How can my simulation be a real love?

"puff!"

Kazami Naru's strange, furrowed brow almost made Yutenji Wakana spit out her beer.

"How could that be, meow!"

"My ideal type is a mature man who is very reliable in crucial moments, preferably with excellent financial conditions, outstanding abilities, and a strong sense of responsibility! How could I possibly be interested in a naive high school student like Naruko?!"

Yutenji Wakana angrily retorted to Kazami Naru in front of her, but the other party just raised his eyebrows and stared at her with a meaningful smile. When she realized what was happening, Nyanmu-sensei couldn't help but narrow her captivating cat eyes.

Only then did she realize that she, a grown woman, had been tricked by the other party?

BYD, are you trying to trick me?!

……

In the stillness of the night, the stars and moon shone brightly.

Ms. Nyanmu, whose face was flushed from drinking, was safely taken home by Kazami Naruto. After filming the footage and indulging in a big meal, she was in a very good mood.

She had initially thought Kazami was just a child, but to her surprise, they actually got along quite well when they started chatting.

"Naruko, is it really okay not to film?"

Teacher Miaomeng stared pitifully at Fengjianming in front of her, her beautiful pink eyes misty with tears, and her delicate, aggrieved words came out.

This time, however, Kazami Mei was not fooled by her pitiful act at all. She just rolled her eyes and said, "I've already said that I don't want to be on camera at all. You'd better just give up honestly."

"Besides, Teacher Miao, although you didn't include me in your video, you still subtly hinted that someone was having dinner with you. That alone should be enough to attract a lot of attention, right?"

"Haha? Is that so?"

Yutenji Wakana blinked, her index finger gently touching her smooth chin, trying to act cute and fool him.

Kazami Mei didn't bother to argue with her 'adult' little bit of cleverness, but just stared at her and raised an eyebrow meaningfully.

For bloggers like Miaomeng who rely on traffic for their livelihood, so-called 'traffic' is all they have. As long as her actions don't affect Fengjianming's reality, he doesn't mind helping her out a little.

Previously, because Nyan always approached him with a fake smile and occasionally had impure motives, Kazami Mei would keep a certain distance from her and his attitude towards her was naturally a little more distant than that of the other Mujikas.

However, after Kazami Naruto had a heart-to-heart talk with her today, his opinion of her changed somewhat.

Considering that Teacher Da Miao is under a lot of pressure working under Xiangzi, we should try to help her as much as possible in the future, depending on the situation.

Perhaps it was Kazami Naru's tacit approval that put Nyanmu in a good mood, so she winked charmingly and smiled, "Naruko was quite the gentleman today~ He even went out of his way to take this beautiful drunk older sister home properly. If I were alone, I might not have made it back~"

"Now, Meowme's affection for Naruko has increased dramatically! UP↑UP↑～"

"Of course, my home address was also accidentally found out. Naruko, don't get any strange thoughts about your older sister because of this, okay?"

Kazami Mei rolled her eyes at Yutenji Wakana's teasing look and casually said, "When you were eating and drinking like that, didn't you ever think about how to get home?"

"Isn't Naruko here? You're not going to leave your older sister here in the shop, are you?"

Kazami Mei raised an eyebrow, wisely refraining from exposing Yutenji Wakana's 'lie'.

Anyone with eyes can see that Ms. Da Miao has a pretty good alcohol tolerance. Even after drinking several large bottles of beer in front of Kazami Naruto, she still maintains a clear mind. As an 'adult,' she always remembers her limits when it comes to alcohol and would never actually get herself drunk in front of him.

Even if Kazami Mei doesn't specifically send her back, Oobi can go home by herself without any problem, right?

Although he still returned it to her—

Kazami Mei looked at the tipsy purple-haired older sister and said slowly, "I will talk to Xiangzi later to suggest that you reduce your practice burden. I am the chief composer of AveMujica, and I will help you adjust the drum rhythm as appropriate. As for the practice time, you can arrange it privately."

"Of course, if you slack off during practice and cause frequent problems in ensemble training, then even if I speak up for you... Xiangzi will probably get angry and give you a severe military reprimand."

"..."

Yutenji Wakana stared blankly at the black-haired boy not far away, her mouth agape.

"Meow Dream?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I've had too much to drink today, and my head is a little dizzy."

Yutenji Wakana, who snapped out of her daze in an instant, reverted to her flushed, drunken state. Her two small fists were pressed down slightly in a cat-paw motion, and she did indeed appear to be in a somewhat dazed state.

Seeing this, Feng Jianming simply shook his head slowly, then sighed helplessly at her.

He casually pulled a bottle of plum juice from his hoodie pocket, which he had bought on the way out of Chai Dajiang Ramen.

"Take it, it might be of some use."

