How can my simulation be a real love?

"..."

Standing to the side, Kaname keenly sensed the gradually becoming dull atmosphere. She narrowed her eyes and stood in front of Kazami Mei, silently looking up at her grandmother, Tsuzuki Shisen, her round, soft, white face puffed up like an adorable little bun.

Tsuzuki Shisen's calm and serious expression showed a slight change, but she still managed to hide it well in her heart.

"What happened?"

"Hai Ling? What happened to you all of a sudden..."

The sudden question from beside him startled Shiina Riki so much that he almost jumped up. When he turned around, he was surprised to see that it was Hachiman Kairin who had arrived at some unknown time.

It was only then that she suddenly remembered that Kazami Mei's purpose in coming to RiNG today was to support the band that Hachiman Kairin was going to perform on stage later.

Upon seeing Hachiman Kairin's appearance, Tsuzuki Shifune, who had been silent, paused before continuing, "You're going to perform on stage today, right? Then don't waste any more time here."

Seeing that Tsuzuki Shisen did not choose to continue questioning Kazami Mei, Shiina, whose heart had been in her throat, breathed a slight sigh of relief. She had already prepared for the worst, but she never expected Tsuzuki Shisen to gloat over the matter so casually.

Kazami Mei was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and then replied seriously, "That's true, then I'll take my leave."

"Live, I want to play too."

The stray cat's eyes lit up slightly as it looked at Kazami Naruto beside it. Her silver hair swayed in the air with the slight movement of her body, and the slightly upturned corners of her mouth clearly showed that she was already interested.

"No, this live show isn't a place for you to play around."

"why?"

"Because this is Hailing Heming's work, not just a live performance that belongs to our band."

Shiina Tatsuki's patient explanation didn't seem to calm the stray cat down. With a stubborn streak in her heart, she raised her bright heterochromatic eyes to look at Kazami Mei beside her. Even if it took a moment, he could tell that she was asking for his opinion. Kazami Mei noticed this and smiled slightly.

Sensing this, Kazami Mei pursed her lips and gently comforted her, "It really can't be this time. How about I give you a matcha parfait later?"

"...Ming, feed me."

Seeing the cat squint its eyes and make its usual affectionate request, Kazami Mei was momentarily speechless and subconsciously wanted to see her grandmother, Mizuki Shisen's, expression.

After all, while the cat might be seen as a simple and free 'mascot' by everyone else, she was a normal girl in her grandmother's eyes; since Tsuzuki Shisen knew about Kazami Mei's time in the band, he naturally knew about the messy relationships he had with other girls.

If Kazami Mei treats Rakuna with the same 'affectionate' attitude as usual, it's hard to imagine what this stern old lady would think.

"..."

The thoughts that flashed through his mind in an instant filled Kazami Mei with mixed feelings, but after considering it, he still made up his mind resolutely.

Bull Demon King, what are you hesitating for?

He had already agreed to and 'tacitly' accepted the cat's affection and intimacy, so it was impossible for Kazami Naruto to deliberately distance himself from her now.

Thinking of this, Kazami Mei simply reached out and gently ruffled Rakuna's silver-white hair. The smooth and silky feel was as comfortable as combing a cat's fur. Feeling the familiar head pat, the cat comfortably narrowed its bright heterochromatic eyes and even took the initiative to rub its head against his hand.

"I can feed you, but could you please be quiet?"

"Ok!"

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the cat obediently nod in agreement. He then picked up the instrument case and politely nodded to Tsuzuki Shisen. After doing this, he strode after Hachiman Kairin, leaving the white-haired old man standing there calmly.

Shifune Tsuzuki seemed to be pondering something, then turned to Rakuna and whispered—

"Lenai, let's go."

"Um! Manager Tsuzuki, what are you planning to do...?"

These seemingly ordinary words caused a stir the moment they were spoken, and Shiina Riki, who was standing behind Kaname, stepped forward without hesitation.

When faced with this elderly man who made her nervous and uneasy, even though he was a prominent figure in the Tokyo Livehouse Association, Shiina Tatsuki, a fellow band member, was apprehensive but did not hesitate to muster the courage to step forward and stop him.

Her incredibly tense yet determined gaze caused a hint of surprise to flash in Tsuzuki Shisen's eyes.

"Do you care?"

"Yes! Because of her homelessness... Lena is also a part of Mygo."

Shiina Riki stared intently at Tsuzuki Shisen with a nervous expression. The other party simply looked her up and down meaningfully before replying unhurriedly, "I just plan to take Rakuna to see the performance. Besides, she wants to go herself."

