Confronting Reality

Satisfied.

Yamada Ryo rubbed her slightly bloated belly, looking pleased as she glanced at Hitori Gotoh beside her—the one responsible for filling her stomach.

'…Bocchi treated me to a meal again.'

At this moment, Hitori Gotoh could only be grateful that they had gone to Salya instead of a high-end barbecue restaurant, where the prices were at least somewhat reasonable.

After settling the bill, Ryo Yamada took Hitori Gotoh and prepared to head to the tram station to take the bus back.

Ryo's home was in Setagaya District, while Bocchi-chan and Kitahara Toru's Shuka High School was in Kanazawa Hakkei, Yokohama City—not too far from Shinjuku.

Walking down the street.

"Ah… there are so many people over there."

Not far away, under an overpass, Bocchi-chan faintly heard the sound of an instrument. With her absolute pitch, she could easily distinguish the different instruments—it was a bass.

Alongside the bass, she heard a guitar, though it sounded somewhat amateurish. Hitori Gotoh thought it didn't seem very professional.

But the two instruments blended well together.

"Let's go take a look," said Ryo Yamada, running off on her own without waiting for Bocchi-chan's agreement.

As soon as she got closer, she heard the excited screams of many female spectators. The scene didn't feel like a band performance at all—it was more like an idol handshake event…

"Aaaaaahhh!!! It's Kitahara-san!!!"

"Kitahara can not only play the piano, but he's so handsome! Ah… my breath… Quick, I need to take a picture!"

A fan's voice grew weaker and weaker—she seemed to have actually fainted.

"Kitahara-san, please give me your autograph!!"

Seeing a fan jumping and raising her hand, Yamada Ryo took a few seconds to realize who was performing.

Hitori Gotoh, who had followed her, looked mesmerized. Her favorite virtual husband (now in the flesh) was playing on the street…

Yes!! What a fateful encounter!

Hitori Gotoh's thrilling real-life love story was now airing in full swing. Don't miss the exciting episodes!

Although Kitahara Toru had not officially announced his retirement from the entertainment industry, he hadn't appeared in any TV dramas in the past six months. He had only participated in a few small variety shows as a guest. Despite that, he was still relevant and had many fans.

'Is he really that popular?'

Ryo Yamada looked at the enthusiastic fans in front of her with mixed emotions. She had played in a well-known band before, but her social media following barely reached a few tens of thousands.

Did that mean that in the simulation, she didn't just defeat Hitori Gotoh—she also defeated millions of female fans across Japan?

How much did Kitahara Toru love her to do this… even going as far as confessing to her first?

Realizing this, Ryo Yamada felt a slight tightness in her chest for some reason. What was the point of thinking about this now?

The simulation was over, and the Kitahara Toru who loved her deeply had long since died. Even if another simulation were to take place, would Kitahara Toru still be her Kitahara Toru?

It had taken Ryo a few days to adjust her mindset, but now she felt slightly off balance again. However, there was no expression on her face—she still maintained her ice-cold beauty persona.

But only she knew the turmoil in her heart.

———

At the center of the crowd.

With a warm smile on his lips, Kitahara Toru raised the microphone:

"Everyone, for our final song, let's play an original track by SICK HACK's vocalist, Ms. Kikuri Hiroi—'Watashi dake Yuurei (The Ghost I Only One)!'"

(Link: https://youtu.be/WOcAuaRCyTc?si=pHZyv7kiLP0vwEYY)

"OHHHHH!!!"

Recently, after receiving an incredible bass performance, Kitahara Toru couldn't contain his urge to showcase his talent, so he decided to hold a small street concert today.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he sat on the bench and tried playing a song—without even plugging in the bass amp—Kikuri Hiroi, who was drunk beside him, stared at him intently.

Then, she opened her mouth and said:

"Your bass sounds so good! It's like a sound from heaven! Do you want to join my band??"

It turned out that nearby was a small club called SICK HACK. As the resident bassist of a popular band, Kikuri Hiroi was highly skilled and played at a professional level.

Her band's style was a fusion of funk, psychedelic music, and experimental rock.

Although she had originally planned to perform at a Live House that night, the venue was fully booked, so she chose to do a street performance instead.

Kitahara Toru didn't mind—he had planned to perform on the street anyway.

After all, in the simulator, he had spent nearly ten years playing on the streets, so he was very familiar with this kind of atmosphere.

He quickly found a spot where the police wouldn't easily notice and set up his equipment.

As a result, shortly after the performance started, a group of female fans arrived before the police and surrounded the area.

Only then did Kitahara Toru realize—he actually seemed to be quite famous.

His contract with the talent agency hadn't expired yet, and they still occasionally called him for events.

Originally, Kitahara Toru had become an entertainer just for fun, but unexpectedly, he became famous and made money without even trying—all because of his good looks.

Though his thoughts wandered, his bass playing never stopped.

The rhythm he played pulsed through the street.

The watching girls raised their hands and sang along with Kikuri Hiroi's unique husky voice…

Some passersby initially thought it was an underground idol concert, but upon closer listening, they realized it was a street performance.

Immediately, most of them stepped closer, curious to see what was happening—only to be captivated by the enchanting bassline, making them stay.

Like moths to a flame, more and more people were drawn to the performance.

The street was soon blocked.

Among the crowd—

Hitori Gotoh couldn't clearly see Kitahara Toru's face—there were too many people!

They formed walls that separated her from him.

Woohoo, my virtual husband has been blocked by a bad woman~

Feeling miserable, Hitori Gotoh turned her head and noticed that Ryo Yamada looked dazed. She asked worriedly, "Ryo-san, are you okay?"

Eh, eh? Why do I feel like you're worse off than me?

Do you like him too?

"...It's nothing."

Ryo Yamada was simply shocked. If her ears weren't mistaken, the person playing the bass was Kitahara Toru—after all, she had known him in the simulator for over ten years.

But just because she recognized him, she felt confused… If Kitahara Toru could play the bass, why did he need to learn from her in the simulation?

Maybe the simulator and reality don't completely align? Ryo Yamada could only guess.

It was a shame that the detection function couldn't be used in reality, otherwise, she would have had to grab Kitahara Toru's lower body no matter what… just to verify the final result.

Mid-thought—

The singing in front of her gradually stopped, and the bassline came to an end.

A few minutes later, the crowd began to disperse. When the police arrived with speakers to clear the area, the excited fans had no choice but to leave reluctantly.

Ryo Yamada and Hitori Gotoh were carried by the crowd toward the tram stop.

"Goodbye, Bocchi."

"Bye~" Hitori Gotoh waved and entered the station.

After watching her figure disappear, Ryo Yamada silently turned around…

The only obstacle was gone—it was time to steal the prize!

Bocchi, don't blame me.

In love, there's no order—there can only be one winner.

This was Ryo Yamada's once-in-a-lifetime chance to get closer to Kitahara Toru, and she wasn't about to give up.