How can my simulation be a real love?

I wonder how many more days she'll have to eat bean sprouts, enoki mushrooms, and leftover rice after this meal.

"Ahem, customers! Some of these are free dishes offered as part of our in-store promotion."

"So that's it..."

Toyokawa Shoko nodded seriously, which was taken as an admission of the reason.

"You two seem very close, it's so enviable!"

"you misunderstood……"

A single sentence caused an unnatural blush to immediately appear on the girl's pretty face.

Toyokawa Shoko recalled that her colleagues had mentioned this before, and today even her childhood friend Hatsuka and the stranger she was meeting for the first time thought the same thing.

Does she really look like a couple when she's with Kazami Naruto?

With mixed feelings in her heart, Toyokawa Shoko stared intently at the tonkotsu ramen in front of her.

She reached out her right hand and gently brushed aside the soft, silky light blue hair by her ear, revealing the pure white ear tip slightly tinged with a blush. Her slender, jade-like fingers then picked up chopsticks and gracefully took a bite of ramen.

Toyokawa Shoko's slightly narrowed beautiful eyes seemed to bloom with an invisible bright smile. Such pure beauty made Kazami Mei stare at her without looking away, until she blushed a little.

At this moment, Xiao Xiang looked just like a beautiful fairy from a legend.

It must be said that even watching the young lady eat is such a delightful sight.

……

After finishing dinner, it was already six o'clock in the evening.

The neon lights of the night cast rainbow arcs beneath the dimly lit skyscrapers, the orange-red signs of izakayas flashed on the streets, and the bustling crowds offered no respite from the night's tranquility, while the hot summer breeze lingered all around.

Having not felt this relaxed in a long time, Toyokawa Shoko unconsciously smiled. She walked with Kazami Mei to the intersection, her shoulder bag slung over her shoulder. Feeling her mental fatigue gradually dissipating, she turned and spoke—

"Then, I'll head this way."

"Received! Thank you so much for your generous treat today!"

A slightly teasing smile played on Kazami Mei's face, causing a blush to inexplicably cross her cheeks. However, Toyokawa Shoko maintained a calm demeanor, her delicate brows furrowing slightly, and said, "It was just to express my gratitude..."

In fact, she got a lot of discounts this time, so it didn't cost her much money.

"See you tomorrow, Xiangzi!"

Upon hearing this address, Toyokawa Shoko's expression froze.

Before this, she had been called by her name by countless friends, and she was already used to nicknames like "Xiao Xiang". But the way Feng Jianming addressed her today gave her a feeling that she couldn't quite explain.

However, she didn't dislike the feeling.

"wind……"

Now, when it came to directly saying the name of the black-haired boy in front of her, she was at a loss for words.

Her free left hand quietly pinched the hem of her dress.

Her long, soft, light blue hair gently slid down the girl's shoulder, and only when a faint glint flashed in the girl's alluring eyes did Toyokawa Shoko slowly relax her tense left hand.

"...See you tomorrow, Ming!"

The moment she uttered those words, a feeling of relief and joy welled up in the girl's heart.

However, an overwhelming sense of shyness gradually crept up her soft neck and cheeks. Realizing what was happening, Toyokawa Shoko simply uttered those words and quickly turned and left as if fleeing.

At this moment, Toyokawa Shoko seemed to feel that her former 'weak' self had been resurrected a little.

However, she clearly had no idea just how lethal her appearance had been.

"...Teacher Da Xiang, isn't that a little too cute?"

Watching the blue-haired girl's figure gradually disappear from sight, Kazami Mei made a somewhat complicated remark.

No wonder in the simulation, he was instantly killed and forced into Da Xiang's route the moment he touched Da Xiang.

Who could withstand that?

Kazami Mei shook his head slightly to clear his mind of the jumbled thoughts. Tomorrow he still had to continue his intensive training and part-time job. He needed to hurry back and practice his monster hunting skills and get a cool dragon mount, otherwise he wouldn't be able to get a good night's sleep.

The streets were still bustling with people at night, and even on the sidewalk, many vehicles sped past. A gust of hot wind blew a strand of black hair from his bangs, and in the distance, an electronic screen lit up with a poster of Sumimi.

