How can my simulation be a real love?

Kazami Mei originally intended to chase after Suze to comfort her, but in the current situation, he couldn't free his hands at all. Takamatsu Akira, who was extremely sensitive to such matters, was very likely to blame himself.

19

Chapter Nineteen: There's no going back.

Shiina Tatsuki had no idea why former band member Toyokawa Shoko would come to this performance, so she didn't understand Nagasaki Motoyo's emotional outburst and had no intention of trying to understand it.

In her view, Toyokawa Shoko was ultimately just a selfish person who disbanded the band without permission and hurt Takamatsu Akari.

She disliked Toyokawa Shoko.

She suddenly ran over to watch the performance and then inexplicably cried and ran away. To Shiina Tatsuki, this was an incredibly perplexing behavior. Of course, what puzzled her even more was Nagasaki Motoyo's unusual attitude after the performance.

She is usually gentle, but when she gets angry, it's incredibly exaggerated!

Not to mention that Shiina Riki had already vaguely sensed that Nagasaki Motoyo's gentle smile actually concealed ulterior motives, and Shiina Riki had always harbored suspicions about this.

After the live performance ended, Shiina Tatsuki delivered her verdict.

Nagasaki Motoyo keeps saying he wants to reunite with Takamatsu Akari in a band, claiming this time they'll definitely be a band for "lifetime." Perhaps all these promises are just for the sake of the old CRYCHIC!

The problem is clearly evident from her reluctance to perform "Spring Shadow" on stage!

If CRYCHIC were to return, what should the current band do?

If Toyokawa Shoko is to return, what will become of Kazami Mei, the keyboardist?!

Just by realizing this, Shiina Tatsuki was already on the opposite side from her.

"That rascal."

Shiina Ritsuki stared coldly at Nagasaki Motoyo's figure, which was gradually disappearing into the distance. With her arms crossed, she was clearly more agitated than she appeared, but she did not express it directly.

If Kazami Mei hadn't stopped her a little, Shiina Tatsuki probably would have started spewing insults right then and there.

"I'm sorry... I might have said something wrong..."

Gao Songdeng clutched the notebook with lyrics tightly in both hands, looking as timid as a pill bug hiding in the shadow of a stone.

The girl's already incredibly sensitive and fragile heart was severely damaged after Nagasaki Motoyo left. She had only spoken her opinion without thinking, but she never expected that her words would lead to this result.

The band is in trouble again.

"It's okay, Xiaodeng, you didn't do anything wrong."

Kazami Mei took a deep breath and gently pulled Takamatsu Akari into her arms.

At this moment, he couldn't care less about emotional issues. He only knew that this was the most effective way to soothe her emotions, and he absolutely couldn't let Deng take the blame and mistakes upon herself.

The sudden, warm hug momentarily halted the look of self-reproach on Gao Songdeng's face.

Even though the girl was still a little scared, she gradually mustered up her courage again with the help of Kazami Mei. She couldn't help but gently rub her head against the boy's chest, as if feeling his presence would put her at ease.

"..."

Unlike the pessimistic and self-blaming Takamatsu Akari, Kazami Mei was the one with more complex thoughts at this moment.

Nagasaki Motoyo never gave up on getting CRYCHIC back together. If she wanted to completely abandon that unrealistic ideal, she would definitely suffer a backlash.

Because no matter what, Toyokawa Shoko would never be willing to come back and rebuild the band.

CRYCHIC's disbandment was not due to interpersonal conflicts, but because the members had different ideas and goals. Even if such a band continued, it would not last long, and the members who were once partners were destined to go their separate ways.

But Kazami Mei didn't think so.

Even if they can't form a band again, the once close friends shouldn't be more distant than strangers. At the very least, they should understand each other like ordinary friends.

Kazami Mei had been trying to slowly melt the ice around Toyokawa Shoko, hoping to gradually ease the tension between the girls. Even if they couldn't become friends, they shouldn't be at odds with each other.

Otherwise, CRYCHIC will be like a thorn forever stuck deep in my heart, and the memory will bring excruciating pain.

"Mingming is right! Dengdeng, you didn't do anything wrong!"

