My Love Simulation with Them

After seeing Bocchi off, Minami finally returned home.

He opened the Love Simulator—

And checked his remaining Affection Points.

Originally, he only had 930 left.

But now—

It had skyrocketed to 1,530.

"Huh?!"

Minami froze.

He had only talked with Bocchi for ten minutes.

Just ten minutes—

And she had already contributed 600 points.

That was two whole simulation runs.

"Bocchi's Affection Point output is insane…"

Minami opened the notification log—

And was instantly bombarded with a wall of:

[You have received +30 Affection Points from Gotoh Hitori.]

[You have received +30 Affection Points from Gotoh Hitori.]

[You have received +30 Affection Points from Gotoh Hitori.]

It just kept going.

But thinking about how much her feelings had grown,

Minami realized—

This actually made sense.

He closed the Love Simulator for now.

Then, headed to the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later—

Minami emerged from the shower,

Casually drying his hair with a towel.

He never used a hairdryer—

He didn't like the feeling of hot air blasting his scalp.

After taking a sip of water,

He sat cross-legged at the low wooden table in his room.

A tiny, second-hand table—

A cheap wardrobe—

A basic bed—

A portable stovetop—

And moldy spots on the wall.

That was everything in his one-room rental.

"Man… These study conditions suck."

Minami glanced around at his tiny room—

And realized he needed to start making money.

Luckily—

He had already planned ahead.

During his street performance yesterday,

He had asked PA-san to record his live performance.

Tomorrow, he would pick up the footage—

Then upload it online.

If it did well,

That could become another income stream.

But…

To monetize videos,

He needed a contract with a streaming site.

That was going to take some time.

For now—

He pushed aside those troublesome thoughts

And focused on studying.

For an hour,

Minami immersed himself in his textbooks.

When he finally looked up,

A system notification popped up.

[Your Academics have slightly increased. Current Level: 8.]

"Hah! I knew it.

I improve every single day."

Minami nodded proudly.

Then—

[Your Narcissism has slightly increased. Current Level: 2.]

"…Can I turn this notification off?"

This system was seriously annoying.

Not only did it mistake confidence for narcissism—

But its memory-sharing was so unreliable…

What kind of half-baked system was this, anyway?

Minami finished his water—

And reopened the Love Simulator.

[Love Simulator]

[Bound User: Minami Shouji]

Appearance: 9 Athletics: 6 Academics: 8 Skills: Cooking (Happiness) LV4 Academics LV4 Narcissism LV2 Lying LV2 Music LV2 Medicine LV2 Self-Discipline LV1

[System Analysis:]

A promising young man—handsome, slightly narcissistic, and highly desirable to women of all ages… including a few men with "unique" interests.

Minami ignored the system's ridiculous side comments.

And scrolled down.

[Available Simulations:]

Shouji Shiho (Older Sister) Shouji Yuko(Younger Sister) Gotoh Hitori (Bocchi) Nishikigi Chisato

[Remaining Simulation Attempts: 1]

Minami stared at the list.

Then—

His gaze landed on a new name.

"…Nishikigi Chisato?"

The energetic blonde from earlier.

The one who barged into his performance—

And latched onto his shoulder like they were best friends.

The Lycris Recoil girl.

Minami tilted his head.

"…This might be interesting."

"Only One Simulation Left?"

Frowning at the remaining simulation count, Minami finally remembered—

During his last successful Bocchi simulation,

He was already down to one last attempt.

The Yamada Ryou IF Route Card he used didn't count,

Since it consumed an item, not a simulation.

So having just one attempt left—

Made perfect sense.

But…

Could he achieve a perfect Happy Ending in just one try?

Wouldn't that be too difficult?

Minami rubbed his chin—

Then shook his head.

No.

It won't be hard.

He had already mastered this simulation system.

He achieved Bocchi's 92-point Happy Ending.

Even Ryou's was 89 points on his first try.

By now—

He was an expert at this game.

And Chisato Nishikigi—

Was the first girl to start with a natural "Admiration" rating.

This was a dream scenario.

A maxed-out starting advantage.

"One try? No problem."

Minami felt confident.

Without hesitation,

He opened the simulation menu.

[Start Simulation?]

▶ Yes

[Remaining Simulation Attempts: 0]

His consciousness dived into the simulation.

[Simulation Begins]

"After leaving Starry, you return home.

As usual, you admire yourself in the mirror—

Even though your living conditions are terrible,

Your blind optimism remains your greatest strength."

Sitting at his low wooden table,

He reflected on his street performance today—

And smiled.

"Not just because of the successful show—

But because of the blonde girl who barged in—

Chisato Nishikigi."

His natural social awareness kicked in.

And he realized—

Her bright personality masked a deep admiration for him.

