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Chapter 249: Someone’s Been in Your Room
🕑 Added 2025-03-31 16:54:49 +0000 UTCThree choices.
Lined up neatly in front of Minami Shouji.
And the simulation's memory made him frown.
Unlike typical simulation subjects who'd take initiative to get close, Satou Matsuzaka was different.
Even though Minami had no desire to be involved with her—
She had no hesitation in clinging to him.
She even went so far as to stalk him.
Even Chisato Nishikigi had only thought about it, never acted.
But Satou Matsuzaka? She bypassed law and morality entirely, stalking him without shame.
And after admitting it herself, she still calmly asked about his relationship with Kessoku Band.
Definitely not a normal person.
Minami sighed inwardly.
And yet, this was his simulation target.
Simulator-chan, really now—
Today it's Satou Matsuzaka, next time what—non-human species?
He shook his head, smiling bitterly to himself.
Turning his attention back to the three choices.
Their meaning was obvious.
Option 1: Drop the act, be honest about his relationship with the girls.
Option 2: Express displeasure—tell her she's meddling too much.
Option 3… well, he hadn't expected this one.
"Don't speak. Kiss me." Was he meant to physically shut her up?
None of these were great.
Option 1: Tell her everything. But if she was a true yandere, Kessoku Band would have "DANGER" flashing over their heads.
Option 2: Show irritation. Not much better—might provoke her.
Option 3: The worst. He didn't even want to be near this clearly unstable girl, let alone kiss her. Even if his 9/10 looks helped him defuse things short-term—
It would deepen their connection.
And that… would be fatal.
Yandere love stems from dependency—emotionally, physically.
That's why they're "sick in love."
All three options were bad.
Minami's goal was to pick the least dangerous one.
With that in mind, he chose Option 1.
Yes.
Options 2 and 3 offered nothing but short-term fixes.
Option 2: Hide the truth, show annoyance. A stopgap at best.
Let's be honest. If Satou Matsuzaka really wanted to know, with her terrifying resolve, she'd dig up his connection with Kessoku Band sooner or later.
Then... Option One it was—no hesitation.
Laying the truth bare, making Satou Matsuzaka lose interest in him, was actually a decent strategy.
Simply put—
If she saw how entangled he was with multiple girls romantically, it might shatter her idealized image of him. That could be a way to break the cycle.
Minami Shouji focused, pouring his full attention into the simulation.
[There's no point hiding your relationship with Kessoku Band from a girl who's already unstable—possibly neurotic.]
[You know this well. That's why you don't hide it.]
[Tokyo's night wind brushes past, and you speak calmly—]
Memories surfaced, and the simulation scene came to life.
"Just as you saw."
Under her intense gaze, Minami's expression didn't waver.
Calmly, he walked to a nearby vending machine.
Without even looking, he pressed for two drinks.
Handed one to Satou Matsuzaka.
He cracked open his own can, took a sip.
A sickly-sweet taste surged through his mouth to his nose.
Minami frowned—it was red bean soup, his least favorite.
He turned to Satou and asked, "Mind switching? I don't like red bean soup. Too sweet."
"..." Satou's eyes, dark and searching, flickered for a moment at his composed demeanor.
Then she nodded. "Sure."
"Thanks."
Minami handed her the half-sipped can.
Satou silently looked down at the can now in her hands.
Her expression… was strange. Conflicted.
But Minami didn't care. He leaned against the vending machine, still calm, and spoke:
"As you noticed, the girls in Kessoku Band all like me."
"...Eh?"
She'd expected him to deny it, to hide it.
His open confession stunned her—and the turbulent emotions that had started to rise within her... paused.
"What's so surprising?"
Sensing her reaction, Minami chuckled. "Truth is, I like them too."
"Minami-senpai… is this a joke?"
Satou was silent for a long moment, then spoke.
To be loved by many, and to love many in return…
Even if she didn't understand love, from what she knew of social norms—it didn't seem right.
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
Minami calmly countered, "I think I know who I like—and who likes me."
Straightening up, he took a sip of his new drink.
Better. Probably strawberry milk.
Sweet, but balanced.
He continued, "I don't have to tell you any of this. But I figured I should. It's not just Kessoku Band. Even at Shuka High, there are girls who like me."
"..."
Satou was speechless.
Her doll-like face blanked out.
Having never experienced love—Minami's words overwhelmed her.
Even that sharp, chilly gaze of hers dimmed, losing its edge.
But Minami had no interest in her inner turmoil.
He simply went on, "The reason I'm telling you this is simple."
He raised a finger.
"Don't expect too much from me. Or you'll only end up disappointed."
Leaving that behind, he tossed his empty can into a trash bin.
"This time, I'll pretend you didn't follow me. Satou-san, go home."
Without a care, he turned, waving casually.
A wave… or a farewell.
Satou could only stand there, watching as he vanished into Tokyo's neon glow.
When Minami Shouji disappeared from sight—
Satou lowered her head.
She brought the can of red bean soup—his can—to her lips.
Took a sip.
"So sweet…"
She lifted her head, murmuring softly.
[You revealed your connection to Kessoku Band to Satou Matsuzaka, hoping to shatter her illusions and stop her from clinging to you.]
[You believe that for both of you, there's no point in continuing this.]
[You can't give Satou Matsuzaka what she wants.]
"Not bad."
Waking from the simulation, Minami Shouji was pleased.
The words he'd chosen carried weight.
They should've definitely lowered Satou Matsuzaka's affection.
