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Chapter 287: Winter Motorcycles Are Pure Suffering
🕑 Added 2025-04-14 09:50:06 +0000 UTCRiding a motorcycle through the winter streets—
This was probably the dumbest thing Minami had ever done in his life.
Even with a thick, insulated windproof jacket.
Even with a sturdy motorcycle helmet.
Even with thick, padded gloves covering his hands.
It was still freezing.
Minami couldn't help but grumble to himself.
What was his simulated self even thinking?
Why did it have to be a motorcycle instead of a car?
At eighteen, he was more than eligible to get a driver's license.
Wouldn't it be much more comfortable to pick up Satou in a heated car?
They could still enjoy the snowy scenery from the windows, without suffering through the cold.
But of course, this was just idle complaining.
Because for a girl like Satou—
A boy riding up on a motorcycle or even a bicycle from afar was far more romantic than simply arriving in a car.
That was just how these things worked.
Minami sort of understood.
But still—
Romantic or not, it was freezing!
He let out a noise of protest.
In some ways, this simulation felt like a test of endurance.
He sighed internally.
But then—
A quick glance at the rearview mirror caught his eye.
Through the helmet's visor, he could see Satou's delighted expression—
Her head turning left and right, taking in the scenery with wide-eyed wonder.
Minami smiled.
...Fine.
If this was the price to pay—
It wasn't so bad.
Once they left Tokyo, the road stretched on, straight and endless, vanishing into the horizon.
Anyone riding a motorcycle down a road like this couldn't help but feel exhilarated.
The snow-covered embankments on either side of the road looked like something straight out of a fairytale—tall, pristine, piled high.
Minami rode through the path carved between them,
And behind him, Satou clung to his waist—
Like a princess taken away by a knight from a conquered kingdom.
Beyond them, the distant mountains lay draped in layers of white.
Behind them, the snow-dusted city slowly faded into the distance, swallowed by the winter landscape.
Through the visor of her helmet, Satou took in the view.
She was excited.
Happy.
The dreamlike scenery before her felt both familiar and new.
But most importantly—
Minami was right there beside her.
All the heaviness in her heart, all the tangled, negative emotions—
They dissolved in an instant.
For some reason, an impulse suddenly welled up inside her.
It rose from deep within, carried by the rumbling of the motorcycle's engine.
"Minami-senpai."
"Hmm?"
Minami responded without turning back, his focus locked on the road ahead.
"Can I call out?"
"Call out?"
He didn't quite understand what she meant.
With the helmet muffling sound and the wind howling around them, he thought he might have misheard.
But Satou didn't care.
Without another word, she tightened her arms around Minami's waist—
And pressed her head against his back.
Then—
"Ahhhhh—!"
She let out a loud, unrestrained cry.
Like she was releasing all the emotions she had been bottling up inside.
Like she was declaring her joy, here and now.
Snowflakes drifted down once more—
And the sound of her voice, bright and full of life, scattered into the winter wind, blending with the falling snow.
Minami could feel it.
The way her arms tightened around him—
Little by little.
They arrived at a small, scenic restaurant nestled in the Japanese countryside.
The floor was made of polished wood.
A heater in the corner filled the space with warm air.
Small square tables sat neatly arranged, with wooden partitions separating each dining area.
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, a vast expanse of white forest stretched endlessly outside.
Beneath the snow-laden trees, a soft mist swirled and rose.
The cold air mingled with the snowfall, and the contrast between the warmth inside and the chill outside quickly fogged up the glass.
Through the delicate frost forming on the windowpane, the world beyond seemed hazy and unknown—
Much like the face of Minami, half-hidden behind the rising steam of the hot borscht he was sipping.
"Minami-senpai, how did you find me?"
From the moment she stepped off the motorcycle and entered the quiet restaurant, Satou had been fidgeting, stealing glances at Minami.
There was food set before her, too—
But she hadn't touched it.
Compared to Minami's cooking, the dishes from this scenic tourist spot weren't anything particularly special.
But more than the food—
She needed to understand.
Why was Minami—who should have been busy preparing for his exams—
Suddenly here?
At a time he shouldn't be.
At a place he shouldn't be.
"If I hadn't shown up, I bet our little runaway Satou-san would've disappeared off to the far end of the world without a word, huh?"
Minami chuckled. "Defeating the monster called 'entrance exams' took quite a bit of effort, you know."
