Chapter 3: Let’s Go Find Another Woman

The simulation restarted!

The system panel flickered, and the text began to rearrange itself.

This time, the content was different.

[During lunch break, after chatting with the girls, you wanted to continue studying, but there wasn't enough time left to preview your lessons. Reluctantly, you decided to give up on the preview option.]

Indeed, things were different now. It seemed that actions taken in reality could influence the development of the simulation.

And why was he so fixated on studying? Sure, he was disciplined, but this was a bit much.

Minami sighed, thinking, As expected of me, and continued scrolling.

[However, through your conversation with the girls, you confirmed that there was a girl named Hitori Gotoh in Class 3 of the first year. She was gloomy, silent, didn't interact with others, and secretly harbored feelings for you, the guy with a 9 in appearance.]

[You had full confidence in the Romance Simulator, firmly believing that she couldn't possibly be the kind of weirdo who wore a pink tracksuit and skirt to class. She must be a beauty worthy of your 9-point appearance.]

Was the mention of his 9-point appearance a bit too frequent? Was he really that obsessed with his looks?

Minami touched his face, slightly self-conscious.

[Afternoon classes ended. For someone with your exceptional learning ability, the material at Shuka High wasn't particularly challenging. Even if you slept or played on your phone, acing the exams would be no problem. Remembering the conversation about Hitori Gotoh during lunch, you decided to—]

[1. Go straight to Class 3 and find her;

2. Gather more information about Hitori Gotoh by trying to access her personal records in the teacher's office;

3. Forget about Hitori Gotoh and go out to find another woman to hang out with;

4. Enter the simulation personally.]

Staring at the options, Minami quickly made his decision.

Option 3, "find another woman to hang out with," was intriguing, but it was clearly a dead-end choice.

As for Option 2, Minami was genuinely tempted. After all, understanding someone's background was essential for starting a relationship.

But considering it would involve invading her privacy, he reluctantly dismissed the idea.

That left Option 1.

While it was a bit too direct, it suited his style.

Minami made his choice.

[After the afternoon classes ended, with your exceptional initiative and a 9 in appearance, you decided to head to Class 3 of the first year to find Hitori Gotoh.]

[Along the way, you attracted a lot of attention. Minami, the top student in the second year and a popular figure among many underclassmen, was now venturing into the first-year area. The excessive attention annoyed you—you were only here to find Hitori Gotoh, the girl who secretly admired you.]

[Fortunately, the journey to Class 3 was short. Ignoring the stares as usual, you arrived at the first-year classroom. The appearance of a well-known second-year senior in the first-year area naturally drew a lot of attention.]

[After quietly and carefully asking around, you finally spotted Hitori Gotoh. However, contrary to your expectations, she wasn't sitting by the window like many anime protagonists. Instead, she was sitting in the very back row, in the middle of the class, like an extremely inconspicuous background character.]

[Although it was only faint, you seemed to feel that the other person's gaze, hidden behind overly long bangs, was curiously peeking at you.]

As he read this line of text, related memories surfaced in Minami's mind.

Among the many curious gazes in Class 1-3, Minami saw a girl sitting in the last row, her head lowered, looking somewhat nervous and uneasy.

She was wrapped head to toe in a pink outdoor tracksuit, paired with pink sweatpants and a black pleated skirt. Not only did she lack the usual fashion sense of a high school girl, but she even looked a bit strange.

Her entire body was covered by the tracksuit, leaving no bare skin exposed. Her overly long bangs hung down like curtains, completely shutting out the world from the window of her soul. With her slight hunch, Hitori Gotoh appeared especially gloomy and silent.

Because she kept her head down, Minami couldn't clearly see her face. However, from the way she occasionally peeked up at him, then quickly looked down again while nervously rubbing her hands, he could tell one thing—she was very pale, unusually so, like someone who rarely got any sunlight.

"But seriously, Hitori Gotoh's fashion sense is terrible, isn't it?"

Snapping out of the memories provided by the system, Minami couldn't help but mutter.

At first, he thought this was just an exaggerated impression formed by the girls in his class.

But to his surprise, it was all real.

A high school girl who actually wears outdoor sweatpants with a black pleated skirt?

What kind of bizarre species is this?

Well, whatever. Since she secretly admires me, and her appearance rating is at least a 7…

Even if she's a bit odd, Minami didn't find it completely unacceptable.

He continued reading.

[You don't mind her strange outfit. In fact, you're a bit curious about why she dresses this way. Compared to the fashion-conscious Japanese high school girls, her existence is as rare as a wild snake.]

[She seems to have noticed your gaze. Feeling anxious, Hitori Gotoh stands up, slings her guitar over her back, and looks ready to flee—]

[Faced with her imminent departure, you decide to—]

[1. Play the long game and let her go]

[2. Make a bold move, shout "Hitori Gotoh, I like you!" and hug her from behind to stop her.]

[3. She seems to like the guitar—perhaps you can use that as a way to start a conversation?]

[4. Personally simulate the situation.]

"No way, seriously?"

Ignoring the choices for now, Minami rubbed his forehead.

Just because I looked at her once, she's so scared that she wants to run away immediately?

No wonder in my first playthrough, this girl never spoke to me even once in three whole years, despite my appearance rating of 9.

She can't even handle a single glance from me—how could I expect her to start a conversation on her own?

What the hell are you dreaming about? Snap out of it me!

Minami shook his head and began evaluating the three options.

Letting her go was out of the question.

With how timid she was, if he let her escape now, the story would probably turn out just like the first playthrough—where they ended up as complete strangers, and he became nothing more than a study machine.

As for the second option…

Honestly, if the simulation character weren't himself, his mischievous side would have loved to choose it just to see what happened next. But the simulation opportunities were too rare to waste on this.

So that left only one answer.

Guitar.

(Picture here:)

Now that he thought about it, he seemed to have a knack for musical instruments.

In his first playthrough, he had even specifically learned the bass to win over the wife he didn't even know the name of at the time.

Minami chose the third option.

[A skilled hunter never lets an opportunity for a proactive strike slip away. Since she wants to flee like a rabbit, you must be the hunter that lures her into your sweet trap.]

[Seeing the guitar on her back, your quick-thinking mind immediately came up with a plan.]

[You called out to Hitori Gotoh.]