How can my simulation be a real love?

"—Welcome to the world of Ave Mujica."

The cool and indifferent words fell slowly, accompanied by Yutenji Wakana's increasingly wide eyes.

The black-haired boy she had been watching sat unhurriedly in the drum kit. It was so unbelievable that she sat there in a daze, not even noticing her delicate manicure digging into her flesh.

really?

The moment the thought crossed her mind, the boy sitting in front of the drum set unleashed a torrent of drumbeats. The violent yet steady intro ignited the metal melody and shattered her already fragile self-esteem.

The sound of continuous drumbeats filled my ears—

Those high-frequency drumbeats that she needed to hold her breath and practice repeatedly to complete, Kazami Mei could actually produce a vibrato like the fluttering of butterfly wings with a single mallet in his left hand, and he seemed to do it with such ease.

The powerful drumbeats and the bass in the low-pitched section complement each other perfectly, providing the most stable foundation for this world-shattering metal music. The uninterrupted power and explosion made Yutenji Wakami witness the difference that was born.

This is a sense of power that she cannot achieve.

"Impossible, how could this be..."

Yutenji Wakame stared wide-eyed in disbelief. She subconsciously rubbed the calluses on her wrists with her thumb and forefinger. The light brown marks formed by repeated friction with the drumsticks were now faintly burning as the melody on stage grew stronger.

"..."

The magnificent arpeggios of the keyboard and the roaring screams of the guitar echoed throughout the concert hall, but Yutenji Wakana, sitting at the very back, couldn't hear anything. She just stared blankly ahead.

The boy's violent double-stomping rhythm tore through time and space, each hammer blow landing precisely on the most painful spot in her memory.

Only she, a fellow drummer, truly understood how astonishing this series of drumbeats was, and how much effort was required to achieve such precision. She had a deep understanding of this herself.

Professional drummers typically use mesh drumheads, but due to her family's limited financial resources, she couldn't afford expensive drumheads and had to endure hitting the rubber drumheads during private practice.

Besides, she doesn't even have a hi-hat stand for her training, so she can't simulate the feeling and feedback of hitting a real drum. She can only practice with headphones on, desperately forcing herself to memorize it over and over again.

Even with all my efforts, I still couldn't keep up with his steady drumbeats.

Yutenji Wakana had bitten her thin lips without anyone noticing. The metallic taste of blood mixed with a hint of bitterness slid down her throat. A strong sense of inferiority completely enveloped her. At this moment, her world seemed to have been shattered by those drumsticks.

After that, she seemed unable to notice anything.

Even when Toyokawa Shoko, representing Oblivionis on stage, chuckled as she removed her mask, she felt no inner turmoil. She simply sat there blankly, her pale pink eyes completely dimmed.

"So that's how it is, noble Oblivionis... So this is your true nature?"

Kazami Mei on stage was unaware of the changes in the corner of the audience. After the performance ended, he returned to acting mode.

As the background music paused at the quarter rest, Kazami Mei suddenly turned around, the hem of her swallowtail coat, adorned with dark red roses, tracing an elegant arc in the air. Her gaze was fixed intently on the blue-haired girl not far away.

"That's right, so please keep a close eye on me!"

Shoko Toyokawa's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile as she slowly removed the mask representing 'Oblivionis,' instantly causing a stir throughout the venue, with waves of shocked exclamations rising one after another.

This is how the live show was promoted.

At first, Ave Mujica's first tour revealed the faces of three people at the same time, which did disrupt her and Kazami Naruto's plans. However, as her manager, he quickly dealt with the situation.

Since that's the case, we can only maximize the hype surrounding removing the mask.

This performance was meant to reveal Xiao Xiang's true colors, while the real "traffic bomb," Sanjiao Chuhua, was saved for last, to be gradually amplified through the media, pushing Ave Mujica's popularity to the highest possible level.

"I will imprint your face in my mind without you saying a word."

Kazami Mei breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed the uproar in the audience. Fortunately, the performance went smoothly, and there were no accidents, including his impromptu drumming performance.

Perhaps to others, his substitution of the drummer on stage seemed rather reckless.

However, none of Ave Mujica's girlfriends had any objections. Even when he said he would go on stage as the drummer, they had no doubts and always maintained the utmost trust in him.

Of course, Kazami Mei lived up to expectations.

"..."

Kazami Mei let out a long sigh of relief, but subconsciously glanced in Xiangzi's direction.

This was really thanks to the hundreds of 'failed simulations' before. At first, he only had Lv3 drum kit skills from the Rainbow Summer simulation, but since he had never been trained in percussion instruments before, he might not be able to use the skills perfectly.

only--

Kazami Mei received a lot of rewards from Xiangzi's simulations last time. Although those 'failed simulations' were filled with a lot of random skills, he was still lucky enough to get a few excellent rewards.

