Of course, the correct answer is... B!
It's obvious that if she chose A, she'd immediately crash and burn. The moment the café owner discovered she was keeping a child in the upstairs closet, he'd call the police without hesitation—especially since she had a criminal record. That would spell big trouble.
Option C might seem like a delaying tactic, but giving him hope only to take it away later would be a betrayal of Shunan's expectations. Sending him away would definitely tank his affection points. Moreover, agreeing to be his mother would mean raising him indefinitely—might as well just go for the cheating old white guy; that'd be easier.
Rather than lying or offering false hope, it's better to tell him the truth outright.
After careful consideration, Nianzi followed her instincts and chose B.
"Of course not. There's no place for a child here."
Sure enough, she saw the disappointment in Shunan's eyes. The boy's eyes turned red, as if he were on the verge of tears, but he didn't cry or make a fuss.
Nianzi found his obedience almost unsettling, so she explained seriously, "Were you hoping I'd say something like, 'I'll think about it,' or 'Don't worry, I can take care of you like a mother'? I could say those nice-sounding words, but you know they're impossible, right? If I really stole you away to raise you, I'd be arrested in no time, and you'd still be sent back to your mother. So I won’t lie to you or give you false hope."
"As long as we don't get caught, it's fine..."
Shunan muttered softly but quickly nodded in understanding. "I see. You're right, sister. Please forgive my selfishness, and thank you for not lying to me."
System Notification: Shunan Hajime approves.
Huh?
She thought his affection would drop, but this turned out to be the right choice? Even adults aren’t usually this understanding...
Is he really only two and a half years old?
Nianzi was secretly amazed, suddenly understanding why such a young child was even on the list of romanceable characters. Too bad she wasn’t interested in raising a kid—if she had any other options, she’d much rather finish the game quickly and recover her lost memories. Her current state was strange, plagued by nightmares and frequent headaches.
"Still, even if that’s the case, I’ll look out for you. Whenever you need me, I’ll be there, Shunan."
But she might need to romance him later, so it’s best not to shut the door completely.
With that in mind, Nianzi patted her chest and made her promise.
"Mm. I’ll remember... your promise, sister."
Shunan stared intently at Nianzi, his gaze softening slightly before he fell silent again.
Three hours later.
Thanks to that phone call from Higashikata Tomoko, Joseph Joestar—the man suspected of being the father of two children—showed up.
"It’s been a while, Tomoko. I owe you another apology, and I need to explain the things I didn’t do..."
Joseph Joestar was exactly the kind of old white man Nianzi had imagined—aged but well-preserved, the kind of silver fox who must have been handsome in his youth. He arrived by helicopter with two others, apparently in Japan for some urgent business, which was why he came so quickly. After resolving this matter, he’d have to leave immediately. Since the situation was embarrassing, he decided to talk to Tomoko alone first, leaving his companions waiting on the hospital rooftop.
But the moment they met, Higashikata Tomoko slapped the old man twice across the face without a word.
Whack! Whack!
His pale cheeks immediately reddened, but he didn’t dodge, looking too guilty to protest.
"What else is there to explain? If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it... That child has the same birthmark as Josuke on his shoulder! Are you going to deny it?! I never thought you’d stoop so low as to prey on middle school girls! Joseph Joestar, you’re the worst!"
Before Joseph arrived, Higashikata Tomoko had checked and confirmed that Shunan and Josuke both had identical star-shaped birthmarks on their left shoulders. She’d been so furious she started laughing coldly—after all, the old man had once told her this was the Joestar family’s hereditary mark. It was undeniable proof that Shunan was his.
This also confirmed Nianzi’s suspicion: Shunan’s mother worked as a hostess in a nightclub, often bringing men home. She must have had some kind of encounter with this wealthy old man, resulting in a child...
So he really was a white guy with yellow fever, specifically targeting Asian women. Her chances of successfully romancing him seemed pretty high.
Nianzi silently completed her preliminary assessment of the No. 2 romanceable target. But why was someone like this even an option in an otome game? Something was seriously wrong with this game.
"...What did you say? This child has the Joestar birthmark?!"
The old man froze for a moment before rushing to check Shunan’s back. Upon confirming the mark, Joseph Joestar’s jaw dropped, as if his entire system had crashed. He stood there, unable to react for a long time.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Finally snapping out of it, he flushed red and shouted, "I’m not senile, and I’m not the kind of man who shirks responsibility! I’ll take care of Josuke, but I didn’t do this! I’ve never even met this girl! There must be some kind of mistake!"
