How can my simulation be a real love?

The warm and familiar touch made the girl squint her eyes comfortably, and she even tiptoed to meet his hand.

"I'm getting ready to prepare dinner with Xiao Mu now. Judging from the looks of it, you probably haven't eaten anything either, right? How about we come over to my place and have hot pot together?"

"No, that won't do..."

Gao Songdeng paused for two seconds, then frantically waved her little hand.

As one of the people who most adheres to the 'girlfriend rules,' she naturally wouldn't choose to disturb Wakaba Mutsu's alone time. No matter how close Takamatsu Akari and Wakaba Mutsu were, she always abided by this rule.

The little wooden thing opened its mouth and gazed at the little penguin's face with its calm golden eyes.

"...Lamp, come here too."

"Well?"

Takamatsu Akari's wrist was suddenly grabbed by Wakaba Mutsu, a sudden action that caught her off guard. This caused a smile to flash in Kazami Mei's eyes as she stood beside her, and she then chimed in as if to lend a helping hand—

"Look, even Xiao Mu invited you."

"Hot pot tastes better with more people."

Takamatsu blinked innocently. Already wavering, she naturally couldn't refuse again. Besides, it was Komugi herself who asked her to come along, so the 'girlfriend rules' that should have been followed would automatically become invalid due to her involvement.

However, her eyes seemed a little strange?

"..."

Wakaba Mutsu stared at Takamatsu Akari expressionlessly, then nodded silently as if she had made up her mind.

Chapter 118 Don't Be a Long-Term Vegetarian [5k]

It was getting late when I got home.

"Huh? My slippers?"

Takamatsu Akari, with her light gray short hair, looked at the slippers that were being handed to her with some surprise. They were a pair of plush penguin slippers with azure blue and pure white stripes. Just from the girl's delighted eyes, it was clear that she really liked this little gift.

"I've also bought special slippers for everyone. After all, we can't keep wearing disposable slippers meant for guests, can we?"

Seeing the little penguin's surprised expression, Kazami's smile almost reached his ears. He answered casually, feeling smug and relaxed as he carried his shopping bag.

The little cucumber beside it nodded seriously, seemingly in agreement.

The girl slowly took off her beige winter boots, revealing her small, delicate feet encased in pure white stockings. Her pretty face flushed slightly, and she seemed to pause for two or three seconds before slipping her feet into her adorable cucumber slippers.

"..."

Kazami Mei raised an eyebrow slightly, watching the whole thing without any attempt to hide it.

The crisp "beep" of the air conditioner turning on the heater rang in my ears, followed by the warm glow of the fluorescent lights in the entryway. As Kazami Mei reached out and closed the iron door with its security chain locked, the last trace of coldness outside was driven away.

However, the demons in one's heart are a bit harder to defeat.

"I'll go prepare the ingredients first. Xiao Mu and Xiao Deng, could you help me prepare the bowls, chopsticks, and pot?"

Kazami Mei relied on deep breathing to regulate his disordered breathing rate. It was all because of the little cucumber's 'pranks' since the supermarket, which made him, who was already not very confident in his self-control, feel particularly indescribable.

However, things have come to this point, he wouldn't be so weak as to not be able to hold on for even a short dinner.

"Understood!"

The two girls, one nodding and the other responding, were like soldiers completely obedient to orders. They seemed eager to prove themselves and rushed towards the kitchen.

Kazami had made special preparations for hot pot beforehand, and even simmered the broth with pork bones and various spices before leaving home. She also prepared a variety of hot pot seasonings so that she could easily handle any type of spice, whether she could handle it or not.

"But can these things really be used for hot pot?"

Mr. Kazami, after putting down his shopping bag, poured out all sorts of 'unique ingredients' one by one. He wondered if things like abalone and sea cucumber could be put into the pot and cooked, but things like goji berries would be fine too.

But isn't this amount a bit too much? Is Mu really serious about doing this?

"……stare."

The intense gaze forced Kazami Naru, who was preparing the ingredients, to turn around. As soon as she turned around, the girl hiding behind him shrank back, forgetting that her long, light green ponytail was showing.

"Xiao Mu."

Kazami Mei's calm shout made the hiding girl's delicate body tremble slightly.

