How can my simulation be a real love?

The fingers and palms, however, were soft and supple, and the warmth emanating from the girl's palms was like a small, burning flame, enveloping each other.

Compared to Kazami Mei, Kita Ikuyo's little head was already filled with all sorts of complicated emotions.

The moment Kazami Mei gently took her hand, the girl's delicate body stiffened as if she were a robot, and she dared not exert too much force on the hand being held by him.

With her other hand free, she gently twirled the fiery red tip of her side ponytail with her index finger. Her beautiful, emerald-brown eyes seemed shy at this moment, and began to dart around in circles.

Seeing their hands clasped tightly, Kita Ikuyo spoke with a somewhat cautious tone—

"Ming-sang, is it okay if I just take a picture like this?"

"Just like this, take a picture?"

Kazami Mei was slightly taken aback.

Taking photos is perfectly normal, after all, Ms. Kita is the 'Minister of Online Social Media Promotion' of the band, and has supreme power over photography and promotion.

As a socially active girl, she might suddenly take out her phone to take a picture anytime, anywhere. These are basic skills for socially active girls, so it doesn't seem strange that she would say something like this at this moment.

Besides the fact that the current state is not normal—

The two were holding hands.

Kazami Mei isn't some oblivious light novel protagonist; naturally, he can detect something amiss.

When a girl takes the initiative to hold hands with a guy, it already means that her feelings are not ordinary. Not to mention that Miss Kita's heart is actually more sensitive and delicate than imagined. The fact that she can do this for Kazami Mei shows that she has obvious affection for her.

Her charm was now too strong; even the invincible Kita-san was completely captivated.

It's worth noting that in the simulation, Kita-san gently replaced rejecting the confession with "keeping her answer to herself." Perhaps she only revealed her romantic feelings beyond friendship to Kazami Naruto at the very end, but that was only after their relationship had deepened for a year.

The two have only been officially communicating for less than two months now, and Kazami Mei doesn't know what Kita is planning at this moment. After thinking about it carefully, he decides to find an opportunity to test him.

"It's just the usual photos posted by the 'End of the Band' on their blog~"

"Because there were mostly photos of other people before, and not many photos of Ming-san, I wanted to take this opportunity to take a few pictures. Since Ming was also part of the band, we had to have a group photo to post!"

This is a lie.

Kita Ikuyo simply wanted to hold hands intimately and take a memorable photo with the person she liked.

"...Would you mind taking a photo with me, Ming-sang?"

A hint of disappointment flashed in the girl's eyes, a disappointment that would be hard for anyone to resist at that moment.

"I support."

Kazami Naru raised her hands in surrender.

Now that things have come to this, even if she guessed Kita Ikuyo's thoughts, she couldn't bring herself to refuse.

Upon receiving permission, Miss Kita's lips immediately curved into a smile. Her vibrant, golden-green eyes held a hint of smug satisfaction at her 'plan succeeded,' and even her bright red hair seemed to flutter slightly.

Then the girl skillfully took out her phone, held it up at a standard 45-degree angle, and quietly moved her body into Kazami Naruto's arms. If she had moved back a little more, she might have sat directly in his lap.

"Okay! I'm ready to take the picture now~"

Kita Ikuyo's tension and joy gradually transformed into a surge of excitement and intense exhilaration.

Perhaps due to excessive nervousness, she was somewhat flustered at this moment. Her fair and delicate face had lost its usual 'perfection' and 'cheerfulness' and instead became somewhat stiff and restrained.

"Um, just a moment..."

Miss Kita could only blush and dare not press the selfie button on her phone, feeling like a nobody.

Of course, you can't blame her for that.

Although Miss Kita always secretly fantasizes about various 'intimate' interactions with him before going to sleep at night, reality is worlds apart from her so-called 'fantasy'.

Even the most ordinary little things in the eyes of others are enough to make her timid and hesitant in love.

Seeing her like this, Kazami Mei couldn't help but smile. After thinking for a moment, she slowly spoke—

"Yudai."

"Eh?"

