Chapter 202. Stat Points, Allocate!

Yamada Ryo's chest.

How to put it...

Just as she had said.

While it couldn't compare to Rio Futaba's or Gotoh Hitori's, the shape was undeniably quite nice.

The key was that when Yamada Ryo pressed his hand against it, she did it with particular force. It felt... ahem...

Back to the topic.

Though Yamada Ryo's sudden action left Minami bewildered, her words had indeed given him a new perspective.

That was—

"No need to strive for perfection... huh?"

After feeding Miss Yamada a dinner rated 4.1, and sending her off contentedly, Minami lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

Rio Futaba hated herself.

She loathed her own feelings of anxiety.

She despised the way she doubted her friendships.

She hated the desire she had for close companionship.

But when it came down to it—

"These things are all part of what makes Rio Futaba who she is."

Minami folded his hands behind his head.

He now understood why the simulation failed.

Choosing the wrong options was one thing.

But more importantly, perhaps his entire approach had been wrong from the start.

There was no need to change Rio Futaba.

What he should have done was help her accept herself.

Because from the very beginning, perfect people simply don't exist.

Completely unlike Gotoh Hitori, who wanted to change herself and overcome her social anxiety.

Whether in the simulation or in real life, Rio Futaba constantly imposed unrealistic expectations on herself, that was the real issue.

The self she despised was simply the part of her that held flaws.

She couldn't accept those flaws and that was all.

With this thought, Minami turned his head to look at his Affection Points.

After the earlier interaction with Yamada Ryo, his points had increased to 150.

It seemed that after getting the happy ending with Yamada Ryo through a personal simulation, the simulator now recognized her as a target as well.

But—

"Still not enough."

One simulation required 300 points.

He only had 150—far from sufficient.

"Might as well rest."

Already showered and ready for bed, Minami yawned.

There was no point overthinking things.

Besides... perhaps due to having completed Gotoh Hitori's happy ending—where all the band members grew fond of him after he fell ill from exhaustion...

Maybe because of that, and always thinking about it, Minami had lately been feeling somewhat tired.

Since he couldn't run the simulation now anyway, it was safer to get some rest.

He'd go find Rio Futaba tomorrow.

With that in mind, Minami slowly closed his eyes.

The night passed quietly.

...

"Haa..."

Standing outside the gym, Rio Futaba let out a faint breath as she watched Yuuma Kunimi playing basketball.

She felt nothing.

No stirring in her heart...

She had always known this deep down.

Just as Minami had said, she didn't actually like Yuuma Kunimi.

She just didn't want Yuuma, who has a girlfriend, or Sakuta, who's growing close to one, to drift away from her because of their relationships.

That made her uneasy.

Truly uneasy.

She was afraid of returning to the lonely life she had during middle school.

No friends.

An empty house, with no one to talk to.

If she had never seen the sun, perhaps she could have endured the darkness.

But once she'd stepped into the light and felt the warmth of the sun, she could never return to the damp, shadowy corners.

"If I had to say... the person I've talked to most lately... is actually him..."

For some reason, Rio Futaba suddenly thought of Minami.

Compared to the laid-back Sakuta Azusagawa and the athletic, hardworking Yuuma Kunimi, it was Minami, refined and graceful—who had interacted with her the most lately.

His conversational skills, his mature demeanor beyond his age. She couldn't help but acknowledge him.

She wondered what Minami was doing now.

She was quite curious.

The science prep room was on the way past Minami's second-year Class 2 room.

It wouldn't be too strange to glance in his direction while passing by.

With that thought, Rio Futaba glanced at the time.

It was about time to head back to the science prep room.

That's what she thought.

And that's what she did.

But—

"Wait a second, I have something to say to you."

A red-haired girl, not as strikingly beautiful as Rio Futaba but still quite pretty, blocked her path.

Behind her stood several classmates with similarly hostile intentions.

Rio Futaba's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively took a step back.

She recognized the girl before her.

Her name was Saki Kamisato, Yuuma Kunimi's current girlfriend.

She had long been uncomfortable with the friendship between Kunimi, Sakuta, and Rio Futaba.