"It's just that Su Shi-chan is a little too emotional. She'll be fine once she calms down!"

Although Chihaya Aine didn't quite understand the situation, she roughly grasped the problem.

The reliable pink-haired girl immediately joined Kazami in comforting the dejected Takamatsu Akari. No matter what, they couldn't let Akari continue to blame herself like this; she knew very well how pessimistic and sensitive Akari was.

At the same time, Chihaya Aine was mentally complaining about Toyokawa Shoko, that wicked woman, why did she have to appear at this time!

It's easy for everyone to start arguing without realizing it, and now it's turned into this troublesome mess.

"Leave it to me, it's okay..."

Kazami Mei slowly opened her mouth.

He knew that Su Shi was in a bad mental state, and even if he forced himself to catch up with her now, she would not listen to anything, and the damage she suffered might even be worse.

"I'll contact Su Shi later, apologize first, and then try to comfort her a little."

Kazami Mei took a deep breath and frowned slightly when she saw several new messages suddenly pop up on her phone.

Shiina Tatsuki, who had been silently standing with his arms crossed, suddenly frowned and turned into an inverted V-shape when he heard that Kazami Naru was going to apologize to Nagasaki Motoyo.

She spoke to Kazami Naruto with a hint of dissatisfaction in her voice: "Kazami, you'd better not interfere with her."

"This is all her own problem, you have absolutely no reason to apologize to her!"

Bull Demon King, if we really don't take care of him, we're doomed.

Of course, Kazami Mei couldn't really ignore Nagasaki Motoyo. Although she had managed to stop Riki from revealing the true damage, Nagasaki Motoyo's awkward personality meant that if she really ignored her, she would definitely keep running away.

He really couldn't place all his hopes on Aine, since this pink-haired girl seemed a bit unreliable.

"Kazami..."

Seeing the slight change in Kazami Mei's expression, Shiina Tatsuki's expression became even more rigid.

She was thinking of Kazami Mei's sake, doesn't this guy understand that?

Motoyo Nagasaki never intended to form a proper band with everyone from the beginning; she just wanted to rebuild CRYCHIC!

If she really wanted to bring back Toyokawa Shoko, who disbanded the band without permission, it would mean abandoning the current keyboardist in the band. Didn't Kazami Mei consider Nagasaki Motoyo's selfish thoughts?

"...Whatever you want!"

Shiina Riki felt that her concern was not being taken seriously by him, and she glared at him angrily.

She ignored even the somewhat dejected Takamatsu Akari beside her, turned her head and left the lounge in a huff, leaving only Kazami Mei standing there with a complicated look in her eyes.

Alright, I still need to figure out how to appease Lixi.

……

Nagasaki Motoyo had never felt so distraught. Carrying the bass, she felt her body was several times heavier than usual, and she didn't even know how she got home.

But as soon as she entered the door, she saw her mother, who had returned home early that day. She tried to appear calm but could not hide the sadness between her brows.

"Xiao Su Shi? What's wrong?"

"Mom, don't worry~ I just feel a little unwell, I'll feel better after a nap..."

Nagasaki Motoyo forced a smile and shook her head, but her usually sweet tone was now a little hoarse. She seemed worried that her mother would notice something was wrong, so she hurriedly said a few words and ran back to her room.

But how could Mrs. Nagasaki have not noticed anything wrong? As a mother, she naturally sensed that something was amiss with her daughter.

"That child..."

It's summer vacation, yet she's still carrying her bass guitar out. Mrs. Nagasaki can probably guess what's wrong with that.

However, she understood Nagasaki Motoyo's personality very well. She had always been very mature and understanding since childhood and didn't want to worry her. If she, as her mother, went to ask her, it would only make her feel worse.

Let's leave the child alone for now.

blah blah blah...

The muffled tapping of the screen echoed continuously in the room.

Lying on her side in bed, Nagasaki Motoyo anxiously sent message after message to Toyokawa Shoko. As the entire phone screen was filled with one-sided messages, her typing fingers abruptly stopped.

Why is this happening?

She simply wanted to invite Xiangzi to the live performance so that she could reminisce about their past happy memories and then have a proper talk with her.

Why did they suddenly start playing "Spring Day Shadow"?

