How can my simulation be a real love?

In the blink of an eye, the two of them quietly crept up behind Ichiki Nijika and grabbed her arms on either side.

"I'm sorry, Senior Hongxia! There's no going back now!"

"...I, I was forced into it by Senior Liang."

Kita Ikuyo and Goto Ichiri acted like guards watching over the Pirate King Roger, leaving the blushing Ijichi Nijika no chance to escape. The sadness of being betrayed by everyone left Miss Nijika feeling helpless.

Betrayed? Was she just sidelined like this?

"I...I can do it, right?"

With no other options, Ijichi Nijika could only speak out in shame and indignation. The moment she opened her mouth at the celebration party, she had already been completely tied to this pirate ship by Yamada Ryo. Just as Ryo said, she could not get off the ship now.

"Wouldn't it be better if it was like this earlier?"

Yamada Ryo raised an eyebrow in satisfaction, then snapped his fingers to signal Pochi and Kita to let go.

"There is an old Chinese saying, 'A wise man submits to circumstances.' In the current situation, Hongxia, you have no way to resist. I advise you to cooperate with us. Of course, we will not treat you unfairly."

"Besides, you've liked Ming for a long time, haven't you?"

Yamada Ryo's words pierced through Ijichi Nijika's last fig leaf, and the feelings she had hidden deep in her heart for so long were finally exposed by everyone. To prevent her from running away, she was later "carried" by the other three to confess to Kazami Mei.

For a naive young girl with absolutely no dating experience, this kind of rushed confession is far too reckless.

However, Yamada Ryo would never give Ijichi Nijika a chance to hesitate. In her opinion, Nijika's personality required someone to give her a push, otherwise she might hold back a simple sentence until next year, or even longer.

Yamada Ryo couldn't stand such nagging.

"...Actually, I also think Senior Ryo is right."

"No one will mind what you did, Nijika-senpai. I... I don't want to see you sad either. There are some important things that I have to say."

After a long silence, Goto Ichiri looked earnestly at the conflicted Iji Chi Nijika. These heartfelt words brought a hint of apology to her eyes, and the inner turmoil and depression in her heart could only turn into a helpless smile.

"Little Pochi, thank you."

"That's true, anyway, everyone knows I like him..."

Seeing that the toughest nut to crack had finally softened, Yamada Ryo, with a smug look on his face, secretly high-fived Kita Ikuyo.

With this three-day trip to perform live, their carefully planned scheme must succeed!

Yamada Ryo seemed to have thought of something, and then said with a serious expression: "Yudai, you have to keep your mouth shut for the sake of the plan. You can't let Naruto know about this now, otherwise you might waste this great opportunity."

"Huh? I won't!"

Kita Ikuyo puffed out her cheeks, seemingly dissatisfied. Why was she being talked about as if she were a traitor who could betray at any moment?

"If Ming just breathes a little air into your ear, you'll probably spill everything right away, right?"

"...No, that's not true!"

With her face flushed and heart pounding, Kita Ikuyo felt inexplicably guilty. Her beautiful, lowered eyes couldn't help but glance at her toes. Even the words she was saying in defense were hardly 'firm,' let alone if that kind of situation had actually happened.

This guy is bound to let it slip.

Yamada Ryo knew Kita Ikuyo so well that he could even picture her blushing and embarrassingly revealing her entire plan.

Miss Ryo clicked her tongue at the thought of that scene, then coldly said to Miss Pochi, "Pochi, I need you to keep an eye on Yudai 24 hours a day. Don't let her be alone with Naruto before our 'plan' begins."

"Why, why is this happening!"

Ignoring Kita Ikuyo's aggrieved cries, Iji Chi Nijika, who had already agreed to cooperate obediently, suddenly paused. She looked at the three people in front of her with a questioning gaze, and a subtle premonition suddenly welled up in her heart.

"Wait, wasn't it just me and Ryo who 'confessed'?"

"Besides this, is there any other plan?"

Ijichi Nijika's question made Yamada Ryo silent for two seconds. She exchanged a glance with Kita Ikuyo beside her, and then said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Of course we should take this opportunity to do what needs to be done, right?"

The air remained silent for a long while.

"Huh? You...you guys are planning to do that kind of thing!?"

An incredulous gasp escaped the girl's lips.

Of course, Ichiji Nijika wasn't some naive girl who knew nothing. In an instant, she recalled the content of the comic she had seen before, and her little head turned as red as a furnace. Her originally fluent words became hesitant and stammering.

