How can my simulation be a real love?

Kazami Mei responded earnestly, without the slightest hesitation in her deep black eyes.

Upon hearing this, Senmina simply raised an eyebrow, a strange feeling stirring within her at his words.

Even professional liars who are full of lies might not be able to remain completely at ease, so why would a mere sixteen-year-old boy be so confident? Does he have some kind of 'hidden card' that I don't know about?

67

Chapter Sixty-Seven: I don't want to no matter what.

Upon hearing this, Mori Minami seemed to calm down strangely, and she sat down opposite Kazami Naru with her arms crossed and a blank expression.

"What meaning does the future you're talking about have for the 'present'?"

"Kazami-kun, you do have a great talent for the piano and music. But if you want to debut as a professional pianist or composer, the time and effort required are not just empty words."

"In the music industry, seniority is highly valued. No matter how talented you are, you need enough time to hone your skills. Besides, how do I know you can really reach that level in the future?"

"Even if you can truly become a nationally renowned or even world-class pianist through your own talent, are you going to wait until that time to talk to me?"

As if she had already guessed that the young man in front of her would throw out some empty promises about the 'future', she, as an elder, explained the pros and cons to him in a slow and deliberate tone, as if she was observing Kazami Mei's expression during this time.

In fact, she knew that Kazami Mei couldn't really just be talking about ideals and the future.

This young man, far surpassing his peers, possesses sufficient talent and temperament; there must be some 'basis' for him to speak in this way.

Who knew that after Senmina explained all these realistic things, the black-haired boy sitting opposite her still stared at her without changing his expression.

Before she could speak further, Kazami Mei slowly said, "Auntie, you must have checked more than just this information on me, right?"

Minami pursed her lips.

Indeed, as he said, she had already investigated everything she could when she was investigating 'Kazami Mei,' so there was no way she could have missed any information containing his details.

Among them is the news that this young man recently participated in the "Young Artists Painting Group Exhibition" as an artist, and won the highest gold award in his first exhibition.

However, she found it hard to believe.

Is it truly possible for humans to simultaneously excel in two completely different fields, 'music' and 'art', and demonstrate exceptional talent in both while achieving success in both?

“That’s right. I naturally know that your nickname as an artist is ‘Youxiang’, which is one of the reasons why I called you here today for a talk.”

"To be honest... I have a lot of doubts about how you were able to win the gold medal in your first art exhibition, because 'art' is something that often shows talent at a very young age. Some so-called geniuses have already started to make their mark in the art world at the age of seven or eight, or even younger."

“But Kazami-kun, before you were sixteen years old… you showed absolutely no trace of ‘art’.”

Mori Minami's words made it very clear: she couldn't believe that Kazami Mei could truly excel in two fields at the same time.

If someone shows enough talent in either music or art, then Minami Mori can call that person a so-called 'genius'. In fact, Minami Mori initially called the sixteen-year-old Kazami Naru a 'musical genius'.

Until it was discovered that he was also involved in the field of fine arts—

Despite Mori Minami's malicious speculation, or even 'questioning', Kazami Mei, sitting opposite her, maintained a calm smile throughout.

He patiently waited for Minami to finish speaking before sincerely and earnestly replying, "If I want to debut in the music industry, it will take me at least one or two years to mature."

"But... Auntie, do you know Wenzhan?"

Minami frowned; even she had heard of this renowned art exhibition.

The so-called "Bun-Tsen" is officially called the "Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Art Exhibition." It has been held continuously since the Meiji era and is hailed as the highest-level, most prestigious art exhibition in Japan.

Winning an award at a cultural exhibition means you've already stepped into the pinnacle of being a Japanese artist, and your status will experience a meteoric rise.

"Of course I know what a literary exhibition is, but are you planning to participate in it?"

"With your current qualifications, you're not quite there yet to participate in the literary exhibition. Besides, the literary exhibition is the most typical 'qualification' route for artists in Japan. Even if you've already won the grand prize at the literary exhibition, you still need to win the grand prize ten times to upgrade to the highest level of 'membership,' which will take at least ten years!"

If this kid can really become a "member", then his "absurd" ideas will actually make more sense.

"No, I'm not interested in literary exhibitions for the time being."

Kazami Mei shook her head and looked at the green-haired girl beside her.

Sitting not far away, Wakaba Mutsu felt the gentle gaze from the other person. The coldness and fear suppressed by her mother seemed to gradually disintegrate with this gentleness. She felt as if she had returned to the moment when she first embraced Kazami Mei, and her originally hoarse throat seemed to have gained a bit more strength.

"The exhibition I'm going to attend is the Fantasy Exhibition, which is six months from now."

Senmina was stunned when she heard this. She really didn't expect this kid to have such a big appetite.