An office lady in a suit walked past her, and at the same time she accidentally bumped into a passerby. Just as she was about to lose her balance, Kazami stepped forward and quickly helped her up.

"Young man, thank you so much!"

The white-collar woman with black curly hair looked at Kazami Naruto with gratitude. She would have fallen if he hadn't helped her up. There aren't many young people in this day and age who are still willing to help others.

"You're welcome, it's just a little effort."

Kazami smiled and turned to leave, leaving the office lady feeling somewhat disappointed.

He seemed to be about the same age as his daughter, probably a high school student?

17

Chapter Seventeen: Form a band for life.

"Little Su-se~ Mommy's back!"

Mrs. Nagasaki, dressed in a suit and uniform, uttered coquettish lines as she entered the house and immediately threw herself into her daughter's warm embrace, as if the roles of mother and daughter would be reversed without any problem.

At that moment, she seemed to instantly release all the fatigue she had accumulated throughout the day, and she wanted to lie on the sofa, too lazy to even move.

"Mom, welcome back!"

Miss Su Shi, with her long, slightly wavy brown hair, was still holding a spatula in her hand. She gently brushed aside a stray strand of hair by her ear, and the moment she saw her mother return, a gentle smile immediately appeared on the girl's delicate face.

Nagasaki Motoyo quickly untied her apron and sat down on the sofa, letting her mother rest her head on her lap.

To help Mrs. Nagasaki relax, Suze, a high school student, learned to massage skillfully and gently rubbed Mrs. Nagasaki's temples to relieve her fatigue.

As a young girl, she is so gentle and considerate. She is well-behaved and mature for her age, and her mother, who works all year round, hardly needs to worry about her.

While massaging her mother, Nagasaki Motoyo spoke in an incredibly sweet and gentle tone, "Dinner is all ready~ Mom, would you like to eat first and then take a nice bath?"

"Waaah... Xiao Su Shi is so considerate! The thought of marrying Su Shi off in the future makes me so reluctant to let her go!"

Mrs. Nagasaki let out an incomprehensible cry and reached out to hug her daughter, leaving Nagasaki Motoyo momentarily at a loss.

"It's too early to talk about this now! I have no intention of doing so at all..."

The girl's delicate face immediately turned as red as a boiled lobster, but she immediately noticed that although her mother was saying "I'm so reluctant" with great sadness, she had a very obvious teasing smile on her face.

This is clearly a deliberate attempt to mock myself!

"mom!"

"Don't worry~ I was just joking!"

Mrs. Nagasaki covered her mouth slightly and spoke with a smile.

However, when the topic of marrying off her daughter came up, Mrs. Nagasaki suddenly remembered the black-haired young man she had met that evening. Recalling his polite demeanor and the slight regret in his voice, she felt a pang of regret.

"Mom met a really handsome young man today. Someone bumped into her and she almost fell, but luckily he was there to help her up. That young man was really good-looking!"

"It's a pity he left too quickly, otherwise Mom really wanted to introduce Xiao Su Shi to him."

boy?

"Mom is really something..."

Nagasaki Motoyo merely furrowed her brows slightly, her thin cherry lips pursed slightly. She didn't believe her mother's casual, teasing words, taking it all as a joke.

However, when the topic of 'handsome' boys comes up, a blurry image of a black-haired man involuntarily appears in Nagasaki Motoyo's mind.

Although Nagasaki Motoyo had mostly attended all-girls schools since childhood and had little contact with the opposite sex, Kazami Naru, a keyboardist, was indeed the most handsome boy she had ever seen, and just looking at his face would make her feel better.

But the next second she immediately shook her head, trying to shake the jumbled thoughts out of her mind.

"Little Su Shi, what's wrong?"

"Nothing at all! Mom, shouldn't we be eating soon?"

Nagasaki Motoyo quickly put on the 'mask' she usually wore at school and spoke in a slightly creepy, cloying tone. For her, hiding her inner 'self' was as natural as breathing.

This is proof that it is a 'counterfeit'.

