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Chapter 136 - The Shinjo Miss Who Couldn’t Be Refused
🕑 Added 2025-02-16 03:15:47 +0000 UTC[Simulation complete.]
[System score: 62 points. You have achieved the "Total Dependency Ending."]
[System evaluation: A love of absolute reliance—she loved you for a lifetime, but from beginning to end, the only person she ever truly smiled for was you.]
[Your meeting was no coincidence. Her first impression of you wasn't favorable; at first, she only saw you as a tool.]
[Your relationship was filled with turbulence. You took her away from the prison that had trapped her for the first half of her life—but in doing so, you bound her with your own chains.]
[And yet, she never resented it, because as long as she was with you, she had the courage to move forward.]
[But this trust was also a sweet curse.]
[In your youth, you both worked hard to build a home together. During this time, she became entirely dependent on you emotionally. After graduating, her reliance reached its peak—even becoming somewhat unhealthy. If she woke up and couldn't see you, she would panic.]
[In middle age, you continued working hard to provide for her. She gave up her dreams for you, and you worked tirelessly to create a happy life for her.]
[But deep down, you both knew—no matter how happy life was, she was never truly at ease.]
[Even after having a child, her fears remained.]
[To her, you were her world. You were her sun. And if the sun were to vanish… what would she do?]
[As time passed, you fell into eternal sleep. The moment she saw that result, she made her decision.]
[She clung to your hand, choosing to face death together.]
[At last, she could have you all to herself, forever—]
"62 points, huh."
Minami looked at the barely passing score and let out a small sigh.
But to be honest, he had already anticipated this result by the midpoint of the simulation.
The 62 points came from the fact that Akane had married him and given birth to their child—but that was all.
There wasn't much description of whether she was truly happy after marriage.
But if one thought about it carefully, the answer was clear.
Akane was the kind of person who could only muster the courage to face everything because he was there.
If he were to leave first—
She would undoubtedly follow without hesitation.
A love so intertwined that even death couldn't separate them might seem romantic on the surface, but in reality, it was extremely unhealthy.
Because, to put it bluntly—
"What about our daughter?"
Lying in bed, Minami couldn't help but turn his head to glance at Akane, who was fast asleep on the floor.
From a certain perspective, this woman was truly willful and troublesome.
She just left their child behind and chose to follow him into death—how was that okay?
But even so, Minami couldn't bring himself to blame her.
Because, in a way, her psychological scars were something he had unintentionally reinforced.
Unlike the sunny, gentle, and nearly flawless "mask" she wore—
The real Akane was an extremely insecure and emotionally fragile girl.
Her childhood experiences had made her inherently distrustful of human relationships.
That distrust had been evident even during their time together—like when she had tried to use money to "support" him, believing financial control could maintain their relationship. Minami had seen through it back then.
And later—
After his confrontation with her parents, when he took her away—
She lost the one thing that gave her an advantage over him: money.
Naturally, she felt anxious and fearful, worried that Minami would abandon her just like her parents did.
Even though, on the surface, she remained the second-ranked student at Shuka High, with an academic score of 7, just below Minami—
That fear never truly disappeared.
This kind of fragile mindset terrified her, yet she had no choice but to rely on Minami.
The two factors combined—
Naturally, it made her incredibly delicate and mentally dependent on Minami.
In some ways, this extreme self-doubt was even more troublesome than Gotoh Hitori's social anxiety.
But Minami thought that solving this issue…
Wasn't necessarily difficult, but it wasn't exactly simple either.
Lying on the bed, he stroked his chin in thought.
To cure Akane's psychological scars, the first step was to help her discover her own value.
Yes.
The biggest problem was that she lacked confidence in her own worth.
That's why she chose to abandon her dream and follow Minami to the University of Tokyo.
After pondering for a while, Minami had a vague idea in mind.
Then, he lowered his head and looked at the system's settlement screen.
Even though the outcome wasn't ideal, he still couldn't ignore the rewards that came with it.
[System Settlement: You have obtained "Disguise Proficiency LV1" and acquired some knowledge of tokusatsu filming.]
The rewards were simple.
But this was within Minami's expectations.
After all, it was a mere 62-point passing-grade ending.
Disguise LV1.
He figured it was probably the same skill Akane used to maintain her public façade.
But at LV1…
Well.
Minami doubted he'd have much use for it.
As for the tokusatsu filming knowledge—
Closing his eyes, Minami sifted through his mind, searching for the newly acquired information.
In the depths of his memory, he found it.
From making tokusatsu props and costumes to digital special effects compositing, from camera angles to filming techniques…
"So that's how it works…"
Minami now had a general understanding of tokusatsu filming.
These memories probably came from Akane's research during the simulation…
But despite all that research, she ultimately chose not to pursue that path.
Lying on the bed, Minami thought long and hard.
He had already figured out why the simulation had failed this time.
And he now had a general idea of how to fix it.
But for now, the most important thing—
Minami got up from the bed.
With the storm raging outside, he walked over to Akane, who was already asleep.
