I_LOVE_RICE+
patreon
Chapter 254: She Feels Truly Happy
🕑 Added 2025-03-31 17:14:43 +0000 UTCLeaving aside the personal simulation option, the other three are incredibly clear-cut.
Option 1: Harem ending, including Satou—everyone joins the party.
Option 2: Harem excluding Satou—just the others join the party.
Option 3: Pure love route—only Satou.
Very straightforward.
But precisely because they are clear-cut, it made the decision more difficult.
Harem with all the girls?
Pure love with just Satou?
Or harem with everyone—including Satou?
Minami pondered for quite a while, then made his move.
He raised his hand and selected Option 1.
"This simulation is just to figure out Satou's personality and disposition."
He rubbed his chin, thinking aloud.
Yes, that was the whole point of this simulation.
If it led to a "happy ending" route—great.
If not, no big deal.
He still had plenty of simulations left.
He could always run another.
"To understand Satou's personality… I have to bring her into the 'party' and see what she's thinking."
With his choice confirmed, the simulation screen rippled like water.
The simulation text continued to evolve.
[Only children choose. I want them all! Kessoku Band, LycoReco, Akane Shinjo, Rio Futaba—even Satou Matsuzaka, all fall under your conquest!]
[No hesitation whatsoever!]
[You're the true king of the harem!]
[You propose to the four members of Kessoku Band.]
[You propose to the two girls from LycoReco.]
[You propose to Akane Shinjo and Rio Futaba.]
[You propose to Matsuzaka Satou.]
"Man..."
Even Minami raised a brow.
Sure, this was his actual plan in real life too…
But seeing the simulation version of himself proposing to so many girls all at once—
Even he couldn't help but sigh.
"Simulated me really doesn't hold back."
"If this were any other anime protagonist, he'd already be knee-deep in a 'harem warzone.'"
After all, proposing to this many girls…
Would usually end in disaster.
He kept reading.
[Proposing to so many at once.]
[Even with their high affection levels for you, the road was rough.]
[They truly loved you, but still… it was tough.]
[Yet, your determination was anything but ordinary. Through countless trials and hardships, you ultimately gained their approval.]
[Among them, Kita Ikuyo's parents were vehemently opposed to her marriage to you.]
[But through her heartfelt pleas and confessions, they shifted from resistance to silence.]
[Rio Futaba's parents reacted similarly. Being workaholics who rarely showed concern for their daughter, her earnest request caught them off guard—and in the end, they reluctantly gave their consent.]
[As time went on, although they couldn't understand it now, you believed they would eventually come to accept your relationship.]
[The biggest issues with Kita Ikuyo and Rio Futaba had been resolved.]
[As for Shinjo Akane, Yamada Ryo, Chisato Nishikigi, and Takina Inoue, their situations were much simpler.]
[Akane already planned to leave the Shinjo family, Yamada's parents were always indulgent with her, and getting permission from Mika, the LycoReco shop manager, for Chisato and Takina was easy.]
[Your weddings with them were practically settled in the blink of an eye.]
[Next, your attention turned to the remaining two: Hitori Gotoh and Matsuzaka Satou.]
[You knew Hitori Gotoh's situation well. Her parents had always wished for their withdrawn daughter to find a partner who could support her, and with you in her life, they likely would accept it silently.]
[Which left only Matsuzaka Satou.]
[This piqued your curiosity. Since meeting the pink-haired girl, she had never once mentioned her family, guardians, or any relatives or friends.]
[To ensure the wedding proceeded smoothly, you naturally inquired about her guardian, hoping to pay a formal visit.]
Memories glimmered like fish scales in the depths of his mind.
Minami instinctively let his thoughts drift into that flicker of memory.
The scene unfolded on a long street.
Pedestrians passed by, the setting sun painting the scenery in vibrant oil painting hues—casting light and shadow upon the landscape.
Beneath that golden glow, Satou's beauty was radiant.
Now twenty-six, Satou Matsuzaka was far more stunning than in her high school days.
Her waist-length hair gleamed, and her refined face, no longer youthful, exuded maturity and allure.
Her petite, slender yet voluptuous figure beneath her clothes—
Even just walking down the street drew countless eyes.
But she ignored them all.
Her pink eyes were solely fixed on the black-haired youth ahead—as if his figure was her entire world.
"Satou."
A clear voice rang out from ahead.
The moment she heard it, her eyes sparkled, and she hurried forward, softly replying:
"Minami-senpai, did you need something?"
Her demeanor was deferential—not like a lover, but more like a maid.
