How can my simulation be a real love?

It failed, it failed, it failed—

I'm doomed.

The girl's pristine white skirt was now covered in dirty stains. Disheartened, she returned to her apartment building once more, but her steps were unsteady and weak.

It was only a few steps, but it felt like an eternity.

Now even the last person Nagasaki Motoyo could ask, Wakaba Mutsu, has refused her request, and Toyokawa Shoko has blocked her contact information. After this, she probably won't have another chance to contact Shoko.

It has ended.

Her once bright and gentle blue eyes had lost their usual luster. The girl's gaze was as dull and cold as a stagnant pool. She had stirred up the situation before her, making it a mess, like a lump of mud.

Nagasaki Motoyo gripped her shoulder bag tightly with one hand as she finally walked step by step to the foot of her luxurious apartment building, her mind in a daze.

"You're back."

The dazed girl seemed to hear a familiar voice enter her ears.

Nagasaki Motoyo, whose mind was already in turmoil, suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.

No way, this is my own home.

There's no way we should see each other here—

The girl tried to comfort herself, but her beautiful blue eyes still looked around anxiously, her gaze quickly turning towards the source of the sound, her pupils contracting slightly in the next instant.

A handsome young man with shoulder-length black hair tied in a low ponytail was leaning lazily against the wall of the apartment, his deep black eyes, which seemed to see through everything, were also staring intently in her direction.

A faint smile seemed to rise at the corners of his mouth, and a hint of teasing appeared on his face.

"Su Shi, you're back way too late."

"I've been waiting here for ages. It's so hot, won't you invite me up for a coffee?"

The person Nagasaki Motoyo least wanted to see at this moment was waiting here as if she knew in advance that she would return.

Seeing this, Nagasaki Motoyo slightly opened her mouth, and couldn't help but want to take a few steps back.

She then realized that she wasn't hallucinating from a daze. Kazami Naruto's sudden appearance here filled her with an indescribable panic, and the tension and unease instantly filled her whole body.

"..."

Upon realizing what was happening, Nagasaki Motoyo instinctively tried to turn and leave, but due to her long-term vegetarian diet, her physical strength was not even as strong as Kazami Naruto's at his current level, and Kazami Naruto immediately grabbed her wrist first.

This made her already panicked emotions even more extreme; she wanted to run away but couldn't push the other person away.

"Wait a moment."

Fortunately, Kazami Mei reacted quickly and prevented her from running away. Now, Nagasaki Motoyo was also in a state of confusion because of Wakaba Mutsumi. When facing the apologetic Kazami Mei, she even began to speak incoherently.

She held it in for a long time, and could only say softly and weakly—

"Please let me go..."

No, why do I suddenly find Ms. Su Shi kind of cute?

Kazami Mei shook her head slightly, quickly focusing her attention on the important matter at hand.

He was worried that Nagasaki Motoyo would feel pain from his grip on her wrist, so he loosened his grip slightly, making it as gentle as a couple holding hands. But at this distance, he could react immediately even if she tried to escape.

"I'm not some uncle from another world, why would he run away when he sees me?"

Of course, Kazami Mei would not release the tiger back into the mountains at this time.

Now that Nagasaki Motoyo knows she's been killed, if Kazami Mei softens and lets her go home, then even if he waits downstairs forever, he probably won't see her come out again.

After all, the long-term vegetarian Miss's 'champion escape and retreat' strategy has always been very skillful.

"..."

Nagasaki Motoyo kept her head down and chose to remain silent in the face of Kazami Naruto's sudden arrival at her door.

The deck that Wakaba Mutsu used on her was now being used by Nagasaki Motoyo on herself.

"I'd like to talk to you about Xiangzi's matter."

A casual remark from Kazami Mei stopped Nagasaki Motoyo, who was struggling slightly, from her slumber. Now, anything related to the topic of Toyokawa Shoko was absolutely effective for her.

"...I don't want to talk about it."

Nagasaki Motoyo didn't dare to meet Kazami Mei's eyes at all.

She shuddered when the topic of "Toyokawa Shoko" came up, and subconsciously began to avoid it. She knew that if she talked about Shoko with Kazami Mei, she would inevitably be exposed as "hypocritical".