Kita Ikuyo's blush gradually faded, replaced by a sudden surge of astonishment and trembling pupils.

"Naru-san, really... Who is Ikuyo talking about? There shouldn't be anyone named 'Ikuyo' here~"

"Haha~ Naru-san really likes to joke around!"

This is utter nonsense.

The girl in front of me, Kita, has already started to deceive herself by lying through her teeth. Her guilty eyes are practically floating to her grandmother's house, but she is still trying her best to pretend to be innocent and completely unaware.

This clearly shows her aversion to the name 'Yudai'.

Although she really wanted to just brush it off, Kazami rolled her eyes and bluntly exposed her: "...We're classmates, how could I not know your name?"

"Waaah! Don't call me by that name!"

“Ming-san, you probably think this name is a bit too funny, right? After all, how could there still be such an old-fashioned name in this day and age? And it’s even funnier when it’s paired with ‘Kita’…”

The girl's mental state is somewhat worrying; she has even started talking nonsense.

"I might as well call her Kita Reimu, since it's all red anyway!"

This name is still not allowed.

Seeing Kita Ikuyo's amusingly delirious state, Kazami Mei couldn't resist taking out his phone to secretly snap a few photos of Kita as a keepsake.

But the moment he made that move, Miss Kita noticed it immediately.

Kita-san immediately realized that Kazami Naruto was deliberately teasing her, and she glared at him with a hint of resentment, feeling a little embarrassed and angry.

"Ming Sang is so mean, how could she tease me like this..."

Somewhat disgruntled, Miss Kita secretly extended her slender index finger and gently scratched the boy's palm.

It wasn't until she saw a noticeable change in Kazami Mei's expression that the girl's delicate and beautiful face revealed a smile as beautiful as a flower, like the morning dew, fresh, pure, and full of vitality, which could only bring joy to people's hearts.

I don’t know if it’s an illusion.

Now, continuing to hold his hand, she seemed to have lost her previous nervousness.

Under the sunlight, his long, slender, fair, and warm left hand gently took her right hand in his. It was as if the warmth between them could be transmitted through just skin-to-skin contact. If the girl gripped his hand a little tighter, she could even faintly feel his rapid heartbeat.

It's so hard to let go!

"it is good……"

Suddenly, an unexpected thought began to flood the girl's mind.

This sudden thought clung to her like glue, impossible to shake off. So the straightforward and impulsive girl simply stopped thinking about it and decided to follow her heart and do what she wanted to do at that moment.

Since we've already held hands, let's push our luck a little further—

Click~

A crisp selfie sound suddenly rang in my ears.

A hint of surprise flashed in Kazami Mei's dark eyes, and Kita-san suddenly snuggled up to her.

The red-haired girl who took the photo smiled brightly from the bottom of her heart. In the photo, she playfully made a cute peace sign, while her other hand tightly held his hand, their fingers intertwined in an intimate gesture like that of a couple.

The girl's fingers were intertwined with his, as if expressing the purest embrace and love.

Kazami Mei admitted it.

At this moment, he was finding it hard to resist Kita Ikuyo's charm.

……

After casually snapping a few photos, Kita Ikuyo casually flashed a bright and cheerful smile.

Her right hand was still gently holding Kazami's hand, and she walked lightly towards Aine's house in her round-toed black leather shoes, talking about nothing more than ordinary, casual conversation.

The two, who seemed no different from before, were now unable to calm down.

"It seems a bit hot today..."

Kita Ikuyo felt her face getting hotter again. Helpless, she could only use one small hand as a fan to gently wave it. No matter how intense her emotions were, she didn't show it on her face.

I was just acting impulsively and did it on a whim.

It was originally just an ordinary 'holding hands'.

As a result, Kita Ikuyo used taking photos as an excuse to naturally follow Miki's lead and start holding hands like a couple. Just walking down the street like that made her too shy to lift her head, but while she regretted her impulsiveness, she was also filled with joy.

Even Kita Ikuyo herself didn't expect that things would progress so quickly between them.

