Art Preview - Hiroko Storyline Ending CG

SPOILER WARNING - This art preview article contains spoilers for one of the endings on Hiroko's Original storyline. Click the links in the article below if you want to see the full image previews.

Hello, cakelings!

Our next CG is a Hiroko-centered one and illustrates one of the endings of her original storyline. Specifically, it's what happens when Kyou makes a fateful decision towards the end of the route not to respect Hiroko's request to remove all of her penlight-induced mental conditioning and convince her to keep it all instead...

Kyou believes, or rather convinces himself, that it's for the best that Hiroko keep the mental conditioning that's helped take her tennis game to the next level. It'll no doubt help her win the upcoming tennis tournament and win her a scholarship to a sports college, but as well as going against her clearly-stated wishes, Kyou also inadvertently persuades Hiroko to keep something else that he introduced to her: The idea that she's attracted to him...

Our protagonist knows he's messed up, and resolves to fix things after the tournament. The big day comes and Hiroko excels just as Kyou had hoped, but before he has a chance to set her mind back to normal, Hiroko surprises him with a deep, loving kiss right there and then. While initially tempted to just let the happy times roll, Kyou has a pang of conscience and pushes Hiroko away in a panic, leaving the poor girl bewildered at the sudden rejection of a boy she thought was well into her.

Kyou goes on to explain his screw up: He didn't remove her mental conditioning like he promised, her mind has been altered and it's not fair to accept her like this. But Hiroko no longer cares. The fact he altered her mind doesn't matter any more; it FEELS right to her, she can accept it and, as she snatches Kyou's penlight and breaks it, tells Kyou to accept it too.

Kyou is troubled by what his actions have led to, but Hiroko continues to reassure him. Can he accept things as they are? He's grown pretty fond of Hiroko after all, and this was the outcome he wanted. Plus she isn't... technically hurt by all of this so he can enjoy a relatively guilt-free relationship with the school tennis star, right? Right...

This adorable yet somewhat uncomfortable CG set will be completed and featuring in the upcoming early access release that I hope to put out early next week, so look forward to it ^^