Chapter 139: Narcissism LV4 

After handing the script to Akane, Minami didn't say anything else.

Lunch break wasn't that long to begin with.

Besides, Akane's "friends" were watching from the side.

So after saying just a few words, Minami returned to his classroom.

"Alright… that about wraps up the script matter."

He glanced at the time.

There was still plenty of time before lunch break ended.

Out of habit, he also took a quick look at the affection points he had gained.

After all, he had technically written this script as a favor for Miss Shinjo.

Surely his affection points would have increased, right?

With that in mind, he checked the numbers.

And then—

"Hm?"

Minami stared at the affection points, momentarily stunned.

Then, he let out a soft sigh—

"Miss Shinjo, you really are…"

She really was the embodiment of "saying one thing while feeling another."

She wasn't exactly tsundere.

But seeing the affection points on his screen skyrocket in three huge leaps, Minami couldn't help but sigh.

Yesterday, when he was running a simulation of Miss Shinjo, her affection points had been 600.

That meant at minimum, he could run two full simulations.

But today…

Minami glanced at his current points.

[Current affection points: 1,290]

It seemed he had made the right choice after all.

Just like in the simulation, Akane really loved tokusatsu scripts where kaiju were the protagonists.

And when combined with his near-perfect writing skills…

Minami recalled the evaluation he had received when he finished the script earlier today.

[4.5 stars. A deeply thought-provoking tokusatsu script about humanity and the environment.]

4.5 stars.

That was even higher than the score for his previous work, The Girl Hidden Within the Azalea Fields.

Though, considering the fact that writing literary fiction was objectively harder than writing a script, comparing the two wasn't entirely meaningful.

Still, the score reflected one thing clearly—

Minami's performance this time had been outstanding.

No wonder Akane had contributed so many affection points.

But—

"She gave me so many points… is she actually going to fall for me?"

Minami suddenly felt a little concerned.

Sure, he had approached Akane to help heal her inner wounds.

But if someone as troublesome as Miss Shinjo actually fell for him…

Minami propped his chin up with his hand.

He recalled what Akane had said to him before—

"Who would ever like someone like you?"

All he could do now was hope she meant it.

But—

"No point worrying about that now."

Minami quickly pushed aside his messy thoughts.

He picked up his phone, switched to the camera, flipped it to selfie mode, and looked at himself on the screen.

With a serious expression, he spoke—

"Someone as exceptional as you… it's only natural that people are drawn to you."

Yes!

Perfect!

That's the mindset!

He was this amazing—it was only natural that people would fall for him.

After all, love…

Couldn't be stopped.

Satisfied, Minami put his phone down.

And then—

[Your skill "Narcissism" has undergone a significant breakthrough. Your "Narcissism" has leveled up to LV4.]

"Huh?"

Just as he set his phone down, Minami blinked in confusion at the notification.

He opened his attribute panel with a slight sense of disbelief.

[Love Simulator]

[Bound User: Minami]

Appearance: 9 | Athletics: 7 | Intelligence: 8

Specialties:

Learning (LV4), Narcissism (LV4), Cooking (Happiness) (LV4), Writing (Romance) (LV4), Music (LV3), Lying (LV3), Medicine (LV2), Self-Discipline (LV1), Agility (LV1), Disguise (LV1).

[Simulator Evaluation: A young man already standing out in various talents, and in terms of narcissism, he is truly unmatched. However, extreme narcissism is, in a way, just another form of confidence. You believe that nothing in this world can challenge you. Among women of all ages, you are an exceptionally desirable partner… including a certain few men with rather unique tastes.]

"..."

Staring at his status panel, Minami fell silent.

Among all his LV4 skills, one of them had to be narcissism.

And according to the system's description, LV4 meant top-tier expertise—so high that only a handful of people in the world could rival it.

In other words...

"Does this mean that, even in human history, my level of narcissism would be considered notable?"

