[Time flies.]
[It has been nearly half a year since Toru moved in next door.]
[You've gotten close to him, but there's still not the slightest trace of romance. Perhaps his threshold for affection is simply too high; ordinary daily life isn't enough to make him fall for you.]
[During these months, you've been learning how to care for your appearance, and it's had a small effect. At the very least, among your classmates, you've gone from "that gloomy, weird girl" to "that gloomy but pretty weird girl."]
That's… not an improvement at all.
Hitori really wanted to complain, but held it in.
At least she had changed a little.
[No girls' group is willing to accept you yet. At school, you're still alone.]
[However...]
[After studying social interaction, you can finally talk normally with your female classmates, though only on a "classmate" level.]
[That small success strengthens your conviction. As long as you keep working hard, you'll overcome your communication flaws and become socially adept.]
[Keep it up, Hitori!]
[At the end of summer vacation, you sneak over to Toru's house. Recently, under the pretext of playing games, you've often been visiting him to deepen your bond.]
Let's hear what "deepen your bond" means.
[…It's just video games. There's no physical contact of any kind.]
Tch, what a waste.
Hitori had thought her simulated self would at least take advantage of the chance.
After all those previous simulations, without even holding hands yet, she was desperate now, practically ready to push Kitahara onto the bed and have two kids immediately.
[Toru and you, both thirteen, naturally became absorbed in the world of online games.]
The simulator's reminder made Hitori's face flush slightly.
Maybe she was being too hasty.
But still, with such a huge lead, she had to make it official.
Once the relationship was set, no matter how many rivals appeared, there'd be no losing.
[While playing, you can't win against him no matter the game. Out of frustration, you declare, "If you lose, Kitahara-kun, I'll date you!"]
[Toru replies, "Alright, but I'm not going to lose."]
Wow. What a clueless straight boy!
What kind of brain can say that with a straight face?
And the result?
[Toru easily beats you.]
[For the entire summer, you lose eighty-one times, toyed with until your eyes almost roll back. Your very being starts to take his shape.]
What?
[Whether board games or computer games, you don't win even once.]
[At one point, you try some of the games Toru developed himself. That's when you learn he's been teaching himself to code since the start of school, aiming to one day build Skynet and create Terminator robots to rule the world.]
[At first, you're startled, but later realize he's joking.]
[After all, a middle schooler making games is already absurd enough.]
Huh?
Why did Kitahara-kun change jobs again in this simulation?
First he was a photographer, then a bassist, then just ordinary, then a violinist…
Now he's a programmer?
Just hearing that made her scalp itch. People say programmers all wear plaid shirts, have oily hair, and stay up all night going bald.
Hitori didn't want her husband to end up like that.
Oh, right.... Not husband yet.
But close enough.
[Unfortunately, since his drawing skills are poor, his games use only free resources and have a strangely cheap feeling. Toru starts considering whether he should find an artist partner while studying programming and web development. Lately, he's been taking online jobs making websites and earning a lot of money.]
What?
An artist partner?
I object.
[In the end, Toru gives up on that idea. He seems to have another plan.]
Good.
Don't get close to anyone else, okay? Kitahara-kun belongs to me alone.
Hitori's thoughts began to darken a little.
[On the first day of the new term, early in the morning, your mother wakes you from sleep.]
[Special event triggered]
[Enter?]
Should she enter?
Normally, Hitori wouldn't dare, but with such a big advantage this time, she couldn't let it go to waste.
Yes!
Come on, Hitori.
You can do this!
◇
Early September.
Summer vacation had just ended, yet there was no sign of cooling down.
On the first day of school, the sweltering thirty-degree heat made everyone sweat by morning.
"It's morning already, Hitori. Don't tell me you plan to be late on the first day?"
Her mother's voice made Hitori slowly open her eyes. She sat up, rubbed them, then touched her face.
This feels so real.
No wonder it's called a full-immersion mode, it's practically another world.
Even the simulated version of herself had memories she could recall clearly in her mind.
Looking at her mother, younger and with fewer wrinkles, she said, "I'll get up right now."
"Hurry up."
Gotoh Michiyo noticed her daughter seemed a bit different, but didn't think much of it and left the room.
Bocchi-chan changed clothes, putting on her middle school uniform, a white sailor outfit with a green collar.
Ah, so I did have a youthful three years like this.
No, no, my youth isn't over yet.
Shaking her head as she dressed, Hitori tried to chase away those gloomy memories.
She went downstairs, and while washing up, she looked at her younger reflection in the mirror.
Following the simulated memory, she used skincare products she'd never touched before.
After fixing her hair, she stepped into the dining room.
"Good morning, Sis."
"Good morning, Futari."
Greeting her little sister, Hitori glanced out the window.
If only, in reality, her middle school had also had Kitahara-kun.
Then maybe those three years wouldn't have been so awful, maybe she would've had a happy time instead.
After breakfast, Hitori picked up her bag and lunch box, changed her shoes, and headed for the door.
Before she left, her mother said, "Remember to invite Kitahara-kun for dinner tonight, okay?"
"Okay."
Hitori couldn't help but wonder if she was even part of the Gotoh family anymore.
Stepping outside, she instinctively looked to the right.
There stood Toru, holding a book, waiting by the telephone pole.
When he heard her footsteps, he closed the book.
"Let's go, Hitori. We'll be late."
So this is what walking to school together feels like.
Her heart fluttered.
Hitori moved closer to Toru, sneaking a few glances at his handsome face, the one she couldn't bring herself to look at directly in real life, and quickly decided how many children to have.
Two. Two would be nice.
"What's wrong?"
"N-nothing."
Hitori came back to her senses. In the morning sunlight, the faint blush on her cheeks went unnoticed.
How wonderful.
It seemed that this time, she really could live a happy life.