The old man was so agitated that no matter how loudly Higashikata Tomoko argued, he stuck to his story and turned to Nianzi with pleading eyes.
"Young lady! Please, tell the truth—whose child is this?!"
System Notification:
Joseph Joestar has pinned his hopes on you. His vehement denial suggests there’s more to Shunan’s origins than meets the eye. You decide to—
A. Insist the child is his, leaving the old man no room to argue.
B. Tell the truth and admit you stole the child.
C. Stay silent.
What to do?
Every time the system prompts a choice, an answer is mandatory. First, eliminate B. But if she picks A, the old man would know she’s lying—that would tank his affection points, ruining any chance of romancing him! Not that she particularly wanted to, but with the other options being a two-year-old, a four-year-old, or a sixty-eight-year-old, the latter was the only one who wasn’t outright criminal. She had no choice!
After a brief hesitation, Nianzi quietly selected C.
Better to wait and see.
"Young lady, please say something! My honor depends on you... Wait, unless—!"
Seeing Nianzi remain silent, Joseph Joestar grew so frantic he seemed on the verge of collapse. But his mind worked quickly, and soon a look of realization dawned on his face.
"Wait, I get it now! It might be... Just give me a second! I’ll explain everything!"
"Joseph!"
Joseph Joestar stormed off down the hospital hallway, leaving Higashikata Tomoko glaring after him, equal parts furious and anxious. Just then, Shunan gently tugged at Nianzi’s hand and whispered to her.
"Big sister can insist it’s his. Whatever you decide to do, I’ll back you up."
Was Shunan suggesting she pin the blame on Joseph Joestar?
Nianzi stared at Shunan in surprise, finding his expression utterly serious—no hint of a joke.
If a two-and-a-half-year-old child helped her put on this act, everyone would surely believe the old man was guilty. Though she also felt this whole situation was absurd, the fact remained that a Japanese woman had given birth to a child who bore his resemblance and even had their family’s hereditary birthmark… Still, she was more curious about how the old man planned to explain himself.
Had he remembered another Asian woman and was now trying to contact her to prove the child’s true parentage? After all, infidelity was just a moral failing, but that kind of accusation was on a whole other level…
Yet, to her shock, a few minutes later, the old man returned dragging along a tall high school boy in a DK uniform who looked strikingly similar to him.
With the air of someone who had cracked the case, Joseph excitedly confronted Nianzi.
"It’s Jotaro’s, isn’t it?! You two go to the same school, you’re around the same age! You snuck around, tasted forbidden fruit, and ended up with this kid! Don’t worry, just tell the truth, little girl—I’ll make sure you’re taken care of! It’s Jotaro’s, right?!"
Joseph Joestar’s eyes shone with anticipation as he stared at Nianzi. The high school boy he’d dragged along initially seemed confused, but as the old man kept talking, his brows furrowed deeper in disbelief, soon twisting into outright anger.
"...What the hell are you even saying, you old bastard?"
Just then, the system pinged again—the portrait for the third romanceable character lit up.
Character: Kujo Jotaro
Age: 17
...Wait, 17?!
Nianzi stared at the new character profile for a full minute, nearly moved to tears.
Good news—finally, a normal character had appeared. And not just normal—gorgeous. Sharp, deep-set features, a jawline like it had been carved from stone, thick lashes, and naturally curly black hair thanks to his mixed heritage. Every detail hit her aesthetic sweet spot. Especially those broad shoulders, towering over 190 cm, the muscles subtly outlined beneath his school vest—like a living Apollo, radiating sheer magnetism.
But then she noticed a slight problem.
Shunan’s affection for her had risen to 45, Josuke’s starting affection was a decent 23, and Joseph Joestar’s was a flat 0. All normal so far.
But this one perfectly normal, seemingly flawless romance option? His starting affection was negative 48—and worse, it was locked, currently unchangeable. (Hint: Complete prerequisite quest to unlock.)
???
This game was definitely rigged.
Yet, in that moment, a new idea flashed through Nianzi’s mind.
[If you don’t want to lower the old man’s affection, you could always pin it on the high school boy.]
She genuinely thought this might be a brilliant move.
Sure, this scowling high schooler was the only normal romanceable character so far, their ages matched perfectly, and he might as well have "I’m the main love interest" stamped on his forehead. But for some reason, his affection was in the negatives—and locked. No doubt he’d be a nightmare to woo.
Since his affection was already locked in the negatives and couldn’t drop any further…
Breaking the lock seemed like way too much effort. Might as well sacrifice him to save the old man.
