How can my simulation be a real love?

Having already gone abroad to study, you chose to immerse yourself in the world of art in solitude. With your master-level talent and hard work over the years, you have become a leading figure in the art world. But these so-called fame and fortune have no meaning to you.

Even as you lay dying, alone, you seemed to be able to recall precious memories.

The energetic girl grinned, always radiating a gentle vitality with a bright smile. A faint smile bloomed on her incredibly endearing, blushing face, and her dazzling golden hair seemed to shimmer with light—

This is the most precious intermission in your memory.

[End of simulation]

Rating: 39 [Poor]

[Comment: Like the warm and energetic sun, she appears incredibly fragile under your strong wings. You tried your best to hold onto the thread of fate between you, but you could no longer grasp the fruit that had ripened. Even though you and she are the most enviable first love in the eyes of others, this innocent and sweet feeling is ultimately separated by a thin line.]

You received a rating of [Poor] and have been awarded the settlement reward 'New Target - Ijichi Nijika'

[Number of simulations remaining: 4]

Looking at the glaring red score on the simulation screen, Kazami Mei suddenly felt a sharp pain in his stomach. Because he was in so much pain, he took several deep breaths of fresh air before he gradually recovered from the state.

She was dumped by Hongxia's mom...

Don’t do that kind of thing!

Qianxun's first release: 95010909

At least, at least ten years after I die!

"I simply cannot accept this outcome."

The memories that came to mind made Kazami Mei feel a tightness in her chest and a feeling of suffocation when she tried to breathe.

In his eyes, Hongxia should have been the one with the smoothest progress in the game, but she gave him such an glaringly low score, which he simply couldn't understand.

They've already become a couple, and their perfect trajectory is heading straight towards marriage and having three children after graduation.

How could he accept that things suddenly turned out this way?

Kazami Mei took another careful look at the previous options.

[1. Chase after her; we can't let Hongxia run away alone.]

2. Don't chase after her; at this moment, it's even more important to let Hongxia calm down.

3. First, contact the others and ask them to keep an eye on Hongxia's whereabouts.

4. Virtual Reality, Personal Simulation

The first option seemed to be the most reasonable, but it resulted in failure. This clearly indicates that there was a problem with Hongxia herself, and the root cause of the problem must be found to solve it.

"This simulation using the [random identity card] is completely different from the usual one."

Kazami Mei calmed down and began to think seriously.

First of all, the Nijigasaki in this simulation is quite different from the real Nijigasaki.

In real life, Nijika's mother passed away unexpectedly during her childhood. Because she experienced immense sadness and helplessness from a young age, Nijika became incredibly strong from childhood and eventually grew into a strong, energetic, and cheerful 'Saint Nijika'.

However, the simulated Nijika did not experience the loss of her mother, and was constantly tolerated and protected by her childhood friend Kazami Mei since she was a child, so she is not as strong in personality as one might imagine.

When faced with such setbacks, it's easy to become discouraged and give up.

"This is bad, it's entirely my fault for causing the problem."

"It was like a boomerang coming at you!"

It is precisely because Kazami Mei protected Nijika too well that Nijika finds it difficult to stand up on her own in this situation, and her personality has become very weak and overly dependent on herself.

In addition, Ijichi Nijika is too gentle to the people around her, which leads her to take almost all the responsibility for the band's problems upon herself.

The resulting guilt, combined with the effects of her overtraining due to self-blame, is truly terrifying.

This time, Kazami Mei's feelings were even more unbearable than during the simulation with the lights off.

At least back then, he simply died of illness. It didn't matter that he was the one who died in the end. But this time, the gentle Hongxia was injured, which was even more painful than his own death.

Let's just do what Kita simulated and have him run over by a dump truck.

[Start simulation?]

There's still a chance—

Kazami Mei hesitated for a moment before slowly looking at the simulator's interface.

"We still have enough resurrection coins to use, so..."

Kazami Mei slowly closed her eyes, gradually calming herself down.

This time, the outcome must be changed, no matter what.

[Should we continue from where we left off?]

[Number of simulations remaining: 3]

After using a resurrection coin, Kazami Mei only had three simulation attempts left, which were just enough for one 'virtual reality' simulation.

The last time I used this thing, it was immediately destroyed by a dump truck.

If he fails to succeed after using up all three simulation attempts, he will not have any more chances to revive. However, in Kazami's opinion, even if he had more chances to revive, it wouldn't make much difference at this moment.

After all, neither of the remaining two options, 'not chasing after them' or 'notifying others,' seemed like solutions to the problem, so they decided to take a gamble here.

Chapter Twenty-Three: I'll Go My Own Way [4k]

【Simulation starts】

[Number of simulations remaining: 3]

[Continue the previous process?]

After selecting 'yes' again, the same scene appeared before my eyes once more.

This simulator is exceptionally insidious; repeatedly choosing 'chase after' will lead to an unusual 'bad ending.' If Kazami Naruto doesn't have enough simulation attempts, he'll be left helplessly watching this terrible outcome.

Ignoring the other options, Kazami Mei looked at the last one, 'Personal Simulation'.

[Use three simulation attempts to use [Personal Simulation]?]

Damn it, I'll do it myself.

……

When I opened my eyes again, I felt dizzy.

