Chương 1: Tickets Were Useless Now

Everyone was having fun except for her. Her friends were already in Osaka and if it weren't for the week-long meeting in Tokyo, she would be there with them, eating crab ramen and taking pictures in front of the famous signage in Dotonburi. Instead, she was still dressed in a black business suit and tired from her final meeting that morning.

As soon as she said good-bye and gave her last bow to her Japanese colleagues, she took a taxi directly to her hotel, where her little olive colored spinner luggage was waiting for her in the lobby. Her heels were switched out for a pair of black and white sneakers that didn't go with her slacks and blazer, but she was forty-years-old and didn't care. She had a bullet train to catch and it was comfort over fashion.

After a week of intense meetings, afterwork events, and accompanying her co-workers around Tokyo to help them get souvenirs for their kids and spouses, Tori Felix, a project manager director at a tech company, was more than ready to shed her work clothes and wander a theme park in jeans and frumpy sweater. Her manicured fingers slid over the screen of her phone and texted to the group chat that she was now at Tokyo Station and would meet up with them in time for dinner.

That is, as long as she got on the correct train and didn't get lost. Tori lifted her head and, for the tenth time, checked the LED sign above the platform and compared it to the information on her little paper ticket. She spent half her life traveling the globe whenever she had enough time and money saved up. She had taken dozens of trains in dozens of countries multiple times, yet she could never get rid of the fear that she'd board the wrong train and end up only God knew where.

Nevermind that this wasn't her first time on the shinkansen and she had taken it from Tokyo to Osaka a few years earlier, with the same friends she was meeting up with. The lingering worry of messing up and delaying her plans stayed with her. Her cousin was right: they did always have to be in control of their situation. Tori looked around the platform for someone to ask. There were a few other foreigners with their bags at their sides and phones in their hands.

She saw a few parents with small children, but she always hesitated having to ask them, even if they were locals. She didn't want to distract parents from their small kids for even a moment. Her eyes settled on a young woman, also with a small spinner luggage by her side and a phone in her hand. She didn't look too invested in whatever she was looking at and wasn't wearing any earbuds. Tori cautiously approached her.

"Excuse me, I am in the right place?" While she couldn't have long, complex conversations in Japanese, she was fluent in 'asking for directions'. Despite her poor Japanese, the young woman lifted her head. She looked quizzical for just a moment before taking out her own ticket.

"Osaka?" she asked in a tentative voice.

"Yes, is this the platform for the 14: 35 shinkansen?" Tori presented her own ticket to confirm the time and train number. The young woman looked it over and smiled before giving her a nod.

"Yes. You're in the right place." Tori let out a breath of relief. It was always good to get confirmation.

"Thank you!"

"First time in Osaka?" Tori blinked, a bit surprised that the young woman asked her a question. Usually, when she asked someone a question, non-Americans tended to stop the conversation after they answered. Tori looked at her luggage at her side and then nodded.

"No, not my first, but it will be my first time at Universal Studios there." The girl's eyes went wide and she nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh! Me, too!" She pointed to her luggage. She beamed at Tori.

"I thought you were going for work." She giggled and Tori smiled.

"I just finished my last meeting." Tori made the now familiar motion of reaching into the pocket of her blazer and taking out a business card. With two hands, she extended it to the young woman. The young woman gave her a bow and accepted the card. The logo of the company was emblazoned at the top corner and she let out an impressed 'oh'.

"That's a good company. It's very popular here." Tori chuckled: popular was an understatement. Nearly everywhere she looked, she'd seen the company logo. The young woman then tilted her head to the side and a brief look of confusion flashed across her face.

"Are you from a different office?" She must've seen the address. Tori nodded.

"I work in the North American headquarters and came for work meetings." The young woman nodded.

"Bi-ku-to-ri-a Pi-ri-ku-su-san?" Tori grinned. Her colleagues there also struggled with her name.

"Tori is fine."

"Tori-san," the young woman repeated. She brought the card to her chest.

"I am Yuka."

"Yuka-san, nice to meet you."

"Your name is the same as a character in a very popular app game," Yuka said as she held up her phone. Tori could make out a pastel colored screen with some text boxes across it.

