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Chapter 305: Besides Me, There Are 8 Other Women
🕑 Added 2025-04-23 13:19:09 +0000 UTCMinami had no reason to hide things from Yamada Ryo.
After all, worrying alone was pointless. It was far better to share thoughts and support each other.
So, without hesitation, he laid everything out for her.
"Maiden's Heart of Love...? We can't have too much contact with you...?"
Hearing his words, Yamada Ryo's delicate brows twitched slightly.
As someone who had been close to him the longest,
She had long known that he possessed abilities beyond normal comprehension.
But even so,
She still found herself puzzled by what he was saying.
"That's right."
Seeing her confused expression,
Minami nodded without hesitation.
Her confusion was normal.
Even he didn't fully understand what the system meant by "Maiden's Heart of Love" or what it actually did.
"I think I get the gist of it... So basically, Minami doesn't want to interact with us because he's afraid of causing some kind of effect on us... right?"
"You just skipped over way too much with that 'basically' of yours."
Minami shot Yamada Ryo a side glance, feeling a bit exasperated.
He had explained everything in detail, leaving out only the existence of the simulator itself.
Yet Yamada Ryo had summed it all up in one sentence.
But on second thought—
That was just how she was.
Straight to the point, cutting through unnecessary details.
Letting out a small sigh, he sat down.
Although he didn't expect much,
He still asked:
"So? Now that you know all this, do you have any good solutions?"
"Nope."
Yamada Ryo was brutally honest, shaking her head without hesitation.
If even Minami, the person they all relied on, couldn't figure it out,
Then there was no way she, someone who didn't like to overthink things, could come up with a better solution.
However—
"But I don't think about problems the same way you do."
Expressionless, she sat down right in his lap, speaking seriously.
"..."
Minami.
Although he really wanted to call her out for treating his lap like her personal seat—
This time, he didn't push her away.
Instead, he asked:
"Alright, let's hear it. What's your take on this, Ryo?"
"I think you're making things too complicated."
She raised a finger.
"We should think in reverse. If we can't stop collecting 'Maiden's Hearts of Love,' then why not speed up the process instead? Just collect them all as fast as possible and find out what it actually does."
"You say that like it's easy."
Minami let out a small, exasperated laugh,
Then flicked her smooth white forehead with his finger.
"You do realize collecting those hearts could have unknown effects on you girls, right?"
Exactly.
No one knew what would happen once all the hearts were gathered.
He couldn't afford to act recklessly.
Yamada Ryo, who usually followed everything he said,
This time, simply shook her head.
"But it's only a 'possibility,' right?"
"Even if it's just a 'possibility,' I'm not willing to take that risk."
Minami corrected her statement.
Even if there was the slightest chance of something bad happening—
He refused to let his women fall into an unknown fate.
However—
"Minami, you care about us too much."
Yamada Ryo spoke in her usual lazily elegant tone.
"To be honest, I haven't felt any negative effects at all."
The always quiet and reserved girl paused briefly, then continued:
"It's like in many RPG games—if the player doesn't push forward, doesn't go and retrieve the Hero's Sword, then they'll never be able to defeat the Demon King."
That... made sense.
Minami knew it too.
If he kept avoiding the mystery of the "Maiden's Heart of Love",
He would never know its true purpose, nor whether it would actually affect the girls.
He couldn't possibly cut ties with them forever just because of some special item, right?
"Even in the worst-case scenario, I don't want that."
Yamada Ryo turned her slim body around,
Looped her delicate arms around Minami's neck,
And pressed her cool, smooth forehead gently against his.
Her warm breath brushed against his face.
Probably because she had chewed mint candy before coming over,
Her scent carried a refreshing sweetness.
Her fingers brushed against Minami's cheek.
With serious and deliberate words, she spoke:
"I don't want to be unable to see you, even if it's just for an hour, a minute, or a second."
As she said this,
Yamada Ryo suddenly felt flushed with a warm heat.
A warm heat seemed to spread across her skin.
But she didn't stop speaking.
Instead, she continued:
"Even if you asked Nijika, Bocchi, or Chisato right now... I think they'd all give you the same answer."
"Just like how you care about us, we care about you too."
"So, Minami, I hope you'll do what you truly want to do."
She finished in one breath.
Then, Yamada Ryo looked at Minami with utmost sincerity.
Minami stared at her, dazed.
Silence fell between them and then—
The girl who never seemed to care about anything—
Her face turned red, as if she was about to burst into flames.
In a hurry, she whipped her head to the side,
And the hands that had been wrapped around his neck awkwardly let go.
"..." Minami.
Wait.
Miss Yamada.
You were the one who suddenly started saying a bunch of embarrassing things.
You were the one who climbed onto my lap and wrapped your arms around my neck.
So why are you the one getting embarrassed now?
Feeling speechless, Minami reached out and flicked on Yamada Ryo's head.
"Ow, Minami!"
She clutched her head, finally showing a rare shy and flustered expression.
"Good. That means you deserved it."
Minami glanced at her.
This woman...
Whether in the simulation or in reality,
She was always the type to say whatever she wanted, completely free-spirited and unrestrained.
But—
"Still, thanks, Ryo."
Minami brushed his fingers through her silky hair.
"I think I know what I need to do now."
He turned his head, looking at Yamada Ryo, and softly asked:
"For this year's winter break, during New Year's... would you like to come with me to my hometown in Akita? I'd like to properly introduce you to my mother, and my two sisters—you've met them before."
"Huh...?"
The unexpected question made Yamada Ryo momentarily freeze.
And then—
She seemed to pick up on the slight seriousness in Minami's words.
She gave a small nod.
The girl with deep blue hair leaned back into Minami's arms and softly spoke:
"Mm."
…
Minami hesitated no longer.
