How can my simulation be a real love?

"never mind……"

"Hongxia, think about it carefully yourself."

After uttering those words, the aloof and elegant beauty slowly closed her eyes; she had said everything she needed to say.

If Nijika continues to run away like this, there's nothing that can be done. Even if it's just Yamada Ryo, he will find a way to first gain absolute control and then use that to help his friend who is running away.

The person who just spoke, Hachiman Kairin, seemed quite serious. It appeared that she was trying to help Kazami Naru out of this predicament. Despite being a 'friend' who showed no flaws, Ryo was still somewhat wary.

Based on past experiences, let's just assume for now that she likes Kazami Naruto.

The reason Yamada Ryo allowed Kazami Naru to take him away was because he knew how strong Naru's conviction was. Even when he was tempted, Naru could remain rational, so Hachiman Kairin would not be able to escape.

"..."

With a thousand thoughts swirling in her mind, Yamada Ryo took a step and left in the other direction, leaving the blonde girl alone with her hands behind her back. She raised her head and looked at the night sky with complicated emotions.

The art exhibition ticket she held in her hand rustled in the breeze, and her golden ponytail swayed in the air like delicate golden silk. In the end, the girl simply let out a long sigh.

Ichi Niji Natsumi thought she could try to give up, but when she learned that Kazami Mei was dating someone else, she felt an unprecedented sense of loss.

She has tried her best, but she still can't let go of it.

"Art exhibitions, it seems, are best viewed by oneself..."

44

Chapter 44 Miss Li Xi really wasn't lying.

The streetlights on both sides gradually lit up, their soft, warm, pale yellow light gently illuminating the asphalt road.

The night sky tonight seems different from usual. Just by looking up, you can see the silvery moonlight stretching across the sky, and even the air seems to be filled with the freshness unique to autumn.

The sound of footsteps echoed clearly in the quiet autumn night. The black-haired girl in front of her led Kazami Mei without saying a word. The two figures moved through the peaceful road until she stopped walking completely away from the street they had just been on.

"This should be about right."

The girl's calm and indifferent words, like an interlude in a rock song, easily shattered the long-standing 'barrier' between the two.

Golden leaves drifted down to the ground, carpeting the sidewalk beneath the girl's feet, their soles rustling softly as she stepped on them.

Standing in front, Hachiman Kairin gently released her right hand from Kazami Naru's sleeve. Even when the two were alone at this time, she remained calm and indifferent. From this moment on, what she had done had come to an end.

From the very beginning, Hachiman Kairin's only intention was to bring Kazami Naruto along.

Kazami Mei naturally guessed what Hai Zi was thinking. He met her gaze with gentle eyes, then smiled slightly and said, "Hachiman, thank you for your help."

"You're welcome. I just noticed you seemed a bit overwhelmed."

Yawata Kairin simply shook her head slightly, expressionless.

Her jet-black hair curled slightly at the ends, and her green eyes, which seemed to see through all the illusions of the world, remained fixed on Kazami's face.

Hachiman Kairin, who had just finished her part-time job, happened to be passing by this street in Shimokitazawa. She was just passing by when she saw Kazami Naru and two other girls pulling and tugging at each other. She didn't do anything about it and originally planned to pretend she didn't see them and turn around and leave. But in the end, she couldn't help but come over and pull him.

It's like Broly seeing Kakarot; he simply can't let things unfold as they are.

"You were just on a date with one of them, and then the other caught you?"

Kazami Naruto's lips twitched at such 'malicious' speculation. He slowly rolled his eyes and casually replied, "...Of course not. It's just that we had a little 'dispute'."

"By the way, Hachiman, when did you become so gossipy?"

Standing under the streetlight, a faint, almost imperceptible smile seemed to flash in Hachiman Kairin's eyes. Her handsome, fair face was bathed in the warm glow of the streetlight, as soft as sunlight.

This usually expressionless and aloof girl seemed to soften a bit at this moment.

But this slight emotional fluctuation was like a fleeting shooting star, and in the blink of an eye, Hachiman Kairin returned to her usual expressionless demeanor: "It's just a stereotype. After all, you can openly have your cake and eat it too."

