How can my simulation be a real love?

Kazami Naruto, standing beside her, twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth, then stared meaningfully at the firelight in the night sky.

broken--

Perhaps it's because spending so much time together can be contagious, but Kazami Mei suddenly began to understand Akari's quirky way of thinking.

However, since he could connect with her, it meant that Kazami Mei could see the emotions hidden in the lantern. So at that moment, he took a deep breath and pondered, "Then let's hold it firmly in our hands and not let any moment slip by."

"Well?"

Takamatsu blinked, his eyes gradually reflecting a faint golden light under the glow of the fireworks.

Hold it in your palm?

"It's all...it's all Soyorin's fault! She kept running and stopping along the way, which is why she couldn't make it!"

"If...if it weren't for...if you hadn't insisted on going to check those stalls, how could it have been delayed until now!"

"What?! Soyorin secretly bought something too!"

Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly heard a series of urgent breaths and complaints.

She and Kazami Naru turned around at almost the same time to look behind them, and saw Chihaya Aine with long cherry blossom hair, her forehead covered with a light layer of sweat, panting as she spoke to Nagasaki Motoyo beside her.

Compared to Chihaya Aine, who was only breathing lightly, Suze, who was wearing a mature-style long dress, was panting heavily.

It's fortunate that Ms. Suze didn't wear a kimono today, otherwise just wearing wooden clogs would have been enough to make her suffer, not to mention that Suze is the young lady of Tsukinomori, and her physical fitness is relatively poor.

The sudden and intense physical exertion caused a few sickly red clouds to appear on the girl's gentle and delicate face, and the fragrant sweat on her forehead and the constant rise and fall of her breasts added a touch of embarrassment to her appearance.

Oh no, now the contrast with Aine next to me is even more obvious.

Fortunately, Kazami Mei had already had her mind trained by various beautiful girls beforehand, otherwise she would have been controlled by her second brother.

"Su-Shi-chan, Aine-chan?"

Gao Songdeng looked at the two people not far away and spoke softly, which made the two of them react immediately.

"Hey! Dengdeng's here too? Speaking of which..."

Chihaya Aine immediately noticed the two holding hands not far away. Her expression turned somewhat surprised upon seeing this, but she quickly calmed herself down.

I think they were holding hands just to prevent getting lost, right?

Since Chihaya Aine had just withstood Wakaba Mutsumi's full-force 'Ultra Bomb', compared to that level of killing move, 'holding hands' seemed rather ordinary.

Even so, Miss Aine still felt a little uneasy. She felt jealous thinking about how much Mingming doted on Xiaodeng, so she stubbornly prepared to move to his other side.

Who would have thought that Miss Su Shi seemed to be one step ahead.

"Sorry, we were slightly delayed on the way... but it seems we still made it in time."

"I just happened to run into the lantern on my way here and we came together. The fireworks have just started."

Upon hearing Kazami Mei's explanation, a barely perceptible glint flashed in Ms. Suze's eyes.

She strolled to the fence as if she hadn't seen the two holding hands, then revealed her usual gentle smile. Even seeing Gao Songdeng's current state, she didn't make any move, and the faint jealousy and resentment were gradually buried deep in her heart.

She already knew.

Everyone in Mygo loves Naruto, so she didn't expect things to turn out this way.

My husband is just too charming—

It's inevitable that someone who is popular with girls will be loved by others. Nagasaki Motoyo, who has long considered herself a 'wife' in her heart, would not care about such a small matter. After all, she had vented her emotions to Naruto several times in her 'dreams' because of jealousy.

After that, she became much more 'generous'.

Even if her husband has some contact with other girls, it's not a problem, as long as the other person is someone Nagasaki Motoyo allows. Things like patting someone's head or hugging someone are acceptable.

"The fireworks are so beautiful!"

Nagasaki Motoyo spoke with a hint of melancholy, her slender, delicate right hand gently rubbing the ends of her hair on her fragrant shoulder.

However, 'jealousy' is still 'jealousy', and she will take all these grievances back from her philandering husband, and she will definitely not let him off easily afterward.

Somewhat displeased, Miss Su Shi gently rubbed her fingertips. Although she was secretly plotting something wicked, she smiled and said, "Oh, right~ Ming, as a thank you for taking such good care of me during this time... this is for you."

"Then I won't be polite... um?"

