Experience alone was not enough; Minami Yuuki also needed a good instrument, which would be quite expensive. Unfortunately, all his money had been spent by his predecessor on virtual streamers.
Furthermore, this money wasn't just his monthly allowance; it included his high school savings and New Year's gift money.
Thinking about this, Minami Yuuki felt a pang of regret.
"Come to think of it, I'm still a minor, right? Can I apply for a refund from the platform?"
Too bad Japan doesn't have such an "advanced" technology.
He shifted his thinking; he didn't have money for an instrument, but Asano Nao did! As her close friend, it was reasonable to borrow a little money from her, right?
In the evening, while dining together at the wooden table, Minami Yuuki spoke up.
"Can you lend me some money?" he asked, looking at Asano Nao.
Asano Nao was stunned, surprised, and then lowered her head before meeting his gaze, her social anxiety kicking in.
"Y-Yes, I can," she agreed.
Inside, she was in turmoil. She wasn't a naive girl; she had seen enough of the world's dirtiness online and in games to always assume the worst.
A scenario where someone borrows money right after meeting, it must be a scam for sure!
A handsome boy targeting a socially anxious, invisible girl, using his charm to attract her, then tricking her with his words to borrow money. First a few thousand yen, then tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions...
His goal was to scam all her money!
Asano Nao started trembling, her heart racing, her cheeks flushing.
This is amazing!
Until he scams all my money, Yuuki-kun will keep being nice to me!
I mustn't laugh out loud, or I'll scare Yuuki-kun away!
"Then, please lend me 250,000 yen," Minami Yuuki said.
Starting with tens of thousands right away? Shouldn't it begin with just a few thousand?
Such a thought flashed through Asano Nao's mind, then she dismissed it, thinking that Yuuki-kun couldn't be like an ordinary scammer. Asking for just a few thousand yen would devalue his worth!
She was also a bit worried about how long her savings would last.
"Sure, a transfer... is that okay?" Asano Nao stuttered, taking out her phone.
Minami Yuuki gave her his account number, and after confirming it, Asano Nao transferred 250,000 yen to his bank account.
"Okay, I received it."
Looking at the increased balance in his account and then at the woman who transferred the money without hesitation, Minami Yuuki was amazed. Although he had known from the love simulator that Asano Nao would obey him, experiencing it in reality was still surprising.
This was 250,000 yen! Over 12,000 RMB!
Asano Nao had transferred the money so readily!
As expected, this socially anxious otaku girl had serious mental issues.
"I can repay you about 10,000 to 20,000 yen a month. If everything goes smoothly, I can repay it within a year; otherwise, it might take a bit longer," Minami Yuuki promised after calculating his living expenses.
He genuinely intended to repay the money.
Reality was different from the simulation. In the love simulator, he could use Asano Nao's savings without any psychological or ethical burden because he was her boyfriend, and her money was rightfully his.
But in reality, Minami Yuuki didn't plan to date Asano Nao yet, so he couldn't use her money recklessly.
It wasn't that he disliked Asano Nao, although her personality was indeed troublesome.
This was because Minami Yuuki didn't want to settle down with a girlfriend too early. With the love simulator, he could simulate relationships with many women before making a decision.
With so many different kinds of flowers, he wanted to admire them all and then choose his favorite to plant on his balcony.
Choosing a flower hastily at first glance and claiming to like it would be disrespectful to that flower and to the concept of liking itself. It would be too rash and perfunctory.
True liking, true fondness, should come after seeing, touching, smelling, and nurturing many flowers, then returning to choose one.
This way, when the flower asks why you chose it, you won't have to lie or give an unreliable answer like "I fell for you at first sight." Instead, you can scientifically and truthfully say, "I found you to be the most beautiful after seeing many."
As a noble person, an honest person, Minami Yuuki couldn't lie or believe in things like destiny or fate. He had to be honest, believe in science, and use real experiences to judge who was the best.
The flowers named lovers came in too many shapes and too many petals. Originally, Minami Yuuki wouldn't have had time to deeply experience each one, but now, with the love simulator, he could savor them slowly.
He set a small goal: simulate a hundred relationships!
Until he completed these hundred simulations, he planned to stay single, keeping the flowerpot in his heart empty, waiting for his favorite flower.
Therefore, he couldn't take advantage of Asano Nao. He had to control himself, not be tempted by her money, and not give her his heart's flowerpot.
He needed to draw a clear line with Asano Nao!
As he thought about this, he continued eating the tempura Asano Nao made. It was delicious!
What? He's living off Asano Nao? And he's enjoying it under the guise of friendship?!
The boundaries he's talking about are the boundaries of a romantic relationship; friendship lies outside those boundaries!
Given Asano Nao's personality, trouble is bound to follow in the future, and Minami Yuuki will certainly have to clean up after her. He's just collecting a bit of compensation in advance!
With his exceptional mental acuity, Minami Yuuki considered all this in a very short time. At this moment, Asano Nao was hesitating about how to respond to his repayment plan.
"Mm."
Asano Nao thought about many things, but by the time she opened her mouth, only this sound came out.
Minami Yuuki's spending plan sounded very reliable, and the boy's expression was sincere enough. Asano Nao wondered if she had misunderstood him. Could it be that he really was just borrowing money, not scamming her?
On one hand, she was glad that Minami Yuuki might not have deceived her, but on the other hand, she worried that an honest Minami Yuuki might leave her after repaying the money.
It would be better if he was just scamming me!
She wrestled with this thought for a long time, racking her brain for evidence to prove that Minami Yuuki intended to swindle her.
In her distress, the food in her bowl diminished by a layer, while Minami Yuuki's bowl was already empty.
"Thanks for the meal. See you tomorrow, sister." Minami Yuuki put down his bowl and chopsticks and left the Asano residence.
The amber sunlight spilled over the gray street; there was still some time before dark. Minami Yuuki planned to buy musical instruments first.
While waiting at a red light on the roadside, he encountered the mother and daughter he had previously met in the elevator of the apartment building.
The mother held the handles of the wheelchair, and the daughter sat quietly in the chair.