"I'm sorry to give you this stereotype, but your information needs to be updated."

Even when faced with his good brother's sharp, expressionless sarcasm, Kazami remained calm. In that situation, even if Kazami didn't say anything, his brother would have guessed what was going on. After all, he had no secrets left from his good brother, with whom he knew him inside and out.

Hachiman Kairin also noticed that Kazami Naruto seemed to have changed quite a bit from before.

With her meticulous mind, she chose to fix her gaze on his eyes. However, in this situation, Kazami Mei simply met Hachiman Kairin's eyes without any hesitation. Their deep eyes seemed to pierce through the shackles of oxygen and intersected in the air.

The eyes don't lie.

Hachiman Kairin seemed to be trying to judge his current state through his eyes, and Kazami Naru returned the favor with a calm and composed gaze.

The two continued to stare at each other until Hachiman Kairin was the first to give up. She turned and found a vending machine at the alley entrance, casually took a coin from her instrument case and put it in, then coldly said without turning her head—

"I see. It seems you've made up your mind completely."

I'm determined to get to know everyone.

Boom!

Two canned drinks fell into the retrieval slot through the exit. Hachiman Kairin, still with her back to them, slowly bent down and retrieved them. Seeing her completely normal posture, Kazami Naruto took a slow breath, maintaining his composure, and suddenly spoke softly—

"Hachiman, do you remember the question you asked me last time?"

Hachiman Kairin paused for half a second before slowly speaking, "...I remember."

If Li Xi liked you, would you still give the same answer?

Unlike the momentary hesitation last time, this time Kazami raised her eyes and responded crisply: "When you asked me this question before, I hesitated and didn't respond to you immediately, so I'm going to answer this question again now."

"I like Shiina Tatsuki."

He answered decisively and slowly closed his eyes. Just recalling the tears in Shiina's eyes made it impossible for him not to care; he was already deeply in love with her, and he was very serious about it, even if Hachiman Kairin in front of him would completely turn against him...

Kazami Meiya will never regret her decision.

After a moment of silence, Hachiman Kairin slowly turned around.

"That's it."

When she heard Kazami Mei say those words she had been waiting for, for some reason, Hachiman Kairin did not feel relieved.

He was clearly just a hopeless bastard.

As Shiina Riki's 'friend', all she needed to do was reach out, press down on her back, gently push her forward, and then stand completely as an 'observer' in a corner where they couldn't see her, quietly watching the response Riki deserved.

Because I only consider Hachiman a friend.

The words she had heard at some point were still echoing in Hachiman Kairin's mind. The black-haired girl slowly closed her eyes, tossed the aluminum can of chocolate milk in her hand to Kazami Naru, and turned around unhurriedly, holding the remaining Kiss coffee in her palm.

She remained calm and composed at all times, and said lightly, "Since you have made your decision, as a friend, I will try my best to help you with Lixi's affairs in the future."

"Well then, I'll take my leave now."

As her voice faded into the air, Hachiman Kairin, holding her coffee, turned and left without looking back.

"Hachiman, wait a moment."

Kazami Naruto's sudden words caused Hachiman Kairin to slow down her steps. For some reason, she revealed an icy and indifferent expression when she was called back. Her beautiful emerald eyes were fixed on Kazami Naruto's handsome face as she stood there, waiting for his next move.

He took a deep breath.

"Actually, I have a slight doubt about what I said to you last time."

When confirming Shiina Tatsuki's feelings, Kazami Mei unexpectedly obtained a very explosive 'information' from Shiina Tatsuki: before running away, Miss Tatsuki accidentally revealed Hailin's situation.

The events happened so suddenly that Kazami Mei didn't have the energy to process all the information.

You should know that Hachiman Kairin has not shown the slightest 'liking' for him until now!

This also led to Kazami Naru realizing that the 'brotherly friendship' between him and Hailin had deteriorated, leaving him completely unable to calm down and in a state of shock, and for a moment he didn't even know how to handle the relationship between the two.

Of course, he could no longer see the other person as a pure brother.

Therefore, Kazami Mei decided to confirm her true feelings.

"...Didn't you just answer my question again?"

