How can my simulation be a real love?

"It's alright, she's always going to throw a tantrum."

Of course, Tsuzuki Shisen knew about her granddaughter's feelings for Kazami Mei, and also noticed that Kazami Mei seemed to be seriously considering how to respond to these feelings. Rather than saying that Kazami Mei's cautious approach to relationships was in line with her own wishes.

Because these kinds of things can't always be explained in a single sentence.

The poetic boat is not intended to be provoked by the wind, since the future is still very long.

If they spend another year or two getting to know each other, they might naturally establish a relationship.

Kazami Mei had assumed that Tsuzuki Shisen would be a very rigid and strict elder, but he was surprised to find that Shisen's thoughts were completely different from his impression. His words just now were all asking him if he could take on the responsibility for Rakuna's future.

The sight of such an understanding elder gradually put Kazami Mei at ease. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but stand up and bow slightly towards the Tsuzuki Poetry Ship before him—

"Thank you so much, Tsuzuki-senpai."

Give me some more time, and I will definitely give you a serious reply!

Upon hearing Kazami Mei's serious words, Tsuki nods in satisfaction, then gently taps the floor with his cane.

Although she didn't intend to force Kazami Mei to take on Rakuna's future and life right now, becoming her "final destination" for life, as an elder she naturally wanted her little granddaughter to be happy, so she prepared to do her best to provide some help to Kazami Mei.

"You haven't heard from Lena yet, have you? I used to be in charge of LiveHouse 'SPACE'. A big part of the reason Lena took the guitar path was because of SPACE."

SPACE?

Kazami Mei suddenly recalled the time when she met Rakuna in the parking lot. At that time, the pick that the cat was holding had the SPACE logo printed on it. However, the old poster and the no-longer-seeed performance hall meant that the store called 'SPACE' had closed down.

Tsuzuki Shisen looked at Kazami Mei with a hint of melancholy in his eyes, then continued unhurriedly—

“Lena loves bands because of this, and she would always sit in front of SPACE and play the guitar… I originally didn’t plan to interfere with her future, until one day she suddenly said, ‘I want to play guitar at SPACE for the rest of my life.’”

“I couldn’t let Lena decide her future because of me, so I shut down SPACE.”

"SPACE is ultimately just a passerby in her life and journey; her true home is something she has to find for herself."

Rana's 'destiny' is something she has to find for herself, and Tsuzuki Shisen has never had the idea of ​​interfering with her future.

After delivering all these heartfelt "admonitions," Tsuzuki Shisen gazed calmly at the black-haired boy before him, who was lost in thought, and couldn't help but smile at the earnest expression on the boy's face.

She paused only briefly before continuing earnestly—

"Lena chose you because it was her own choice."

"When you've seriously considered whether you want to take on this responsibility, just come find me."

Having said that, the Duzhu Poetry Boat slowly rose to its feet.

Realizing what was happening, Kazami Mei also got up to see the other person out. However, in the blink of an eye, Tsuzuki Shisen, who had just shown a gentle expression, reverted to his previous sharp and serious demeanor.

She simply waved in Kazami's direction, then strode confidently out of the shop.

Seeing this, Kazami Mei slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

"My feelings are unexpectedly complicated."

He couldn't help but chuckle to himself, and his dark, bright eyes gradually focused.

Now, he was truly starting to treat the cat as a girl.

82

Chapter 82 Narita Road, Did You Win?

There weren't many passengers on the train returning from Ikebukuro.

Kazami carefully leaned the assembled 'beloved wife guitar' against the partition near the car door, while he sat casually beside it. It was already close to six or seven o'clock in the evening when he left LiveHouse 'RiNG'.

Even though it's rush hour for Japanese office workers to get home from get off work, this train car didn't have as many passengers as Kazami Naru had expected.

Perhaps due to work fatigue or an innate desire not to cause trouble for those around them, the already empty carriage was filled with a quiet and calm atmosphere.

"..."

Kazami Mei looked at the numerous emails on her phone, with an official notification email from the FIRST exhibition at the top.

Your work, "An Afternoon with Cucumbers," has successfully entered the final review stage. Please provide your information and name before the judging process.

Prior to this, Kazami Mei had already submitted her work "Afternoon of Cucumber" to the FIRST exhibition organizers for evaluation. Before the opening day, all the submitted works would be numbered and awarded the most appropriate prizes according to their rankings.

