How can my simulation be a real love?

"Could it be... Xiao Xiang, do you really like him?"

The seemingly joking remark clearly caused Toyokawa Shoko on the other end of the phone to pause for a moment. Even through the screen, Mikasa Hatsuka could hear a soft gasp. The next moment, her words, tinged with a hint of bewilderment, came through again—

"...That's not true, we're just friends now."

"Hmm? So, Xiao Xiang, you don't like him?"

"Let's talk about this when we meet, Chu Hua! I have something to take care of, so I'll hang up now."

The girl's panicked hanging up of the phone caused the smile on Mikasa Hatsuka's face to gradually fade into calm.

Her fingertips, gripping the phone tightly, began to turn white from the slight pressure. The call, which was about to end after only a couple of sentences, left Misaka Hatsuka with a hint of disappointment in her eyes, but she still smiled lightly as she said goodbye.

Xiangzi may not care about her as much as he thinks he does.

"Just friends?"

When Misaka Chuka asked, "Does Xiangzi not like him?" she felt a slight emotional fluctuation, and even her carefully composed state of mind began to waver.

If her best friend doesn't actually like Kazami Mei, then perhaps she—

No, we can't consider these things no matter what.

hum...

The Line notification sound pulled Chu Hua out of her own world, causing her to subconsciously shift her gaze.

Upon seeing the message from Kazami Naruto appear on her phone, her exhausted body suddenly felt a surge of energy, and she immediately opened the Line chat interface.

[Want to be fertilizer? Chuhua, are you there?]

The moment the message is opened, the Line system will automatically display 'read', so that Kazami Mei on the other end will realize that she has seen the message, but Misumi Hatsuka doesn't have time to think about these details.

[Triangle Chuhua: I'm here!]

[Hatsuka Sanka: I'm so sorry about today! I've probably been working too long lately, which has left me mentally exhausted, and my mind was a bit muddled when I did some bad things. I hope you won't take it too seriously, Ming-kun...]

[Do you want to be fertilizer?: I also bear a lot of responsibility for this, Chuhua, you don't need to blame yourself too much.]

Several more words of comfort and concern quickly appeared on the screen, causing the blonde girl sitting on the bed to squint her beautiful, dark purple eyes, a hint of complexity flashing in her tired gaze.

Why is he still so gentle with me when I've done such terrible things?

Still somewhat confused, Misaka Hatsuka slowly turned off her phone screen, lay on the bed, stared at the cold ceiling, and squinted her dark purple eyes, muttering to herself.

"What should I do..."

……

This is really something I can't figure out.

Looking at the message from Miss Hatsuka on his phone, Kazami Mei, deeply shocked, rubbed his temples wearily.

He was like Dinnesnif, who had been shot in the street and was now walking down the street. He could only manage to calm down for a short time, but his mind was still not quite clear.

If you were suddenly faced with this situation, it would be difficult for others to remain calm immediately.

"..."

Kazami Mei subconsciously touched her lips, as if she could still smell the faint fragrance emanating from her.

Calm down, calm down and think about what really happened.

First of all--

Miss Chu Hua, could it be that you like him?

While this idea was indeed a bit outrageous, Kazami Naruto knew very well that he hadn't added anything strange to the dish, so it was probably just that his charm couldn't be hidden and would inevitably show itself.

But he really didn't expect that it would attract such a bold 'offensive' from Miss Chuhua. Before this, he always thought that Miss Chuhua was so close to him because of Teacher Daxiang. He was such a fool that he never thought of this aspect.

He just texted Miss Chuhua, wanting to know how she is doing.

After all, Kazami Mei had never seen Hatsuka with such a flustered expression before. It was surprising to see such a flustered expression on the face of this elegant and mature popular idol, and her sudden running away was bound to make people worry.

"So you're not planning to meet me for the time being..."

After a brief chat on Line, Mikasa changed the subject by saying she had a lot of work starting tomorrow, which made Kazami Mei guess that Mikasa was probably panicking right now.

Even if he went to find her now, it would probably only make her feel confused. So after careful consideration, Kazami Mei decided to let both of them calm down for the time being.

