Living together with everyone...?
Five people... doing this and that together...?
Just the re thought of it made Gotoh Hitori's pale face flush bright red beneath her oversized, well-worn button-up shirt that she used as pajamas.
This kind of thing... this kind of thing... was just too—
With a thud, she collapsed face-first onto her bed.
The loud noise naturally alard the two people sleeping in the master bedroom downstairs—Gotoh Naoki and Gotoh Michiyo.
Hearing the commotion, they rushed up the stairs, their expressions filled with concern.
Then—
"Hitori! Hitori! What happened?! Why is there so much blood?!"
"Ah... With Minami... Doing this... and that..."
Lying dazed on the bed, blood trickling from her nose, Hitori muttered absentmindedly, lost in her own world.
"Quick! Get so ice! And a purification talisman, just in case!"
That night, the Gotoh household descended into chaos, filled with frantic footsteps and hushed, panicked whispers.
Ten Minutes Later—
Having been properly taken care of and her nosebleed stopped, Gotoh Hitori lay on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Her parents had finally gone back to sleep, leaving her with only her thoughts.
She took a deep breath, trying to collect herself, and once again went over the mories that had just surfaced in her mind.
Just like last ti, they felt too real.
The sa overwhelming sense of presence, the sa deep-rooted sensations—it was as if she had actually lived through it.
But this ti... there was sothing different.
This ti, she hadn't just been with Minami alone.
She had lived together with the entire Kessoku Band, sharing a ho with them and Minami until they all grew old.
A situation completely detached from common sense.
And yet—
"...Everyone was so happy."
Recalling the smiles of Ijichi Nijika, Kita Ikuyo, and Yamada Ryo from her mories—smiles she had never seen before—Gotoh Hitori couldn't help but murmur to herself as she lay in bed, a tissue stuffed into her nose to stop the bleeding.
The last ti she experienced this strange mory shift, she had indeed found happiness.
But at the sa ti, Nijika, Ryo, and Kita had lost the chance to pursue their own happiness.
They never once complained.
In fact, they had sincerely given her their blessings.
However...
Happiness... That was happiness...?
To chase after happiness—wasn't that sothing everyone had the right to do?
For her and Minami, they had given that up.
Instead, they had waited.
And in that waiting, ti had carried them all the way to thirty-one years old.
"A woman... how many tis can she turn thirty-one?"
Curled up under her blankets, Gotoh Hitori muttered the question to herself.
Ten years—
That wasn't a short span of ti.
asured against an ordinary person's lifespan, that was nearly one-eighth of their entire life.
And if she flipped the scenario around—
If Minami had chosen to be with Nijika-chan instead—
If she had lost in this long-running romance—
Would she have done the sa?
Would she have waited for him for more than a decade, just like Nijika, Ryo, and Ikuyo had?
"Yeah... I probably would have."
Closing her eyes, Gotoh Hitori whispered the words softly.
She understood herself well.
With a personality like hers—so deeply insecure, so hopelessly devoted—if she truly loved soone, then that love would be for a lifeti.
Marrying anyone other than Minami...
She couldn't even fathom it.
Not happiness.
Not even a possibility.
That kind of future was simply too terrifying to even consider.
After all, Minami was the person she knew best.
The one she loved most.
Not just for ten years.
If she had to wait twenty years... thirty years...
She probably wouldn't even hesitate.
And so, bringing the question back to her current self—
If she were in the position of the "her" from the fragnted mories—
Would she make the sa choice?
"...I think... I would."
Gotoh Hitori spoke softly, as if confirming it to herself.
The "her" in those mories wasn't any different from the real her.
If that day ever truly ca—
Then she would probably make the exact sa choice.
To find happiness together with everyone.
Rather than taking it for herself alone.
Because just imagining Nijika, Ryo, and Ikuyo waiting for more than ten years—
It felt unbearably cruel.
And Minami, in that mory, was the sa—
"No matter what... that person... always puts us first..."
Placing a hand gently over her chest, Gotoh Hitori's pale cheeks flushed a soft pink.
Minami...
She wanted to see him.
Right now.
Not in a dream.
Not in so fragnted, fleeting mory.
The real him.
As she thought about that, a pure, beautiful smile naturally blood across her face.
To an outsider, however—
"Hehehe... hehehe..."
"...We should really call that exorcist we know, shouldn't we?"
"...Yeah, I'll handle it."
Sharing a deeply concerned look, the Gotoh couple stood outside their daughter's room, watching her giggle to herself like a possessed woman.
Their minds were made up.
This had to be the work of so evil spirit.
Nothing else could explain such a terrifying laugh in the middle of the night.
...
As usual, Shouji Minami woke up early.
Following his daily routine, he started his morning jog.
By now, this was as much a habit as breathing.
With constant training, his already decent physique had only improved further.
And thanks to the simulator enhancing his progress every ti he worked out—
His speed, endurance, and overall performance had steadily reached new heights.
After finishing his run and returning ho, he wiped his sweat and grabbed a drink.
Just as he was about to take a sip, a familiar system notification rang in his ears.
At first, he assud it was just another standard update about his fitness stats.
However—
[Your physical stats have slightly increased. Your athletic ability has improved. Current stat: 8. You have gained the skill "Athletics LV3."]
"Hmm?"
Pausing mid-drink, Minami raised an eyebrow and pulled up his status window.
[Romance Simulator]
[Bound User: Shouji Minami]
Appearance: 9 Athletics: 8 (↑) Academics: 8 Skills: Learning LV4 Narcissism LV4 Cooking (Happiness) LV4 Writing (Romance) LV4 Music LV3 Deception LV3 Athletics LV3 (NEW) dical LV2 Self-Discipline LV1 Awareness LV1 Initiative LV1 Sincerity LV1 Acting LV1
"...It actually increased?"
