How can my simulation be a real love?

Kazami Mei blurted out instinctively, "I didn't expect you to be so fast. It hasn't even been three minutes, right? But this is...?"

“Zhi… didn’t Ming give me a gift before? I still cherish the drumsticks you gave me, so this is a return gift! I just couldn’t find the right time to give it to you before…”

Her radiant golden ponytail swayed gently in the air, and the gentle girl with a flushed face seemed to have a slightly evasive look in her eyes. Her trembling, long eyelashes were enough to reveal the turmoil in her heart.

A knowing glint flashed in Kazami Mei's eyes, then she narrowed her eyes and asked with a light laugh, "Nijika, can I open it now and take a look?"

"of course can!"

Under the somewhat nervous gaze of Ijichi Nijika, Kazami Mei, with a smile on her face, gently opened the gift bag in her hand.

Inside the beautifully packaged box is a brand new bristle oil paintbrush. This type of oil paintbrush is not particularly expensive; it is a fairly common but well-received type.

This type of pen is often described in this way by those who have used it—

It feels very light and is soft and comfortable to hold.

Even though it's not an expensive type, you can tell at a glance that this oil paintbrush is a thoughtful gift she carefully selected after careful consideration.

The cool, light feel of the fabric in Kazami Naruto's hand gave him a strange sense of warmth.

Speaking of which, the simulated Nijigasaki once gave him a similar oil painting brush.

Her gift resulted in the fact that the oil paintbrush that Kazami Mei now uses is the same type as the one she gave her. However, starting today, Kazami Mei's "frequently used brush" will have to be replaced.

"Thank you, I will put it to good use."

Only when she saw the faint look of surprise and joy on Kazami Naru's face did the incredibly anxious blonde girl finally relax and let out a long sigh of relief.

With her hands behind her back and her eyes lowered, she looked down at the ground. The entanglement and unease that always troubled her seemed to have vanished at this moment.

Just as Kazami Mei was about to turn and leave, Ijichi Nijika suddenly spoke up—

"Um, Naru-san, could you come over here for a moment?"

Wait, this scene looks familiar?

Kazami Mei's relaxed nerves instantly tensed up, but he still subconsciously stepped forward to stand in front of this gentle angel.

Seeing Ichiji Nijika with her head down and her face flushed, looking like she wanted to say something but couldn't, made his blood seem to burn. His usually calm expression became a little stiff.

Oh no, has he really confessed to me?!

Now we have no choice but to accept it immediately!

"..."

The blonde girl, standing on tiptoe, reached out with a smile and carefully straightened Kazami Naruto's collar, then gently smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes.

Under Kazami Mei's gaze, Iji Chikuni Natsumi simply raised her eyebrows in annoyance, her already snow-white and delicate face now covered with rosy clouds.

"Ming said before that if a girl kisses him, he'll immediately feel refreshed, right?"

"what do you mean?"

"Hey! Why are you suddenly using honorifics?! Naru-san, don't misunderstand... Of course I would never do that!"

"I just wanted to say that if Mingruo is really tired, I can give you a shoulder massage to relax you... I hope you can rely on me without hesitation at times like this!"

Kazami Mei couldn't help but laugh.

Seeing him suddenly laugh, Ichika was a little flustered. Then, as if overwhelmed with embarrassment and annoyance, she puffed out her cheeks and muttered unhappily—

"What's wrong? Aren't you satisfied with just this?"

"No, no, no! This is much more satisfying than a direct kiss."

This is honesty!

In fact, when this angel lady reached out to straighten his collar, the impact on Kazami Naru was several levels greater than if she had kissed him directly.

The charm emanating from the virtuous and petite 'angel wife' is so powerful that even Mr. Kazami, who has stacked countless layers of resistance, would instantly crumble.

"Really..."

"Kita-chan did the same thing just now. You can't just say things like that to girls next time, okay?"

With her hands behind her back and a helpless chuckle, Ichiji Nijika made a few more sarcastic remarks to him before standing at the entrance of STARRY, watching Kazami Mei's figure gradually disappear into the street.

The strands of golden hair that swayed in the breeze gradually became disheveled. She simply brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and let out a long sigh.

"As expected, I still like him."