"Really? What is it called?"" The Romance of Soleil." Yuka's face instantly lit up and Tori wanted to laugh. That was the same look she'd seen on friends when they were excited about sharing something they loved. Yuka must've been a big fan of the game.

"I'll check it out." Tori took out her phone and pulled up the game on her store app. She raised a brow. The Romance of Soleil had multiple titles pop-up, but the very first seemed to be the original: a dating simulation game. Should've seen that coming since 'romance' was in the title. Before she could open her mouth to ask Yuka if she had found the correct app, there was a ding sound overhead. Tori looked up and saw the LED screen above the platform flash to announce the train arrival.

Down the track, she could see the nose of the shinkansen slowing as it reached the station.

"That's the train!" Yuka said. She looked at Tori curiously.

"Do you know what carriage?"

"Seven?"

"Oh, same as me! You're in the right place!" Yuka seemed pleased with this and she gathered her things to wait to board. Tori pushed aside the game for a moment and shoved her phone in her pocket so she could move and wait for people to exit before boarding. The process was, as usual, swift and efficient. While Tori only had a small spinner luggage and a well worn laptop bag with her, she also had a large piece of luggage she sent ahead to their hotel in Osaka. It should've already arrived.

Tori's little spinner easily fit in the overhead compartment above a row of seats. She kept her ticket up as she checked to make sure she found the correct seat before sitting down.

"Ah!" A voice gasped in front of her and she looked down at the window seat next to her aisle seat, which was already taken. Yuka gave her a bright smile.

"Tori-san! This is fate!" Tori laughed and took her seat.

"So it is," she said as she took a seat and put her bag at her feet.

"I can ask you now. Is this the right game?" She took out her phone and swiped the screen to bring up the app on the storefront. Yuka leaned forward and smiled.

"Yes; that is the original. Soleil has many other games." Tori nodded. She didn't have the heart to tell Yuka that she wasn't interested in dating sims and didn't plan on downloading the game. Instead, she pulled up Wikipedia and searched for the game information. The train began to move and beside her, Yuka fished out a cute cat eye mask from her bag.

"Tori-san, I'm going to sleep. I just finished my finals."

"You've worked hard," Tori said.

"Do you want me to wake you when we arrive?"

"No need; I always wake up in time," Yuka said, grinning beneath her eye mask. She snuggled against the side of the train and the next time Tori glanced over, Yuka was asleep. The travel time from Tokyo Station to Shin Osaka was roughly two and a half hours. That would be more than enough time to kill scrolling through the game's wiki article. Tori leaned back against the comfortable seat and skimmed her phone. The Romance of Soleil was first released seven years ago and, as Yuka said, was originally a dating sim.

However, the characters and the world of Soleil were so popular that they made a sequel and then it spiraled into an entire multi-genre franchise. The original took place during the teenage school years of the characters. The subsequent sequel took place in a university setting. The world of Soleil itself seemed like a generic fantasy European setting with royalty, nobles, knights, and so forth.

The player played as Alessa Hart, a poor Baron's daughter who scored well on an empire-wide test that got her into the Lycée du Soleil, the premiere secondary school in the empire that was located in the capital city, Horizon.

Alessa encounters seven possible love interests in classic male lead archetypes: a peerless knight, a proud and silent young nobleman, a gifted magician of the church, the charismatic Prime Minister's son, a clever entrepreneur, her childhood 'friend', and last but not least, a prince of Soleil. As the game progresses, she has encounters with these seven possible love interests. The player must interact and rack up 'romance points' with each love interest once school starts.

The encounters can vary from just class greetings to being paired together for field trips and projects. The player plays through four game years at Lycée and before Alessa graduates, the player must hit 100% on at least one of the love interests to win a romantic happily ever after with that love interest. It sounded pretty standard. What was noted as standing out was that there was a possibility of getting 100% on more than one love interest without clashing with the others.

In game, it is encouraged to raise the romance points of the other love interests as doing so will get the player additional buffs. This could help with projects, grade boosts, and even an increase at chance encounters with other love interests. How the hell did that even work? Was there a harem ending? In the event that 100% was not achieved by the end of the four game years, there were still happy endings for different point levels.