Kazami Mei looked at the gift bag that Ms. Suze had sent with some surprise. He glanced inside and saw a brand new leather wallet. The moment he saw it, he looked up in astonishment.

In an instant, surprised and questioning eyes were fixed on Miss Su Shi in front of them.

What does this mean? Miss Su Shi, you wouldn't happen to want to be my sugar daddy, would you?

Although his recent expenses have indeed been a bit too high, requiring Kazami to work two jobs to make ends meet, if the wealthy and powerful Suze were to launch a gentle offensive by offering to "keep him as a mistress," Kazami would definitely refuse with unwavering integrity.

No matter what, he still has to keep a straight face!

“I was thinking that something practical would be more appropriate. I noticed that Ming’s wallet looked a bit old. I saw this when I was at the temple fair, so I thought I’d give you a new one.”

"In that case, I'll accept it. I really like this gift. Thank you, Su Shi."

Unlike Kazami Naru, who smiled and slowly accepted the gift, Chihaya Aine, standing not far away, stared wide-eyed in shock. Why did she have to give such a practical 'personal item' of all?!

Isn't this just making Mingtian carry the gift with her? Do you think you're a virtuous wife who's thinking of her husband?!

A brown-furred fox spirit with a fake smile on her face!

"Well……"

Standing to the side, Takamatsu Akari stared blankly at Aine and Suze not far away, her gaze returning to the fleeting, brilliant fireworks in the sky.

She raised her amber eyes and exhaled a long breath, then turned to look at the black-haired boy beside her.

The reason why Aine and Sose can bicker and tease each other like this now is because of the efforts Naruto made back then. But now they both like Naruto just as much as I do, which inevitably leads to disagreements again. No matter which one of them succeeds in the end, it will hurt the others.

We might break up someday, but what she fears most is separation.

The fireworks dissipated at a speed of 300 million meters per second, and the dazzling flames lasted for less than 15 minutes before completely disappearing.

As he watched the lake gradually return to calm and the night sky darken, the phone that Kazami Mei had placed in his pocket began to vibrate slowly. Even without looking at it, he knew it was a message from Nijika, that the celebration party for the end of the band was about to begin.

"The band is having a celebration party after this live show. Deng and Su Shi, do you want to come along?"

"Celebration party?"

Nagasaki Motoyo paused slightly upon hearing the word.

She glanced at Chihaya Aine not far away and noticed that the girl was tilting her pink head up slightly with a smug look on her face. Su Shi immediately understood what was going on and narrowed her eyes. After thinking for a moment, she slowly shook her head.

"Sorry, Ming."

"Although I really want to go, it's already very late..."

The girl's slightly regretful words made Kazami Mei nod knowingly.

In fact, both Ai Yin, who served as the 'design director' of the performance costumes, and Xiao Deng, who already knew everyone, were quite familiar with the girls from the band who had ended their careers, so it was quite normal for them to attend the celebration party together.

Unlike them, Nagasaki Motoyo was meeting the other members of the band for the first time, so it wasn't appropriate for her to suddenly attend the band's celebration party. After some hesitation, she chose to decline.

Although Ms. Suze was a little worried about letting that pink-haired girl go there, she thought that Kita Ikuyo, whose 'wisdom' was no less than her own, was there, so the problem shouldn't be too big.

"Oh dear~ Soyorin, that's such a pity, pfft..."

Miss Aine gently raised her proud little head, and her smug look made Nagasaki Motoyo gasp.

"Oh dear, that's a real shame."

The gentle smile on her face, as if she were a wife, instantly turned into the cold and sinister smile she had shown before, making the previously smug Miss Aine shiver.

How scary! Soyorin's smile is terrifying!

I think I got a little too cocky just now. Will she turn me into Ano-chan later?

"That's a real shame. Would you like to bring the lamp along?"

This time, Kazami turned to look at Kodama beside her, and after hearing those words, she seemed to gradually come back to her senses.

"If you don't seize this moment... it will be gone in an instant."

Regardless, she had to try to take that first step forward.

21

Chapter Twenty-One: A Lifetime

The moment the summer fireworks festival ends, it also means that this summer has completely passed.

The faint sizzling sound of grilled meat reached my ears; the unique aroma of high-quality Wagyu beef fat mingled with the swirling white smoke, and the golden fat falling onto the iron grill created a triple sensory experience of sight, sound, and smell.

