In the end, Minami decided to accept the invitation.
In his mind—
It was just a al.
There was no way a simple dinner could increase Akane's feelings that much.
Besides, cooking at ho was a hassle.
She had already used up all the groceries yesterday.
If he wanted to cook, he'd have to go shopping first.
With all these factors combined, Minami made his decision.
Of course, the al itself wasn't really the main point.
He turned his attention back to the simulation.
[After that day, it was as if Akane had suddenly figured sothing out.]
[She no longer tried to hide her intentions.]
[She frequently invited you out for als, took you to her favorite clothing stores, and even her friends—Rikka Takarada, Yuta Hibiki, and Sho Utsumi—noticed that your relationship was far closer than a normal friendship.]
[Rikka Takarada, in particular, kept a close eye on this change.]
[She felt both happy and uneasy about the changes in her closest friend.]
[She was happy because she had been Akane's neighbor since childhood. Back then, they spent a lot of ti together, often watching tokusatsu shows at the Shinjo household. She had always been aware of Akane's tendency to shut herself off emotionally, but now, under your influence, that emotional wall seed to be lting away. Without a doubt, this was a sign that things were slowly improving.]
[However, she was also uneasy because she frequently heard Akane talk about where she took you, what she bought you to eat, and how—more often than not—it was always Akane who was paying.]
[From the perspective of a romantic relationship, your dynamic with Akane was clearly not as balanced as one would expect. Rikka Takarada worried that her friend was being strung along, blindly spending money on you. But at the sa ti, she also knew that Akane's emotional growth depended on you. Without your support, she might never fully step out of her shell.]
[This put her in a difficult position.]
[While you didn't particularly care about Rikka Takarada's concerns, you still took the ti to explain the situation to her—because, after all, she was Akane's friend.]
[You clarified that while Akane often treated you to als, it was mostly to express her gratitude for your dedication to the script. It wasn't like a cliché romance drama where she was "keeping" you. Likewise, you had never asked her for money outright—at most, you occasionally borrowed small amounts, which you always repaid later.]
[Rikka Takarada wasn't entirely convinced by your explanation.]
[But when she saw how completely and unconditionally Akane trusted you, she eventually relented.]
[After all, if even Akane herself was already so attached to you, there was nothing she could say that would change that.]
[At the sa ti, Rikka also told you seriously that this was the first ti she had ever seen Akane take a boy so seriously.]
[She warned you—do not toy with Akane's feelings. And more importantly, do not hurt her already wounded heart.]
"This is the first ti I've seen Akane care about a guy this much. It's the first ti now, and it will probably be the only ti."
In the simulation, Rikka looked at Minami and spoke these words.
For Akane, who had never believed in emotional connections due to her family circumstances—
If this ti ended in disappointnt,
Then perhaps from that mont onward, she would never open her heart to anyone ever again.
[You took Rikka's warning to heart.]
[Perhaps because you responded with complete sincerity, Rikka chose not to push the topic any further.]
[With that matter settled, under your and Akane's leadership, the rehearsals for The Monster of the Human Heart proceeded smoothly.]
[During rehearsals, you introduced various creative and intriguing ideas. At the sa ti, your beautifully written script, crafted with delicate and expressive prose, left Rikka, Yuta Hibiki, and Sho Utsumi thoroughly impressed.]
[In your planned casting arrangent:
Rikka, who exuded a sharp and valiant aura when she tied up her black hair, was cast as the male protagonist.
The more delicate-looking Yuta Hibiki was assigned to manage the LCD screen effects.
Sho Utsumi took on the role of Thanasis, the kaiju.
Akane was in charge of lighting and special effects, while you handled narration and background storytelling.]
[Through constant collaboration, your relationship with Rikka Takarada, Yuta Hibiki, and Sho Utsumi deepened.]
[Sho Utsumi, in particular, who had always been passionate about tokusatsu, kaiju, and giant heroes, was especially excited to discuss the script's details with you.]
[You weren't particularly interested in n in general, so you only answered the necessary questions in response to Sho Utsumi's enthusiasm.]
[But even so, Sho Utsumi developed a deep admiration for your ideas.]
[Your relationship with Sho Utsumi has deepened.]
"...???"
Excuse , what?!
Why the hell was his relationship with Sho Utsumi getting deeper?!
Staring at the simulated mory of Sho Utsumi, the glasses-wearing guy clinging to him, bombarding him with questions about the script, Shouji Minami made a silent decision—
If he ever t Sho Utsumi in real life...
He would absolutely avoid him.
[Ti continued to move forward.]
[Thanks to everyone's efforts, the rehearsals for The Monster of the Human Heart progressed smoothly. Afterward, Akane successfully secured the gymnasium stage slot from the student council.]
[Everything was moving in a positive direction.]
Minami closed his eyes.
Within his mory—
The kaiju roars he had carefully crafted using his guitar and various instrunts.
The intricately handmade props and suits that Akane had ticulously worked on.
The sweat-drenched rehearsals, where everyone pushed themselves to bring the performance to life.
One scene after another flashed through his mind.
And within those mories—
Sitting slightly closer to Minami than the others, at the center of the group—
For the first ti, Akane smiled so brightly.
Not the usual fake, practiced smile she often wore.
But a genuine, heartfelt one.
Minami nodded to himself.
In the previous tiline, Akane had also shown him her true smile—
But back then, it was only when she was alone with him that she allowed herself to be genuine.
Whenever she faced others, she still hid behind a carefully crafted facade.
But this ti...
Even in front of Sho Utsumi and Yuta Hibiki, she instinctively let her true emotions shine through.
