How can my simulation be a real love?

No matter how much pain she felt inside, she stubbornly refused to shed a tear.

With each step forward, Toyokawa Shoko could recall bits and pieces of her 'dream,' but those beautiful memories and the future had all turned into wishful thinking. From beginning to end, she felt like an outsider.

Ming doesn't belong to me alone. If it belongs to Xiao Xiang, then I—

Those words seemed to still echo in her mind, but Toyokawa Shoko simply shook her head and temporarily banished the thought. How could she possibly accept this reality?

Clearly, her fate was always intertwined with that of Kazami Naruto.

That shouldn't be the case.

109

Chapter 109 I was the one who came first.

Chu Hua is very easy to fool.

Even if it's just a joke that Kazami Mei casually makes to liven things up, she'll believe it without hesitation. She's clearly a smart and intelligent idol with high emotional intelligence, so she should be quite shrewd.

But Kazami felt that she was acting a little silly today.

Do you think you could easily trick someone into becoming your wife?

"Ming-kun!"

The baseball cap that had been on the girl's head had been taken off at some point, replaced by a 'demon' mask that covered her entire face. Occasionally, she would secretly move the mask aside a little, revealing her hidden beautiful face.

Her every smile and frown when she glanced back was like holding up spring water under the warm sun.

"This is delicious! Would you like to try some?"

With a smile, Mikasa Hatsuka picked up a box of takoyaki with both hands and carefully fed it to Kazami Mei with a bamboo skewer. Her natural action seemed to indicate that she had already expected him to accept it gladly.

Is he really that easy to win over?

I won't eat it without teriyaki sauce and seaweed flakes.

"Ah, sorry!"

Once she came to her senses, Ms. Hatsuka carefully dipped the sauce in the sauce and held it to his lips again. This time, Mr. Kazami swallowed it without hesitation and chewed vigorously with a blank expression.

There's no way around it, I seem to have a bit too much stuff on my hands.

When he wasn't eating, Miss Chu Hua would take one of his hands. Now, the bag in his hand contained Chu Hua's hat and sunglasses, as well as a bunch of small gifts from the temple fair, so he really couldn't free his hands.

Kazami Mei gazed at the light-footed blonde girl in front of him. Even though she wore a mask to conceal her expression, her joy was still evident. Her beautiful figure was like a warm and bright firework, instantly illuminating the path in front of him.

After finishing her takoyaki, Chu Hua quickly ran over and took his hand. After visiting the temple fair, her movements were much more practiced than before, and she gradually regained the confidence and elegance she had as an idol.

Kazami Mei couldn't help but smile, and said frankly, "Shouldn't we be leaving soon? The planetarium's show is about to start, and if we stay any longer, we might miss it."

"Eh? So fast?"

Misaka Chuka was clearly stunned for a few seconds, and even the movement of her feet involuntarily stopped.

She felt like she had just started her 'date,' but more than an hour seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye. This made the girl, who was in a good mood at the moment, feel a little frustrated. She was obviously very reluctant to leave the temple fair.

Kazami Mei pondered for a moment with a blank expression, then gently tugged at her small hand.

"Speaking of which, my friend Ms. A doesn't usually have much time to go to temple fairs, does she?"

"Huh? That's true... After all, I'm usually too busy with work, this is probably the first time I've been to a temple fair since I came to Tokyo."

Mikasa looked at Kazami Mei beside her with some confusion, who had no change in expression. Without any concealment, she revealed all her secrets. The black-haired boy just chuckled when he heard this.

"I'm usually very busy and I basically don't get any proper rest."

"If Ms. A doesn't mind, would you like to come to the temple fair together again later? Or perhaps we could go on vacation somewhere else? If you can't release the pressure of work for a long time, your body will eventually give out."

The girl paused slightly, as if she understood the meaning behind the boy's words.

"Can...is it okay?"

"If Miss A doesn't mind me."

Misaka Hatsuka didn't make any special movements. She simply nodded quietly in the direction of Kazami Mei. This seemingly ordinary and unremarkable response was actually completely opposite to her inner emotions.

The delicate face hidden beneath the 'demon' mask was flushed with a fresh, tender blush. Her soft skin was already radiating an unyielding joy, and her exquisite, clear purple eyes trembled as if she were overwhelmed with gratitude.

