How can my simulation be a real love?

Those deep green eyes calmly watched her departing figure; all the dashing mercenary could do was stand behind her and see his friend off.

For some reason, she gripped the handle of the instrument case tightly.

"How enviable..."

Suddenly, she heard familiar voices in her ears. Realizing what was happening, Hachiman Kairin slowly turned her head to look behind her.

The one who spoke was a girl with beautiful medium-length blonde hair. Her unique, deep purple eyes were fixed on Hachiman Kairin's face, and their gazes met in mid-air as if they could read each other's thoughts.

Her flawless and magnificent appearance carried a faint smile, but Hachiman Kairin sensed an indescribable quality to her smile, quite different from the idol who shone brightly on the screen.

"..."

Uncharacteristically silent, Hachiman Kairin was at a loss for words, unsure how to respond to Misumi Hatsuka's words, which carried a peculiar connotation.

Seeing the cool punk bass beauty become silent, Mitsumi Hatsuka, whose feelings were also complicated, let out a long sigh. Then, she slowly got up with her hands behind her back and moved closer to her.

Under Hachiman Kairin's calm gaze, the girl slowly extended her right hand.

"Hailin-san, would you like to... talk to me for a moment?"

"I see."

After a brief silence, Hachiman Kairin gently placed her ever-present bass instrument case back into her seat.

With her consent granted, Mitsumi Hatsuka's face lit up with a gentle smile, like a newly blossoming flower. As an idol, even her slightest expression was perfect, making people unconsciously feel fond of her.

The autumn wind may bring not only coolness, but also a sense of melancholy that is hard to describe in words.

The withered yellow leaves, long since devoid of life nutrients, sway gently in the autumn wind. No matter how hard the leaves flutter in the air, they will eventually fall to the ground. As the seasons change, the paths along the Hanasaki River are covered with a golden tapestry, and the sports clubs are also displaying their youthful energy on the playground.

Click!

Standing in front of the vending machine, Yawata Kairin calmly inserted a 500-yen coin, then skillfully pressed the button on the right with her index finger. A bottle of jet-black KISS coffee landed in the collection slot with a 'clatter'.

The girl who casually took it out spoke without turning her head—

"Chuhua, what would you like to drink?"

"...I don't need it, the drinks I like are rarely available here."

Misaka Hatsuka frowned slightly and smiled as she responded to the other person's words. Upon hearing this, Hachiman Kairin simply opened the bottle of KISS coffee in her hand with one hand.

Few people would come to such a secluded path. The naturally free-spirited and easygoing Hachiman Kairin leaned against a nearby tree, gazing at Mikasa Hatsuka while taking a sip of coffee.

Perhaps the moment she accepted the other person's 'invitation,' she already knew what they were going to say.

Wearing the Hanasaki River school uniform, Misumi Hatsuka raised her head and looked up at the azure sky. Unconsciously, a faint bitter smile appeared on her lips.

"Thinking about it now, I still feel quite envious. I'm so upset that I'm even a little jealous of Lixi."

Like dark clouds obscuring the sun, the 'smog' that obscured her inner direction, whenever she recalled the scene, she felt her emotions surging, like a whirlpool in the center of a wave constantly sucking her in.

"Were you rejected?"

Suddenly, Yawata Kairin spoke up, her words more direct than ever before, mercilessly reopening the other person's wounds.

"...Hai Ling, you really don't hold back, do you? You like Naruto too, don't you?"

30

Chapter Thirty: And what about yourself?

"...Hai Ling, you really don't hold back, do you? You like Naruto too, don't you?"

As if they were just chatting about some trivial topic, the blonde girl remained casual and nonchalant.

Misaka Chuka still wore that calm and serene smile. With her hands behind her back, she quietly gazed at the azure sky, her bright golden hair swaying in the autumn breeze.

The moment the girl turned her head, her captivatingly beautiful purple eyes were revealed.

"...You misunderstood. I just couldn't stand seeing Lixi so passive."

"Some things are just okay to say to yourself, right?"

The blonde girl's lips curled into a delicate smile as her teasing words reached my ears.

Yahata Kairin, leaning against the tree, showed no change in expression, but a closer look revealed that her left knuckles, gripping the aluminum tube coffee tightly, had lost all color.

