How can my simulation be a real love?

To distract her, Kazami gently took the guitar from her arms and carefully held the antique guitar, which bore the marks of time, in her arms, meticulously maintaining it even after decades.

When you hold the neck of the violin in your palm, you can still feel a faint warmth.

"It's Grandma's guitar!"

The cat, with several chocolates in its little mouth, spoke somewhat indistinctly.

Previously, Rakuna always spoke as she pleased, but when she mentioned 'guitar', her eyes seemed to soften with a smile, making Kazami Mei feel the weight of the guitar even more.

"Then I won't hold back and will play it?"

Kazami Mei smiled and took the pick with the word 'SPACE' printed on it from Rakuna's hand, and began to gently pluck the supple strings.

A gentle and emotional melody began to surround her ears. Although it was an electric guitar, it had a uniquely gentle tone. The melodious and slow melody made Le Nai squint her eyes.

The city's silhouette appeared more distant under the brilliant sunset, and the glass windows of the high-rise buildings on all sides seemed to reflect a mysterious afterglow. The dappled light and shadow reflected on the girl's snow-white skin, creating an atmosphere full of tranquility and peace.

She sat beside the steps, her thoughts gradually becoming hazy.

A place to belong will eventually be created for you.

The cat-like girl slowly opened her eyes, and she seemed to hear the gentle tinkling of wind chimes from that summer day.

Holding a rag doll, she first saw the guitar her grandmother played that summer, and the music that had captivated her back then still lingers in the girl's ears.

Sitting in this parking lot, which used to be 'SPACE', listening to his playing, Kaoru felt as if she could turn around and see the familiar Live entrance again.

The cat's lips curved into a beautiful smile, her heterochromatic eyes fixed intently on the boy's profile.

Smiling like a flower.

……

The time agreed upon with Xiangzi arrived quickly.

Tokyo at night is filled with dazzling and colorful neon lights. Even though the setting sun has completely disappeared behind the horizon, the streets of Tokyo are still brightly lit.

The izakayas and various small shops are always filled with noise, and office workers in suits are rushing to their next business meeting with their phones in hand. The crowds coming and going are lively and bustling.

"Has Su Shi arrived by now?"

Kazami Mei casually glanced at the information displayed on her phone screen.

At this moment, he completely ignored the various hawking noises around him, quickened his pace on the commercial street, and walked straight towards the meeting point.

His main purpose this time was to allow Nagasaki Motoyo and Toyokawa Shoko to have a proper talk.

To prevent the atmosphere between the two from becoming too tense, Kazami Naruto specifically chose a ramen restaurant with a lot of people as the location.

It's like after traveling from Kumamoto to Tokyo, you have to eat a delicious medium-sized beef bowl in order to be able to talk to others more calmly.

After searching around the park where they met for a while, Kazami Mei immediately spotted Ms. Suze, who had arrived early to wait for them.

Motoyo Nagasaki's mental state is not good today.

With a mix of trepidation and nervousness, she arrived at the meeting place early. Dressed in a beige dress, she stared intently at the Line meeting on her phone screen, as if worried that she might miss the message if she lost focus even for a moment.

"call……"

Kazami Naruto had told her before that he would try his best to go to Shoko, and unexpectedly, not long after, she actually learned from him that she could 'agree' to meet Shoko.

Knowing that she would be able to talk to Shoko face to face, Nagasaki Motoyo felt an uncontrollable joy, but before she could be happy for long, she was swallowed up by a strange sense of loss.

Despite her previous efforts, she had failed to obtain any information about Shoko from Mutsu. Furthermore, Shoko Toyokawa had blocked her Line account. What exactly did Kazami Mei do to make Shoko willing to meet her?

How much did he actually help him?

Nagasaki Motoyo dared not think about it.

If she had known beforehand that she would be able to meet Xiangzi, she might have been overjoyed.

But now, a sense of fear has crept into her heart.

hum...

Nagasaki Motoyo, who was holding her phone, suddenly felt a vibration. She was still a little dazed, but she immediately came to her senses and turned on the screen.

[Want to be used as fertilizer? (Looking back)]

Nagasaki Motoyo turned her head and met Kazami Naru's gaze.

