challenging games," in which you steadily and painstakingly level up your game skills.

However, my junior was unfazed and kept insisting on the game.

"Is said to be a game where the main story is an extra and the other elements are the real deal, so I would definitely recommend this game to Kanda-senpai."

I was so intrigued by HER recommendation that I decided to try an Otome game at least once .

Then, I found the game system more interesting than I expected and, to my surprise , I got hooked on it.

The story was, as the title suggests, a "Cinderella Story," but I enjoyed the character development and territory development elements that were included in the middle of the story.

If you do your best to finish the game, you will be able to open a free mode where you can enjoy various elements such as training, territory development, territory expansion, territory battles, dungeons, etc. Moreover, if you play the free mode too much, you will be able to enjoy the game more.

Moreover, there is even a hidden boss that can only be defeated by going through the free mode.

"You're right, the system was to my liking, but it was quite a challenge to get to grips with the male characters."

"Well, that's part of the fun. I remember there was a hidden boss that could only be defeated by playing through the free mode. I gave up on it, but did you beat it?"

"I did, but it was pretty tough. I think that difficulty level for an Otome game is not what people are interested in."

I laughed and continued talking about the game with my junior.

Tokirella! This hidden boss is one of the reasons why the free mode is called the main story in "Tokirella!

As is typical of otome games, the overall difficulty level is low, so you can proceed smoothly, but for some reason, the hidden bosses are abnormally strong.

It is set at a level that makes it impossible to defeat it by just playing the game normally.

When you face a hidden boss, if you do not have a certain level of skill, you will be defeated immediately after the start of the battle, without having to fight.

At that time, the name of the skill activated by the enemy is set to display "You are not qualified to stand before me," and the impact of this challenge on the player is tremendous.

Even now, when I recall it, I can't help but laugh in amazement when I was defeated at the first time.

"For me, I would have liked to see a little more focus on the main characters in the main story. It would have been nice if there had been a route for the villains."

I played all the extras, so I just skimmed the main story, so I don't really care about that part.

I was having a great time talking about games with my junior staff when I realized that it was long past my quitting time.

It was getting late at night, so we decided to stop talk and parting ways

"Well, thank you for your hard work, senpai~!"

"Oh, good night~."

I parted ways with my junior in front of the office and walked on.

As I was waiting for the pedestrian light on my way home to turn green  I suddenly felt a tremendous sense of discomfort in my chest.

What is it? I felt another strong shock from inside my chest.

At the same time, I felt a suffocating sensation and a tightening pain in my chest.

I couldn't bear the pain, so I grabbed my chest with my hand over my clothes, but there was nothing I could do about it.　

I find myself collapsing on the spot.

I think I hear someone screams , but I can't understand what they are saying.

As the shock from my chest subsides, my vision became blurry .

This must be what it feels like to die.　As soon as I thought about it I lost my consciousness.