Chapter 121: Show Her the True Power of 18 legendary techniques! 

"Huh?"

Minami, who had already closed the chat, saw a new message from Kita Ikuyo.

He instinctively tapped it.

And then—

He saw a photo.

It was a casual mobile shot, a bit blurry and taken from an awkward angle.

A typical group selfie with several girls huddled together.

A photo like this?

Any Japanese high school girl could take dozens of them daily.

If she was obsessed with taking pictures, hundreds in a day wouldn't be unusual.

However—

One girl in the photo completely captured Minami's attention.

A purple-pink-haired girl with delicate features.

Her school uniform was loosely draped over her shoulders, revealing a white shirt underneath, giving off a lazily relaxed aura.

She was surrounded by other girls, flashing a mischievous smirk while making a crab-claw hand pose at the camera.

"It's her?"

Staring at the photo, a long-buried memory suddenly surfaced in Minami's mind.

Just like Nishikigi Chisato and Gotoh Hitori—

Shinjo Akane was also an anime heroine.

And if Minami remembered correctly—

The anime was called "SSSS.GRIDMAN."

Shinjo Akane was one of the main heroines in that story.

Minami tapped his fingers lightly on the desk.

But… that was about all he remembered.

Because "SSSS.GRIDMAN" was quite different from "Bocchi the Rock!" and "Lycoris Recoil."

He had at least watched a bit of the latter two.

However, "SSSS.GRIDMAN" mainly focused on tokusatsu-style animation and beautiful heroines—

Neither of which particularly interested Minami.

So he had never actually watched it.

He had only heard about it and had a vague impression.

From what he recalled, the world of "SSSS.GRIDMAN" featured giant monsters.

But…

"This world doesn't seem like the kind where kaiju would appear."

Glancing out the window at the familiar Tokyo cityscape, Minami shook his head.

Yes.

He had been in this world for a whole year now.

And he had never seen any sign of monsters or anything similar.

Most likely, just like Nishikigi Chisato and Inoue Takina,

Shinjo Akane's kaiju-filled world wouldn't manifest in this mundane reality.

"Well then…"

Minami muttered to himself.

He had gathered the basic information.

He now knew which anime Shinjo Akane was from.

It was time—

To begin the simulation.

[Start Simulation?]

[YES!]

Without hesitation, Minami selected YES.

His consciousness plunged into the simulation.

[After handing over your novel manuscript to Ishikawa Kento, you return to the classroom, feeling a deep sense of emptiness from having completed all your tasks. At the same time, an inexplicable boredom creeps into your life.]

[At that moment, you suddenly notice that, for some reason, a mere second-place-ranked girl has developed hostility toward you.]

[A woman in this world who doesn't like me? As you ponder this absurdity, you find yourself—for the first time—curious about this ignorant woman you've never even met.]

"Why does this simulator make me sound like one of those 'every woman should love me' types?"

Minami frowned at that last line.

Still…

Ignoring the simulator's slander, he really was curious about why Shinjo Akane was hostile toward him.

So, he continued reading.

[To satisfy your curiosity and clear up your doubts, you obtain basic information about Shinjo Akane from Kita Ikuyo.]

[You also learn that Shinjo Akane is deeply interested in tokusatsu films.]

[Thus, you decide—]

1. Uncover the truth—find out why Shinjo Akane is hostile toward you.

2. Forget about it—there's no point getting involved with an unimportant woman. Instead, you should focus on building a better relationship with Miss Yamada, who has been sending you lots of LINE messages you've forgotten to reply to.

3. Approach her directly—politely ask, "I heard you have some really rare tokusatsu films at home. Can I come over tonight to watch them?"

4. Personally simulate.

Minami blinked.

Then, after reading through the choices—

His expression became even more perplexed.

Because each of these options was more ridiculous than the last.

First—Option 2.

Miss Yamada… why do you appear in every single simulation?

Minami exhaled.

Without a doubt—

If he chose Option 2,

this entire Shinjo Akane simulation would probably turn into the Yamada Ryo route.

Seriously—why was her name in every simulation?

Should this even be called a "Love Simulator"?

Or should it be renamed "Yamada Ryo Simulator" instead?

Then there was Option 3.

If Nishikigi Chisato's "follow her home" option was ridiculous—

Then this option was even worse.

Directly approaching Shinjo Akane and asking to visit her home that night?

First of all—she was a girl.

Even if she were a guy, no one would agree to such a sketchy request.

A total stranger suddenly approaching you and saying, "I want to stay at your place tonight"—

Who wouldn't think that guy was insane?

And on top of that, the excuse was "to watch tokusatsu films."

At the very least, if the simulator had said, "I heard your pussy cat can do backflips, so I want to see it,"

Minami might have actually considered it.

But a lone man and woman in a room together?

Watching tokusatsu?

Yeah, right.

It would be a miracle if she didn't immediately report him for harassment.

And the simulator clearly wasn't considering Shinjo Akane's parents either—

Did it really think they'd just leave the door open for him?

In the end, Minami chose Option 1.

[1. Uncover the truth—find out why Shinjo Akane is hostile toward you.]

By now, Minami had successfully completed two happy-ending simulations.

He had experience.

He understood that before anything else—

He needed to figure out why Shinjo Akane had such a negative impression of him.

