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Chapter 256: Yandere, Surprisingly Easy to Handle
🕑 Added 2025-03-31 17:21:27 +0000 UTC[Simulation End.]
Seeing these words, Minami shook his head.
"So-called yandere girls are really just suffering from 'love deprivation disorder.'"
And Matsuzaka Satou… was a girl he had never encountered before.
He closed his eyes.
He could still feel the indescribable regret in her gaze as she lay dying.
She had spent her whole life trying to understand love.
And in the end, she never figured it out—never knew how to express it to the one she loved.
Was it regretful?
Of course.
But she hadn't even voiced that regret.
That calm, gentle, pure girl—like a walking shell of a person—had passed away.
She left in what should have been her most joyful years.
Minami shook his head and looked further.
After the simulation ends, it was time for the usual simulation evaluation...
[System Evaluation: 82 points.]
[System Evaluation: Love, dependent and hazy, like stars hanging in the sky—just like the ones hanging in your heart…]
[The heavy rain washed everything clean, leaving behind puddles that reflected the color of the sky. And she was like one of those puddles left on the ground—an empty heart holding a pure surface. However you reflect in it, that's the form she takes.]
[Your encounter with her was pure coincidence. She fell in love with you at first sight—captivated by your irresistible smile, utterly helpless against it.]
[Your smile was like a drop of thick ink, falling into her pure heart, disrupting the calm of her life.]
[From birth to high school, she had never experienced such intense emotional stimulation. For the first time, she felt 'desire.' She tried, earnestly yet clumsily, to express her affection for you—even though she didn't understand what love truly meant.]
[You saw through her feelings, and hoped to change her through your own influence.]
[But as time went on, her growing desires found no outlet. Each time she saw your other wives laughing and chatting with you, she would look on with deep envy in her eyes.]
[Overflowing with love yet unable to express it, nor even understanding what love truly was—this became a silent torment for her mind and body.]
[You told her that as long as she tried to emit the same kind of 'frequency,' even if you were different, you could still understand each other's thoughts.]
[She believed this without question, and tried her hardest.]
[But under the weight of long-term emotional strain, the pink-haired girl eventually became a star in the sky.]
[She loved you deeply.]
[You also held great pity for her.]
[When the graceful red star hangs in the night sky—]
[Will you remember that pure girl, who was obsessed with your smile alone?]
[System Prompt: You have gained a small amount of business experience.]
"Eighty-two points…"
Minami Shouji looked at the score with a hint of surprise.
It wasn't that he thought the score was too low—rather, it was much higher than he'd expected.
After reading the system evaluation, he'd assumed this simulation would barely score in the 40s or 50s. Maybe, at best, a passing grade in the 60s or 70s.
After all, unlike his previous simulations, Minami Shouji hadn't tried to choose the 'correct' options this time.
Every choice he made was to better understand Satou Matsuzaka's background and personality.
In other words, it was a purposeful run—not aimed at achieving a 'happy ending.'
Yet even so, the simulation with Satou Matsuzaka still scored 82 points—just 8 points shy of a happy ending. That alone was surprising.
But looking at it from another angle—
Simulation scores are largely determined by the subject's happiness level.
"So that means... Satou Matsuzaka was pretty happy after marrying me?"
Minami rested his face in his hand.
From his perspective, though, Satou Matsuzaka didn't seem to have lived a happy life after they married.
She was always walking alone, looking at his interactions with his other wives and children with envy, yet unable to act.
In the end, she passed away with regret in her heart.
If there was any aspect of her life that could be considered 'happy,' it was that she had always stayed by Minami Shouji's side.
"But… can that really be called happiness?"
Minami rubbed his temples.
She couldn't have his love all to herself.
She didn't bear children because she didn't want to upset the ones he already had.
All she did was stay by his side.
For a 'love-starved' pink-haired girl, maybe that alone was an unspeakable kind of happiness.
"This is just…"
Minami Shouji honestly didn't know how to describe her at that point.
After a long pause—
He couldn't help but sigh.
"So real-life yandere girls are actually this simple-minded?"
An idiot.
She thought just staying by his side was happiness?
Even when she died with regrets, lying in bed, she had no complaints? Because she'd already found happiness?
What kind of twisted plotline is that?!
Just thinking about it made Minami Shouji uncomfortable.
But—
"If that's all it takes to make me feel guilty, they're underestimating me."
Sitting at his desk, Minami turned his head and looked out the window.
He'd never thought of himself as a good guy.
Just because of what happened in a simulation, they thought he'd suddenly feel compelled to help Satou Matsuzaka?
Not a chance.
That was just a simulation. It had nothing to do with the real world.
Sure, the Satou Matsuzaka in the simulation was devoted to him—but again, that was just a simulation.
For both him and the girl, it was nothing more than a fleeting dream.
He wasn't about to reach out to Satou Matsuzaka—a troublesome, difficult girl—just because of what happened in a simulation.
It had taken him a lot of effort just to decline her dinner invitation.
So Minami Shouji had already made up his mind.
Let go of the hero complex.
Respect people's fate.
He wasn't some soft-hearted nice guy.
Yeah!
Exactly!
Gazing at the stormy, pitch-black sky outside the window—
Minami mulled things over and made up his mind.
A school day at Shuka High wasn't particularly long.
By around three or four in the afternoon, the school bell signaling the end of classes had already rung.
But today was different.
The dark sky had been torn open, and a curtain of black rain poured down.
Compared to yesterday's weather—
Today's freezing rain was even worse.
It wouldn't be long before Tokyo's temperature took a sharp plunge thanks to this storm.
Students from Shuka High retrieved their umbrellas from the racks at the school entrance and hurried toward the nearby station.
In this kind of weather, no one wanted to linger outside.
Except for one person.