A hazy, drowsy feeling washed over him, and it took him a few seconds to recover from the aching exhaustion that felt like sinking into the ocean. Kazami opened his deep black eyes and stared straight ahead.

A faint buzzing sound seemed to echo in my ears.

He looked down toward the wooden floor, where a panda plush toy lay discarded.

"What are we waiting for?"

Without saying a word, Kazami Mei strode out the door and chased after him.

Since the simulated version of himself couldn't convince Hongxia, he had no choice but to solve the problem himself under immense pressure.

Qiyi Temple Umbrella Qijiu Ba

By this time, Nijika had already left her neighborhood. Kazami Mei didn't know where she had gone, but he assumed she was either at the nearby Shimokitazawa Park or at the 'Cursed Bridge' that he didn't want to go to at all.

He dared not gamble casually, because he only had these three simulation opportunities left.

He would absolutely not be willing to give up on this simulation.

The bright sunlight gently tore through the thin, cicada-wing-like clouds. In this sweltering summer, the ground was as hot as an oven. Even while running on the road, Kazami could still feel the burning sensation of the sun on her skin and the slight pain from constantly inhaling air into her lungs.

"—This damn simulation, how come it inherited my pathetic physical strength too?"

Despite panting and constantly complaining, he didn't dare to slow down his pace in the slightest.

The simulation options are too limited. In reality, even if he begged and pleaded, he would never be able to get Hongxia to break up with him.

"The phone number and contact information should be the same as before..."

As Kazami Mei ran towards the 'Cursed Bridge,' she quickly scrolled through her contacts on her phone and immediately dialed Hoshika's number, asking her to keep watch near the park.

To avoid any loopholes, he called everyone else in advance.

At least having more people would prevent narrowing down the search area. In addition, although Hongxia was much stronger than him, a girl certainly wouldn't have been able to run so far in such a short time.

The blazing sun overhead made the heat even more intense, and the high temperature caused his jet-black hair to become damp with a thin layer of moisture.

Kazami Mei finally breathed a sigh of relief when she finally spotted a warm, golden figure nearby.

Perhaps because she stormed out of the door in a huff, Ichiji Nijika's eyes were red and swollen from crying.

Her cute, soft face puffed up into adorable cheeks. In a moment of impulsiveness, she ran away from home. After running for so long, she gradually calmed down and realized that her boyfriend, Kazami Naruto, was only trying to be kind.

"But if I go back like this, won't he be angry...?"

With her hands behind her back, Ichiji Nijika felt a pang of regret.

"...Of course...I won't be angry."

A tired, panting sound came from beside her, and Hongxia was startled by the sudden sound.

Kazami, with his black hair and black eyes, stood panting beside her, one hand on his hip. His long, black ponytail had come undone from his exertion and was draped over his shoulder. His dark eyes were fixed on Hongxia's figure, which made her feel a little guilty.

Just as she was about to say something aggrieved, Kazami Mei, panting heavily, spoke up, word by word.

"Hongxia, I like you."

"Eh?"

"Now, marry me."

Perhaps because he had taken a few more breaths and felt a bit better, Kazami's words gradually became more fluent.

Ichiji Nijika was stunned for a moment by the sudden declaration of love. She stared blankly at the boy in front of her, and then her pretty face quickly turned a beautiful red as if it were on fire. Even her fingers began to unconsciously pinch the hem of her skirt.

Although, although I've already been confessed to once...

But this time it's gone way too far!

"I'm sorry, Hongxia. I should have explained it to you more carefully before."

"It's just one failed live performance. You'll have countless live performances in your life! I've always had 100% trust in you! Just try again next time, and I'll come to watch no matter how many times."

Kazami Mei stepped forward and hugged the girl tightly, loudly announcing it to her.

This hug was completely different from the ones before.

When Hongxia hugs her boyfriend, she likes to bury her head in his warm embrace, quietly inhaling his unique scent and fully enjoying the powerful, pounding heartbeat.

Each time, it gave her a sense of security.

"I, I know!"

"I'm sorry! I'll go home with you now..."

Nijika blushed and whispered in his ear, her frustration seemingly lessened by his actions.

Even though she was so shyly begging for mercy, Kazami Mei still wouldn't let go.

"I have never considered you a burden."

The sudden, deep voice made Ichiji Nijika's eyes show a hint of realization.

She seemed to recall something, and her expression gradually turned somber.

But before she could speak, Kazami Mei had already spoken first—

"At first, I only had a slight interest in painting. It was the moment I saw you that I wanted to seriously pursue art. No matter how many works I have painted before, every stroke was for Nijika."

"If Hongxia wanted to give up the band and music, and give up our future together—"

"So the so-called 'painting' has no meaning for me at all, and I can give it up at any time."

Kazami Mei's serious words made Nijika freeze in shock. She immediately tried to push the boy away and said in a flustered tone, "No! With such great talent, how can you just give up so easily?"

“Unlike mine, Ming, your ‘painting’ is…”

The girl's eyes widened slightly in the next instant.

The soft touch on her lips turned her mind into mush. In that instant, it was as if time itself had stopped, leaving only emotions and love surging into her brain. Gentle sunlight streamed down from behind, illuminating the girl's fair and rosy earlobes.