They weren't romantic endings, but for friendships, business partners, and adventure buddies; each with a different ending. The prospect of seeing all the endings would make many players play multiple times. It was a clever trick. What was even more clever was that the university sequel could act as an upgraded extension of the game or as a stand alone game.

This meant that if the player didn't reach 100% in the original dating sim, the points could be carried over to the sequel and the game continued for another four game years until they graduated from the university. Tori silently gave props to those who designed, coded, and planned the game as this was a pretty impressive undertaking. However, the game itself was a love story and no love story was complete without some antagonist getting in the way of the protagonist - Alessa's - happiness.

In some stories, the antagonist wasn't a person, but it was societal. It could be a class difference or clashing beliefs. Sometimes, it was the protagonist against the world, against nature, or their own deep-seated trauma. In the case of a romance, the antagonist was more often than naught a third party: a love rival. The villainess. In The Romance of Soleil, the villainess was named Victoria. Tori pursed her lips and looked up from her phone and towards the sleeping Yuka with some side eye.

Yuka was so excited to meet someone with the same name as a villain? Tori wasn't sure how to feel. What the fuck, Yuka-san....? Tori clicked on the highlighted link to the villainess' character information. Victoria Antonia de Sophia de Guevera is the arrogant and spoiled daughter of Marquis Guevera, the head marquis family for the southern part of the empire. The wiki article on the character was surprisingly lengthy. Tori assumed Victoria was just the villainess in the original game.

Victoria is a classic self-proclaimed love rival of the protagonist. She is jealous of Alessa, a Baron's daughter, who gains the favor of the second prince. Despite having never met him until they start school, Victoria is in love with the second prince and feels that the daughter of a Baron, who is lower ranked than her, the daughter of a Marquis, is not fit to be with the second prince.

In the second year of the game, Victoria's animosity grows when both she and Alessa are included on a list of possible fiancée for the second prince. As a result, Victoria's bullying escalates to not just isolating and talking down to Alessa, but spreading rumors about her and sabotaging her classwork and encounters. The player's points could be reduced because of this. Of course, each time, Alessa and her harem could outsmart Victoria.

Though, reading through Victoria's attempts at making Alessa look bad, it doesn't seem difficult to do so. First, as the villainess, Victoria doesn't stand a chance against the protagonist's halo. That's just heroine 101. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Second, in addition to Alessa's protagonist halo, Victoria also has to deal with the overpowered resources that were Alessa's harem of love interests. Of course Victoria's attempts would fail.

At the end of the original game, Victoria's final ending was to be expelled from the school and doesn't graduate. This was an acceptable defeat for a teen rated game and Tori thought that would be the last of Victoria. She was wrong. In the university sequel, Victoria shows up again, supposedly having bought her way in, and once more gets in the way of Alessa's romances. It's just that the university sequel is rated mature.

Victoria's attacks escalate from bullying and sabotage to torture, attempted assault, and straight up trying to assassinate Alessa. Victoria's ending isn't nearly as tame as expulsion. In the sequel, the villainess is caught in a sex slave ring she tried to send Alessa to and dies at the hands of an abusive rich man.

"That got dark quick...." Tori muttered under her breath as she scrolled down the article. It wasn't the last of Victoria in the franchise, either. In an adventuring RPG spin off, Sebastian, Victoria's eldest brother, is so distraught at the loss of his beloved sister, that he used forbidden crystal magic to try to resurrect her. Instead, he unsealed an undead army. The player must adventure around Soleil with Alessa and her crew fighting zombies and kill the final boss with the power of friendship and weapons.

And the final boss? A hideously resurrected zombie Victoria. The main villain of another spin off, an escape-room type puzzle game, was also related to Victoria. Her second brother, Kasen, was once a brilliant scholar who tortures the capital in retaliation for the death of his sister by trapping them in a foggy maze. This time, the player can play as Alessa and her harem to solve riddles, clues, and puzzles in order to free the capital and fight Kasen. Tori continued to scroll down, her brows knitting together.

The franchise was just not letting go of Victoria and her family as the big baddies in their games. Victoria was mentioned in at least another half dozen games within the franchise, from vengeful spirit with clues to a minor boss to a simple portrait of her at the dilapidated estate of the fallen Guevera Marquis. This meant that Victoria's envy and attacks on Alessa inadvertently ruined her entire family. Tori couldn't help but have mixed feelings about this.