But why...

Why confront me all of a sudden?

Though she wore the cold, detached shell of a science geek, Rio Futaba was a gentle girl at heart.

Feeling the girls behind Kamisato subtly moving to surround her, Rio Futaba could only speak softly, keeping her tone as neutral and emotionless as possible: "What do you want?"

In such situations...

The first rule was not to show weakness.

"What do we want...? You've got some nerve even asking that."

Hearing her speak, Saki Kamisato's dissatisfaction only deepened. She made no attempt to hide the malice in her words or the annoyance on her face.

"I mean you... what the hell are you doing sneaking looks at someone else's boyfriend?"

Crunch.sfx

Kamisato moved closer.

Rio Futaba stepped back, saying nothing.

Seeing her silence, Kamisato's frown deepened, clearly intending to vent all her pent-up frustration.

"What, cat got your tongue? You trying to go after Yuuma even though he's already taken?"

"I didn't mean anything like that."

This time, Rio Futaba shook her head.

She had known for a while that she didn't have feelings for Yuuma Kunimi.

Coming today to watch had only been to confirm that for herself—nothing more.

But her voice was too soft, and her denial was so faint it barely registered.

That faint resistance only irritated Kamisato more.

Crossing her arms, her right foot tapping with impatience, she snapped: "I've had enough of you and Sakuta. If Yuuma hadn't kept stopping me... I swear..."

As she spoke, Kamisato took another step forward.

The crisp sound of her shoes on the ground echoed like a drumbeat of fear, amplifying Rio Futaba's anxiety.

All she could do was wrap her arms around herself, trembling slightly, shaking her head in protest: "I didn't mean anything by it... I had no intention of getting between you and Kunimi."

That was the truth.

In fact, she and Sakuta Azusagawa, and Yuuma Kunimi were nothing more than friends.

But Saki Kamisato, already fuming with anger, clearly wasn't going to listen.

"You're still saying that crap?!"

Her voice rose sharply.

It's over.

Rio Futaba's hands trembled slightly as she closed her eyes.

She already had a rough idea of what was about to happen.

But... with no one else to rely on, she could only endure it in silence...

And just then, a clear voice rang out.

"Oh? Rio, you're here."

"Minami...?"

Eyes shut, ready to accept whatever came next, Rio Futaba opened them in surprise. She hadn't expected Minami to appear at that very moment.

She was stunned.

She couldn't believe it.

The very person she had been thinking about moments ago had suddenly shown up in her time of need.

What surprised her even more was that, upon seeing Minami's refined, elegant face, the anxiety that had been building in her heart began to dissipate.

As if no challenge could ever trouble this composed, dark-haired young man.

Under her gaze, Minami walked over casually, as if no one else was there, and waved to her with a relaxed air.

Rio hesitated for a moment, then stepped behind him.

Watching his back as he stood in front of her, the anxiety that had gripped her just moments ago vanished like an illusion, fading in an instant.

"..."

On the other side, Kamisato and her small group were momentarily thrown into confusion.

Clearly, Minami's sudden appearance had caught them off guard.

Regardless of anything else, just the fact that he was ranked number one in the year was enough to make them feel suffocated.

But Saki Kamisato wasn't willing to back down.

She had finally found a chance to catch Rio Futaba alone.

Naturally, she wasn't going to let it go.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward. "What's the top student doing butting into our business, huh?"

Before Minami could reply, she pointed at Rio.

"That girl has been making moves on Yuuma. I just wanted to have a word with her—is that really so wrong?"

"I didn't, Minami."

The moment those words left Kamisato's mouth, Rio looked up, a bit uneasy, and shook her head at Minami.

She hadn't done anything like that.

"Oh, you didn't? Then what were you doing at the gym?"

Arms crossed, Kamisato scoffed. "She's clearly into Yuuma but doesn't have the guts to admit it—just a coward, that's all."

"Yuuma and I are just friends."

Gripping Minami's sleeve tightly, Rio raised her golden eyes to meet his, her expression serious.

She didn't even know why she was explaining it to Minami instead of Kamisato.

"..." Minami.

Minami was a bit surprised.

