Chapter 132: A Villain’s Victory Was Never in the Script! 

[You and Shinjo Akane are now officially a couple.]

[This makes her incredibly happy, but at the same time, she becomes even more eager—more reckless.]

[She desperately seeks ways to grow closer to you.]

[On the second day of your relationship, she straightforwardly tells you that you don't need to sleep early tonight.]

[When you reject her without hesitation, she gets extremely upset—]

Inside the simulation, memories flowed.

"I don't care!"

Lying on the bed in Minami's small apartment, Shinjo Akane huffed and turned her head away in protest. "Couples are supposed to do that kind of thing! It's completely normal!"

"But that's something that should come naturally over time."

Minami, sitting at the desk reading a book, glanced at her.

"I don't care, I don't care, I don't care! I JUST DON'T CARE! I want it, so you better not even think about sleeping tonight!"

Akane, still wearing her black thigh-high socks, kicked her legs against the bed in frustration, venting her childish temper.

Watching her, Minami sighed slightly and stood up.

"So I shouldn't sleep tonight, huh?"

"Obviously!" Akane fumed. "I've already prepared myself—huh?"

She trailed off mid-sentence, her voice softening.

Her black-socked legs stopped kicking.

Her crimson eyes widened in surprise.

She wanted to say something more.

But before she could, her soft, pink lips were suddenly sealed by Minami's mouth.

A moment later—

"W-WHY DID YOU DO THAT ALL OF A SUDDEN?!"

Akane's once-defiant gaze softened, but she still stubbornly grumbled under her breath.

"Wasn't this what you wanted, Akane?"

Minami sat down next to her without hesitation, his voice calm. "Since you want it, let's get everything done tonight."

Gulp—

Akane swallowed hard.

Her once pale complexion turned completely red at his words. "I…"

"Actually, let me ask you this instead."

Minami lifted her legs onto his lap, gently massaging them as he asked in an even tone, "As a healthy young man, do you have any idea how hard it is for me to hold back every single day while facing someone as cute and beautiful as you?"

"..."

Akane instinctively turned her face away.

She was used to hearing praise for her looks every day.

Compliments like that never made her feel anything special.

But for some reason, when Minami said it—

Something felt different.

Sweetness?

Happiness?

Joy?

Or maybe all of the above?

Akane didn't know how to describe this emotion. She just pouted and mumbled, "Is that so? Then shouldn't you have made a move even faster?"

"I haven't, because I actually care about you."

"…Oh? Is that so?"

Akane blinked in a daze, then felt a warmth bloom inside her chest.

"That's why I'm asking you now."

Minami gently set her legs down, his voice serious. "Are you saying this because you truly mean it, Akane?"

"..."

Akane fell silent.

Was she serious?

Or was she just desperate to get closer to Minami?

At first, she wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

But now—

Now that she had heard Minami's words, she knew.

She slowly lifted her black-socked legs and placed them back on his lap.

Lying on the bed, her crimson eyes shimmered like deep pools of water, looking as though they could swallow Minami whole.

"I want this, Minami."

Propping herself up, she wrapped her arms around his neck, locking eyes with him as she spoke.

Hearing this—

Minami didn't hesitate any longer.

He leaned down, his arms wrapping around Akane's slender waist.

From there, everything that followed felt completely natural.

[That night, you both eagerly explored the mysteries of the human body.]

[Her body, far more developed than most high school girls, allowed you to fully appreciate the beauty of human anatomy.]

[When it came to your advances, she offered no resistance—only full cooperation.]

[Your bond with Shinjo Akane deepened—]

In the real world.

Looking at the lines of text on the screen and the vivid memories replaying in his head…

Minami rubbed his temples.

The simulation was way too detailed.

It felt unbelievably real.

Yet—

He couldn't experience it firsthand.

As a perfectly healthy young man, that was a bit of a letdown.

Not that he was craving Akane's body or anything.

He was just curious.

How exactly did the "Personal Simulation" feature in this system work?

"Next time."

Minami made a mental note.

After finishing this route with Akane, he needed to save up some affection points and test out the four-times cost "Personal Simulation" mode.

With that thought settled—

Minami turned back to the simulation.

He was genuinely curious about where this route was heading.

Especially now that his relationship with Akane had advanced to this point.

She was moving way too fast.

Which also meant—her deep-rooted insecurities might become a problem in the future.

Minami frowned slightly.

Although it was just a hunch…

He had a feeling that Akane's inner anxiety could turn into a hidden danger later on.

[Shinjo Akane's desperation makes you feel uneasy.]

[After all, even in a relationship, moving this fast seems unnatural.]

[On top of that, since dating her, you've never heard her mention her family even once.]

[And for a high school girl to frequently stay overnight at a guy's house—doesn't that seem… odd?]

[She never once called her parents.]

[She always acts like she's wearing a mask.]

[So, you decide—]

Minami's eyes sharpened as he read those words.

Something wasn't right.

[1. Clearly, my relationship with her isn't close enough! From now on, I must put in daily effort to cultivate my bond with Miss Akane! One day, she'll be completely ensnared by my charm!]

[2. Miss Akane is hiding far too much! Relying on her to open up on her own is impossible! If I'm going to be a scumbag, I need to act like one! I'll use the threat of breaking up—I refuse to believe she won't spill the truth.]