The girl murmured softly, as if mocking herself, and did not move even after the other person's figure had completely disappeared.

Even though Ichiji Nijika didn't directly 'ask' Kazami Mei, she vaguely sensed that the person not far away was the same as herself, and after realizing this, her heart was completely in turmoil regarding their relationship.

Her long-suppressed love could no longer be hidden, but Ichiji Nijika was now unable to directly express her feelings to him.

Because now she can't tell the difference.

Ichi Nijika doesn't know whether her initial attraction turned into love because of the "dream" or whether her friendship with Naruto gradually changed in reality.

Once she is fully aware of her situation, perhaps the shackles that have suppressed her emotions for so long will finally break.

"If it's cold..."

Suddenly remembering what Yamada Ryo had said that day, the girl's blush immediately spread to her ears at a visible speed.

No matter what, that kind of thinking is still not acceptable!

48

Chapter 48: You must confess first.

Saturday, 9:45 AM —

In order to create good memories for his date, Mr. Kazami dressed up quite carefully today.

A simple white hoodie paired with loose brown trousers and neat black and white sneakers—it's a safe and reliable outfit, but on this handsome young man, it still looks incredibly stylish.

"..."

Kazami Mei picked up her phone and glanced at the time. There were still fifteen minutes until their agreed meeting time.

Based on Kazami Mei's understanding of Kita-san, she would definitely not arrive at the meeting place on time, as she would write down the date plan in advance and prepare accordingly. She is always proactive and will arrive at least fifteen minutes early.

Ms. Kita might even get up at 6:30 in the morning and spend all her extra time on makeup, dressing up, and matching clothes, only to impatiently rush over when it's almost time.

It was with this in mind that Kazami Mei arrived at the meeting point thirty minutes early.

"It should be almost done."

Kazami Mei, who was talking to himself, suddenly narrowed his dark eyes. Without turning his head, he reached out and grabbed a soft little hand from behind. Only after hearing a coquettish rebuke that was not quite understood did he slowly turn his head.

As he turned his head, he met the gaze of a red-haired girl who was about to play a prank by covering his eyes.

Kita Ikuyo, whose little hand was being grabbed, blinked blankly and asked in utter astonishment, "Why, why did Naruto find me?!"

"The energy from your Kita is almost burning me."

Kazami Mei raised an eyebrow and chuckled as she made a sarcastic remark.

Since acquiring the skill [Suyo's Reconnaissance and Counter-Reconnaissance Lv.3] in Ms. Suyo's simulation, Kazami Naruto's already extremely sensitive intuition has been elevated to a new level.

If someone were secretly watching this place, he would immediately notice it after a short while, not to mention that Miss Kita's gaze was as intense as if it were inflicted with fire damage.

"It's not that hot there!"

Kita-san in front of him suddenly widened her eyes, her tone tinged with a hint of panic as she complained.

Kazami Mei simply smiled, and only then did he have a chance to properly observe the other person's attire.

Today, Miss Kita is wearing a snow-white lace-trimmed slip dress with a beige coat, a delicate and cute bow tied at her waist, and familiar black leather shoes with white satin socks. Her youthful and energetic charm is like a blazing flame.

Miss Kita carefully applied delicate light makeup to herself. Perhaps because of nervousness, her long, thin eyelashes trembled slightly, and her already bright and beautiful yellow-green eyes blinked suddenly. Coupled with her cheerful and sunny smile, it seemed as if her whole person was radiating dazzling light.

"..."

Kazami Mei opened her mouth in surprise, unable to help but admire him inwardly.

This wasn't the first time he'd seen Kita-san's outfits. During their last date, Kazami Naruto had already noticed how excellent this sunny girl's fashion sense was, but this time she displayed a completely different and sophisticated style, bringing a fresh and unique feeling each time.

This seems to be a cute little trick the girl used to secretly attract his attention.

Kita Ikuyo noticed the fleeting look of surprise on Kazami Mei's face. She immediately clenched her fist behind her back, a hint of joy hidden in the slightly upturned corners of her mouth.

It's no wonder she got up at 6:30 and spent two hours carefully selecting and dressing up; just seeing the expression on his face makes it all worthwhile!

Kita Ikuyo took a deep breath and smiled slightly, "Well, Naru-san? It's still early, but how about we go shopping or something?"

