How can my simulation be a real love?

The girl's fair cheeks seemed to glow with vibrant poinsettia, the alluring crimson gradually spreading across her face. Her bright eyes shone with a clear light, staring intently at his face as if they could see right through him.

It's as if even the coldest heart can be melted by her warmth.

"That one~"

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled and brilliant shadows on her.

Her dazzling, fiery red hair shone with a gentle glow under the bright sunlight, a glow that soothed the soul. The girl's skirt swayed gently with her sudden movement, and her selfless smile revealed only the 'power' she gave to others.

"Ming-sang still looks very tired. Is it because she hasn't recovered from her cold yet?"

"Is it that obvious?"

That's obvious!

Kita Ikuyo, who always secretly observes him, can tell at a glance what's going on with the boy in front of her.

"But it's kind of cute..."

Kita Ikuyo's lips curled up slightly as she spoke in a voice only she could hear.

Kazami Mei is always full of confidence, as if she can make calm choices no matter what she faces. In her spare time, she will also show her slightly wicked and despicable personality to tease others.

Yet, this same man has become so indecisive.

He was struggling with the complex emotions that kept emerging and intertwining around him, whether it was Ryo-senpai who had ended her band, Aine-chan, Kita Ikuyo, or other 'unknown' girls.

Everyone holds a very important place in his heart.

Therefore, if he chooses to confront anyone directly, he is very likely to hurt everyone around him.

Just as Kita Ikuyo casually grasped his hand again, Kazami Mei still did not resist.

Kita Ikuyo is somewhat happy.

She had thought her romance was a long way off, but when she discovered that Kazami Mei also seemed to have feelings for her beyond friendship, her already passionate heart burned even more intensely.

I even felt a little tempted to confess my feelings to him right here.

However, Kita-san, who is usually quite impulsive, held back at this moment.

There is a 'selfish' element in love.

However, Kita-san, who is kind-hearted and considerate of others, cannot bring herself to hurt others because of her own selfish desires.

"You must be very busy with the band lately, right? Running back and forth between two bands at the same time is really tiring~ Look at you now... you caught a cold and fever without even realizing it, didn't you?"

"Ming-sang! You still need to take better care of yourself!"

The girl's words of concern came from the bottom of her heart with utmost sincerity, making one feel as if they could feel waves of warmth coming towards them.

"That's true, Kita, thank you so much..."

Feeling the warmth emanating from the girl in his hands, Kazami Mei stiffened, unsure of what to do.

This was the first time he had ever felt so indecisive.

Kazami Mei knew that Kita-san liked him.

If he only had special feelings for one person like in the simulation, then he could easily choose to ignore everything around him. However, the real him is very different from the simulation. It is impossible for him to have no feelings for the people around him.

That's why he didn't know what to do.

Kazami Mei truly never expected that this kind of situation, typical of a light novel protagonist, would actually happen to him.

Does this mean he's going to be like the male protagonist in a light novel, 'neither rejecting nor agreeing,' and then nonchalantly enjoy the constant stream of love surrounding him?

That probably still won't work.

Just as he was unable to make a decision, the girl beside him suddenly squeezed his hand tightly.

Kita Ikuyo, who had somehow gotten close to my ear, grinned with her adorable little white teeth. Her beautiful eyes were crinkled into crescent-shaped streams with laughter, and her naturally beautiful face was radiant with an incredibly bright smile.

"Most importantly, Ming-sang, you always seem to overthink things!"

"Isn't there a saying, 'Looking ahead and behind'? Always overthinking things can actually cause problems!"

That's right, looking ahead and behind.

Kita Ikuyo will no longer hesitate or look back.

In her 'dream,' she had already left behind a lifelong regret due to her overthinking. So, at this moment, Kita Ikuyo has learned her lesson and has transformed into a state of complete clarity.

In her eyes, there was only one goal.

"So if Mingsang encounters any problems, there's no need to worry too much!"

"Aren't you conflicted...?"

Kazami Mei took a slow, deep breath, temporarily putting her chaotic thoughts behind her.

These problems will need to be resolved sooner or later, but now is not the time for him to make a direct decision.

He decided to focus on the immediate task before considering things more carefully. He turned to look at Kita Ikuyo, who was smiling brightly beside him. Feeling her concern, he felt even more grateful to Kita-san.

Seeing that the worry between Kazami Naruto's brows seemed to have disappeared, Kita Ikuyo was genuinely happy for him, and even holding hands felt sweeter.

only--

"That, that..."

Just moments ago, Kita-san was all smiles and very confident, but suddenly she became a little shy.

Her fair hands seemed to be sweating due to nervousness; she could even feel that her palms were starting to feel sticky, so she instinctively tried to move her palms away.

To prevent your sweetheart from noticing your 'predicament'.

Any girl in this situation would definitely feel the same way as her.

She absolutely did not want to be disliked by Kazami Mei!

"..."

Kazami Mei seemed to vaguely sense that Kita-san was quietly pulling her little hand back.

They've already taken the initiative to lead it over, why are they running away?

Without hesitation, Kazami Mei gently took Kita's hand.

