How can my simulation be a real love?

fair play?

This wasn't the first time Chihaya Aine had heard this term.

She and Nagasaki Motoyo had signed a 'no sneaking out' agreement before, but in the end, they found that neither of them intended to abide by the agreement from the very beginning. So the so-called 'fair competition' was as powerless as Yamcha fighting Vegeta.

"It's really hard to believe that Kita-chan said that."

Chihaya Aine gradually raised her eyebrows and uttered a few sarcastic words.

"I……"

Even the cheerful and outgoing Kita-san blushed and lowered her head. With skin as thin as a cicada's wing, she could only gently rub her bright red hair, her eyes avoiding Aine's gaze with some embarrassment.

She was well aware, of course, that she was indeed very 'despicable'.

As someone who also likes Naruto, she didn't dare to express her feelings before, and could only secretly try to get closer to Naruto behind his back. It was the behavior of a truly despicable woman...

But things are different now.

At this moment, Kita Ikuyo already possessed a firm determination to go all in!

She took a deep breath and spoke with utmost seriousness—

"I love Mei more than anyone else!"

"Aine-chan... let's settle this once and for all!"

Kita Ikuyo's vibrant yellow-green eyes seemed to be filled with a serious light. The cheerful and sunny Kita Ikuyo, who was always smiling in front of others, was now showing a side of herself that she had never seen before.

Those eyes, filled with unwavering conviction, made Chihaya Aine involuntarily take a half-step back.

"But, you suddenly want to say 'upright and honorable'... what exactly are you planning to do?"

"We're both executive committee members for the school festival, and we might only have enough time for the bonfire party during those three days... Kita, are you perhaps planning to go dance with Meimei during that time?"

"of course not."

Kita Ikuyo gently shook her head and took a deep breath.

A warm, sunny smile gradually spread across the girl's face, and her bright red, flowing hair swayed gently in the breeze as the curtains were lifted.

At this moment, she seemed to be releasing all the energy and charm of her youth, her dazzling and cheerful light almost blinding people.

At that moment, the bright red-haired girl spoke with a smile—

"Let's use a 'band' to decide the winner!"

"Le, the band?"

Upon hearing this word, Chihaya Aine was momentarily stunned, then her eyes widened as if she had suddenly realized something.

The naturally intelligent Chihaya Aine could not possibly fail to understand Kita Ikuyo's meaning. At this moment, both "End Band" and "Mygo!" were considered new bands that debuted around the same time.

Both sides are responsible for composing and playing keyboards, which means that the quality of the music should be equal on both sides, and they won't have any advantage on the same stage...

So relying on the band to decide the winner is indeed the fairest decision at present.

"Of course, if Aine-chan is unwilling, we can use other methods to decide the winner."

"No matter what, I will never back down."

Kita Ikuyo's eyes, filled with conviction, seemed to be filled with firelight. Her overflowing passion was genuine and sincere. At least in Chihaya Aine's eyes, Kita's 'love' for Kazami Mei was absolutely genuine.

She's not even worse than his official girlfriend?

"Since this is the fairest outcome, what reason do I have to refuse?"

Whether it's her feelings for Kazami Mei or her obsession with her, she's the one who will never lose.

"My feelings for Mingming are more serious than anyone else's! I'll show you how I can win this mere contest!"

"No, I was the one who was more serious!"

"No, no!"

Kita Ikuyo, with her cheeks puffed out, spoke to Chihaya Aine with some dissatisfaction. Her appearance naturally made the other party unwilling to let it go, and the two of them 'bantered' each other for quite a while before finally stopping due to exhaustion.

Miss Ai, who was talking so much that her mouth was dry, picked up a bottle of mineral water and gulped it down in one go.

"Hoo-ha...! Since it's said that the band will be the deciding factor, will we be performing in the main hall of the cultural festival?"

"That's right! As long as you submit a 'personal event performance application,' you can go on stage in the auditorium, and as long as you can go on stage, you can participate in the vote for best event..."

