Chapter 122: You and Yamada Ryo Gradually Get Closer 

What is Shinjo Akane thinking?

What does she want?

Minami felt that these were the most important questions.

Because as of now—

Shinjo Akane was the most unpredictable simulation target he had ever encountered.

First, she suddenly became his "friend."

Now, she wanted to skip straight to being lovers.

No matter how he looked at it—the pacing was way too fast.

So, Minami chose to accept her confession—

While also keeping a close eye on how things would develop.

[You are fully aware that your relationship with her is progressing too fast. Her sudden confession is undeniably abnormal.]

[But since the girl took the initiative, how could a man retreat? That very night, you reply to her on LINE, agreeing to her request.]

[You and Shinjo Akane have become "lovers."]

Again with the quotation marks?

Minami frowned at the suspicious single quotation marks around "lovers."

But thinking too much about it wouldn't help.

Might as well keep watching.

[After becoming lovers with Shinjo Akane, your daily life begins to change. She frequently approaches you with a bright smile, chatting with you in front of your classmates.]

[Her adorable, playful demeanor makes the other boys in your class envious to no end.]

[As her boyfriend, you fulfill your duty—engaging her in lively conversations.]

[However, every time she talks to you, she always carries a mischievous smile.]

[Something about the way she narrows her eyes makes you feel like she's thinking about something else entirely.]

[But out of respect for her, you do not question it.]

As Minami read, his intuition told him—

Something was definitely off.

[Through your conversations, you learn that she has a deep love for tokusatsu shows. Whether it's the 'Kamen Rider' series, 'Ultraman' series, or 'Super Sentai' series, she has an extensive knowledge of all of them.]

[Whenever the topic shifts to tokusatsu, she passionately shares her insights and opinions.]

[Wanting to understand her better, you go online to research various tokusatsu-related materials, including films and novels.]

[Your knowledge of tokusatsu increases.]

[Aside from tokusatsu, she also seems very interested in your writing abilities. She frequently asks you about writing techniques.]

In the simulated memory—

A warm sunset glow illuminated her face.

She rested her chin on her hand, looking lazily relaxed.

Her crimson eyes shimmered with a playful plea as she spoke:

"Hey, Minami-kun, teach me how to write, okay? Some kind of… quick and easy writing shortcut!"

Minami shook his head.

Achieving LV4 writing proficiency in a short period was impossible.

"I can teach you, but it'll take time."

"Aww, really?"

She dragged out her words, her voice playful yet sweet.

And then—

Out of his sight, her cheerful expression gradually darkened.

[She constantly pesters you to teach her about writing, and you do not refuse.]

[However, reaching LV4 writing skills requires a long period of practice—something nearly impossible to achieve in a short time.]

[Given your natural sensitivity to emotions and social cues, you begin to realize—]

[Shinjo Akane has never truly liked you. All of her kindness towards you seems to have a hidden agenda.]

"She doesn't actually like me…?"

Minami tapped his desk, deep in thought.

[She is like an elegant Persian cat—showing equal friendliness to everyone, but never truly opening her heart to anyone.]

[Still, you are undeterred. You are Tokyo's No.1 Pretty Boy—this challenge does not scare you.]

[You begin executing a plan.]

[Creating 'coincidental' encounters, carefully selecting outfits, and slipping in romance novels among the writing lessons—hoping to stir something in her heart.]

[But every attempt fails. No matter how much time you spend together, you never break through her emotional barrier.]

"..."

By this point, Minami already knew that this simulation was a failure.

If even a romance novel couldn't break through her heart, then what could?

Minami furrowed his brows.

This entire simulation was shrouded in uncertainty.

Everything gave him the feeling that he could almost grasp the truth, but it still slipped through his fingers.

What exactly did Shinjo Akane want? What was she trying to do?

Behind that ever-mischievous smile of hers, what kind of thoughts and emotions was she hiding?

Before this, there were Gotoh Hitori, Yamada Ryo, and Nishikigi Chisato.

All these girls had clear goals and the drive to work toward them.

But Shinjo Akane was completely different.

She concealed everything about herself in a fog, making it impossible to read her.

And yet, she was supposed to be the heroine of a tokusatsu show?

Logically speaking, weren't tokusatsu heroines supposed to be bright, energetic, and full of life?

At the very least, shouldn't they have the image of a "good person"?

Minami Shouji let out a sigh, pondered for a while, but ultimately gave up due to a lack of direction.

He continued the simulation.

[Every morning, you wait for her early, walking to school together, discussing the tokusatsu series she loves—something you deliberately studied just for her. She seems to have noticed this effort.]

[Yet, despite all this time spent together, Shinjo Akane never once truly opened up to you. That mischievous smirk of hers felt more like a mask than a genuine expression.]

[You keenly sensed this and began to wonder—what was the point of investing so much into a "girlfriend" who never once revealed her true feelings to you?]

[Love should always be a two-way journey. If you're the only one moving forward, then it's meaningless.]

[A love like that is too fragile, too insignificant.]

[Shinjo Akane's heart remained tightly shut, leaving no room for hope.]

[You felt a hint of regret—perhaps at some point, in some fleeting moment, you truly developed feelings for her.]

[But as someone well-versed in matters of the heart, you understood: attraction does not equate to love. The reason she became your girlfriend seemed to be nothing more than her wanting your help with writing—nothing beyond that.]

[You never once got close to her heart, and she never once tried to understand you.]

[Lying on your bed, you thought to yourself—perhaps it really was time to give up.]

[The deeper you sink into this emotional swamp, the more foolish it becomes. Devoting your heart to someone who never reciprocated even a single bit of affection—what was the point?]

[Every teasing smirk she gave you was just an act—never once did it contain an ounce of sincerity.]

