How can my simulation be a real love?

No matter how precise Hachiman Kairin's control over interpersonal relationships is, or how excellent her emotional management is, she cannot conceal human instincts. A person who controls their inner emotions at all times cannot remain calm and rational forever; there will always be moments when she reveals a weakness.

Just as Kazami Mei was about to give up, a strange look finally appeared in Hachiman Kairin's eyes.

Even though Hachiman Kairin's unusual behavior was only for a moment before she returned to normal, Kazami Mei still keenly noticed this anomaly.

"I see."

Yawata Kairin nodded with a flicker of emotion in her eyes, seemingly willing to accept the proposal.

Without hesitation, she stood up and replied earnestly, "Then let's set the date for next Sunday. I'll have a day free then."

"I've almost finished eating the takoyaki, so... I still have a live performance to prepare for next."

After saying that, Hachiman Kairin threw the empty takoyaki box into the trash can, politely thanked Kazami Mei and Shiina Riki, and then picked up the music box. Throughout the whole process, her delicate face showed little emotional fluctuation.

As she turned and left, she left behind only a dashing and heroic silhouette.

After a moment of silence, Shiina Tatsuki frowned.

"...While you did manage to get Hailing to agree to the date, are you sure what you did was right?"

If the emotional issues between Kazami Mei and Hachiman Kairin continue to drag on, they might eventually find a way to get Kairin to tell the truth. But Kazami Mei has now pushed both of them to the brink of despair.

If their date next week doesn't immediately confirm their relationship, then there's probably no room for negotiation.

“If Hachiman makes such a decision, she will never back down in front of you.”

Kazami Mei let out a meaningful sigh, her gaze subtly fixed on the black figure that had vanished from the spot.

Upon hearing this, Shiina Riki fell silent and lowered his eyes. As a friend, he and Kazami Mei both knew Hachiman Kairin's personality very well, and if things dragged on like this for a long time, it would be difficult to get any results.

If Hailing, with her straightforward personality, tries to hide her true feelings, the 'lock' in her heart will only become stronger over time, and in the end, we may never hear her true thoughts again.

To break this stalemate, we need to take drastic measures and break her defenses as soon as possible.

Thinking this, Shiina Tatsuki's eyes gradually hardened. She turned around, raised her head, and said seriously, "Hairin was definitely lying just now. Although I don't have any evidence to prove it... I'm pretty sure that her feelings for you are definitely not just as simple as friendship!"

"Ming, I'm leaving Hailing's affairs to you."

Now we can finally shout "Sing!" properly, right?

Kazami Mei's lips twitched, and she casually said with a hint of helplessness, "Ms. Ritsuki, do you really have that much faith in me?"

Perhaps because of this, Shiina Riki, who was crossing her arms, gradually blushed with a rosy pink at the base of her ears. Her long, night-purple hair, like the starry sky, swayed gently by her ears, and the alluring beauty mark at the corner of her eye became even more adorable at this moment.

She turned her head away as if deliberately avoiding Kazami's gaze, and inexplicably fell silent, clutching her chest.

Should I say it or not——

Shiina Ritsuki doesn't doubt that Naruto is good at dealing with girls.

"Your thoughts are written all over your face; these are typical stereotypes."

"Huh? That's impossible!"

Looking at the adorable Riki, who was embarrassed and angry after her thoughts were exposed, Kazami Mei couldn't help but smile slightly.

But, a date with Hailing?

He couldn't even imagine how shy and bashful Hachiman would look. How could he possibly make Hailin break down?

……

Time flies.

Kazami Mei slowly placed the paintbrush back on the easel, gazing at the new work that was already halfway complete before her and nodding gently. This work was much better than her previous one, "Summer Flowers."

There happened to be an art exhibition in a week, and he decided to take this opportunity to further expand the reputation of 'Yuxiang'.

If Kazami Mei wins a few more gold medals in group exhibitions or art competitions, then he will truly emerge as an artist, and the resulting surge of attention will naturally attract the media.

My current goal is probably to get the qualification to participate in the top-tier Japanese art exhibition, right?

"Ok?"

Upon opening the refrigerator door, it appeared that there wasn't much food left inside.

It seems that because I haven't bought any groceries at all during this period, I've inexplicably eaten all the food at home. Although I can still make some simple dishes with the remaining ingredients, Kazami Naruto is too lazy to cook.

Forget it, let's just go out to eat tonight.