She is afraid.

Kazami Naru: ?

No, he genuinely didn't expect to hear those words from 'Nagasaki Motoyo'.

If it were Lixi, who has a strong personality and somewhat dislikes Xiangzi, who said these words, he wouldn't find it strange at all. But the fact that it was Nagasaki Motoyo, who cares most about Xiangzi and CRYCHIC at this moment, who said these words made him feel quite unbelievable.

Nagasaki Motoyo doesn't want to talk about Toyokawa Shoko, just like Kotori said he doesn't like him!

Could it be that you, Su Shi, are actually someone else in disguise?

Kazami Mei glanced at the other person with some suspicion, but after seeing Ms. Suze's powerful front armor, she chose to rule out Chihaya Aine as a suspect.

"Xiao Sushi?"

Suddenly, a sound from not far away broke the stalemate.

A familiar, dark-haired beauty appeared on the steps in front of the luxury apartment with a strange look in her eyes. She was carrying vegetables and fruits, clearly indicating that she had just returned from shopping.

She stood at a distance, staring in their direction, her gaze constantly sweeping back and forth between the two people's faces.

"Mother……"

Nagasaki Motoyo was completely stunned; she had no idea how to explain it.

On weekdays, Nagasaki Motoyo, the daughter, takes care of all the grocery shopping and cooking herself. As a mother, Mrs. Nagasaki also stays at home on her days off and rarely goes out.

But today, Mrs. Nagasaki went out to buy groceries for the first time ever, and just happened to stumble upon the two of them holding hands. In addition, Miss Susei's clothes were still dirty, so it was very difficult not to misunderstand.

"What exactly is going on?"

21

Chapter Twenty-One: I still softened my heart.

Nagasaki Soseki Family —

Led by Mrs. Nagasaki, Kazami Mei inexplicably found herself entering Suze's house.

It truly lives up to its reputation as a high-end duplex in Tokyo. The moment you open the door, you are greeted by a spacious entryway, designer furniture, an incredibly luxurious living room, and huge floor-to-ceiling windows on the upper floors.

Judging from the approximate area, the penthouse duplex is probably over 300 square meters. The house is more luxurious than a high-end hotel and doesn't look like it's meant for living in.

Although Kazami Mei already knew that Nagasaki Motoyo, who was able to transfer to the elite academy 'Moon Forest', must come from a wealthy family, she did not expect that the impact of this direct exposure to wealth would be so great!

He couldn't help but think to himself that Su Shi was indeed a wealthy woman hiding her true identity.

"Your name is... Kazami Mei, right?"

Mrs. Nagasaki greeted him with a smile, serving him fine black tea. Her curious gaze alone was enough to show how interested she was.

After all, Kazami Mei was seen cuddling and pulling at her daughter in broad daylight; how could a mother not be interested?

"Yes, I'm so sorry to bother you today."

Kazami greeted Mrs. Nagasaki politely, which immediately brought a smile to her face.

"No bothering you, no bothering you~ But I really didn't expect that Naruto-kun would be a member of my little Su-Shi's band~"

"Do you remember when you helped me up on the roadside last time? I didn't even have a chance to thank you before you left. I was planning to introduce you to Xiaosu Shi."

Mrs. Nagasaki was very pleased with Kazami's polite and friendly demeanor. She glanced discreetly in her daughter's direction and noticed that Suze was sitting on the other side of the sofa, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back, and would occasionally avoid Kazami's gaze.

She really didn't expect that this handsome young man, whom she couldn't forget after just one meeting, would actually be friends with her daughter.

Most importantly, their relationship seems to be more than just 'friends'.

"By the way, Mingjun... could you tell Auntie about what happened between you and Xiaosushi?"

"No problem at all--"

After Kazami Mei explained the situation, Mrs. Nagasaki finally understood the general situation.

It turns out that Kazami Mei and her daughter Nagasaki Motoyo were friends in the same band, but recently, some problems arose in the band during a live performance, which made Nagasaki Motoyo feel very depressed, indirectly causing her to stop coming to practice and lose contact with them.

