How can my simulation be a real love?

As the last guitar harmonic faded into the roar of the exhaust fan, the audience, still immersed in the music, were not yet brought back to their senses, and were even afraid that applauding would rashly break the extremely gentle atmosphere.

"I'm sharing this song, 'The Stray Cat,' with everyone. Thank you so much."

The little penguin holding the microphone seemed to gradually calm down. Her words of thanks, delivered through the microphone, brought the audience back to their senses, and then enthusiastic applause, like seashells stranded after the tide receded, echoed sporadically and damply throughout the hall.

Kazami Mei took a deep breath and looked at Rakuna not far away.

The girl with short, snow-white hair stood straight on the stage, raising her head to look at the warm lights that resembled the sun. Her face, glistening with fine sweat, displayed a smile more beautiful than ever before.

"Hum~"

The cat, with her keen intuition, seemed to have noticed Kazami's gaze. She hummed a smug tune as she looked over, her bright heterochromatic eyes gleaming, as if no one was more excited than her.

Her stunning smile seemed to be etched onto his retina.

When he saw the little white-haired cat with such a joyful expression, Kazami Naruto also smiled slightly. He immediately understood that his hard work and dedication in preparing the original song "Stray Cat" was well worth it.

Gao Songdeng, her face flushed, took a deep breath and gradually calmed down when she noticed the audience's enthusiastic applause.

"Although... we're just a temporary band, and we don't even have a name yet, thank you so much for listening. We have more songs coming up, and we hope you'll—"

"SPACE".

Kazami Mei's sudden words startled the girls on stage.

The little penguin seemed a bit dazed and at a loss, while Miss Riki, who was still secretly wiping away tears, stood frozen in place. Even the expressionless Hachiman Kairin raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Only Kaname, standing in the corner of the stage, widened her eyes and stared intently at Kazami Mei with her mouth agape.

"How about we call the band 'SPACE'?"

A smug smile appeared on Kazami Mei's face. His suggestion had not been met with any opposition. Even Miss Riki nodded with a helpless smile. The warm orange-yellow light became increasingly dazzling.

Kaname just stared blankly with her mouth agape. Then, as if she understood Kazami's thoughts, her heterochromatic eyes smiled into crescent moons, and her delicate and lovely face gradually lifted into a radiant smile.

The little penguin holding the microphone nodded, and seemed to become a little happier.

“…Yes, we are 'SPACE'.”

"Then... please listen to the next song—"

……

As the overtones of the final song faded away in the center of the stage, the 'SPACE' Live finally came to an end. Even as Kazami Akira walked off the stage with her guitar, the audience's shouts for an encore continued to echo in their ears.

The success of the performance was undeniable, with the audience's enthusiasm reaching its peak.

"I really didn't expect the audience to keep asking for an encore, so we ended up playing several more songs after the original tracklist."

Shiina Riki reached out and gently rubbed her aching forearm. Her beautiful purple eyes, as clear as autumn water, concealed a hint of fatigue, but she still stood up straight, stubbornly refusing to show any sign of weariness, just as she always was.

Although Lixi, as a drummer who has been training for many years, has much greater strength and endurance than the average girl, even the most energetic person can't withstand the strain of playing so many songs with all their might.

Even though her shoulders ached from exhaustion, she would still stubbornly insist that she was "fine."

"Eee-ah?!"

The once arrogant Miss Lixi let out a girlish scream. Only then did she realize that Feng Jianming had suddenly moved closer to her and started massaging her shoulders and arms, which were straining.

If it were just a private moment, it wouldn't be a big deal if he touched or hugged her, but now that Hachiman Kairin, Takamatsu Akari, and even the stray cat were watching, Ms. Riki, whose skin was as thin as gauze, instantly blushed.

"What...what are you doing all of a sudden?"

"I'm just giving you a little massage, otherwise you'll suffer tomorrow morning."

"No, not at all! This level of detail isn't necessary, especially with everyone watching... Hey!"

Just moments ago, Miss Lixi was so stern and stubborn, but in an instant she softened. Her originally sharp and bright purple eyes darted around in panic, as if searching for an escape route, and her cheeks were already flushed with a drunken blush.

