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Chapter 303: A Girl’s Heart in Love
🕑 Added 2025-04-22 13:39:38 +0000 UTC"Did Minami-senpai already predict that I'd come to check on you out of concern today?"
Accepting the warm red bean soup Minami handed her, Kita Ikuyo looked at him curiously as they walked forward.
She was genuinely curious.
Because earlier, when Minami was waiting, he hadn't hesitated at all—
He had simply stood there firmly, as if the thought of leaving had never even crossed his mind.
And that certainty had shaken the heart of Kita Ikuyo, who had been secretly watching from the shadows.
"I did consider the possibility."
Minami admitted, then added,
"But it's not like I was sure you'd come..."
Yes.
Even though Minami had predicted Kita Ikuyo's personality…
And he had a feeling she would come.
It was just that—a feeling.
If there was anything more unpredictable than the weather,
It could only be the ever-changing heart of a young girl.
Even Minami couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't end up freezing in vain today.
"You weren't even sure I'd come, yet you just stood there dumbly in the cold… Minami-senpai, you really are an idiot."
Kita Ikuyo blinked her golden eyes at him, flashing a playful, adorable smile.
Their relationship was already out in the open.
And with her naturally cheerful and outgoing personality, she wasn't the type to dwell on things for too long.
So at this moment, she decided to just go with the flow.
She grabbed Minami's hand and led him to a nearby convenience store.
"Excuse me, I'll take this one… and this one too."
She pulled out two clear plastic umbrellas from the stand near the door and spoke to the cashier.
She planned to take Minami to a well-known winter sightseeing spot—Inokashira Park.
It was said that in winter,
The tree branches would be covered in shimmering frost.
The crystal-clear lake would take on the color of the sky.
Snowflakes would gently drift down from the heavens.
The two of them could sit close together, holding warm drinks, watching the snow fall…
How romantic would that be?
With that thought in mind,
She immediately bought two clear umbrellas to shield them from the snow.
But—
"Two umbrellas?"
Behind her, Minami frowned at her choice and spoke up,
"I think one is enough. Besides, these look pretty flimsy. No need to waste money on two."
"Hah! No way am I falling for your tricks, Minami-senpai."
Kita Ikuyo turned her head slightly.
After spending so much time around Minami, how could she not understand what he was thinking?
This guy was definitely planning to take advantage of sharing an umbrella with her—
Probably hoping to pull some sneaky move while they were huddled together under it.
She wasn't stupid.
There was no way she was going to fall for it so easily!
Determined, she ignored his words and insisted on buying two umbrellas.
Then, under Minami's gaze, she handed one to him and cheerfully said,
"Come on, let's go! Hurry up, Minami-senpai!"
From the way she was acting, it was obvious—
The red-haired girl was truly excited about this so-called snow-viewing spot.
She was even urging him along.
Minami sighed, shaking his head.
He had no choice but to accept the disposable umbrella she gave him.
And as soon as he did—
Kita Ikuyo, no longer hesitating, excitedly opened her own umbrella and skipped ahead of him.
Her red hair bounced up and down with her movements.
Like a lively spirit dancing in the snowy night.
She really was happy.
Because, in a way,
This was her first official date with Minami.
At that moment, she even had the urge to take a selfie with him and upload it to SNS.
But… that was just a fleeting thought.
After all, aside from herself, the other members of Kessoku Band also liked Minami.
Posting a picture of just the two of them on SNS—
That would be far too insensitive to her bandmates.
However…
Not posting a picture doesn't mean she can't take one.
A new idea sparked in her mind.
Kita Ikuyo immediately turned around and looked at Minami.
"Speaking of which, Minami-senpai—huh?"
She had just spoken—
And then, she stopped.
The abrupt pause at the end of her sentence perfectly conveyed her surprise.
Because right before her eyes—
The clear umbrella she had handed to Minami was already gone.
White snowflakes drifted down,
Landing on Minami's dark hair.
This… Kita Ikuyo couldn't understand at all.
She hurriedly stepped closer, holding up her umbrella as she stared at him in disbelief.
