Chapter 159: Yamada-san’s Turn!
Minami stepped out of the practice room,
Feeling completely refreshed.
Even though, under Ryo Shouji's influence,
Yuna Shouji had started showing early signs—
Of becoming a shameless woman
Who borrowed money left and right from her bandmates.
Thanks to his guidance today—
She would hopefully learn her lesson.
Thinking back to how his obedient daughter had nodded along to his every word,
Minami felt quite satisfied.
"Of course, I'm amazing."
He felt a bit pleased with himself.
But after walking a few steps,
He suddenly paused.
"Wait…"
Minami stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Wasn't my goal… to teach my daughter… NOT to have a father complex?"
…Damn.
He blinked.
He had just given Yuna a long lecture about money management and personal values.
If he turned around now to lecture her again—
It would completely ruin the impact.
In the worst-case scenario,
She might start thinking of him as some nagging old man.
Forget It.
Minami stood in place for a moment,
Before finally deciding to move on.
Honestly,
He didn't really care that much about Ryo Shouji's words—
That he should "educate his daughter properly."
After all—
For young girls whose emotional maturity hadn't fully developed,
It was actually pretty normal to have a father complex.
Besides—
Liking a high-quality man like him wasn't exactly a bad thing.
At least this way,
His daughter wouldn't lower her standards
And end up getting bullied by some loser guy.
Thinking this,
His desire to "correct" her quickly faded.
He might as well head home.
---
The Shouji household was designed just like a proper mansion should be.
A grand spiral staircase led to the upper floors.
Some areas even had open-concept loft designs,
Giving the entire space a spacious, layered look.
At that moment,
Ryo Shouji was sitting on the sofa,
Flipping through a music magazine.
The pages featured various bands,
News about who had recently debuted and gained popularity,
And recommended new songs.
Seeing Minami approach,
Ryo Shouji closed the magazine—
And lazily stretched out her pale, delicate foot,
Tapping it lightly against his knee.
Then, lifting her cold, emotionless face,
She asked—
"How did it go?"
"I gave her a good talking-to."
Minami casually grabbed Ryo Shouji's calf,
Placing it onto his lap,
And began gently massaging her foot.
Maybe because she had been pampered since childhood—
Time had left no trace on Ryo Shouji's face or figure.
She still looked just like she did in high school.
A charming, androgynous beauty.
Her sharp, amber eyes held a calm, lazy glint.
Her deep blue bob was casually gathered behind her ears,
And the small beauty mark at the corner of her eye—
Only added to her allure.
As Minami looked at her delicate collarbones,
He suddenly felt intrigued.
Leaning forward—
He lightly bit her pale earlobe,
Before whispering—
"Ryo, don't I deserve a little reward?"
"Nnh…?"
Feeling the ticklish sensation,
Ryo Shouji lifted her head slightly.
"Reward…?"
For the first time,
A faint blush spread across her pale face—
Like autumn leaves turning red under the sunset.
She seemed to realize what was about to happen.
She stood up—
Attempting to escape.
But before she could—
Minami wrapped his arms around her,
Holding her in place.
Like a prey caught in a trap.
His grip wasn't even that strong,
Yet she still couldn't break free.
Her emotionless face—
Now carried a hint of panic.
In the calmest voice she could manage,
She said—
"The child is still here."
"Yuna said she'd be writing a new song in the practice room."
Minami whispered into her ear.
"We can call her for dinner later."
His breath brushed against her sensitive ear.
The red tint on her ears deepened.
Holding her soft, mature body,
Minami said—
"Spend the afternoon with me, Ryo."
"…Okay."
Perhaps she had accepted what was about to happen.
Her usually sharp, cold gaze—
Became soft, and misty.
She tenderly grasped his hand.
Outside the Shouji family's garden,
The weather was perfect.
Sunlight filtered through the tree leaves,
Casting dappled shadows into the room.
The only sound that broke the silence—
Was the occasional hollow "clack" of the bamboo shishi-odoshi.
---
Evening at the Shouji Household
After leaving the master bedroom,
Minami headed to the practice room,
To tell Yuna—
"Your mother and I aren't feeling well, so we'll eat out tonight."