Seeing the other person's teasing smile, the tension in her heart seemed to ease a little. She gripped the shoulder bag strap tighter and even avoided meeting his gaze.

Even though she was just using him, Kazami Mei still chose to help her.

At the very least, you should apologize to him properly for what happened before.

"Mingsang, I..."

"I agreed."

Nagasaki Suyo:?

Nagasaki Motoyo, who was suddenly interrupted by him, swallowed back the words of apology she was about to say.

Suddenly unsure how to begin, Su Shi decided to save her apologies and thanks for later, after this matter was resolved.

"Su Shi, you don't look well."

"There shouldn't be any problems when we meet them later, right?"

Kazami Mei scrutinized Su Shi from head to toe with an appraising gaze.

Today, Nagasaki Motoyo looked very different from usual. Her usually gentle face was pale, and her eyes were slightly red and swollen, perhaps because she had stayed up late. She looked tired in an indescribable way.

Perhaps it was because Miss Su Shi was going to have a face-to-face conversation with her long-lost white moonlight Xiangzi. Before this, she was a staunch advocate of "not staying up late", but due to nervousness, she started staying up late for the first time ever, and every day she tossed and turned in bed unable to sleep?

Is she a primary school student who's too excited to sleep because she's going on a spring outing the next day?

"No problem, I just haven't had enough rest..."

Nagasaki Motoyo responded in a flat tone.

Judging from the lingering worry and unease between the girl's brows, and the noticeably dimmed blue eyes, this state was clearly more than just 'not getting enough rest'.

Seeing Xiangzi now would probably be even more troublesome than she imagined.

However, when he sees Xiao Xiang later, he will help keep an eye on things, so it shouldn't escalate into an argument, right?

"Xiangzi will probably be here a while, so let's go to the noodle shop and wait for him."

"Are we really going to run a ramen shop?"

A hint of hesitation flashed in Nagasaki Motoyo's eyes. It just felt a little off to use this place as a conversation venue.

However, as long as I can have a proper talk with Xiangzi, it doesn't matter where we are.

Kazami Mei led Nagasaki Motoyo all the way to 'Shiba Taisho Ramen'.

To avoid disturbing other guests, he deliberately went in and chose the most secluded corner seat. Nagasaki Motoyo, who was visiting the restaurant for the first time, was obviously a little uncomfortable and chose to sit opposite him.

"First, a large serving of hellish miso ramen, with firm noodles, lots of oil, garlic, and plenty of green onions, and plenty of chili! Also, two servings of seared beef sushi and fried tempura, and a serving of grilled squid (not spicy) as an appetizer."

Kazami Naru ordered without even glancing at the menu, leaving the still somewhat apprehensive Ms. Suze puzzled.

"Ming Sang, did you used to frequent this shop?"

"Occasionally—"

Of course, you can't tell the truth.

After only a short wait, Miss Xiangzi, with a cold expression, successfully arrived.

Shoko Toyokawa walked into the store with a frosty expression. Despite her relatively petite stature, she gave off a sense of oppression, as if she were being looked down upon. As usual, she wore the same combination of a pure white striped shirt that wouldn't fade and a gray-black plaid long skirt.

With a black ribbon tied around her chest, she began looking around as soon as she entered.

That beautiful, delicate yet stubborn face softened the moment she saw Kazami Mei, but when she followed her gaze to Nagasaki Motoyo opposite him, that hard-won gentleness was instantly covered by indifference and complexity.

The girl's fingertips, gripping the straps so tightly they were almost white, strode forward with an icy demeanor.

"Xiao Xiang..."

When Nagasaki Motoyo saw Toyokawa Shoko's face, a hint of joy flashed across her face. She immediately put on her usual gentle smile and even moved her body slightly to make room for her.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Toyokawa Shoko walked over, she sat down next to Kazami Mei without hesitation.

Xiangzi sat directly next to Mingsang?

Su Shi was somewhat surprised to see this, but ultimately she couldn't say anything.

"Nagasaki-san, what do you need me for?"

Toyokawa Shoko's aloof tone did not frighten the gentle Nagasaki Motoyo. She silently adjusted her mindset, and her usual warm smile gradually appeared on her face.