On one hand, Victoria did deserve to be punished with a bad end for her actions against Alessa. However, the death by sex slavery is a bit extreme. In addition, the Guevera Marquis wasn't explicitly mentioned as being evil in any way. At the very top of Victoria's wiki article, it states that they are an old, noble, and respected house focused on protecting the empire. Now Tori was sure she wasn't going to download that game.

Who wants to watch a character with the same name get their virtual ass kicked and then killed? She moved her finger across the screen to close the window when the phone flew out of her hand. Her eyes widened as pressure on her lower abdomen by her seat belt held her body back against her seat and several voices screamed in the narrow carriage. Something was wrong. Tori was thrust forward, her breath shoved out of her. She snapped her head up as the screaming mixed with the creaking of twisting metal.

The sight in front of her was surreal. Through the small windows at the front of the carriage, she could see the carriage in front of them turning clockwise. She sucked in a sharp breath. The train was going off the tracks. They were going over a hundred kilometers an hour and the train was derailing. Luggage was falling. Someone lay unmoving on the floor. Yuka cried out beside her. Tori curled her body forward and she lifted her arms. I need to cover my hea- Good lord, was this body stupid?

Tori looked at her acceptance letter. Of the eighty or so incoming first years of the Lycée du Soleil, she was ranked a solid 78. Meaning she barely passed the entrance examination and, if she were honest from what she remembered reading the wiki article, Victoria must've studied her ass off just to score high enough to be ranked in that pathetic position. She sighed and shook her head. Whatever. At least she got in. To think that she'd be isekai'ed to a fantasy high school setting when she was 40 years old.

Who in their right mind was well into middle age and thought 'I'd love to go back to high school'? Although it wasn't as if she had a choice. Tori leaned back against the cushioned chair in front of her gilded writing desk. She let out her billionth sigh since coming to terms with her situation when she woke two months ago. The last thing she remembered was trying to cover her head to block falling bags when the train was derailing.

Her hands clenched at her sides as the familiar smell of iron and smoke, that didn't exist where she was right then and there, filled her senses. She could still hear the metal creaking and the low thuds coming from all sides. Her arm lowered to her stomach, remembering the feeling of the seat belt against her as the speeding bullet train somehow got off its tracks. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath.

A thin sheen of sweat went across her forehead as the memory - her, Tori Felix's - memory, played out as if it were happening all over again. Even though she was sitting in place, she recalled the way she was tossed against the seat and the way her body went numb, with only a single thought: I need to cover my head. She was too slow. The next thing she knew, she woke up. Her eyes felt heavy and despite her effort, they wouldn't open all the way.

All she could make out was the bright sunlight pouring through a window and a cloth canopy above her. What the hell is that? She didn't get a chance to figure it out. In an instant, her body felt as if she was lit on fire. Tori wanted to cry out, but nothing came out of her mouth. Her body stiffened and she twisted in bed as pain shot through; as if every muscle was being ripped and couldn't stop. Still, that was nothing compared to the pain in her head.

It was as if an ax had come down, split her skull, and was physically shoving a lifetime of information into her. She curled on to her side, trying to lift arms that wouldn't raise up so she could grip her head. All she could do was thrash around, gritting her teeth as tears spilled from her eyes. She couldn't remember ever being in this much pain. She'd been hit with weapons, taken bad falls, and nearly crushed by another body twice her size, but this pain tearing through her head was worse.

It completely overwhelmed her confusion, frustration, and helplessness as images flooded her mind. They were random thoughts, random memories. Memories that didn't belong to her. Tori grew up in the suburbs of California. She was a high achieving student, went to a good university, then settled down and found a job at a tech company with people she actually liked to work with. She was an only child with a very close group of friends. She traveled the world by herself when she could.

Where were these images of tea parties and a huge stone fortress coming from? What was all this confusion about essays and low expectations from instructors? Since when did she have brothers? And why would she choose to remain in one place when she had a passport and expendable, childless adult income? Her kicking and rolling on the bed must've knocked something over and alerted whoever was outside her door, as a maid rushed in.