A pink-haired girl stood silently in the pouring rain, hidden behind a telephone pole.
Unlike the other students scrambling to reach shelter at the station, Satou Matsuzaka didn't use an umbrella. Instead, she concealed herself in the shadow of the rain, hiding behind the street corner's pole.
Her uniform was soaked through, her hands red and trembling from the cold.
But her pink eyes still sparkled with light.
She didn't move a muscle, her gaze fixed firmly on the school's entrance, with no intention of letting her guard down.
Controlling her breathing.
Concealing her presence.
Following in silence.
These were all methods she'd found earlier that day from a website titled "108 Techniques for Tail Tracking." She had searched for it during lunch, looking for ways to follow someone without relying on tools.
One entry in particular had stunned her—it claimed that by mastering these basic, tool-free tailing techniques, even complete beginners could achieve an expert level of stealth without being detected.
Those words had blown Satou Matsuzaka's mind, and she'd spent the entire afternoon studying them intensely.
Now, she could be considered fairly well-versed in theory, at least.
And according to that guide—
She should be perfectly hidden.
Relying on the heavy rain as natural cover.
Staying in a spot few would notice.
Controlling her breathing, avoiding eye contact with anyone.
She was pushing everything she'd learned that afternoon to the limit.
Even Minami Shouji shouldn't be able to notice her presence through the rain—
Smack!
"Ow!"
As she peeked half her head out from behind the pole, watching the school gate, Satou Matsuzaka suddenly felt a sharp smack on the back of her head.
She let out a small cry of pain, instinctively reaching up to rub the spot.
At the same time, a voice came from behind her—half exasperated, half amused.
"What are you doing, Matsuzaka-san?"
"Eh…?"
Satou Matsuzaka, usually wearing a serene smile, now stood frozen, her expression stiff.
Her lips parted, voice uncertain: "Minami-senpai…? Why…"
Yeah, why?
She was sure she'd followed everything in the "108 Techniques for Tail Tracking" to hide her presence perfectly.
So how did Minami Shouji still notice she was here?
She couldn't understand.
While she was still stunned and confused, Minami couldn't help but chuckle in frustration and amusement.
"What do you mean, 'why'?"
He paused. "You've got bright pink hair, standing out here in pouring rain without an umbrella—and you're sticking your head out from behind a telephone pole. Were you trying to get noticed?"
"..." Satou Matsuzaka.
She opened her mouth, speechless.
She'd been tricked!
That book—"108 Techniques for Tail Tracking"—was a complete scam!
All that stuff about hiding your presence...
Turning a tailing novice into a stealth master... total fraud!
Minami Shouji had caught her instantly.
Though her expression remained calm, without any visible fluctuations, it was undeniably stiff.
Because she really hadn't expected this—
Her very first day putting theory into action, and she got caught red-handed.
"So, what kind of show are you putting on this time?"
Minami glanced at her, feigning curiosity.
In truth, he already knew through the simulation that Satou Matsuzaka had planned to tail him today.
He even knew, thanks to the sim, that it would rain.
Curious to see what kind of nonsense she'd pull in this weather, Minami intentionally avoided the front gate and slipped out the back, hopping the low school fence.
Sure enough—he found her right here.
Facing his question, Satou Matsuzaka didn't hesitate.
Her pink eyes blinked once before she answered calmly.
"Well, since Minami-senpai doesn't want to have a meal with me, I thought—if I just waited for you outside and followed you, that should be okay, right?"
"That's so not okay!"
Minami was practically choking on his words. "Matsuzaka-san, you do know tailing someone is illegal, right?"
"I do."
The pink-haired girl nodded without missing a beat, her soaked hair clinging to her forehead and chest, giving her an oddly captivating look.
"Then why are you still tailing me?"
"As long as I don't get caught, it's fine."
She gave her answer seriously, after thinking it over.
"The problem is, you did get caught, Matsuzaka-san."
"…I'm sorry, Minami-senpai."
After a pause, Satou Matsuzaka offered a peaceful smile and bowed her head in apology.
"I don't hear any sincerity in your tone, Matsuzaka-san!"
Staring at her ever-calm face—completely devoid of emotion—Minami couldn't help himself.
He reached out and grabbed her soft, adorable cheeks, stretching them out to the sides.
"Sowwy…" she mumbled, cheeks pinched, still trying to apologize.
"..." Minami Shouji.
Looking at her unchanged expression, Minami could only shake his head.
He knew—
Right now, Satou Matsuzaka was still like a blank slate.
She didn't understand joy, nor sorrow.
Letting out his frustration on someone like that was pointless.
And with the rain pouring down this hard...
Minami really didn't want to end up taking this pink-haired girl to the clinic again.
So, without another word, he reached into his shoulder bag, pulled out an extra umbrella, and handed it to her.
"Here. Take this. Use it for now."
"Ah, no need, I've got an umbrella."
Satou Matsuzaka waved her hand and pulled out a pink folding umbrella from her school bag.
Huh?
Minami blinked and gave her a second look. "Then why weren't you using it?"
"Because I didn't want to be noticed by Minami-senpai, so I didn't open it."
Satou Matsuzaka opened the umbrella as she spoke.
In her mind, following someone with an open umbrella in the rain probably made her more noticeable.
To avoid drawing Minami's attention, she'd simply chosen not to use it.
"..."
Listening to her explanation, seeing the way she looked up at him with those pink eyes, and taking in the sight of her trembling body standing in the freezing rain—
Minami was silent for a long while.
Finally, he couldn't hold back anymore.
"Matsuzaka-san."
"Yes?"
"…Are you an idiot?"
"..."
Yeah…
Satou Matsuzaka really was that kind of hopelessly earnest airhead, wasn't she?
Or maybe—this is just how yandere girls act when they're around the one they love… just dumb and devoted to the core?