Upon hearing the word "vote" from Kita Ikuyo, Aine's expression, which had been somewhat puzzled, began to show a hint of understanding. In that case, the two bands would only need to look at the number of votes they received during the performance to determine the winner.

Victory is winning as long as we can grab more tickets from the audience!

But since it's a matter of deciding the winner, there has to be some kind of 'stake', right?

"If I lose, then I will honestly give up on chasing the sound."

Holding a water glass, Kita Ikuyo spoke calmly. Her unwavering tone made Chihaya Aine, who was still pondering, suddenly look up. Her incredulous gaze revealed the shock in Aine's heart.

Kita's 'decisive' decision to give up on Naruto is completely unlike the person who was overflowing with love just moments ago.

Chihaya Aine truly didn't expect Kita Ikuyo to have such determination. If she lost here, all her previous efforts and emotions would be wasted!

It's better to temporarily avoid showing off than to be too aggressive.

This statement does not apply to Kita Ikuyo at all. Kita, who seems sunny, cheerful and helpful, is actually very impulsive. If she really finds an opportunity, she will take the initiative without hesitation.

Her ability to be enthusiastic and optimistic at all times is both a strength and a weakness.

"All I want is for Ming to be happy, even if in the end the person standing by his side... isn't me."

Kita Ikuyo, rubbing the ends of her hair, simply closed her eyes slowly, as if she had already recalled some unique 'memories'.

She simply shook her head gently, and when she opened her eyes again, her gaze was even more resolute.

"Aine, what about you?"

"I--"

Even the saintly Aine couldn't help but hesitate when faced with such a huge bet.

Because losing would mean giving up, she felt uncomfortable being stared at by Kita's eyes while she hesitated, but she was also unwilling to accept that Kita could make such a decision without hesitation.

Even she could see that Kita's feelings for Naruto were no less than her own.

Neither of them wanted to let go of Kazami Naruto.

If Yukito could make such a gamble without hesitation, how could Chihaya Aine, who believed her feelings were deeper than Yukito's, back down?

Chihaya Aine simply let out a long sigh, then clenched her fists tightly as if she had made a major decision in her heart. She suddenly raised her crystal-like gray eyes as if to encourage herself.

With an intensity no less than Kita Ikuyo's, she meticulously recited, "If I lose, I will also withdraw from Naruto's side."

"Then it's a deal!"

If we are defeated, everything will end.

……

Kazami Mei is not idle on ordinary days.

The sheer volume of work he had, juggling three bands simultaneously, is likely far beyond what most people can imagine.

He was still working to make a living under these circumstances. If it weren't for the salary card he received from Teacher Da Xiang's simulation during this period to ease the pace, even with his [Endurance Lv.5], he might have really been unable to keep up.

Physical strength can never truly alleviate mental fatigue.

Now that Kazami Mei has made up his mind to fight Yamada Ryo to the death, he must show enough 'strength' to prove his absurd idea. The first thing he needs to do is to completely liberate his finances.

Only in this way can one afford to support a spendthrift woman like Miss Liang.

"So, it really comes down to art... or music?"

With her Lv.4 music theory and Lv.5 drawing skills, Kazami Naruto's path to becoming a renowned artist or musician is simply a matter of time and experience.

The problem is that if he wants to increase his 'bargaining power' as quickly as possible, he has to consider whether or not to specialize in one area.

Perhaps he could actually choose both sides at the same time?

Lost in thought, Kazami Mei casually put the black hair tie from his wrist into his mouth. After slowly taking off his school uniform, he reached up and tied his black hair at the back of his head into a neat and tidy short ponytail with the hair tie.

This set of practiced movements seemed to make Toyokawa Shoko, who was not far away, unable to take her eyes off it. After glancing over here a few times, she blushed slightly and looked away.

It wasn't until Kazami Mei noticed and looked over that she pretended to be oblivious and skillfully brewed coffee.

What are you looking at? If Xiao Xiang has a crush on me, just say so!

“…Ming, you should try it.”

