A Love Battle, But It’s a Pixel Game

Kanda Shiori played a pixel-art dating sim in virtual reality. She started the game full of confidence. Then the game put her in her place, and she got several bad endings. - [First Playthrough] She got so absorbed in leveling up that she had no interest in romance. Then, after an accident turned her into a non-sorcerer, her fox-eyed classmate coldly curled his lip and stabbed her like a monkey. Game over. The kind white-haired DK left a bouquet by her grave. [ENDING] He didn't say a word. He leisurely straightened his wide sleeves, then drew a gleaming cursed tool dagger from inside them. His voice was low and gentle, like a sigh. “Shiori, you can't be the only exception, can you?” [Second Playthrough] She dutifully raised his favorability, but her fox-eyed classmate suddenly defected and stormed into Jujutsu High, sweeping her up in a princess carry and taking her away, belongings and all. She suddenly became a lucky-charm saint. [ENDING] The cursed-energy barrier alarm at the school went off. A fierce wind whipped at his wide sleeves. He stood amid flashing red lights, a serene smile gradually forming on his face, which looked as though it had been drenched in blood. There was a hint of madness in it. “Shiori, I've come to get you.” [Third Playthrough] She escaped the fate of being taken away by the fox-eyed guy. ...But the kind white-haired DK brought her to his house and kept a constant eye on her. [ENDING] Dazzling silver-white hair, so bright it almost hurt to look at in the sunlight. The owner of that hair was rubbing his fluffy locks against her neck, gently sniffing her, and holding her so tightly it was as if he wanted to merge their bones and blood. In a sweet, cheerful voice, he said, “Ta-da! Shiori, starting now, you're my hostage!” - Kanda Shiori: Fine. But what had the poor player even done wrong? All she did was squat by a grave and greet the white-haired DK, warmly and affectionately telling him, “You're so handsome, honey.” Then, with an audience watching, she accidentally pulled down the black-haired DK's pants and praised his round, perky butt. Finally, after making the black-haired DK suffer from nonstop diarrhea and become a human sprinkler, she kindly planned to pry open the bathroom window and pass him some toilet paper. That was all. It's fine. She still had a fourth playthrough! Trembling, Kanda Shiori loaded her save again, determined to reject every romance route. However, after finishing the fourth playthrough, she met a familiar white-haired guy and black-haired guy in real life. #Help, what do I do if the paper characters come to life? [Reader's Guide] * The DK has a one-sided crush. For other content warnings, please read the author's note in Chapter One. * Borrows the premise of the game Pixel Boyfriend: the higher your favorability, the clearer the resolution gets, evolving from pixelated characters into normal-looking people. * Not a power fantasy. At heart, it's an illogical, out-of-character cuddly romance, with heaps of personal worldbuilding and a story that follows its own whims. Everything serves the romance. * The heroine isn't a strong female lead. She's a gentle, law-abiding, good-hearted girl. * The main characters are all 18 or older. Theme: Live life with optimism and strive to improve.