In Japan, where seniority and seniority are highly valued, it takes a considerable amount of time to establish oneself as a top artist.

But this brat Feng Jianming actually threw all of that aside and set his sights on the pinnacle of the world, a legendary hall that even Wenzhan could not reach.

Abandoning the neon-lit art world and directly entering the world stage?

Upon hearing this, Mori Minami took a deep breath and asked in surprise, "Kazami-kun, are you kidding me?"

She truly hadn't expected Kazami Mei to be so confident in himself. What gave him the audacity to say such a thing? Even the top prize winner of the 'Bunshō,' the highest hall of fame in Japan, wouldn't dare say he'd dare to participate in the Fantasy Exhibition.

Kazami Mei's confident attitude, on the contrary, aroused Mori Minami's great curiosity.

"Having plenty of confidence is certainly a good thing, but why do you think you can participate in the Fantasy Exhibition?"

"The artists who can participate in the Fantasy Exhibition are all well-known in their respective countries, and some are even long-established artists. Given that you, Kazami-kun, have only just won a gold medal, you shouldn't be able to participate in the Fantasy Exhibition six months from now, right?"

Mori Minami didn't mention whether Kazami Mei was capable of participating in such a world-class competition. She simply analyzed the current situation seriously from the perspective of an elder, and she also wanted to hear what this young genius had to say.

After all, judging from what Kazami Mei has shown so far, he is indeed an absolute genius.

Having talked face-to-face for so long, Senmina, a veteran in the industry, had roughly figured out the young man's temperament and personality. She believed that a young man with such high talent would not talk nonsense, and besides, his confident attitude did not seem like he was just putting on a show.

This means that he must have some basis for believing that he is qualified to participate in this level of competition.

Kazami Mei gave a polite smile, then spoke earnestly and seriously: "With my current qualifications and reputation, I am not qualified to participate in the Fantasy Exhibition. So I plan to participate in the FIRST exhibition, which is the outpost of the Fantasy Exhibition, which will start in half a month."

The top prize is three million yen, and FIRST is known as the 'cradle of the international stage'.

The original intention of this exhibition was to discover new artists with international potential. The highest award will be given to the newest artists with the greatest potential. In other words, if you don't win this highest award, it's a pipe dream to participate in the real pinnacle, the "Fantasy Exhibition".

Conversely, if Kazami Mei can win "FIRST," she will essentially have the qualifications to reach the pinnacle of the world stage.

“Since you say my ‘future’ is meaningless in the ‘present’, Auntie.”

The boy's dark, bright eyes were fixed on the front, and he exuded absolute confidence.

"Then I'll just turn the 'future' into the present. You can't possibly not even wait half a month, can you?"

confidence.

His confidence was unbelievable.

Minami Mori never expected that Mei Kazami would actually have a clear plan for her future as an artist. But anyone can make a plan; what is truly insurmountable is the gap between humanity and genius.

No matter how eloquently someone speaks, who can truly take full responsibility for their words?

"Do you think FIRST is still an exhibition like the Youth Exhibition? This is a cradle that has one foot in the top of the world, and countless young people have fallen here to this day."

"What makes you so sure you can beat all your competitors and win the top prize at FIRST?"

Minami admires Kazami Mei's ambition and confidence, but as Wakaba Mutsu's mother, she also has to be responsible for her daughter.

Besides, she also wanted to see what other skills this kid had up his sleeve.

Kazami Mei seemed to have already guessed that Mori Minami would question his abilities, so he naturally said, "I know that you must be worried about the risks you are not sure of, so I think I should let you have no worries. Please make a simple bet with me."

"Bet?"

Minami stared at him meaningfully, then smiled with interest and asked, "Kazami-kun, how are you planning to bet?"

"I'm betting on whether I can win the FIRST Gold Award in two weeks."

Even Mori Minami could afford to wait a mere fifteen days.

This kind of 'bet' is indeed good for Minami, because Minami doesn't need to invest any 'cost' in it. If Kazami succeeds, Minami can trust his ability and talent. Even if he fails, there is no loss at all.

Commonly known as a sure-fire way to make money.

Mori Minami nodded inwardly, then tentatively continued, "Since it's a bet, there should be a 'stake,' right? If you, Kazami-kun, really win the gold medal at FIRST, what price do you think I should pay?"

Kazami Mei simply smiled, then slowly said—

"I just want you to stop interfering so much in Mu's daily life, so that she can play in a band according to her own will, go to the beach with her friends as she pleases, attend a fireworks display at nine o'clock at night, stay up all night on New Year's Eve, and then welcome the New Year in her own way."

Senmina was somewhat surprised. This kid wasn't betting on 'Cheng Quanmu being with him'?

