Chapter 183: Gotoh Hitori, the Incomplete Harem Ending 

"So… what should I do next?"

Minami Shouji stared at the remaining Heartthrob Points, deep in thought.

1,510 Heartthrob Points.

That was undoubtedly a massive amount.

Even if he used 1,200 points for a Direct Simulation, he'd still have 310 points left, enough for another normal simulation.

The question before him was simple—

To simulate… or not to simulate?

"Hmm…"

To be honest, Minami personally leaned toward not simulating.

Direct Simulations didn't hold much practical significance for him.

Spending 1,200 points just to experience twelve hours of simulated married life with the target… There wasn't really anything enticing about it.

As a self-disciplined, morally upright young man with strong self-control, resisting such temptations was a walk in the park!

However—

"Looking at it another way… Heartthrob Points come from the simulation targets themselves."

Minami glanced at the 1,510 points and furrowed his brows.

Since these points were generated because of them, wasn't it only natural to use them for them?

Which meant—

"Just considering that alone, it makes sense to do a Direct Simulation."

Minami nodded to himself.

This wasn't about temptation.

It was about logic and efficient resource allocation!

As a self-disciplined, morally upright young man with strong self-control, this was merely a responsible decision, not indulgence in desire.

Ahem—

Back to the topic.

Now that he had decided to run another Direct Simulation, the next step was choosing the target.

Minami pulled up the simulation list and scanned the names.

[Simulation Targets: Gotoh Hitori, Yamada Ryo, Nishikigi Chisato, Shinjo Akane]

Ryo was out of the question.

Minami quickly skipped over Yamada Ryo's name.

He had already simulated her once before.

He had already seen what kind of married life she would have.

With Minami as her husband and Shouji Yuna as their daughter, Ryo was undoubtedly happy.

Knowing that was enough.

No need for a second run.

That left three options—

Gotoh Hitori, Nishikigi Chisato, and Shinjo Akane.

Minami's eyes lingered on their names before settling on Gotoh Hitori.

Yeah… It had to be Hitori.

Minami exhaled softly.

He had already wanted to pick Hitori last time.

She was the first simulation target he had ever chosen.

In a way, she was the one he understood the most.

Just that connection alone made her a logical choice.

Not to mention—

Gotoh Hitori had consistently ranked first in the Heartthrob Point contributions.

That made the decision even clearer.

"Last time, Ryo forced her way in, so I had to switch targets…"

Minami muttered to himself.

But today was different.

Ryo wasn't an option this time.

So naturally, his choice was Hitori.

Minami tapped on her name.

A soft blue system window appeared before him.

[Would you like to spend 1,200 Heartthrob Points for a Direct Simulation?]

[Yes/No]

"I wonder… what a married life with Hitori would be like."

Minami felt a flicker of curiosity.

That timid, self-conscious girl…

Who would one day stand on huge stages like Budokan and Tokyo Dome…

Who would become the Queen of Rock…

What would she be like after marriage?

With that thought, Minami didn't hesitate and clicked—

[Yes!]

[Current Heartthrob Points Remaining: 310]

[Direct Simulation Attempts Remaining: 0]

[The future of the simulation target has not changed. Would you like to load the Life Simulation?]

[Yes/No]

"Huh? The future hasn't changed?"

Minami blinked.

Unlike Ryo's simulation, where her father's fate had drastically changed the future, Hitori's remained exactly the same.

But then—

"Wait a second."

Just as Minami was about to tap "Yes", he hesitated.

If Hitori's future was unchanged…

Did that mean—?

"Ijichi Nijika and Kita Ikuyo might fall for me too?"

Minami suddenly realized something off.

He hadn't forgotten.

Back in Hitori's Happy Ending simulation, something unexpected happened—

Because he tutored the entire band and later fell sick from overwork, both Ikuyo and Nijika developed feelings for him.

Which meant that if the real-world events followed the same path…

There was a high probability that Nijika and Kita would also start liking him?

"This is…"

Minami frowned.

Which also meant—

He really might get sick from overworking himself with tutoring?

"Yeah, right."

Minami didn't buy it.

Ever since getting the Simulator, he had kept up with daily morning runs and exercise routines.

His stamina and energy levels were higher than ever.

Some mere tutoring…?

Sure, he'd felt a bit tired lately, but not nearly enough to collapse from exhaustion.

Shaking his head, Minami dismissed the thought.

"Whether it happens or not, that's something for the future. The most I can do is watch my health."

No point worrying about it.

He clicked "Yes."

The simulation moved forward.

[Please select the simulation time period.]

[Available Time Period: A certain day when Shouji Miyuki was in 4th grade.]

Having done this before, Minami had a clear plan.

Last time, he had chosen Yuna's high school years.

So this time—he'd check out his daughter's elementary school days.

Lying back on his bed, Minami closed his eyes.

[Direct Simulation Starting…]

[Through the excuse of learning guitar, you knocked on the doors of "Starry" live house. But little did you know… on the day you knocked on Starry's doors, you also unknowingly knocked on their hearts.]

[You progressed rapidly in learning the guitar, and in doing so, you ignited a competitive fire in the girls. They refused to lose to you in the one field they excelled at.]