After handing the plum juice to the other person and confirming that Yutenji Wakami had properly closed the iron gate to her solitary residence, Kazami Mei turned around and left towards the other side of the street. Little did he know that no sooner had he left than the purple-haired older sister leaned against the door with a complex and subtle expression on her face.

I was just venting my frustrations and complaining to him while we were drinking.

But Miao Meng really didn't expect that he would actually listen to her complaints.

She pretended to be drunk and confused to see if he would do anything, but to her surprise, Kazami Naruto actually took her home without saying a word and even gave himself a hangover drink at the end.

With a somewhat complicated feeling, Yutenji Wakame narrowed her pink eyes and exhaled a long breath.

"...I don't like drinking plum juice."

Complaints floated in the chilly air, adding to the loneliness of the already desolate apartment.

the other side.

After dropping Yutenji Wakana off at home, Kazami Naru headed straight for his small, run-down apartment. He hadn't expected that he and Ootenji lived not far apart. No wonder he ran into Ootenji when he bumped into Hatsuka earlier; it turned out that she also happened to live in this area of ​​Yokohama.

tick...

A cool, moist sensation suddenly seeped into my body from the skin of my neck.

A strange sense of unease made Kazami Naruto subconsciously reach out his hand in front of him. Just as he had guessed, a light drizzle fell into his palm. Kazami Naruto frowned, surprised that it would rain at this time, and his gaze unconsciously drifted to the brightly lit supermarket not far away.

Less than a minute later, Kazami Mei left the supermarket with a disposable transparent umbrella.

The autumn rain curtain filled the air with the desolation of fallen leaves, and the rain-soaked air, along with the biting mist, sprayed on our faces.

This made Kazami Mei, who was carrying an umbrella, quicken her pace and finally arrived at her apartment before the rain poured down. Lights could still be faintly seen on the rusty metal staircase.

But as she stepped toward the door of her apartment, Kazami Naruto's movements as she folded her umbrella gradually stiffened.

Following his gaze—

There sat a beautiful girl with shoulder-length blonde hair, all alone, at the door of his house.

Her silky blonde hair was tinged with a faint watery hue from the rain, and her fair, smooth neck and casual shirt showed signs of dampness. Her violet-like eyes were lowered as she gazed ahead.

She was like an abandoned dog struggling in a storm, only able to catch her breath in this brief moment of peace.

"Chuhua?"

Kazami Mei took a deep breath and asked in a somewhat surprised tone.

Sitting there, Misaka Hatsuka, looking flustered, quickly stood up. The usually elegant and noble Hatsuka, who was as charming as a dream, appeared disheveled, nervous, and tired on stage. She stood there like a child being punished, completely at a loss.

"Hug, sorry!"

"I just happened to want to take a walk around the area, and then this rain suddenly started and I didn't know where to go... so I thought I'd come here to Mingsang to take shelter from the rain for a bit. If you mind, you can leave now..."

With a dejected look in her eyes, Mitsumi Hatsuka seemed too afraid to look up and meet Kazami Mei's gaze. She was worried that she would see his furrowed brow, and Mitsumi Hatsuka absolutely did not want to see that expression on his face.

Even if Kazami Naruto were to ask her to leave now, she would not hesitate for a second.

Kazami Naru gazed at the pitiful blonde girl in front of him with a complicated expression, then stepped forward without hesitation.

"Chuhua, come in quickly."

"Anyway, you should go and dry yourself off first, and then take a good shower. It would be a real shame to catch a cold from the rain. This rain is unlikely to stop anytime soon, so why don't you stay at my place and rest for a while, Chuhua?"

Kazami Mei, of course, couldn't just leave Hatsuka unattended.

Despite being greeted by Kazami Mei, Misaka Hatsuka remained motionless. With her hands behind her back, she dared not raise her head, and a voice filled with disappointment and resentment drifted out: "But doesn't Mei dislike me a little? It wouldn't be appropriate for me to just come in like this without permission, would it?"

"I never said I hated you."

After saying that, Kazami Mei quickly went to the bathroom to get a clean towel, and after leading Misumi Hatsuka in, she carefully dried her wet hair.

It was only at this moment that he suddenly realized that Chu Hua had not come empty-handed; her eyes were darting around as she carried a bag of vegetables and fruits.

Misaki Hatsuka naturally noticed where Kazami Mei's gaze was, and then nervously raised her head: "I thought that Mei's family's food supplies should be running out soon, so I took the liberty of buying some things to bring over."

"If Ming doesn't mind, please accept this. It's just a small token of my gratitude."

How did you know that my food supplies were almost gone?

Kazami didn't say this directly; he didn't refuse the ingredients the other person had specially bought.

"Thank you, Chuhua, but you should still—"

"Ming came home a little late today. Have you... eaten out yet?"

