How can my simulation be a real love?

The remaining girls clapped their hands enthusiastically and joined in the applause. Even the most lively Kita-san only showed a normal, bright smile today. As for Pochi and Ryo-san, they simply started clapping with blank expressions.

"No, you lot, could you be any more shocked?!"

The cold response from the group startled Hongxia, who looked up and quickly glanced at Feng Jianming beside her.

Now, Hongxia is starting to suspect that Kazami Mei may have told them about the selection beforehand. Otherwise, such a celebratory piece of good news shouldn't have elicited such a reaction from everyone!

"No—I think they're already quite shocked."

Kazami Mei pointed expressionlessly in the direction of Pochi.

At this moment, Ichiki Nijika blinked slightly and gradually noticed the anomaly.

The pink Tsuchigumo was already in a vacant state, its soul seemingly detached from its body. If you looked closely, Kita Ikuyo's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and even Ryo, who had been expressionless, was trembling slightly with her fingers holding the Monster Drink.

Clearly, all three of them were so shocked that they lost their composure.

"So, what should we do next?"

"Is it time for your official debut? Can you go straight to the Budokan?"

Kita Ikuyo spoke with a stiff smile on her face. From her slightly trembling, high-pitched voice that cracked, and the fact that she started babbling incoherently, one could roughly tell how nervous she was at that moment.

"Fast forward to the scene where everyone storms the martial arts hall in anger, and Naruto instantly transforms into a super keyboardist worth over 100 million yen."

"Lord Naruto, please make sure you hand over all the money you earn from typing to me for safekeeping in the future."

A cool and elegant voice entered her ears. Sitting to the side, Miss Ryo casually leaned closer to Kazami Naruto and even took his hand, revealing a serious expression as she spoke.

Her seemingly casual remark startled everyone present, especially Kita Ikuyo, who was sitting opposite Kazami Mei. Her already stiff smile became even more rigid at this moment.

"Before saying all this, I hope Miss Liang will return the money I owe as soon as possible."

Kazami Mei smiled and grabbed Ryo-san's slender, fair fingers, then gently pried them apart.

Having gone through many hardships, he has developed a strong immunity to beautiful girls. Just because his ex-wife, Ms. Liang, is not enough to fool him.

Not a single penny of the money owed should be missed!

"Can't we offset some of it in another way?"

Seeing that Kazami Mei seemed unmoved today, a strange light flashed in Yamada Ryo's noble and elegant pale gold eyes.

She immediately resumed her playful demeanor, her skin as smooth as snow, and rubbed the corner of her eye with her small hand. The next second, wisps of mist appeared in her eyes, and the beauty mark at the corner of her eye, shrouded in the mist as she deliberately feigned pitifulness, became even more alluring.

Okay, you've got guts—

If you're so capable, turn left and head out the door now, let's settle this under the bed!

Kazami Mei, who only mentally uttered harsh words, knew that he couldn't deal with Ryo-san without Nijika's restraint, so he could only put on that expressionless posture and stiffly change the subject.

He deliberately mimicked the tone of a certain girl with long, straight black hair and a beauty mark, and said coldly, "Don't get too excited yet, everyone. You should know that the main event is yet to come."

Since Shiina Tatsuki wasn't in the band when the band ended, we can't expect Nijika's mom to put pressure on everyone.

Appropriate pressure is necessary for everyone to grow quickly, and he's probably the only one who can handle that kind of pressure.

"That's true~ Today's training should begin soon!"

"Let's work hard together!"

Seeing that Kazami Mei had already taken on the serious role of the 'bad cop', Ichiji Nijika, who was already on the same page with him, naturally couldn't just stand by and watch, so she also took the initiative to take on the role of the 'good cop'.

"Oh!"

In the blink of an eye, the enthusiasm of several girls was immediately aroused.

Today's training is about to begin again, but only Ryo, the bassist, is sitting in place, occasionally scrutinizing Kazami Mei's expression with a meaningful look.

I have a feeling that Kazami's 'threshold' for patience seems to have increased.

Was it because someone did something without her knowledge? Or perhaps this is actually an opportunity for her? She has a perfectly legitimate reason during her recent training, and perhaps she can use it—

……

After finishing training at STARRY in the afternoon, Kazami Naruto left the practice room and glanced at various messages on Line. Only after confirming that there was nothing important did he relax a little.

After being busy for so long, he finally had some free time and decided to enjoy this short break that was just for him.

As dusk settled, the colorful neon lights of Tokyo's streets shone with a dazzling brilliance. The towering skyscrapers of the city obscured the bright starry sky, replacing it with a light as bright as day.

