How can my simulation be a real love?

A voice, like a spell, suddenly entered her ears. Standing there, Toyokawa Shoko instinctively wanted to refute the band members who had ended the performance, but when she opened her mouth, it was as if she had punched cotton. She stood there stiffly, motionless.

This is the 'fourth time' she has performed this scene.

"Why...why did it 'rewind' again? How could it suddenly happen in a place like that..."

The girl's shoulders trembled, and she absentmindedly took out her phone.

The date shown above is December 9th.

The sudden flashback left Toyokawa Shoko's mind blank. She didn't even bother to respond to the coffee shop employee next to her who was startled by her. She just stared at her phone screen with a somewhat bewildered look in her eyes, and then suddenly looked up.

"Assistant...Assistant store manager? Are you alright?"

The blonde, braided shop assistant next to her was so frightened that her eyes were filled with tears. At this moment, Toyokawa Shoko also realized that her 'strange' reaction probably seemed quite neurotic to others.

Shoko Toyokawa remained silent for a moment, then quickly suppressed her anxious and agitated emotions.

"I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me."

"There's no need for shift changes today. I remembered the store manager telling me that the store needs to restock... so we'll be temporarily closed today. Everyone should go home and rest! Your salary will still be paid as usual."

Her silence caused the surrounding shop assistants to exchange bewildered glances, one of them raising her hand tentatively to ask—

"But the assistant store manager..."

"Do you have any other questions?"

The blue-haired girl with an icy expression stood there, startling the shop assistants so much that they didn't know what to say. When Toyokawa Shoko came to her senses, a hint of apology flashed in her eyes. Her annoyance and frustration affected her behavior.

She suppressed her emotions, and her cold expression softened slightly.

"Sorry, everyone, please go home now."

"I'll talk to the store manager, so you don't need to worry about any responsibility."

When all the coffee shop staff had left, leaving only Toyokawa Shoko, she slumped down by the window as if all her strength had been drained, propping her cheeks up with her hands, her expression gradually becoming serious.

"This time rewind period is significantly longer than the last one and the one before that!"

Toyokawa Shoko took out her notebook from her bag, and as expected, everything she had written last time had disappeared. However, the young lady, Toyokawa, with her exceptional memory, didn't care at all and simply took out a ballpoint pen to continue writing.

“In the very first ‘first’ regression, I didn’t come into contact with anything, so the cause of the regression wasn’t me.”

"The next 'second' flashback was shortly after Chihaya Aine pulled Naruto away, much earlier than the 'first' flashback."

"Finally, this is the 'third time'!"

A faint glint flashed in Toyokawa Shoko's bright amber eyes, and her imposing aura seemed to solidify into a tangible form.

"This happened shortly after Goto Ichiri pulled Naru away, while I was talking to the others—"

“Everyone’s personality has been ‘reversed’, except for me and Ming, who were not affected. However, judging from Ming’s reaction, he did not ‘rewind’ like me, but he had the trigger that led to ‘rewind’.”

Toyokawa Shoko took a deep breath and a confident smile appeared on her face.

"I see."

"The real cause of the 'retrogression' is the sound, but it's not simply because of the sound."

Whether it's Shiina Tatsuki, Chihaya Aine, or Yamada Ryo and the others who ended their band, in this upside-down world, they all reveal their feelings for Kazami Mei; each of them likes him.

"As we can see from Chihaya and Goto, in this 'dream' world, if someone becomes 'a lover' with Naruto, then the whole world will rewind and return to the time of December 9th."

Shoko Toyokawa believed that this cycle of dreams was not without reason or purpose.

The solution to break the cycle of reincarnation lies here. Since dating someone else causes a 'cycle,' what would happen if he dated the only one who wasn't affected and they became lovers?

The answer is obvious.

That would probably mean ending this cycle completely!

"Then, why don't I just date Ming?"

99

Chapter Ninety-Nine: Toyokawa Shoko is elegant and resolute.

[End of simulation]

As expected, the third simulation ended in failure once again. Kazami Naru sat at her desk with her eyes closed, resting. Even though the memory fragments from the three consecutive simulations weren't too numerous, it would still take Kazami Naru some time to process them.