Hachiman Kairin tilted her head slightly, her expression calm but now showing some confusion.

"What I'm saying now isn't what Li Xi said, but the question you asked before."

Kazami Mei's calm tone dispelled the doubts in Hachiman Kairin's heart.

The usually composed and aloof girl froze, her dark green eyes silently fixed on the black-haired boy opposite her. Even she seemed unable to maintain her usual composure.

The previous sentence refers to my 'confession' to him at that time.

"Kazami, what do you mean?"

Completely unable to calm down, Hachiman Kairin gripped the can of coffee tightly. Perhaps due to her loss of composure, her movements became somewhat stiff, and her fingertips, gripping the coffee, turned slightly white from excessive force.

The girl's unusual change made Kazami Mei realize something.

It seems that Miss Lixi really wasn't lying.

Kazami Mei took a deep breath and, under Hachiman Kairin's gaze, spoke frankly: "Hachiman, I'd like to invite you on a date."

He planned to use this opportunity to determine whether his 'friendship' with his good brother was truly pure.

Such a direct invitation made Hachiman Kairin somewhat uneasy.

She never imagined that Kazami Naruto would one day say those words to her. A strange, faint sense of anxiety and an inexplicable feeling in her heart made Hachiman Kairin furrow her sharp eyebrows.

The two stared at each other in silence for a moment.

"So, what's your answer?"

Kazami Mei, who had never gained the upper hand in front of Hachiman Kairin, felt a little complicated, but he still kept his eyes fixed on every subtle change in Hachiman Kairin's face.

Pressed so hard, Hachiman Kairin was unable to give a decisive response. The words of refusal were stuck in her throat, but she couldn't bring herself to say them.

Ultimately, all the words can be summed up in one sentence—

"...I'll give you an answer later."

The girl's slightly sharp gaze was fixed on the black-haired boy in front of her with a complicated expression. Upon hearing this, Kazami Mei simply nodded slightly.

"I understand. I'll wait for your reply later."

As Kazami Mei uttered those words with a soft sigh, Hachiman Kairin, her face expressionless, merely nodded slightly. The next moment, she turned and disappeared without hesitation across the street, her departure restoring the usual tranquility to the streets of Shimokitazawa.

However, this time seems to be different from the past.

Kazami Mei watched Hachiman Kairin's figure gradually disappear, took a deep breath, and turned to leave in another direction.

……

National Art Center, Tokyo.

Every year at this time, emerging young and talented artists emerge from here, and this year's "Japanese Young Artists Group Exhibition" will also be held here.

The blonde girl strolling through the art museum seemed a little lost, overwhelmed by the variety of paintings in different styles around her.

Perhaps because this art exhibition is of great significance to young people, many of the people coming and going were high school students of similar age to Ijichi Nijika, who were probably students from the art department of the art academy.

Those who intend to pursue art as a career in the future will naturally be interested in this kind of art exhibition by the younger generation.

Having never been to such a place before, Ichiji Nijika didn't know the proper way to appreciate the art. She could only wander around aimlessly, looking at a number of paintings of all sizes along the way.

However, when Ichi Nijika saw the paintings around her marked with 'awards', she could only exclaim 'Amazing!' and had no other feelings.

Perhaps it's just that I don't understand art?

Ichiji Nijika lowered her head and secretly mocked herself in her heart.

"Wow...!"

Unfortunately, she was looking down and thinking without paying attention to the road ahead. Just as she reached the corner, she accidentally bumped into someone and lost her balance before she could even react.

Just when she thought she was about to fall, someone gently helped her up.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going..."

The sudden fear made the girl's heart pound. Ichiji Nijika patted her chest and couldn't catch her breath for a long time, but after she came to her senses, she immediately apologized to the person she had bumped into.

"Are you okay?"

The gentle and elegant voice was so captivating that Ichiji Nijika subconsciously looked up at the person in front of her.

Standing in front of her was a middle-aged woman with short blonde hair. The woman was wearing a loose kimono and staring at her calmly. The woman's beautiful face and unique blonde hair and golden eyes made Hongxia marvel in her heart.

She's such a beautiful person...

"I'm fine, thank you very much!"

"That's good."