Ignoring the usual Simulator Comntary, Minami focused on his stats.
His Athletics had risen from 7 to 8.
And at the sa ti, a new "Athletics LV3" skill had appeared under his talents.
This change caught him off guard.
Previously, he had assud that reaching 8 in Athletics was already pushing the limits of an average professional.
Anything beyond that—Level 9 or 10—was the territory of world-class athletes.
Sothing far beyond what he ever expected to reach.
From what he understood, most regular people would hit a natural "ceiling" in their abilities.
But with the simulator...
He no longer had any limits.
No "bottlenecks".
If he kept going, he could break past the peak of human potential.
"...The simulator really is overpowered, huh?"
Shaking his head, Minami sighed.
The fact that it had taken him two full months of training just to gain 2 points in Athletics probably ant he was pathetically slow by the simulator's standards.
From its perspective, his progress was probably embarrassingly inefficient.
Still, the unexpected growth was a nice bonus.
Feeling good about his gains, Minami whipped up a quick breakfast before throwing on his Shuka High autumn uniform and heading out.
The mornings were getting colder.
Sumr had long since ended, and Tokyo had fully transitioned into deep autumn—nearly winter.
Minami had layered an extra shirt beneath his uniform for warmth.
anwhile, he couldn't help but admire the boldness of certain female students still opting to wear skirts despite the chill.
Japanese girls really were sothing else...
They claid that exposing their legs in cold weather made them softer and smoother over ti.
And while Minami wasn't about to fact-check that claim...
He had to admit, it was impressive.
Not that any of this really mattered to him.
His focus was on one thing—
Making his way toward Shuka High for another day of the Cultural Festival.
The number of visitors had noticeably decreased compared to yesterday.
That was only natural.
Those who had already satisfied their curiosity about the Shuka Festival the previous day wouldn't bother coming again.
On top of that, many of the more popular stalls had already sold out of their products and prizes.
With fewer attractions to visit, fewer people would show up—it was inevitable.
Minami didn't rush straight to the science prep room to et Rio Futaba.
First, he headed back to his own classroom.
Unlike yesterday, when it had been packed with students and guests, Class 2-B felt much more relaxed today.
A lot of students were chatting and laughing, sharing stories about what they had found interesting at the festival—where the fun spots were, which booths were worth visiting, and which classes they planned to check out today.
For second-years, this was their last chance to fully enjoy the Shuka Festival before the intense pressure of their final year began.
As third-years, they'd barely have ti to relax.
So, naturally, they were making the most of it while they could.
Compared to them, Minami's choice was much simpler.
He set down his shoulder bag, pulled out a light novel, and started reading.
I'll relax for a bit first, then head over to et Futaba, he thought.
And that's exactly what he did—
Or at least, that was the plan.
But before he could even turn to the next page—
The hushed voices of gossiping classmates reached his ears.
"Hey, did you hear? Mikawa from the next class just confessed to soone!"
"Huh?! No way! That timid Mikawa actually confessed?"
Gasps of surprise echoed through the room.
Minami remained silent.
To be honest, high school romance gossip wasn't sothing he particularly cared for.
However—
The next thing they said made him pause.
"So Mikawa confessed too? I heard my friend Hayasegawa from Class 4 also confessed. And apparently, it was really weird."
"Weird? How so?"
"Well, I heard that when Hayasegawa confessed, he grabbed the girl's leg, looked really serious, and shouted sothing like, 'You are my Komako! I won't let you go! I won't miss my chance!' or sothing dramatic like that."
"..."
Minami lowered his book, glancing toward the group talking.
Sothing about that Komako line sounded very familiar.
And then it hit him.
Before the Shuka Festival, he had written a short story called "The Girl Hidden Within the Azalea Fields."
Using his Writing (Romance) LV4 skill, he had penned a lodramatic love story.
But since he had been so busy leading up to the festival, he had completely forgotten about it.
Now, however—
He rembered that the Shuka High Literature Club had included it in their latest school magazine and distributed copies to students.
And considering that his writing was backed by a max-level romance skill—
If a bunch of hormonal high schoolers read it...
Minami cleared his throat.
"You know what, now that you ntion it..."
One of the students continued, "When Mikawa confessed, he also said sothing weird. He kept shouting stuff like, 'I love you! I don't want you to beco the girl hidden in the azalea fields!' It was super dramatic! Like, when did that guy get so bold? And where did he even learn to say stuff like that?"
"Now that I think about it," another student added, "isn't there just way too many confessions happening lately? It feels like every class has at least one! And they're all saying weird stuff, like 'Komako, my lonely soul,' or 'Romantic till death'—where is this even coming from?"
There was genuine confusion in the voices around him.
"Could this be... the Cultural Festival's magic?"
"The magic of the festival? Making people confess?"
"But they're all getting rejected, aren't they? I heard so of them were absolutely devastated afterward, like full-on crying."
"Ehh, whatever! The sheer number of confessions happening is insane, though! Doesn't this totally feel like one of those 'festival romance clichés' you see in ani?!"
Excitent filled the classroom.
As for Minami—
His face remained completely expressionless.
No.
This wasn't "festival magic."
It was simply... the inevitable outco.
I an, yeah, I did write that kind of story...
Minami cleared his throat again.
Sure, he might have so responsibility for it.
But if these guys didn't already have feelings for the girls they were confessing to—
They wouldn't have been affected by it.
So, in conclusion—
"Not my problem."
Minami nodded to himself.
The fact that so many heartbroken guys were popping up wasn't his fault.
He casually flipped to the next page of his book.
Then, he glanced at the clock.
Guess it's about ti to head to the science prep room.
Standing up, Minami grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder.
Still, he couldn't help but wonder—
What exactly does Futaba want to talk about...?
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