Every day, many people pass by Minami Yuuki, but not many leave a deep impression on him. But this mother and daughter did.
It wasn't just because of the daughter's wheelchair but also because of their looks.
Despite wearing masks, Minami Yuuki could still tell they were exceptionally beautiful, at least on the level of Chitose Kazumi.
Comparing them like this made it seem like he was using Chitose Kazumi as a unit of beauty. In his mind, Minami Yuuki apologized to Chitose Kazumi.
He wondered if the faces behind those masks could surpass Chitose Kazumi's beauty and whether they could reach the level of his sister Airi or his best friend Asano Nao, and perhaps even become a simulation target.
Minami Yuuki believed that one more simulation would lead him to a perfect ending with Asano Nao. After that, he would need to choose a new target. It was time to start looking.
Speaking of which, he wondered what the reward would be after achieving a perfect ending with the simulator.
Cutting off his scattered thoughts, he walked slowly, coming up behind the mother and daughter.
Beauty often has a kind of infectious power, spilling over from its bearer and entering the observer's heart, lifting their spirits and sparking pleasant imaginings.
Looking at the mother and daughter's backs, Minami Yuuki's already good mood improved even more. He took two steps forward to greet them.
Just then, the mother bent down and spoke to her daughter.
"What do you think of your new dad, Yuko?" The mother's voice was cheerful.
Minami Yuuki stopped in his tracks. They seemed to be talking about something private, so it was not a good time to approach.
Before he could walk away, the conversation took a sharp turn.
"I don't think he's good," the daughter said.
The mother's smile disappeared at the negative response. She stared at the back of her daughter's neck. "Yeah, a brat like you wouldn't understand how good Taijie is."
"I don't think he wants to marry you, Mom."
The daughter, with her pale neck, stared straight at the traffic light ahead, her eyes unmoving, her posture indicating she wasn't really talking to her mother.
Her words struck a nerve in the mother, whose face twitched momentarily.
"You useless, trashy, worthless thing! What do you know!" the mother said, her voice low and pressed. She gripped the wheelchair handles so tightly that her skin turned white from lack of blood flow.
She reached out her left hand, squeezing her daughter's shoulder hard.
The scene was so jarring that Minami Yuuki froze. He looked at the daughter, whose shoulder was being squeezed by her mother, but she didn't move, as if her mother's hand was a caress.
Step—
Minami Yuuki took a big step forward, deliberately making a noise on the ground.
The mother quickly withdrew her hand when she saw someone approaching, resuming a normal, motherly demeanor.
The daughter glanced quickly at Minami Yuuki before turning her eyes back to the traffic light.
There were still ten seconds left of the red light, and pedestrians on both sides were preparing to move.
The mother's phone rang suddenly. Judging by her delighted expression, it was probably her new boyfriend, Taijie.
Without hesitation, she left her daughter and walked to a quieter place to take the call.
The news on the phone wasn't good, and the mother's voice grew louder and more agitated.
The green light turned on, and pedestrians began to move. The daughter remained stationary in her wheelchair, surrounded by the flow of people. It was dusk, and the crowd was large, making the petite girl seem like a small boat in a vast ocean.
Finally, as the crowd passed, the girl's 'boat' steadied, but the oncoming crowd was already at the center of the road, ready to surge towards her again.
The mother was still on the phone, seemingly unable to end the call anytime soon.
Minami Yuuki stepped forward to grab the wheelchair handles and push her to safety.
But he stopped short.
The girl moved her feet off the wheelchair's footrest, placed them on the ground, and stood up, holding onto the wheelchair's sides.
She pushed her wheelchair to a safe corner and sat back down.
Minami Yuuki: "???"
You can walk!?
Minami Yuuki pinched his nose, reflecting on why he assumed that anyone in a wheelchair must be disabled. Perhaps she was just weak and couldn't walk far, or maybe she had recently had surgery and was temporarily using the wheelchair.
Stereotypes are dangerous.
Since the girl didn't need help, he moved on.
Minami Yuuki crossed the street and entered the subway station, heading to the musical instrument street.
Using the 250,000 yen he borrowed from Asano Nao, he bought a guitar.
Who in this day and age still thinks about playing the trumpet and joining a big orchestra? That doesn't attract girls at all!
Of course, playing the guitar, you can start performing solo or join a band. With fewer members in a band, you get more attention!
After adjusting the guitar in the store, he took the complimentary accessories and returned the way he came.
By habit, he ended up in front of Asano's house.
Turning a corner, he returned to his own apartment.
The night had already fallen, and playing the guitar loudly would attract complaints, so he lightly played a soothing tune.
Though he had never touched a guitar in real life, he played perfectly.
As expected of me, he nodded.
Good job, he patted the guitar.
Following the rock tradition, he began to think of a name for his guitar.
It's decided, you'll be called Jimei!
See you tomorrow, Jimei.
He washed up, drew the curtains, turned off the lights, said goodnight to his guitar, and went to bed.
The weekend passed faster than he expected.
He only took Jimei to Asano's house to show Asano Nao the guitar he bought with her money, played for a while, and the day slipped away quietly.
Just a bit of musical experience could captivate him this much. How enticing it would be to extract a lifetime of complete musical skills using the skill extraction chance.
He needed to get more simulation opportunities quickly.
Stopping his strumming, Minami Yuuki looked at Asano Nao, who was dozing off on the sofa after listening for a whole day.
He played a jarring note to wake her up.
"Alright, the concert's over. Time for my gift." Minami Yuuki grinned.
"Eh? Gift?" Asano Nao, rubbing her sleepy eyes, was stunned by his words.
"That's right, there's always a gift or flowers after a performance, right? So you should give me a gift."
Pulling this reasoning out of nowhere, Minami Yuuki put the guitar in its case. "Since it's your first time hearing a performance and you're not familiar with the customs, I'll make an exception today and let you give it to me later. Remember, it has to be heartfelt!"
With that, he slung the guitar over his shoulder and left Asano's house.
Now, he just had to wait for the gift and get his simulation opportunities!