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Chapter 192: The Woman He Sets His Eyes On, None Can Escape
🕑 Added 2025-03-11 12:30:34 +0000 UTC"Guess I'll go with option three after all."
After careful consideration, Minami Shouji ultimately decided on the third option.
Though it was the safest choice, the simulation had only just begun.
Observing the situation first and figuring out why the other party was in an unstable mental state was the most logical course of action.
And precisely because the simulation had just started—
Even if the first option turned out to be a mistake, a cautious approach shouldn't affect the later stages of the simulation too much.
On the other hand, option one, [The Cuckold Warrior—Your Fate is Sealed!], was overly aggressive no matter how he looked at it.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, pursuing Futaba Rio, and outright asking her to go out with him—
It was simply too rushed. If it was the wrong choice, it could have catastrophic consequences for the simulation's future progression.
With this in mind—
Minami Shouji chose the safer third option.
There was no way that picking such a careful approach would still lead directly to a bad ending, right?
Minami Shouji continued reading.
[You don't care whether Futaba Rio has mistaken admiration for love—you care more about what has caused her psychological instability.]
[To be cautious, you decide to take a step back for now, silently observing in the background to uncover the true reason behind her distress.]
[Your intentions are good, and your approach is reasonable.]
[However, what you didn't expect is that aside from your single discussion with Futaba Rio, you have no other connection with her. Given her introverted nature and tendency to avoid social interaction, she rarely communicates with others.]
[Although you can step back and observe, you cannot reach deeper into her heart.]
[All you can see is her entering and leaving the science prep room alone every day. Occasionally, she exchanges a few words with Azusagawa Sakuta, but nothing more.]
[She lives her life in solitude, and even when she meets someone, all you do is exchange simple greetings.]
[You fail to uncover the reason behind her growing anxiety and unease.]
"Shit."
When he saw this line, Minami Shouji immediately sensed that something was off.
Unlike the previous simulation targets, he had indeed miscalculated this time.
Futaba Rio was naturally withdrawn and rarely opened up to others.
Simply observing from the sidelines wasn't enough to grasp her emotional state.
[Her daily routine remains unchanged. The only place she frequently visits is the science prep room, a monotonous and dull existence.]
[You try to start a conversation with her, but due to her lack of social experience, she never knows how to respond. In the end, she can only pour you a cup of coffee, and that's as far as it goes.]
[Yet you can clearly feel that her mental state is becoming increasingly unstable and restless.]
[But you still fail to uncover the reason behind it.]
[Gradually, you begin to lose interest in whether 'Adolescence Syndrome' truly exists, and you abandon your observations of her stagnant, unchanging life.]
[You give up on the girl who, dressed in a white lab coat, wandered alone through the science prep room every day.]
[Meanwhile, Yamada Ryo has been in frequent contact with you.]
[You find yourself gradually drawn to this cold, deep-blue-haired woman.]
[In the second half of your second year of high school, on a rainy night, Yamada Ryo confesses to you. You accept, and the two of you start dating.]
[Yamada Ryo becomes your girlfriend.]
[Time moves forward, and slowly, you forget about that girl who once struggled with her emotions in silent agony.]
[Until one day, you suddenly overhear people talking about Futaba Rio.]
[It seems that, due to family matters—or perhaps for personal reasons—she has left Shuka High School and gone to study abroad in Germany.]
[Thinking back to this girl who only occupied a small page in the story of your youth, you feel just a slight sense of sentimentality.]
[The path between you and her has drifted farther and farther apart.]
[You tighten your grip on Yamada Ryo's hand and step toward the future.]
[Simulation ended.]
[System Score: 5 points.]
[System Evaluation: The path between you and her gradually diverged, and you never truly touched her heart.]
[It was she who initiated your first encounter. A teenage girl's heart is always filled with unspoken worries and troubles.]
[Had you seized that moment, perhaps you could have gotten closer to her.]
[But in the end, your interactions with her remained at a standstill. You never took a step forward, and she never took the initiative to close the distance.]