After taking over 'Rabbit House' from the store manager, Kazami Mei didn't just sit back and do nothing. With his hard work and management, the store's revenue was still quite considerable. Even if Kazami Mei did nothing now, he could still cover the daily expenses.

At the same time, Kazami Mei also served as a 'composer' and signed a contract with Boss Xiangzi, receiving a considerable salary every month. After winning the gold medal at this art exhibition, he not only received the prize money, but his painting "Summer Flowers" also easily sold for several hundred thousand yen.

Even with significant commissions and taxes, Kazami Mei is now completely flush with cash.

Click.

He casually locked the iron gate of the apartment and stepped out of the creaking, rusty staircase. Although he now had the money to move to a better apartment, he had no plans to move for the time being.

He's used to living here, and this apartment isn't too bad except for being a bit small.

The neon lights of the shopping street were dazzling, and the night, which should have been quiet, was so noisy. As Kazami Mei strolled along the street, she habitually glanced at the various restaurants on the edge of the street.

When he suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure, the expression on his face underwent a rather subtle change.

Before Kazami could turn and leave, the figure he was staring at seemed to notice the gaze and immediately took the phone off the selfie stick and walked over.

"Oh my gosh~ Isn't that Naruko?"

"It's not good for a minor to be wandering around outside at this hour, is it? Or are you planning to go somewhere you shouldn't be?"

The woman standing in front of him wore sunglasses that covered most of her face, and her cat-like lips, painted with lip gloss, were slightly pursed. Even though Kazami Naruto couldn't see the expression on her face, he could roughly guess the mischievous smile in her eyes.

53

Chapter 53 Could it be that he's also trying to seduce me?

The mature woman standing before me had short, messy, matte purple bob haircut, a beautiful and mature figure, and a trendy outfit that made her seem to radiate light.

However, in contrast to this 'mature' demeanor, the slightly pursed corners of this older woman's mouth and her downcast pink eyes hidden behind sunglasses added a touch of coquettishness and liveliness to her mature and beautiful temperament.

With a complex mix of emotions, Kazami Mei stared at the troublesome woman before him, and after a strange silence, he slowly raised his head.

"Good evening, Miss Yutenji."

The purple-haired older sister who had taken the initiative to greet him froze with a smile, seemingly having anticipated Kazami Mei's attitude.

"...You seem a bit perfunctory, but good evening Naruko too, meow~"

Yutenji Wakana narrowed her crescent-shaped eyes and casually made a sarcastic remark, but as a popular beauty blogger, she instantly regained her perfect professional smile, deliberately dragging out the last syllable of her sentence—

"What a coincidence that we'd run into each other here! What are you doing out so late, Naruko?"

A woman who's a bit troublesome.

"It's just about finding a place to have dinner."

"Hey? Would you like to eat with me?"

A smile flashed in Yutenji Wakana's eyes, and she couldn't help but extend an invitation directly.

"You seem busy, isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

Kazami Mei couldn't help but glance at Miss Nekomu's right hand.

He didn't want to get too entangled with Teacher Da Miao, who was obsessed with 'popularity' and 'traffic', especially since the other person was holding a selfie stick and a phone. Who knew if Yutenji Ruomai was live streaming right now?

He definitely didn't want to be the "lucky guest" in their photos.

Perhaps the mature Ms. Ooko sensed Kazami's thoughts, for she smiled and took the phone off the selfie stick, showing Kazami the screen and revealing the clearly recorded content.

When Kazami Naru's expression changed, she slowly chuckled and said, "Naruko, look~ I'm just recording footage for a program right now."

Upon seeing this, Kazami raised an eyebrow, but still replied nonchalantly, "Then I won't disturb Miss Yutenji's work any longer. Having another person wouldn't be very convenient."

"I won't find it inconvenient, will I?"

"Although we're not exactly close, we're still bandmates... I just wanted to find an opportunity to talk to you about the band, sob... Do you dislike me that much?"

Yutenji Wakana's smile seemed to stiffen, and a faint sense of resentment lingered in Kazami Mei's ears along with her words.

Teacher Da Miao, who always wears a fake smile mask, seems genuinely resentful at this moment. Although it looks like she's faking tears and acting pitiful, if you refuse her now, she might actually have some real thoughts.

"..."

Kazami Mei stared at the female college student with a subtle look in her eyes, and finally just shook her head with a slightly helpless expression.

