How can my simulation be a real love?

"That's really a deal! You can't go back on your word!"

"As agreed, I will pay you."

Speaking of which, there's also the 'tuition fee'.

Because he's busy with his band, Kazami Naruto can't work at the cafe often, so this so-called 'tuition fee' might be enough to cover his meals. He only needs to eat 300 yen a day to make ends meet.

If all else fails, I'll ask Brother Lixi if we can work together at RiNG.

However, looking at the somewhat naive expression on the pink-haired girl's face, Kazami Mei asked, just in case, "Let me ask you first, what are you planning to pay me for?"

"This number?"

Chihaya Aine thought for a moment, then slowly raised her right hand and made an 'OK' gesture.

This ambiguous gesture made Kazami Mei raise an eyebrow slightly.

Three fingers, a total of 30,000 yen?

For a female high school student, Chihaya Aine's offer was quite generous, but he still felt it was a bit too much.

Just as Kazami Mei was about to respond, the other person narrowed their eyes and added with a smile—

"Three thousand yen."

"Ok?"

"One class period."

"what???"

"Because I bought a lot of new clothes and cosmetics, I only have this little bit of pocket money left. Until my mom gives me my allowance next month, this is all I can give her for now~"

Chihaya Aine casually pulled two ten-thousand-yen bills from the pocket of her skirt, a simple action that seemed to indicate she didn't care at all.

The extreme highs and lows in such a short period of time caused Kazami Mei's mental state to collapse.

Generally speaking, the cost of a two-hour electric guitar lesson is around 2000 yen, but Chihaya Aine is just a high school student, yet she can casually pull out tens of thousands of yen in working capital.

This made it a bit difficult for Kazami Mei, who had to work to make ends meet, to cope.

Before I knew it, I had actually made that pink-haired girl look deflated.

Thinking about it carefully, Chihaya Aine is a returned overseas student who can go abroad to study immediately if she wants to.

The rich heiress who could easily give up her study abroad opportunity in the UK and return to China at lightning speed if she didn't want to study anymore was just someone who got along very well with everyone; her simple and honest appearance didn't reveal it at all.

If he can't afford to eat in the future, he'll have to find a way to live off Ai-yin.

Love Gate.

"Money and such are a bit too formal."

"Oh? So what are you planning to accept as payment?"

Seeing Kazami Mei shake her head and refuse her 'tuition fee', Chihaya Aine was a little confused.

"Kiss."

Kazami Mei's calm words made Chihaya Aine blink in surprise.

"...Huh?!"

After she realized what was happening, the girl's pretty face instantly turned bright red, the blush spreading like a burning flame all the way to her ears.

Her gaze began to dart around frantically, and her right index finger began to unconsciously twirl and play with her silky, exquisite hair. Her beautiful gray eyes seemed to be circling around.

Chihaya Aine slowly raised her chin, and her long, dark eyelashes began to tremble slightly.

She subconsciously avoided Kazami's gaze, seemingly caught in immense tension, or perhaps with a hint of anticipation she herself was unaware of.

"I want to drink 'KISS' coffee from UCC. I hope you can prepare more desserts for me every time I come. Also, occasionally buy me a couple of chocolate snail breads or something similar when I'm at school. That would be enough as payment."

Kazami Mei could vaguely guess what Chihaya Aine was thinking, and responded calmly.

Although this pink-haired creature looks a bit simple-minded, it has an exceptionally delicate mind.

Last time, she saw that I couldn't go to RiNG with her because I was working, and she was able to deduce from that that there must be a reason why I always work.

The pink-haired girl probably guessed something, which is why she found an opportunity to help herself as much as possible.

However, he didn't intend to take her money directly.

As a bandmate, teaching Ai Yin guitar and music theory was simply a form of assistance.

The so-called demand for 'reward' was just a pretext to make her more accepting of 'being helped'; in reality, Kazami Mei would never actually accept a large sum of money from the other party.

If he really accepts it, he doesn't know how he'll repay this favor.

So it's better to just go for snacks and drinks. These little things aren't even a burden for Miss Aine, they're just a drop in the ocean.

"Ugh! Meow! You idiot! What nonsense are you spouting!"

Hearing his explanation, Chihaya Aine felt a surge of shame that even made her angry. She puffed out her cute cheeks and bared her fangs, wishing she could bite him to death.

I've misunderstood! No, that's not right!

Blame this guy for using such a strange way of saying it!

Damn it, this is so embarrassing...

"Since you're not taking any money, you're not allowed to object to how you should be compensated!"

Now that we've decided to repay him, this matter can't be left like this!

"Next time I'll prepare some snacks for you, and also that...k...kiss coffee!"

"I'll occasionally make you a bento box and bring it to school. It's really unhealthy to eat bread from the cafeteria and convenience store every day. Even I might not be able to match your physical condition!"

"Don't refuse!"

Kazami Mei looked at the embarrassed and annoyed Aine and vaguely sensed that the pink-haired girl seemed to have misunderstood something.