"In that case, I'll go too..."

Shisen Tsuzuki suddenly frowned her sharp brows, and said in a slightly stern tone, "You should still have work to do right now, right? Do you still have the mind to go to a live show?"

Upon hearing this, Shiina Riki was speechless. Only then did she suddenly remember that she was still wearing RiNG's work uniform. The reason she had taken a short break was because of Maji Rinko's tacit approval. Naturally, she couldn't neglect her duties and go to watch Kazami Mei's performance.

"..."

Shiina Tatsuki, now silent, could only watch as the stern old lady strode towards the performance hall, rubbing her temples with a slight headache.

What should she do now? She can't just force herself to follow them, can she?

Seeing Shiina Ritsuki's anxious and flustered appearance, Shinji Rinko, who was not far away, couldn't help but chuckle. She then quietly approached from behind, patted Shiina's shoulder, and responded in a relaxed tone—

"Don't worry, Xiao Lixi~ Boss won't lie."

"Besides, the boss's praise and questioning of Kazami-kun were quite gentle, which means that the boss doesn't actually dislike Kazami-kun that much~?"

"Huh? You call that 'mild'?"

Shiina Riki stared in astonishment at the direction Tsuzuki Shifune had walked away, his expression quite fascinating.

If this level of behavior can be considered 'mild', then what is this tough old man like when he gets angry?

……

"Huh? It really is a guitar?"

"Kazami-kun is already so good at playing the keyboard, but he can also play the guitar?"

As soon as Kazami Mei took the guitar out of the instrument case, he felt the gazes of those around him gathering. Several of the band girls who had been 'supported' him all stared wide-eyed at him, looking at the guitar in his hand with curiosity on their faces.

Having collaborated with Yawata Urin for a long time, he has always appeared as a 'keyboardist'. Today, the band happened to have a keyboardist but there were no guitar and bass positions available. It was thought that everyone would have to perform under the pressure of not having a guitar.

Who knew that Kazami Mei, this keyboardist, knew so many things!

Kazami Mei simply coughed lightly, then humbly replied, "I only know a little, but it's no problem as support."

The techniques for playing the guitar actually came from Miss Pochi's simulations.

After that simulation, he obtained the Lv.5 guitar skill as the 'Guitar Hero' from Boqi. However, he has never seriously used this skill since obtaining it, so he himself does not know how high the skill's potential is.

Beside him, Hachiman Kairin plucked the strings with her fingers to test the sound without any expression, but a strange look appeared in her eyes when she saw the old-looking guitar in his hand.

The guitar's surface shows very obvious signs of wear and scratches, and the body's color has obviously faded to such an old state after several years of use. Yet, this old guitar exudes a rustic charm, and even just looking at the gleaming silver strings reveals the owner's care for it.

"This guitar looks really old."

"Don't worry about that, Hailing. Although this guitar looks a bit worn, its performance as a guitar is perfectly fine. There won't be any issues like the knobs getting stuck or the strings suddenly breaking on stage."

Kazami winked at his cool-faced girlfriend beside him, seemingly trusting the guitar more than his own guitar skills.

Even though Hachiman Kairin didn't understand why he had such 'confidence' in the guitar, as his lover, she naturally trusted him wholeheartedly.

However, for Kazami Naruto, there are obviously more important things to do than 'support' work right now.

It was with this in mind that Hachiman Kairin leaned close to his ear and whispered—

"Ming, what do you think of Senior Tsuzuki?"

"...What do you mean, how do you see it?"

"Aren't you also planning to date Kaname Rakuna? If you want to build a harem in Mygo, then it will be difficult for Tsuzuki-senpai with such a strong personality."

Seeing Hachiman Kairin's matter-of-fact expression, Kazami Naru's lips twitched slightly. He reached up and gently rubbed his temples, replying with a hint of helplessness, "Has I really become this kind of person in your eyes, Kairin?"

"So you're not interested in her?"

That's not entirely true.

Since the last 'training session', Kazami Mei has noticed Rakuna's change.

She no longer seems to be a naive child. Even if she simply and instinctively wants to act cute towards him and express her dependence and affection, it means that her inner feelings have been fully revealed.

"If Tsuzuki-senpai knew how messy my relationships with everyone were, given her strict personality, she'd most likely be angry, right? She might even stop Rana from continuing to form a band with everyone..."

"However, if it really comes to that, I will naturally do my best to persuade her."