"What exactly is going on here?"

The great Miss Hatsuka is a popular idol who has countless people madly in love with her, but if she were to suddenly confess to Kazami Ming, he would naturally reject her quite seriously.

No matter how outstanding Hatsuka's appearance and temperament are, Kazami Mei would never agree to date her if he had no feelings for her.

Most importantly, he still doesn't know how to face Kita Aine and Ms. Momo, because this damn dating simulator has caused him to have special feelings for everyone.

Regardless of which of them suddenly mustered the courage to confess to him, honestly, he would probably find it hard to refuse any of them.

hum...

The Line message notification sounded softly in his ear, and Kazami Mei, realizing what was happening, quickly picked up his phone.

【Note】Miss Mercenary: Are you free?

Is it my good brother Hai Ling?

Without any hesitation, Kazami Naru replied immediately.

[Want to be fertilizer? I happen to have some free time right now, what's up?]

[Mercenary Girl: RiNG needs a lead guitarist for their performance, could you come over later?]

"RiNG?"

Kazami Mei and Hachiman Kairin had been working together on the 'support band' project for a long time, so she naturally understood what she meant immediately.

As a mercenary bassist, Hachiman Kairin is unable to take on jobs that also require guitarists. At such times, Kazami Mei, a keyboardist who can play lead or secondary vocals, happens to appear.

The two of them went to work together and then split their earnings equally.

Want to be used as fertilizer? Coming right away!

Kazami Mei had no hesitation in accepting his most trusted brother's offer. He immediately sent the message of agreement to the other party and then went out.

Just the time he treated everyone to a meal at the most upscale barbecue restaurant JOJO Garden a while ago, it almost wiped out all the wages he had saved up during the summer vacation. At the same time, he also replenished a lot of living supplies for this period of time today.

If he doesn't go out to work now to earn a living, he'll probably have no choice but to try and find out if he can access his wife's savings account through a simulation to tide him over.

The journey from Kazami Naruto's house to RiNG wasn't far; he arrived successfully in about fifteen minutes.

As summer draws to a close, the LiveHouse is noticeably quieter than before. The bands that performed live during the summer holidays have almost finished their schedules, leaving only a few scattered guests picking out instruments or tourists simply coming to have tea and desserts.

Having already arrived, Kazami Naruto skillfully found a spot on the second floor near the bar. She looked up slightly at a certain person, but did not see the familiar black-haired figure.

Perhaps because his peeking was so conspicuous, Rinko Maji, who was on duty today, peeked out with a smile and approached from the side without any hesitation—

"Kazami-kun, are you here to see Riki today?"

"No."

These words were not spoken by Kazami Naruto himself, but by Hachiman Kairin, who had somehow appeared behind him.

A cool girl dressed in a black leather jacket was holding a bass guitar in one hand and a bottle of KISS coffee in an aluminum can in the other, which she gently placed in front of him with her slender fingers.

"Ah, is that so?"

Having worked in LiveHouses for so many years, what strange and wonderful things hasn't Rinrinko seen?

After realizing what was happening, she immediately switched back to her normal work mode and quickly placed the menu on the table. After doing all this, she seemed to be worried that she would disturb the two of them, and she slipped away to the counter as if she were escaping.

However, they would cautiously peek out and secretly observe the two people on this side.

Kazami Mei naturally noticed Rinrinko's gossipy nature. Raising an eyebrow slightly, he held the still-warm Kiss coffee and said in a somewhat strange tone, "Won't this make it seem like we're on a date?"

"Theoretically speaking, it is indeed a date."

As she gently brushed aside her bangs, Hachiman Kairin remained as composed as ever.

Even when facing men, she can speak quite frankly. If the genders were reversed, she might be the blunt and aloof version of a straight man. But being with someone like her gives you a relaxed feeling of being able to speak freely.

Hachiman Kairin casually leaned her bass guitar against the corner of the table and sat opposite Kazami Naruto. Her shoulder-length black hair swayed gently with her movements, gradually revealing the delicate punk-style earrings on her fair ears.