[However, due to their intense focus on music, their academic performance began to drop. Although they didn't mind, their plummeting grades put them at risk of repeating a year. Having grown close to them, you couldn't just stand by and do nothing.]

[You extended a helping hand. Your careful tutoring pulled their grades back to average, and in the process, they began to care about your well-being too.]

[But in the end, the inevitable still happened. From the exhaustion of tutoring, you collapsed. And in that moment… it was the girls of Kessoku Band who stayed by your side.]

[Though you were not an official band member, in their hearts, you had already become as important as one.]

[They watched over you, nursed you back to health, and somewhere along the way… they truly accepted you, the only man in their world.]

[You cherished them. And they cherished you in return. The bonds between you deepened.]

[To help their band find success, you got into the University of Tokyo. Through your intelligence and connections, you helped pull Kessoku Band out of a period of stagnation.]

[At this moment, in their eyes, you are both a beacon in the fog and a guiding star in the night.]

[As Kessoku Band continued to grow, an unexpected event occurred—Ijichi Nijika confessed to you.]

[In truth, everyone was well aware that, to some extent, each of them harbored feelings for you, the one who had tirelessly supported the band.]

[However, when faced with Nijika's confession and Yamada Ryo's heartfelt admission on the rooftop, you ultimately refused them.]

[Because out of everyone, the one you couldn't bear to leave behind the most was still that timid, self-doubting, pink-haired girl.]

[You and Gotoh Hitori fell in love, but Nijika, Ryo, and Kita Ikuyo neither sank into despair nor chose to give up.]

[Instead, they simply tucked away all their sincere emotions, treasuring them deep within their hearts.]

Shouji Minami pressed his fingers to his temple, sighing at the words on the screen.

Even though Gotoh's simulation ended in a happy ending, judging by the description in the simulator, this hardly qualified as a proper harem route.

Still, since he had already seen the outcome, dwelling on it further was pointless.

Minami could only continue watching as the simulation unfolded.

[Even after achieving stardom—performing at venues like Budokan and the Tokyo Dome—they remained single, rejecting countless admirers in the industry.]

[Their feelings for you never faded. If anything, they only grew stronger.]

[At the same time, your married life with Gotoh Hitori was blissful.]

[A mix of emotions continued intertwining until today—]

"Ryo-mama! Ryo-mama! How should I write this part of the song?"

A young girl in a white dress, holding a sheet of music in her hands, ran over to a mature woman with short blue hair and a beauty mark near her eye, looking up at her curiously.

Her name was Shouji Miyuki, age nine.

She had inherited her father Minami's sharp intellect and dark hair, as well as her mother Hitori's delicate and refined features.

Even as a third grader, her fair complexion and expressive eyes were enough to make her adorable.

With such a cute little girl seeking her guidance, anyone else would have surely melted on the spot and eagerly offered their help.

However—

The blue-haired woman simply set down her glass of sake and lazily extended a fair, slender hand, her tone indifferent.

"Miyuki, consultation fee—2,200 yen."

Yamada Ryo, age 31, was demanding money from a nine-year-old child.

"Eh—?!"

Miyuki let out a long, exaggerated sound of protest.

Her innocent face was filled with pure confusion.

Why was her Ryo-mama charging her—an elementary schooler—for advice?

Did she have no sense of adult dignity?

"Ryo-mama, if Nijika-mama hears about this, she'll say you're just a lazy freeloader exploiting a child!"

Miyuki puffed up her cheeks in defiance.

"Let Nijika say whatever she wants. I'm simply teaching you about the harsh realities of society in advance."

Ryo remained entirely unfazed. "2,200 yen."

"Ehh…? Why?! You usually only charge 2,000 yen!"

Miyuki pouted, visibly upset.

Normally, Ryo only asked for 2,000 yen, so why was she raising the price today?

She couldn't accept this injustice!

"The reason is simple."

Crossing her legs, Ryo leaned back into the couch, her snug-fitting jeans perfectly accentuating the elegant shape of her legs.

Under Miyuki's gaze, she nonchalantly raised her glass, her tone as unbothered as ever.

"Today is Valentine's Day."

"Since your dad didn't give me a Valentine's gift, I'm charging you an extra 10% interest."

Miyuki blinked in disbelief.

"Dad giving you a Valentine's gift would be way more problematic, don't you think?"

Despite being just nine years old, Miyuki was more mature than most kids her age.

"Dad is married to Hitori-mama, you know?"

"That's exactly why I said you're too young to understand."

Ryo casually took another sip of her sake, stretching lazily before delivering the final blow—

"That's why married men are the best."

"EHHHHHHHHH—?!"

Miyuki let out a gasp of pure shock, about to say something more.

But before she could, a new voice cut in.

"Excuse me—what did you just say about married men?"

A tall, blonde woman with a high ponytail strode into the room, fresh from hanging the laundry.

Ijichi Nijika immediately narrowed her eyes in disapproval.

"What kind of nonsense are you teaching a nine-year-old, Ryo?!"

"Hmm."

Ryo let out a satisfied hum, smugly puffing out her chest.

"This is the exclusive education system of the Yamada family."

"I have NEVER heard of such an education system in my life!"

Seriously—

Did this woman even think before she spoke?