As her friend, Kazami Mei made a special trip to her doorstep to find her.

As a mother, Mrs. Nagasaki was well aware that her daughter was simply hiding at home.

Mrs. Nagasaki suddenly understood why Xiao Susheng had been so listless when she came home earlier. It turned out that there had been some mishaps during the band's performance, and she might have had some minor conflicts with her friends as a result.

However, these things are perfectly normal for high school students in their adolescence!

Mrs. Nagasaki was a little surprised that Kazami Naruto's bandmates cared so much about Xiao Sushi, and even came to their house to check on her.

Mrs. Nagasaki finds it hard to believe that he only has simple 'friendship' with Su Shi.

Kazami Mei was also a little surprised that Japan was so small that anyone she could help was the mother of a vegetarian lady.

However, it was thanks to this 'coincidence' that he had the opportunity to explain things clearly. After all, if Su Shi had insisted on staying at home or simply kept quiet, he might have had a hard time resolving the matter.

"..."

Nagasaki Motoyo frowned slightly, but with her mother beside her, she couldn't offer any explanation.

At first, she thought her mother was just making up a lie to tease her, but who knew that Kazami Mei was actually the handsome boy her mother was talking about who was 'helpful'.

But now she didn't dare to say another word to him. Feeling frustrated and scared, Nagasaki Motoyo could only lower her head and remain silent.

Nagasaki Motoyo's silent and somewhat worried appearance was, in Nagasaki's wife's eyes, a typical case of someone who had made a mistake and was afraid of being disliked by their friends, so they were hiding at home and refusing to go out as if trying to escape.

However, Mrs. Nagasaki, as a mother, is also a senior white-collar worker in a company, so she certainly has the basic ability to judge people.

From the moment she first saw Kazami, she had already decided in her heart that he was a very responsible and excellent child. He had specially chased after her downstairs to wait for Su Shi to come home, so it was unlikely that he had come to 'scold' Su Shi.

"Auntie has put the tea and snacks here~ You two can have a good talk."

Mrs. Nagasaki, with a gentle smile on her face, placed a pile of fine sweets and steaming hot black tea on the coffee table.

As her daughter, Su Shi always appears so mature and reliable in front of her, which makes her, as a mother, always worry that Su Shi might be forcing herself and that she should care for her more.

However, Mrs. Nagasaki is now a little relieved.

With such a worried and responsible boyfriend by her side, Su Shi's bandmates probably mean there shouldn't be any problems.

It's better to leave the rest of the time to the younger generation.

"..."

After Mrs. Nagasaki went upstairs with a smile, Nagasaki Motoyo, who had been silent, finally let out a soft sigh.

When her mother is around, Nagasaki Motoyo has to pretend to be well-behaved and gentle as usual. Only by wearing this mask of a 'good child' can her mother feel at ease. However, this state can no longer be used on Kazami Mei.

She gripped the cup handle, seemingly trying her best to maintain her usual composure. Her deep blue eyes trembled slightly as she stared at Kazami Mei, waiting for him to speak next.

"Su Shi, your house is really big."

"It feels like there's no sense of everyday life at all."

Kazami Mei's first words made Nagasaki Motoyo, who had been trying to remain calm, almost lose her composure.

"Did you come all this way just to say this?"

"Of course not, just expressing my feelings."

Anyone who sees Su Shi's house would surely want to complain, right?

This spacious and luxurious living room, with its high-rise windows overlooking Tokyo, along with the U-shaped sofa and the oddly placed television, hardly resembles a 'home'.

At least Kazami Mei felt no warmth of 'home'. It was more like a temporary dwelling than a 'home' for living in.

The layout of the entire house gives it a formal, business-like feel.

This overly spacious U-shaped sofa feels like it's meant for business entertainment, but it would be perfect for a party. Even if the other four members of Mygo came over, it wouldn't feel crowded at all.

"...?"

Nagasaki Motoyo couldn't help but start fiddling with her fingers.

The tension and unease of waiting for Kazami Mei to start talking about serious matters seemed to be consuming her. The growing panic made her appear even colder, and even her tone of voice lost its usual gentle sweetness.