In order to better get along with others and integrate into the 'Moon Forest' group of friends at school, she would always choose to show a gentle smile and agree to other people's requests, no matter how resistant or lonely she felt inside.

Over time, she seemed to have turned this 'fake' into an instinct.

"Xiao Su Shi's cooking is so delicious!"

"As long as Mom is happy~"

Faced with her mother's excited praise, Nagasaki Motoyo's eyes narrowed into crescent moons, but her right hand was unconsciously fiddling with her fingers. Ever since she thought of Kazami Mei, her emotions had changed.

She found that her feelings toward Kazami Mei had always been complicated.

Nagasaki Motoyo simply wanted to revive the old 'CRYCHIC', but she had mixed feelings about the band she was currently in, and was always confused because she couldn't make up her mind.

If Toyokawa Shoko were to return to reunite CRYCHIC, it would mean that Aine and Rana are no longer needed, and Kazami Mei, as the keyboardist, is naturally also unnecessary.

But if it really comes to that, can she really do it?

"..."

As Nagasaki Motoyo began to savor the dish with chopsticks in hand, her eyes gradually dimmed.

Now, both Takamatsu Akari and Shiina Tatsuki have unknowingly begun to depend on Kazami Mei. Even Wakaba Mutsumi, who has the most timid personality, will now coldly refuse her requests for the sake of the other party.

They completely disregarded the feelings everyone had for each other.

Why did things turn out this way? Does Xiaomu think it's a bad thing for everyone to have a proper talk with Xiangzi? Does she think it doesn't matter if CRYCHIC never comes back?

Have we all forgotten about 'CRYCHIC'?

No!

If things continue like this, all those warm and beautiful memories we once shared will eventually be forgotten!

"Mom, I'm full."

"I'll clean up the dishes later. Mom can go take a shower after she finishes eating."

Nagasaki Motoyo smiled and put down her chopsticks. She picked up her phone and started browsing through her Line messages. When she found Toyokawa Shoko's private chat, a long list of unread messages was very noticeable.

Previously, Motoyo Nagasaki had privately invited Mutsuko Wakaba to come and watch the live performance with her and Shoko Toyokawa. Now, she felt that there was no turning back.

This time, I really need to make up my mind and have a serious talk with Xiao Xiang!

Everything that happened before was just a misunderstanding. Everyone still has the same deep affection for CRYCHIC as I do!

As long as CRYCHIC comes back, everything will definitely be alright!

Motoyo Nagasaki, you must work your hardest for this.

……

A few days later, RiNG—

The people who had just stepped off the rehearsal stage all had somewhat stiff expressions on their faces.

Shiina Ritsuki, who always strives for perfection, had a stern face and casually put down her drumsticks. She seemed to be holding back a strong sense of tension, as if she could relieve her tense nerves by simply hugging her chest with her hands.

Even Shiina Tatsuki, whose technique is the most stable, was so nervous, not to mention Chihaya Aine, the guitarist who is not confident in herself. When she came off the stage, her calves were shaking.

"Wow! I'm so nervous..."

"The other bands all seem so amazing, it's like we can't compare at all..."

She sat on the other side of the lounge sofa with her small mouth slightly open, revealing her sharp and cute little tiger teeth. Her eyes were somewhat vacant, and her voice was trembling. She was completely different from her usual smug and proud demeanor.

"After all, there are several veteran bands performing at this live show, so just keep a calm mindset~"

Nagasaki Motoyo smiled and comforted Chihaya Aine, her face showing no sign of nervousness about going on stage.

"If the rehearsal is only this good, what will happen when we actually go on stage?"

Shiina Tatsuki's tone was tinged with anxiety, and his gaze unconsciously began to drift toward Kazami Mei not far away.

"Haven't we all practiced well? We just need to perform to our best ability."

"Besides, I think the rehearsal went pretty well, considering we only had less than two weeks to practice."

Kazami Mei was still holding a can of KISS brand coffee in his hand, and he casually reached out and slowly picked up a cookie from the table in the lounge and stuffed it into his mouth, as if he didn't have to go on stage later.