Can an Ordinary Person Like Me Win Over Everyone, Even Ninjas?

Galaxy Corporation's new full-dive game, Ninja World, is officially out!

In real life, you're a woman from a fairly well-off family,

and one of Galaxy Corporation's most loyal fans.

As a gaming enthusiast,

you couldn't wait to get your hands on the game as soon as you heard the news.

When it arrived at your house, you eagerly opened the package and started putting everything together...

Before long, everything was assembled.

You put on the full-dive helmet and lay down in the immersion pod.

The game

officially began

In this damn game, you found happiness.

*

"What kind of person do you want to become, Nobuko?"

You and Naruto sat together by the shore, looking into the distance. Naruto turned to you and asked curiously.

"Huh?"

Startled, you pointed at yourself.

"Me?"

You lowered your hand, rested it on the grass, and thought for a moment. "That kind of thing..."

You chuckled. "Well, I don't know yet."

"Oh... You don't know, Nobuko?" Naruto said, sounding disappointed.

"Well," you said with a smile, explaining, "right now, my biggest wish is to live a quiet, ordinary life with my parents." Your eyes lit up.

Then you exclaimed, full of anticipation, "And become a great craftsperson who combines both my parents' skills, and travel the world with them!"

"I don't know if that counts as becoming a better person," you added with a smile.

"That sounds wonderful," Naruto said enviously. "That's a great dream."

"But if we're talking about what I want to become most..."

You smiled mischievously. "I guess it's still that."

"Huh? What?" Naruto asked curiously, leaning closer. "What is it?"

You smiled. "Why don't you guess, Naruto?"

"Do you want to become Hokage?"

"Nope."

"Hmm... Then do you want to become the greatest ninja?"

"Nope."

After being told no again and again, Naruto couldn't help looking dejected. "Um, what is it, then, Nobuko? Stop keeping me in suspense. Tell me, tell me!" As he spoke, he gazed at you expectantly, his voice unconsciously growing longer as he pleaded.

"All right, all right. I'll tell you," you said, unable to take it any longer.

"It's, " You drew out your words playfully and saw Naruto watching you without blinking.

"It's..."

You looked up at the soft, cotton-candy clouds and the bright sun, your eyes full of hope and tenderness.

You couldn't help clenching your hands together and closing your eyes to pray.

"If I can, please let me become someone like the wind."

*

They bought a small, exquisite cake, neither too big nor too small.

You sat on your own little stool, facing the delicate strawberry cake that looked absolutely delicious.

Your mother gently approached and placed on your head a wreath she'd woven from many fresh, beautiful flowers.

You lowered your head slightly to help her.

Beside you, your father lit the three candles stuck into the exquisite little cake one by one. Their flames flickered gently, and a warm golden glow spread across your cheeks.

Your parents' tender smiles surrounded you. The candlelight bathed the room in a warm, orange glow.

An unfamiliar, uncontrollable feeling, as though your heart were being filled to the brim, gradually welled up inside you.

You felt a happiness that came from the heart.

At the same time, you also came to know pain and sorrow that would never leave you.

*

Pain?

What is pain?

It's

"Nobuko!!!!" Behind you, your mother screamed with all the strength she had left. "Run!!!! Run!!! Go find the nearest Konoha ninja!!! Hurry!!!!"

Her final act of protection?

It's

"I'm sorry, Nobuko." Your father spoke to you in a voice filled with pain and sadness. "Forgive me." He sat on the floor in a wretched heap, then suddenly reached out and pulled you into his arms. He placed a reverent kiss on your young forehead. "Forgive me. I'm a failure as a father," he said in anguish, then pushed you away sadly and fell silent.

At the time, you didn't understand what he meant. You just left the house, feeling a little uneasy.

By the time you realized something was wrong and hurried back, you found your father clutching your mother's urn and photograph, slumped beside the coffee table, his eyes closed forever.

He had taken his own life, dying for love.

Your father's guilt for indulging his own selfish desires?

It's

"Pain?!" You glared at him. "How could you possibly understand my pain?! How could you ever feel it the way I do?!" You wrenched your hand free from Kakashi's grasp and looked at him coldly.

"I know that people can never... never truly empathize with one another."

"Don't stop me, Kakashi... senpai," you said softly.

You moved forward, resolute and unwilling to look back.

No one knew whether this game was sweet poison or bitter honey.

But you were the player,

the key to everything!

So go!

Fearless hero, all-powerful player, beginning and end of everything, go!

Go and break your fate. Let the world,

every last one,

every kind,

every wailing soul,

find peace!

"You must live alongside pain, understand it, adapt to it, and then change it! Break through it!"

Content warnings:

(1) This is an otome story. Please don't make jokes about BL relationships between characters in the comments.

(2) This story is confirmed to be free, written purely out of love (at least this one is). Please be lenient and patient with both the author and the content. Kind words come from a kind heart.

(3) All-character routes with separate endings. OOC warning! OOC warning! Severe OOC warning! At its core, this is a Mary Sue harem story. The plot will try to follow a logical progression.

(4) Although the protagonist is an ordinary person, she's actually not ordinary, since she's a player. The world is real, giving it a feel similar to a fourth-wall-breaking player. "Ordinary" in the title means she has no bloodline limit.

(5) My tastes are complicated. I prefer obscure characters, but I like popular ones too. The different endings have something for everyone.

(6) The whole story is mostly narrated in the second person, using "you." Hino Nobuko is the in-game name you chose.

I'm tired of writing warnings and can't think of anything else. Figure out the rest yourselves. If you run into something you don't like, don't force yourself to keep reading. Just leave and find another story.

Theme: Being weak has never been a sin. Arrogance and contempt are!