But if you were to expose her at this moment, based on what Feng Jianming knows about her, she would definitely get furious and start punching you wildly to vent her anger and humiliation, and might even bite you directly.

"..."

Kazami Mei wanted to say something more.

But when he noticed the other person's gaze growing increasingly sharp, he ultimately didn't say anything.

It seems that this time, there's no way to refuse.

……

When I left Ai Yin's house, it was already getting dark.

This place is unlike any other street. Even though the sun has completely set behind the horizon, this wide avenue is still bathed in soft neon light. Pedestrians come and go, and the colorful lights are dazzling.

Kazami Mei walked slowly past the crowd, her dark eyes slightly narrowed as she stared straight ahead.

The surrounding noise seemed to gradually disappear from his ears, as if his entire head was covered with a layer of plastic wrap, making it difficult for the sound to penetrate the layers of constraints and reach his ears.

Actually, he was just too hungry, so hungry that he felt a little dizzy and lightheaded.

"Speaking of which, we haven't even had dinner yet."

"I should have just gotten a free coffee from Lixi during RiNG."

Today I was so busy teaching music theory that in the afternoon I had a 1,000-meter chase with that stinky pink-haired guy, which took a lot of energy. The matcha mochi I bought was also snatched away and eaten by that awful pink-haired guy.

It wasn't until the end that he realized he hadn't eaten anything for several hours.

He even left the electronic keyboard he bought for 150,000 yuan with RiNG. He doesn't know if Lixi will help him deal with it.

He knew he wouldn't be able to snag a discounted bento box at the supermarket by now, and his future seemed bleak.

"There's no other way, it seems we'll have to find somewhere to eat outside."

Kazami Mei began to inspect the various shops on the street, and once her gaze locked onto a familiar store, she couldn't look away.

"Sure, let's go eat ramen then?"

"Okay, let's go eat."

"Two bowls are manageable for my wallet, but..."

Kazami Mei rolled her eyes and looked to the side.

The short-haired, cat-like girl walked familiarly beside him, her small, cute nose seemingly sniffing at something.

She pursed her thin, pale pink lips, revealing a cute, greedy smile. Her heterochromatic eyes were fixed on his face without blinking, like a kitten curiously staring at a human she had never seen before.

As the saying goes, it's easy for a stray cat to quietly follow you when you're walking down the street.

These clever little guys can tell at a glance whether a passing person can become their long-term meal ticket.

Once you successfully identify a long-term meal ticket target, they will immediately become a clingy little cat, carefully following behind you and making soft, sweet sounds to evoke your sympathy.

㈨㈤０一８０90九

That's exactly how Kazami Mei felt at that moment.

"Why are you here? And where did you come from?"

"I got lost while playing with the cat."

It certainly fits Kazami Mei's stereotype of her.

"Lenai, I remember you're just a middle school student, right? You can't be loitering outside at this hour. You need to go home right now."

Kazami Mei's lecture went completely unheeded by Rakuna.

A glint flashed in those heterochromatic eyes that revealed no emotion, and her cute expression of slightly raised eyebrows made her look a little dazed. The girl gently covered her lower abdomen with both hands, raised her head, and looked at him with pitiful eyes.

"hungry."

She clearly didn't listen at all.

"...I understand. Let's go eat ramen together then."

"However, I need to go home immediately after eating."

I finally gave in, and my wallet was hit by another storm.

"year~"

With Kazami's permission, Rakuna's face was visibly happy. She moved closer to Kazami without any hesitation, showing no sense of distance between men and women. Instead, they stood very close together like a young couple.

It seems that from the beginning, Kazami Mei noticed that Rakuna would inexplicably become close to him.

However, she was just a little cat who liked to eat, and there was no way she could have any other bad intentions.

If it were Ryo, Kazami Mei might have become more cautious.

Why are you standing so close to me?

"It smells like sunshine, it smells nice."

Yoro Nai didn't hide anything and truthfully expressed her thoughts.

On weekdays, she likes to sit on park benches or rooftops to bask in the sun and take a lazy afternoon nap. The soft sunlight streaming down from the sky helps her relax instinctively, and she really enjoys this warm feeling.

Being by Kazami's side gives me a unique sense of security.

……

"Sorry to keep you waiting! Buckwheat noodles and original broth tonkotsu ramen!"

In the blink of an eye, two steaming bowls of ramen were served on the table.

It's still the familiar 'General Chai Ramen', even the same familiar corner location.

However, this time Kazami Mei came to eat with a different girl, which made the general in charge of making ramen look at him hesitantly, but in the end he didn't say anything.

"Well……"

Kaoru lay face down in front of the buckwheat noodles, staring at the steaming noodles with a very aggrieved look.

He held his chopsticks for a long time but didn't dare to take a bite, which made Kazami Mei, who was slurping noodles across from him, look a little puzzled.

"What's wrong, Lenai? Aren't you going to eat?"

"Buckwheat noodles, very delicious."

Kaoru Nai, still with her cute eyebrows furrowed, spoke very seriously.

"We used to eat it cold..."