Although he wasn't particularly fond of women like Yutenji Wakana who always wore their "pretense" on their sleeves, he figured it wouldn't be good to have a cold and strained relationship with her, since she was a band member personally invited by Kazami Mei and Daisho-sensei.

Even though Ms. Ooko looks like a mature 'adult', Kazami Naruto feels that she is somewhat childish and might cause trouble in a fit of anger.

"In that case, let's find a coffee shop and sit for a while."

As soon as Kazami Mei uttered those words, the pink-haired female college student in front of her curled her lips, and the grievance and dissatisfaction on her face immediately turned into a [Planner] smile.

She covered the smile playing on her lips with her fingers, responding with a lively and cheerful tone, "Yay~ But no need for a coffee shop or anything like that~"

"Actually, they were recording footage for a restaurant review program today. Isn't it easy to get views by visiting popular online restaurants?"

"That's why I haven't had dinner yet, and my stomach is growling! Since we're going to eat together, how about we find a nice restaurant and chat about the band while we're at it?"

Kazami Mei's lips twitched; she roughly guessed what the woman was thinking.

"Then let me make this clear first: you can't film me in the program."

"Meow? Why!?"

Just moments ago, Yutenji Wakana was full of excitement, but now her mouth was agape, and her pink diamond eyes, hidden behind black-rimmed sunglasses, widened in astonishment.

Seeing the expression on Teacher Da Miao's face, indicating that her plan had been disrupted, Kazami Mei, who had already anticipated this, simply rolled her eyes slightly.

As expected, this woman really can't avoid the hurdle of 'traffic'. As a beauty blogger, she initially joined AveMujica for traffic and money, so naturally she wouldn't let go of Kazami Mei, this natural traffic machine.

In this appearance-obsessed era, someone with Kazami Mei's looks can attract attention even if she sits still.

Kazami Mei slowly closed her eyes, and casually explained, "I'm rather averse to being on camera. If Ms. Yutenji insists on including me in the program, then I'll take my leave now."

"...Okay, okay~ How could I possibly include other people in the photos? Fine, I won't take any more, meow!"

Yutenji Wakana sighed inwardly, her face showing a stingy expression. Seeing Kazami Naru's stubbornness, she finally had no choice but to compromise. It would be a waste not to make good use of his handsome face!

Despite feeling somewhat disappointed, Yutenji Wakana maintained her smiling demeanor on the surface. However, perhaps as if she had suddenly thought of something interesting, her smile gradually took on a more meaningful tone.

"Since Naruko isn't willing to film the show with me, how about I recommend a restaurant you like?"

Kazami Mei raised an eyebrow, a subtle glint in her eyes.

"you sure?"

Seeing the wicked smile on the black-haired boy's face, Yutenji Wakame had a strange bad feeling.

……

“Welcome~”

As the cheerful shouts of the blonde shop assistant reached their ears, Kazami Mei pulled back the curtain and led the astonished Yutenji Wakana into the ramen shop.

There are many decent restaurants near Yokohama, but Kazami Naru is the only one that Shibata Ramen frequents. Most of the dishes at this restaurant are oily ramen and fried food.

As a popular beauty blogger, Teacher Da Miao naturally needs to strictly control her weight. She probably has a bit of a headache when faced with this type of food.

After all, it was her smiling face that made Kazami Naruto insist on recommending it, which could be seen as a retaliation for her previous act of playing the victim.

"Huh? It's a ramen shop?"

Yutenji Wakana stared at the unlovable black-haired brat in front of her with a somewhat subtle look in her eyes.

She never expected that the other party would bring a girl to a ramen shop. Such high-calorie and greasy food is very off-putting. Or was this kid not planning to please her at all?

I'm inexplicably a little annoyed!

"We've reserved seats in the innermost booths! Please follow me!"

The blonde shop assistant turned around with a smile and led the two into the store. She was already used to seeing this mature older sister behind Kazami Naruto, whom she had never seen before.

Since she started working here, she's seen all sorts of things. Even if Kazami Mei brought the national idol to the store in a couple of days, she probably wouldn't be too surprised.

"This is the menu, please use it."

Miss Miaomeng stared at the menu handed to her by the waiter with a somewhat subtle look in her eyes.

At first glance, the variety is surprisingly large, including fried foods such as tempura and tonkatsu, various flavors of ramen, and even grilled eel. But the problem is that the calories are far too high.

"Naruko, do you always come to ramen shops when you eat with girls?"