"Speaking of which, isn't Ming-san's second live show coming up soon this month? I'll definitely drag Boqi and Ryo-senpai along to the audience to support you!"

He continued to talk about ordinary band topics, but the girl's eyes kept stealing glances at his changes.

Even though she had already openly intertwined her fingers with his, Kazami Mei still showed no sign of resistance...

Is this a hint that he can take it a step further?

In that case, should we go to the convenience store in advance to buy some 'equipment' next time?

Thinking about this, Ms. Kita instantly felt her cheeks burning like they were in a furnace.

Her fiery red, shoulder-length hair seemed even more vibrant with shyness. When Kazami looked over, she immediately pretended to admire the scenery and turned her head away, unaware that her exposed fair earlobes had already turned a rosy red.

"It's hard to say how this live performance will go. There's still a lot of work the band hasn't finished, and the rehearsal schedule is a bit tight. We don't know what the situation will be like when we go on stage..."

Kazami Mei didn't deliberately avoid Kita-san's gaze, but his heart was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.

He might have just been testing the waters before, but now he's completely convinced.

Kita Ikuyo definitely likes him.

Kazami Mei realized this and felt extremely conflicted, because the simulation was still ongoing and she couldn't date anyone right now. Even if Kazami Mei was destined to marry someone in the future, she definitely wouldn't choose to do it now.

Although the Kita-san in front of him did indeed make his heart flutter.

But Kazami Meiya can't forget that silly little blockhead, or even the pink-haired girl and Ryo-san who grew old together in the simulation, the girl Ichiji Nijika who always makes his heart flutter, and the little girl Shuten-dō no matter what.

He never intended to bring the simulation into reality, but as expected, there were still some unavoidable effects. He had unknowingly attracted so many girls, and it felt like he was heading straight for the path of a scumbag.

However, if he were to harden his heart and refuse, it would also hurt others, especially someone with Xiaodeng's delicate personality. If he were to refuse her, he wouldn't know what the outcome would be.

This growing sense of unease even made him feel somewhat lost.

"We've arrived at Aine's house!"

Kita Ikuyo's words pulled Kazami Mei back from his thoughts. Before he knew it, he had arrived at the door of Aine's two-story villa. Realizing what had happened, he temporarily put the matter out of his mind and focused all his attention on the present.

"Speaking of which, I haven't met Aine-chan's parents yet, and I don't know if the gift I prepared is enough..."

Kita Ikuyo's tone, however, sounded quite relaxed.

As a cheerful and outgoing young woman, she has a lot of friends wherever she goes. It's perfectly normal for her to occasionally stay overnight at a friend's house; she's already very familiar with this routine.

"What a coincidence, this is the first time I've seen you today."

Kazami Mei glanced at the fruit basket and milk in his hand. After all, as Chihaya Aine's friend of the opposite sex, coming to visit her would definitely be viewed with curiosity by her parents.

ding dong...

The long doorbell rang, and a moment later the iron gate of Chihaya's house was opened.

Before them stood a beautiful woman with short, light brown hair. She looked at Kazami Naruto and Kita Ikuyo with obvious confusion and asked, "May I ask who you are?"

"Hello, Aine-chan's mom~ I'm Kita, who called before. I'm here to visit Aine-chan today~"

"Oh! It's Kita-chan!"

Mrs. Chihaya suddenly looked enlightened, then turned her gaze to Kita, and couldn't help but take a few more glances at the handsome young man.

Kazami Mei introduced herself without hesitation: "Hello, Auntie, I'm Kazami Mei, a friend who forms a band with Aine."

"Friends I play in a band with?"

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Chihaya gave a meaningful wink.

My daughter had been a bit down since she came back from London, but then she seemed to have formed a band at school and became very enthusiastic every day, sometimes even secretly bringing people home.

Although Aine thought she had done it very discreetly, Mrs. Chihaya still found out.

"You two come in quickly~ But Aine is still running a fever, so she probably won't be able to greet you personally."

"It's alright! Rather, we'd like to take care of Aine."

Upon hearing this, Kita Ikuyo responded earnestly with great enthusiasm.