She seemed to have understood what the other person meant.

"I'd like to come to the temple fair with Ming again in the future."

Miss Chuhua, a great victory!

……

Unfortunately, Toyokawa Shoko has fallen into a state of confusion.

She learned from Wakaba Mutsu that Kazami Mei should be at the 'Evening Primrose' area of ​​the planetarium, but she waited there for a long time without finding him. Finally, she thought that there might be a temple fair in the nearby shopping street, so she decided to try her luck and go there to look for him.

But this time, the 'gods' didn't seem to be on her side.

She was completely lost as soon as she stepped into the temple fair. The crowds of people coming and going made her feel lonely and helpless. Even though she tried to look around, she could not find the black figure she longed for.

"Ming, where are you?"

With her eyes red and swollen, Toyokawa Shoko, like a child throwing a tantrum, gently gritted her teeth and began wandering around the temple fair. However, no matter how many times she searched, she could not find the other person here, and instead made herself look extremely disheveled.

Her carefully tied braids at the temples and her bright blue double ponytails were now disheveled, and fine beads of sweat appeared on the girl's forehead, while her delicate and cute bangs were also stained with water.

But she simply didn't have the time to take care of herself.

Because there was only one thought in Toyokawa Shoko's mind right now.

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

The girl, biting her lip hard, thought she should go back to the 'Evening Primrose' to take a look. So she walked through the crowd at the temple fair and returned to the main road. As she clenched her fist, she felt a sweet, metallic taste and unknowingly bit her thin lips.

Overwhelmed by intense self-blame and remorse, she had long since lost her usual composure.

"Xiao Xiang!"

The sudden sound made Toyokawa Shoko stop in her tracks. She instinctively turned her head and immediately saw a petite figure on the steps in the distance. The familiar Haneoka school uniform and the asymmetrical light gray sideburns came into view.

"……lamp?"

Toyokawa Shoko was clearly stunned; she hadn't expected to run into him here.

Seeing that his desperate shouts had finally reached the other person's ears, the little penguin ran breathlessly to Toyokawa Shoko's side and gently grabbed her wrist before she could do anything, as if afraid that she would turn around and leave.

The little penguin, already weak, was pale from exhaustion. She could only barely hold onto Toyokawa Shoko for support, while her other hand pressed against her chest as she gasped for breath.

"Xiao Xiang...you, you wait a moment!"

"Deng, why are you here?"

When Toyokawa Shoko saw Takamatsu Akari appear, she immediately panicked. She reached out to tidy her messy hair that was fluttering in the air, her stubborn and proud back always standing straight, as if she instinctively wanted to hide her embarrassing side.

But she didn't expect that Gao Songdeng didn't care about any of that; she just looked at them with a worried expression.

"Xiao...Xiao Xiang, your lips are bleeding!"

"This minor injury is nothing, but the lamp... why are you stopping me? I have urgent business to attend to!"

Toyokawa Shoko subconsciously reached out to wipe her lips. A faint bloodstain bloomed like a bright flower on the back of her translucent hand, but she didn't care about it at all. All she could think about was how to see Kazami Mei.

Her anxious attitude could not possibly be hidden from the little penguin.

Gao Songdeng's face was full of worry and unease, but a hint of relief followed.

In order to find Toyokawa Shoko, she and Chihaya Aine split up and searched for a long time in the vicinity of the planetarium without success. Fortunately, she managed to stop Shoko from meeting Mei before she did.

"Xiao Xiang, you... you're planning to go find Ming, right?"

"Do you know where the lamp is located?"

Shoko Toyokawa, who had just been frowning, suddenly widened her eyes. Anxious and fearful, she quickly looked at Akari Takamatsu in front of her, her tense expression as if she was afraid of catching a single word from her.

But Takamatsu clenched his fist, seemingly hesitant.

The reason she came to chase after Toyokawa Shoko was precisely because she didn't want her to come, considering Shoko's feelings. As someone in the know, Takamatsu Akari was well aware that Hatsuka was on a date with Naruto, and given Shoko's personality, she would definitely get hurt if she went there.