[In your desire to play it safe, you overlooked the turbulence and restlessness within her heart.]
[One afternoon in your third year, having gradually lost interest in her, you hear the news that she has gone to study abroad in Germany.]
[Looking up at the contrails stretching across the vast blue sky...]
[Regret]
[From that moment on, you and she would have no further connections—only the lingering sentiment of youth remains in your heart.]
[Her future and yours, like the parallel lines of a contrail, will never intersect.]
[Looking back now, perhaps if you had chosen a more aggressive path… things might have turned out differently?]
[System Reward: You have acquired a small amount of knowledge in quantum mechanics.]
"..." Minami Shouji stared at the results screen in front of him, completely speechless.
"That's it? It actually ended just like that? So I really should have picked option one?"
As he looked at the conclusion displayed on the screen, he felt an inexplicable sense of frustration in his chest.
How could he not feel frustrated?
He had barely learned anything, barely understood anything—
And yet, just like that, it was over.
And… Yamada-san… again...?
Minami Shouji's expression was numb as he stared at Yamada Ryo appearing in the simulation's outcome.
What could he say? He was almost getting used to it.
"Yamada Ryo is always there, no matter what."
But—
"...I really did miscalculate."
Minami Shouji shook his head.
When choosing the third option, he had only understood Futaba Rio's personality through bits and pieces from the anime, not as a complete individual.
What he hadn't considered was—
Even if his simulated self did try to talk to her,
She simply didn't know how to respond.
If she was an undeniable genius in physics—
Then in terms of communication, she was nothing more than a socially inept fool.
The first option had indeed been aggressive, and the third option had indeed been cautious.
But if the simulation didn't even have a future after making that choice—
Then what was the point of debating between aggressive and cautious approaches?
"I really didn't expect this."
Minami Shouji didn't feel particularly regretful. This was simply the result of his lack of understanding of Futaba Rio.
He turned to glance at the system's settlement page.
The system noted that he had acquired "a small amount of knowledge in quantum mechanics."
That must have been one of Futaba Rio's specialties.
He briefly skimmed through the quantum mechanics knowledge now in his mind.
And found it completely incomprehensible.
Despite being ranked first in national simulation exams, he had never delved deeply into scientific research topics like this.
Setting aside the knowledge he gained from Futaba Rio—
Minami Shouji instead reflected on the simulation itself.
Although he hadn't directly heard Futaba Rio mention anything about Adolescence Syndrome,
He figured that it most likely wasn't a factor in this scenario.
After all, in Bunny Girl Senpai, the plotline where Futaba Rio split into two separate versions of herself hadn't appeared.
Which meant…
"I guess I don't need to worry about it, then."
Minami Shouji turned his attention to Futaba Rio's entry in the simulation list.
Based on his original plan, he should remove her from the list now.
But when he extended his finger and hovered over the status indicator beside Futaba Rio's name—
The words "Desires to be Saved" made him hesitate.
After a moment of contemplation—
He didn't remove her.
"You, you, you… kindness, gentleness, and compassion—those are your biggest weaknesses. When will you ever change these bad habits? Are you trying to be the protagonist of a novel or something?"
With a tone of mock frustration, Minami Shouji pointed at himself in his phone camera and scolded his own reflection.
Of course.
Beyond the "Desires to be Saved" tag catching his attention—
Minami Shouji was also curious.
According to the simulation, "her mental state was becoming more and more unstable, more and more restless."
What exactly did that mean?
Could someone's mental state truly deteriorate so quickly?
It was a bit concerning.
But for now, with only 260 Heartbeat Points left,
Minami Shouji decided to set aside his thoughts for the time being and reached for the light novel he had stashed inside his desk drawer.
But before he could even grab it—
His phone suddenly lit up with a notification.
Since he was at school, he had set his phone to silent mode.
If not for the way he had lowered his head to grab his book, he might have completely missed it.
"Ryo?"
Minami Shouji blinked at the contact name that popped up on LINE.
He casually tapped to open it.