[She was like a carefully calculated performer, where everyone in reality was nothing more than part of her stage.]

[Her cheerful and outgoing demeanor was just another part of her disguise. The optimism, the kindness—it was all a mask she had crafted to be more well-liked. Every thought and feeling she truly had was hidden beneath that mask, unseen by anyone.]

[You wanted to understand her. You wanted to figure her out. For that, you had tried countless times, made so many efforts, even offering to share her burdens.]

[Yet even so, when facing you, she still wore that ever-present, smiling mask, dismissing everything with words like 'There's no problem at all, it's just your imagination.']

[Your efforts seemed completely useless.]

[Realizing this, you felt disappointed and decided to find the right moment to quietly leave the girl's side.]

"Good grief."

Watching his own decision in the simulation, the real Minami Shouji clicked his tongue.

In previous simulations, it was either Gotoh Hitori succumbing to self-doubt or Nishikigi Chisato's heart condition acting up—both cases where external forces or uncontrollable events caused the simulation to halt.

But never before had the simulation ended with his simulated self choosing to give up.

That said, there was a reason for this.

No man, after pouring his heart out and persistently pursuing someone, only to be unable to open the other's heart, could keep going indefinitely.

A one-sided pursuit held no meaning whatsoever.

Especially when that wicked woman, Shinjo Akane, was clearly just using him to improve her writing skills.

That made it all the more meaningless.

Even in reality, if faced with such a situation, he figured he would have made the same choice to walk away.

Since this simulation had already ended in failure, he figured he might as well see what happened next.

Minami Shouji pushed aside all unnecessary thoughts and immersed himself back into the simulation.

[Your gaze gradually shifts away from Shinjo Akane.]

[Yamada Ryo, who had just finished a band session, seemed to have noticed the recent changes in your mood. Every now and then, she invited you out for meals and casual hangouts. The two of you started taking turns treating each other.]

[Yet at the same time, you couldn't quite understand it. Yamada Ryo had always been someone who valued her freedom, preferring to act alone—so why was she suddenly inviting you out so often?]

[When you cautiously asked, Yamada Ryo merely tilted her head slightly, her golden eyes blinking with elegant laziness as she replied that she felt something was off about you lately.]

[You didn't deny it. And with her actively keeping you company, you did indeed feel a lot better.]

[She started spending more time by your side.]

"..." Minami Shouji.

Miss Yamada, you...

Minami Shouji rubbed his temples, at a loss for words.

Miss Yamada, you sure are...

Shaking his head, he continued reading.

[You had completely let go of Shinjo Akane and returned to your normal life.]

[And that was when a black-haired girl appeared.]

[She approached you first, hoping to have a talk with you.]

[You recognized her. Her name was Rikka Takarada—one of the many 'friends' in Shinjo Akane's social circle, if that person could even be said to have friends.]

After school, Shuka High was unusually quiet.

Other than the shouts of the sports teams—"Go, go!" and "Next year, we'll take nationals!"—there was no other sound.

Minami Shouji shifted his gaze away from the athletes burning with youthful passion and looked toward Rikka Takarada.

Another beautiful girl.

Her shoulder-length black hair cascaded like fine, silky ribbons, and her deep sapphire-blue eyes were strikingly clear.

But none of that had anything to do with him.

What mattered more was why Rikka Takarada had come looking for him in the first place.

After all, apart from their brief encounters due to Shinjo Akane, they had no real connection.

At the thought of Shinjo Akane, Minami Shouji's brow twitched slightly. He turned his head to the side. "Is there something you need, Takada-san?"

His tone was calm, with a hint of unfamiliarity.

"Minami-kun, why did you stop?"

Rikka Takarada's voice was as composed as ever beneath the setting sun, but the content of her words carried a certain aggressiveness.

"Stop? Stop what?"

"Stop your relationship with Shinjo-san! Weren't you two dating?"

Rikka Takarada tilted her head slightly as she countered, but to Minami Shouji, her words carried an inexplicable undertone.

"To Takada-san, perhaps it seemed that way."

Minami Shouji gave her a deep look before shaking his head.

"It's not that I was unwilling to continue. Takada-san must have realized it too—Shinjo-san has never truly been interested in anyone. That includes me."

"She's never opened her heart to anyone. Not to you, and not to me either."

Yes.

Shinjo Akane had never once shown him her true self.

The only thing she had ever been interested in was his writing skills. Beyond that, there was nothing.

Rikka Takarada fell silent.

She probably knew Minami Shouji was speaking the truth.

"The brightness and positivity she showed were merely surface-level traits. The deeper aspects of her... I once wanted to understand them, and I worked hard to do so, but she never gave me the chance."

Minami Shouji propped his chin up with his hand and let out a shallow sigh.

That was right.

He had once tried so hard for Shinjo Akane.

He had given so much.

He had tried various ways to make her happy, to gain her trust, but none of it had worked.

Minami Shouji paused for a moment before continuing, "Otherwise, why would it be you—her friend—standing here asking me to continue this relationship, instead of her, my supposed girlfriend?"

That is, if a one-sided effort could even be called a relationship.

With that, Minami Shouji picked up his school bag, ready to leave.

But just then, Rikka Takarada's voice came from behind him.

"Minami-kun."

"Hmm?"

"Do you really think... that you never touched Shinjo-san's heart—not even once?"

What was that supposed to mean?

Minami Shouji instinctively turned around.

And that was when he saw it.

Rikka Takarada, standing beneath the sunset, looking heartbreakingly sad.

That was also the last time he ever saw her at Shuka High.

[After graduating from Shuka High, you successfully entered Todai and gradually grew closer to Yamada Ryo.]

[When you met Rikka Takarada again, she brought with her news of Shinjo Akane's passing.]