Standing before her, Misaka Hatsuka gripped her right arm tightly with her left hand, her beautiful, hopeful yet worried purple eyes unable to lift. A closer look revealed that her shoulders were trembling slightly as she stood at the doorway, causing Kazami Mei to swallow back all the words she was about to say.

How should I answer this?

55

Chapter 55 Calm down, first of all, you have to calm down.

The girl standing in front of him tightly clutched the pure white towel that Kazami Mei handed him, but her once bright and elegant golden hair, as vibrant as the sun, had taken on a dull and matte look. Her face, which she dared not lift, was filled with worry and unease, and deep in her tired eyes seemed to hide a faint, almost imperceptible, expectation.

Ever since that subtle confession was rejected, the two have been unable to get along as ordinary friends.

Not to mention that after Mikami Hatsuka was rejected by Kazami Mei, she earnestly expressed her thought that she would "never give up," but expressing this thought also meant that Mikami Hatsuka would set up obstacles for herself.

From then on, any action she takes could be based on her goal of "conquering" Kazami Mei.

Whatever Misaka Hatsuka wants to do, Kazami Mei might think it's 'deliberate'; if his thinking is even more extreme, he might even think that today's so-called 'taking shelter from the rain' might also be a carefully planned scheme by Hatsuka.

However, now, Kazami Mei was sweating quite a bit.

"Have you... eaten out yet?"

Looking at the white plastic bag in the girl's hand, which was filled with a lot of ingredients, Kazami Mei felt a little awkward about how to answer her.

Even though he had previously rejected Misaka's hints about confessing her feelings, it didn't mean that Kazami Mei would completely distance himself from her as a friend. So when he saw the girl looking disheveled in the rain at the door today, he didn't hesitate to lead her into his house to take shelter from the rain.

After spending some time with her, Kazami Mei also learned what kind of person Misumi Hatsuka really was.

The idol who stands on the stage, always glamorous and radiant, exuding elegance and beauty, bears immense pressure and burdens that are unimaginable to ordinary people.

While working as an idol, she also serves as the guitarist and lead vocalist at Ave Mujica, and writes lyrics for the band's songs. It can be said that Ms. Chuhua's workload and pressure at this moment are no less than those of the drumming expert, Teacher Da Miao.

Despite her seemingly perfect appearance, she possessed a fragile and weary heart. In particular, Chu Hua, who came to Tokyo alone from the countryside to work, had no relatives or friends to rely on. From the very beginning, she had to work hard on her own, and she could only digest any negative emotions alone.

The only friends she could talk to, besides her childhood friend Xiangzi and her work partner Donut, were Mr. Kazami, who had rejected her confession.

If Kazami Mei had simply and coldly replied that she had already eaten, then Hatsuka's already fragile heart would likely have been further damaged.

Even from a friend's perspective, Feng Jianming wouldn't do that, not to mention that he's just a stubborn but soft-hearted nice guy.

After careful consideration, Kazami Mei said with a gentle smile—

"No, I haven't had dinner yet."

There's nothing I can do but eat dinner twice tonight, even if it's with tears in my eyes.

"...Please don't worry about me, I...I really didn't mean anything by it."

Upon hearing this, Misaka Hatsuka shook her head with a somewhat fearful look in her eyes. She seemed very concerned that Kazami Mei was considering her feelings.

Seeing this, Kazami Mei sighed inwardly and explained in a calm tone, "I went out today to handle some band-related work, so I didn't get back to the apartment until very late. Naturally, I haven't eaten anything yet."

"I just ran out of food in the fridge, and I was planning to just grab a bowl of instant noodles and call it a day..."

He paused for a moment, then his gaze swept over the plastic bag that Sanjiao Chuhua was carrying.

"But Chu Hua, you happened to send over a lot of ingredients, so why don't I cook dinner for us?"

After a moment's hesitation, the girl replied in a somewhat heavy tone, "If... if Ming doesn't mind eating with me..."

No, why does the Earth feel heavier?

Feeling the suffocating pressure that felt like a python coiling around her, Kazami Mei, who had just taken the plastic bag, temporarily ignored the pressure that seemed to come from nowhere and tried to comfort her with gentle words: "Anyway, Hatsuka, why don't you take a hot shower first? Wearing wet clothes for a long time will definitely make you catch a cold."

"Before you come out... I'll go prepare dinner and a change of clothes."

"Ming, thank you..."

With a complicated expression, Misaka Hatsuka gazed at Kazami Mei's face, then carried the clean white towel toward the bathroom.

Watching the girl's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Kazami Mei, who was standing still, simply shook her head slightly.

Miss Chu Hua's dependence and inferiority complex seemed to be overflowing. She hadn't realized how deep her feelings for him had become. If she were to accidentally find out that she had already had dinner with Teacher Da Miao tonight—