"Xiangzi, you...you must have heard about it from Xiaomu, right? It's about all of us."

"...Lamp, are you one too?"

The sudden question made Toyokawa Shoko tremble. Her right hand, which was holding the girl's hand, began to tremble involuntarily, because she understood what Takamatsu Akari meant by those words.

Takamatsu Akari is now also a member of the 'harem', and she has even become Naruto's lover?

But she still stubbornly raised her swan-like neck and opened her mouth defiantly—

"Tomiya, you should know where Naruto is, right?"

"Please... tell me his current location. There are some things I need to ask him in person..."

The usually strong and aloof girl now had a pleading look on her face. Seeing her in such a disheveled state made Takamatsu's heart tremble, but she knew that if she let Shoko go, he would be hurt even more.

The inner struggle made her involuntarily clutch her chest. The gray-haired girl, with her lips pursed, earnestly said with the most serious expression, "Xiao Mu, Ai Yin, Li Xi, and I... we all feel the same way as Xiao Xiang."

“We all genuinely like Ming, but if only one of us is with him… it would be an unbearable hurt for everyone. I don’t want to be separated from everyone because of this.”

"I asked Ming to let everyone stay together for 'a lifetime,' but Ming, who couldn't choose just one person... finally agreed to my stubbornness, wanting to bear the pressure alone and stay with everyone."

"I also want to be with Xiaoxiang for the rest of my life."

Takamatsu gently grasped Toyokawa Shoko's wrist, lowering her head to convey her true feelings.

"I……"

A bewildered Toyokawa Shoko raised her dim amber eyes. Even though she didn't want to admit it, she knew that her heart had been touched, and she couldn't help but recall the way Wakaba Mutsu looked at her back then.

She didn't know what to do.

The girl's mind was in complete chaos, making it impossible for her to think seriously. Recent events had turned her brain into a mess, and unable to calm down, she could only follow her instincts and try to find Kazami Mei to get some answers.

But what happens after you find out the details?

After she learns everything from him, what will become of her now that she is considered a 'loser'? Can she, who is now completely devoted to Ming, really be so heartless as to leave him?

Shoko Toyokawa believed that she could not do it.

However, it is equally difficult for her to accept that the person she likes also likes other people, because her beloved is no longer the 'only one' who belongs solely to her.

Just thinking about it made her feel suffocated.

"...Light, please let me go."

"Xiao Xiang?!"

Shoko Toyokawa gritted her teeth and gently pulled her hand away from the little penguin.

"I have to see him now!"

After saying that, Toyokawa Shoko turned and left Takamatsu Akari's side, ignoring the pitiful look of disappointment and self-reproach on her face behind her, and strode towards the planetarium.

At least, at least she should see him first.

……

Having just finished watching the astronomy program "Vega", Kazami Mei strolled in the plaza near the planetarium.

The central fountain continuously sprays sparkling water, and under the warm orange light, the dim square exudes a bright warmth, and the night, like a curtain, is also tinged with a unique color.

This program, 'Vega', is one of the summer triangles. When Kazami Mei and Mikami Hatsuka first met, the two sitting next to each other were watching 'Altair', which is also a triangle.

"Ah, Naruto-kun~"

A gentle voice entered her ears, gradually pulling Kazami Mei out of her thoughts.

Her long, golden hair, reaching almost to her waist, fluttered in the air. The girl beside her had removed her 'demon' mask at some point, revealing her breathtakingly beautiful face to the sky.

“That’s where we first met. I even helped you pick up your dropped things…”

"You bumped into me really hard back then, and the place where you hit me still hurts a little."

With a blank expression, Kazami Mei reached out and clutched her chest in a serious manner. Her pained expression made Misaki Hatsuka panic for a moment, but after she realized what was happening, she showed a wronged and cute expression.

"...I clearly bumped into Ming's hand."

"Ms. A, don't you remember a little too clearly?"

Kazami Mei's wide-eyed retort made Misaki Hatsuka burst out laughing. Her pink lips pursed slightly, and her bright and mysterious purple eyes shone with a beautiful luster, as if reflecting endless tenderness and doting from the deepest part of her.

"When it's just the two of us, we don't need to call her Miss A anymore, right?"