How can my simulation be a real love?

Faced with Shiina Tatsuki, who seems to have something difficult to say, what do you decide—?

1. Gladly invite the other person to join the band; a good band cannot do without a drummer who controls the rhythm of the whole performance.

2. Ignore her

3. Contact her privately again, using the lamp incident as a pretext to find some leverage against her.

4. Virtual Reality, Personal Simulation

Before he had even finished reading, Kazami Mei spotted an outrageous option.

Isn't this thing called 'Royal Romance Simulator'?

Why do these heretical and outrageous options keep popping up every now and then? And the third option actually seems to make some sense, he feels like it might actually work.

If it were Ms. Shiina Tatsuki, she might really be willing to do anything for the light—

Kazami Mei shook off the thoughts influenced by the simulator and chose the first option.

Although Lixi is a top-notch stress person, her drumming skills and qualities are also first-class. As soon as she joins the band, she can immediately become a core member.

As long as there's no pressure, they're a pretty reliable partner.

[You didn't develop a negative opinion of Shiina Tatsuki because of her previous aggressive behavior; on the contrary, you readily invited her to join the band, which made Chihaya Aine, who was standing nearby, somewhat dissatisfied.]

Lixi seemed completely surprised that you would actually invite her. Out of respect for Deng, she didn't refuse, but even so, she didn't intend to give you a very friendly look.

They even went so far as to say something really harsh to you—a band isn't something you can just mess around with.

Shiina Tatsuki's impression of you has changed.

That's all it took to change things?

What's a few harsh words? If you don't hurl a few insults, the pressure on my buddy will be a little lighter.

Despite some minor setbacks on the way here, you successfully brought your hastily assembled band to 'Starry Night' in Shimokitazawa. While renting the recording studio, you brushed past a strikingly beautiful and elegant blue-haired girl.

[Yamada Ryo has taken a liking to you]

Yamada Ryo's feelings for you have increased.

what's the situation?

When Kazami Mei saw the text displayed on the simulator, the hand holding the hot coffee froze.

This simulation is the second time he's done it.

Whether it's the current 'second cycle' or the previous 'first cycle', in the lamp's simulation, he and Miss Ryo should have absolutely no connection.

The two did have some contact in Miss Liang's simulation before, but it was only a brief encounter.

Even Yamada Ryo, the person involved, forgot about this brief encounter afterward.

But what happened this time?

Why is it that Miss Liang is practically offering herself up for free right from the start?

In this simulation, two people who merely brushed past each other, without even exchanging the slightest bit of words, directly "followed" and "gained favorability".

He simulated Miss Liang before, and this didn't happen when he first met her, right?

Could it be that……

Is it because he's surrounded by so many women this time around that Miss Ryo finds it interesting?

Chihaya Aine, who was practicing in the recording studio for the first time, was clearly a little nervous. Even though she knew that her actual level was not very good, she still insisted on playing guitar and vocals, which led to an argument with Shiina Tatsuki, who was pushing Takamatsu Akari.

[It was thanks to her that you quickly discovered just how terrible this hastily assembled band really was.]

Guitarist Aine seems to only know chords, and lead vocalist Takamatsu Akari, due to past psychological trauma, is always worried about problems and dares not sing. This puts Shiina Tatsuki, who wants to form a good band, in an extremely agitated state.

[Perhaps it's because Chihaya Aine is indeed too inexperienced; even you, who agreed to let her join the band, had your professionalism as a keyboardist questioned by Shiina Tatsuki.]

Holy crap, why did the atmosphere suddenly become so tense?

Lixi, that was just kids joking around, I didn't actually ask you to go into high intensity!

Sitting in the middle, being yelled at from both sides, the pressure is so immense that you might as well go play CS:GO.

This time, your band team-building activity at 'Starry Night' unfortunately ended in failure.

On the way back, Shiina Ritsuki wanted to take Takamatsu Akari home, but because you sensed something hidden in Akari's heart, and under Ritsuki's murderous gaze, you chose to intercept the opportunity to take Akari home.

Chapter Twenty-One: Stay Close to Me

As night falls, trams speed along the slightly rusty tracks, and the dazzling neon lights form a shimmering necklace on the city skyline.

Pedestrians strolled along the street, their faces beaming with laughter or lost in the night's world. Each person found their place in the darkness, while on the other side stood the overpass—

On the small overpass surrounded by tall buildings, two figures walked one after the other onto the slightly dim road.

A gentle breeze slipped through the gaps between the tall buildings, softly lifting a strand of soft hair from the girl's forehead.

"—Ming, am I holding everyone back?"

QQ: 1 49 03 7 98

Takamatsu gripped the hem of her skirt tightly with both hands, lowered her head, and asked in a low voice without turning her head.

I've worked so hard with everyone today, but I still didn't dare to sing. I know you're disappointed in me.

She didn't say those words aloud; they remained hidden in her heart.

Her low, dejected voice seemed to be filled with self-reproach, fearing that if she were to actually utter such cowardly words, Kazami Mei would truly be disappointed in her.

1. I'm so sad

Kazami worked hard to gather the band members for her, but she just stayed by his side and relied on everything he did, failing to even fulfill her own responsibilities.

Is she really that bad?

