How can my simulation be a real love?

"...When did Su Shi become so dedicated to practice?"

With her eyes narrowed, Ms. Shiina gazed subtly at Nagasaki Motoyo, whose face was full of gentle smiles. Her words carried a hint of strangeness that was hard to hide, and her comments made Chihaya Aine beside her nod repeatedly.

Because they are rivals in love, Chihaya Aine is quite clear about Nagasaki Motoyo's personality.

Miss Aine, who was stroking her chin and starting to think, raised her eyebrows as she pondered. She was the type of person who was most sensitive to 'atmosphere', and at this moment she could vaguely sense that Nagasaki Motoyo was 'panicked' in a way that was different from usual.

I understand!

Suddenly realizing what was happening, Chihaya Aine opened her mouth slightly, and with a slight upturn of her lips as if deliberately stirring things up, she raised her voice in the same 'stand-in' style as Nagasaki Motoyo: "Hey! But don't we need to rush into practicing yet?"

"Practice can be done anytime~ It's not easy for everyone to get together like this! Besides, Mutsumi-chan just arrived, right? Why don't we all take this opportunity to have a meal together?"

That pink-haired guy is enough; we haven't even settled accounts for the trouble he caused earlier.

Nagasaki Motoyo took deep breaths to suppress her anger, her fingers trembling as she played with the curls on her shoulders. Her smile was slightly stiff as she replied, "...Aine-chan, we don't have much practice time, you know?"

Shiina Riki stared speechlessly at the pink-haired creature.

"So you... don't even understand the main purpose of our [training camp], do you?"

"Lixi-chan is right~ We must make good use of our 'limited' time and remember our main 'purpose'."

Damn it! This brown fox spirit's main 'purpose' wasn't practicing at all!

The pink-haired girl, caught between two men, was secretly cursing the 'troublesome' situation. Suddenly, she remembered something and looked at Kazami Mei sitting not far away with bright eyes. She then asked with a hint of expectation, "Mei-mei probably also thinks it's better not to rush into training, right?"

Seeing that all eyes were instantly on him, Kazami Mei knew he couldn't just stand by and watch. He could only accept this hot potato and shrug.

"There's not much time left until dinner, and it's difficult for everyone to get into training mode right away. It's better to conserve our energy and start formal practice later tonight."

"...I, I also think...it's better to practice at night..."

Sitting in the corner, Takamatsu Akari subconsciously exchanged a glance with Wakaba Mutsu not far away, and then followed Kazami Naruto in expressing her own thoughts, which made Shiina-san, who originally thought that she should be trained, start to waver instantly.

After a moment's hesitation, Shiina Tatsuki let out a long, helpless sigh—

"...There's no other way, let's have dinner first before we start practicing."

"It just so happens that Mu is more professional than me in guitar. Aiyin, you made a mistake when you played the high C part during your last live performance. Take this opportunity to ask her for advice. You absolutely cannot make the same mistake when you go on stage."

Seeing that even Shiina Tatsuki was standing opposite, and that the little wooden girl beside her seemed ready to join 'Mygo's training camp at any moment, Nagasaki Motoyo, her mind in turmoil, finally struggled to speak: "But isn't Mutsumi's family very strict about this? If we practice with them and end up going home too late... that might not be good, right?"

"If it's before eight o'clock, then there's no problem."

Ruoye Mu slowly raised her head and stretched out her little hand to make an 'eight' gesture.

"...In that case, would you please have dinner with us, Xiao Mu?"

Nagasaki Motoyo sighed inwardly, unable to discern any thoughts from the doll girl's expressionless face.

Knowing that things had come to this, she naturally had no choice but to give up the idea of ​​continuing to struggle. If Ruoye Mu could not stay here for the night, then even Nagasaki Sue could reluctantly compromise.

It's just before eight o'clock, it's not like she can't wait!

……

Dinner, being an essential part of the meal, was naturally prepared by Kazami Mei.

Ms. Shiina was quite shocked when she learned that he was in charge of cooking. She asked Kazami Naruko many times if he really knew how to cook. Only after Nagasaki Motoyo and Wakaba Mutsumi vouched for him did she temporarily put aside her prejudices. However, she was still a little worried and kept looking into the kitchen.

Her worries and anxieties vanished completely the moment the dish was served.

It's simply because the taste is just too outstanding.

Shiina Riki never expected that Kazami Mei's cooking would be of such a high standard. This guy usually seemed like he would rather starve than cook for himself, but the dishes he made were far better than she had imagined.

Her stunned expression naturally drew snickers from the other girls around her.