Suddenly speaking, Toyokawa Shoko pushed a steaming cup of mocha coffee in front of her. After working for so long, her growth as a barista had exceeded all expectations.

Even Kazami Mei, as a 'senior', couldn't help but raise an eyebrow after picking up his coffee, a slight look of surprise flashing across his dark eyes.

This rich, fragrant aroma that's wafting towards me... it feels a bit like something he brewed.

Shoko Toyokawa tilted her cute little head in confusion. She thought there was something wrong with the coffee she had brewed, so she asked nervously, "What's wrong? Did I make it wrong?"

Kazami Mei frowned, adopting a serious posture, and spoke with a hint of doubt in her voice, "Xiangzi..."

"What do you mean by being so good to me?"

But how could Toyokawa Shoko, who knew this guy's personality well, not see the teasing in his eyes? Her fair and delicate face immediately flushed slightly, and she puffed out her cute cheeks in a bit of annoyance.

But before she could do anything, her thoughts were suddenly interrupted—

"Kazami-kun, come here for a second!"

The middle-aged woman, who was the store manager, spoke from behind.

The store manager, who usually disappeared and was unreliable, suddenly appeared in the store today and even called Kazami Mei over for questioning with a serious attitude. This 'unusual' behavior made Toyokawa Shoko look at him nervously.

"I'll head over now, I'll come back for coffee later."

He naturally noticed Teacher Da Xiang's unease. He simply smiled faintly, gently placed the steaming mocha on the counter, and then walked directly towards the shop manager who was not far away.

As a result, before Kazami Naruto could even speak after sitting down, the shop manager, an auntie sipping her coffee, nodded meaningfully.

"How about I leave this shop to you?"

3

Chapter Three: Power is Unlimited.

"How about I leave this shop to you?"

The ambiguous lines came from the smiling, silver-haired aunt in front of me. She gently picked up the coffee on the table with her right hand, took a sip, and squinted her eyes as if enjoying it.

"Aunt Shenqi, what do you mean by entrusting it to me?"

Speaking of which, this store is basically managed by him, right?

As the store manager, Aunt Shinki usually helps out with things like purchasing coffee beans, but everything else, including buying new coffee cups, is handled by Kazami Mei, the "acting store manager."

"Of course it means exactly what it says~ I plan to hand it over to you, Kazami, from now on."

Store Manager Shen Qi smiled meaningfully, and then, as if to prove that her words were not a 'joke', she casually picked up a stack of contracts from the side and placed them on the table.

"This is?"

Even Kazami Mei immediately understood her meaning, and with a strange look in his eyes, he picked up the stack of contracts and examined them carefully.

This is a fairly ordinary contract transfer agreement.

The 'item' being transferred is naturally this traditional coffee shop called 'Rabbit House'. As the transferee, Kazami Naruto only needs to abide by trivial conditions such as 'not being able to transfer or sell this shop', and has almost no other risks to bear.

Simply put, signing it is entirely beneficial and without any drawbacks.

Kazami Mei didn't seem to care about this unexpected windfall. He simply raised his dark, bright eyes and asked in confusion, "Aunt Shinki, why are you suddenly handing this shop over to me?"

Is his charm really that great?

He felt that his charm was three parts good looks and seven parts inner qualities. The previous store manager was indeed only infatuated with his three parts of appearance, but now he was indeed impressed by his seven parts of inner qualities.

"I'm about to go abroad and settle down in London."

The silver-haired shopkeeper, Shinki, waved her hand with a smile, seemingly showing off the passport in her hand.

“I definitely won’t have the time or ability to run this store anymore, but I don’t want to just sell ‘RabbitHouse’ to a stranger who might ruin it, so I thought it would be better to hand it over to you to manage.”

"Since you've been acting as the store manager for me, this hands-off manager, for a long time, why not take this opportunity to officially become the manager?"

Kazami Mei raised his eyebrows slightly and nodded seriously. Having been the acting store manager for so long, he was quite familiar with the owner.