"That's only natural. You have to understand that this training camp will last for three whole days... Nijika, you can't be so naive as to just confess to him normally and be satisfied with just holding hands with Naruto, right?"

"You know perfectly well that someone has already eaten it first."

That's right, everyone has noticed that.

Kita Ikuyo learned the details from Chihaya Aine, and Pochi, who had a close relationship with Takamatsu Akari, naturally already knew as well. Even Iji Tomoka, who knew nothing about it, vaguely sensed something amidst the strange atmosphere.

Someone broke the unspoken agreement!

"Hongxia, you should understand, right?"

Miss Liang's meaning was already quite clear. Her calm tone made it seem as if she was talking about a trivial matter, but in reality, what she was about to do was incredibly audacious, making one wonder what her brain was made of!

Ichi Nijika felt her head buzzing; she was so shocked that she didn't know what to say.

"Little Bochi and Little Xiduo, could it be that you two..."

"Senior Hongxia, I volunteered!"

Kita Ikuyo's eyes seemed to be filled with a radiant faith. She was now like the most loyal soldier under General Yamada Ryo. She was somewhat rebellious, but she did not reject this. In fact, she felt a kind of indescribable excitement.

Standing to the side, Goto Ichiri lowered her head slightly. She seemed to want to say something but hesitated, but in the end, she blushed and fell silent. This made Nijika immediately see through her thoughts.

Pochi was probably being pushed around by Kita and Ryo.

"I was completely unprepared for this!"

Ijichi Nijika covered her delicate face with her two small hands, leaving only her two bright red eyes peeking out from between her fingers. However, her self-deceiving appearance and puppy-like intimidation were completely useless and only made Yamada Ryo laugh.

"Hmm↑Hmph↓ Don't forget, Hongxia, you're one of us now. No matter how the plan changes, you promised to stick to it steadfastly..."

"After all, you wouldn't want to see the three of us causing trouble, would you?"

Ichiji Nijika's pupils trembled slightly; she knew that Yamada Ryo was definitely not joking.

Even if she desperately refused to become an accomplice in their plan, given Yamada Ryo's personality, she would never stop because of her, not to mention that she had Kita Ikuyo by her side, who was impulsive and dared to do anything in a moment of excitement.

Kita-san's biggest flaw is that she acts impulsively without considering the consequences.

"...This is far too fast."

The girl was clearly somewhat swayed by his words, which were mostly sarcastic and dismissive.

Apart from Kazami Mei, there was no reliable member in the entire band. If Nijika, as the 'leader,' really let them go at this point, given Pochi's passive personality of being dragged along by others, he would never step forward.

"I, I know."

Ichi Nijika couldn't let the three of them run wild.

"Then it's settled."

Miss Liang, who narrowed her eyes, seemed to have already guessed that she would compromise, and only a hint of certainty flashed in her eyes.

"Woo..."

Ichiji Nijika covered her flushed face, somewhat at a loss. After calming down, she suddenly realized that she seemed to have agreed to something very outrageous, something absurd that she would normally find unimaginable.

Why does this happen?

Chapter 121 Hachiman Kairin Does Have a Job [5k]

Shinjuku LiveHouse——[FOLT].

This live music venue, located in the Shinjuku area, is no longer unfamiliar to Kazami Naruto.

As a resident partner of 'Bass Mercenaries', Kazami Mei often supports other bands here. With each performance, he's practically become a regular member, and this time is no exception.

hum...

The speakers beside my ears emitted a deep sonic wave, and the rough and rhythmic bass slap echoed in the air. The black-haired girl standing to the side had her head down expressionlessly, and her strong fingertips were constantly climbing the strings.

Only after the entire solo performance ended did she turn her gaze to Kazami Naru.

After the hospital discharge 'celebration' and Ave Mujica's celebration party, almost all the girlfriends left Kazami's house in an orderly manner. Regardless of their own thoughts, they all went home to prepare.

Only Hachiman Kairin, who was standing right in front of him, suddenly turned back after leaving.

At that time, Hailing extended a 'work' invitation to Kazami Mei as usual, but in the end, without waiting for him to agree, she directly pulled him away in front of Wakaba Mutsu. Her forceful attitude made Kazami Mei suspect that she might have some other intentions.

However, it seems that he does have a job now.

"..."