[Renowned Drummer - Shiina Tatsuki] Drum Set Lv4

Multiple acquisitions of the same type of skill rewards can overlap and merge. In addition, Kazami Naruto's [Musical Genius] skill elevates his talent to another level, resulting in his two girlfriends' drum skills merging to Lv5.

Although their physical proficiency might be a little lacking, their masterful level is enough to perfectly solve the performance issues.

However, he cannot always substitute for someone else on the field.

While reciting cringeworthy phrases from the script on stage, Kazami Mei was also considering Miss Meowmu's situation; after all, she was the true drummer of Ave Mujica, and he didn't intend to let her "stop performing" forever.

However, he also needs to communicate well with the other party.

The band ultimately broke through difficulties and challenges, and everyone came to understand each other through making mistakes and correcting them. Kazami Mei was just a soft-hearted person and didn't intend to be too harsh on the sixteen-year-old Meow Dream.

"...Let's wait until we're done with these things for a while, and then we can have a proper talk with her."

He murmured to himself, then immediately returned to the rhythm of the drama.

Chapter 154 You Shameless Woman [3k]

Backstage, preparation room.

Wearing a dark red suit, Kazami Mei slowly removed Lucis's mask. Even as he stepped off the stage, he could still hear thunderous applause. The audience's intense enthusiasm and cheers gradually brought him a sense of relief.

"It looks like everything's fine."

Miss Toyokawa, holding a mask in her hand, placed the black lace-trimmed mask face down on the table. She subconsciously reached out to smooth the folds at the waist of her dress, the dark red silk wrapping around the girl's budding, graceful figure.

The moment she took off her mask on stage, even though she had prepared herself mentally, she was still a little nervous. However, because Kazami was standing right in front of her, acting opposite her, she was able to continue acting with the calmest mindset.

"I didn't expect the audience to be so enthusiastic. It's true that slowly revealing everyone's true colors is effective!"

Mikasa Hatsuka picked up a cup filled with honey yuzu tea and stepped forward, a gentle smile on her face. She then pressed the warm cup against Kazami Naru's hand, her pinky finger seemingly unintentionally tracing the pulse on his wrist.

Her gentle yet slightly cunning actions made Toyokawa Shoko, whose expression had just calmed down, turn her head to look at her.

Chu Hua, you lowly woman!

Kazami Mei could clearly feel the sharp gaze on his back, but he still coughed to ease the awkwardness, and then chuckled as he accepted the water glass handed to him by Miss Hatsuka.

"There's still plenty of time before the next show, so let's all relax a bit in the meantime."

This meticulously crafted 'masquerade ball' truly maximized the performance's impact.

Ave Mujica's national tour kicked off with a surprise mask reveal, which immediately caused a huge stir. The second show was even more extravagant, with thousands of audience members in attendance!

When Toyokawa Shoko, as Oblivionis, took off her mask, almost all the audience and media understood what the performance would be like. So they spontaneously promoted and attracted attention, looking forward to the next 'doll' to take off her mask.

"—Speaking of which, before the next performance begins."

The ice beauty, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, her voice as cold as a spring breaking the stagnant air. She simply narrowed her jade-like eyes, which were as clear as emeralds, and a faint smile appeared on her exquisite and handsome face.

"Ming, do you have any plans for Christmas?"

This statement is like pressing the button on some kind of depth charge.

The moment Hachiman Kairin finished speaking, the surrounding girls all turned their gazes to Kazami Mei.

Misaki Hatsuka suddenly gripped the thin, gauze-like hem of her skirt, her knuckles turning slightly pale; Toyokawa Shoko's ears were flushed with a sunset-like iridescent glow, her eyes seeming somewhat evasive, and even Wakaba Mutsu in the corner unconsciously raised her eyes.

Clearly, everyone has similar thoughts.

After all, it's Christmas!

For couples, it's a sacred day, representing 'reunion, blessings, and the transmission of love,' and the New Year's shrine visit can be held the very next day. For girls, there's simply no more romantic date to be had.

However, the strong implication in those words made Toyokawa Shoko blush. She could only respond somewhat awkwardly, "Hairin, why are you suddenly saying this at this time?!"

"Because I knew a bunch of girlfriends would be looking for me that day, I wanted to strike first."

Yawata Kairin simply enjoyed the amusing reactions of everyone present, seemingly without any concept of 'shyness'. She simply spoke her mind as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and her thoughts were accepted by all the girls present.

If she hadn't spoken so bluntly, people might have been secretly plotting something. But when someone tore down that veil of secrecy, it meant that many things that were previously unspoken were no longer restricted.

"...I, I really wanted to be with Ming that day too."

