Chapter 182: Second Chance to Simulate in Person 

Mass Release: 18 Chapters

Status: Done!

....

"I'm relieved because you've grown."

Minami Shouji, confirming that Hitori Gotoh was fine, stood up and poured her a glass of water.

"At that moment, on that stage, openly confessing to someone—was that something you could have even imagined doing before?"

It was true.

Even Hitori had to admit it.

Yes, maybe her brain had short-circuited in that moment.

But the fact that she had stood on that stage, without hiding inside her "Ripe Mango" box, and still had the courage to speak...

That alone was proof of her progress.

However—

"By the way, there's already a rumor spreading all over school that we're dating."

Minami suddenly turned to her, blinking playfully. "So? Want to give it a try for real?"

"Eh...?!

Hitori's whole body jolted.

Dating Minami...?

Trying it out...?

Everything was happening too fast—she couldn't process it.

Was this divine mercy?

Could she really... date Nami?!

A part of her desperately wanted to nod and say yes right this second.

But another part—frozen in shock and doubt—couldn't get the words out.

"Just kidding."

Seeing her reaction, Minami chuckled and shook his head, dropping the subject before she got too flustered.

It seemed like, despite how much bolder she'd become, Hitori was still Hitori.

"Ugh—"

Realizing she'd just missed an opportunity, Hitori clutched her bright red face and buried herself under the covers, refusing to come out.

—

After a little more flustered writhing, Hitori finally sat up, still avoiding eye contact with Minami.

She had no choice—

It was already 6:30 PM.

If she stayed here any longer, night would fall.

By now, most of the visitors had left the school.

The students, exhausted from a long day, were packing up and heading home.

This was the make-or-break moment—

Some successful booths had already sold out and started cleaning up.

Meanwhile, the less successful stalls still had to stick around tomorrow, trying to clear their inventory.

But none of that had anything to do with Minami.

Thanks to his help, his class's chocolate banana stand had already sold out.

And tomorrow—

Kessoku Band had no practice. "LycoReco" wasn't expecting him as a guest chef. Shinjo Akane had her own plans. In other words—

"Everything's wrapped up today… which means I can finally take it easy tomorrow."

As he waved goodbye to Hitori—who was leaving with her parents, Naoki and Michiyo Gotoh—Minami let out a small sigh.

Yes.

After this chaotic, utterly unpredictable Cultural Festival…

Tomorrow, he would finally be free.

"A rare moment, huh?"

No tutoring for Kessoku Band.

No kitchen duties for LycoReco.

No late nights spent grinding through script revisions.

Tomorrow… he was truly free.

Just thinking about it...

Minami Shouji took a deep breath of fresh air, preparing to head home and enjoy his completely obligation-free day tomorrow!

But just as he was about to take his first step—

"Excuse me, could you wait a moment?"

...Hm?

A calm, cold, and unwavering voice called out from behind him.

Minami instinctively turned his head.

At some point—

A girl in an Shuka High School uniform, wearing a white lab coat over it, had appeared behind him.

She had waist-length, fluffy hair.

Her bangs curled slightly at the ends.

Her sharp, narrow eyes gave her a serious look when she lifted them.

Her small frame seemed somewhat mismatched with the imposing presence of her chest, which could rival Mount Fuji.

And her golden eyes, framed by glasses and the white lab coat, gave her an air of intelligence and composure.

From her attire alone, it was clear—

This girl was a textbook "science-type girl."

Minami scanned her quickly before furrowing his brows, speaking with some uncertainty:

"You're... Futaba Rio from Class 4, right?"

Yes.

Minami had a vague impression of her.

Her name was Futaba Rio.

A student from Shuka High School's 2nd-year, Class 4.

And the reason Minami remembered her was simple.

—About a month ago, he had seen her accepting an award on behalf of their school at the National Physics Competition.

Since that was a school-wide event, Minami naturally remembered her name.

But that was the extent of it.

Winning a physics competition had nothing to do with him.

And since they weren't classmates, he had just stored her name in the back of his mind and forgotten about it.

So...

Why was Futaba Rio, someone he'd never spoken to before, suddenly approaching him?

Minami couldn't understand.

She didn't seem like the type to randomly strike up conversations either.

Just as Minami was about to ask further—

[New Simulatable Target Detected: Futaba Rio]

"...Hm?"

The sudden system notification in his ear caught Minami off guard.

She qualifies for simulation too?

He hadn't expected that.

But first—

Minami set the system notification aside and asked,

"What do you need, Futaba-san?"

"... …"

Despite being the one who initiated the conversation, Futaba Rio didn't immediately respond.

Instead, she just stared at Minami through her glasses with those piercing golden eyes.

After a brief silence—

"Tomorrow. Could you come to the science prep room?"

It should have been a question.

But the way Futaba said it felt like a command.

Minami frowned slightly.

She wasn't even giving a reason—

She just expected him to show up?

"...I have some questions I'd like to ask you."

"Fine."

—

Classic "science girl" behavior.

Minami agreed.

Not that he was particularly eager to spend his precious free day doing this.

But if it was just answering some questions…

It was no big deal.

After quickly agreeing on a time, Minami turned and headed toward the train station.

