How can my simulation be a real love?

Oh no, I got a little too carried away.

Holding his guitar, Kazami Naru slowly walked away from the stage with a subtle look in his eyes.

As a support member, he should have just supported Hachiman Kairin to maintain the minimum standard for this live performance, but because it was his first time using Aine's guitar and Pochi's piano skills in a formal setting, he became completely immersed in the performance and couldn't extricate himself.

He truly deserves to be called a 'guitar hero' who is steadfastly supported by his beliefs; he couldn't snap out of his immersive performance even after it ended.

Thinking of this, Kazami Mei sighed with a headache and quickly addressed the band members who had helped out: "I'm really sorry, I've taken the lead this time."

"Eh?! It's nothing, it's nothing~! Thanks to the enthusiastic audience below the stage just now, it was the first time I've ever experienced such a refreshing performance!"

"Yeah, our band actually gained a lot more recognition from this opportunity!"

The band members who received support didn't seem to care at all; they simply waved and left the preparation room first.

Rather than being angry that Kazami Mei was stealing the spotlight, they were all flushed with excitement and didn't care at all. Instead, they walked around discussing how enthusiastic the live performance had been.

Seeing this, Yahata Kairin raised an eyebrow and smiled knowingly, "I knew you could play the guitar, but I didn't expect your skill level to be so much better than I thought."

"Even though we've been together for so long, I still can't quite see through you, my 'lover' who likes to hide his true feelings."

Kazami Mei simply shrugged, responding with a somewhat innocent look in her eyes: "What do you mean by 'hiding your talents'? It's just that you, Hailin, haven't asked me yet. I never lie to Miss Hailin. If you had asked me first, I would have told you the truth."

"That's it~"

Hachiman Kairin nodded solemnly, then gently narrowed her emerald-like dark eyes and gazed at him.

"So, my boyfriend who 'never lies to Miss Hailing,' have you gone beyond kissing with other people?"

Kazami noticed a hint of ill intent creeping onto the ice-cold beauty's face. Unable to answer the question, his lips twitched, and he could only maintain a composed demeanor as he replied—

"May I remain silent on this particular issue?"

"...That makes sense. Then let me ask you another question."

Yawata Kairin nodded in understanding.

Then she reached out and gently lifted her hair to reveal her fair, jade-like ear tips. Her usually straightforward and indifferent green eyes now held a deeper meaning.

"So, is it with Lixi?"

No, your guess is way too accurate!

Kazami Mei couldn't help but wonder if Miss Hailin had mind-reading abilities, or if Miss Riki had secretly tipped her off or exchanged information with her. Otherwise, no matter how good the relationship was between Hachiman Hailin and Shiina Riki, she wouldn't have guessed the 'answer' right away, would she?

Perhaps thinking of something amusing, Hachiman Kairin raised the corners of her lips and said lightly—

"Lixi didn't tell me anything."

"..."

Oh no, does this world seem to have superpowers?

Knowing that he couldn't possibly hide it from the other party, Kazami Mei could only surrender by spreading his hands and slowly speaking with an indescribable expression: "Since you've been discovered, there's really nothing I can do. I am a double agent sent to Earth by the Dark Alien Babar. I advise you not to tell anyone about this."

"I see, then I must be Leo, right?"

Hachiman Kairin stared at them expressionlessly, seamlessly blending into the makeshift 'performance stage' that Kazami Mei had set up.

Sensing the frost-like aura emanating from this expressionless beauty, Mr. Kazami, instantly understanding the atmosphere, froze.

After a two-second pause, he spoke tentatively, "Miss Hailing, are you perhaps... jealous?"

What does my boyfriend think?

Isn't it obvious now?

I was shivering all over in the freezing cold, and then I forgot what happened next.

Just as Kazami was about to apologize, the expressionless Hachiman Kairin, as if she had foreseen it, gave him a light peck on the lips. At such close range, the usually aloof girl's face was unusually flushed, and the metal earrings on her fair earlobes shimmered with a faint luster.

Only after she had finished doing all of this did she reveal a slight, self-satisfied smile.

"Don't worry about it, I'm not angry."

"However, I also hope that Ming will be able to rely on me at times like this."

What a cool woman!

Kazami Mei couldn't help but sigh inwardly, but then he rolled his eyes speechlessly and replied in a slightly strange tone, "...If you hadn't been talking to me about 'this' kind of thing, I might have been quite moved."

"Hmm? But I think this is also part of a relationship."

Just as Kazami Mei and Hachiman Kairin were chatting, there was a sudden 'knock knock' on the door of the preparation room. The two exchanged a brief glance before Kazami Mei went to open the door.

