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Chapter 277: Simulation Restart
🕑 Added 2025-04-09 10:39:08 +0000 UTCHaving soothed Chisato's emotions and ensured the marriage certificate remained intact, Minami was in an exceptionally good mood.
Initially, he had planned to head out to the living room, lie down for a bit, and then start the next simulation.
But before he could get up,
Chisato, sounding a little embarrassed called out to him.
"…Minami-kun, you can just rest here."
Instinctively, Minami turned to look at Chisato, who was still sitting on the bed.
Under the dim glow of the streetlights outside the dormitory window,
He could clearly see her expression.
The reflection of the light in her ruby-red eyes made them shine even brighter than the starry sky.
A faint blush colored her cheeks, a shade reminiscent of the soft pink that appears when the winter sun first rises.
"…Are you sure?"
Minami paused, asking for confirmation.
"…Mmh."
Chisato, too flustered to meet his gaze, turned her head away slightly, lowering her voice.
"…We're engaged anyway…"
"…Huh? Chisato, what did you just say?"
Maybe because her voice was too quiet,
Minami didn't hear her properly.
He tilted his head in confusion. Then leaned in closer.
Too close!
As soon as she sensed his proximity,
The soft pink on her cheeks deepened.
Panicked, Chisato quickly turned her back to him,
Leaving Minami with a silhouette ripe for imagination.
If this were any typical romance novel,
The male lead would have let her go at this point.
But, Minami wasn't that kind of protagonist.
Without hesitation,
He reached out and turned Chisato back to face him.
Underneath her pink pajamas, her fair collarbones were tinged with a faint red.
Her face, now fully exposed, was the picture of embarrassment.
"…Chisato, what did you just say?"
"I…"
Seeing that Minami refused to let her escape,
She hesitantly murmured,
"…I-I just meant that…"
Then, unable to bear it any longer,
She squeezed her eyes shut and shouted—
"We're engaged anyway, so it's fine if we sleep together!"
Her voice rang out through the room, loud and clear.
There was no hesitation.
But—
Immediately after saying it,
She noticed something off.
Minami…was completely silent.
The room, too, was dead quiet.
Curious, she slowly peeked open her eyes.
And—
She saw him.
Minami, staring at her—
Wearing a mischievous smirk.
This… this guy!
That expression!
It was the look of someone who had already heard but was deliberately making her say it again. Just to mess with her!
"Minami-kun! You did that on purpose, didn't you?!"
Flustered, her voice was filled with both anger and shame.
"Yeah."
Minami responded without a shred of guilt.
"You're just too cute, Chisato. I couldn't help myself."
"Minami-kun!!!"
He was getting worse!
Chisato felt like she had to get angry. At least enough to make sure he didn't think he could get away with this all the time.
But then—
"You'll forgive me, won't you, Chisato?"
Minami's calm, dark eyes locked onto hers.
His handsome face moved closer.
She could feel his breath against her skin.
The fire of her anger—
Extinguished instantly.
All she could do was stammer out a barely audible.
"…Mmh."
Her earlier determination to get mad.
Completely forgotten.
Minami chuckled, watching as Chisato's eyes darted away in utter embarrassment.
With a grin, he reached out.
And pinched her soft, baby-fat cheeks.
Then, without a second thought,
He lay down right beside her.
After all—
Chisato was the one who said he could sleep there.
How could he possibly refuse such a generous offer?
Though, to be fair,
Minami only lay beside her—
He didn't actually do anything improper.
(Not that Chisato would mind if he did.)
They chatted for a bit longer,
Until Chisato's heart finally settled down.
Once she seemed at ease,
Minami finally turned his focus to the simulation screen floating in midair.
He had teased her enough for one night.
Now—
"…Let's start a new simulation."
Murmuring to himself,
He reached out and tapped the interface.
[Current Heart Value: 1,560]
Seems like all the interaction with Chisato today really paid off…
Seeing the massive increase in points, Minami blinked in mild surprise.