As usual,
Yuna agreed immediately.
She grabbed her unfinished music sheets—
And followed her parents to a restaurant.
As they walked—
Yuna noticed something odd.
Her mother,
Who never showed emotion,
Had a faint blush on her cold, expressionless face.
She found it strange.
But in the end,
She chose not to ask.
Instead, she chatted and laughed with her parents.
Inside the restaurant—
Minami held his wife's hand,
And gently conversed with his now-grown daughter.
Every now and then,
He would glance at his wife.
She—
Would avert her gaze, looking a little embarrassed.
Minami smiled.
Time flowed quietly.
The sunset turned into a deep night sky.
After returning home,
And spending even more time with his wife,
Minami finally closed his eyes—
And fell asleep.
===
[Direct Simulation Complete.]
A soft notification tone echoed in Minami Shouji's ears as he opened his eyes.
"1200 simulation points for just 12 hours? Simulator-chan, aren't you being a little stingy?"
The first thing he did upon waking up was poke at the simulator's soft blue interface with his finger.
Of course, the simulator wasn't going to just send him back because of that.
But—
"Overall… I guess I'm pretty satisfied."
Stretching lazily, Minami Shouji felt refreshed.
Yes.
He felt completely satisfied.
He had seen what his married life with Ryo Yamada would be like.
He had seen what their daughter would grow up to become.
And, most importantly,
He had spent a lot of time 'bonding' with Ryo.
He had to admit—
Everything about direct simulation felt ridiculously real.
His daughter's expressions.
The warmth of Ryo's skin.
For a moment,
He actually felt like he had lived that life.
Like reality and simulation had blurred together.
"And that was only 12 hours…"
"If it were 24, I might actually forget which life is real."
Minami shook his head.
The simulator probably limited the time on purpose to prevent exactly that from happening.
Still…
For someone as free-spirited and lazy as Ryo,
She had been surprisingly cooperative behind closed doors.
"Guess you really can't judge a book by its cover."
Minami clicked his tongue in amusement.
The cooler someone looked on the outside,
The hotter they burned on the inside.
With that satisfied thought,
He sat up in bed and turned his eyes to the simulator screen.
Aside from reminiscing about the simulation,
There was something else he needed to check.
[Simulation data has changed due to alterations in the target's future.]
[Adjusting evaluation… Please confirm.]
Minami raised an eyebrow and tapped the confirmation button.
The screen refreshed before his eyes.
[Final Score: 94 Points]
[Outcome: 'Happy Ending' Achieved.]
[System Review: Love without end, passion without regret.]
[Your meeting was an accident, yet fate brought forth an encounter neither of you could have imagined.]
[In the past, she lived with regret, mourning her father's passing.]
[Your love ended in sorrow.]
[But in this world, 'what if' route truly exists.]
[This time, you fell for each other once more—
and before tragedy could strike, you rewrote her fate.]
[No amount of time could dull her feelings for you.]
"So it really did change, huh?"
Minami muttered, raising an eyebrow.
Yes.
Before the simulation even started,
The system had already warned him—
This would be a slightly altered timeline.
And just from reading the final review,
He could already tell what changed.
Ryo's father never passed away.
And the lingering regret that had always been there between him and Ryo—
Was now gone.
"I really saved her this time, huh?"
Minami let out a satisfied breath.
Ever since that 89-point regretful ending,
He had always felt bothered by the fact that he had only been one point away from a 'happy ending.'
But now…
That thorn in his heart was finally gone.
This time,
His direct simulation had given him a perfect result.
Minami felt quite satisfied.
And—
"94 points, huh?"
Staring at the system score, he was genuinely surprised.
94.
That was even higher than the 93 points he got when simulating Chisato Nishikigi and Takina Inoue.
"Isn't that a little too much, Miss Ryo?"
Resting his face on his hand,
Minami couldn't help but reflect.
After all, he had only simulated Ryo Yamada twice.
Once, using a character card.
And this time, through direct simulation.