"Minami-senpai, where's the umbrella I just bought for you?!"
"Oh, that? It broke the moment I stepped out of the convenience store."
Casually brushing some snow off his shoulders, Minami looked at her with an expression of pure innocence and said,
"That's why I told you, Ikuyo. These disposable umbrellas are really poor quality."
His face was exceptionally sincere.
His eyes were especially clear and innocent.
But—
Like hell I believe you!
Kita Ikuyo screamed internally as she stared at the man in front of her,
Who looked even more innocent than a baby.
"It broke as soon as you stepped out of the store?"
"Disposable umbrellas are just that bad?"
What a load of crap!
These were nothing but excuses.
Excuses straight from Minami's mouth.
He was blatantly lying with a straight face!
He definitely took the umbrella and stuffed it into the trash can by the convenience store while she wasn't looking.
Kita Ikuyo opened her mouth, struggling for words, as she stared at him.
She never expected—
That Minami would go this far just to share an umbrella with her.
His determination is way too strong…
But why was he so passionate about this of all things?!
Kita Ikuyo pressed a hand to her forehead.
Then, she glanced at Minami again—standing there, getting snowed on.
She let out a soft sigh from her cherry-pink lips.
This guy… seriously.
She had no choice.
In the end, she stepped closer, tilting her umbrella over his head.
Since Minami was about 180 cm, while she was only 158 cm,
The umbrella slanted slightly as she held it up.
"This is the best I can do."
Kita Ikuyo stretched out her arm and, after another glance at him, warned,
"And don't complain that my arms are too short to cover everything evenly. This is entirely your fault, Minami-senpai."
Technically, she could just go buy him another umbrella.
But she knew—
Even if she did,
The moment she let her guard down, he'd pull the same stunt again.
So really, buying another one was pointless.
Instead of repeating such a meaningless process,
It was better to just share one umbrella with him.
So she started walking again.
But this time—
The lively "elf" was caught in the trap of the cunning man beside her.
And yet…
Maybe… this isn't so bad?
Holding up the umbrella,
Walking side by side,
Kita Ikuyo thought to herself.
Surprisingly, walking with Minami wasn't as bad as she'd imagined.
In fact—
He was consciously adjusting his pace to match hers.
She didn't say anything.
But when she looked at him, her cheeks grew slightly warmer.
Quickly, she realized she was staring and abruptly turned her head away,
Focusing her gaze straight ahead.
It was probably because of the first snowfall.
As she walked forward, she noticed a young couple ahead of them, also sharing an umbrella.
They were pressed closely together,
Arms linked,
Not even the cold wind could slip between them.
Just watching them—
Kita Ikuyo suddenly felt her face heat up.
She didn't know why.
Maybe it was because of how affectionate the couple looked.
Or maybe—
It was because Minami was walking beside her.
She lowered her head slightly.
Her gaze shifted toward Minami's strong, deep-set arm.
A bold yet irresistible thought popped into her mind.
She wanted to reach out—
To hold onto his arm,
To feel his warmth in the midst of this cold, snowy night.
But…
The gloved, delicate hand lifted slightly—only to retract as if shocked by electricity.
Was she really going to take the initiative to hold Minami-senpai's arm?
But… wouldn't that be too forward?
Would it come across as too sudden?
Kita Ikuyo couldn't help but overthink it.
A girl—
Taking the initiative to hold a boy's arm.
Wouldn't that be implying something?
Like she was saying this level of physical contact was totally acceptable?
She hesitated.
"It's a bit cold, huh."
Just then—
The black-haired young man beside her suddenly spoke.
As he said this, he exhaled warm breath into his hands, his handsome face looking as if he was absolutely freezing.
Then, turning his head slightly, he muttered to himself as if deep in thought:
"If only we could be a little closer… At least it wouldn't be so cold."
"Eh…?"
Hearing Minami's words,
Kita Ikuyo's expression froze for a moment.
Then—
As if she had just processed what he said—
"G-geez, Minami-senpai, you're so helpless... But, well, since it's cold, I guess there's no other choice... Hehe..."