It seed that, in this tiline, she had started to find the courage to step out of her past shadows much earlier—
Even as early as high school.
That was undoubtedly a good sign.
In other words—
If he truly wanted Akane to move past her emotional barriers...
Encouraging her to open up to others and build genuine friendships might actually be the best approach.
In the previous tiline, the reason for failure—
Was because Shouji Minami had unconditionally accepted and tolerated everything about her.
She didn't want to interact with others?
Then he simply handled everything himself.
That unquestioning acceptance and tolerance was precisely what led to failure last ti.
Minami continued reading.
[Through her continuous efforts with the others, Akane gradually found the courage to step out of her childhood trauma.]
[To the outside world, she still maintained the sa bright and cheerful expression, but those who knew her well could sense that sothing had changed.]
[The old Akane, despite her seemingly lively personality, had always felt like she was missing sothing.]
[But now, there was a new touch of playfulness and charm, making her seem even more captivating to those around her.]
[As ti continued to pass, the day of the Shuka Festival finally arrived.]
[That day, you canceled multiple other invitations and set aside ti to explore the festival with her.]
[She spent what she considered to be one of the happiest days of her life with you.]
[And just before the performance, she finally confessed what had been hidden in her heart all along.]
"Minami."
"Hmm?"
"How's the food?"
"It's average."
Chewing on his takoyaki, Minami casually responded.
After all, all the food at the festival was student-made—
Of course, the taste was nothing special.
And to be honest—
In an effort to cut costs, the takoyaki didn't even have real octopus tentacles—
Just so tiny scattered bits of octopus.
So naturally, Minami thought it was just okay.
"Is that so?"
Beside him, Akane went quiet for a mont.
Then, looking toward the student council mbers setting up the stage for The Monster of the Human Heart, she let out a small sigh.
"It's finally happening."
Yes.
It was finally happening.
Her first step toward pursuing her dream of making tokusatsu—
Her very first step.
At that thought—
Akane instinctively looked at Minami.
He was the first person to accompany her on this journey.
And in the future...
She wanted to keep walking with him.
That thought lingered in her mind.
She hesitated for a mont before looking up and quietly asking,
"Minami, after this performance... do you have any plans?"
"Hmm?"
Her question made Shouji Minami glance at her.
"What else? Keep studying. Stay at the top of the class."
"Idiot, I wasn't asking about your life plans."
Akane's crimson eyes flickered slightly.
In a soft, almost whisper-like voice, she said—
"I ant... if this performance is a success..."
"If it succeeds?"
Shouji Minami looked at her.
Under his gaze, Akane averted her eyes.
"If it succeeds... I want you to keep walking this path with ."
As she spoke, her face flushed faintly in the dim backstage lighting.
Today wasn't just the first step toward her dream.
It was also the first ti she truly wanted to entrust her feelings to soone.
The word "accompany" in Japanese could also an "dating."
With Shouji Minami's intelligence, there was no way he didn't understand.
But—
"Then what if it fails?"
"Huh—?"
Akane stared at him in shock.
She had not expected that response at all.
Her once shy expression froze, imdiately replaced with indignation and embarrassnt.
"Minami, you bastard!"
She was going to lose her mind because of him.
This guy—
Even at a mont like this, he was still deliberately ssing with her!
But what she didn't expect—
Was that Minami, completely serious, added—
"If success cos with a reward, then failure should co with a punishnt, right?"
"And what kind of punishnt are you talking about?!"
She gritted her teeth, glaring at him.
This guy...
He hadn't even succeeded yet, and he was already planning for failure?
And he even thought of a punishnt?!
Fine.
She'd humor him.
She wanted to see just what kind of nonsense he would co up with.
She crossed her arms, giving him an annoyed glare.
And then—
"If we fail, Shinjo-san... your punishnt will be to beco my girlfriend."
"Huh—?"
The fury in her expression vanished instantly.
And along with it—
All of her frustration and indignation evaporated.
She blinked in stunned disbelief.
It took several seconds before she finally processed what he had just said.
Then, pouting slightly, she turned away and grumbled under her breath—
"Minami, sotis you really are such a jerk... Are you doing this on purpose to tease ?"
Yes.
She had ntally prepared herself for a serious answer.
And at the very last mont, he purposely threw her off.
That was just pure bullying!
"Shinjo-san, do you dislike the idea?"
In the dim backstage corner, Minami reached out, gently turning her back to face him.
"..."
Akane didn't answer.
Her body faced him, but her head turned stubbornly to the side.
"Shinjo-san, do you really dislike it?"
Shouji Minami cupped her face in his hands, gazing into her eyes.
"..."
Her already cald heart began pounding again.
The blush on her face said everything.
Avoiding his intense gaze, after a long pause, she finally muttered—
"Jerk."
This guy is so an.
He already knows the answer, yet he still teases her like this.
But—
"I want to hear you say it out loud."
"..."
Akane sighed in her heart.
Sigh...
Forget it, forget it.
Maybe for the rest of her life, she was dood to be in Shouji Minami's hands.
Whenever she was with him, she had zero resistance—
All she could do was let him have his way with her.
And the worst part was...
She didn't even mind it.
That thought settled in her mind—
And then, she buried her face against his chest, speaking softly:
"I like you."
Yes...
If she had to put it into words—
From the mont Shouji Minami forced her to be honest with herself, even when he was constantly bullying her—
All the way until now—
She had always liked him.
In the dark backstage corner, far from the audience's sight—
Akane reached out and tightly embraced Shouji Minami.
As if she were holding onto her most precious treasure.
One she never wanted to let go.
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