Yet, all the way home, he found himself dwelling on the name "Futaba Rio."

After all, the system had flagged her as a new simulation target.

And following past patterns—

She had to be the heroine of some anime.

More importantly—

"Futaba Rio… that name does sound familiar."

It felt like he'd heard it before in his past life.

But not clearly…

—

As the train rocked gently, Minami sat by the window, deep in thought.

His sharp, handsome features, slightly furrowed brows, and pensive gaze on the passing scenery...

It was enough to capture the attention of a few high school girls from another school who had just boarded.

"...Who is he?"

"Some kind of idol?"

"He's so handsome…"

They whispered excitedly, watching him from a distance.

But before they could gather the courage to ask for his contact info, Minami got off the train and disappeared into the night.

Leaving them with regret.

—

Meanwhile, Minami had finally figured it out.

As he stepped into his rented apartment, he knocked on his forehead lightly and muttered—

"I remember now."

After wracking his brain, he finally recalled where Futaba Rio was from.

It was from an anime he had watched in his past life—

"Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai."

—

However.

Unlike the "heroine" candidates he'd encountered before—

Futaba Rio wasn't a main heroine.

She was just an important supporting character.

That's why Minami's impression of her wasn't strong.

After all—

Some people only remember the protagonist and forget the supporting cast.

Minami was one of those people.

Because, to be honest—

Compared to the cold, analytical "science girl" archetype like Futaba Rio…

His personal preference back then leaned more toward the main heroine, Sakurajima Mai.

And besides—

"I could've sworn Futaba Rio already liked someone else."

Minami raised an eyebrow, looking at Futaba's name on the simulation list.

—

Yes.

In the original story, high school Futaba Rio had a crush on Kunimi Yuuma, the best friend of the protagonist, Azusagawa Sakuta.

And Kunimi already had a girlfriend, Koga Tomoe.

A tangled mess, really.

—

To be honest.

When Minami had watched the anime, he never thought Futaba's feelings for Kunimi were actual love.

At most, it seemed like a fleeting admiration from a science girl toward an energetic, sociable classmate.

Because in the original, the only reason she supposedly "fell for him"…

Was because he once gave her a red bean bun.

...

—

"...Seriously?"

If this was a novel, he would've let it slide.

But in real life?

Would a girl really fall for a guy just because of a single bean bun?

Minami had his doubts.

To him, Futaba's feelings weren't romantic.

More like curiosity or admiration—

For someone so bright and open, the exact opposite of herself.

But still—

"Even if that's the case, she might still like Kunimi, right?"

Minami yawned, staring at Futaba's name on the simulator.

—

"No need to simulate."

—

Yes.

There was no need.

If Futaba Rio was really into Kunimi, then simulating wouldn't change anything.

It would just waste his resources and effort.

Minami wasn't interested in pointless struggles.

—

But before closing the system, he did have one last complaint.

"How the hell does this simulator keep adding girls who already like someone else?"

He poked at the blue simulation interface and grumbled.

The system was getting weirder and weirder.

First, it let him simulate Gotoh Futari.

And now, it was offering him Futaba Rio—a girl who supposedly already had feelings for someone else.

"You seriously think I'm some kind of playboy?"

Minami propped his chin on his palm, sighing.

"Or are you calling me a NTR Hero?"

(TL Note: Bullhead MC)

Futaba Rio probably already liked someone else.

And yet, the system still added her to the simulation list?

Was this some kind of joke?

Bullhead, huh?

You like cuckoldry, huh?

Well, I refuse.

Minami Shouji shook his head and looked at his simulation list.

Then, he reached out his finger.

—

[Do you want to remove 'Futaba Rio' and 'Gotoh Futari' from the simulation list?]

—

"So I can actually remove people from the list, huh..."

Seeing the system prompt, Minami felt energized.

Honestly, his simulation list was a complete mess.

He had been meaning to clean it up for a while.

And now that he saw the option…

Minami didn't hesitate.

His fingers moved swiftly across the screen.

—

[You have removed 'Shouji Yuko,' 'Shouji Naomi,' 'Gotoh Futari,' and 'Futaba Rio' from the simulation list.]

—

"Nice."

Satisfied, Minami pulled back his hand and looked at the now much cleaner simulation list.

In just an instant, a whole chunk of names disappeared.

But honestly?

Those names were full of dangerous implications—

"German orthopedic syndrome" (sibling relationships), "Hikaru Genji plan" (raising someone to be a lover), and "Bullhead warrior" (cuckoldry).

It was safer to delete them altogether.

—

"Now then..."

Minami's finger remained on the glowing system screen.

His gaze shifted toward his remaining affection points.

After all the chaos at today's School Festival…

His current total was—

"1,510 points?!"

—

"That's way too fast!"

Minami was stunned.

It had only been a week since his last direct simulation.

Even yesterday, he only had around 400 points.

Yet in just one day…

He had gained over 1,100 points?!

Sure, the School Festival played a role.

But this fast?

"This is insane..."

Muttering to himself, Minami stared at the huge number on his screen.

—

With 1,510 points in his account…

There was no doubt—

He could now perform another direct simulation.

So…

"What should I do next?"

Minami fell into deep thought.

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