Then—
Smack.
Minami lightly patted both of her cheeks.
Nothing more, nothing less.
The sudden touch made Akane stir from her sleep, groggily opening her eyes. She muttered,
"…What are you doing…?"
She was completely baffled.
It was the middle of the night—
And Minami was still finding ways to torment her.
"Shinjo-san, I finished reading the script you gave me a while ago. But there's something I've been meaning to ask you."
"Hah…? Do you even know what time it is?"
At the mention of the script, Akane instantly became more alert, though she still grumbled,
"Can't this wait until tomorrow?"
"It can't."
Minami turned on the light, his tone still as indifferent as ever.
Akane sighed in defeat. She rubbed her eyes and reluctantly sat up, muttering under her breath,
"If you don't give me a good reason for waking me up at this hour, I swear I'll actually be mad."
Minami didn't even acknowledge her threat.
He already knew what kind of person she was from the simulation.
She only looked tough on the outside.
If he pushed back even a little, she would immediately go soft.
Still, he was the one who dragged her out of bed in the middle of the night, so he couldn't really blame her for being annoyed.
He simply got to the point.
"I need your help making some costumes for me."
"…Huh?"
There was no denying it—Akane had a talent for expressing a range of emotions in a single sound.
Just that one syllable alone perfectly conveyed her confusion, her rejection of his request, and her frustration at being dragged out of bed for this nonsense.
But—
"No complaining."
Minami cut her off before she could even start.
"…Tch."
She still grumbled under her breath, but since Minami had already shut her down, she didn't argue further.
Then, she heard him say—
"Shinjo-san, you wrote this garbage-of-a-script because you wanted to perform it at the cultural festival, didn't you?"
"…Garbage…?"
Akane's eyebrow twitched as she saw him holding her script.
This man had absolutely no idea how to read the mood.
Even if her writing really was garbage in his eyes, if he had at least given her some encouragement, she might've actually shown him a bit of kindness.
But calling it "garbage" outright?
Well, now she had no choice but to glare at him with a completely sour expression.
She pitied whatever poor soul would fall for this man in the future.
Still, despite her complaints, she answered his question.
"I thought about performing it. But so what?"
She had considered performing the script she wrote at Shuka High's cultural festival.
But she wasn't satisfied with her own work.
That's why she ultimately decided against it.
However—
"You handle the costumes, and I'll write a script that satisfies you. I'll bring your vision to life on stage at the cultural festival."
"Hah? And what makes you think you can write a script that'll satisfy me?"
Akane genuinely wondered if this man was getting too full of himself.
She acknowledged his talent for literature, and she even respected his eye for storytelling.
But a tokusatsu script was a completely different beast from a literary novel.
What made him so sure he could pull it off?
And…
Akane secretly stole a glance at Minami, surprised.
How did this guy even know she could make costumes?
Yes.
Because of her love for kaiju and tokusatsu, Akane had a hobby of making handcrafted props.
Kaiju suits, for example.
Or miniature kaiju figurines.
Her craftsmanship was top-tier—
Her props were so detailed and well-made that she could've easily sold them online, even surpassing some major tokusatsu merchandise manufacturers.
But this had always been her little secret.
How did Minami know?
She didn't ask.
Because that would mean lowering herself to his level.
Even if she had never once won a verbal exchange against him.
"I don't need to convince you," Minami said.
"Once you see my script, you'll understand."
"Understand what?"
Akane couldn't help but ask.
"Understand why the gap between you and me is so vast."
"..."
She froze.
Her brain stalled for a good few seconds before she finally processed what he had just said.
And then—
Her eye twitched.
"Sometimes, I really wonder, Minami-kun, are you just completely full of yourself?"
"It's not arrogance if you have the ability to back it up."
Minami's expression remained calm as he added,
"In fact, what worries me more is that once I show you my talent, you might completely fall for me."
"Ha?!"
Akane shot out of bed.
Her crimson eyes locked onto his, her usually perfect smirk cracking slightly under his words.
"You're beyond hope. You've got a full-blown narcissism disorder, Minami!-kun"
"Then let's hope you don't fall for me."
Minami remained completely unfazed by her outburst.
"Who the hell would like you?!"
She glared at him.
Did this guy wake her up in the middle of the night just to argue with her?!
But…
"If you're willing to try, I suppose I can at least take a look at the script you write."
Akane huffed. "But let me be clear—if your script doesn't meet my standards, I won't go along with your nonsense. I have my own things to do."
"No, you'll be making the props and costumes for me tomorrow."
"Hah? Didn't you hear me? I just said I have my own stuff to—"
"Please, Shinjo-san."
"You really don't listen to anyone but yourself, huh?!"
"It's decided, Shinjo-san."
"..."
A long sigh escaped her lips.
"You're impossible, Minami-kun."
She sounded reluctant, but for some reason, when Minami actually lowered himself to ask for her help, she found it hard to refuse.
She wasn't usually this kindhearted—so why was she giving in now?
