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Chapter 70: Simulation Target – Admired Level: Chisato Nishikigi
🕑 Added 2025-02-05 15:01:18 +0000 UTCThe golden-haired girl squeezed into the crowd.
A stark contrast to the gloomy and introverted Bocchi.
Ignoring the curious gazes from the surrounding onlookers, she smiled cheerfully, took off her backpack, and handed a marker to Minami.
Her radiant, porcelain-like face caught the attention of many.
But what surprised Minami wasn't her striking beauty.
It was the system notification flashing in his mind.
[New simulation target detected: Chisato Nishikigi.]
A new simulation target?
Minami's gaze instinctively lingered on the girl before him.
Her silky, golden-white hair fell smoothly over her delicate neck.
Her sharp and symmetrical features were flawlessly elegant.
Her hair curled slightly inward at the ends, while her left side was neatly tied with a striking red ribbon, revealing her snowy-white ear.
But what stood out the most—
Was her ever-present, carefree smile.
A smile that seemed untouched by any worries in the world.
She had no trace of shyness or discomfort at being closely observed.
Noticing Minami looking at her, she even flashed a cheeky grin and held up a playful peace sign.
"..." Minami.
Saying nothing, he simply took the marker and signed his name—
"Minami"
On the strap of her backpack.
"Oooh—so you're Minami-kun, huh?"
"You've got nice handwriting!"
"Hey, that reminds me—I have this friend who—"
"Chisato."
A clear, cool voice suddenly interrupted her.
Minami instinctively turned his head.
At some point, a raven-haired girl had silently parted the crowd.
Her beauty was starkly different from Chisato's—
Cold. Composed. Sharp, yet delicate.
Her brilliant violet eyes, however, were anything but calm—
They were locked onto Chisato with thinly veiled frustration.
"Hahaha… Takina, perfect timing! I was just about to ask Minami-kun to sign something for you too!"
"I don't need it."
"Huh? What do you mean, you don't need it?!"
"Just a second ago, you were crying the hardest while listening to Minami-kun's song!"
Chisato pouted in exaggerated dissatisfaction.
"Shut up."
Betrayed by her own best friend, the girl—Takina Inoue—blushed furiously.
Then, in a swift, rigid motion, she bowed deeply to Minami.
"I sincerely apologize. I'm Takina Inoue. My friend has troubled you."
"It's fine."
"I'm glad to hear that."
Takina sighed in relief.
They had only come to Shimokitazawa to buy groceries for the orphanage—
But after stumbling upon Minami's street performance,
The reckless and excitable Chisato rushed into the crowd without a second thought,
Leaving Takina with no choice but to stand guard.
Now that the performance was over—
"We should get going, Chisato."
"Aww—? But I wanted to chat a bit more with Minami-kun!"
Takina, you definitely feel the same, right?
I mean, you were crying so hard just now!"
Chisato puffed her cheeks in playful protest.
"... I was not crying."
"That was just dust in my eyes."
Poke.
"Yeah, sure! 'Dust in your eyes!' Like hell it was!"
Poke. Poke.
Chisato smirked, ruthlessly jabbing at Takina's pride once more.
Takina's face flushed even redder.
Her voice rose in frustration as she pointed a stern finger—
"Chisato, wait outside. NOW."
"Tch. Boring."
With an exaggerated pout, Chisato finally turned away and skipped off.
Once she was gone, Takina exhaled in relief.
She turned back to Minami and bowed again—
"I apologize again. Your street performance was wonderful. I regret that Chisato caused a scene."
"It's nothing. Honestly, I thought Chisato-san was very lively and adorable."
"... Thank you."
Hearing Minami's unexpected kindness,
Takina visibly relaxed.
Her violet eyes subtly darted around, scanning left and right—
Once she confirmed that Chisato was out of sight—
She hesitated for a moment—
And then, timidly held out her backpack.
"Umm… Minami-san…"
"Would you… also sign something for me?"
"Of course. Where would you like it?"
"Here. On the back."
She pointed to the exact spot.
"Got it."
Minami took the marker and signed again.
And in that exact moment—
A familiar, mischievous chuckle rang out.
