"The Melt Epee scenario route has vanished. It is no longer possible to recruit her as an ally."
The text, appearing much like a system message, drifted into Zenon's mind late one holiday evening.
He had just spent a blissful day on a date with his beloved Claire, savoring every moment. But this message, surfacing just as the day drew to a close, struck him with a force that obliterated his lingering happiness. He lay atop his bed, a cramped, twitching smile on his face as the shock took hold.
Why? How? Why was it suddenly impossible to make Melt an ally?
The question haunted him, robbing him of a single wink of sleep. When he eventually witnessed Melt—the girl whose route had supposedly vanished—chatting happily with the loathsome Yugo, the shock hit him all over again. Dizziness washed over him as he whispered to himself.
"N-No... it can't be... Melt, my Melt, stolen by Scum Yugo...!"
Melt Epee. In the world of Luminous History, she was the female student the player was originally destined to recruit first.
She was a high-tier unit with excellent stats and a well-rounded kit of offensive and support magic, making her a staple for any primary party right up until the endgame. Furthermore, she was a different breed of beauty compared to Claire, earning her massive popularity among players as a heroine who stood on equal footing with the main girl.
In truth, while Claire was his absolute favorite, Zenon liked Melt quite a bit as well. He had fully intended to add her to his party—or more accurately, his harem.
He wasn't the only one. Other Reincarnators had been eyeing her like hawks, each plotting to claim her for themselves.
As mentioned, Melt’s combat utility was part of the draw, but their ultimate goal was to experience her Individual Scenario. To put it bluntly: they wanted to sleep with her.
With her friendly, cheerful personality, Melt was surprisingly bold yet simultaneously defenseless, leading to a plethora of "Lucky Lecher" developments throughout her story. The player, having built a deep bond with her by the end of the scenario, would eventually reach the climax—the act of intimacy itself. That "God Event" was a major factor in her enduring popularity.
Melt was a flawless beauty, an active-type heroine who was the picture of health, boasting a large chest and a curvaceous figure. Zenon and the other Reincarnators had been nursing sordid fantasies about losing the virginity they had carried to their graves in their previous lives to her. Now, all those dreams were coming crashing down.
(Why?! Melt is supposed to be a character who is forced into your party once the Request Tutorial Event triggers! That event hasn't even happened yet, so how could the route be dead?!)
Originally, Melt was the character responsible for guiding the player through the tutorial for "Requests," one of the core systems of Luminous History. After completing their first request together and learning the ropes, Melt—a transfer student in the High School Division—was supposed to form a bond with the player and come to trust him as her very first friend.
That role... had been stolen by Yugo.
It wasn't just her role, but the girl herself. They would never be able to add Melt Epee to their party again.
Frustration—that was the first emotion to surge through Zenon’s heart as he processed the situation. Glaring at the sight of Yugo acting flustered while Melt hugged him from behind, Zenon was seized by a sudden, violent urge to kill him.
However, even if he murdered the boy, Melt wouldn't magically become his. Worse, the game's scenario would deviate significantly. If that happened, forget clearing Luminous History—his entire future would be permanently derailed. Just as he reached that conclusion, Zenon’s face drained of color as a realization dawned on him.
(Wait... is this my fault? Did triggering the event to steal Claire-tan from Shitty Yugo ahead of schedule cause this?!)
The possibility was high.
Melt was a popular heroine who rivaled Claire. If one considered that she had been assigned to Yugo as a replacement for Claire, it made a terrifying amount of sense.
Zenon had protected Claire’s first kiss, but the cost was losing Melt to Yugo. He turned even paler as he imagined what the other Reincarnators would think of this outcome. He had secured his own favorite character for his party, but his actions had cost everyone access to Melt.
As the image of the other Reincarnators branding him responsible took shape in his mind, Zenon’s face twisted into a mask of frustration, rage, and terror. He spun on his heel and fled back to his dormitory room.
(I don't care! It's not my fault! It's just a game bug! The world is what's wrong!)
Zenon shut himself away, screaming at the world to justify his actions. Every trace of the happiness from yesterday’s date had vanished. He slammed his fist into his pillow in a fit of mounting resentment.
"Damn it! Damn it all...! Melt... my Melt... This is all Shitty Yugo's fault! Dammit! I won't let it end like this! I'll take Melt back if it's the last thing I do! Ugh... waaaah!"
Once he had finished spitting out his venom, he buried his face in the pillow he had been punching, weeping over the humiliation of having his beloved character stolen.
Ironically, his current state was pathetic—the spitting image of the shut-in he had been in his previous life, the young man known as Seto Haino.