My Simulation… Why Is It Turning into a Real Romance?!

Summer vacation had officially begun, and the heat was far beyond what most people could imagine.

The scorching temperatures turned the ground into something like a sizzling iron plate. You could throw a piece of meat onto the pavement, drizzle it with a little oil, and in no time, catch a faint whiff of grilled meat in the air. Ultraviolet rays laced the atmosphere, and the waves of heat hitting the skin felt almost like being seared by fire.

And yet, under this unbearable heat, Kazami Haru was strangely down with a cold, lying flat in bed.

"…Never thought I'd be full of energy when it was cooler, only to catch a cold the moment it gets hot."

Burning with fever, Haru rubbed his temples wearily.

The fatigue and powerlessness felt like chains gripping his neck, leaving him utterly drained. His head was foggy, and the sore, inflamed throat throbbed with pain, a constant reminder of his condition.

Even just taking a deep breath sent sharp pains shooting through his abdomen…

So this was what they meant by "either you don't get sick all year, or when you do, it knocks you flat."

"This is bad, looks like I've even got a fever this time."

Haru didn't even need to touch his forehead to know his body was burning like fire.

It was probably because he got drenched rescuing that stray cat, Raana. Then, instead of showering when he got home, he went straight into cooking, followed by a late-night jam session with the cat.

He didn't rest properly the next day either, jumped straight into a live performance with the band. Borrowing his daughter's "skill trial card" had definitely given him a performance boost, but it also took a serious toll on his body.

With all those factors stacked together, it was no surprise he crashed.

Honestly, with all those debuffs piling on, if he were still bouncing around like usual, he'd have to be some kind of superhero.

He half-joked to himself, Hopefully this fever isn't just a fever. Maybe I'll wake up with a Stand or something.

"…Guess I overestimated myself, huh?"

He had gotten cocky thanks to the 'Enhanced Physical Health' and 'Endurance LV4' skills he picked up in the simulator, thinking it'd be enough to push through.

He assumed that with all those buffs, he'd be close to immune to minor colds or fevers. Clearly, he was wrong.

Still unwilling to believe it, Haru slowly opened the simulator panel.

[The Ultimate Romance Simulator]

[Host: Kazami Haru]

[Skills: 'Legendary Art LV5', 'Piano LV3', 'Music Theory LV4', 'Endurance LV4'…]

Looked impressive at a glance, but not one of those skills was useful right now.

If only there was a 'Guts: Endure' skill or something…

"This sucks. I still have training today."

The thought alone made his headache feel worse.

He had promised to rehearse with the members of MyGO today.

But in this state? There was no way he could make it to band practice. Honestly, if he managed to fix himself lunch and dinner without starving to death, it'd be a miracle.

Bzzz...

His phone buzzed on the nightstand. Haru picked it up with effort, squinting against the piercing light of the screen.

It was a LINE message.

[Simple (nickname)]: Where are you? You didn't forget we're practicing today, did you?

'Simple' was the contact name Haru had given to his most reliable bro, Shiina Taki.

Haru didn't expect the first message to come from the one with the most attitude, but even through the screen, he could almost picture Taki's irritated face.

To prepare for their summer live shows, Taki had even taken on a part-time job to cover more of the band's expenses, boldly renting out RiNG's rehearsal space for a solid two weeks.

Clearly, she was taking this upcoming live very seriously.

And now Haru, the band's keyboardist, was missing an important rehearsal. The fact that Taki hadn't torn into him yet spoke volumes about her self-control.

…

Meanwhile, over at RiNG—

"Haru's being weird… He still hasn't replied…"

Chihaya Anon, already waiting in the studio, looked a bit puzzled. Not seeing any sign of Kazami Haru was making her more anxious by the minute. She grabbed her phone to call him.

"Let me try calling him."

But before she could even press the button, Nagasaki Soyo, who had been standing next to her, had already dialed Haru's number.

Anon blinked, surprised at how quick she was but then remembered she'd been the one to give Soyo his number in the first place. That realization left her with a mix of regret and frustration.