As long as he kept maintaining clear boundaries—
He should be able to shake off this pink-haired problem girl.
Minami Shouji refocused and continued reading the simulation.
Then came the first line—
[It seems your approach had an effect.]
"Hm?"
Seems.
There it was again.
Why are you everywhere?
That word seems immediately crushed his earlier confidence like a rock falling into a well.
But since he'd started the simulation, he had to see it through.
[Since your last encounter, Satou Matsuzaka has stopped clinging to you like before.]
[When you do cross paths, it's a simple greeting—just like a normal senpai and kouhai.]
[Your life seems to have returned to normal.]
[At school, you laugh and banter occasionally with Akane Shinjo and Ryo Futaba, strengthening your bond.]
[Outside, you hang around STARRY, watching Kessoku Band prepare for the upcoming music festival.]
[Or you visit LycoReco, relaxing in the arms of Chisato Nishikigi or Takina Inoue, easing the weariness of your day.]
[Life passes easily, day by day, in this calm atmosphere.]
[So peaceful, it feels like everything that happened before was just an illusion—ripples on water. You continue your daily routine: school, home, repeat.]
[But deep down, you know—it's all just a surface illusion.]
[Faced with the utterly abnormal Satou Matsuzaka, you've never let down your guard or dulled your sharp perception.]
[That's why you decide—]
1. Subtly ask people around you about Satou Matsuzaka's family background.
2. Use your top student status to get a chance to sneak into the office and look through her records.
3. Take action now! Buy a stun baton, hallucinogens, whips, rope, duct tape, and a wooden horse! Let this unstable girl know who's boss!
4. Simulate directly.
Three options laid out neatly.
This time, they seemed more reasonable than last time.
And they dealt with something Minami cared about—getting intel on Satou Matsuzaka.
That got his attention.
Option One? Pretty much useless. Most people around him were second-years—they wouldn't even know who Satou Matsuzaka was. Asking them wouldn't help at all.
Option Three?
"Simulator me sure gets… creative."
Hallucinogens, whips, wooden horses? Really?
Minami stared at Option Three, momentarily speechless.
Simulator-chan, do you even know that imprisoning a girl is illegal?
He shook his head, resigned.
That left Option Two.
Sure, it had legal issues.
Sneaking a peek at student records was obviously a privacy violation.
But Minami felt no guilt.
After all, Satou Matsuzaka was the one who first invaded his privacy, stalking him.
So if he wanted to glance at her file? Fair game.
Without hesitation, Minami chose Option Two.
[You never let your guard down around Satou Matsuzaka. Your experience with troubled girls has taught you better.]
[But you know nothing about her—neither her personality, nor her family background.]
[So, you decide to start with the teachers.]
[Thanks to your excellent communication skills and striking looks, you easily gained access to the homeroom teacher of Satou Matsuzaka's class—a female instructor.]
[Everything went smoothly.]
[Your appearance alone is a powerful weapon against any older woman.]
[Couple that with your top-notch academic record and impeccable conduct, and it was easy to use the excuse of "helping the teacher" to access her drawer and find Satou Matsuzaka's student file.]
[You opened it and quickly noticed something strange in what appeared to be a standard student record.]
[Satou Matsuzaka's parents had never once attended a parent-teacher conference.]
[You flipped further—through her middle school and elementary records—and found the same: blank. Her parents had never shown up.]
[Then you found one name—the only time a guardian's name had ever appeared.]
["Sayuri Matsuzaka." Judging by the name, likely female.]
[But whether or not Sayuri Matsuzaka is Satou's parent is unclear.]
[Setting that aside—]
[From the record, you glean that once Satou Matsuzaka became capable of basic self-care, she separated from Sayuri Matsuzaka and began living alone.]
"Sayuri Matsuzaka…"
In the real world, Minami Shouji muttered the name, piecing together the information.
From what he gathered in the simulation, Satou's parents probably died when she was young.
Of course, it's possible Sayuri Matsuzaka is her mother or guardian—
But that seemed unlikely.
After all, Sayuri only appeared once in all the parent-teacher conference records.
Would any parent be that absent?
Let alone allowing Satou to live alone as a teenage girl?
"If that's the case… losing her parents early, lacking affection, living alone for years—no wonder she's emotionally stunted."
Still, Minami sensed this was only part of the story.
He flicked through the simulation's page.
His gaze returned to the name: Sayuri Matsuzaka.
Emotional neglect aside…
He had a strong feeling this Sayuri woman played a major role in warping Satou's personality.
Which meant—she might be the key to breaking this cycle.
It was just a hunch.
"Too little info to go on."
Minami shook his head. No point obsessing.
All he could hope for now was that if he ever met Sayuri Matsuzaka, she'd turn out to be normal.
"Let's keep going."
He whispered, and resumed the simulation.
[You believe that if you find Sayuri Matsuzaka, you'll uncover the root of Satou's emotional void.]
[Unfortunately, her address isn't listed in the student record.]
[You're disappointed, but you've at least found a lead—and decide to follow it.]
[Satisfied with the progress, you let your guard down slightly. And in doing so… you overlooked something.]
[When you gaze into the abyss—the abyss gazes back.]
[The day begins like any other.]
[You go to school. Afterward, you head to STARRY. Then, you return to your room.]
[Up to this point, everything feels normal.]
[But the moment you open your door—]
[A strange, subtle wrongness hits you.]
[You know.]
[Someone's been in your room.]