But the moment he opened the door, a silver-white cat jumped right into his arms.

Kazami Mei blinked in surprise and couldn't help but ask, "Rakuna? What are you doing here?"

"My grandmother brought me here."

The petite Kaname could barely hug Kazami's waist. She raised her sparkling heterochromatic eyes and stared at him from below. Her soft, delicate hair rubbed against his chest affectionately, making her cute little face look flat from the pressure.

Realizing what was happening, Kazami Naruto quickly looked up and noticed a sharp-eyed old lady at the door.

"There's still a handover to be done after the support work is finished, so I'll be leaving now."

Hachiman Kairin understood that it was not appropriate for her to stay here at this time, so she resumed her usual calm demeanor, nodded politely to Tsuzuki Shisen, and then picked up her instrument case and strode towards the door.

Until only the three of them remained in the entire preparation room—

Shifune Tsuzuki, holding a cane, scrutinized Kazami Mei with a critical eye before turning his attention to the guitar behind him.

What did you think of your live performance?

Kazami Mei immediately put away her previous nonchalance, slowly straightened up, and began to speak with a gradually serious expression: "This live performance cannot be considered a great show for me."

"Because as the 'guitarist,' I completely dominated the band's visuals and musical rhythm, and failed to truly coordinate everyone."

This is exactly what Kazami Mei said before.

His guitar solo, which he inadvertently became immersed in, was of an extremely high standard and indeed possessed a powerful impact that instantly assaulted the audience's visual and auditory senses. However, his high level of playing also meant that the other members of the band had to rely on him to take the lead.

Even if Kazami Mei deliberately maintains a certain level of skill, the non-professional bands who haven't had any 'cooperation' still struggle to keep up with him.

Shisen Tsuzuki nodded thoughtfully, then continued, "What a guitarist needs to do is lead the entire band. Your skill level is enough to guide everyone's pace forward, and you can rightfully become the core of the entire band."

“But that was just as a ‘normal’ guitarist, right? Tsuzuki-senpai.”

Kazami Mei simply gave a faint smile, and then spoke frankly: "As I just said, this live performance wasn't particularly exciting for me, because I was just performing as a 'support guitarist'."

"He took the lead in the entire band without permission, but didn't slow down to accommodate everyone else..."

At this point, Kazami Mei stopped speaking, which prompted Tsuzuki Shisen to nod slightly.

"In that case, next time you'll give me a really good performance as a 'normal' guitarist, together with Lena."

Tsuzuki Shisen glanced meaningfully in the direction of Kaname Rakuna, causing Kazami Mei, who was feeling a little nervous, to pause in surprise.

The cat sitting next to her immediately lit up when she heard "Live." It had been a long time since she had performed on stage with Kazami Naruto, so she was naturally happy to hear that they could perform together and her eyes narrowed in delight.

Kazami Mei quickly understood the veiled meaning in Tsuzuki Shisen's words. After a brief hesitation, he replied, "...Although I would love to agree to your request, my real job is actually as a keyboardist."

Upon hearing this, Shifune Tsuzuki couldn't help but show a strange expression. As a former professional guitarist who toured the country, she could naturally tell from the performance just now what level Kazami Mei was at!

She thought he was already quite good as a keyboardist and arranger, but she never expected that his skill on the guitar would far exceed her imagination. She learned from him that this was only because he deliberately controlled his skill to match the level of others.

This only shows that the current level of the live performance is still not the limit that Kazami Naruto can reach.

Even Shifune Tsuzuki, who wields immense influence in the industry, could not predict what stage Kazami Mei would reach in the future.

"Senior Tsuzuki, you actually wanted to tell me about Rakuna, right?"

Kazami Mei's voice was calm and composed. He raised his dark, bright eyes and stared ahead without fear.

This frank and open question caused the sharp-eyed Shifune Tsuzuki to pause for two seconds. Then, he looked directly into Shifune's eyes with a calm and serious gaze. After a moment of silence, Shifune Tsuzuki finally spoke slowly and deliberately—

"Originally, I just planned to wander around RiNG today and see the juniors... but I happened to run into you, so I decided to come and see you."

"Le Nai suddenly came back to me a while ago and said that she had finally found her own 'home'."

Suddenly, when her grandmother mentioned her name, Kaname slowly raised her little head. The usually free-spirited and mischievous little cat was now sitting obediently and docilely next to Kazami Mei.

Her eyes lit up slightly when the word "home" was mentioned, and she turned her gaze to the black-haired boy not far away.

"So it seems that your band... or rather, the place around you, is the 'home' that Lena mentioned as her destiny."