However, at this moment, Ms. Shiina, whose thoughts were already overwhelmed by the violence of the 'delicious' taste, had no time to care about anything around her. Her expression was extremely stiff. She was as silent as if she had lost Wakaba Mutsumi beside her, and only knew to lower her head and savor this excellent delicacy.

"Hey! Rikki~ How are you feeling right now~?"

Perhaps sensing that Chihaya Aine was smiling and leaning closer to her, Shiina Tatsuki, who was half-lying on the sofa, blushed but didn't know how to refute, so she could only turn her head away coldly.

This was the first time she had ever eaten out and felt slightly bloated. Kazami's cooking was so tempting, it was as if it had some kind of 'contraband' added to it.

Thinking of this, Shiina Ritsuki couldn't help but look up in the direction of Kazami Mei, only to find that the guy was also looking in her direction, his ambiguous smile as if he had already guessed that she would look over there.

Shiina's ears suddenly burned, and she awkwardly turned her head away, saying somewhat unnaturally, "It's...it's alright, isn't it..."

"Huh? I didn't say it was Mingming's cooking."

Chihaya Aine blinked her crystal-clear gray eyes with feigned confusion, which made Shiina Tatsuki, who was 'taking it personally,' widen her beautiful eyes in surprise, noticing that everyone around her was drawn to her words.

In an instant, the girl's beautiful face turned red at a visible speed, and the temperature of her ears and soft neck also began to rise.

You stinky pink-haired brat, you tricked me!?

"So Li Xi can be this frank too?!"

Nagasaki Motoyo narrowed her eyes, a hint of smugness flashing in them.

Although she was outdone by her husband in terms of cooking skills as a 'wife,' she naturally felt satisfied and proud after seeing Shiina Tatsuki, who wasn't usually so candid, say 'it's delicious.'

puff-

It seemed that Chihaya Aine could no longer hold back, and a clear laugh came from her side.

Shiina Riki, whose face instantly turned red, glared at her fiercely, but even with such a 'fierce' look, coupled with her already flushed white face, it had none of the intimidating power she usually possessed.

Not only do they fail to intimidate, they also come across as unexpectedly adorable.

Enraged, his good brother was baring his teeth and brandishing his claws not far away, while only Takamatsu Akira sat beside Wakaba Mutsu, holding a cup of red tea in both hands, a hint of melancholy in his eyes.

Kazami Mei naturally noticed the little penguin's dejected state with its head down. He looked up and exchanged a glance with Wakaba Mutsu before taking the initiative to speak: "Tokyo, was the dinner not very good?"

Upon hearing this, Takamatsu Akari immediately panicked. She shook her head vigorously, like a rattle-drum, and, worried about being misunderstood, quickly began to explain—

"No, that's not true! Naru's cooking is delicious..."

"It's very warm, extremely... extremely warm."

As her words flowed, her voice grew weaker and weaker. The faint sadness that words could not describe made Kazami Mei take a deep breath and then slowly sit down beside her.

He reached out and gently stroked the little penguin's delicate light gray hair, but did not directly ask the other party why.

This familiar touch gradually calmed the girl down. She seemed to realize that her actions were worrying him, and holding her teacup, she furrowed her brow slightly before explaining—

"I just feel a little lonely."

"It's been a long time since everyone in CRYCHIC got together, but Xiao Xiang is the only one missing..."

At this point, Kazami Mei finally understood.

The little wooden figure sitting next to the little penguin also opened its mouth in a daze, a strange light flashing in its light golden eyes.

"You should think of it this way: it's her loss that Xiangzi didn't come."

In the future, if anyone is going to throw an amazing party, there will probably only be one person who won't receive an invitation.

I won't say who it is.

Unable to suppress his inner complaints about Teacher Daisho, Kazami's gaze became somewhat strange. He reached out and gently placed the little penguin against his chest, comforting it in a remarkably soft tone—

"Don't worry, I'll make sure Xiangzi reconciles with everyone sooner or later."

"absolute."

Kazami Naruto had this plan from the very beginning.

It was indeed Xiao Xiang's fault for abandoning CRYCHIC without permission. No matter what, she should apologize to the little penguin. Besides, they were friends who were 'shared destiny' and shouldn't have parted ways like this.

Kazami Mei still wouldn't give up trying to persuade Shoko to open up to everyone. Even if they couldn't return to their close relationship, at least they could clear up the misunderstandings and the thorns in her heart.

Ruo Yemu seemed to nod slightly, and a hint of emotion flickered in his calm eyes.

"Well... it's about time everyone started training, right? After we've worked up a sweat, let's all take a nice bath together. The bath can fit two or three people at a time, okay?"