Kazami Mei glanced at the time and nodded slightly, then replied crisply, "I happen to know a nice gift shop in Yokohama, let's go check it out together."

Upon hearing this, Miss Kita nodded rapidly, but just as Kazami Naruto was about to lead her to the shop, he suddenly felt a tightness behind him. He saw Miss Kita, her face flushed, reach out and grab his clothes.

After a half-second of eye contact, Kita Ikuyo murmured—

"...Um, I want to hold hands."

The red-haired girl's eyes seemed to dart away as she uttered those words, her fair ears were now so red they looked like they were about to bleed, and her slightly trembling fingers seemed to reveal her anxious heart.

"Holding hands?"

As for Mr. Kazami, who was being questioned in this way, a strange look flashed in his eyes.

Normally, Kita would lightly tap or brush the back of his hand with her delicate fingertips while walking. Once Kazami Mei didn't react, she would boldly "take it a step further" and naturally reach out her little hand to slip into his palm.

If he still doesn't resist at this point, Miss Kita will simply switch to a couple's cross-shaped interlocking, and this kind of sneaky hand-holding is already commonplace for her.

But today, she surprisingly asked me directly, which is quite unusual for her.

"..."

Feeling inexplicably amused, Kazami raised her eyebrows and silently extended her left hand towards the woman opposite her.

A happy smile immediately flashed in Kita Ikuyo's eyes. This time, the girl did not tentatively tap his palm as usual, but boldly pressed her palm lightly on his 'object' as if it were her own.

In the blink of an eye, their hands were clasped tightly together. The gentle caress and warmth spread from their palms to their entire hands, as if they could feel the heat of each other's blood and the rapid pace of each other's hearts through holding hands.

"……Well."

Kita Ikuyo lowered her head and let out unintelligible sobs, her entire head feeling as hot as if it were smoking.

Even though she had secretly held hands with Kazami Naruto many times when she was trying to 'win him over,' she had even mustered up the courage to hug him on their last date and had given him her first kiss.

But today, with just a light touch of holding hands, the blood in her heart began to burn, and her brain seemed to be affected by the rising temperature, causing her thoughts to gradually drift into a daze.

Kita Ikuyo, of course, knew the reason for this.

Because today's date is not just a 'date', but also a 'ritual' that signifies a complete qualitative change in their relationship. She knows that even if things proceed as planned, Kazami Naruto will eventually confess to her.

However, Kita Ikuyo has no intention of following the steps, nor does she intend to wait for Naruto to confess to her!

I want to confess to him before Ming does!

Back then, Naruto's 'confession' in the dream was politely rejected by her, and Kita-san was never able to express her feelings until the very end, so this time, no matter what—

She has to confess her feelings to him first!

……

Yokohama Takashimaya Department Store is located in the west ward of Yokohama Station.

This department store boasts an exceptionally wide variety of goods, including but not limited to cosmetics, luxury items, clothing, sporting goods, and even jewelry and gifts. Upstairs, there are also dedicated jewelry and luxury goods sections.

Tourists from other places often buy specific souvenirs here.

Girls are naturally passionate about things like "shopping" and "going out," let alone a trendy and fashionable high school girl like Kita Ikuyo.

As soon as she entered the store, she excitedly took her little hand and started browsing around, especially the clothing and gift counters, which made her eyes light up.

"Hey! How about this one?"

A girl with bright red hair picked up a long dress with a ribbon bow and held it in front of her with anticipation. Then she put a mature-style classic off-shoulder dress on top of it. No matter which dress she wore, she looked quite cute.

However, when Kita Ikuyo realized that her figure was too thin to complement the mature-style clothing, she put the clothes back with a noticeably stiff expression.

"It doesn't seem to suit me..."

Damn it, if only she had a body like Pochi's that could be considered a crime!

Kazami Mei didn't have any particular thoughts, and simply stroked her chin, commenting, "I think these are all pretty good, aren't they?"

"How could that be? I simply don't have the figure to pull off such mature clothing. If I actually wore it... it would probably be as humiliating as a child trying on their mother's high heels..."

"Haha, ahaha~ I might be more suited to children's clothes than these? Let's go check out the children's section!"