Kazami Mei is aiming for the top prize, which means she has to beat all the other participating artists.

According to Minami Mori, among the artists participating in the FIRST exhibition this time, there is a so-called "genius girl" who, with the help of media promotion, seems to be determined to win the top prize and head abroad with the title of genius.

His name seems to be something like 'Ichinomiya'? But for Kazami Mei, it's not really a big deal.

Because Kazami Naruto had enough confidence in himself from the very beginning, this bet of 'failure' and having to pay with everything did not cause him any psychological burden. Compared to this predetermined outcome, Kazami Naruto was now more worried about Rakuna's situation.

"call……"

Kazami Mei let out a long sigh, feeling a bit of a headache, and picked up his phone, wondering whether he should call Shinji Rinko first.

The kitten, who was angry and throwing a tantrum, ran away from the band's preparation room. I don't know if she got home safely.

The cat, who is always obedient and well-behaved by Kazami Mei's side, directly expressed her dissatisfaction with the word "boring" to him this time. The last time she said this was when she suffered a crushing defeat in the Mygo School Festival performance, which is enough to show just how angry Rakuna was.

Since Kazami Mei didn't give her a direct response, he naturally had to take responsibility for the cat's tantrum.

"I should definitely make a call and ask first, otherwise I really can't put my mind at ease."

Kazami Mei picked up her phone and prepared to call Maji Rinko, intending to ask her to contact Tsuzuki Shisen to inquire about the specific situation.

But before he could even press 'dial', the other party dialed his phone first.

"...Was it Rinrinko who called?"

Without hesitation, Kazami Mei, who had been frowning, answered the phone.

[Kazami-kun! Where are you right now? Is Rakuna-chan with you?]

The moment Kazami answered the phone, words filled with anxiety and tension suddenly came through the receiver.

In just three short sentences, Kazami Mei immediately understood the situation. He took a deep breath to calm himself and asked seriously in a solemn tone—

"I'm on the tram, did something happen to Renai?"

It seems she hasn't gone home yet, and the boss can't get through to her on the phone... Since they really can't find her, the boss had no choice but to ask me to call you...

Has Lena not come home yet?

Kazami Mei quickly glanced at the time; it was 7:05 PM.

Given the family's "free-range" household rules, they probably wouldn't be worried even if the cat didn't come home at this time. It's probably because Rakuna's attitude was very unusual when she left today, and she still refuses to answer Tsuzuki Shisen's calls, that's why she's like this.

Thinking of this, Kazami Mei took a deep breath and gradually calmed her slightly disordered breathing.

For Kazami Mei, not giving a direct response was simply a way of taking time to ascertain his feelings for Kaname Rakuna; but for Neko, the response she had been hoping for didn't come from Kazami Mei, and she might even feel abandoned because of it.

Kazami Mei believes that this problem is his responsibility.

"Rinrinko-nee, please tell Tsuzuki-senpai not to worry!"

"I'll go back and look around Ikebukuro first. Once I find Rana... I'll call you back immediately!"

Having made up his mind, Kazami Mei quickly comforted Shinji Rinko with a few words, then obtained the contact information of the cat grandmother, Tsuzuki Shisen, from her. Only after doing all of this did he temporarily hang up the phone.

But beneath his seemingly calm surface lay a heart churning with anxiety.

"call……"

Kazami Mei took a deep breath.

He knew he absolutely could not lose his composure at this moment; the more he got caught in the vortex of anxiety, the more easily he would be trapped in the center.

The black-haired boy pursed his lips and rubbed his aching temples, trying to regulate his disordered breathing. Only after the turmoil in his heart gradually subsided did he raise his deep black eyes and gaze ahead again.

"..."

The cat's personality might lead it to run around everywhere, but it shouldn't stray outside the Ikebukuro area.

Whether it was some kind of mysterious 'mysticism' or not, Kazami Naru, as a cat keeper, was able to vaguely guess where Rakuna was.

……

It took a little while to turn back by tram.

As winter approaches, the setting sun has already gone on strike and left the deserted streets almost devoid of any additional light.

The only thing supporting the black-haired boy as he moved forward was the scattered, cold white streetlights along the roadside. The ashes and debris floating in the air were particularly conspicuous under the cold white afterglow.