Doesn't this mean she deliberately called Toyokawa Shoko over so she could take revenge on her in front of everyone?

Since Toyokawa Shoko is willing to come to the live show with Wakaba Mutsu, it means there is still room for reconciliation between them. As long as they can have a proper talk with her face to face, there will definitely be no problem.

All the plans should have been reasonable, so why did things turn out this way?

hum...

The phone she was holding to her ear suddenly vibrated, and Nagasaki Motoyo almost instinctively picked it up instantly.

[Want to be fertilizer?: Su Shi, how are you doing now?]

It was a message from Kazami Naruto.

Upon seeing the message, Nagasaki Motoyo's pupils contracted slightly. Her first instinct was to swipe away and lock the screen, but she couldn't bring herself to do it the moment her fingertips touched the glass.

My fingers started tapping on the phone's keyboard unconsciously, slowly typing out the words "I'm sorry" and intending to send it, but then I couldn't help deleting the whole thing.

Kazami Mei is not wrong.

Nagasaki Motoyo, who was always used to lying, felt particularly guilty towards him.

Because at first, she only used him as a tool to control Takamatsu Tō, and as a substitute for Toyokawa Sōko's band. After that, she chose to deceive him in order to get information about Sōko from him.

Everything he said was a complete lie.

Even though he was deceiving her, and even deliberately lying to get information out of Toyokawa Shoko, she wasn't angry when he found out. Instead, he gently came over to comfort her.

How could she not feel guilty?

But there's no time for Nagasaki Motoyo to feel guilty now. She invited Toyokawa Shoko without permission and hurt her so much. The reality that has already happened cannot be changed, so we must find a way to make amends!

but--

"..."

Nagasaki Motoyo's deep blue eyes gradually dimmed.

For a long time now, Toyokawa Shoko has stopped replying to his messages, and all of them are marked as 'unread,' which is enough to show that she has no intention of replying to him at all, and may have even blocked him.

Even if he sincerely wanted to apologize to her, he knew he couldn't do it. But Nagasaki Motoyo had to contact her. She would do anything for him, as long as he apologized to Sho.

Having already done this, there's no going back now.

Without hesitation, Nagasaki Motoyo opened Wakaba Mutsumi's Line private chat interface.

……

"So he really isn't replying to messages?"

When Kazami Mei saw the 'read' message displayed on the screen, a knowing glint flashed in his deep black eyes.

He sent the message just to test the waters; he had already guessed that Nagasaki Motoyo's personality meant she wouldn't reply.

However, judging from the fact that she has at least 'read' the message, there is probably no major problem at the moment. At most, she is just hiding in her room and secretly dropping small pearls, trying to protect herself by running away.

Escaping is fine, but this kind of "turtle-style" escaping is the most troublesome type.

Keep in mind that it's summer vacation now, so it wouldn't be strange for Nagasaki Motoyo to stay indoors for a month.

He doesn't reply to messages, nor does he step out of the door.

If Kazami Naruto wants to have a proper talk with her, he has no choice but to storm into her house, especially since he has to do it 'blitzkrieg' without letting her know in advance, otherwise Nagasaki Motoyo will definitely be turned away once she is ready.

As Kazami Mei pondered a solution, he looked at his phone. Besides the message from Wakaba Mutsu that 'Sho has left,' he also received an apology from Toyokawa Shoko afterward.

[Toyokawa Shoko: Alas, I'm truly sorry about today.]

[Toyokawa Shoko: I left without permission today, which must have caused Naruto some trouble.]

When Kazami Mei saw Toyokawa Shoko's reply, he couldn't help but laugh out loud. Shoko's crying and running away had indeed caused him quite a bit of trouble.

If you're willing to use your tiny feet to make lemon tea for me, then I'll forgive you.

I didn't expect that Teacher Da Xiang would still remember to apologize to me when she was so upset. But it seems that she will definitely be determined to let go of the past memories and cut ties with CRYCHIC this time.

I wonder if I'll ever see such a cute and cuddly Xiao Xiang again.

While mentally complaining, Kazami Mei held his phone in one hand and skillfully used his one-handed typing ability from surfing forums to type five words at top speed.