This instantly caused Kita Ikuyo, whose face was already flushed, to feel her brain steaming. As if from an anime, white steam was slowly rising from the girl's head towards the sky...

Ah, I see~

At that moment, Kazami Mei suddenly noticed Kita-san's embarrassment.

It was just a little bit of hand sweat. The sweat on a pretty girl's hands was on par with the sweet lemon tea. Not only did Kazami Mei not mind, but he also felt that Kita-san's cuteness was a devastating blow to him.

"Woo..."

There's no escaping it now.

Since Kazami Naruto had already noticed that her hands were sweating, Kita-san, who had decided to just give up, suddenly raised her eyebrows.

Although she couldn't bring herself to hurt others because of her 'selfish' intentions.

But after all, it's a so-called 'love war,' so it's normal to be a little 'selfish,' right?

"Ming-sang, if you ever encounter any problems that you can't solve on your own—"

"I hope you can rely on me freely!"

Kita Ikuyo is a little selfish. Compared to Chihaya Aine, who is always by Kazami Mei's side, or Ryo-senpai, whose thoughts and ideas are not simple, she wants to be the most 'special' one in his heart more than herself.

That is, the existence that Kazami Mei can 'rely on'.

"Anything is okay?"

Upon hearing this, Kazami raised an eyebrow and spoke in a somewhat subtle tone.

"Wh-anything is fine!"

This is a bad turn of events.

……

Thick, dark curtains blocked out all the sunlight, leaving the not-so-spacious room with only the dim light from a computer screen. In front of the computer desk were piles of scrap paper and several thick music theory books.

Shiina Tatsuki, who had already returned home and started working, still stared sharply at the audio file on the screen. Her soft, smooth black hair was tightly held down by her headphones, with strands occasionally slipping off her shoulders.

Da da da……

In the dimly lit and silent room, only the occasional sound of keyboard typing and the faint synthesized music from the headphones could be heard.

Shiina Tatsuki, wearing headphones, had slightly red and swollen eyes at the corners of her upturned eyes.

Staring intently at the computer screen, she repeatedly played the audio file with the mouse, but each time she listened, her brows furrowed even more, her expression filled with an unquenchable anxiety.

"no……"

The girl murmured to herself, and suddenly her fair right hand, which was gripping the mouse, tightened its grip.

After taking the revised sheet music home, she immediately synthesized the notes into a music production software. There was an unimaginable difference between simply seeing the sheet music in the coffee shop and actually hearing the piece.

The excellent, high-quality intro melody even makes the second half of the score written by Shiina Tatsuki seem like a burden.

She spent time trying to compose the second half of the piece, but because the rhythm and melody of the first part were so excellent, she could only feel a heavy pressure binding her whole body when composing the second part.

It made it especially difficult for her to even lift her eyes.

"It's not enough, it's far from enough..."

"This level of melody is simply not worthy of the intro that guy wrote!"

She felt her heart beating suddenly faster.

There's not enough time.

The band's first live performance is just around the corner, but the arrangement is still not fully completed.

Kazami Mei entrusted the arrangement work to her with such confidence, and Shiina Tatsuki also decided to write out the complete score within the next few days. She even told him that she would "definitely" finish it.

That way, that guy can rest at home without worry.

but--

So much time has passed, yet Shiina Tatsuki still hasn't made much progress.

Overwhelmed by anxiety, Shiina Tatsuki angrily tore the sheet music he had written into two pieces, as if the momentary feeling could alleviate his anxiety.

After tearing the sheet music in half and throwing it in the trash, Shiina Tatsuki realized that her mood hadn't improved at all.

Because she has more than just anxiety.

"The lyrics to 'The Lamp' are excellent, and the intro that guy wrote is also..."

"The subsequent arrangements must be of the same quality, and often the main melody is even better than the intro!"

Shiina Ritsuki took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

But as soon as she gently closed her eyes, she seemed to see that gentle blue-haired figure before her. If it were Toyokawa Shoko, rather than herself, who was now shouldering the responsibility of arranging the music—

Perhaps, everything is different now.

"Why, why can't I be the only one who can't..."

Shiina Tatsuki's violet-like eyes were now filled with a dimness.

She stared wearily at the sheet music that Kazami had revised. He had simply sketched it with a ballpoint pen and instantly created an excellent melody that she had never even imagined before.

I feel angry at myself for not living up to my potential, and I also feel extremely disappointed in myself.

Unbeknownst to her, Shiina Riki bit her lip too hard and broke it. The sudden stinging pain brought her anxious and confused mind back to focus. At that moment, the melody came to her ears again.

Her right hand, which was gripping the mouse, was already tense.

Whether it was the former Toyokawa Shoko or the older sister she could only look up to from childhood.

Everyone around her seemed to be far superior to her, and no one had any expectations of her.

But Kazami Mei, whom she once thought was just "playing around in a band," is actually a genius who is even more outstanding than Toyokawa Shoko or her own older sister!

But from the very beginning, he trusted her completely, even entrusting her with the most important task of arranging the music.

The only person around her who trusts her completely and has expectations of her.

It turned out to be the guy she hated the most in some ways.