Kazami helped put down the speaker in her hand, and at the same time, she skillfully reached out and tapped the smooth piano keys to tune it. The gorgeous arpeggios danced on her fingertips, producing beautiful and melodious music. Bathed in the cold stage lights, her black ponytail shimmered with silver light.

Holding her bass guitar, Hachiman Kairin stood not far away, looking him up and down before fixing her gaze entirely on his face. That direct stare made Kazami Mei feel inexplicably uncomfortable, so he took the initiative to speak—

Why are you looking at me so intently? Be careful you don't fall for me!

"Yeah, I'm hooked."

Kazami Mei was slightly taken aback, unsure how to respond for a moment.

His flirting seemed to have no effect on the straightforward Miss Hailing. She could openly admit her feelings in front of everyone and even say things that would make him blush without batting an eye.

What a terrible woman.

"Have you two finished debugging?"

The blonde guitarist supporting the band peeked out from behind the curtain. Kazami Naru and Hachiman Kairin nodded almost simultaneously in response to her question. With his perfect musical sense, he could easily tune the instruments just by listening to them.

Kazami Mei also snapped out of her thoughts and turned to the blonde punk girl not far away, replying, "We're all set here. Thank you for your help today."

"How could you possibly be troubling us!?"

"In fact, we're saying that with just this little bit of money, we've managed to get support from people like Kazami-kun and Hachiman-san! We actually feel like we've gotten a great deal! This time, we'll probably be the ones troubling you again!"

Kazami Mei simply smiled and didn't offer any explanation.

In fact, the job of a mercenary is now equivalent to a 'date' for him and Yawata Kairin, since one of them is a keyboardist who can participate in international piano competitions at any time, and the other is a real professional band bassist.

Kazami Mei and Hachiman Kairin exchanged glances, communicating with each other through their eyes alone.

……

The support band's performance went smoothly, except for a slight hiccup at the end.

Kazami Mei was performing on stage as usual when he suddenly noticed a familiar figure running around in the audience, raising a bottle of alcohol and cheering for him without any hesitation. His unrestrained behavior was truly admirable.

Now, the guy holding the bottle is right in front of him.

"Oh! It really is Kazami-kun! I've been cheering for you from the audience the whole time!"

"Your keyboard has become really impressive!"

Standing in front of Kazami Mei was a purple-haired woman with narrowed eyes and a flushed face from being drunk. Her braid tied in front of her chest swayed slightly. Even in the cold winter, she was still wearing a thin, out-of-season sundress, taking advantage of the heating in the LiveHouse.

Whenever you see her, she always has a carefree and easygoing demeanor.

However, her distinctive appearance naturally makes her easily recognizable.

"You, are you Hiroi Kikuri-senpai?"

"What? It's Mitty-chan~"

Hiroi Kikuri simply turned her head slowly and immediately smiled. She raised her bottle, revealing a shark-tooth grin, and praised, "Wasn't your performance just now amazing? As the lead vocalist, you've grown quite a bit, haven't you?"

"But I didn't expect Kazami-kun to perform on stage with you guys. I remember he was the one who ended his band, wasn't he?"

When was that intelligence obtained?

Just as Kazami Naru, who couldn't help but complain in his heart, was about to explain, Hachiman Kairin, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly stepped forward, as if deliberately blocking Hiroi Kikuri's conversation, and directly blocked him.

"Hiroi-senpai, he's just here as a support keyboardist, helping out with me this time."

"Oh, it's Hailing? Ahaha, sorry~ I was only paying attention to Kazami-kun."

Kazami Mei was puzzled by Hachiman Kairin's overly familiar manner with Hiroi Kikuri. He couldn't help but lean close to Kairin's ear and ask, "Kairin, are you very familiar with Hiroi-senpai?"

“Hiroi-senpai’s band ‘Sick Hack’ is active in Shinjuku. FOLT is a regular livehouse there. Since we are both bassists, I would occasionally go over to help her when she was hungover and disappeared.”

Hachiman Kairin's calm explanation elicited a subtle look from Kazami Mei, but Hiroi Kikuri, upon hearing this, showed no shame whatsoever. Instead, she gave her an indifferent expression, as if she wasn't the one who had just been criticized.

"Oh dear~ I'm really grateful to Hailing for her help all the time."

"Since I happened to run into Kazami-kun at FOLT today, as a way of thanking Hailing for everything... as the older sister, I'll treat you all to yakiniku (grilled meat)! But since you kids can't drink alcohol, only I can enjoy this, haha~"