Looking at the Narcissism LV4 label, Minami found it hard to accept.

He was convinced that the simulator must have confused narcissism with confidence.

How could he possibly be considered narcissistic?

The two things were completely unrelated!

Besides, wasn't Yamada Ryo even more narcissistic than he was?

Why was her narcissism only LV3, while his was LV4?

This was so unfair!

The exhilaration of earning a massive amount of affection points just moments ago had now been completely ruined by this systemic nonsense.

That said…

Minami figured that from now on, he should be careful.

If his narcissism actually leveled up to LV5, that would mean he'd become truly unmatched in human history.

With that thought, Minami sighed and shook his head.

"Sigh… A man as outstanding as myself is beyond even the simulator's understanding."

[Your specialty "Narcissism" has slightly improved. Current Level: LV4.]

Seeing the system notification pop up, Minami's lips twitched.

But he couldn't be bothered to care anymore. Instead, he focused his attention back on the simulation.

[Would you like to begin the simulation?]

[Yes!]

[Current Simulation Target: Akane Shinjo | Status: Slight Admiration, Slight Awe, Has Some Degree of Interest.]

It seemed that Akane's impression of him had changed quite a bit.

Seeing those descriptions, Minami nodded lightly before immersing his consciousness into the simulation.

[Current Affection Points Remaining: 990]

[Simulation Start.]

[After spending the evening with Akane, you can clearly feel that this girl—who is so skilled at hiding her true self—has lost her previous composure in front of you. She has started to pay attention to your attitude, and she is more aware of your gaze.]

[This does not surprise you in the slightest, because you firmly believe you are the most outstanding young man in the world. It is only natural that she would develop feelings for you—it is simply an undeniable law of nature.]

[However, even so, you still have not broken down her emotional barriers. Through certain means, you learn that she has a deep love for tokusatsu shows and wants to perform at the Shuka High cultural festival.]

[Thus, using your exceptional writing skills, you carefully craft a script tailored just for her.]

[She is deeply moved by your delicate and tragic story, and she recognizes your talent in her heart.]

[Because of this, you decide—]

[The following choice will have a significant impact.]

1. "My grand journey into tokusatsu begins now! If I take full control, the Shuka Festival will become my and Akane's personal stage!"

2. "The Shuka Festival isn't just about me—I need to make sure she's actively involved, too!"

3. "During the performance, I'll dramatically proclaim 'I, the great Minami, have arrived!'—then, riding the festival's excitement, I'll confess my love to her!"

4. [Personal Simulation.]

"I'm narcissistic, not shameless."

Seeing the absurd options, Minami's mouth twitched.

He was completely speechless.

Because he realized that, every now and then, this simulator would throw him a ridiculously over-the-top choice.

At the very least, he knew that he wasn't delusional enough to think he was the single greatest man on the planet.

At most… he'd consider himself one of the greatest young men alive.

But whatever.

Rather than dwelling on nonsense, he needed to focus on choosing the best option.

Since the system explicitly said that this choice would have far-reaching consequences, he had to pick wisely.

Minami scanned the choices carefully.

The first option was out immediately was Choice 3.

Confessing to Akane at the cultural festival?

Sure, it might greatly improve their relationship, and Minami was fairly confident she'd accept.

But moving things forward too quickly made him uneasy—it reminded him too much of the tragic endings in his first and second playthroughs.

If he started dating her before helping her overcome her inner struggles, he'd just be avoiding the real issue.

Rather than making her fall in love with him first…

It was far more important to help her find her own sense of self-worth.

So, option 3 was out.

That left options 1 and 2.

And honestly, this choice wasn't difficult at all.

Without hesitation, Minami chose Option 2.

The first option basically meant he would take over everything and solve all of Akane's problems for her.

Sure, that would increase her affection for him.

But.

That was exactly what he did in his second playthrough.

Back then, he handled everything perfectly on her behalf—only for Akane to feel completely worthless, leading to another tragic ending.