Kazami exhaled a puff of white breath and reached out to scratch the dark strands of hair behind her ear.

He walked slowly forward, and with each step, a drop of water the size of a bean gently landed on the tip of the girl's nose. Then, raindrops fell slowly like drumming, tearing open a transparent veil in the night sky.

Whoosh——

He slowly opened his umbrella and wrapped it around the girl before she got wet. The two of them stood facing each other in the rain, sharing a large gray umbrella.

At that moment, they seemed to be isolated from the world.

Kazami Mei's slightly languid, dark eyes swept across Takamatsu Akira ahead. His gaze remained calm, as if he were not affected by the girl's dejected mood at all. His smile always gave her courage.

Takamatsu Akari opened her mouth, her slightly trembling lips seemingly trying to say something, but before she could utter a word, Kazami Mei spoke first—

"Light, do you believe me?"

"certainly--"

Almost without hesitation, without even thinking about the 'step', her words came out.

The little penguin realized that she had known him perfectly well from the very first moment she met him.

When he said he wanted to form a band with her for life, it wasn't just a casual remark to appease her.

The next moment, the familiar confident smile gradually bloomed on the face of the black-haired boy with a neat ponytail opposite her.

"In that case, you'd better follow me closely."

……

[Your relationship with Takamatsu lamps has deepened.]

At this age, you have strong self-confidence. Even though this cobbled-together band could fall apart at any moment, you believe there are still many opportunities. As long as you're still here, then the light won't be sad again.

【乾寻】８⒈四乆0③⒎㈨/

Because you have nothing to fear.

To be honest, Kazami Mei is already sweating profusely.

Even though Kazami Mei possesses LV3 music theory skills, his piano skills are still only LV2, probably only slightly better than Aine-chan, a beginner guitarist.

He couldn't handle it as soon as the intensity increased even slightly.

This level might be sufficient for an amateur, but for the extremely strict Shiina Ritsuki, who is just as strict with himself as he is with others, it is clearly not enough.

Not only that, but he also happens to be the keyboardist.

This immediately creates a stark contrast with Toyokawa Shoko, the keyboardist who once partnered with Shiina Tatsuki.

Ultimately, his skills were still amateurish, and he clearly couldn't keep up with the band's standards, especially the charismatic and leader-like Mr. Da Xiang.

"In the end, is it really because my skill level is too low?"

Kazami Mei rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache, and sighed inwardly.

This is because I didn't pay much attention to the piano before. After I had learned it to a certain extent, I became too lazy to continue to improve. During this period, I also neglected my piano practice due to being too lazy.

If I'm going to join the Lights Band in the future, then picking up the piano again is a must.

The number of customers in the store started to increase, and it would obviously have some impact if he continued to slack off and use the time for simulations, so Kazami Mei decided to temporarily stop the simulations and start working wholeheartedly.

He looked at Toyokawa Shoko, who was still diligently making latte art for her coffee. He had just tasted the coffee she had brewed, and although her technique was still a bit immature, it had already reached a satisfactory standard.

"Toyokawa, why don't you go and rest for a bit?"

"You're making good progress right now. You can't rush your studies. Leave the rest of the work to me."

“But…” Kazami Mei’s words made Toyokawa Shoko still hesitate.

Seeing the barely perceptible hesitation on her face, Kazami Mei could roughly guess what she was thinking.

Even if it's a job, taking it too seriously is exhausting.

"If you don't want to be idle, go check out the light food section. You might need to make it yourself later."

"……I see."

Shoko Toyokawa hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly.

Just now, when I was practicing brewing coffee, no matter how it turned out, I would carefully taste it and give her suggestions for improvement.

Her rapid progress is inseparable from the other party's generous sharing of knowledge.

Shoko Toyokawa cannot easily accept other people's kindness, even though her current situation has become like this. She does not want to use such a 'taken-for-granted' reason to convince herself to accept help.

Accepting other people's kindness without permission will only bring her a heavy psychological burden.

She didn't want anyone's pity.

"Looks like I'll have to think of a way to return the favor later..."

Chapter Twenty-Two: Toyokawa Shoko Will Not Be Deceived

After several hours of hard work, it was finally time for him to get off work, which he had been looking forward to the most. Kazami Mei casually changed that damned 'Open for Business' sign to 'Preparing' and immediately relaxed.

Today, thanks to her strong adaptability, Toyokawa Shoko quickly got used to the work rhythm of this store.

Although her coffee brewing skills were still not very good, at least she was able to complete her work on her own, which made her mentor, Kazami Mei, very satisfied.

"Thank you so much for today. I'll take my leave now."

The young woman was very elegant in both her speech and manners, and she displayed her ingrained manners almost at all times.

That's precisely why you can feel her distance even more clearly.

"Toyokawa, don't rush off."

"You must be tired from work today. How about I take you out for dinner?"

Kazami Mei pointed out the direction outside the shop with her thumb and spoke casually.

"I'm sorry, thank you for the invitation, but I have other things to take care of."

But as soon as he said those words, he was immediately met with a cold rejection from the girl.

Toyokawa Shoko was genuinely grateful to Kazami Mei for teaching her for the day, and she would try to repay his kindness in the future, but that was all.

She has no intention of deepening her relationship with anyone right now.