How can my simulation be a real love?

8

Chapter 8: The world has gained another bassist.

The next day, early morning.

Kazami Mei, who had climbed out of bed that morning, had never felt so full of energy.

Not only did she feel no weakness or fatigue as she had during her previous fever, but her pale complexion, which had been somewhat sickly a couple of days ago, had also returned to a healthy and normal color, and she even showed some very healthy physiological reactions.

It feels tingly when you squeeze it; it's a bit too healthy.

"It looks like there's no problem."

His recovery was even faster than expected.

I was fully recovered just two days after catching a cold and having a fever. When I woke up in the morning, I felt like I had inexhaustible energy. Even the previous fatigue and cold and cough symptoms had completely disappeared.

Kazami Naruto was initially worried that his close contact with Aine might lead to a cross-infection with the flu virus...

It seems I was overthinking it.

You can see a lot of new messages when you open Line.

This includes the cute emoji Kita Ikuyo sent after we parted yesterday, the promise to "go out together again next time," the thank-you message from the confused Aine, and even a message of concern from Nagasaki Motoyo.

Only Shiina Tatsuki has not been contacted since he left yesterday.

It seems that Li Xi is still working very hard on composing. I didn't even see any band group chat messages on Line today. It's probably because he, the keyboardist, and Ai Yin, the guitarist, are both on sick leave, so the ensemble practice has been put on hold for the time being.

However, as everyone knows, the live performance is coming soon, and even without ensemble practice, they will practice at home on their own.

"No need to go to RiNG ensemble practice today, and no work shift at the shop either..."

Especially now, during the most leisurely summer vacation, people don't even have to go to school.

"I'm strangely feeling a bit idle..."

Kazami Mei gently shook her head.

He felt somewhat out of sorts because he hadn't had a proper rest for so long.

However, since he has been given a chance to rest today, he might as well make good use of it and, like that Ms. Yamada who always wanders around alone, enjoy his own personal time.

At the same time, we should take this opportunity to think carefully about what to do next.

……

[Today's film screening has ended. Thank you for your support.]

[There are stairs inside the venue, please watch your step...]

The sound of staff playing announcements could be heard continuously in the empty venue. The azure starry sky that once filled the dome had disappeared, replaced by a pitch-black ceiling.

Kazami Mei, who was leaning back in the recliner, slowly let out a long sigh before slowly sitting up.

"It's actually quite nice to check your horoscope occasionally."

He had visited this "Evening Primrose" planetarium with Takamatsu Akari before, although he only came to see this stargazing program, which he had never experienced before, to accompany the cute Akari on her date.

But now that I've tried it myself, I seem to be gradually able to understand this hobby.

Simply by lying back in a chair, one can calm down and enjoy the dazzling starry sky in the most relaxed state of mind. Just by immersing oneself in one's own world, one can seem to forget the surrounding fog.

As the astronomical observation concluded, warm-colored daylighting began to illuminate the dome of the entire venue.

"Next, I'll take a stroll around Shimokitazawa and find a restaurant that catches my eye for lunch."

Kazami Naruto, feeling relaxed after gazing at the starry sky, had a slight smile playing on her lips.

"Ming?"

Just as he had left the planetarium and was about to head towards Shimokitazawa, a deep and timid familiar voice suddenly reached his ears. Kazami Mei, who was extremely familiar with this voice, turned his head almost immediately.

In that instant, he spotted the short-haired gray girl who had also emerged from the evening primrose.

The moment she saw Kazami Mei, a hint of surprise appeared in the girl's delicate, downward-curving eyes. Her petite figure, combined with her innate faint gloom, made her timidity immediately apparent.

Isn't this a small light?

"I didn't expect it to be the same event..."

Kazami Mei never expected to run into Takamatsu Akari here.

So, places like planetariums are indeed random spawn points for Little Lanterns?

"So it really is Ming."

Confirming that he hadn't mistaken Takamatsu for someone else, a handsome smile curved his lips.

Today, the girl was simply wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt and loose gray-white shorts. Such a simple outfit did not hide her cuteness and charm at all.

Their adorable, almost animal-like clumsiness evokes a protective instinct in people.

"Ming, what are you doing at the planetarium?"

"...I just wanted to relax by looking at the constellations. After looking at them with you last time, I felt that this place was indeed a good place."

Perhaps it was because of Tingfeng and Jianming that she chose to come to the Evening Primrose to admire the starry sky, and Takamatsu felt a sense of joy in successfully sharing something she liked with others.

She gently pressed her right fist against her chest, her beautiful eyes, slightly lowered, seemed to carry a hint of tenderness.

However, a hint of worry lingered within.

"But, is Ming's body alright?"

Gao Songdeng gradually furrowed his slender eyebrows.

Her deep brown amber eyes shimmered with a faint golden light under the sunlight, and her long, slender black eyelashes trembled gently, just like her mood. Her slightly pursed lips revealed the unease and worry in the girl's heart.

That's obviously obvious.

He felt very light and had nothing to be afraid of.

"I feel like I can live longer than a demon from another realm now."

"Eh?"

The little penguin blinked its eyes, looking a bit dazed.

Although he couldn't quite understand what Kazami was saying, judging from his slightly smug expression and his completely normal complexion, Takamatsu Akari could tell that the other person's cold should be completely cured.

Only after realizing this did the heaviness in my heart gradually dissipate.