Option 2, on the other hand, was perfect.

By working together with Akane to improve the event, she would also find her own sense of value.

Because at the end of the day—

Akane cared about performing at the Shuka Festival's tokusatsu stage far more than he did.

"This should be enough."

Minami murmured to himself as he continued watching the simulation unfold.

[A solo performance may be dazzling, but a collaborative effort has its own charm.]

[You take full responsibility for the script while leaving the casting, kaiju suits, and stage setup to Akane.]

[At first, she complains about the workload. But deep inside, she secretly looks forward to it.]

[Because deep down, as someone who dreams of being a tokusatsu director, she has always wanted her own show to be performed at a festival.]

[To her, this isn't just an opportunity—it's validation of her dreams.]

"Just as I thought."

Seeing the simulation's description, Minami nodded.

As he expected.

This Shuka Festival Tokusatsu Stage was Akane's first attempt at making a real tokusatsu production.

She could not and would not allow it to fail.

If he had chosen Option 1 and handled everything himself, it would have led to another bad ending.

But now… that bad ending should have been successfully avoided.

Minami continued reading the simulation.

[The Thanasis kaiju suit and the stage setup—these were not a challenge for Akane, who came from a wealthy family.]

[She had already collected numerous kaiju suits at home. With some minor modifications and adjustments, she could create the perfect Thanasis suit.]

[Similarly, she had a large collection of detailed scale models often seen in tokusatsu shows—buildings, mountains, oceans. Even if she didn't have enough, her exceptional craftsmanship allowed her to create more with ease.]

[However, what troubled her the most was, unsurprisingly, casting the kaiju actors.]

[She had many so-called "friends," but when it came to people she could truly confide in… they were few and far between.]

[Even if she called in those "friends" for help, they would be of no real use to the stage performance.]

[Because of this, she felt anxious and frustrated. Having never truly made friends with sincerity, at this moment, it seemed like she had no one to rely on—except for you.]

[Her dependence on you has deepened.]

[The next choice will have life-changing consequences.]

[Faced with her increasing reliance on you, you think—]

1. As the social butterfly of Shuka High, you know plenty of people. Gotoh Hitori, Yamada Ryo—they're both kind-hearted. If you ask them for help, this problem should be solved, right?

2. Akane is simply overthinking. She has plenty of "friends"—if she just lowers her pride and asks, the problem should resolve itself.

3. If you think carefully, Akane must have at least a few close friends, right?

4. [Personally Simulate .]

Another choice prompt popped up.

And once again, it was labeled as a "life-changing" choice.

Just looking at it gave Minami a headache.

Most other simulation targets either never triggered an "impactful" choice, or at most, only triggered one.

But Akane?

She was built differently.

The simulation had barely begun, and he was already facing two major decision points.

And—

"They're all death flags..."

Minami muttered as he analyzed the newly presented options.

Yes.

They were all potential death flags.

That was what made this situation so frustrating.

The first option was essentially identical to the previous first option—it followed the same flawed logic.

If he handled everything for Akane, she would once again spiral into self-doubt and isolation.

Option 1 was clearly a no-go.

And if Option 1 was out of the question, then Option 2 was also problematic by default.

But now…

He had successfully avoided that mistake.

Akane's so-called "friends" were only drawn to her because of her flawless personality and striking appearance.

As for something like a tokusatsu stage play… Minami figured that even if they agreed to perform, they'd just half-heartedly go through the motions without putting in real effort.

That meant only one option remained.

"Option 3, huh?"

Minami shifted his gaze toward the third choice.

[3. If you think about it carefully, Akane should still have a few close friends, right?]

To be honest, this option was way too vague.

Even the wording—"should"—was really concerning.

However…

"It's worth considering."

Minami murmured to himself.

Because he had thought of someone.

Rikka Takarada.

That girl…

She could probably be considered Akane's real friend.