"Then come on."

Hachiman Kairin nodded at him expressionlessly, her indifferent demeanor suggesting she cared nothing about anything.

Seeing her nonchalant attitude, Kazami Naruto couldn't help but chuckle, and deliberately teased her in a soft voice, "Miss Hailin, isn't your attitude towards me a bit too cold?"

"Hmm? What else does Ming intend for me to do?"

The black-haired girl gently reached out and brushed her dark hair behind her ear, merely raising the corners of her mouth to reveal a beautiful yet cool smile.

Perhaps suddenly thinking of something interesting, Hachiman Kairin deliberately narrowed her dark green eyes and 'counterattacked' Kazami Mei with slightly ambiguous words: "As your 'girlfriend,' all I can do right now is probably warm your bed, right?"

"Light-heated bed?"

"What else would Ming dare to do?"

Kazami Mei's lips twitched as she looked at this unbridled ice beauty, and she could only secretly vow in her heart to teach her a lesson!

However, we still need to focus our energy on the upcoming performances.

81

Chapter 81 Homecoming.

As Tsuzuki Shisen stepped into the dimly lit performance hall, Kazami Mei, standing on the stage, began to concentrate fully on her performance.

He stood on the stage with his guitar in his hands, looking down slightly, as if he was intently waiting for the drumbeats to fall behind him.

"Guitar?"

Shisen Tsuzuki spoke in a low voice, somewhat surprised, and couldn't help but turn his gaze to Kaname beside him.

Does he play the guitar?

"Hmph~"

Hearing this question, the white-haired stray cat happily raised its little head, as if its proud and beloved possession had been recognized by someone close to it. It purred softly, its pursed lips revealing its pride.

Tsuzuki Shisen looked at the black-haired boy on the stage with a more scrutinizing gaze.

His performance as a keyboardist on stage is indeed excellent, but can a young man like him at such a young age really keep up with practicing both the keyboard and the guitar?

Keep in mind that this child is still so young; it's almost impossible for him to master two completely different musical instruments at the same time!

If Kazami Mei were to go on stage as a 'support guitarist' with only a mediocre skill, given Tsuzuki Shifune's personality, he would definitely reprimand him severely for treating a live performance like a joke!

hum!

Just then, the thin pick gently ripped through the guitar's steel strings, producing a steady, gentle sound without a trace of noise, as if flowers were blooming on the strings.

"……call."

Kazami Mei let out a long sigh of relief; the guitar's screeching sound gave him goosebumps all over his body.

The world-class guitar skills honed by 'Guitar Hero' Goto Ichiri through a lifetime of hard work cannot be simply described in words. The moment the music rises, he feels his blood boiling and his soul and marrow tremble as if a steel string has been plucked!

"..."

Hachiman Kairin, standing beside him, habitually raised her dark green eyes to meet his gaze. Through numerous exchanges of glances, the cooperation between the two had become ingrained in their very being.

As the drumbeats that shook the air behind him suddenly slammed down, Kazami Mei, as a guitarist, relied on his muscle instincts to unleash the roar of his guitar.

Kazami Mei tightly gripped the guitar of pure 'love' from Chihaya Aine; and the guitar skills he displayed were the final, unwavering, and fear-free performance of Goto Ichiri, the 'Guitar Hero'.

The extremely powerful guitar playing transformed into a wave that shook the air and crashed in all directions, while the perfectly connected deep bass was like the hidden soul of this swan song, using its unique rhythm to layer upon layer this already breathtaking sound wave.

Until it transforms into a bomb that strikes straight to the heart, completely shattering the listener's scattered thoughts.

"..."

Standing beside Tsuzuki Shisen, Kaname looked up at the stage with great pleasure, occasionally trying to tiptoe as if she wanted to get past the crowd around her. Her delicate face gradually turned a peach-pink with excitement, and the heartfelt excitement made her smile involuntarily.

However, Du Zhushichuan failed to notice his granddaughter's expression at that moment; she was simply staring at the stage with an indescribable look of shock.

To be precise, they were looking at the black-haired boy.

His fingertips climbed rapidly across the positions like raging waves. The calm and composed demeanor he had displayed in front of Tsuzuki Shisen just moments before had quietly vanished, replaced by the boy's eyes, which were filled with pure enjoyment and immersion in the music.

The fine beads of sweat seeping from his temples and the upturned corners of his mouth seemed to be shining brightly at that moment.

As his fingers danced across the strings, the final coda slowly came to a close amidst cheers from the audience.

……