With a smile, Miss Su Shi glanced in the direction of Kazami Naruto, then turned her head away as if nothing had happened.

Shiina Riki paused for two seconds, then suddenly looked up as if she had just realized something.

"Wait, about this issue—"

"What will Kazami do while we're taking a bath?"

The moment Shiina Tatsuki mentioned this question, Chihaya Aine suddenly looked up. Her original intention to finally start training vanished at that moment, and she suddenly felt an indescribable tension.

Kazami Mei rolled her eyes and replied quite matter-of-factly, "Can't we just take a bath in two separate sessions? You girls can go in first, and then I'll go in after you."

"Idiot, if we do that, the water we soaked in will..."

Ms. Shiina fell silent halfway through her speech.

Looking at her slightly red ear tips, Kazami's eyes flashed with a hint of realization. Could it be that Riki was concerned about 'her bathing in the same bath as him,' a situation that was like an indirect kiss?

No, isn't being a "good brother" a bit too naive?

Kazami Naruto, whose heart was inexplicably racing, took a deep breath and spoke softly with a gentlemanly expression: "Don't worry, I have absolutely no ulterior motives."

No ideas? How could that be?

I need to have a bite first, and then see if I have any ideas!

Just thinking about the fact that this was the bathwater that Ms. Riki had soaked in made Kazami Mei instantly turn into a water sprite.

"If it's really not possible, I can go wash first. Of course, if you're really concerned about it, Shiina... I can wait until tomorrow morning to wash."

"...Huh? When did I say I cared about it?"

Shiina Riki retorted coldly, her cheeks slightly flushed. Her raised eyebrows seemed to express her dissatisfaction, but just thinking about the scene that was about to unfold made her cheeks burn.

Brother Bull Demon, why are you suddenly being so long-winded?

Just as the argument reached a stalemate, Nagasaki Motoyo gently clasped her hands together and smiled as she reached out to gently push Kazami Naru towards the bathroom: "Naru, why don't you go take a shower first? The rest of us still have training to do."

I have a feeling this woman has ill intentions, so I'd better not lock the door later.

Seeing that no one, including Shiina Tatsuki, seemed to have any objections, Kazami Mei simply shrugged and casually said, "In that case, I'll go take a shower first."

"Take this time to practice properly. I'll come back and check on you after I'm done washing up."

Several girls watched as Kazami Naru walked into the bathroom. Even Chihaya Aine blushed slightly as she looked in the direction he left. Seeing that everyone seemed a little dazed, Suze narrowed her eyes.

"Alright, alright, shall we start training?"

A bath should probably take at least 30 minutes, right?

Miss Aine, who is usually quite sunny and lively, seemed a little unnatural today. Perhaps it was because she was thinking about the 'bath' later, and she was somewhat absent-minded while holding her guitar.

The results are obvious.

During the training, Ms. Aine made several small mistakes. But this time, it wasn't just her who had problems; even Shiina Tatsuki's rhythm on the drum kit would occasionally become a bit impatient and speed up.

Only Gao Songdeng was still trying her best to sing, but the overall effect of the ensemble was rather poor.

After everyone played the melody three times in a row, Nagasaki Motoyo gently clapped her hands. The gentle, water-like girl exuded a mature, maternal charm, and she spoke softly and gracefully—

"Everyone, take a short break and get yourselves in a good state."

"...Then, I'll excuse myself for a moment."

With a smile, Miss Su Shi walked towards the restroom on the other side. Seeing this, Chihaya Aine rubbed her pink hair in annoyance. Was this all she had to offer? She was far too pathetic!

However, to be honest, she does seem to be the weaker type.

Just a light kiss from Mingming and her body went limp.

"Mutsu-chan! Please teach me the fingering for this part, I kept making mistakes when we were playing it together~"

"...Excuse me, I'll have to take a moment to leave."

The expressionless doll girl glanced meaningfully at the direction of the 'toilet' not far away, and then followed Nagasaki Motoyo's steps, causing Aine, who was standing in place, to blink in confusion.

"That's strange, nobody seems to have drunk much water either?"

She didn't find anything strange about it.

After all, Su Shi's house is over 300 square meters, with several toilets alone.

Nagasaki Motoyo walked from the restroom to the changing room, and then reached out to unbutton the top button of her collar. She had only managed to unbutton the first button when a familiar voice came from behind her.

"Su Shi, what are you doing?"

“…Oh, it’s Xiao Mu.”

Turning around, Nagasaki Motoyo smiled and stared at the doll-like girl behind her. The girl's golden eyes, which seemed to see through everything, made her somewhat uneasy, but on the surface, she still spoke as if nothing was wrong—