He smiled as if this were the simplest thing in the world.
But Satou knew better.
Even if he didn't say it, she understood just how important these exams were to him.
Minami had come to Tokyo from Akita.
His two older sisters had sacrificed their own education to send him here, so he could have a better future.
He carried the entire weight of his family's expectations, hoping to carve out a path for himself in this city.
It was far from something as simple as just "putting in some effort."
And yet—
He was here.
Because of a promise.
For her.
For a long moment, she couldn't find the words to speak.
A mix of guilt and a warmth she couldn't quite describe swelled in her chest.
Even during such a crucial time—
Minami-senpai had not forgotten about her.
Just as she was about to say something—
Minami, who had already finished his borscht and was wiping his mouth, waved his hand casually and spoke first.
"Alright then, this time, you have to tell me—why did you try to leave on your own?"
He put a slight emphasis on this time, making it clear that he hadn't forgotten how she had brushed off his questions before.
The moment those words left his lips—
Satou hesitated, her mouth opening slightly in surprise.
She had originally intended to keep hiding the truth.
But under Minami's steady gaze, she couldn't hold out.
Lowering her head guiltily, she finally confessed—
Her inner turmoil, her struggles with her emotions, her guilt toward Minami and their friends—
She poured everything out, painting a picture of at least seven or eight hundred words worth of tangled thoughts and self-doubt.
She had expected that once she finished, Minami would look deeply moved—
That he would understand.
But—
"You do realize this is just self-indulgence, right?"
Minami tapped his spoon against the edge of the bowl.
"...Self-indulgence?"
The unfamiliar term left Satou momentarily stunned.
"You have worries, but instead of talking to anyone, you just sit there overthinking things by yourself. You convince yourself that your heart is filthy and ugly, so you decide to run away—alone. And then you actually believe that leaving is somehow for everyone's sake?"
He spoke so matter-of-factly that Satou found herself at a complete loss for words.
"Uh..."
Her voice faltered.
She couldn't argue against him—because he was right.
Minami let out a small sigh, watching her reaction.
Self-indulgence.
It was something he had seen before—
A certain personality trait common in people who had a strong sense of self-sacrifice.
In his past life, back in China, he had a friend like that.
Especially when it came to romance, that friend was an absolute self-indulgent martyr.
He would buy milk tea and breakfast for a girl who wasn't even his friend yet, thinking he was doing something for her benefit.
And after getting ignored or outright blocked, he would still insist on meeting her one last time just to tell her to take care of herself.
Back then, Minami had thought it was ridiculous.
And now—
Seeing this side of Satou emerge as her emotions awakened—
He realized he had completely overlooked it.
But thinking back...
The signs had always been there.
She never once suspected Minami of cheating.
She refused to believe he had any real flaws.
She even went out of her way to defend him, covering for him when he didn't even ask.
Looking at it now, it was obvious. Satou had always had this kind of self-sacrificing personality.
Minami shook his head and without hesitation reached out and pinched her nose.
"A girl who can't even express her emotions properly is out here trying to act all self-sacrificing?"
"W-Wait, Minami-senpai?!"
Her startled voice wavered, flustered.
But Minami had no intention of letting her off so easily.
After all, he had spent 1,200 Heartthrob Points on this direct simulation—
1,200 points!
If he didn't get through to her now, it would've been a total waste!
After using up all his points—
Minami was now completely broke.
Drained dry by Simulator-chan, left as nothing more than a penniless fool.
And to make things worse, the entire Direct simulation process had been one long, complicated ordeal.
At the start, he first familiarized himself with the simulator's conditions.
Then, he sought out Satou's aunt, Sayuri Matsuzaka.
Through this, he was able to make an early selection from the simulation's three available choices and discovered Satou's plan to run away.
Initially, he had wanted to stop her right then and there—shut down the whole escape plan before it even started.
But then he remembered the promise he had made to her.
So, instead, he put things on hold and spent time learning how to ride a motorcycle.
To be honest, learning to drive a motorcycle was child's play for someone with Minami Shouji's insane learning ability.
In just over twenty days—
He smoothly obtained a motorcycle license from a driving school in Japan.
And from there, everything had led up to today.
Which meant that, in this simulation, Minami had spent over twenty full days.
Thankfully, in the real world, his actual time perception had only been a little over an hour—
That alone made him feel relieved enough to continue with the direct simulation without hesitation.