Misaka Hatsuka fidgeted with her slightly long hair, and her words made the expressionless little wooden boy nod. Only the 'reserved' young lady Toyokawa was at a loss.

Seeing that Toyokawa Shoko was already wavering considerably, Hachiman Kairin simply pursed her lips and added fuel to the fire.

"Xiangzi, it's better for us to keep it internally than to give it to other bands."

"How dare you say such a thing to my face?!" Kazami Mei looked at his girlfriend, who was giving him no choice, with a helpless expression, and continued to reply, "I will make proper arrangements for what happened that day. Anyway, I'll go out and say hello to the others first."

As soon as she finished speaking, Kazami Mei opened the door to the preparation room and left quickly, leaving the girls present looking at each other in bewilderment. Only Wakaba Mutsu raised her hand like a primary school student and seemed to say something with a calm but slightly red expression.

A few gasps could be faintly heard from inside the preparation room, followed by an eerie silence.

……

Kazami Mei naturally had no idea what had happened after he left. After changing into his performance outfit, he went to the outer area and immediately saw his two girlfriends, Kita Ikuyo and Chihaya Aine, having a heated discussion, while the other members behind them were discussing something.

"Ah, chirp chirp!"

The sharpest-eyed girl, Aine, lit up when she saw him. Her slender body flew over like a pink shooting star, and her unceremonious pounce almost caught Kazami Mei off guard, leaving him no time to react and barely managing to catch her.

But he still took a solid blow to the chest.

Wow, she actually has the same level of impact as Kita-san?!

Chihaya Aine seemed completely oblivious to the problem, her eyes gleaming as she spoke, "So cool, so incredibly cool! Kita and I were so excited backstage, your performance was just..."

"Don't say that here! Are you some kind of idiot?!"

Shiina Riki, standing behind her, strode forward and quickly covered her restless mouth, causing Kazami Mei to raise her eyebrows and barely suppress the urge to give her a thumbs up.

Kazami Naruto is now Lucis (Hikari) of Ave Mujica. Although this is still considered an inner area of ​​the outer area, if someone accidentally overhears him, it would be equivalent to exposing his identity.

"I'm sorry~"

Sensing the problem, Chihaya Aine immediately apologized in a low voice, causing Nagasaki Motoyo, who had been silent, to let out a helpless sigh. She then turned to Iji Chi Nikka beside her and whispered—

"Senior Hongxia, I'm so sorry to have caused you trouble again."

"It's okay, it's okay! Xiao Su Shi is always so serious..."

The tall and mature housewife, Su Shi, bowed her head apologetically to the shortest and petite mother in the crowd. This unusually subtle scene made Kazami's lips curl up involuntarily, and he couldn't help but chuckle.

Kita Ikuyo flashed a bright and cheerful smile, nodding as if in agreement: "Well~ I totally understand Aine-chan's feelings! Naruto in that outfit...it really does look unfairly good~"

"It's such a shame that we can't take photos freely..."

As she spoke, Kita-san, looking somewhat aggrieved, naturally moved closer to his side. Her fingertips seemingly unintentionally brushed against the boy's sleeve, causing Yamada Ryo to narrow his eyes and stare meaningfully at the wandering white hand.

Seeing that Miss Su Shi and Miss Liang, who had been silent for a while, seemed to be starting to get restless, Mr. Kazami quickly reacted, raised his eyebrows, and waved his hand to speak directly—

"Today's performance was a great success, let's all go to JOJO Wan for a celebration party!"

"Wow, what a great thigh!"

"Huh?! What about Xiao Mu and the others?"

"They'll probably need a while to pack up before they come over, so don't worry."

Kita Ikuyo peeked out from beside the suddenly alert Ryo-san. Only after hearing these words did she pat her chest in relief. Just as Kazami Mei was about to say something, a hint of doubt suddenly flashed in his dark eyes.

"Little Lamp, is something bothering you?"

The sudden question startled the little penguin, and she quickly came to her senses and spoke up—

"Hmm? No, it's alright..."

"I was just thinking... Ming and Xiao Xiang's performance was really... amazing."

From the very beginning, Takamatsu Akari had been in a daze. Now, in her panic, she could only wave her little hand and try to explain. This behavior was somewhat unusual compared to her usual self, which made Kazami Mei's eyes gleam with a strange light.

However, with his girlfriend all here now, he can't find any opportunity to get to know her better.

After careful consideration, he nodded slightly.

……

The next day.

After a few days, Kazami Mei returned to RiNG, the LiveHouse Mygo usually practices at. Yesterday, because of the celebration of Ave Mujica's successful performance, he hardly had any opportunity to spend time alone with Akari.

Perhaps because she was really worried, Kazami Mei had been secretly observing the little penguin's movements at school all day. However, she found that the little penguin was always absent-minded, which made her even more certain of her guess.