When he opened his eyes again, he exhaled a breath of stale air.

"Didn't I expect that in the 'simulation,' I would ultimately choose Miss Pochi?"

Kazami Mei recalled the scene from the 'memory fragment' where she was surrounded by the End Band, and only frowned, revealing a faint look of sorrow.

In this 'royal love simulator', you can only choose the pure love single route, which means that he must make a choice at that time.

Kazami-sensei, as the person in question, could naturally understand why Goto Ichiri was chosen.

"Whether it was 'getting to know' her, deepening our relationship, or developing into a romance... Miss Poch was the first one to come."

"Adding to the impact of reality, I already have an inseparable affection for them. As long as I increase it a little more at this 'critical point,' I can immediately establish a relationship with them."

Thinking of this, Kazami Mei sighed again, waves of distress and sorrow gradually welling up in her mind.

The main problem now is that everyone in the 'simulation' is at a 'critical point' in their emotional progress with him. In addition, due to the personality reversal, some of them will become unusually proactive, and even Kazami Mei is unable to interfere with the simulation.

Even the slightest unexpected event could cause the simulation to immediately enter someone else's network.

"I can't take it anymore. Can't I just be a little more assertive?"

"They actually won me over so easily?"

Even though she was complaining, Kazami Mei knew that this was irreversible.

After all, in real life, he would definitely surrender to his 'girlfriends' in a heartbeat, not to mention that the simulation is so intense that even he wouldn't dare say he could succeed.

Of course, the problem isn't entirely Kazami Mei's fault.

How exactly do we get onto Xiangzi's route?

She had a chance to simulate Toyokawa Shoko in the previous few simulations, but in the end she inexplicably became timid and backed down. Logically speaking, she also had enough feelings for Toyokawa Shoko in real life.

However, compared to his other girlfriends with whom he had already established a relationship, he and Xiangzi were still one step away from taking that final step.

If Miss Xiangzi had put in a little more effort, the simulation wouldn't have been so difficult.

With his thoughts churning, Mr. Kazami picked up his pen and began recording the details and questions that had arisen during the simulation in his notebook. Since he couldn't interfere with the simulation's progress through 'options,' he could only exert a very limited influence by altering his real-world thinking.

Kazami Mei took a deep breath and refocused her attention on the simulation panel.

"Then, let's keep trying."

……

"Assistant store manager, it's almost time to leave work, isn't it?"

The terrifying voice reached Toyokawa Shoko's ears again. Her beautiful face looked fragile and pale at this moment, and her delicate body standing on the wooden floor seemed to be about to collapse.

But she still instinctively looked at the blonde shop assistant beside her and used the same excuse she had used several times before to get her to leave.

Even though she didn't feel physically tired, the mental cycle had already left the girl feeling utterly exhausted.

The time displayed on the phone was still December 9th.

"Is this... the thirty-first cycle already?"

As the eldest daughter of the Toyokawa family, she was exceptionally intelligent from a young age.

For an ordinary person, her memory is astonishing. Even now, when she is feeling extremely anxious due to the constant 'time loops,' her sharp mind can instinctively record the number of times she has returned to this place.

During this period, Toyokawa Shoko had tried many methods.

Whether she immediately arranged to meet Kazami Mei after the 'rewind' or tried to approach him under various pretexts, every time Toyokawa Shoko tried to advance their relationship, she would be snatched up by various other girls.

This even includes other members of Ave Mujica.

"...So far, I've lost to Goto Ichiri a total of eight times?"

"He lost to Shiina Tatsuki four times, then to Nagasaki Motoyo in succession, to Yamada Ryo a total of twelve times, and to Ijichi Nijika three times..."

Toyokawa Shoko remembers every single 'rewind' event as if it were a treasure trove. Because the events that occurred during each 'rewind' have been different so far, she has no reference points to draw upon and can only keep trying various methods to find opportunities to be alone with Ming.

However, it's really too difficult.

"I had no idea that other people were so close to Ming. I was the one who met him first..."

"Why, why did it turn out like this?"

In fact, the thought of "should I just confess my feelings?" had also crossed Toyokawa Shoko's mind.