"It would be great……"

Finally relieved, Takamatsu Akari revealed a gentle smile from the bottom of her heart.

Smiling like a flower.

Kazami Mei felt Takamatsu Akari's genuine and heartfelt worry and concern, and this pure emotion suddenly made him feel a throbbing in his chest.

Takamatsu Akari, who is not good at expressing her inner feelings, seems to have always expressed them through her actions.

Just like in the simulation, even if Takamatsu Akari's feelings were deep, she could only sadly bear the loss and pain alone, choosing to reject her own confession on the overpass.

If Chihaya Aine's bold expression of love is a blazing fire, then Takamatsu Akari's hidden feelings are silent water.

No matter who you choose, someone will get hurt.

"call……"

Kazami Mei slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, her mood, which had just relaxed, began to become chaotic again.

This isn't the lamp's fault; it's just its own problem.

He simply couldn't find a way to deal with their feelings, because choosing either side would hurt the other people.

"Ming?"

Takamatsu, who is extremely sensitive to 'emotions', felt a sudden tightness in his heart.

She gently furrowed her brows as she looked at Kazami Naru's furrowed brow just moments before. Kazami Naru seemed the same as usual, yet she could sense a subtle difference in his demeanor compared to before.

But when Takamatsu looked closely, Kazami Mei seemed exactly the same as usual.

"I was just wondering how Shiina's arrangement is going, since we're having a live performance soon."

"If Shiina's compositions are even better than mine, I might just lose my job."

Kazami Mei quickly suppressed the emotions rising in her heart and immediately put on her usual relaxed expression.

Even just standing in front of Gao Songdeng makes it difficult for him to control his emotions. He feels increasingly confused, but on the surface he still tries to maintain his usual demeanor.

If he continued to be alone with the small lamp in front of him, he felt that his brain would turn into mush.

"Ming's composition... is amazing!"

Gao Songdeng shook her head vigorously, a resolute glint flashing in her usually gentle eyes.

Regardless of what others think.

But in her heart, the music written by Kazami Mei was the one that best conveyed her inner feelings!

After CRYCHIC disbanded, she was constantly consumed by self-blame and sadness. Even though she wrote countless poems in her notebook to express her inner feelings, she still felt that she could not and was not qualified to integrate into this world, and was constantly bound by confusion.

She could only wander aimlessly in place, as if she had fallen into a swamp, and the more she struggled, the deeper she sank.

But at that moment, a boy with black hair and black eyes appeared.

He was gentle yet powerful, worlds apart from her, yet he understood her inadequacy. Through his excellence, he transformed her 'poem' into 'song,' giving her lost soul a sense of direction.

The poems that are combined with him gain power.

It can be said that only when he is by my side do I have the courage to fight against this world.

A soft light flashed in Kazami Mei's deep black eyes. He wanted to reach out and gently stroke the girl's soft hair as usual, but at this moment his hand involuntarily withdrew.

All I could do was offer her the same smile as always and quietly thank her.

"Thank you so much for the compliment, Xiaodeng. I'm going to check on Shiina's composition progress now."

"Let's come to the planetarium together next time!"

With an increasingly uncontrollable smile on his face, Kazami Mei gently thanked the frail girl before him.

"Um……"

Takamatsu Akari just nodded blankly, her amber eyes staring with a hint of sorrow at Kazami Mei's departing figure, her right hand, which was clenched into a fist, pressing down on her chest with increasing force.

……

Escaping is indeed a tradition of band members.

Kazami Naruto, who hadn't eaten a single grain of rice since waking up in the morning, felt somewhat tired. This mental fatigue was different from physical hunger; his increasingly chaotic thoughts made his brain feel even more confused.

He even became so focused on closing his eyes tightly and simply falling asleep.

"In a sorry state."

Kazami Mei gave a self-deprecating chuckle.

It seemed that because the body had not eaten, it had become incredibly heavy.

Kazami Mei knew, of course, that there was no point in overthinking in this situation, so she simply found the nearest takoyaki stall and prepared to grab something to eat to fill her stomach temporarily.

"Please give me a serving of takoyaki."

"Please give me a serving of takoyaki."

Suddenly, he heard the same words, almost as if they spoke at the same time. He subconsciously looked at the other person, and the moment he turned his head, his eyes met a pair of dark green eyes.

"Kazami-kun, what a coincidence to meet you here."

The girl in front of me had long, beautiful, jet-black hair, a delicate face with no expression but a slightly upturned tone when she spoke, and an outfit that included a black jacket and a musical instrument case, giving her a dashing and beautiful air.

The moment Kazami saw the other person, she recognized him. The handsome black-haired beauty in front of her was none other than Hachiman Kairin, the famous band mercenary who was in the same class as Shiina Tatsuki.

Because Hachiman Kairin was the 'most handsome' woman Kazami Mei had ever seen, he had a very deep impression of her, especially when the band was first formed and there was no bassist, Shiina Tatsuki brought Kairin, who was the bassist, to help.

It was at that time that Kazami Mei first met the other party.

After that, they would occasionally meet at RiNG, but they were just exchanging greetings.

Seeing this dashing mercenary lady again now inexplicably calmed Feng Jianming's somewhat chaotic thoughts.

"That's quite a coincidence... Hachiman-kun, you add teriyaki sauce to your takoyaki too?"

“Because it’s delicious.”