Perhaps sensing Hachiman Kairin's 'unnaturalness,' Mitsumi Hatsuka, who had just exposed her, didn't wait for her answer and continued speaking on her own—

"Actually, I have a friend."

"She and her best friend fell in love with the same person. At first, 'she' thought that she could never betray her friend, so she wanted to completely sever these feelings and 'withdraw' from his side. But now she had already experienced the comfort that those feelings brought—"

"Wanting to bury those feelings deep in her heart or even to actively wish the other person well is like having to tear a piece of flesh out of her chest—it's an excruciating pain. She felt incredibly troubled by this complicated relationship."

Misaki Hatsuka walked lightly toward the tree trunk that Hachiman Kairin was leaning against, her face full of melancholy, but with a hint of bitterness hidden in her eyes.

Under the other person's gaze, she stepped out of the shadows beneath the tree, the fragmented light and shadow reflecting on her delicate neck, making her appear as elegant as if she were standing under a spotlight.

Without looking at Hachiman Kairin's expression, the girl continued with a faint smile: "Later, her 'love' that she had been trying so hard to hide was finally discovered by her friends."

"Because she had tried to hide it from him before, she 'deceived' him, which made her friend angry and exposed all her hidden thoughts, forcing her to openly compete with him for the relationship."

"then--"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Hachiman Kairin spoke up.

"So she confessed her feelings to him."

The expressionless black-haired girl coldly accepted the words that Mitsumi Hatsuka hadn't yet uttered. Hatsuka, seemingly surprised by this turn of events, paused slightly, then nodded with a somewhat complicated expression.

"That's right~ Because of this, she also realized her own feelings and mustered up the courage to confess to him seriously..."

"However, I was rejected."

Even after finishing the story, Misaka Hatsuka still had a smile on her face, as if she had just been talking about an insignificant person with ease and comfort.

"Even if she was rejected, she had no intention of giving up."

"Because I like Naruto, I will definitely make him like me too."

Looking at Mitsumi Hatsuka, who had completely revealed her inner thoughts, the black-haired girl holding the coffee in her hand remained calm.

Looking at Misumi Hatsuka's undisguised smile, Hachiman Kairin downed her coffee in one gulp with a carefree and cheerful air. Under Misumi Hatsuka's gaze, she gently tossed the empty aluminum tube into the trash can filled with fallen leaves.

As she turned away, Hachiman Kairin said again indifferently, "Even if you're rejected, you're still going to do this. Have you decided to stand against Toyokawa?"

"...Hai Ling, you should also know that Ming has more than one girlfriend, right?"

This was no secret to either of them.

Even though Misaki Hatsuka smiled and didn't finish her sentence, the meticulous Hachiman Kairin immediately understood the 'message' hidden in her words, and her expression immediately turned indifferent.

Because of Chu Hua in front of him, he decided to use a strange method that was supposed to be "the best of both worlds".

She planned to become lovers with Kazami Mei and then drag Toyokawa Shoko into it as well.

Since Kazami Mei has feelings for more than one person, this is probably the only way left if she wants to balance 'friendship' and 'love' without hurting anyone.

"So, Hailing, what about you?"

Unfazed by any change in expression, Hachiman Kairin simply shook her head slightly. Under the gaze of the girl's beautiful eyes, which seemed to hold the starry sky, she slowly closed her eyes and spoke in a serious tone—

"As I just said, I was just a 'friend' who couldn't stand seeing Lixi in that state, so I gave her a push from behind."

"What I'm asking is—what about yourself?"

"..."

The indifferent expression on Hachiman Kairin's face seemed to gradually change.

Faced with Chu Hua's gentle smile, she unusually fell silent. Seeing that she didn't seem to intend to answer directly, Chu Hua frowned slightly and sighed, then walked past her.

The girl's figure was like smoke swept away by the wind, leaving only a faint murmur in the air.

"...I'm also very envious of you, Hailing."

The blonde girl waved and left with a smile, causing Hachiman Kairin, who was standing there, to furrow her brow deeply.

Hachiman Kairin's serene, emerald-green eyes watched the direction she left in. Then, the mercenary simply took a deep breath, turned around, and left in the opposite direction.