But then he remembered—
Right. I signed the marriage certificate with her.
Of course, that kind of major event would cause a huge spike in Heart Value.
Even someone as carefree as Chisato contributed this much—
Truly, the power of a marriage certificate was something else.
Nodding slightly, Minami then navigated to the Simulation Target section.
[Simulation Target: Matsuzaka Satou]
[Would you like to begin the simulation?]
[Yes / No]
[Yes.]
Without hesitation, Minami tapped Yes.
As the screen flickered—
His consciousness sank into the simulation world once more.
[You first met her on a rainy day. You exchanged words, step by step getting closer.]
[You confirmed that this mentally unstable girl has fallen for you.]
[This made you marvel at your own irresistible charm, yet also feel an intense headache.]
[Because if you were to accept her, it would mean committing to her alone—for a lifetime.]
[And yet, you are not the type of man who only allows one flower to bloom in his garden.]
[What you truly desire is a springtime meadow, a world of endless colors—a paradise where countless flowers flourish together!]
"…Can we not make me sound like a total scumbag?"
Minami poked the simulation screen with a deadpan expression.
For some reason, the Simulation AI seemed to love roasting him.
But—
Whatever.
Minami shook his head.
He had already committed to this multi-love route.
Whether the AI liked it or not, He was going to see it through.
[Because of your existing relationships with the Kessoku Band, LycoReco, and others…]
[You initially tried to avoid her, to cut ties completely.]
[But your fatal flaw has always been your soft heart.]
[That rainy afternoon after school, she stood alone—drenched, looking like an abandoned puppy.]
[Sighing, you held an umbrella over her, scolding her for once again forgetting to bring one.]
[Under your scolding, she finally took out the umbrella she had been hiding in her coat. She then admitted that she had been trying to follow you without standing out too much, which was why she had refused to open it.]
[Her clueless reasoning left you momentarily speechless.]
[But at the same time, the love shining through her calm and gentle face sent a chill down your spine.]
[You realized, this woman had genuinely fallen for you at first sight.]
[With your guidance, her aunt, Matsuzaka Sayuri, came to understand the mistakes she had made all these years. At the same time, with your help, Matsuzaka Satou finally recognized the deep-seated emotions she had always held toward her aunt...]
[You never hid your desire for a harem filled with all kinds of colors, from her. In fact, you intentionally revealed it, hoping that the challenges of such an unconventional relationship would make her give up.]
[But your words never swayed her.]
[She simply chose to follow you, step by step, in silence.]
[And in the process, your bond with her grew closer—so close that cutting it off became unthinkable.]
[You gradually came to understand the reasons behind her emotional disconnect, and you worked hard to help her grasp the meaning of emotions like "love" and "worry."]
[Yet, you knew—this alone wasn't enough.]
[She had indeed learned how to express emotions to some extent, but if you wanted to heal her heart completely…]
[You felt that you might need something—or someone—more to aid you.]
1. Matsuzaka Auntie, you wouldn't want your niece to suffer under my hands just because she can't feel emotions, right?
2. Hida-san, you wouldn't want to see your best friend fall into the hands of someone as polyamorous as me, would you?
3. Forget your savior complex for a second—if you think about it, both Matsuzaka Sayuri and Shouko Hida are pretty nice, aren't they?
4. Simulate it Yourself!
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up!
Staring at these choices, Minami sighed internally.
Was his simulator getting more and more unhinged lately?
What the hell kind of phrasing was this?
He shook his head, speechless.
But after a moment, he got the gist of it.
Option 1 was clearly about asking Matsuzaka Sayuri for help.
Option 2 was about seeking assistance from Matsuzaka Satou's best friend, Shouko Hida .
Both of them held significant influence over Matsuzaka Satou.
It's just that… the way the simulator phrased it made it sound sketchy as hell.