Having been completely discovered, Wakaba Mutsu naturally could no longer hide. She quietly peeked out from the kitchen doorway, her fair and delicate face flushed with a bright and beautiful blush, and the tips of her small ears were tinged with a beautiful color, as if painted with rouge.

Knowing she was in the wrong, Wakaba Mutsu lowered her head somewhat helplessly and obediently apologized.

"...Ming, I'm sorry."

"Miss Mu, why are you apologizing to me?"

Kazami Mei couldn't help but chuckle, then gently waved towards Wakaba Mutsu's direction.

The fiancée, now dressed in her home clothes, has become quite adept at tying her hair into a high ponytail for easy movement. Her petite frame is adorned with an exquisite apron featuring a cucumber pattern, and the long hot pot spoon she holds adds to her charm.

"I really didn't expect you to prepare these things secretly. I didn't expect you to be even bolder than I thought, Xiao Mu."

It's no wonder that Mutsumi Wakaba, who represents 'Mortis' in Ave Mujica, secretly loves heavy metal rock music, which is an unimaginable contrast to her seemingly well-behaved and cute personality.

"Well……"

If Ye Mu's cheek was gently pinched, she would be too shy to lift her head.

"However, Xiao Mu, you're underestimating me too much, aren't you?"

Does he really need these things?

Normally, Wakaba Mutsu would deliberately 'provoke' him all the time, but now, at a time like this, she still distrusted him so much. Even Kazami-sensei couldn't help but narrow his eyes at this.

No, we must correct her thinking.

"...Ning, I've already set all the plates, okay?"

"Okay, here we come."

Hearing the soft, murmuring words of the little penguin, Kazami Mei quickly reacted and gently poked Wakaba Mutsumi's forehead with her index finger. Then, she swiftly and skillfully sliced ​​the raw and meat ingredients and arranged them neatly on a plate.

Ruo Yemu blinked her eyes with a slightly flushed face, remained silent for a few seconds, and then obediently picked up the rice spoon to add rice.

……

As a small celebration for the 'Kazami family' after being discharged from the hospital, the winter-limited hot pot was naturally very simple.

Of course, this winter-limited item won't have a powerful start, nor will it inexplicably become stronger.

The bubbling of the pot echoed in their ears, and the fragrant broth was steaming hot. Neither of the two girls were very talkative; they were simply busy stuffing meat into their mouths from their small bowls.

I could faintly hear the soft clinking of bowls and chopsticks. Sitting to the left of Kazami Mei, Wakaba Mutsumi was expressionlessly cooking a slice of Wagyu beef. To avoid getting the sauce on her, she used her left hand to lift her hair, revealing her fair and delicate earlobe.

Sitting on the right, Takamatsu Akari was intently watching the boiling hot pot. If left unattended, she would likely become completely absorbed in it. Fortunately, Kazami Mei took the initiative to serve her food, allowing her to savor the food in small bites with a flushed face.

In short, the taste seems to have met everyone's expectations.

"...I'll go clean up the dishes. Ming can sit and rest."

They had just finished dinner when Ruo Yemu insisted on taking the initiative to clear the dishes.

Perhaps in her eyes, even though she had been discharged from the hospital by the doctor, Kazami Mei was still a 'wounded' who had just recovered from serious injuries. As a guest, Takamatsu Akari volunteered to help, and the two petite girls disappeared from the spot in a flash.

"In that case, I'll leave it to you."

After saying that, Kazami Naruto headed towards his room. Although he could have simply relaxed on the sofa and daydreamed, he felt a little uneasy if he didn't do something after eating so much. He had to at least check on the work situation.

"...Speaking of which, I haven't worked at all these past few days."

Kazami Mei muttered to herself, her gaze fixed on the easel in the center of the room.

During his hospital stay, he didn't even touch a paintbrush once. Meanwhile, his fiancée, Ms. Mutsu, banned all his music production tools. Furthermore, Toyokawa Shoko stopped assigning him band management work.

There are only a few days left before he has to submit the manuscript to Miss Lan, so he really needs to work a little harder.

Click...

The crisp sound of the door being opened reached her ears. Kazami Mei, who was still considering whether to start drawing, was slightly taken aback. She turned her head and met the gaze of the petite girl at the door. Wakaba Mutsu, who was leaning against the door, lowered her head shyly.

Kazami Naru: ?

No, what kind of operation is this?