The warm white mist exhaled from his mouth blended into the chilly air, while the cold wind that brushed against his cheeks broke the stillness of the air at an inopportune moment.

"This place feels so familiar."

Kazami Mei stared straight ahead, gazing at the street that, like the old alley of Shimokitazawa, possessed a sense of time and history. The howling, biting wind swept through her ears, swirling against the dry branches and causing the lifeless, yellow leaves of the fallen yellow leaves to fall onto the moss-covered stone walls.

However, for Mr. Kazami, one of the stray cat 'caretakers', finding the escaped kitten might not be too difficult.

Rakuna's personality is indeed hard to understand, being unconventional and independent, but in Kazami's eyes, she is unexpectedly simple and straightforward.

An unhappy cat can't actually go to many places.

First, he ruled out the culprit who caused her tantrum, Kazami Mei. Next, he considered the LiveHouse she frequented. Finally, the location he deemed most likely was the secret hideout where Kazami Mei and Rakuna had their chance encounter.

Coin-operated parking lot 'PARKING SPACE'!

"..."

Kazami Mei's gaze gradually settled on a billboard outside an old record store, on which the word 'SPACE' was faintly printed on an old, yellowed poster.

Recalling how Tsuzuki Shisen's former LiveHouse 'SPACE' has now become a coin-operated parking lot 'PARKINGSPACE', Kazami Mei felt a sense of frustration and exhaustion that was hard to put into words.

But he also knew that now was not the time to dwell on the past.

meow~

A soft, cotton-candy-like meow reached her ears, and the closer Kazami Mei took to the sound, the louder she could hear the trembling of the steel strings being plucked.

It wasn't until the black-haired boy finally arrived at that familiar alley that he saw the slender, petite, and seemingly fragile snow-white figure. The girl, holding an electric guitar and with her back to him, was surrounded by a group of wild cats of various colors.

This dreamlike scene, which seemed to belong only in fairy tales, left Kazami Mei slightly stunned.

hum!

With a sudden, piercing sound of vibrating steel wire, the melodious guitar music abruptly ceased.

The stray cats around seemed to sense that something was wrong and quickly fled in all directions, leaving only the petite girl with short silver hair sitting on the steps. Her heterochromatic eyes, which were secretly glancing in this direction, seemed to be rippling with emotion.

Kazami Mei took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry for scaring away the other listeners, but can I continue to be your listener 'this time'?"

Kazami Mei's words seemed to transport us back to the time when the two first met in the parking lot a long time ago.

"..."

Yao Lena simply puffed up her flawless, delicate face. Her bouncy, pudding-like cheeks, filled with air, resembled round, plump buns. Her usually intriguing blue-yellow heterochromatic eyes no longer looked this way, but instead gleamed with a dim and dissatisfied light.

She seemed to have no intention of paying attention to Kazami's question, simply turning her head away and refusing to look at him.

The cat is unhappy.

I'm very angry, extremely angry.

"Then I won't be polite."

Seeing this, Kazami Mei could only smile helplessly, and then sat down next to her without waiting for her consent.

At this point, you need to learn from the shamelessness of the cat owner. If you keep your distance from the cat just because you're angry, afraid of making her even angrier, then the problem will never be solved.

Then Mr. Kazami deliberately raised the plastic bag in his hand, which contained the special flavor of Yamabuki family's signature "Chocolate Conch Bread" - "Matcha Chocolate Conch", as well as a lot of candies, cookies and other snacks.

The sound of the snacks rattling in the plastic bag clearly caught the cat's attention.

"..."

Lena glanced over here quietly, but quickly resumed playing her guitar.

The girl, who seemed to be having a tantrum, actually looked lost and frustrated, her snow-white hair drooping down like cat ears.

Normally, Yoru would have pounced on him without hesitation, snuggling in the arms of Kazami Naruto, a close friend, and asking to be fed. But now, the cat chose to 'distance' itself from him, rejecting him with the most 'cold' attitude.

Even though I haven't had dinner yet, the cat would rather go hungry than say a word.

Seeing this, Kazami Mei could only sigh inwardly.

Originally, I thought that the simple-minded and self-willed cat was just being stubborn, but now I can clearly see that the other party is really unhappy this time.