When Minami Yuuki emerged from the bedroom, Ibuki Yuko was holding a book, getting ready to leave.
She glanced at Minami Yuuki and then at the digital clock on the entrance shoe cabinet.
Minami Yuuki clenched his fist. Was this girl suspecting that he had already finished?
"I saw your mom downstairs, so I brought her up here. Goodbye," he explained briefly, walking past Ibuki Yuko, through the apartment door, then into the corridor, proving his innocence through action.
"Thank you."
He heard her voice as he turned around, but Ibuki Yuko had already closed the door.
The situation in this family seemed somewhat complex.
Going down in the elevator, Minami Yuuki leaned against the handrail, thinking about how Ibuki Yuko had looked at him with disgust when he escorted the woman inside.
Was that look because of a misunderstanding? Was she displeased with her mother frequently bringing strangers home?
He had initially thought she was a girl who always viewed people with disdain. It was somewhat regrettable.
Back in his room, Minami Yuuki quickly washed up and lay down on his bed.
He opened the Love Simulator.
[Love Simulator]
[Player: Minami Yuuki]
[Remaining Simulation Times: 1 (Simulation times can recover over time or be acquired actively)]
[Simulatable Characters: Minami Ruri, Minami Airi, Minami Kotori, Asano Nao, Ibuki Yuko]
Huh? Minami Yuuki looked at the name "Ibuki Yuko" under simulatable characters.
So that shorty is indeed a simulatable character.
Her name hadn't appeared before, but now it did. Was it because of what just happened?
Because he hadn't developed a negative relationship with her mother, her feelings towards him had changed, making her a simulatable character?
Minami Yuuki didn't delve deeper. Once he got Asano Nao's origami crane and obtained a new simulation time, he could simulate Ibuki Yuko and understand her.
As for the current one simulation time, he naturally had to deal with Asano Nao first!
Asano Nao, who had committed the sin of being gloomy, today I will eradicate the negative emotions attached to you!
"Start simulation!"
[Do you want to load previously experienced life segments?]
Of course, yes.
In the previous simulated life, the starting point was a few days ago, when he didn't yet know Asano Nao's hiding place, and simulating multiple times was useless.
[Simulation begins]
[Remaining Simulation Times: 0]
[Simulated Object: Asano Nao]
[Initial Relationship: Mutual Fondness]
The initial relationship had changed from one-sided love to mutual fondness.
This was normal too; the Minami Yuuki in the simulated life undoubtedly loved Asano Nao.
Accepting the memories of the scenes from the simulation in reality, Minami Yuuki inevitably developed some feelings as well.
This shallow sentiment didn't affect Minami Yuuki's grand plan of exploring all flowers; he had many people he was fond of, such as: Kanna Hashimoto, Satomi Ishihara, Yui Aragaki, Mio Akiyama, and Mikoto Misaka...
He needed to pick his favorite among those he was fond of.
Lying in bed, Minami Yuuki pulled up the covers, staring at the simulation panel.
[You quickly adapted to your new life and used a plan to enter the Asano household, declaring friendship with Asano Nao. You spent all your living expenses and ate meals at the Asano household. At school, you politely declined Chitose Kazumi's confession but became friends with her.]
The beginning of the simulation was largely similar to before.
Minami Yuuki worried; did he have to go through almost the same plot again?
His worries were unnecessary.
On the simulation panel, a popup appeared.
[Upon inspection, this simulation contains a large amount of similar text. Enable fast review mode?]
Fast review? Rapid viewing?
Minami Yuuki clicked yes.
The next moment, he felt a headache, his vision darkened, and a flood of memories surged in his mind. Scenes flashed by rapidly, like winter winds sweeping snow-covered memories off the ground, hitting his face. It was like a carousel with an engine, images flying swiftly.
So this fast review was actually quickly passing scenes of memories through my mind!
Five minutes later, the carousel of memories came to a stop.
Minami Yuuki opened his eyes, sat up, and rubbed his temples, his head throbbing.
After resting for ten minutes, the pain in his head eased. He lay back on the pillow and looked at the simulation panel.
On the panel, a summary of life events emerged.
[Under your shameless advances, Asano Nao slowly gets used to your presence. You introduce Chitose Kazumi to her as a friend, teach her how to write romance novels, and you grow closer. The nature of your relationship becomes clear without words.]
[Finally, one day after you graduate from high school, witnessing Chitose Kazumi's failed confession, Asano Nao becomes anxious. She asks you to stay in her room, and you two become intimate. Discovering your relationship, Chitose Kazumi chooses to leave.]
[You enter the Misaki Art University, and Asano Nao's feelings for you become increasingly complex. She ultimately decides to leave. Before leaving, for your happiness and hers, she reconnects you with Chitose Kazumi and becomes pregnant with your child.]
[One day in your sophomore year, you return home and find no trace of Asano Nao, only her laptop on the sofa.]
[Opening the laptop, you read the final volume of "NEET" left by Asano Nao. It's her love letter to you and also her farewell letter.]
[Facing her departure, you choose...]
[1. "Kazumi is also quite cute, and she's got a nice chest."]
[2. "The day I finish my PhD will be the day I reclaim my love!"]
[3. "I love you so much, yet you toyed with me like this. Your leaving is a betrayal of trust, and it makes me furious. Now, I will treat you the same way. I will become a monk, shave my head, renounce the world, and make you regret!"]
[4. Free simulation]
Option 3 is absurd!
Besides, monks in Japan can get married!
Minami Yuuki chose option 2.
[You had anticipated Asano Nao's departure and knew exactly where she had gone into hiding.]
[You didn't immediately go after her. You thought that perhaps it was because of your presence that Asano Nao couldn't grow; she relied too much on you. You decided to let Asano Nao go and weather the storms on her own.]
[You continued your studies. Chitose Kazumi came to see you with guilt, and you reassured her, making it clear that you wouldn't marry another woman.]
[You and Chitose Kazumi remained friends, and she often helped you fend off pursuers at school.]
[With a strong musical background, you excelled in your studies. You found time to perform at a proper bar, attracting many customers with your beauty and talent. Generous wages and tips left your finances quite comfortable.]
[You hired a private detective to find a woman who worked in Misaki and lived in Yori Village, giving her money to visit Yori Village weekly to inquire about Asano Nao's whereabouts. Despite her seemingly smooth life in the previous simulated life, you still worried.]
[To prevent the woman from neglecting her work, using fake information to deceive you, you employed a woman from a nearby village, comparing their weekly updates.]
[On the day your daughter was born, you were downstairs from Asano Nao's surgery room. After she gave birth, you received the news immediately. Fate did not change. Asano Nao gave birth to a baby girl. She named her daughter Yumemi Miu. Miu had a heart disease, which could not be cured. She could only take medicine to treat it. ]
[Under the care of her grandmother, Asano Nao and her daughter stayed in the hospital. You looked at her and your daughter from a distance several times. On her face, sadness and joy coexisted. ]
[Back in Misaki City, you slowed down the practice of classical instrumental music and instead studied pop music. You needed a lot of money and free work to accompany your wife and daughter. The road to instrumental music was too slow. Only pop music could meet your requirements. ]