What happened to washing the dishes? Was it just a ruse?

"...I can't wait until tonight."

If Ye Mu reached out and covered her chest, even though she remained expressionless like a doll, her words carried a barely perceptible tremor, and her delicate and soft face mustered the courage to lift up forcefully.

These frantic and 'violent' remarks were completely at odds with her consistently calm and composed demeanor.

Little Cucumber seemed worried that Kazami would resist her self-determination, and her bright golden eyes showed a hint of panic. She was like a soldier who had prepared ten magazines before going into battle but was still afraid of firepower, and she poured out all her preparations at once.

"This one, too..."

She quickly pulled open the wardrobe drawer, which was now filled with square packages.

"...Did you learn this move from Su Shi?"

This is really going to be a bad situation.

Kazami-san, whose thoughts were in disarray, seemed to have become too lazy to think. The fact that he had prepared so many Wakaba Mutsuki showed how much importance he attached to this matter. As her fiancé, he should naturally give her enough respect and affirmation.

"Well……"

Wakaba Mutsu blinked blankly, somewhat at a loss, as Kazami Mei picked her up.

Then she suddenly felt a strong sense of weightlessness. When she came to her senses, she had been thrown onto a soft quilt. Slender and graceful, she felt so light. The sun's warmth emanating from the other person made her slowly squint her eyes.

Click!

The door was gently pushed open, interrupting Wakaba Mutsu's thoughts.

The little penguin with short, light gray hair stood at the door for several seconds, waving her little hands frantically as if trying to explain something. But after struggling for a long time until her face turned red, she still couldn't utter a single word of explanation.

After struggling for a long time, she finally spoke in a hesitant and timid voice—

"I'm...I'm sorry, I think I've...arrived at the wrong time."

"..."

Kazami Mei silently let out a long sigh, then picked up the curtain and slowly covered the unfinished painting.

Work will probably have to be postponed.

The black-haired boy, who had just opened his eyes again, raised his eyebrows and then quickly walked to the dazed little penguin and picked her up. Sure enough, he had decided to have Wagyu beef hot pot tonight; it was probably an unavoidable path for him.

Kazami Mei has decided to stop being a long-term vegetarian.

……

December 15th, sunny.

After their rebirth, Ave Mujica's performance at the Budokan was quite successful. The five members of the band were already exceptionally skilled, and once Xiangzi resolved his inner karmic obstacles, there was naturally no way the performance would go wrong.

However, it is different from before.

Originally, Shoko Toyokawa was only performing as part of Ave Mujica, but this time she took the initiative to invite many people, including the former members of CRYCHIC. She no longer hesitated to express her feelings to everyone.

The celebration banquet also arrived as scheduled.

"...Unbelievable! It's a band performance! But the difference...isn't it a bit too big? Especially the difference in guitarists, I feel like I've lost all confidence in performing on stage!"

"Knowing the gap is big, you need to practice even more. You should put more effort into practicing on your days! Don't keep making excuses to go to Ming's place!"

"Hmm... I should practice harder too... and I should go to Naruto's place less often..."

"Huh? I wasn't saying anything bad about you, Deng..."

The large living room echoed with the girls' chattering. Wakaba Mutsumi, holding a plate, expressionlessly picked up a cup of tea and handed it to Nagasaki Motoyo. The usually silent Motoyo politely thanked her.

Today is a celebration for Kazami Mei's discharge from the hospital, and also a celebration for her performance at the Ave Mujica Budokan.

Nagasaki Motoyo turned to look at the person sitting next to her, who was a blue-haired girl with long, flowing pigtails.

Noticing the gazes directed at her, she seemed somewhat restrained. Her hands, holding the teacup, trembled slightly, and her amber eyes darted away.

In a sense, this was probably the first time that Toyokawa Shoko and Nagasaki Motoyo had sat down together for tea without any reservations since CRYCHIC disbanded. This subtle feeling made Ms. Motoyo sigh softly, and then she took the initiative to break the dull atmosphere.

"...I really didn't expect that you, Xiao Xiang, would agree?"

"Well, that's only natural, isn't it? Because I genuinely like Naruto."

Shoko Toyokawa forced a composed expression as she responded to him. Because the two of them had indeed had quite a few awkward moments before, even though she no longer hid her past, their interactions were still somewhat stiff.