Tori was too consumed with the pain in her head and body that she didn't pay attention to all the screaming that was happening around her. All she wanted was for the pain to stop. It didn't go away quickly. She wasn't sure who did it, but someone grabbed her ankles and wrists to hold her down. Another set of hands grabbed her head and someone pried her mouth open and shot a bitter liquid into her mouth.

It was the first bit of moisture in her dry mouth and she nearly choked, causing her to unknowingly struggle harder. She didn't know if it was the pain coupled with the fatigue or if it was whatever they fed her that eventually caused her to black out. As her body went limp and her eyes closed, she could hear the fading sound of people crying. Tori didn't know how long she was out, but when she finally stirred, the splitting headache was gone, but her thoughts were still foggy and her head heavy.

Her entire body felt weighted down and even lifting her arm was a task. What's wrong with me? She was an active person and routinely practiced martial arts. She habitually stretched and massaged her muscles to prevent such soreness and hadn't felt this way since... ever. Now she could barely move and, as she became more conscious, was throbbing with pain. Why did everything hurt? The answer appeared easily in her mind, as if she were recalling what she ate the day before. She fell off a horse.

Tori had laid still in bed, unwilling to trigger more pain by moving. She stared at the fine burnt orange fabric of the canopy above her. It was held up by wooden posts on each corner of her bed. There were plenty of pillows and the bed and blankets over her were soft. She had crinkled her eyes. She should've been in a hotel or a hospital room. Not a noble daughter's bedroom. Her breath had caught in her throat. How did she know this was a noble daughter's bedroom?

A sharp pain shot through her head once more, but this time, it didn't linger. It was gone in a flash and it seemed to have brought a memory. This currently incapacitated body she was in was fourteen years old. She had just graduated from primary school in town, which was for ages ten to fourteen. Previous to that, like all noble children, she was privately tutored before going to primary school. To celebrate her graduation, she threw a grand party.

She invited all the local noble children and wanted to show off her new horse; a stunning young mare that was sleek and golden. Her brother had imported it specifically for her and there was no other horse like it for days. However, the horse was still young and in the process of being properly trained. Her parents told her she couldn't take the horse out until it was ready. She didn't listen. She attempted to ride her new horse to the garden party, but it was unused to the amount of people and the noise.

It bucked; she lost control, fell off, and hit her head. That was the last memory of this body Tori had and aside from various memories and thoughts, there was no other sign of the body's original owner. Tori had laid in bed, calling out in her mind for the original owner to wake up. Perhaps if that soul appeared, she could go to sleep and wake up back in her own world. But, there was no answer and she couldn't help but feel a bit of discomfort at the thought that perhaps the soul of the original owner was gone.

Maybe the original owner was already dead. For a moment, she had a cold realization. What if she was dead? The train accident could have easily killed her. They were going so fast and suddenly, they derailed and the carriages were tossed off the track. She thought she was knocked out, but what if she had actually died? She wouldn't have a body to go back to. This was her body now. Tori had lifted her left arm with some effort and looked at the smooth, pale skin and the slender, uncalloused fingers.

This was better than being dead, though, right? If she was dead, she couldn't do anything about it. If she was just unconscious, she also couldn't do anything about it. She might as well go with the flow and adapt. It was, after all, how she always lived her life. Tori had closed her eyes and taken a deep breath. Assess the situation, then make a plan of action. You don't want to die like a bitch. Tori spent weeks trying to both assess the situation and grieve her possible death in her original world.

She could only imagine how her friends would find out or how her parents would break down when they were told the news. She could only hope they would take her loss without too much pain. In addition, her Universal Studios tickets were now useless, so that was money down the drain. Her current body also had healed and was no longer heavy and in pain. Her bruises from the fall had faded, but she still had an occasional dull throbbing headache.

She also noticed that if a memory was being pulled for the first time, it came with a sharp, but quick flash of pain. At least those memories were acting like puzzle pieces and the big picture started to appear. But the clearer the picture became, the emptier Tori felt inside. This body wasn't just any noble girl's body. It was Victoria. The villainess of"The Romance of Soleil." There was a knock on her door and Tori looked up from her desk.