"I need to go buy some ingredients soon. The cooking wine and seasonings are almost gone, so I need to use this free time to prepare..."

Although Kazami Mei said that he would have Daisho-sensei treat him to buy the ingredients later, he didn't actually plan to let him pay for everything.

Not to mention that this isn't just a 'candlelight dinner' for the two of them, Teacher Da Xiang. There's also a silly little wooden boy who can perform the act of biting a cucumber, so he needs to prepare ingredients for at least three people.

Tokyo is, after all, one of Japan's most famous economic hubs, and even in the most remote streets there are plenty of people. So, to avoid the peak hours, Kazami Mei deliberately went to a secluded supermarket near her apartment.

Although this supermarket wasn't very crowded, it still had all the essential items.

"A bottle of light soy sauce and cooking wine, please... I only eat the sweetest milk white chocolate. What about cucumber-flavored potato chips? I won't eat them."

Kazami Mei began skillfully selecting vegetables, eggs, and even meats that were relatively expensive for him in the supermarket. When he saw junk snacks like potato chips, he would grab a bag and put it in his shopping cart.

Suddenly his gaze fell on the nearby beverage freezer, where the latest products were displayed on the most prominent shelf, including oolong tea labeled 'Cream Puff Flavor'.

The Coke or Sprite around it paled in comparison to this stuff.

"What kind of beef or horse flavor is this? Let's try it..."

Just as Kazami reached for the creamy oolong tea on the freezer, he suddenly bumped into another small, fair hand in mid-air. Startled, he immediately turned to look at his side.

The next second, he immediately made eye contact with a blonde girl wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses.

The fact that the other person's attire almost completely covered their face was quite unique in the midsummer of August, and coupled with that familiar long blonde hair, Kazami Naru's expression instantly became strange.

"Miss Triangle?"

Kazami Mei's tentative address using only her surname clearly startled the blonde girl beside her.

However, Misaki Hatsuka quickly recovered from her shock. Her exquisite amethyst-like eyes behind her sunglasses stared at Kazami Mei's face, and then she glanced at the shopping cart in his hand.

"Kazami-kun, I really didn't expect to run into you here..."

He still had to say that.

Mingming had specifically chosen a relatively remote supermarket to buy the ingredients and seasonings she would need, but who knew she would run into an acquaintance at this time and place.

If we include the time he was 'followed' by Miss Hatsuka, Kazami Mei has bumped into her at least four times in Tokyo!? Isn't that a bit too much of a coincidence? Or is he actually some kind of 'female idol encountering a sacred body'?

Then why doesn't he encounter Komachi's purple-haired, starry-eyed girl—

"Miss Triangle, are you here to buy something too?"

Kazami Mei tentatively asked a question.

"Yes, I was just about to buy some daily necessities to take home..."

Seeing the blonde beauty in front of him with a flawless, sweet smile, Kazami Mei's suspicions deepened.

He already felt something was off when he was being 'followed' before, let alone the fact that he had been bumped into by the other party several times in such a short period of time.

However, his skill [Reconnaissance and Counter-Reconnaissance Lv.3] failed to activate, which means that his encounter with Miss Chuhua was really just a coincidence? Or is it that we can't completely trust the effects of skills...?

After all, this thing failed to trigger when Miss Su Shi appeared last time.

Just as Kazami Mei was still pondering in his heart, the triangular Hatsuka in front of him quietly lowered his black baseball cap, and a few glints flashed in his purple eyes hidden behind his sunglasses.

This unexpected encounter with Kazami at the supermarket was indeed quite surprising to her.

However, this might also be an opportunity.

"I heard about it from Xiangzi~"

"Kazami-kun, it seems you've also joined 'Ave Mujica' as a composer. I happen to be the lead vocalist and lyricist. We'll probably be collaborating on songs quite often, so please take good care of me in the future!"

Before anyone knew it, Misaka Chuka quietly took off the sunglasses that covered half of her face, revealing her captivating purple eyes, like jewels, and a gentle smile that could take your breath away in an instant.

Her gorgeous, shoulder-length hair, woven like golden threads, swayed gently. The combination of her appearance and temperament was an almost otherworldly beauty. Just seeing this peerless face was enough to stir one's heart.

"Oh hoo."

"Ok?"

Kazami Mei quickly regained consciousness while she was in a dizzy state under her control.

He casually took the dark sunglasses from Mitsukasa's hand and then gently covered the girl's beautiful violet eyes with them. This was just a precaution in case something unexpected happened.