[Lone Wolf Bass Freak: Caught a free meal ticket. Time to mooch off a free meal. Minami, wanna come? (Attached location link)]
"...?" Minami Shouji.
Meal ticket? Mooching off a free meal?
What was going on?
The moment he saw Yamada Ryo's message, Minami Shouji immediately thought of Gotoh Hitori and Kita Ikuyo downstairs.
If Yamada Ryo had scammed money out of someone, it was probably those two.
But soon, Minami Shouji shook his head.
Gotoh Hitori and Kita Ikuyo were still busy with their class's maid & butler café.
Since their menu only had frozen pre-made omelet rice, business had been slow yesterday, so they had to continue today to sell the leftovers.
That meant it couldn't be them.
But besides those two… Yamada Ryo didn't have any other friends, did she?
Minami Shouji furrowed his brows, thought for a moment, and ultimately decided to check it out.
If Yamada Ryo really was scamming a free meal, he could at least cover for her—by making her wash dishes in the restaurant.
With that plan in mind, he got up and headed toward the location she had sent.
Meanwhile, on the other side—
"So… what exactly did you want to discuss with me?"
Putting her phone down, a deep-blue-haired girl clasped her fingers together and raised her head.
Her figure was graceful, her legs long and slender, and her refined yet serene expression carried an inexplicable air of mystery and laziness.
But—
"Before that, I have a question."
Sitting across from her, Futaba Rio spoke.
"What is it?"
"You ordered so much food… Can you actually finish it?"
"Weren't you the one who told me not to hold back?"
"Well, yeah, but…"
Did you have to take it this literally?!
Looking at the mountain of dishes Yamada Ryo had ordered without hesitation,
Even someone as financially well-off as Futaba Rio felt a slight pang of distress.
This woman… truly had no intention of treating herself as an outsider.
And in some ways—
She really reminded her of Minami Shouji.
But whatever.
She had already said she'd pay for it.
Shaking her head, Futaba Rio forced herself to look away from the outrageous amount of food.
"The thing I actually wanted to ask about… is admiration and love. You should have quite a bit of experience, right?"
"Admiration and love?"
Already starting to taste her food, Yamada Ryo tilted her head slightly.
To be honest—
Yamada Ryo wasn't particularly interested in teenage romance drama.
But in the next second—
"Hmm, when I was on my way here, I had a conversation with someone… and after that, I started thinking about this topic. But since I have no experience in this area myself, I decided to ask Yamada-san. Ah… right, the person I talked to earlier is someone Yamada-san also knows."
Futaba Rio had already noticed that Yamada Ryo didn't seem particularly interested in this topic.
But since she had already come all this way, she had no choice but to continue, thinking carefully before speaking again:
"His name is Minami Shouji."
Clang—
The knife and fork slipped from her hands, colliding against the porcelain plate with a crisp sound.
At the same time, Yamada Ryo's expression turned serious, and she actively leaned forward as she spoke:
"You know Minami?"
"Eh?"
Futaba Rio hadn't expected the previously laid-back Yamada Ryo to change expressions so quickly.
The sudden shift in atmosphere startled her, and for a moment, her usually expressionless face showed a rare trace of surprise as she instinctively nodded.
"Yes."
"You talked to Minami?"
"...Yeah."
"You like Minami?"
"Hmm… Eh?!"
Futaba Rio reflexively started to respond, but the moment she realized what Yamada Ryo had just asked, she immediately shut her mouth.
But it was meaningless.
Yamada Ryo had already calmly wiped her mouth and spoken in a composed manner:
"Even if you want to deny it, it's useless. No one can resist Minami's charm."
Her voice was filled with such conviction—
So much so that Futaba Rio almost felt like she should agree with her.
But—
"I don't."
Regaining her composure, Futaba Rio adjusted her tone to a steady, even voice.
"Sure, say whatever you want for now."
Yamada Ryo didn't seem to mind at all, and with absolute certainty, she stated firmly:
"Any woman who catches Minami's eye has no chance of escaping. Not a single one."