However, she was unsure whether Kazami Mei felt the same way about her. Even knowing that failure would cause "time to rewind," Toyokawa Shoko instinctively hesitated and wavered when it came to directly confessing her love to him.

Because what Toyokawa Shoko fears most right now is not being beaten to it, but being rejected by him.

She didn't want to see his apologetic smile, and she didn't want to hear him apologize to her.

If she were to actually be rejected, she would definitely have a mental breakdown!

"...No, am I going to get discouraged at this point?"

"I'm not that fragile!"

Toyokawa Shoko shook her head vigorously, trying to shake off all those irritable and depressed thoughts.

Even if this place was just a 'dream' she had imagined, Toyokawa Shoko still possessed her own stubbornness and pride. She could not accept that she would show such a dejected and shameful appearance just because of this little setback.

This is something she absolutely cannot admit!

"...There's no time for me to hesitate anymore. This time, I must find a chance to be alone with Ming!"

Thinking of this, Toyokawa Shoko didn't hesitate to call Kazami Mei. When she learned that the other party was training with the members of RiNG and Mygo in the 'world line', Toyokawa Shoko didn't hesitate at all and rushed over there.

This time, she was determined to succeed!

Shoko Toyokawa locked the coffee shop door again, then walked directly toward RiNG.

She has now experienced a total of thirty-one time rewinds. Even though the events that occur in the world after each 'rewind' are random, she has basically seen through the methods used by those troublesome 'fish-stealing cats'.

When Toyokawa Shoko mustered up the courage to confess her feelings, she naturally felt more confident.

It is this belief in escaping the cycle of reincarnation that sustains her as she continues to move forward.

Perhaps because of her previous experience, Toyokawa Shoko arrived at RiNG as quickly as possible after deciding to take action. However, when she arrived at the second-floor cafe wearing white socks and round-toed leather shoes, she learned from Shiina Tatsuki that everyone had not yet arrived.

Am I too early?

Toyokawa Shoko felt a jolt in her heart, and an inexplicable sense of tension welled up inside her.

Before this, she had waited for Kazami Naru to come, but Naru was 'kidnapped' by other women on the way, and she waited for a long time without seeing him.

Before I could even say a word to him, time suddenly rewound to its starting point.

"Lixi, is Mingye still on his way?"

"...Ming has already arrived. He should be at Rinrinko-senpai's place right now, sorting out the access permissions for the practice room, right?"

Shiina Tatsuki, with a slight frown, subconsciously responded to the other person. Instinctively sensing that Toyokawa Shoko seemed to be preparing to do something, a faint unease inexplicably flashed through her mind.

Before Shiina Tatsuki could even ask what the other party meant, Toyokawa Shoko turned and left without looking back.

Toyokawa Shoko didn't have time to thank Shiina Tatsuki right now; for her, the most important thing was to find Kazami Mei as soon as possible.

Absolutely, absolutely we can't let him be taken away by someone else again!

"Xiangzi?"

A familiar voice, gentle yet tinged with doubt, reached her ears, and Toyokawa Shoko, who was extremely anxious, instantly felt a surge of strength up her spine. She saw the black-haired boy behind her holding two cups of coffee, and her amber eyes softened and brightened with joy at a visible speed.

This time, she finally found it!

The reason why the 31 'cycles' have failed so far is basically because Toyokawa Shoko could not find an opportunity to be alone with Kazami Mei.

No matter how many times she reincarnated, someone would always be one step ahead of Toyokawa Shoko. But now, she has finally found a truly wonderful opportunity after countless reincarnations.

The girls from the "End Band" are still in faraway Shimokitazawa, and the most threatening Mygo is still on his way to gather here. As long as she can find this one and get this one chance alone to finish things quickly, Toyokawa Shoko believes that this time she can finally establish a romantic relationship with him!

"Ming, can I talk to you alone?"

"I have something I want to tell you. Could you please come with me for a moment?"

Shoko Toyokawa tried her best to suppress her joy and excitement, maintaining her usual dignified and elegant demeanor. She couldn't let Naruto see her embarrassing and unreserved side.

Kazami Mei, holding two cups of coffee in her hand, blinked thoughtfully, and then the look of doubt on her face quickly returned to calm.