Her eyes narrowed a little as she looked at Soyo's kind and gentle face. Even though she hadn't done anything suspicious in the dream world, Haru's natural charm meant she couldn't let her guard down.

"Haru's got a cold. He can't make it today."

A calm, flat voice rang out nearby.

"Eh? What happened?"

Anon turned sharply toward Shiina Taki, who was seated behind the drum set, her expression cold and indifferent.

Taki held out her phone, showing the group a message from Haru saying he couldn't make it due to being sick. The girls froze in surprise.

"How'd he suddenly come down with something?"

Soyo frowned slightly, fingers absently toying with a lock of hair behind her ear.

He'd looked fine just a couple days ago, how did things take such a sharp turn so fast?

"…Is he gonna be okay?"

Takamatsu Tomori, clutching her microphone, furrowed her brows. Her golden-tinged amber eyes shimmered with unease and concern.

She lowered her head slowly, panic flickering in her eyes as she scrolled through Haru's LINE, sending several worried messages in a row, desperately hoping for some kind of reply.

But no reply came. Tiny beads of sweat started forming on her smooth forehead.

"Haru…"

Just hearing the word sick sent Tomori into a mental spiral, like a shroud of invisible mist had closed in around her. She felt overwhelmed with fear, like even standing still might cause her to collapse.

In the "dream," Haru had died suddenly from an illness, too.

This eerie déjà vu made Tomori all the more anxious.

"It's just a cold. He should be fine after resting a few days," Taki said calmly, shaking her head.

She didn't pause the group's training just because Haru wasn't there. Their live was coming up in less than a month, and the band clearly wasn't ready yet.

There was still a dress rehearsal to get through. If they couldn't even pass that, there'd be no point thinking about what came next.

"…"

Suddenly, the guitarist known as "Noraneko" spoke up from the side. Maybe because Haru couldn't make it to practice today, she was clearly bored and had already begun packing up her guitar.

Noticing her clear intent to bail, Shiina Taki narrowed her eyes slightly. Holding her pair of slender drumsticks, she let out a quiet breath and swept her sharp gaze across the others before speaking:

"We'll keep practicing with just the rest of us."

"Eh? But what about Haru…?"

Chihaya Anon looked uneasy.

Continuing practice without a key member of the band just didn't sit right. It felt wrong to Anon, especially toward Haru, but Taki, clearly agitated, only furrowed her brow deeper.

"We keep going even without him. The live is coming up fast."

"And you're still far from ready. What are you going to do once we're on stage?"

The atmosphere in the rehearsal room tightened instantly.

Anon, well aware of her current skill level, fell silent at Taki's blunt words.

Sensing trouble, Nagasaki Soyo quickly stepped in, offering a light-hearted smile to defuse the tension. "Come on, Taki-chan, let's stay calm. We still have time, don't we?"

"…Time's not enough. The second song isn't even done yet."

Taki shook her head again.

The first song Haru composed had been mostly polished thanks to her input, and it was solid, but one song wouldn't be enough for a live performance.

They were filling in for another band, and with a 15-minute slot, they needed at least two, ideally three—original tracks ready to go.

They couldn't seriously go up and just play "Haruhikage", right?

"But Haru can't keep working on the songs in his condition… He needs at least a few days to recover," Anon muttered, puffing out her cheeks in frustration.

That only deepened the frown on Taki's face.

If they took into account time for ensemble rehearsals and logistical prep, the work left on the remaining tracks was huge. Songwriting under pressure would only make things worse.

Haru had just finished helping the other band wrap up their live, was always taking side jobs to support himself, and had probably worn himself out over time, hence the crash.

Taki knew he couldn't take on any more.

"He does need rest, but that doesn't mean we stop."

"If we pause the songwriting now, it'll delay all our rehearsals down the line."

Taki's anxiety was mounting.

Sure, it looked like they had a month left.

But writing three full band songs would take serious time and then everyone needed to actually master those songs, individually and as a group. They still didn't even have a band name.

Not to mention, the dress rehearsal was before the actual live.

"We can't delay anymore."

Neither the rehearsals nor the songwriting could afford any more setbacks.

