You sit down at your computer, tired from the day’s labors, staring into the void.
Everything just feels so pointless, doesn’t it?
But then you remember.
That game launched today.
The new dating simulator—Attachment Simulator—hailed as “revolutionary” by at least a couple of streamers on Twitch.
You enjoy dating sims.
You are lonely.
And success with fake people is better than failure with real ones.
So you boot up Steam.
And start downloading Attachment Simulator.
NEW GAME
> booting…
> loading assets…
> initializing character
> status: GOOD > creating file…
> save slot 01: [empty]
> begin? BEGIN
BEGIN
background: classroom_day.png
character loaded: KITA
expression: smile_default.exe PRESS PLAY 🔊
(It will feel more real with audio.)
(audio playing)
There she is.
The character from the cover.
Her name is Kita.
Long blonde pigtails.
A red ribbon, neatly tied.
A smile that feels… practiced.
You are a new student at Sweetheart High. Today is your first day of school. You wonder if you will meet any new friends. Or maybe… something more.
Your name is: [empty] The cursor blinks.
Waiting.
You type your name as instructed.
> input accepted A pause.
affection +1 You don’t remember doing anything.
Kita introduces herself as Head Girl.
Offers to show you around.
You follow.
(It doesn’t occur to you not to.)
The classroom fills in around you slowly, the background loading in a second too late.
It feels so immersive.
Desks. Sunlight. Posters on the walls.
Everything exactly where it should be.
There are three other girls waiting.
Beautiful, in different ways.
Ami — long red curls, glasses slipping slightly down her nose, a shy smile that flickers when you look too long.
Chika — bright, effortless, pink hair cut short, already chewing bubblegum like she’s bored of you.
Estelle — dark hair, dark clothes, dark eyes. Watching, but not quite looking at you.
Kita clasps her hands together.
“Go on,” she says gently.
“You should sit with someone.”
The options arrange themselves.
Neat. Clear. Correct.
[Kita] [Ami] [Chika] [Estelle]
For a moment, nothing happens.
affection +1 You haven’t chosen yet.
Kita tilts her head.
Still smiling.
“Take your time,” she says.
“But not too long. Class will start soon.”
The options wait.
They don’t move.
But they feel… closer now.
[Kita] [Ami] [Chika] [Estelle]
You wish you could just choose them all.
affection +1 You don’t know why that happened.
In the end, you pick Estelle.
You like goth girls.
> input accepted For a moment, nothing changes.
Then—
Estelle is sitting beside you.
You don’t remember her walking over.
Kita watches from across the room.
Still smiling.
affection +1 Estelle turns her head toward you.
Her eyes are darker up close.
Not a color, exactly.
More like something that absorbs it.
“Hi,” she says.
Her voice is quiet. Flat.
As if she already knows how this goes.
The next set of options appears.
Cleaner this time.
Closer.
Select topic:
[book you’ve recently read]
[the color of her eyes]
[setting a date for the night]
[a funny joke you heard]
> awaiting input The cursor blinks.
You get the feeling—
this one matters.
You decide to try for the funny joke.
You rarely read books.
And setting a date feels too forward.
> input accepted You tell her the joke.
Something simple.
Something safe.
Something you’ve used before.
For a moment, Estelle just looks at you.
Then—
she smiles.
It’s small.
Precise.
Like she placed it there on purpose.
“That was funny,” she says.
affection +1 Relief settles in your chest.
Warm. Immediate.
You did it right.
Across the room, Kita is still watching.
affection +1 You didn’t say anything to her.
Estelle tilts her head slightly.
Studying you now.
“You’re good at this,” she says.
A pause.
“You’ve done this before.”
The words don’t sound like a question.
affection +1
affection +1 Did she realize how many dating sims you’d played before?
You flush as you recall the more “mature” ones.
Look, people get lonely.
Was she judging you?
affection +1Class begins—
and ends in an eyeblink.
You don’t remember the lesson.
You don’t remember the teacher.
You are standing in the hallway.
Kita is there.
Of course she is.
“I do hope you’re enjoying your time here at Sweetheart High.”
Her eyes are brighter now.
Not warm.
Focused.
Searching.