Tsuzuki Shisen spoke calmly, merely sitting on the sofa and observing Kazami Mei's expression.

Seeing the serious expression gradually appear on the boy's face, she nodded silently to herself.

What are your thoughts on this?

Throughout the entire process, this person, whom others described as 'strict,' maintained a calm demeanor, as if he were merely an elder casually asking a younger person what career they wanted to pursue in the future.

But the words that the poet ship suddenly threw out made Kazami Mei's heart tighten. A faint sense of urgency made him raise his dark, bright eyes. He lowered his head slightly, frowned, and began to seriously think about the meaning of the words.

Shifune Tsuzuki seemed quite satisfied with Mygo, but her words... were definitely not just about the band!

If Kazami Mei wants to answer this question, she should first ask herself a question.

What is your opinion of Lena?

"..."

Rakuna blinked, noticing that her grandmother's gaze was fixed intently on Kazami Mei.

The girl, whose nature was like a cat's, instinctively sensed the tension in the atmosphere. However, instead of running away from this 'boring' atmosphere, she raised her delicate heterochromatic eyes and looked at the boy beside her.

The cat was excited but also a little lost.

With her simple mind, she didn't know what to do to help Ming at this moment.

Normally, Kazami would smile and reach out to pat her head, scratch her chin with a doting expression, and then make this restless stray cat wait obediently by her side. So now she subconsciously chooses to do the same.

"A place to call home?"

Kazami Mei did not choose to answer directly with "Tsuzuki Shisen," but instead seriously considered the importance of this term.

He used to treat the stray cat beside him as a clueless 'mascot'. Her affection and dependence seemed to be things that Kazami Naruto could accept without question. But the simple-minded cat became more and more straightforward and pure in her feelings.

Gradually, Rakuna's proactive displays of affection forced Kazami Mei to begin to take her thoughts seriously.

Cats are innocent, but they are not completely ignorant.

She might come to Kazami Naruto out of curiosity to ask for a kiss, or she might simply be being affectionate and want to sleep with him. But she also says things like "I want to marry him" and "I like him" based on her own subjective opinion.

This kind of pure emotion from the heart is no longer what is called 'liking'.

"...I may not be able to give you a definite answer right now, senior."

Kazami Mei let out a long sigh, his heart heavy with mixed feelings, recalling the cat that had ambushed him during the last 'training session'.

From that moment on, I could no longer treat her as a 'mascot,' but rather as a real girl, a member of the opposite sex.

That's precisely why he's seriously considering his feelings for Lena; he's still unsure of his own feelings for her.

If he were to answer Tsuzuki Shisen right now, he would definitely be able to say without hesitation, "Mygo's members will be a band for life, and naturally, they can also be Rana's lifelong home." However, he cannot simply and directly say that his "side" is also Rana's lifelong home.

"Indeed, you need to think about this issue carefully."

Having once been a guitarist for a nationwide touring band, Shisen Tsuzuki has naturally encountered all sorts of bands and the complex interpersonal relationships within them throughout his life.

I've witnessed countless young bands go from formation to disbandment, from full of passion to ultimately hesitant in every move; perhaps the conflicts were caused by some small misunderstandings, or perhaps the problems stemmed from the relationships between band members...

Ultimately, the group disbanded and separated because everyone's will was not strong enough.

"Don't rush to give me an answer. Wait until you've thought it through before explaining it to me again."

Tsuzuki Shisen, unusually, pursed his lips and spoke to Kazami Mei in a gentle tone.

Whether as a 'senior' or an 'elder,' Du Zhushichuan is very satisfied with the person in front of him.

The boy named 'Kazami Mei' and the members of the band he formed were all serious about forming a band. Rakuna had long since become an integral part of the band and an inseparable member of the group.

The future is often unpredictable.

But Tsuzuki Shisen believes that as long as Kazami Mei is still here, the band will continue.

"...Ugh, so boring."

Seeing that Kazami didn't respond directly, the cat standing nearby felt wronged and upset. She puffed out her cheeks unhappily, as if she was deliberately being difficult, and quickly got up. Without saying a word, she left the sofa and ran outside.

This was the first time since they first met that Rakuna had used the word 'boring' to describe Kazami Naru.

"...I'm sorry, Tsuzuki-senpai, I think I accidentally upset Rakuna."

Seeing the well-behaved and affectionate stray cat sulking and running away from him, Mr. Kazami, whose feelings were hard to describe, couldn't help but rub his sore temples. But he didn't care about that and just wanted to apologize sincerely to Tsuzuki Shisen first.