So, right now, just pinching Satou's nose—
Honestly, Minami felt like she was getting off easy.
The fact that he hadn't gone as far as smacking her backside was already him exercising serious restraint.
Satou looked like she still had something to say.
Minami pulled his hand back, tilting his head slightly as he waited for her to speak.
"...Even if it is just self-indulgence… I still can't accept myself like this."
Satou rubbed her nose, her voice soft.
Yes.
Even after hearing Minami's words—
She still struggled to accept it.
The emotions inside her heart had undeniably been corrupted.
That desire to monopolize Minami Shouji, to push others away—
She couldn't accept those feelings.
"This… this isn't the pure, untainted 'love' that I've always wanted!"
She spoke with absolute conviction, her expression serious, as if nothing in the world could shake her belief.
But in the next second—
Minami reached out and pinched her nose again.
This time, with more force.
It actually hurt.
"M-Minami-senpai?!"
A startled cry left her lips.
"Ah... Sorry," Minami said. "It's just that what you just said was so detached from reality that I couldn't hold back my reaction."
He apologized.
But he didn't loosen his grip.
If anything, he tightened it.
Satou's face flushed red.
Thankfully, Minami didn't hold on for too long.
After about ten seconds, he let go and casually took a sip of hot tea.
But what puzzled Satou—
Was that Minami didn't immediately say anything.
He simply sat there, silently drinking his tea, lost in thought.
The deep, contemplative look on his face made Satou speak up.
"Um… Did I say something wrong, Minami-senpai?"
"Did you say something wrong…?"
Minami actually laughed.
"Wrong doesn't even begin to cover it."
"...Eh?"
Satou was taken aback.
The pure, untainted 'love' she had been pursuing all this time—
Minami Shouji was dismissing it like this?
She was about to retort—
But Minami beat her to it.
"First of all... In this entire world, you'd be hard-pressed to find a seventeen-year-old high schooler who still goes around saying stuff like 'pure love' with a straight face."
Minami raised a second finger.
"Secondly, there's no such thing as an absolutely pure person in this world."
He continued, "If we go by your standards, then my love for you wouldn't count as 'pure' either."
"No, that's not true! How could that be possible?! Minami-senpai, you're the purest person I know!"
Satou denied his words without hesitation.
But Minami simply waved his hand.
"No, Satou. Think about it carefully. I'm not only in a relationship with you—I have others as well. Does that kind of love still count as 'pure'?"
His words left Satou momentarily speechless.
And in that brief silence—
Minami continued.
"For example, let's say a guy is in a relationship but momentarily finds himself drawn to a beautiful girl passing by. Does that mean his love for his girlfriend isn't pure anymore?"
His question highlighted how overly simplistic her idea of purity was.
If any intrusion of outside emotions meant something wasn't 'pure'—
Then nothing in this world could be considered pure.
Even saints struggled with desires—for food, for flesh, for indulgence.
So how could there possibly be an absolutely pure person in existence?
"True, absolute purity doesn't exist. But what people can do—through reason and self-awareness—is control their emotions and make their love feel pure."
With that, Minami set his teacup down, shifting his gaze toward the snowy mist outside the window.
The fog swirled and blurred against the glass, much like the uncertainty clouding the girl's heart.
And beneath that chaotic, shifting scene—
He could see the thoughts running through her mind.
"Satou, as long as you have emotions, you can't be pure. Emotions make people consider gain and loss. They make people overthink. That's normal. The real challenge is having the willpower to restrain those thoughts when they start to spiral out of control."
"Restrain… my thoughts?"
Satou murmured, as if she were beginning to understand something.
"Yeah. Feeling jealous of Ryo and Hitori is normal. Wanting to monopolize someone's affection is normal, too."
Minami smirked. "Do you really think someone like Ryo would happily share? If she had the chance, she'd be the first one to run off and elope with me."
Satou immediately pictured Yamada Ryo.
That deep-blue-haired woman—
Always demanding Minami's attention, always calling for him to be by her side…
Yeah.
She definitely wasn't the kind of person who enjoyed sharing something she liked.
And yet—
She had chosen to share him.
"That's what makes her so amazing."
Minami absently traced the rim of his teacup, his voice carrying a hint of admiration.
Yes.
For his sake—
That deep-blue-haired girl, who never liked sharing, had made an unimaginable compromise when it came to love.
Even Minami sometimes felt like he owed her for that.