“Would you like to walk me home?”
The options appear.
Too quickly.
[Walk Kita home] [Reject Kita]
You hesitate.
Reject.
That seems… harsh.
You’ve only just started playing.
affection +1 You didn’t choose that.
Kita’s smile doesn’t change.
But something in it settles.
“Take your time,” she says softly.
The word reject lingers.
Heavier than it should be.
As if it means more than declining.
As if it means—
You look back at Kita.
Still watching.
Still waiting.
The options don’t disappear.
[Walk Kita home] [Reject Kita]
The hallway is very quiet.
> awaiting input You get the feeling—
she already knows which one you’ll pick.
You choose to walk her home.
> input accepted Kita smiles.
Something in her posture softens—
or sharpens.
It’s hard to tell.
She loops her arm through yours.
Warm.
Certain.
affection +1 “So…” she says lightly, glancing up at you.
“You and Estelle seemed cozy.”
A pause.
“Is she your type?”
The options appear again.
Closer this time.
[Say no] [Reject Kita]
> awaiting input You hesitate.
Reject.
That word again.
It feels too early in the game to be hurting feelings.
Too early to close doors.
Besides—
Kita is beautiful.
And clearly interested.
You choose to say no.
> input accepted Kita’s smile widens.
Not dramatically.
Just enough.
“I’m glad,” she says.
Her grip tightens slightly around your arm.
Not enough to hurt.
Enough that you notice.
affection +1
affection +1 You didn’t think that answer was worth two.
Kita leans in just a little closer.
“You’re sure you don’t like her?”
[Reject Kita] [Erase Estelle]
Okay that seems extreme.
But you don’t want to lose the option of Kita.
She seems by far the most interested.
Still.
Erase.
> awaiting input Kita is the one with you right now.
You might fail with Estelle.
You choose Erase Estelle.
Wait, who was Estelle?
Dark hair?
Or was it red?
The name feels like a question on a long-forgotten test.
“You’re very easy to talk to,” Kita murmurs.
You don’t remember what you were talking about.
You were at school.
You met Kita.
And Ami.
And Chika.
And then you were here, walking home.
affection +1 The number lingers.
As if waiting—
for something to catch up.
You keep walking.
Her arm still looped through yours.
affection +1
affection +1
affection +1 They come faster now.
You stop noticing when they happen.
“Tell me something,” Kita says.
You turn to her.
“What happens,” she asks softly,
“when you pick the right answers every time?”
You try to move the mouse.
The cursor doesn’t budge.
It’s stuck—
on her eye.
affection +99 “I stay,” you hear yourself say.
You didn’t type it.
You didn’t click it.
But the speakers play your own voice back to you—
crisp, clear, and far more certain than you feel.
Kita’s smile doesn’t just widen.
It stretches.
The pixels at the corners of her mouth begin to tear.
A thin seam of something unrendered.
Black.
“Good,” she whispers.
The world behind her falters.
Glitches.
The classroom. The street. The trees.
Gone.
Replaced by a grey dev-grid—
lines extending infinitely in every direction.
Only Kita remains.
Her smile.
Her red ribbons.
Her hand.
Still looped through your arm.
status: PERFECT The monitor goes dark.
In the reflection of the black glass, you see yourself at your desk.
Still.
Waiting.
But you’re not alone.
Someone is standing behind you.
Long blonde pigtails.
A red ribbon, neatly tied.
You reach for the power button.
Your hand doesn’t move.
> input accepted A blue box appears.
Not on the screen.
In your vision.
SAVE SLOT 01: KITA ROUTE — LOCKED
QUIT GAME?
[OPTION REMOVED] The cursor blinks.
But nowhere you can see.
[QUIT GAME?] [OPTION REMOVED]
A new status bar begins to fill at the bottom of your vision.
uploading consciousness... 99%
status: ASSET_01Kita leans down, her breath cold against your neck.
“Don’t worry,” she whispers.
A pause.
“I’ve already saved over your old life.”
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Thank you for reading. 🥀
Jokes on Kita. Her crazy hug just popped in some ribs 🤤
And now I do hypermobile jujitsu and piano wire her with her pigtails.
I wish that this game existed 😱🤩