"Gotoh-san back in middle school was actually kind of cute."
Toru exited the simulation and rolled over in bed.
He would probably spend the whole day lazing around, but first, he decided to wash up.
After a quick cleanup, Toru lay down on the living room sofa and turned on the air conditioner's cooling mode.
Then he checked the simulator's notifications.
[You have obtained new traits. Please check—]
[Trait: Focus (Comprehension +10%)]
Not bad. Traits with buffs like this were always welcome.
[Trait: Stubborn (Your unwillingness to lose makes certain people more likely to favor you)]
That was… a bit subtle.
[Trait: Gaming Expert (Finger dexterity +50%)]
Finger… dexterity?
What's that even good for? Weird.
"Three traits, and only one of them is actually useful."
Toru sighed at the simulator's stinginess as he opened his character panel.
Over the past two years of simulations, his skills had improved rapidly.
[Skill – Master-level Programming]
Since this time's buff granted only one-tenth the comprehension bonus of the last, his progress was slower.
Still, if he could live longer, of course he wanted to.
After learning that his final evaluation was linked to his "happiness" rating, there was no way he'd keep wrecking his own body.
"Come to think of it, when is Gotoh-san finally going to admit defeat and confess to me?"
In the "I Love You" game, Toru had no intention of losing.
Gotoh Hitori, of all people, fall for him first?
Sorry, not happening.
[Would you like to continue the simulation?]
Continue.
————
[You researched tons of information and finally crafted an extremely detailed date plan.]
[After an enjoyable date—]
[Toru's affection toward you has increased.]
Describe how enjoyable, please.
[…]
Don't hide it from me. There's definitely the kind of scene I'm hoping for, right?
[Give up. There is no lewd content.]
Hitori immediately lost all interest.
She stared at the simulation version of herself and Toru flirting and bickering, feeling an unsteady panic rising inside her.
How to put it…
After losing so often before, suddenly being on the winning side now made Bocchi feel off-balance.
If things didn't advance to the next stage, Hitori couldn't relax.
I mean, what if some powerful "new girl from nowhere" suddenly appeared and snatched him away?
Childhood friends always lose to the newcomers.
[You spent a brilliant spring together.]
[A hot summer.]
[A refreshing autumn.]
Skip, skip.
No need for meaningless fluff like that; what a waste of time.
Hitori was getting impatient.
[Middle school has ended.]
[You both were accepted into Shuka High School.]
Huh?
That skipped way too much!
[This year, the two of you engaged in constant emotional warfare, each pulling every trick in the book. Your father commented: "If you like flirting so much, why not just date already?"]
[Your mother gave you a disappointed look.]
[She was especially fond of Toru and was already considering him as her future son-in-law.]
[She thought you would win him over within two years, but to her surprise...]
[Her useless daughter was still stuck in this back-and-forth game!]
Mom, you…
[Your mother invited Toru over for dinner almost every day just to help you along.]
[And you?]
[Still hung up on your silly 'I Love You' game.]
[If this keeps up, you're doomed.]
Ugh, I'm sorry, Mom.
Your daughter has failed you.
[Faced with your mother's scolding stare, you feel no remorse.]
What?
[Because you've entered your rebellious phase. Perhaps due to your childhood isolation, it came late, just before you graduated middle school.]
So that's the reason? How simple.
[During this time, your relationship with Toru deepened rapidly. You firmly believed that once you entered high school, your romance would naturally blossom, and your mother's worries were misplaced.]
[You left your past loneliness behind. You were no longer alone.]
[The future looked bright.]
[Until you met Kita Ikuyo.]
The next instant, Hitori jerked her head up and stared at the woman across from her.
"What's wrong, Gotoh-san?"
Kita-chan had just noticed that her own simulator had finished cooling down, so she started a new run.
This time, she selected Gotoh Hitori as her best friend target.
Kita Ikuyo wanted to test the legendary genius-level talent of her bandmate, hoping to improve her guitar skills for their upcoming Kessoku Band live performance.
And if she could reconnect with her boyfriend in the process, all the better.
It's just a simulation anyway, so who cares?
"N-nothing."
Gotoh Hitori looked down. The Kita inside the simulation was not the same as the one in real life.
Yes, not the same.
That backstab from before, surely that wasn't her true self.
Kita-chan was so bright, so kind. There was no way she'd betray her.
Meanwhile.
Ryo realized that something about the story felt off.
Bocchi and Toru living together?
From previous simulations, Yamada Ryo clearly remembered that Toru was supposed to live in Tokyo's Minato ward...
His house had an expensive piano, he practiced four hours daily, didn't eat rice for breakfast, preferred bread, ate bento for lunch, bathed at nine, and stayed up late gaming.
And how did she know all that?
Heh. She had simply installed a camera during one of the simulations.
Ryo didn't see anything wrong with that.
Knowing Toru's habits and schedule gave her an edge in love.
After all, love was a war without smoke or blood.
She had held back in earlier simulations only because of her friendships with the other girls in real life.
But look.
In the simulations, Nijika had won once, Ikuyo had won once, and Bocchi… well, she was used to losing anyway.
In short.
Ryo thought, since they were all playing the simulator, why bother worrying about reality?
No one would know. So what if she stole him away?
Across from her, Ijichi Nijika had also made up her mind.
Little Shio, Mommy's about to start dating Daddy soon. Just wait a bit longer, okay?
For the sake of the adorable daughter she'd had in a previous simulation, angelic Nijika wasn't planning to wait any longer.
The simulator wouldn't affect real life anyway.
So, if it was for happiness, being a slightly scheming bad girl should be fine, right?
Yeah, no problem.
Ijichi Nijika set her pen down and smiled at everyone. "Studying's making me a bit tired. Want to take a break?"
"Sure."
Ryo quickly laid her head on the desk, ready to dive back into the simulator for another rampage.
"Ijichi-senpai, I'm tired too. I'll nap for a bit." Kita Ikuyo mimicked Yamada Ryo and leaned down as well, entering her simulation.
Seeing that, Hitori pretended to fall asleep.
"Nijika-chan, good night."
Nijika sighed helplessly, took a sip of her drink, and kept working on her exercises.
She had planned to enter the simulation world immediately, but since everyone else had "fallen asleep,"
Forget it.
She'd go in later.