And yet,
He had already reached 94 points?
That progress was honestly kind of scary.
"94, huh…"
"So does this mean…"
"…Yamada-san now has memories of her 'happy ending' too, just like Bocchi?"
Closing the simulation page,
Minami pondered.
From what he could tell so far—
Direct simulation wasn't all that different from a regular one.
But…
Since the last simulation results had already changed,
That meant direct simulations had a higher priority level than normal ones.
So, if Ryo Yamada now remembered her happy ending,
That was only natural.
"Well, either way, that has nothing to do with me right now."
Stretching lazily,
Minami let out a yawn.
Yes.
No matter what,
Memories from a simulation were just that—simulated memories.
They had nothing to do with his current life.
Besides,
It wasn't like anything unexpected was going to happen this late at night anyway.
Reaching for his phone,
He turned on the screen to check the time.
It was just past 9 PM.
"It's still a little early, but…"
"With everything going on these past few days…"
Minami let out another yawn.
Between simulations, the school festival preparations, and everything in between—
He had been running around non-stop.
And with even more festival chaos coming up,
It wouldn't hurt to sleep early and recharge.
At least that way,
He'd have more energy tomorrow.
With that in mind,
He lay back down, closed his eyes, and—
Ding-dong—
The sudden sound of a doorbell cut through the silence,
Snapping his eyes wide open.
"Hmm?"
Minami frowned slightly.
It was already past nine.
Who the hell was ringing his doorbell at this hour?
His first guess was his landlord.
But he had already paid his rent in full this month.
There was no reason for them to come knocking.
Then…
Who could it be?
Scratching his head,
A rather absurd thought popped into his mind—
"It couldn't be… Ryo, could it?"
Maybe it was because the direct simulation was still fresh in his mind,
But he somehow thought of her first.
Of course, just thinking about it made him realize how ridiculous it was.
That was Ryo Yamada he was talking about.
The queen of laziness,
Who hated troublesome things more than anything else.
There was no way she'd show up at his apartment this late at night.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang again.
If he didn't open it soon,
It might bother the neighbors.
Sighing,
Minami got up, turned on the lights,
And walked toward the door.
Grabbing the handle,
He pulled it open with a smile—
"Who is it?"
"Me."
The simple response made Minami's fingers pause mid-air.
Blinking in surprise,
His eyes focused on the figure standing outside.
He stared once—
And then stared again—
Just to make sure he wasn't imagining things.
A pair of amber eyes met his.
The soft glow of the porch light reflected off her silver ear piercings,
Peeking out from beneath her short blue hair.
Her cool, elegant face—
The kind that made anyone stop and take a second look.
And of course—
That signature beauty mark beneath the corner of her eye.
"Ryo?!"
Minami blurted out in shock.
Yes.
Standing right in front of him was—
Ryo Yamada.
Ryo Yamada…
Had just shown up at his door.
And in that moment,
Minami realized something—
His earlier assumptions
Had been completely wrong.
Sure, Ryo Yamada hated trouble.
Sure, she was lazy and didn't like unnecessary effort.
But—
She was also Ryo Yamada.
And in addition to being lazy,
She was also spoiled rotten by her parents,
With a personality that was recklessly free-spirited and self-indulgent.
A normal girl wouldn't just show up at a guy's apartment this late at night.
Among all the girls he knew—
Only Chisato Nishikigi might have the guts to pull something like this.
And aside from Chisato—
There was only one other person who would.
The girl standing in front of him right now.
"Ryo… What are you doing here?"
Minami asked, eyeing the girl in her black knitted sweater.
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Ryo Yamada blinked her cool, amber eyes at him.
"I missed you."
"So I came."
Yes.
She had missed him.
So, she came.
What was so wrong about that?
---
(TL Here: There's no smut, but if anybody's interested then I could make smut... Just a what if there was smut. Provide tags if you can, my limit is gore and vore.)
Yes: (0/3)
No: (3/3)
Edit: No Smut... Welp, I had plans but nvm. Expect instead mass release later instead. 4/1 and mass release again once the arc reaches Mirai in patreon(236).