The blue-haired girl sitting opposite him gripped her chopsticks tightly, staring intently at the sizzling, oily premium Wagyu beef on the grill, like a soldier on the battlefield, wielding a sword and shield.

The petite girl with a golden side ponytail held a pair of metal tongs in her hand. She had just turned the piece of Wagyu beef over to reveal its fragrant side when Yamada Ryo, holding chopsticks, launched an attack with lightning speed.

Unfortunately, her chopsticks were stopped in mid-air by a smiling Hongxia's mother.

"Hongxia, what are you doing?"

"Ryo~ First of all, I should express my gratitude to Ming for 'treating' me, right?"

Ichiji Nijika merely puffed out her cheeks slightly, displaying a hint of displeasure, but the moment she heard those words, Yamada Ryo took a deep breath and spoke with a righteous expression—

"My relationship with Ming cannot be measured by something as vulgar as money!"

Then why don't you pay back the money first?

Kazami Mei didn't complain about the blue-haired woman as usual. Instead, sitting next to Yamada Ryo, he took advantage of her moment to snatch the grilled Wagyu beef away.

However, when it comes to something as important as food, he has always adhered to the new era concept of 'gender equality'.

"Ming...I want it..."

Sitting next to her, Yamada Ryo wiped away the tears that instantly welled up in her eyes. If it were any other time, Kazami Mei would probably have been fooled by her pitiful appearance.

Unfortunately, he had long since accepted his weakness and had become an invincible being! So, under Miss Ryo's incredulous gaze, Kazami Mei unhesitatingly dipped the grilled meat in sauce and stuffed it into his mouth.

As expected of meat grilled by Hongxia herself, it's much chewier and more satisfying than regular meat!

Chihaya Aine, still a little reserved, secretly observed the blue-haired woman interacting with Kazami Mei.

When Aine first met this blue-haired woman, she was full of shocking topics, which made her extremely wary of her. She even asked her partner, Kita, for a lot of information about her.

Unexpectedly, this eccentric bassist has remained silent so far, and doesn't seem to have made any substantial 'attack' on Kazami Mei, which makes Chihaya Aine a little puzzled.

Could it be that the other party is just talking big and doesn't actually dare to take any action?

Or--

Could it be that Yamada Ryo doesn't actually have those kinds of feelings for her boyfriend, and that the "threatening" information she possesses is just a smokescreen that Kita uses to mislead her?

"Aine? Aine?"

"Eh?"

The shouts from Kazami Naru beside him gradually brought the pink-haired girl back to her senses.

It was then that she realized everyone had started talking about the costumes. As the 'design director,' Ms. Aine was naturally showered with praise and thanks, especially Kita, who expressed his admiration for her with shining eyes.

Oh no, this feels kind of good.

"Oh, it's really nothing~"

The pink-haired girl, surrounded by the girls from the disbanded band and her boyfriend praising her repeatedly, was clearly a little smug. Her already considerable vanity began to swell, and she immediately lost her bearings after just a few words of flattery.

"No need to thank me! Actually, I've been slightly interested in this before, but my skill level is just so-so~ Please feel free to come to me if you need anything in the future!"

She simply raised her head slightly, revealing a smug yet feigned 'humility' demeanor.

"This guy……"

Kazami Mei, who was already familiar with the personality of the pink-haired girl, only twitched the corner of her mouth slightly.

Suddenly he felt a gentle tug on his left sleeve. Turning around, he realized that Miss Kita, who had been sitting next to Pochi, had somehow moved closer to him without him noticing while getting a drink.

Seeing that Kita-san, who was holding oolong tea, seemed to have something on her face, Kazami Mei, who was puzzled, couldn't help but ask her, "I didn't see you eating anything just now, Yudai. Do you not actually like barbecue?"

"No, it's not!"

Kita Ikuyo's cute little head immediately shook like a rattle.

Perhaps because he called her 'Yudai' again, a few strands of fiery red hair, full of passion, fell from the girl's cheeks to her delicate, fair collarbone, and the captivating camel-red color made her look incredibly adorable at that moment.

She used to hate her rustic name, 'Yudai,' but now she seems to be gradually starting to like it.

"I just think... is it really a good idea for Ming to choose a place like this to treat us to a meal? I remember this restaurant is notoriously expensive, and having so many people will put a lot of strain on Ming-san..."