However—
"Why is there no option to have both of them help at the same time?"
Minami rested his chin on his hand, frowning at the choices.
If the goal was to help Matsuzaka Satou understand emotions, then obviously, the more support, the better.
Not just from Shouko Hida.
Not just from Matsuzaka Sayuri.
But both of them together—
One covering her school life, the other handling her home life—
That would be the best-case scenario.
But… out of these three options, Option 3 was immediately out of the question.
Minami wasn't that desperate. He had zero intentions of making a move on Matsuzaka Sayuri or Hida Shoko.
That left Options 1 and 2, which only allowed him to pick one person.
"Maybe… one of these options is a trap?"
Minami's eyebrows twitched slightly as he stared at the simulator screen.
If the simulator was forcing him to choose only one person,
Then…
Maybe one of them wasn't actually helpful.
Maybe instead of assisting him, they'd just make things worse.
With that in mind,
The choices finally made sense.
"Now the question is… which one is the right pick?"
He fell into deep thought.
Then, after much deliberation,
He made his choice—
Option 1: Ask Matsuzaka Sayuri for help.
The reason was simple.
Matsuzaka Sayuri had always been aware of Matsuzaka Satou's emotional deficiency.
Hida Shoko, on the other hand—
She might seem like a normal, level-headed person, but in reality…
She knew nothing about Matsuzaka Satou's past.
She had no idea about her emotional struggles.
If Minami suddenly approached her for help—
She might just see him as another guy trying to chase after Matsuzaka Satou.
Not only would she refuse to help. She might even start working against him.
All things considered—
It was clear that a mature, experienced woman like Matsuzaka Sayuri was the better choice.
With his decision made,
Minami clicked Option 1 and continued reading.
[Thanks to your growing closeness with Matsuzaka Satou, you've started visiting her apartment daily. This, in turn, has naturally led to more interactions with Matsuzaka Sayuri.]
[The Matsuzaka Sayuri of today is no longer the same as before…]
The simulation began flashing through memories.
A clean, well-kept room.
A neatly organized apartment.
And Matsuzaka Sayuri, now dressed in simple, modest loungewear.
It seemed she had completely stopped bringing those sleazy men home.
Even the bruises on her skin had begun to fade.
And when she saw Minami—
There was no surprise in her expression.
Instead, she calmly invited him to sit down—
Pouring him a cup of tea with a gentle smile.
"Minami-kun, I need to thank you."
Seated across from him, Matsuzaka Sayuri lifted her gaze.
Her voice was soft.
"You made me realize who I truly needed to face. I'm really grateful to you."
"I see…"
Minami was genuinely surprised at how much she had changed.
He had assumed she was just putting on an act.
But after closely observing her—
He couldn't find any signs of deception.
It seemed Matsuzaka Sayuri had truly turned over a new leaf.
So, without hesitation,
He told her the reason for his visit.
[You shared your thoughts with her.]
[You told Matsuzaka Sayuri that you wanted to help Matsuzaka Satou learn how to express emotions, to stop living in a daze, to truly be a person rather than just an empty shell.]
[Matsuzaka Sayuri agreed with your vision. She promised to assist you, to atone, at the very least, for the mistakes of her past.]
[You and Matsuzaka Sayuri quickly came to an understanding.]
[With her help, and under her arrangements, you moved into Matsuzaka Satou's home, much to her surprise.]
[To Matsuzaka Satou, this was both a pleasant and puzzling turn of events.]
[Pleasant, because having you around meant she could be closer to you.]
[Puzzling, because why had her aunt so readily agreed to let you move in?]
[After all, she had never mentioned you to Matsuzaka Sayuri before.]
[So how did her aunt, who was supposed to know nothing about you suddenly act as if she knew Minami?]
[This lingering doubt planted a seed of suspicion in her heart.]
[And so, she quietly began to observe you and Matsuzaka Sayuri. Watching your every move.]