Not just her—

Her friend, too, was interested.

She had even asked for his next performance.

So, he told them.

And watched them leave.

Sitting at home, he became curious about her.

And decided—

1. Prepare for tomorrow's performance.

(Attract her with your looks and guitar skills. Keep building the relationship.)

2. Too much guitar practice is exhausting. Take a break and study.

3. If you like her, you should claim her.

(Knowing your enemy is key to victory! Prepare for tomorrow's show AND stalk her!)

4. Personally simulate.

"…Huh?"

Minami froze.

Ignoring Option 4 (since he had no retries left),

The first three options were all ridiculous.

Especially Option 3—

Straight-up stalking?!

"Are you serious?

This isn't Love Simulator anymore—

It's Crime Simulator!"

Minami grimaced.

This was a guaranteed death flag.

Option 3 was immediately eliminated.

Now, it was between Options 1 and 2.

Option 2 meant studying instead of playing guitar.

But knowing this system's personality—

If he chose study mode,

The rest of the simulation would become a study arc.

And besides—

The system already hinted—

Chisato Nishikigi was interested in his music.

If he ignored the guitar now,

That would be a fatal mistake.

"Option 1 it is."

Minami made his choice.

[You decide to prepare for tomorrow's street performance.]

[You are confident in your looks and guitar skills. Attracting her will be easy.]

[Your understanding of music has deepened.]

[The next day, you perform at the Shimokitazawa plaza.]

[Thanks to your preparation, the show is another great success.]

And just as expected—

Chisato Nishikigi appears again.

[Your carefully planned performance impresses her.]

[Her admiration for you increases.]

This time—

Minami doesn't waste time with other audience members.

He focuses on her.

[You and Chisato sit on a park bench.]

[Your conversation is lively and engaging.]

[She loves music.

But she also loves movies.

Using your knowledge from your past life,

You effortlessly guide the conversation.]

[Chisato is like a sunbeam—

Bright, carefree, always smiling.

She makes the world feel warm and full of joy.]

[As the sunset glows on her face,

She looks like a radiant goddess.]

You talk for over an hour.

Until her friend, Takina Inoue, calls to interrupt.

Reluctantly,

She says goodbye.

As she leaves,

You admire her incredible energy.

And decide—

1. Your choice was correct.

(Keep improving your performances and get closer to her.)

2. Enough concerts. Time to study and relax.

3. Don't hesitate! If you like her, CLAIM HER!

(Buy a GPS tracker online and tail her!)

4. Personally simulate.

"Another choice?"

Minami blinked.

He wasn't expecting another branch this quickly.

But the options…

Were just as ridiculous as before.

He sighed.

And carefully made his decision.

"Again with These Choices?"

Minami was still immersed in the simulation—

When suddenly, a new set of choices appeared.

He froze for a moment.

He didn't expect the next decision to come this fast.

Hadn't he just made a choice?

"Weird…"

Minami felt something off—

But maybe it was because Chisato's affection was already high.

That could explain the rapid progression.

But then—

He stared at the third option.

"Option Three... What the hell is wrong with you?"

Minami twitched.

"Buy a tracker and stalk her?"

Not only was this creepy,

It was highly illegal.

Even if she didn't report him,

Her affection would plummet.

Option Two was also ridiculous.

"Why is studying always an option?"

This was a romance simulator.

Did the system forget its own genre?

Minami shook his head.

"Option One still seems the most reliable."

His previous choice had already deepened his bond with Chisato.

They had even talked for over an hour.

If things kept going like this—

They could definitely become a couple.

Option Three was insane.

Option One was safe.

Minami picked One.

[Your second live performance was another success.]

[Chisato appeared again, cheering enthusiastically in the back row.]

[Her excitement and admiration for you were so obvious that others assumed she was your girlfriend.]

[Every time after your performance, she would eagerly find you to chat about her day.]

[She loved talking to you, laughing as you playfully responded.]

[She started spending more time with you.]

[She playfully poked your face when you weren't paying attention.]

[She brought you homemade lunches, saying she ran a café.]

[Her smile was infectious.]

[The two of you became close friends.]

Minami grinned.

"This is going too smoothly."

He felt confident.

A perfect ending seemed within reach.

Then—

The system displayed:

[Everything Seemed to Be Going Well.]

Minami's smile vanished instantly.

"...Oh no."

He knew this sentence all too well.

Whenever the system said this—

Everything was about to go horribly wrong.

"...Where did I go wrong?"

Minami searched his memory.

Was it his choices?

Option Two was irrelevant.

Option Three was criminal behavior.

Option One was the best possible choice.

There shouldn't be a problem.

Yet—

The system was warning him.

Minami frowned.

He thought hard.

But no matter how much he analyzed it…

He couldn't find an answer.