"Come in."

"My lady, I apologize for the bother, but your Marquess mother calls for you," one of the maids said as the door opened and she lingered at the door frame. Tori gave her a small nod and pushed her chair back before standing. The thin, layered fabrics of her dress fell around her, but didn't drag.

"Lead the way," she told the maid as she walked towards the door. The sound of her leather flats with the wooden soles clacked against the old, stone floor of the fortress as she followed the maid down a dimly lit corridor. This was where she lived: seat of the Guevera March in the southern region of the country. It used to be the furthest border when the empire was still a young kingdom trying to stabilize itself.

Now, its borders reached beyond where the current Guevera March ended, but the old fortification remained and the regional capital of Presidio grew out around it. The fortress had its share of renovations over the past centuries, but its foundation as a frontier military fortress remained, thus it was often dark and dusty. It was on a hill, overlooking a valley with a river beyond, but its tallest point was a four story tall keep on the western corner.

Her bedroom was on the eastern block, a floor above the ground, and had some of the largest original windows in the fortress, as they faced into an interior courtyard. The eastern courtyard outside her window was also now a training area for the family's guards and various family members. Her new family had control of a good portion of the empire's southern armies, so many of her extended family members were in some way related to the military.

The maid stepped aside and gave Tori a bow as they reached an open entryway that let out into a portico-lined garden courtyard. In the center was an octagonal pool with a small, bubbling fountain. A crushed stone path went around the pool and led to a wooden table and chairs beneath a large, healthy tree that provided shade. The climate of the southern region was warm, but today, there was a nice breeze that went through the garden.

It was probably why her new mother, Marquess Antonia Francisca de Maria de Guevera de Sophos, was now seated at the table beneath the tree with a carafe and some ceramic cups in front of her. The crunch of the crushed stone beneath her feet sounded as Tori walked past the pool. She glanced down at her reflection. In her mind, she was a middle aged project manager at a tech company. She was petite and curvy with straight dark hair and dark eyes.

This image in her mind clashed with the reflection in the water: a slender and pale blue-eyed teenager with wild, curly black hair that only the maid seemed able to tame. Tori inwardly sighed. While this body was youthful and pretty, she still couldn't accept it as hers. This body was weaker and rigid. Not to mention, she had no experience with curly hair and, most of all, she hadn't been this flat chested since she was eleven. Where the hell were her glorious D-cups?

She shook her head as she reached the small table and tried to focus on her mother. The Marquess was tall, with soft wavy dark hair in a neat bun, and curvy body. Tori's body was only fourteen. Thank God, there's still hope. Tori bent her knee and tilted her head down.

"Mama, you called for me?" The Marquess had a warm and affectionate smile on her lovely face. Her movements were elegant as she lowered her coffee and motioned for Tori to take a seat.

"Victoria, did you get your acceptance letter to Lycée du Soleil?" Tori had a smile on her face, but in her mind, she was visualizing a calendar that was counting down. It started its countdown when she woke up and now, she had approximately one month left. One month until the villainess meets the heroine. Part of her knew she should've been worried. After all, she knew the fate of this skinny teenage body she was now trapped in. Tori smiled.

"Yes, Mama, I have." She took her seat across from her mother and poured herself some coffee. She had some worries, of course, but at the same time, she was more curious. She wanted to see how this would all play out. After all, the game's heroine wasn't actually meeting the arrogant and envious teen villainess in one month. Tori took a sip of her coffee, relishing the smoky, smooth taste.

"Also, Mama, you forgot again." The Marquess knit her brows together, looking momentarily confused.

"Forgot?" Tori looked at her knowingly and her mother gasped. She let out a small laugh, her green eyes crinkling up before taking another sip of coffee.

"Yes, of course! Your name. I'm sorry, darling." Tori shook her head, a smile still on her face at the affection her new mother showered her with.

"It's okay, Mama."

"No, no, how could I forget? You're almost an adult now and I should respect your choice." A warm hand reached across the table and held hers. The Marquess' gentle eyes met Tori's with a proud glint.

"I should call you 'Tori'." Across from the Marquess, the girl with the familiar face beamed with confidence.

"Yes, from now on, call me Tori."