Otherwise, forget about a happy ending—

Even having a normal conversation with her would probably result in a death glare.

The simulation continued.

[You understand that, to resolve someone's hostility, you must first uncover the reason behind it. You decide to start by figuring out why Shinjo Akane harbors an unexplained resentment toward you.]

[When it comes to understanding others' emotions, you are far from clueless. With careful thought and observation, you deduce the reason behind Shinjo Akane's hostility.]

[In the 'Shuka' school journal, your novel stood out significantly. Many students were in awe of your work. In contrast, the other published students—including Shinjo Akane—were overshadowed and rarely mentioned.]

"So that's the reason."

In reality, Minami nodded.

No wonder Shinjo Akane's hostility only surfaced today.

It was because he had submitted "The Girl Hidden Within the Azalea Fields."

She had probably seen or overheard Ishikawa Kento praising his novel in the office, and it left her feeling bitter.

Her grades weren't as good.

Her writing wasn't as good either.

That gap must have made her feel uncomfortable.

[After uncovering the reason, you approach Shinjo Akane directly.]

[You subtly try to ease her hostility with carefully chosen words.]

[But to your surprise, despite supposedly resenting you—Shinjo Akane greets you with a bright smile, pulling you down to sit beside her as if you were close friends.]

[Her squinted, beaming smile is both beautiful and genuine.]

[And when you bring up her 'hostility,' she immediately pats her chest, insisting that she holds absolutely no ill feelings toward you.]

[Her warm and approachable attitude makes you feel that something is off, but you can't quite put your finger on it.]

[Since Shinjo Akane insists that she isn't upset, you decide to let the topic go.]

[After exchanging a few pleasantries, you get up to leave.]

[As you go, she flashes a bright, sunshiny smile and asks for your LINE contact.]

[You and Shinjo Akane have become 'friends.']

"Huh?"

Minami froze when he saw the simulation log.

This… counts as progress?

Just a short conversation and exchanging LINE already made them 'friends'?

Looking back at Gotoh Hitori, Yamada Ryo, and Nishikigi Chisato—

He had to go through hell just to befriend them!

For Shinjo Akane to become a 'friend' so quickly…

Wait.

Minami narrowed his eyes at the quotation marks around "friend."

Had they really become friends?

Or was there something deeper going on?

He decided to wait and see.

And then—

The next development shocked him even more.

[That night, on LINE, Shinjo Akane takes the initiative to chat with you.]

[She occasionally slips in playful and teasing remarks.]

[In terms of social skills, she is as skilled as you are.]

[Before you know it, it's already midnight.]

[As your conversation comes to an end, Shinjo Akane sends one final message.]

[Using subtly suggestive words, she expresses her fondness for you—

And hopes to start a relationship with you.]

"…What?"

She… took the initiative to confess?

She wants to be in a relationship?

Feeling the weight of the simulated memories, Minami opened his eyes.

Something wasn't right.

Absolutely not right.

In the simulation, he had only met Shinjo Akane for a single day.

Just one day.

Forget about becoming lovers—even becoming normal friends that quickly felt too fast to Minami.

What exactly is this woman trying to do?

Minami furrowed his brows.

Something about Shinjo Akane was fundamentally different from his previous simulation targets.

But now that things had developed this far, he could only continue watching.

[Faced with her sudden confession, you are undeniably surprised. After all, you've only known her for a single day—no matter how you look at it, this is too sudden.]

[In response, you decide—]

1. She's already made the first move—how could you, as a man, back down? Accept without hesitation! Show her the power of the eighteen legendary techniques!

2. Even though she took the initiative, it's still too sudden. Subtly express that you also have feelings for her, but suggest starting as friends first.

3. This woman is up to no good. If she wants to date me after only one day, I don't even want to imagine what's coming tomorrow! Flat-out reject her! Honestly, Yamada Ryo's sugar mama route seems way more appealing!

4. Personally simulate.

Minami didn't even bother looking at Option 3.

Instead, his focus shifted between Option 1 and Option 2.

The meaning behind Option 1 was simple—

Shinjo Akane confessed, so he should accept right away.

As for the "eighteen legendary techniques" part…

Well, obviously, he wasn't going to jump straight into that.

If things moved that fast, Shinjo Akane would set the record for the fastest romance in simulation history—

Day 1: Becomes friends.

Day 2: Becomes lovers.

Day 3: Eighteen legendary techniques.

Even a rocket wouldn't be this fast.

On the other hand, Option 2 was a more traditional, gradual approach—building a solid emotional foundation before officially becoming a couple.

Honestly—

If this were any other simulation, Minami would have chosen Option 2 without hesitation.

Slowly building a relationship made more sense.

After all, romance without a foundation is like a floating weed with no roots.

But—

"This time… Shinjo Akane herself seems off."

Minami narrowed his eyes.

Becoming "friends" immediately.

Then asking to be lovers on the same night.

What was hiding behind these rushed actions?

Taking it slow might have worked with his previous simulation targets—

But in this simulation…

Minami felt that a slow approach would most likely lead to failure.

He thought for a moment—

Then reached out and made his choice.

1!

[She's already made the first move—how could you, as a man, back down? Accept without hesitation! Show her the power of the eighteen legendary techniques!]