Chu Hua, would you actually 'envy' her?

With a thousand thoughts swirling in her mind, Hachiman Kairin clenched her fist, a dim light flickering in her eyes.

……

Time passed quickly, and Friday arrived as the [training day].

hum...

The little penguin blinked in confusion as her phone started vibrating. She was packing her things after school and couldn't help but look at the phone screen. After her eyes finally saw the words on it, she was stunned for several seconds.

She immediately started tapping on her phone screen to reply to the unexpected message.

"Dengdeng, what's wrong?"

Perhaps it was because Takamatsu Akari's puzzled expression was unusual that Chihaya Aine, who was sitting behind her, curiously leaned closer to the pink head.

"Aine-chan? I, I'm fine..."

"Huh? Are you really okay? What happened? Tell me, tell me!"

Watching Aine ask questions like a curious child, Kazami Naru walked towards them expressionlessly, casually stuffing her textbook into her bag. Then, she lightly chopped the pink-haired girl's smooth forehead with her hand.

Under the other person's astonished gaze, Kazami Mei scolded him somewhat impatiently—

"Idiot, can't you see the light is in a bad mood?"

"...Ugh, that's not fair, Meimei!"

Chihaya Aine puffed out her cheeks like an angry little pufferfish, but before she could even puff them out, Kazami Mei reached out and pinched them flat.

"I'll treat the great Miss Aine to crepes as an apology later. We're all going to Sue's house for a training camp today, right? Let's not waste time here."

"Ah, that's true!"

Even though Aine wasn't angry to begin with, a look of realization flashed across her face. She quickly packed her bag and hurried out of the classroom.

"Mingming, let's hurry up! I can't wait—"

Seeing that Kazami Mei and Takamatsu Akari hadn't caught up yet, she turned back impatiently to urge them on, causing Takamatsu Akari to hurriedly get up and prepare to follow.

The high-rise apartment where Miss Su Shi lived wasn't particularly far away, and the group arrived without much trouble.

"Wow..."

As soon as she stepped into the house, Miss Aine couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

The spacious living room and luxurious floor-to-ceiling windows that came into view certainly created a strong visual impact. She looked around Su Shi's house like a curious child, while the little penguin that came in also opened its little mouth and showed a cute, blank expression.

Miss Su Shi truly lives up to her reputation as Mrs. Tsukinomori.

Located in the heart of Tokyo, this penthouse duplex apartment spans over 300 square meters. It features a U-shaped sofa for meetings, a spacious and luxurious living room that exudes a sense of tranquility, and floor-to-ceiling windows that illuminate the entire space.

Even though he had been there once before, Kazami Mei still couldn't help but complain.

The cherry blossoms of Tokyo are also Kyoto-style cherry blossoms!

"Although I was somewhat prepared when I saw this building downstairs, I really didn't expect Soyorin's house to be so big... This place could probably accommodate more than just a few of us, even if the number doubled, right?"

"Oh right! Why don't we all sleep together tonight?! We can have a pillow fight and play Joker!"

Chihaya Aine, full of enthusiasm, turned to the group beside her and began to speak, but before she could finish, Shiina Tatsuki poured cold water on her enthusiasm with a blank expression: "Don't get us wrong about our 'main purpose' for coming here. We don't really have any time to play, do we?"

"Eh! It's just for a little while~ It won't take up much practice time, right, Rikki~"

"Didn't I tell you not to use that kind of address?"

The wealthy lady, Miss Su Shi, paid no attention to the argument between Aine and Riki. She smiled and whispered in Kazami Mei's ear—

"Ming's room is on the second floor, and I've already prepared it for you~? Come with me and see how it is?"

BYD, I think you're already prepared.

Kazami Mei's lips twitched slightly, revealing a subtle look in her eyes, but she still set off to follow Ms. Suze to the room on the second floor.

This place seemed to have been an empty 'guest room' before, but perhaps knowing he was coming back in advance, Miss Su Shi had done some 'preparation', including brand new sheets and blankets, as well as aromatherapy on the bedside table.

The room was clean, tidy, and had a familiar layout, just like Kazami Naru's own room.

"...Wait, this is almost exactly the same as my room, isn't it?"

"Discovered?"