Minami silently watched the simulation unfold.
Then, he turned to Shinjo Akane, who was now sound asleep beside him.
He had never realized—
That behind her flawless, radiant exterior,
She had been carrying so much weight.
No wonder she had taken her own life in the first playthrough.
Her twisted family dynamic had suffocated her from the start.
For her to keep up that sunny, cheerful act for so long...
It was no surprise that the simulator had ranked her "Emotion Concealnt" at LV5.
At last—Minami finally understood.
Her contradictory personality made sense now.
Growing up in a family that dysfunctional—
How could she not end up this complicated?
Fortunately, Akane was just emotionally awkward and not twisted enough to resent everyone around her.
Minami thought that perhaps he should truly thank that Karasawa Yuka-san.
If it weren't for her careful companionship during Akane's childhood, perhaps Akane's personality would have been completely warped by now.
Minami shook his head and decided to keep reading the simulation.
[She told you things she could never say to anyone else.]
[She beca even more dependent on you.]
[At the sa ti, the small rental apartnt was no longer enough to fill the void in her heart or ease her insecurities. She suggested that you should move in with her.]
[When she said this, she kept glancing at your expression, afraid that she would upset you.]
[Faced with her fragile, anxious reaction, you could only hold her hand and comfort her, reassuring her that it was completely fine.]
[You never expected that, once she shed her strong outer shell, she would be so delicate.]
[In fact, even if she hadn't suggested moving in together, you would have brought it up yourself.]
[Because you wanted to take care of this lovable girl properly.]
[On a certain spring day, when cherry blossoms were in full bloom, you moved into Akane's luxurious ho—a three-story private villa in Tokyo.]
[As the eldest daughter of the Shinjo real estate group, Akane possessed far more resources than you had ever imagined.]
[Although her parents never cared about her, the monthly allowance they sent her was enough to make even well-paid working adults jealous.]
[But you knew that none of this mattered to Akane.]
[Living alone in an empty mansion brought only loneliness.]
[The ever-increasing numbers in her bank account held no aning for soone like Akane, who had little attachnt to material things.]
[You finally understood why she preferred staying at your tiny rental apartnt rather than living in this massive house.]
[She excitedly dragged you around to show you the room she had prepared for both of you.]
[It was spacious, with a large double bed in the center, and right beside it was a big-screen TV where you could relax and watch DVDs together.]
[She had arranged everything ticulously.]
[And you praised her for it.]
[But rather than verbal approval, what she truly wanted was action from you.]
[That night, you both experienced the comfort of a double bed—sothing much more spacious than the cramped single one in your old apartnt.]
[Ti continued to pass day by day.]
[At tis, you could feel the differences in mindset that ca from the gap in your financial situations.]
[She rarely did laundry—after wearing an outfit once or twice, she would simply replace it with a new one.]
[She almost never took public transportation, opting for taxis to school instead.]
[Most of her als were at restaurants, and only when she was in a good mood would she cook at ho—of course, ever since you moved in, she now cooked for you every day.]
[Compared to Yamada, who spent extravagantly, Akane seed more like soone who simply didn't understand the true value of money.]
[Because of this, she often did things that you found incomprehensible.]
Within the simulation, mories resurfaced.
Unlike the scenes in the rental apartnt, this ti, it was at Akane's ho.
"This... what is this supposed to an?"
Minami asked calmly, looking at the thick envelope in front of him.
Inside, stacks of ten-thousand-yen bills were neatly packed.
"Ah... this is... um..."
Akane smiled, raising a slender finger. "You always borrow money from , don't you?"
"It's too much of a hassle for you to keep asking, so I figured, why not simplify things? Here, one million yen. Just take it and use it however you want."
She bead as she explained her logic.
Minami glanced at her, then unceremoniously exposed her true intentions.
"You're trying to keep as your sugar baby, aren't you, Akane?"
"Ha—? Sugar ba..."
Hearing that, Akane's pale cheeks instantly flushed red.
She looked at Minami, then at her house, and after a brief mont, nodded decisively.
"That's right! I want to keep you as my sugar baby!"
For so reason, she seed quite excited about this topic.
How should she put it?
It felt really nice—like Minami was relying on her.
Yes.
This was completely fine!
The more money Minami spent from her, the more indebted he would be to her.
And knowing Minami's personality—soone who hated owing others anything—
The more he owed her, the more he wouldn't be able to leave her.
Just thinking about it made Akane feel like her plan was flawless.
As long as she could make Minami completely dependent on her, he would never leave.
However—
"No."
Minami shifted his gaze away from the one-million-yen envelope, rejecting her without hesitation.
"Eh...? Why?"
"What do you an, 'why'? I'm a grown man. How could I possibly let you keep ?"
Minami sighed, glancing at Akane.
Sotis, this girl's logic was completely off the rails.
"Money is ant to be spent, isn't it?"
Having her plan instantly shot down left Akane frustrated. "So what if you spend my money? You're my boyfriend, what's wrong with that?"
"What's wrong with it?!"
Minami looked at the envelope again.
If he didn't stop this here, Akane would probably keep 'offering tributes' to him every month.
Akane huffed. "If you really liked , would you even care about sothing like this?!"
"Of course not. What I care about is my pride."
Minami was not the kind of guy who mooched off his girlfriend.
"I don't care! You have to take it!"
Akane forced the money into his unwilling hands.
"..."
Minami looked at the stack of cash in his hands, then at the girl in front of him, whose cheeks were puffed out in annoyance.