As she spoke, she shifted her grip on the umbrella, freeing up her other hand.
Her expression was one of playful exasperation, as if completely helpless against Minami's antics.
Then, without hesitation,
She reached out and gently linked her arm with his.
Her head dipped slightly—
Resting just beside Minami's shoulder.
"..."
Minami.
He glanced sideways at Kita Ikuyo, who had even closed her eyes, not even bothering to look at the road ahead.
Should he say—
As expected of Miss Kita, the true social butterfly?
That smooth little combo move left him utterly speechless.
But…
Oh well.
Minami silently took the clear umbrella from her hand.
Slowly, he lifted it over them.
Without saying a word, he reached out and brushed the fine white snowflakes off her other shoulder.
And then, they continued walking forward together.
Beneath the sky of the first snowfall—
The sound of their steps—crunch, crunch—echoed across the icy, frost-covered path.
Their figures—
Gradually disappeared into the distance…
Their date lasted until 6 PM.
Actually, aside from lunch—where Kita Ikuyo reluctantly took his suggestion—
Every other stop on their date was entirely planned by her.
Minami didn't need to worry about anything.
For the first time in his life—
He finally understood what it felt like to have a normal, capable girlfriend.
After all—
Goto Hitori would always cling nervously behind him whenever they went out.
Yamada-san was either obsessing over indirect kisses or secretly ordering ridiculously expensive food, completely uninterested in sightseeing.
Shinjou Akane would impulsively blow money to buy out entire clothing stores.
And Futaba Rio? Let's not even mention her—
That girl had a habit of suddenly whipping out a whole arsenal of experimental gadgets whenever they were alone.
As if her pockets weren't just normal pockets—
But some kind of four-dimensional storage.
Besides these test subjects—
It seemed that every girl who had feelings for Minami...
Had never once allowed him the luxury of experiencing something as simple as normalcy.
This gave Minami quite a headache.
Although he knew that as time passed, the girls would mature and become more normal—
Wouldn't it be great if there was something that could speed up the process?
If there was a way to make them turn into a reliable girlfriend like Kita-san right now…
That would be amazing.
At least then, he wouldn't have to worry about anything—
He could finally take it easy.
"Well then, Minami-senpai, I'll be heading home now!"
Kita Ikuyo waved her gloved, slightly puffy little hand at him, her face brimming with a bright smile.
"Alright."
Minami raised a hand in response to her voice.
He watched as Kita Ikuyo walked away—
And secretly let out a sigh of relief.
"Looks like my bet was completely right this time."
Waiting in the snow for her,
Going on this date—
It had all been worth it because he chose to stay and let her decide.
And the results were obvious.
Kita Ikuyo had basically confessed to him already.
There was only one thin layer of glass left between them—
Just waiting to be broken.
And after today's date—
Her affection for him had undoubtedly deepened.
"Looks like the life I simulated is getting closer and closer."
Minami nodded to himself.
The simulated life.
The life where he was married to nine wives.
Saying it was easy—
But making it a reality was incredibly difficult.
Not only did he have to maintain each girl's affection—
He also had to balance their relationships with one another.
And he had to carefully manage their emotions.
It was, without a doubt, a massive undertaking.
Far from the simple statement in the simulation:
"You have married all nine girls."
But—
The attitudes of Kita Ikuyo and the other girls—
Showed him a glimmer of hope.
However, a glimmer was just that—a glimmer.
If he wanted to make that future a reality—
To reach his happy ending—
He had to keep pushing forward.
After all—
"Graduation isn't far away."
Minami lifted his head and muttered to himself.
Yes.
He was about to graduate from his second year of high school—
Soon, he would be in his third year.
And all of his simulations began at the next major milestone—
Graduation. University.
With that in mind—
Minami shook off his thoughts and stepped forward, about to head toward Polaris.
The next moment—
A notification sound from the simulator rang out.
[System Notification: The host has collected a "Maiden's Heart (Passion)".]
"Huh?"
The sudden alert made Minami pause mid-step.
Surprised, he turned his head and looked at the notification window that had popped up.
A Maiden's Heart?
What was that?