Before meeting her, Su Shi had already anticipated that Xiangzi would be so cold. How could she possibly smile after being hurt by "Spring Shadow"? This meeting with her was entirely thanks to Kazami Mei.

To avoid startling the other party, Nagasaki Motoyo suppressed her excitement and tried to speak in her usual sweet and calm tone—

"Thank you so much, Xiao Xiang, for agreeing to meet me this time."

“Ming Sang specifically contacted you because I wanted his help, I hope you won’t blame him.”

The moment the words left her lips, a flash of anger appeared in Toyokawa Shoko's amber eyes.

However, because Kazami Mei was still sitting next to her, even though the negative emotions in her heart were about to explode, she still managed to suppress them. But the tightly pursed corners of her mouth were enough to show that Shoko was not at peace.

"So, what do you want to say?"

She wasn't angry that Nagasaki Motoyo was bothering her, but that Nagasaki Motoyo had gone to bother Kazami Naru just to see her!

"I'm sorry, Xiao Xiang, I didn't mean anything by it..."

"I just wanted to apologize to you, Xiaoxiang. We shouldn't have played 'Spring Shadow' which belongs to CRYCHIC without permission. You must be very sad, Xiaoxiang. I didn't even intend to play it at the time; it was just that the others took the opportunity..."

Nagasaki Motoyo, who was good at reading people, saw Shoko's obvious change in expression and immediately thought to herself, "This is bad."

She quickly apologized to the other party in a soft voice, but Nagasaki Motoyo's apology, which was meant to ease the tension, had no effect on Toyokawa Shoko at that moment.

"It's your business if you want to perform; it has long been none of my concern."

Toyokawa Shoko slowly closed her eyes and spoke in a calm, cold voice.

The current CRYCHIC has long since disbanded, and my own work, "Spring Shadows," will no longer belong to CRYCHIC.

She ran away because she realized she hadn't completely let go of her weak past, and she felt angry and sad because everyone else had moved on from the past while she was still hesitant.

Toyokawa Shoko deeply resented her own weakness.

"Xiao Xiang, that's not how it is!"

"Spring Shadow" is a song that belongs to CRYCHIC; it represents a cherished memory for everyone..."

Is Nagasaki Motoyo still stuck in the past and unable to turn back?

Looking at Toyokawa Shoko in that state was like seeing herself, and her emotions, which had been somewhat subdued, surged up again. A strand of her azure hair fell gently onto her chest with her agitated movements.

But at that moment, Toyokawa Shoko looked at Kazami Mei sitting next to her with a complicated expression, and could only suppress her negative emotions and try to speak calmly: "No matter what, it has nothing to do with me anymore."

Only when she was with Kazami Mei did she not want to say anything too outrageous.

Regardless, Nagasaki Motoyo is still a member of Kazami Mei's band.

Sudden--

Sitting next to Xiangzi, Feng Jianming's phone started vibrating. He frowned and glanced at it, only to find that it was Xiao Mutou calling. The other party was probably calling at this time to ask about the current situation...

However, as things stand now—

Kazami Mei looked at Xiangzi and Su Shi with a complicated expression, then looked down at her phone screen again, unsure whether she should answer the call.

Sitting next to him, Toyokawa Shoko seemed to have noticed what was happening on his side as well. A glint flashed in her beautiful eyes, indicating that she had clearly sensed something.

Suddenly, Kazami Mei felt a warmth on the back of his hand; Shoko had touched him gently with her fingertips without him noticing.

The two had been working together for a long time and had developed a tacit understanding that allowed them to communicate with just their eyes. But this time, Xiangzi chose to tell him in such an obvious way, which showed just how serious she was about to make up her mind.

Having gradually come to understand Xiaoxiang's thoughts, Fengjianming could only sigh softly in his heart.

"I see."

I was hoping that with him here, Xiangzi would speak more gently.

It seems that even though he tried his best to mediate between the two, the vegetarian lady still couldn't escape this ordeal. It looks like he can only comfort her properly later.

Unfortunately, he hadn't even taken a bite of his ramen.

"I'm going out to take this call. You guys talk first."