[3. Respect her choices and let go of my savior complex. As long as I take care of her in daily life, that should be enough. Why should I pry into her private matters? That would be disrespectful, wouldn't it?]

[4. Personal Simulation.]

The four options popped up.

Minami narrowed his eyes slightly, letting out a contemplative hum as he carefully analyzed them.

This choice was extremely important.

On one hand, it could reveal why Miss Akane was still so hesitant and conflicted.

On the other, it was the key to untying the knot in her heart.

Now then—

The first option was immediately out of the question.

That was clearly leading straight into a "succubus route."

Putting in "daily effort"?

Minami could already picture what that would entail.

He'd probably become so utterly consumed by his indulgent relationship with Shinjo that he'd never recover.

…Though, admittedly, there was a tiny chance she'd eventually fall completely for him.

Shaking his head, Minami cleared away those useless thoughts and turned his attention to the third option.

The "let go of my savior complex" choice—was that a reasonable approach?

Minami doubted it.

He hadn't even figured out why Shinjo was acting so strangely.

If he mindlessly coasted along like that, neither of them would last.

It would be just like his first playthrough.

In that route, Minami had become Shinjo's 'friend' or 'boyfriend'—but at the end of the day, both relationships had been fragile and superficial.

A mere reflection of the moon on water—an illusion.

Which meant—

"That only leaves Option Two."

Propping up his chin, Minami shifted his focus to the second option.

[Miss Akane is hiding far too much! Relying on her to open up on her own is impossible! If I'm going to be a scumbag, I need to act like one! I'll use the threat of breaking up—I refuse to believe she won't spill the truth.]

At first glance, this seemed ridiculously aggressive—practically coercing Akane into revealing her secrets.

But let's not forget—

Since the very beginning of this simulation, Minami had been using a dominant, forceful approach.

And Akane seemed to like it.

In fact, judging from her personality, if he wasn't assertive, she'd probably never open up to him.

With that thought, Minami chose Option Two without hesitation.

[Even though your relationship with her is already extremely intimate, so much about her remains shrouded in mystery.]

[You can't figure it out. You can't see through it. But you do know one thing—how to control Miss Akane.]

[During another night of cohabitation, you finally confront her about the questions neither of you can keep avoiding.]

[Your attitude is serious. At first, she refuses to answer.]

[But under your threat of 'breaking up,' she finally shows a rare moment of panic—and confesses everything.]

Scenes flashed through his mind.

Countless simulated details surfaced.

Faced with Minami's 'breakup' ultimatum, Shinjo Akane—who had always managed to dodge questions about her family and money—

for the first time, looked utterly shaken.

She stole a glance at Minami from the corner of her eye.

When she realized he wasn't joking,

her heartbeat suddenly skyrocketed.

It felt like her body had gone cold, like everything was slipping away.

Minami… was going to leave her?

Just the thought of it—

The sheer unease flooding her chest swallowed her whole.

The girl who always acted so dominant and in control—

When faced with Minami's 'breakup' threat, she suddenly looked utterly vulnerable.

And finally, she told him everything.

Shinjo Akane's parents

were actually the shadowy figures behind the rising real estate empire "Shinjo Properties."

On paper, her family background could rival even Yamada Ryo's prestigious lineage.

But in reality—

Her parents' relationship was far from harmonious.

They had only married for business interests—a cold, calculated arrangement.

And after Akane was born,

they abandoned her to be raised by the family's servants.

From that moment on,

Shinjo Akane stopped believing in human relationships.

She never showed her true feelings to anyone.

After all, if even her parents were like this—

Why should she trust classmates or 'friends'?

Maybe human relationships were all just a lie.

She had thought that way—

Until she met Minami.

As soon as she was old enough, she moved out on her own.

She never called her parents.

In this world, the only two people she cared about—

were Minami and her childhood caretaker, Karasawa Yuka.

Unlike her cold, indifferent mother,

Karasawa had shown her the warmth of a mother's love.

"When I was little, Karasawa-san would always take me to her home to watch tokusatsu shows..."

Shinjo murmured softly.

During those happiest childhood days, she had fallen in love with the world of tokusatsu.

And what she remembered the most—

Was how, in every episode,

there were always monsters and villains, facing off against bright, heroic figures of justice.

Like the two sides of a coin—light and shadow.

She saw herself in those weak, tragic monsters.

Her world had no heroes.

No one had ever come to save her.

One day, she had asked Karasawa—

"Why do monsters always lose to the heroes? Is it just because they're weak? So heroes are allowed to bully them?"

Karasawa had smiled warmly, patting her head.

"Because monsters winning was never part of the script."

"Why not?"

"Hmm… how should I put it? You see, people just prefer heroes over monsters, don't they?"

That one sentence—

Had forever been etched into her heart.

So she became the kind of person everyone liked.

She crafted a persona—cheerful, outgoing, perfect.

No matter who she faced, she wore that perfect mask.

"I see now."

Looking at Shinjo, whose eyes were red but who refused to shed a tear,

Minami didn't offer empty words of comfort.

Instead, he simply wrapped his arms around her.

And, in a quiet, genuine voice, he whispered:

"I'm sorry, Akane."

"And… thank you, for telling me all of this."

[You whisper, unsure whether you're apologizing to her, or to yourself.]

[You also don't know who you're thanking.]

[All you know is that, that night—]

[Shinjo Akane cried in your arms for a long, long time.]