What? So Lixi can easily make a girl's voice too?

Seeing that Shiina Ritsuki's face was turning bright red and about to explode, Kazami Mei, having found her 'shame' threshold, released her in time and, before she could react, spoke to the dazed little penguin—

"Deng, your throat must be sore after singing for so long, right?"

"...It's okay, I felt...very happy with this performance."

The little penguin simply clenched her harmless little fist, a smile appearing on her adorable face. Her words also made Hachiman Kairin raise an eyebrow, and she also revealed a faint smile, looking meaningfully in Shiina Riki's direction.

"That's true, I actually feel quite happy too."

"After all, this is the first time that the three of us, Ming and I, are going on stage together."

Her gaze began to shift back and forth between Kazami Mei and Shiina Tatsuki.

"Come on... You wouldn't be happy about something like this, would you?"

Despite her flushed face, Ms. Shiina stubbornly retorted, but without those sharp, razor-sharp eyes, her original intimidating aura was greatly diminished, making her all the more endearing.

The performance excited the three girls, but only Rakuna kept her eyes closed and leaned against Kazami Naruto, her two little hands tightly holding his arm, like a sleepy koala, clinging on and refusing to let go.

Seeing this, Kazami Naru smiled wryly, then reached out and gently wiped the beads of sweat from the tip of her nose.

"Lena, how are you feeling today?"

"Awesome!"

The cat, shaking its little head, seemed to be deliberately drawing out its tone and responding slowly. She played on stage until her fingers ached and her whole body was drenched in sweat, but she was much happier than she had imagined.

This was the happiest live performance she had ever given.

The stray cat, who had been smiling with her lips pursed, seemed to have thought of something. A look of realization appeared on her cute little face, and then she immediately raised her snow-white head and rubbed against his chest with the gentlest smile.

"Thank you~"

"I like you the most."

I'm starting to feel the strain.

There's nothing we can do; after all, he's a pure lover.

However, I admit that you are stronger now!

Upon being confessed to by the innocent and naive Ms. Rakuna, even Mr. Kazami coughed to hide his embarrassment, then feigned nonchalance and said calmly—

"Lenai, where did you learn that strange tone of voice from?"

"Mocha."

"What is that, coffee?"

Just as the group was playing around in the preparation room, there was a soft knock on the door. When the door was opened, an elderly woman with gray hair stepped in, her face still showing a serious and frightening expression.

The moment Tsuzuki Shisen entered the preparation room, the girls instinctively stopped playing around.

Yawata Kairin and Shiina Riki, who were standing next to each other, immediately exchanged a glance. Even without communicating, they could directly sense each other's thoughts. So, Ms. Riki slowly took Takamatsu Akari's hand and started to move the dazed little penguin around.

"Lights, we have other things to do."

"Well?"

Takamatsu Akari, somewhat bewildered, was pulled out of the preparation room by Shiina Tatsuki. Hachiman Kairin, who was holding a bass guitar, nodded to Kazami Naru and then followed her out of the room, even closing the door behind her.

The huge preparation room was soon empty, leaving only three people.

"Grandma~"

The petite cat pursed its cute little mouth and darted to Tsuzuki Shisen's side in the blink of an eye.

This gradually softened the old lady's previously serious expression, and even her tone softened as she prepared to speak.

"I just watched your performance from the audience."

Kazami Mei's expression faltered slightly, and then she began to straighten her back.

If he wasn't mistaken, the old lady was probably about to ask him something like, "Did you do your best?" She valued performances and music more than anything else, and any hesitation would surely get him scolded.

However, this live performance was completely different from the last one, and Kazami Mei now had enough confidence to respond to her.

Surprisingly, Tsuzuki Shisen revealed a slight smile.

"You all gave it your all in this performance!"

Oh no, there are fast and slow knives too.

"Hum~"

Kazami Mei, who was suddenly praised, blinked in confusion, but Miss Rakuna next to her had already revealed a smug smile. She spread her two small arms like a roc spreading its wings, and the corners of her mouth raised in a slightly funny arc.