"I KNEW IT!"
"Takina, you wanted an autograph too!"
"You're sooo not honest! It's almost cute—almost."
"..."
Takina's entire face turned red.
But since she was already caught,
She simply glared daggers at Chisato,
Then quietly asked Minami a question—
"Minami-san, will you be performing here again?"
"I should be around this area for a while. Probably around 5 or 6 PM."
"Understood. Thank you."
She nodded in satisfaction.
Then—
With zero hesitation—
She grabbed Chisato by the ear.
"Owwww! That hurts, Takina!"
Chisato flapped her arms helplessly.
"You never learn!"
"Wait, wait!"
"Takina, I still have things to say! Love you, Minami-kun!"
"I'll be back to watch again next time!"
"Let me do a heart pose first—ahh! It hurts, it hurts!"
Her lively voice rang out, even as she was dragged away.
The crowd slowly dispersed.
Takina and Chisato disappeared into the distance.
Finally out of sight,
Takina sighed heavily.
She glanced at Chisato, a deep frown forming on her delicate features.
"Chisato… you know what the doctor said."
"You're not supposed to exert yourself."
"You shouldn't be squeezing into crowded places, either."
"It's fine, it's fine!"
Chisato brushed it off with a laugh.
"The doctor also said something, remember?"
"'If there's anything you want to do, do it now—so you won't have any regrets.'"
"..."
Takina fell silent.
Her expression darkened.
"... Chisato. I—"
"Come on, Takina!"
Before she could say anything else,
Chisato wrapped her arms around her waist—
And twirled her in a spin.
"Thinking about sad stuff too much will scare away happiness!"
Their black and gold-white hair intertwined in the wind.
Chisato spun with laughter, like a playful fairy.
"But—"
"No 'buts!'"
Chisato set her down,
Then placed a finger over Takina's lips—
Silencing her completely.
"..." Takina.
Seeing Chisato's rare serious expression,
Takina sighed softly.
She simply nodded—
And sat beside her, watching the world pass by.
After a long pause—
Takina finally spoke.
"Chisato, is there anything else you want to do?"
"Hmm…"
Chisato tilted her head, deep in thought.
"Honestly…"
"I really wanna fall in love."
"Maybe watch all the movies I never got around to watching… and just have Takina by my side forever."
Then, suddenly—
She waved her hands frantically.
Chisato Nishikigi hurriedly waved her hands, as if trying to deny her own words.
"Ah, but I was just joking! Haha!"
"Who'd wanna date a short-lived girl like me?"
"Dating, huh..."
Takina watched the crowd in silence.
Her violet eyes filled with thought.
Takina Inoue fell into thought as she watched people come and go.
"That sounds... difficult to accomplish."
Sitting beside her, Chisato propped her cheek against her palm.
Even without thinking too hard—
It was obvious.
Liking someone was already hard enough.
Making someone else fall for you was even harder.
And she didn't want to drag someone into a relationship that would only end in heartbreak.
"There's not much time left, huh..."
Maybe she was still feeling the effects of Minami's guitar performance,
Because in her bright red eyes,
A flicker of regret surfaced as she murmured to herself.
Meanwhile…
"Chisato Nishikigi. Takina Inoue..."
Minami muttered those names to himself as he rubbed his temples.
As one of many transmigrators,
He recognized them immediately.
Chisato Nishikigi— one of the main protagonists of the anime Lycoris Recoil.
Takina Inoue— the other main protagonist of Lycoris Recoil.
But unlike most anime,
Lycoris Recoil didn't have a male lead—
It was a yuri anime.
The story followed a group of young male and female agents,
Known as Lycoris, who fought crime in Japan.
And at the heart of the story
Was the growing bond between Chisato and Takina.
Their daily interactions, their deepening trust,
And their mutual admiration for each other.
In short—
It was an anime about cute girls,
being cute together,
And proving that girls really are the best.
If that was all the anime was about,
Minami would've been fine with it.
But—
As he remembered, Lycoris Recoil wasn't just about cute interactions.
It had actual, brutal crime-fighting.
Terrorist attacks.