Normally, Taki only gave feedback and suggestions during songwriting. She'd never actually been responsible for a full composition start-to-finish.

That part had always fallen to Haru.

And that, more than anything, frustrated her.

She had grown up overshadowed by her genius older sister. No matter how hard she worked, people would always say, "Well, of course she's good, she's her sister."

In the end, she was always just the footnote.

No one expected the little sister to surpass the prodigy. Everything was always so… inevitable.

Taki gripped her drumsticks tightly, violet eyes shining with a cold, unshakable resolve.

"…I'll do the songwriting."

"Huh?!"

Anon's jaw dropped, flashing her sharp little canines.

How the hell did it come to this?!

"I said I'll take over for Haru until he's better."

Taki's words weren't just bluster. She had actually been studying composition for some time now.

Especially after forming the band again with Takamatsu Tomori, she had been preparing for this exact scenario, just in case Haru, who didn't seem the most reliable when it came to arrangements, faltered.

Lately, she had also been studying Haru's style specifically to help with arrangements.

"I've helped him with the process before. I even have the rough intro he already made for the new song—"

"I'll handle the rest: the verse, the chorus. Whatever it takes, the band can't stop now."

Seeing her expression turn so serious, Anon could only stare in stunned silence.

It would be one thing if she were writing a song from scratch. But picking up where someone else left off, mid-composition? That made the challenge exponentially harder.

"But Taki-chan, what about Haru…?"

Soyo was nervously fidgeting with her index finger, her voice still tinged with concern.

"I'll talk to him."

…

Later that afternoon, out on the street—

Since Taki had to head back to start on arrangements, practice had ended after just an hour or two.

"Sheesh! Rikki's going way overboard."

Walking the paved streets, Chihaya Anon had her guitar strapped to her back. Her bright, flowing cherry blossom-pink hair slipped off her shoulder as she moved, and her light-gray eyes sparkled with discontent.

Suddenly deciding to take over for Haru? Even she knew how hard that was.

Songwriting was nothing like just playing an instrument.

Instruments like guitar or bass were about drilling and practice, but Anon, who had studied music theory under Haru, knew just how complex composition really was.

Especially midway through a song.

"…Taki-chan probably just wants to do what's best for the band—and for everyone."

Tomori's voice was quiet and soft, but it carried.

"I know that."

After all, there was less than a month left before the live. They'd barely rehearsed, and coordination was still rough. Even her guitar playing felt shaky.

Seeing the other band's powerful live show had left everyone feeling a bit nervous.

And just when they needed him most, Haru, one of the group's pillars was suddenly bedridden.

"I wonder how Haru's doing now… Rikki only said he had a cold, but that doesn't tell us anything!"

"I'm worried about him…"

Tomori had tucked both hands into her sleeves. The worry on her face was practically visible.

She couldn't shake the unease.

Whenever she wasn't busy, she'd start remembering the scene from her dream: Haru collapsing from exhaustion after their performance.

It haunted her.

The image was etched into her very bones.

The little penguin was scared.

Worried to the point of regret.

She'd already seen him once recently, why hadn't she noticed anything wrong? She'd promised herself to always look after him, to pay attention, and still missed the signs.

"You're right. We need to check on him."

"Check…?"

Tomori blinked, a little puzzled, as a glint of mischief flickered in Anon's eyes.

At that moment, Anon felt like a genius. Her lips curled into a victorious grin, and her cute little fangs glinted in the sunlight.

"Of course~ We'll go check in person!"

After all, she knew where Haru lived!

Aside from Kita Ikuyo and Gotoh Hitori, only she and Tomori had that info!

And now that Haru had thrown himself completely into their side's live performance after the last one, he hadn't been in touch with Kita nearly as much. No way she'd heard about his condition yet!

Kita definitely didn't know.

This was the perfect chance!

"Tomori! Let's go visit Haru at home!"

Finally, her well-honed girly skills could shine. If she just took care of him gently and sweetly, it'd be a rocket boost for her affection score with him!

"Visit…?"

Tomori hesitated a second, but then nodded firmly.

"I'm going."

- - -

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