"Although this is a supermarket in a rather remote location, Miss Triangle, please have a little bit of self-awareness as an idol. If some passerby recognizes you as an idol, you'll probably be unable to wash off the debuff even if you drink milk."

"...Thank you, I'll be more careful next time."

Misaka Hatsuka reached out and touched her sunglasses with some surprise; she had indeed slightly overlooked that point.

As a teenage idol, the thing I fear most is 'scandals'.

As an idol, Mikami Hatsuka doesn't have many friends or relatives in Tokyo. She usually keeps to herself and only goes about her daily life alone. Even when she is invited by friends, she usually spends time with Toyokawa Shoko or fellow idol Junta Mana.

If she were to 'meet' with Kazami Naruto alone at this time, and were accidentally seen or even photographed, her idol career would be devastated.

"But actually, you don't have to keep calling me 'Miss Triangle' so formally. We're already bandmates now... Before this, we were both Shoko's friends, so we can call each other friends now, right?"

With a smile, Misaka Chuka began to speak. Her casual words, coupled with her captivating voice, were incredibly effective.

"Then... Miss Chuhua?"

"Then I'll just call you Naruto-kun too?"

With a slight smile in her eyes, the blonde girl slowly took out her phone and naturally added Kazami Naruto as a Line friend.

The two then developed a complementary relationship, with the former focusing on 'lyric writing' and the latter on 'composing'. Of course, they needed to communicate more to create high-quality songs, and this level of communication did not overstep any boundaries.

Kazami Mei also didn't think there was any problem, after all, it was just exchanging Lines.

Although Miss Chu Hua's feelings for Xiangzi are indeed somewhat heavy, she maintains a normal attitude towards others. With her high emotional intelligence, she always keeps a certain distance from others, and it is actually quite comfortable to be friends with someone as approachable as her.

"But Chu Hua, were you planning to take this just now?"

Kazami Mei glanced subtly at the pink and white bottle of [Cream Puff Oolong Tea] in her hand.

Normal people would be deterred just by seeing this name. Anyone who knows this thing is extraordinary and still has the courage to take it is definitely not a kind person.

He just saw this thing and wanted to try it out of curiosity, thinking that singing something outrageous now and then could relieve some stress.

"I just thought this flavor of drink might be interesting, so I wanted to try it once..."

"When I'm feeling tired from work, I sometimes look for similar new foods or drinks in the supermarket. It's quite interesting to try strange flavors, and sometimes it can relieve some of the stress."

Mikasa Hatsuka touched the frame of her sunglasses somewhat embarrassedly; it was a little shy to have her 'little hobby' discovered.

"I can understand."

Kazami Mei genuinely understands. For example, sometimes he would deliberately watch online bloggers challenge themselves with all sorts of bizarre foods and drinks because he simply found the videos interesting or that they helped relieve his stress.

Moreover, he could tell that Miss Chuhua might really be a little tired.

Kazami Mei first met Misumi Hatsuka at the astronomical museum 'Otome no Kiseki'. Hatsuka was walking along the road at the time and was clearly a little distracted, which is why she accidentally bumped into him.

The pressure and workload that a highly popular idol bears are undoubtedly enormous.

He admired Mitsumi Hatsuka quite a bit. Even under such immense pressure, she could maintain her "idol demeanor" at all times, and could quickly adjust her state in the face of any situation, revealing a sweet smile that was practically flawless.

Even for her childhood sweetheart, Toyokawa Shoko, Miss Hatsuka was willing to work in both places and travel back and forth.

The blonde girl is so pitiful, in every sense of the word.

"I remember you also liked going to 'Evening Primrose Garden', right, Chu Hua?"

"Yes, yes! I really enjoy looking at horoscopes. After work, I often go to that planetarium to watch the shows..."

The two inexplicably found themselves chatting happily in the supermarket, starting with their zodiac signs, then moving on to their everyday interests, and finally discussing how they met Xiangzi.

As they chatted, Mikasa even forgot that she was 'investigating clues' and gradually became immersed in the leisurely conversation.

Perhaps from the day she signed on to become an idol, Mitsumi Hatsuka has never had a proper conversation with anyone. The only people she faces are her idol work partners, or staff members such as 'event planners' or 'managers'.

Today, however, she seemed to be completely detached from work, simply chatting with the black-haired boy in front of her.

"By the way, Chuhua, have you had dinner?"

While chatting with Ms. Hatsuka about the relaxed Kazami Naruto, I casually threw out a well-known greeting as a topic of conversation. To my surprise, Hatsuka only paused for a moment before smiling and speaking.

"I haven't eaten yet. Would you like to eat with me, Naruto?"

Kazami Naru: ?

No, how could you use my magic against me?