He sighed in defeat.
Fine.
He would take it for now and just find a chance to return it later.
As he thought this, Minami tucked the money away.
Yet, at the sa ti, he couldn't shake an underlying sense of unease.
[On the surface, this conversation seed ridiculous—like Akane was just throwing a childish tantrum.]
[But it left you feeling uneasy.]
[Because you could sense the deep fragility hidden beneath these seemingly absurd words.]
[This ti, it was money. But what would it be next ti?]
[Trying to build a relationship on such things was both laughable and unrealistic.]
[But at the sa ti, all you could do was tolerate her actions—because anything else might hurt her delicate emotions.]
[Her reliance on you only deepened.]
[At school, she no longer cared about others' opinions and began openly chatting and being affectionate with you.]
[In her small world, you beca her everything.]
"..."
Minami narrowed his eyes.
Sothing felt off.
Even though his relationship with Akane was steadily progressing, there was sothing unsettling about how heavily she depended on him.
Growing closer should have been a good thing, but at the sa ti, it signified how deeply attached she had beco.
In so ways, this wasn't necessarily bad—
Her trust in him was a sign of how much she cared.
But—
"Everything has a limit."
Staring at the simulation text, Minami muttered to himself.
Complete dependence on soone only led to losing oneself.
Living constantly for another person's approval, being terrified of abandonnt—this kind of relationship wasn't healthy.
And more importantly—
Even though there had been little ntion of her parents...
Akane was still a daughter of the Shinjo family.
For such a well-known real estate mogul, would her parents really tolerate their daughter living with so random guy?
Minami continued reading.
[You continued living with her, and this was probably the ti when she smiled the most.]
[With you by her side, she felt like she had unlimited courage—even greeting people on the street more proactively.]
[During breaks at school, she would eagerly co find you, even if it was just for a short mont.]
[She still insisted on 'spoiling' you with her money.]
[And all you could do was accept it.]
[But your relationship with Akane couldn't remain hidden from her parents forever.]
[Even if they barely cared about her, she was still the eldest daughter of the Shinjo family.]
[Eventually, rumors about her relationship made their way to her parents.]
[Then, one day, on an ordinary, peaceful afternoon—]
[Akane's parents finally ca knocking on your door.]
[At this mont, the once strong-willed girl appeared exceptionally fragile, making your heart ache.]
[Seeing her in such a vulnerable state, you gently held her hand and reassured her that you would be there for her.]
It was a seemingly peaceful morning.
Waking up in bed.
Chatting with Minami.
Eating breakfast together.
Everything felt just as calm and happy as usual.
But—
Shinjo Akane lowered her head, the usual dominance she carried now replaced with an unusual fragility.
If one looked closely, they would notice—
Her body was trembling slightly.
That smile, which seed to never fade, had now lost its brilliance and turned into a re forced expression.
She wanted to speak, but the fear deep inside her was impossible to hide.
Then—
A soft touch ward her palm.
Shinjo Akane looked up in surprise.
And there, she saw Minami's calm profile.
As well as the mont he turned to her and spoke in a steady voice—
"It's okay. I'm here."
Looking at Minami like this,
Shinjo Akane's anxious heart gradually settled.
She squeezed his hand tightly.
And then, they both heard the voice of the man sitting in front of them—her father.
"So you must be my daughter's boyfriend—Minami-kun, correct?"
Shinjo Akane's father was a man with an extrely cold and rigid deanor. Every word he spoke carried no emotion,
Even when he said the word "daughter," his tone didn't change—
As if he were simply discussing what he had for breakfast.
"I am."
Minami lifted his head, his gaze unwavering despite the pressure.
Seeing the young man's steady expression,
For the first ti, a flicker of appreciation flashed in Shinjo's father's stern eyes.
He took a sip of tea and spoke indifferently.
"Minami-kun, there's no need to be so tense. My wife and I didn't co here to scold you two."
"Huh?"
This unexpected response made Shinjo Akane blink in surprise.
A hint of joy even appeared on her face.
But unlike her reaction, Minami remained silent. His expression remained calm,
Mature beyond his years.
"Rather, what surprises more is that... that thing actually managed to find such an excellent man like you."
Shinjo's father continued.
"..."
Shinjo Akane's body trembled.
She had always known how indifferent her parents were toward her.
But she never expected them to be this cold.
A chilling sensation spread through her entire body.
However... if this was all there was,
Then it was fine.
As long as she could stay with Minami...
Being treated coldly—what did that even matter?
She remained silent. At this mont, she did not argue.
However—
"Akane has a na. She is not 'that thing,' Mr. Shinjo."
Minami's steady voice cut through the tension.
His tone was calm but left no room for retreat.
Shinjo Akane instinctively tightened her grip on Minami's hand.
Minami, in turn, gently stroked the back of her hand.
"Ah... My apologies. That thing—no, Akane, is your girlfriend now, correct?"
Shinjo's father corrected himself, though his tone carried no real sincerity.
After a brief pause, he got straight to the point.
"My wife and I are very busy, so let's not waste ti on unnecessary topics."
"Let put it simply, Minami-kun. I have already investigated your academic record and future potential. To be honest, I'm quite satisfied with you."
His eyes sharpened as he spoke.
"That is also why I'm here today. So, how about this? If you marry into the Shinjo family, we will no longer interfere with your relationship with Akane. In fact, we will even provide financial support for your future life together. What do you think?"
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