Settlement

[Your love interest is dead!]

[Congratulations! You have unlocked an ultra-high achievement reward: "Without Conscience" (When the Life Simulator target's favorability reaches 100, but their true favorability is below 90, and the target dies). Favorability points +6 million. Amazing!]

Yamada Ryo stared at the notification on the panel, remaining silent for a long time.

She only felt that these words were blinding.

The miracle didn't happen.

This isn't a fairy tale.

There will be no prince to wake the sleeping princess.

Kitahara Toru has nothing left—except for a gravestone with his name engraved on it, surrounded by flowers each year on the anniversary of his death.

———

[Game Over!]

[Your life was full of randomness. You cruelly toyed with someone who deeply loved you, threw his heart on the ground, and trampled on it multiple times. Even at the end, when you watched him die in your arms, you didn't even shed a few tears. To ordinary people, you are a terrible person, but to the Life Simulator, you are undoubtedly a genius!]

———

[Simulation Rating - S (Perfect. Hope you can continue being a bad woman in the future.)]

[Entering settlement mode!]

[Current remaining favorability points: 10.25 million]

[Exchange List ——]

[Bass Grandmaster (Bonus reward: Level +1)]

Price: 10 million[Bass Sheet Music – "Ryo"]

Price: 0 (He truly loved you, even though you never realized it at all.)[A personal apology letter from Kitahara Toru]

Price: 0 (I don't quite understand… why does he feel the need to apologize to you?)]

———

"Simulator, isn't there a way to bring him back to life?"

Yamada Ryo first exchanged for the last two items in the shop.

She wasn't good at expressing her emotions, but that didn't mean she had no heart.

———

[This simulation has ended. There is no possibility of continuation!]

———

"Really? There's no way?"

Yamada Ryo quickly caught onto a loophole in the simulator's text.

She asked, "What about the next simulation? Will he be able to live longer next time?"

This time, she failed Kitahara Toru.

In the next simulation…

———

[Everything in the simulator operates according to specific rules and cannot interfere with individual choices, but you can spend 10 million favorability points to reduce the likelihood of his death next time.]

———

[Would you like to purchase?]

———

"Yes."

Yamada Ryo didn't hesitate.

She had no intention of using the simulator to improve her bass skills.

She would not forget her original intentions.

Pursuing fame and fortune had already made her lose herself once.

Now, all she wanted was to use the simulator to make up for Kitahara Toru.

———

[Target's upper limit: Kitahara Toru's stress threshold has increased from 100 → 120.]

[Since no other products can be purchased, favorability points have been reset to zero.]

[Simulation has entered cooldown…]

———

"That's good."

The wound in Yamada Ryo's heart from the simulation had healed slightly.

She stored away the sheet music for "Ryo"—

Then, she opened the apology letter that Kitahara Toru had written to her.

Slowly, she began to read.

———

A few minutes later…

She couldn't hold it in anymore.

Yamada Ryo covered her face and cried bitterly.

———

————

A High-End Apartment in the Harbor District

———

Kitahara Toru stretched lazily, his expression relaxed.

"The letter I left behind should've made Yamada Ryo cry miserably, right?"

This was part of his dark humor.

Even though it was just a simulation, if his virtual wife forgot him and gave herself to another man, that would hurt.

———

"After reading that letter, it won't be long."

"If Yamada Ryo still can't forget me after three years, that'll be considered a victory!"

"A lifetime of regret—now that's what I call a success!"

———

[Game Over!]

[Your life was ordinary yet extraordinary. You worked hard, pushed yourself to the limits, and even went mad in the pursuit of your goals. You wrapped yourself in a cocoon just to seek the possibility of becoming a butterfly. But when you emerged, your beauty was revealed to only one person. This may be the highest form of pure love.]

———

[After shedding the excess, only gold remains. The light fades, revealing your true nature. Your spiritual realm has reached a height that ordinary people cannot attain!]

———

[Simulation Rating – S+ (Extremely Perfect)]

———

[Due to your outstanding performance, you may choose three of the following six rewards ——]

Bass Mastery (God-Level) – Your music is so magical that it can bring dead trees back to life.The Bass Gifted by Yamada Ryo – The first gift she ever gave you, filled with sentimental value.Hitori Gotoh's Pure Love Card – After using this, no other woman besides Hitori Gotoh will appear in the next simulation.Talent Upgrade Card – Increases your current talent level by one.100 million yen (Overwhelming financial power).Double Physical Fitness (The foundation of revolution).

———

"I'll choose 1, 4, and 6."

Kitahara Toru didn't think for long.

The rest of the options were of little use to him.

———

His advantage was that he could easily immerse himself in the simulator.

But there was also a disadvantage—

After finishing a simulation, he could quickly detach from it…

———

"Basically, what I mean is—"

"When Kitahara Toru plays the simulator, he can have as much 'pure love' as he wants."

"But once he returns to reality, he can be as heartless as he pleases."

"He won't take anything from the simulator seriously."

———

This is also why, last time, he chose a fox keychain over a scarf.

He might never see that little fox in real life, but Hitori Gotoh…

Kitahara Toru could see her every day.

———

This time, the rewards were options 2 and 3.

The first one—because he didn't want to see things that reminded him of people, blurring the lines between simulation and reality.

The second one—because he didn't think it was necessary.

In the simulator, favorability resets every time.

If he really wanted to follow Hitori Gotoh's pure love route, he wouldn't need a card for that.

———

At least in the next simulation…

He was ready to switch his "virtual wife."

———

[Notice: Due to an unknown influence, your stress threshold has increased from 100 → 120.]

"Huh?"

"An unexpected bonus?"

"Not bad."

———

————

Gotoh Residence

———

In the dark wardrobe of a bedroom—

Hitori Gotoh ended the simulation.

———

[Game Over!]

[Your life can be defined by your courage to love and your courage to hate. Even if you didn't win this time, you are convinced you will win Kitahara Toru's love next time.]

———

"That sounds like something a loser would say..."

Bocchi-chan covered her head and sighed.