Shisen Tsuzuki looked at Rakuna with kind eyes, and then said slowly and softly, "You really did give me a wonderful performance as an 'ordinary' guitarist, together with Rakuna."

"I doubt I'll ever forget this band that was formed on short notice."

Kazami Mei's gaze gradually hardened, and a serious expression appeared on her face.

"It's 'SPACE,' the name of our temporary band."

"Also... thank you so much for your praise, Tsuzuki-senpai."

A gentle light appeared in Tsuzuki Shisen's eyes, and then she was pulled by Rakuna to sit slowly on the sofa in the preparation room.

She gripped the cane in her hand, and spoke as if to herself—

"makes sense."

For Rakuna, 'SPACE' might have been her final destination, but Shisen Tsuzuki felt that this should not be her final destination and made up her mind to close the Livehouse that had been with her for many years.

But to Tsuzuki Shisen's surprise, Rakuna's final destination was still SPACE.

"Ming."

The stray cat was unaware of Tsuzuki Shisen's current mood. She simply pouted and gently tugged at Kazami Mei's sleeve. Clearly, the title 'Tsuzuki-senpai' made her unhappy.

She had promised to call her "Grandma" along with her, but unexpectedly, Kazami Mei still called her "Tsuzuki Shisen," which made Ms. Rakuna a little unhappy.

"Sorry sorry."

Kazami Mei quietly apologized to the stray cat, then gently patted her head to comfort her.

After all, he still has many important things to say that he hasn't been able to say yet, so he can't afford to relax or slack off in any way.

After Kazami Naru unleashed a barrage of cat-themed pats on the head and chin, Ms. Rakuna purred contentedly like a cat. Only then did he finally take a deep breath and look at the old lady before him with a solemn and serious gaze.

"Last time you asked me what I thought about Lena's 'fate'. Perhaps I wasn't mature enough at the time... so I couldn't give you a precise answer, but I think... now I can answer you again."

Kazami Mei smiled as she looked at Kaname Naruto beside her, her beautiful blue-yellow eyes filled with smugness.

He simply straightened his back solemnly and responded with the most focused and earnest words—

"I want to be Lena's 'home,' so that she can stay by my side for the rest of her life."

The future is uncertain for many, but he had already made up his mind, which is why he took this opportunity to give Shisen Tsuzuki a true answer using the name 'SPACE' during this live performance.

This time, the response was completely different from the last one.

The white-haired cat had already revealed the purest and most joyful smile. She was now just like an ordinary 'love' girl who only wanted to become a pet kitten and stick by his side.

"is it?"

Tsuzuki Shisen smiled, showing no surprise whatsoever.

Rather, she came here specifically to get this 'answer,' but before she could even ask Kazami, the boy had already impatiently given her the answer.

Thinking of this, Du Zhushi breathed a long sigh of relief, and then earnestly gave his instructions.

“Lena is always sulking, and even I find it hard to discipline her... I hope you can be more tolerant of her in the future, and that whatever happens can be her final destination.”

"Yes, I understand."

Kazami Mei revealed her deep black eyes and responded to the other party with caution.

Perhaps since their last meeting, Tsuzuki Shisen had already been communicating with him as an 'elder,' but now that role could be fully confirmed, it meant that Rana was officially being handed over to him for care.

"Ming, from today onwards, you'll be just like Rakuna."

Call me Grandma or Grandma on your mother's side, whichever you prefer.

Rock musicians are known for their easygoing nature, yet they are extremely stubborn about certain things. Naturally, Kazami Mei had no reason to refuse, and he slowly opened his mouth with a friendly smile.

"I understand, Grandma."

The abrupt address made the old lady a little embarrassed. She coughed lightly, tapped the ground with her cane, and then spoke casually, as if eating or drinking—

"Since this is a good opportunity, why don't you bring Lena to stay with you?"

"Yes, I'm very happy... huh?"

Kazami Mei's expression, seemingly caught off guard, was somewhat amusing, so Tsuzuki Shisen simply chuckled and waved his hand.