Because Yamada Ryo was right.
Hesitating and stopping in his tracks wasn't his style.
And cutting ties with the girls? That was never an option.
So the solution was simple.
And that was—
"Collecting Maiden's Heart of Love…"
Sitting at his desk, Minami flipped through his textbook while deep in thought.
But…
"Even if I say that… how exactly am I supposed to collect it?"
Tapping at the simulation page, Minami muttered to himself.
From his interactions with Yamada Ryo and Kita Ikuyo yesterday, he had a rough idea.
To collect the "Heart of Love," he needed to make the target experience romantic emotions.
But to what degree?
Did it need to be intense or just fleeting?
There was no set standard.
And that made things tricky for Minami.
Like when you go out to eat with friends, and everyone just says, "Anything's fine."
That "anything" was actually the hardest answer to deal with.
This dilemma sent Minami deep into thought.
He was so preoccupied that even during an exam, it took him over twenty minutes to finish a single test paper.
"Forget it, I'll stop thinking about it."
Minami put down his pencil and made up his mind.
Worrying wouldn't do him any good—it would only give him a headache.
Since there was no set standard, he'd just have to experiment and figure it out himself.
With that decision, Minami stood up.
It was time to take action.
And just as Minami concluded his thoughts and prepared to move—
...
"You're asking me for advice on love?"
Looking at the glasses wearing girl with long, ash-gray hair in front of him, the brown-haired boy was a little surprised.
He couldn't help but size her up, his gaze moving up and down.
Until she finally scowled, shifting uncomfortably, and snapped, "What are you staring at?"
"It's just that… how do I put it…"
Facing Futaba Rio, his friend, Azusagawa Sakuta cleared his throat and coughed lightly. "I never thought you'd come to me for love advice. That's pretty rare… Do you, uh, need me to call an ambulance for you?"
"If you say one more word, I'll kick you, Sakuta."
With an expressionless face, Futaba Rio lifted one pristine loafer, polished to perfection, and looked dead serious.
"Alright, alright. I'll shut up."
Azusagawa Sakuta shrugged, dragging over a school bench and sitting down lazily. "I just really didn't expect you, of all people, to come to me for a love consultation…"
He wasn't wrong.
As Futaba Rio's friend, Azusagawa Sakuta knew exactly how difficult this cold and awkward science nerd could be.
She liked someone but wouldn't confess.
She was inexplicably insecure.
She was stubborn, awkward, and had a sharp tongue.
Even if she was here for a love consultation, Sakuta knew one thing for sure—
With Futaba Rio's level of denial, there was no way she'd openly admit she liked someone.
So this conversation probably wouldn't lead anywhere.
But still—
Azusagawa Sakuta took a deep breath and patiently asked:
"So, who's the lucky guy this time?"
"What do you mean 'this time'?! Don't make it sound like I'm some serial dater!"
Futaba Rio glared at him with undisguised annoyance.
This was exactly why she hated talking to him.
But…
Since she was already here…
Futaba Rio shook her head, convincing herself internally, and pulled out a chair to sit across from Sakuta.
Then, in a quiet voice, she spoke:
"The person is… Minami Shouji, from our year. Minami-kun."
"…Huh? Minami Shouji?!"
Hearing those words—
Azusagawa Sakuta immediately stood up.
He couldn't help but glance at Futaba Rio. She kept her expression steady, but there was still a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
And Sakuta's surprise was easy to explain.
Minami Shouji.
That guy was one of the most well-known students at Shuka High.
Not only had he ranked first in the last national mock exam—
Rumor had it that he had secured first place again this time.
An undisputed genius.
On top of that, he was good-looking.
So naturally, he had plenty of female admirers at school.
Futaba Rio, liking Minami Shouji?
That was like a gloomy, introverted wallflower falling for the bright and cheerful star of the school.
Sakuta's expression was one of pure disbelief.
He studied Futaba Rio for a long moment before finally speaking.
"Futaba, are you sure you actually like Minami Shouji from our year?"
He had to double-check.
Normally, when confronted with a question like this, Futaba Rio would get all flustered and tongue-tied.
But this time—
"That's right, I like Minami-kun. What of it? Is there a problem?"
She casually brushed back her gray curls with her pale hand.
Her tone was calm.
"..." Sakuta.
Something was wrong…
Something was definitely wrong.
Because usually, at a moment like this, Futaba Rio would be all hesitant and fidgety, struggling to respond.
But now? She showed zero hesitation.
And her expression—there wasn't even a trace of embarrassment.
That was what really threw Sakuta off.
This wasn't like the Futaba Rio he knew.
He had no idea what kind of experience had caused this sudden, drastic change in his friend.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
After taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Sakuta spoke again.
"Well, if you like Minami, then just go after him. No problem there. Or… do you need me to pass along your feelings for you?"
As a close friend, the least he could do was cheer her on in love.
"I don't need you to do that. That's not the problem here."
Futaba Rio shot Sakuta a look and sighed, troubled.
"…That's not the problem? Then what is the problem?"
Sakuta didn't get what she was hesitating over.
A girl confessing to a guy was no big deal.
And honestly, Futaba Rio wasn't bad-looking at all.
In fact, among high school girls, her figure was overwhelmingly superior.
If she made a move—
Sakuta was sure that no guy would be able to resist the sheer Everest-level altitude of her presence.
So if that was the case…
What could possibly be the issue?
He didn't understand.
All he could do was listen as Futaba Rio continued.
"The problem is… Minami-kun…"
Her voice hesitated slightly.
"…Besides me, he already has eight other girlfriends."
"…" Sakuta.
Wait.
What.
Sakuta opened his mouth, but no words came out.
At this point, he wanted to take back everything he'd just said.
Because—
Yeah.
That was definitely a big problem.