She really didn't expect that Kazami Naru would be so considerate of Mutsu, prioritizing Mutsu's life even with the opportunity of such a bet. It seems that this confident young man also has a soft side. Even Mori Minami can see that he truly loves his little Mutsu.

Sitting on the sofa to the right, Wakaba Mutsu also widened her bright golden eyes. Her gaze towards Kazami Mei was also sparkling. Then, the girl's gaze couldn't help but fall on the 'cheek' bracelet on her left hand, and she secretly clenched her fist without either of them noticing.

"..."

When Momoya suddenly stood up, it surprised Minami, who was not far away.

The calm-eyed girl slowly rose and sat down beside Kazami Mei, speaking earnestly under Mori Minami's surprised gaze—

"Mom, I want to stay with Ming."

"I don't want to lose my happiness, no matter what... I don't want to."

Wakaba Mutsu bowed her head to Mori Minami with utmost seriousness; this was the first time in the sixteen years since her birth that she had made a request to her mother.

Mori Minami never imagined that Wakaba Mutsu would go to such lengths for this reason. For a moment, she simply sat there, gazing meaningfully at the girl and boy not far away.

Her usually calm heart was stirred by the girl's words, a mix of complex emotions, relief, and pure joy welling up within her, making this strong woman instinctively want to embrace the girl before her.

Mu's eyes at that moment held a power and will that even her mother had never seen before.

Seeing this, Senmina finally understood that whether it was the confident and arrogant young man in front of her or her daughter who was growing up as fast as a spring, they truly loved each other.

Even if we forcibly separate them, it will only result in everyone losing.

A faint smile gradually appeared on Minami Mori's face as she was in a good mood. She glanced deeply in the direction of Mutsuka Wakaba, then looked straight ahead and said, "Since our bet is on equal footing, it's impossible for only one side to put up a 'bet,' otherwise it wouldn't be fair, would it?"

"Therefore, I think you need to offer me a bet that satisfies me and prove to me that you have enough determination."

"Auntie, please speak."

Kazami Mei nodded naturally; there is no risk in not betting.

"If you really succeed in winning the FIRST Gold Award, then I will agree to everything you just said, and I will let you get engaged to Mu immediately, and I will not interfere in your relationship with Mu afterward."

Minami looked gently at the little wooden figure not far away and continued slowly—

“But if you don’t win the top prize this time, I can still agree to what you just said, and I will still let you get engaged to Mu… However, the difference is that from the moment of the engagement, you will have to live with the Ruoye family and be devoted to Mu.”

So, does your aunt really want him to marry into the family?

Whether she succeeds or fails, she will not stop Mu from pursuing her own happiness.

However, if he were to fail by accident, Kazami Mei would face a price he could not bear.

“If you can accept all of these, I can accept this bet... But before that, you have to prove to me that you do have enough talent and ability.”

She raised an eyebrow as if she had foreseen the future, and before Kazami Mei could speak, she continued, "I know you are good at oil painting. I have prepared all the high-quality paints and brushes here. Since you are confident that you will win the gold medal, it wouldn't be a problem to demonstrate your painting skills on the spot, would it?"

"no problem."

Kazami Mei nodded without hesitation, but after a few seconds of hesitation, he added, "As for the paints, Auntie, there's no problem using yours. However, I must use my preferred oil painting brushes. May I go home now to get them?"

"In that case, let Mu go back with you to get it."

Minami waved her hand generously and then turned her gaze to Mutsuka Wakaba beside her.

Perhaps because she was satisfied with Kazami Mei's performance and spirit, or perhaps simply because she was happy with Wakaba Mutsu's growth and changes, Mori Minami, who had been 'negotiating' with Kazami Mei, directly asked Wakaba Mutsu to leave as well, as if she was deliberately giving the two of them a chance to be alone.

"..."

A faint glint appeared in Ruoye Mu's eyes; this was the first time she had looked at her mother with such an expression.

"Mu, shall we go?"

Kazami Mei smiled and reached out his hand to the girl in the pure white dress beside him. The little wooden girl standing next to him also gradually raised the corners of her mouth. Without hesitation, she took his left hand, which was adorned with a glass bracelet. Under the gaze of Mori Minami, he led the girl out of the Wakaba family's gate.

It felt like going back to the first time he took her away on her 'escape'.

……

Boom, boom...

The constant roar of the tram rubbing against the tracks filled my ears, like the chords being torn apart by an electric guitar in a performance.

The boy with long, black hair sat in a seat near the door, his deep eyes fixed on the crystal-clear glass window in the distance. The sky outside the tram was as blue as the sea. The girl next to him rested her head on his shoulder, quietly enjoying the time that belonged only to the two of them.

"Ming, thank you."

The girl with light green hair suddenly spoke, her soft and light voice tickling the back of my ear.