In the simulation, Rio had never confessed her feelings so quickly or directly.

But now...

It seemed Kamisato's pressure had forced her hand.

In that case...

"Alright, that's enough."

Minami turned to Kamisato. "You've got your answer, right? No need to keep pressing her, is there?"

"Hah? That girl's obviously lying."

Kamisato scowled, unwilling to back off.

She didn't believe a word Rio said. Since she had caught her, she wanted to teach her a lesson so she'd never get near Yuuma again.

Her aggressive stance made Minami raise an eyebrow.

Rio had clearly stated she wasn't interested in Yuuma.

Kamisato had heard the answer she wanted, yet still refused to let go.

Minami had his limits too. He calmly responded:

"I think, Kawasemi-san, you're giving yourself too much credit. Rio doesn't even like me—how could she possibly like someone who can't hold a candle to me?"

"What?! My name is Saki Kamisato, you jerk!"

Hearing Minami's words, Kamisato's eyes widened in disbelief.

She couldn't believe it.

After talking all this time, Minami didn't even know her name.

That kind of disregard hurt worse than being insulted outright.

And as for that...

Minami genuinely didn't mean to offend.

In the anime, Saki Kamisato was just a side character—a background extra who only appeared a handful of times.

Remembering even the "Ka" part of her name was already quite impressive.

Kamisato's face flushed with anger, but what really got to her was Minami's next comment—

"And you said Yuuma is not as good as you?"

It didn't bother her if Minami insulted her.

But bad-mouthing Yuuma Kunimi? That was unacceptable.

Her voice lowered, filled with sarcasm.

"You're joking, right? What makes you think you're better than Yuuma?"

Minami flicked his fingers, countering coolly.

"On the flip side, tell me—what does Yuuma Kunimi have that's better than me? Looks? Grades? Popularity?"

"He..."

Kamisato opened her mouth to answer.

But nothing came out.

If it had been a regular student at Shuka High...

She could have easily listed Yuuma's many strengths and crushed them.

But clearly.

Minami wasn't just any ordinary student.

He stood at the very top of Shuka High's hierarchy.

Her proud boyfriend couldn't even compare.

After stammering for a while, she finally mumbled, "In sports... you're not better than Yuuma."

Her feeble, almost non-existent rebuttal made Minami raise an eyebrow as if he wanted to say something more.

Rio noticed and glanced at him.

Then she heard Minami's calm voice, without a trace of anger:

"You're right. You're absolutely right—I'm not better than him at sports."

That completely emotionless reply left Kamisato with a strange sense of defeat.

What followed was only natural.

Kamisato no longer pursued Rio.

Rio, in turn, followed Minami as they left the gym behind.

Everything seemed resolved—but—

After walking some distance, still holding onto Minami's sleeve, Rio spoke in a small voice:

"Minami... you actually could beat Yuuma in sports, couldn't you?"

"Hmm...? Oh—so you noticed?"

Minami turned back, surprised by her keen observation.

"Then why...?"

Rio couldn't understand.

He clearly had the advantage—why not show it? That wasn't like Minami.

"There's no point arguing with Kamisato over something like that."

Minami smiled.

If this were a typical story...

He'd have used his "Athletics Lv3" skill from the simulator to crush Yuuma and shatter Kamisato's pride.

But—

"Everyone needs a step to walk down. I don't need to take that away from her too."

Minami held up a finger.

"Giving others a way out is wisdom. And admitting your flaws, accepting them—that's a good choice too."

From Minami's perspective, his Athletics Lv3 ability was something gained by 'cheating,' like assigning stat points in The Gamer.

Using a cheat to beat Yuuma, who trained hard, meant nothing—just emptiness.

Beating Yuuma with such tricks... a meaningless act with no benefit.

There were more important things to do.

With that in mind, he turned to Rio Futaba and said:

"Since someone as narcissistic as me can accept his shortcomings, why do you still push yourself to be perfect?"

"Eh?"

As if Minami's words had struck directly at the depths of her heart.

For the first time, Rio Futaba finally lifted her head, looking at him with an expression Minami had never seen before—one of pure astonishment.