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Chapter 31: It’s Actually Illegal for a Pony to Drive a Truck
🕑 Added 2025-02-03 13:11:27 +0000 UTCThe reason for starting the fourth simulation was quite simple.
Thanks to Minami's relentless efforts, the affection points gained from Bocchi had unknowingly surpassed the 300 mark.
I have to say, Bocchi is truly a good woman—she's incredibly generous.
Today, Minami had only just met her, yet multiple notifications of "+50 affection points" had popped up in succession.
Although there was a bit of "pity-selling" involved, there was no denying that Bocchi was a really good woman—just too easy to be deceived by bad men.
Minami was quite worried about this.
After all, it was fortunate that she met him. If she had encountered a bad guy instead, wouldn't she be completely fooled?
Back to the topic at hand.
Since Bocchi's affection points had already surpassed 300, Minami specifically redeemed a simulation attempt. Adding this to the one he had left from before, he now had a total of two attempts to use freely.
Humans are truly strange creatures.
Even though two simulation attempts weren't a lot, just having two made it feel like there was a safety net—even if the first one went wrong, there was still a second chance to fall back on.
[Detecting new relationship progress between the host and the simulation target. Automatically loading…]
"A new relationship progress?"
Seeing this notification, Minami had a hunch and checked the status of the simulation target, Bocchi.
[Simulation Target: Bocchi.
Status: Not-So-Familiar Friend]
It seemed that his real-life relationship changes with Bocchi also affected the results within the simulator.
But wouldn't that mean the progress of the previous romance simulation had disappeared?
Minami tried to re-enter the last romance simulation, only to find that it was indeed inaccessible.
Of course. Since everything in the simulator was based on future possibilities, a change in the initial affection level would naturally cause major shifts in the simulation's projected outcomes.
However, Minami wasn't particularly disappointed—it just meant starting over.
And besides, a higher affection level meant a better starting point!
This time, he was bound to unlock the perfect ending!
[Start Simulation?]
[Yes!]
Without the slightest hesitation, Minami selected "Yes."
A familiar transition sequence flashed before his eyes.
[One year after your transmigration, you used your extraordinary learning ability to rise from a rural town to enroll in the prestigious Shuka High School in Tokyo. There, you secured the top spot in the entire grade with an overwhelming advantage.]
[By chance, you learned that a girl named Bocchi secretly admired you. With your exceptional ability to take action, you quickly set out to find out who this girl—so bold as to harbor admiration for Tokyo's number one handsome young man—really was.]
[Bocchi's appearance did not disappoint you. Though her eyes were covered by overgrown, unkempt bangs, a closer look revealed that her beauty was like an unpolished diamond buried in ore—just a little refinement, and it would shine with unimaginable brilliance.]
[Using conversational skills far beyond that of an average high schooler, along with your outstanding communication abilities, you effortlessly had the girls of the kessoku band wrapped around your finger. But in the end, you couldn't bring yourself to continue toying with Bocchi.]
[For her, a life of self-doubt and timidity had already been filled with darkness. Knowing this, you didn't want to gain her favor through such underhanded means.]
[But that alone was enough. Bocchi vaguely believed your words. Deep in her subconscious, she already saw you as a friend and agreed to guide you in learning guitar.]
A completely different beginning indeed.
Unlike the previous three playthroughs, where he had to actively approach Bocchi, this time he was starting directly with a friendship level of affection.
While contemplating this, Minami scrolled further down.
[You and Bocchi set up the details for guitar lessons. However, since she also needed to mentor her bandmate Kita Ikuyo, you both decided to practice at the "Starry" live house's rehearsal room every day after school.]
Not bad—this was a great starting point.
For this starting scenario, Minami could only describe it as perfect.
Not only did he quickly integrate into Starry, but he also managed to avoid interacting too much with the other girls in the band, keeping their affection levels strictly at the "friend" stage.
This gave him far more room to maneuver.
At the very least, in this fourth playthrough, he no longer had to worry about Bocchi spiraling into self-isolation just because her bandmates got too close to him.
Including Yamada Ryo—that blue-haired woman who had consistently shown up from the first to the third playthrough.
This time, their initial affection level wasn't high, and she had no reason to get close to him. So, there shouldn't be a repeat of the third playthrough's tragedy, where she died with lingering regrets and ended up buried alongside him.
Absolutely perfect.
Minami let out a breath of relief.
The simulation continued.
[For you, playing the guitar was no longer just an excuse to get close to Bocchi—it had genuinely become a passion of yours. Because of this, you took her lessons very seriously.]
[With your pre-existing LV2 guitar proficiency as a foundation, your skills improved at an astonishing rate. Not only did this shock Bocchi and Kita Ikuyo, but even Yamada Ryo secretly took notice.]
[You have caught Yamada Ryo's attention.]
Yamada-san, she really…
At this point, Minami didn't even know what to say anymore.
He had no idea what exactly made him so memorable to her.
Or… was Yamada-san just a sucker for good looks?
That actually seemed quite possible. In all three previous playthroughs, whenever Yamada had time off, she would go shopping at high-end fashion stores. Occasionally, she would even drag him along and buy him a few outfits.
Her generosity was nothing short of that of a true rich lady.
Of course, this also meant that she frequently ran out of money for food and would often crash at Minami's place for meals.
Could it be that all of this was part of some elaborate scheme?
No… that's probably overthinking it.
Minami shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it any further.
For now, there were no real issues.
Even if Yamada Ryo's attention was once again drawn to him, things were still under control. It wasn't that bad.
[Due to practicing guitar at Starry, you inevitably crossed paths with Ijichi Seika and the sound engineer, PA-san.]
[Unlike PA-san, who had no interest in you, Ijichi Seika, seeing that you were the first boy her younger sister had ever introduced to her, began to wonder if Nijika was at an age where she might start dating.]
[You have caught Ijichi Seika's attention.]
[However, your dedication to practicing guitar quickly dispelled her concerns.]
[You have earned Ijichi Seika's favor.]
"..." Minami.
Let's put the simulation aside for a moment.
If he ever got the chance in real life, he definitely needed to have a serious talk with Ijichi Nijika about her sister.
Because letting a pony drive a truck is actually illegal.
And not just illegal—it's a major offense.