Minami could only shake his head at her behavior.
After all these years, they were close enough for her to call him by name.
Despite repeated corrections, she insisted on "Minami-senpai."
For her, this title was more intimate than his actual name.
Over time, he got used to it.
But today's walk wasn't about titles.
He looked at the girl standing beside him, smiling gently, and asked:
"Are you really sure? You've decided to marry me, right?"
"Yes."
Without hesitation, she nodded at the question.
"No regrets?"
He pressed further:
"Marriage isn't like fooling around in school—it's a lifelong commitment."
He studied her face carefully.
"There's nothing to regret."
Satou lifted her face, showing her serene expression.
She was as calm as the day they first met.
"Of course. That's who you are."
Minami averted his gaze, then continued:
"You still don't understand what 'love' means—not its real meaning or your true feelings. You're just following me blindly, trying to please me because of some affection."
Harsh words—any other girl would've been hurt.
But Satou was different.
Still smiling, she gently took his hand and said:
"It's alright, Minami-senpai."
A gentle voice rang out.
"It was you, Minami-senpai, who pulled me out of a life as empty and blank as a sheet of paper. Since meeting you, my aimless existence from childhood through high school finally gained color."
Before she met Minami, she had lived simply for the sake of existing. She had never experienced emotions like "happiness" or "pain."
She wouldn't feel accomplished for scoring well on a test.
Nor would she feel disappointed if her phone accidentally fell into water.
Even when watching a beloved pet she raised die before her eyes, her heart remained unmoved.
Her only thought would be, "Ah, it died. Time to raise another."
Unable to feel joy or sorrow, she merely drifted through life like a corpse—
People need a goal to live.
She couldn't even find one.
But after meeting Minami, her barren world changed.
For the first time, she had the desire to possess something.
For the first time, she wanted to stay by someone's side.
For someone emotionally void, this was an incredibly rare feeling.
It was as if the whole world had transformed.
So—
"Even now, I still don't understand what 'love' really is... but it doesn't matter anymore."
Matsuzaka Satou gripped Minami's hand tightly, her always-calm expression tinged with fatigue:
"Just being with you, Minami-senpai, is enough."
She had pursued the meaning of "love" for over twenty years.
But even now, it was just a vague sensation in her heart.
Even with her obsession with love, on this road with no end in sight...
She was tired.
Now, she just wanted to rest.
Being by Minami's side was more than enough.
Even if she never understood what "love" was… just staying with him meant everything.
Minami looked at her expression and said nothing more.
When he was younger, he had believed that his influence could help this pink-haired girl understand her emotions.
Help her comprehend what "love" truly meant.
But even after all the feelings she experienced through him, Satou still hadn't figured it out.
For both of them, it was an undeniable regret.
Her life would always be incomplete.
With that in mind, Minami finally spoke:
"In that case, Satou, could you take me to meet your guardian this Saturday? I'd like to inform them about our marriage."
"There's no need for all that."
Satou smiled and shook her head:
"Actually, I've already informed her. She's approved of everything between us."
"Huh?"
Her words made Minami frown:
"Even if she approved, it's proper etiquette for me to visit her."
Yes.
As her junior, it was proper to meet her guardian to discuss wedding matters.
This request was completely reasonable.
But Satou just shook her head:
"It's unnecessary, Minami-senpai. You can handle everything as you see fit."
Hearing this, Minami gave Satou a long, searching look.
Her face was calm as always.
But he could sense it—she didn't really want him to meet her guardian.
This reminded Minami of when he had looked through her student records.
Her listed guardian was a woman named Matsuzaka Sayuri.
And yet, she had never once attended any parent-teacher conferences or even the school's "Three-Way Conference" (between school, student, and parent).
Even now, this person who undoubtedly had a major influence on Satou's life remained shrouded in mystery, never appearing before Minami.
He wanted Satou to take him to meet her.
And he knew, if he insisted, Satou would obey—she always followed his will.
But...
He studied her face again.
That gentle smile held no strong emotions.
But Minami understood—this was the first time Satou had ever expressed reluctance to him.
Her first—perhaps her last—request.
As the sun set, Minami ultimately chose not to force her.
[Matsuzaka Satou spent her life pursuing the true meaning of "love," yet in the end, she stopped in her tracks.]
[In this long marathon of chasing a missing piece of herself, she had long since grown exhausted.]
[The marriage proposal you extended to her became both a safe harbor and a sweet temptation for her weary heart.]
[Even though she still could not grasp the meaning of love, and her life remained marked by an irreplaceable void, having you by her side brought her enough happiness.]