Weapons trafficking.
Full-on gunfights with criminals.
Even Tokyo Tower was blown up.
(And no, not Tokyo Skytree. Literally Tokyo Tower.)
This…
Did not fit the world Minami was currently in.
He glanced toward the direction Chisato and Takina had left.
If this world was truly like the anime,
There should already be a Lycoris organization in the shadows.
But here, Tokyo Tower was still standing.
And if Lycoris agents really existed,
Takina would've never let him touch her backpack.
In the anime—
Lycoris backpacks were equipped with hidden gun compartments and bulletproof plating.
But when he felt the bags earlier—
There were no hidden weapons.
No bulletproof layers.
Just regular, cute-looking backpacks.
That meant in this world…
Chisato Nishikigi and Takina Inoue were just normal girls.
With that confirmed, Minami checked his Simulation Targets.
As expected.
In addition to his two sisters and Bocchi,
A new name had been added:
[Simulation Target: Chisato Nishikigi]
[Status: Admiration]
"...Admiration?"
Minami blinked in surprise.
Even Bocchi, at the start of her simulation,
Was only labeled "Slight Admiration."
But Chisato started at full admiration right from the beginning.
Minami pondered for a moment.
It was clear—
Chisato had truly loved his performance.
"Admiration" in the system's terms…
Meant she was already a fan of his.
A fan?
That meant…
If he simulated her scenario,
He'd basically be starting with an easy mode romance route.
An idol falling in love with their fan?
How hard could that be?
There was no way something would go wrong this time, right?
Thinking that, Minami closed the simulation interface
And turned his gaze toward someone else—
Someone he was far more concerned about.
…Bocchi had fallen completely silent.
She didn't understand.
She couldn't understand.
Why was it…
That every single time she tried to talk to Minami—
Something always interrupted her?
The first time, she gathered her courage—
Only for the store manager to appear and completely derail her thoughts.
The second time, she built up her resolve—
But before she could even open her mouth,
A golden-haired beauty suddenly barged in,
blocking her chance completely.
She felt like she was a character in a novel.
As if there was some cruel, unseen author,
Writing fate against her.
Mocking her.
Toying with her.
Bocchi felt numb.
The saying goes:
"Once the spirit is roused, it must strike at once.
The second attempt weakens. The third attempt fails."
Her courage—
That she had carefully treasured in her heart—
Was completely gone.
She was just a social anxiety-ridden introvert.
Two chances to speak up…
Was already a miracle for someone like her.
Maybe…
It's better to just give up.
She let out a small sigh,
As a self-deprecating feeling surfaced in her chest.
What did her memories with Minami even matter, anyway…?
What connection could someone like her possibly have—
To someone like him?
As she lowered her head, lost in thought—
A voice suddenly rang in her ears.
"Bocchi."
"Eh?"
A Voice Called Out to Her.
"Bocchi."
"Eh?"
Bocchi looked up in shock—
And saw the very person she had been thinking about standing right in front of her.
"You had something to say to me earlier, didn't you?"
"But you kept getting interrupted."
"Eh...?"
"I...?"
The sudden shift from despair to hope stunned Bocchi into silence.
She stared blankly at Minami.
His gentle and clean-cut face held no other emotion except concern.
His eyes were focused entirely on her.
And that alone was enough for Bocchi.
She suddenly realized something—
Every time she hesitated,
Every time she was about to retreat into her shell...
Minami always seemed to notice.
The first time—
When the manager interrupted her, he noticed.
The second time—
When she hesitated about watching his performance, he noticed.
Every time she felt lost,
Every time she didn't know what to do,
Minami was always there.
Always reaching out.
Always giving her that little push.
And this time...
Was no different.
Bocchi opened her mouth.
Then closed it again.
Her fingers curled into fists.
She could feel her heart pounding in her chest.
This time...
She wouldn't run away.
She lowered her head—
And in a clear, steady voice, she said:
"Y-Yes...
There's something I want to tell you, Minami-senpai."
And with those words,
The courage she thought had run dry...
Surged back into her chest.
She reached out—
And grabbed his hand.
This time, she wouldn't hesitate.