Before Kazami Mei could speak, the cold beauty with side-swept bangs sitting next to her spoke again—

"I didn't expect Kazami-kun to have time today. I thought you would refuse this invitation."

24

Chapter Twenty-Four: For example, having multiple partners.

"Why do you say that?"

Such meaningful words made Kazami Naruto raise an eyebrow.

Instead of answering his question directly, Hachiman Kairin, who had suddenly become a 'riddler,' took out the same canned KISS coffee from her bass box, but failed to open it even after trying to pry it open with her fingernails twice.

Unable to bear watching any longer, Kazami Naruto simply reached out to help.

He felt that if he didn't help Hailing open it soon, the can of coffee might get a hole pried out by Hailing's strong fingers.

"Thank you."

Hachiman Kairin simply thanked him in a slow and deliberate manner. Her dark green eyes, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, seemed to flicker with a strange light, yet her calm expression made it impossible to discern her inner thoughts.

"I only heard that you've been busy finishing the arrangement work for Ave Mujica lately, so I thought you might not have time recently. I'm quite surprised that you could come."

The black-haired girl with side-swept bangs slowly picked up her coffee and took a sip.

Only then did she calmly and casually respond to his earlier question, her words sounding as unnatural as if she were reading aloud.

The girl's nonchalant attitude seemed unusual. It was likely that this "good brother" in front of Kazami Naruto was implying something, and that he didn't actually mean it that way at all.

If we include Kazami Mei's previous 'chance encounter' with Hai Ling on the street with Hatsuka, the calm and cold beauty in front of us may already know a lot of things, and perhaps not just about Hatsuka.

From the other person's perspective, he is probably a scumbag who has been involved with multiple innocent girls at the same time, or even a cheating boyfriend.

Even though Kazami Mei and Hachiman Kairin agree on the status of 'friends,' it doesn't stop Kairin from openly or subtly mocking him because of this.

"I recently finished writing the song for Mujica's debut and sent it directly to Xiangzi. If all goes well, she will contact you soon to practice."

"is it?"

Hachiman Kairin's eyes remained as calm as still water.

Her long, slender fingers were gently tapping the surface of the coffee can, the rhythmic 'tap tap tap' sound, like playing a bass guitar, seemed to indicate that the girl's heart was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.

That's not what she cares about, of course.

"Was agreeing to join Mujica really a good thing for you?"

Perhaps Hachiman Kairin also noticed the subtle change in Kazami Naruto's tone, and after a moment's hesitation, she slowly spoke with a slightly cold tone—

"Kazami, I hate people who are kind to everyone."

Kazami Naru: ?

No, you really are Hachiman?

"In any case, it's better for you to make up your mind sooner rather than later."

"Otherwise, you'll definitely regret it."

The black-haired girl tapped her index fingernail lightly on the aluminum tube opening, her seemingly indifferent words subtly revealing a hint of concern.

In fact, Hachiman Kairin should really dislike Kazami Naruto.

Especially after learning that Shiina Ritsuki also has feelings for him, he should hate him even more. After all, if Ritsuki, with his hedgehog-like personality who would turn back even when he reaches the end, were to encounter a troublesome situation like Kazami Mei, he would definitely be wounded beyond repair by the sharp reverse blade.

But she seemed unable to bring herself to dislike it.

"I know."

Kazami Mei also let out a long sigh of relief and responded in a serious tone.

He understood perfectly the meaning behind Hachiman Kairin's words.

Because of the simulated 'influence,' I haven't been able to let go of others yet, which has led to my current limbo. Naturally, my good brother Hailing has seen through my relationships with others.

Although Hachiman Kairin always maintained a cold demeanor and constantly displayed that unchanging grumpy face, Kazami Mei thought that Kairin was a very gentle person.

Those seemingly sarcastic words were actually just her natural advice as a friend.

As a bassist 'mercenary' who supports thirty bands simultaneously, Hachiman Kairin is naturally used to the intricate relationships within bands and is very clear about the root causes of the disbandment of many bands.