[Ear Cleaning & Stethoscope] Ayakashi Nostalgia: Childhood Friend Arisu [Ear Acupressure Massage]

──I'm writing this right now while listening to her sleeping breath. To be loved this much, this deeply... just how wonderful a thing is that? To the point where I can say there'd be no greater happiness than being able to answer that feeling. ……That's strange, why does this feel contradictory? I've also been touched by Sumi's feelings, and the protagonist loves that Sumi, treasures her, thinks she's wonderful, irreplaceable — a life with so many things like that must surely be deeply fulfilling, but it's also a path that comes with a weight and responsibility as heavy as what it deserves. It really feels like being the protagonist of a story. Well... anyway, the feelings are thick and deep and vast — and yet the protagonist can never truly feel that weight...... Seen from one angle, it's an incredibly lonely story. What even is happiness, I wonder (philosophical) In Alice's route, do we get to see the happiness of the two of them, the future Alice wishes for? If so, I need to go do it right now ← ………… In the true sense, it's probably impossible for absolutely everyone to always walk a path of perfect, cloudless happiness — especially when it means falling for the same person as someone else — but even after the story ends, life goes on...... I just wish for her to walk a path where, in the end, she herself can look back and think it was a happy one. As for my own declaration── Next time, I'll do my best to also listen to the healing part properly (not really)

First of all, to enjoy this work, it's best to have played the original game Monobeno, and at the very least cleared 'Sumi's' route. Now, about this work — yes, this one focuses on Alice, the heroine who was not chosen, who was never chosen, in Sumi's route. While listening, I was thinking things like "ooh, the ear massage feels nice..." but during the monologue scene while lying beside her sleeping, it hit my tear ducts in a way completely different from the damage in Sumi's route of the audio work. So painful... incredibly painful. This girl — well, every girl in Monobeno is a good girl, but this girl is an especially good girl! And this is the future that happens when that girl isn't chosen. She suppressed feelings of love she could never quite give up on, and still stepped back, praying for the protagonist's, his wife's, his child's, and his sister's peace and happiness... What devotion! What single-minded love! She's way too good a woman! Actually, I haven't finished Alice's route completely yet, but this made me want to immediately clear it and see this girl's happy future. This circle is currently running a lovely campaign, so you should buy it right away. Seriously, do it.

Alice, one of the heroines of Monobeno, is the main focus of this Ayakashi Kyoushuutan installment. In terms of the work's timeline, this takes place after the aftermath of Sumi's route, one of the heroines. So Alice never ends up together with the protagonist. But as a childhood friend who spent time with him since they were kids, Alice could never forget those memories. No matter how much time passed, her feelings for the protagonist never changed, never disappeared. Everyone grew into adults while carrying those feelings. Even after a child was born between the protagonist and Sumi, Alice still couldn't let go of her feelings. And in Sumi's after-story, when Natsuha was saved and peace finally returned to the protagonist, there was no place left for Alice to be by the protagonist's side as family. And yet Alice still loves everyone, and because Alice is a good girl, in order to settle things with her own feelings, she speaks them to the sleeping protagonist. It's the dream of one girl's unrewarded love and romance. Honestly, when I bought this, I thought it would be the usual kind of thing, but in truth, Alice's loneliness stabbed straight into my heart. Of course, since this is from the perspective of Sumi's route protagonist, naturally there's almost nothing visible about Alice's feelings, so I really appreciated that they portrayed those unseen feelings in this way. Of course, this is the result of the choice the protagonist made, so it can't be helped, but it's still incredibly painful that Alice alone ends up alone. Personally, I love Sumi, Natsuha, and Alice all, so I found myself wanting something like a true-end where everyone could become a happy family together. Of course, even if such a route were ever to exist, Alice's choice in this route is something precious that shouldn't be forgotten.

This is a nostalgic work featuring Monobeno's Alice. You can feel from every corner of her words what a good girl she is. Alice is dependable and level-headed. I think if a girl like this were by my side, I'd be incredibly happy. She does the health checkup cheerfully and enthusiastically, but sometimes says things that make you feel her femininity, which gets your heart racing. The ear-point massage gives you chills — it makes your spine shiver, and you can't help but let out an "ohhh" sound. Somehow it feels unrewarded, and I sincerely wish for her to find happiness. Ah, I want to make her happy. Please make a sequel and give her even more happiness. Please.

I strongly, strongly recommend this to anyone who has played Monobeno to the end. My heart trembled so much I couldn't stop crying. The great thing about this work is that it hits hard for those who know the source material, while functioning as healing/comfort for those who don't — it has both sides, and the quality as a work is quite high. If you don't know Monobeno but have been curious about it, this might be a good opportunity to buy it together with Monobeno itself.

Himari-san's portrayal of Alice, along with the ear cleaning, ear-point massage, and other ambient sounds, relaxed me a lot, but even more than that, I found myself absorbed in her narration, and as I listened, I got drawn deeper into the poignancy of the story. Usually with a slow, gentle narration I'd doze off quickly, but this time I found myself listening intently, fully focused. It was really good, so I definitely want people to give it a listen.

So painful～!! Just so painful! While other works in the same series have boy-meets-girl developments or relationships progressing for characters from the original game, this one is relentlessly heartbreaking. Part of that is the situation, but it's also because the voice actress Himari-san's acting ability is amazing. Seriously, every single word carries so much emotion, and along with the soothing sounds, this wave of poignant feeling washes over you until you don't even know where to put your emotions lol Please, I want to hear a work where Alice gets to be happy!

I haven't played Monobeno yet, but I found this really enjoyable. I felt very soothed. The childhood friend Alice was truly adorable. If you like ASMR, buy this! Listening to the ear-cleaning track puts me right to sleep lol It's wonderful healing! The scenario was also good. It's soothing, but there are dramatic moments too, so I'd recommend it to those who want to listen to a story as well! Whisp's ASMR is the best!

In eroge, there exist characters who are just as charming as the main heroines, or even more so, but who never end up together with the protagonist due to their relationship or position in the story. This work shines a spotlight on one such girl, Alice. As a premise, the quality as a healing-focused audio work is already wonderful. But beyond that, the depiction of Alice's emotional state is incredible. It's rare to feel your chest tighten this much while listening. If you've experienced the original work, please give this a listen.

Alice, using her skills as a nurse, soothes away your fatigue. The story proceeds from the checkup with various conversations with Alice, but partway through, once you fall asleep, you get to hear Alice's monologue. You come to learn of her poignant feelings — the love she still holds even now, though she never says it directly, and how she's dealt with that feeling all this time. I really hope she can find happiness in her own way.