[Exit simulation]
"…It doesn't hurt anymore."
Hitori murmured softly, then looked up to find the three girls beside her staring.
"Bocchi, just now…"
Ryo rested her chin on her finger, thoughtful.
"Ah… what is it?"
Hitori froze. She didn't… accidentally reveal her secret about having cheats in the simulation, did she?
"Bocchi-chan, you looked like you were in pain while dozing off. Are you okay?"
Nijika asked with concern.
From what she knew, Hitori had long suffered from irregular sleep and might be developing health issues.
"Uh… I-I'm fine."
Hitori thought, good thing it only looked painful. If she had accidentally looked too comfortable… that would have been impossible to explain.
"Gotoh-san, if something hurts, you have to tell us, okay?"
Kita added, worried.
Thanks to a certain someone, every girl present had learned just how terrifying illness could be.
So...
Even the slightest sign of distress made their nerves tighten.
Truly, Toru was a man of many sins.
"Here, Bocchi."
Ryo handed her another stomach pill.
"N-no, I'm fine."
Hitori shook her head hard, stammering, "It's already noon, s-so what should we do? Should we go home?"
As powerful as she might be in the simulation, it was all fake.
The moment she returned to reality, Hitori reverted to a pink pit viper, timid and fragile.
Still, she wasn't without growth.
At least, she could now speak her mind when it came to Ryo, her bandmate.
Hehe, I'm getting stronger.
Next time, I'll work hard to steal Ryo-san's money…
Yes, let's make that my ultimate life goal.
"Well, since Bocchi-chan said so, shall we head home early?" Nijika checked her phone for the time.
Then she sneaked a glance at everyone's study guides and problem books...
And in that instant, spring's wind swept through the night, a thousand pear trees bursting into bloom.
All white.
Weren't they supposed to be studying today?
What happened to everyone…
Nijika couldn't help but wonder if any of them would really make it to college.
Ryo, a single-threaded genius who once simulated a Tokyo University exam, should be fine. But Kita-chan and Bocchi-chan… were on shaky ground.
Ah well.
Let's just enjoy the simulator today and study tomorrow.
Angel Nijika decided to take it easy.
Kita pouted. "...I wanted to eat lunch with everyone."
"That's fine, Ikuyo, I can go with you."
"Yay!"
Ryo dabbed at the corner of her eye with a handkerchief.
"Ugh, too bad I have no money."
Kita quickly raised her hand. "Ryo-senpai, I'll treat you!"
And so, with Nijika's 'O△O' face frozen in disbelief, the members of Kessoku Band went their separate ways.
—————
Two hours later.
Hitori had eaten lunch and returned to her room.
She lay flat on the tatami floor, touching the corner of her lips with a finger, recalling the feeling of her first kiss in the simulation. She giggled to herself ["hehe," "hehe"] several times.
After a few seconds, she rolled across the floor three times.
Once she had fully basked in the afterglow, Hitori stood and opened her wardrobe, taking out a white blouse and pleated skirt.
She held them against her body for comparison and sighed softly.
"If only the simulation could link to reality."
The Hitori inside the simulation shone so brightly that even Toru had fallen for her.
Under such a striking contrast, the girl couldn't help but feel disheartened.
If she had never known light, Hitori might have lived peacefully in darkness forever. But the simulator had shown her—
That even a timid, ordinary girl like her could, through effort, earn someone's love.
The fall from that realization was like dropping straight from heaven into hell.
Hitori collapsed onto the floor, mumbling, "I really want to date Kitahara-kun."
But if she started changing now, would it still be in time?
Could someone as awkward and plain as her really become cute?
Forget it, let's just keep simulating.
I finally won once. It'd be a waste not to enjoy it.
[Maybe it's because you've been suppressing yourself for so long.]
[After your first night together on Christmas Eve, you start visiting your boyfriend every week, helping him with his desires.]
Lightning strike, straight to the heart.
Hitori's cute little face quickly turned crimson.
[One morning, you secretly use his spare key, quietly slip into his room, crawl into his bed, and with your soft little mouth…]
Stop!
This one can't be shown!
[Sometimes, you stay over at his place. The living room, the sofa, the bathroom, the balcony, the toilet... everywhere carries your scent.]
Skip, skip!
Hitori covered her burning face and hit fast-forward.
There was way too much of that kind of content!
Wasn't this basically saying…
That she was a lustful girl?!
That called for criticism!
Severe criticism!
[Would you like to enter the simulation to experience your unique period of passionate love…?]
En...
Enter.
Only to criticize, not because she wanted to, obviously.
Yes. Exactly.
…
…
————
Half an hour later.
"Ordinary."
Hitori pressed her thighs together, biting her lip lightly.
She tugged at her tracksuit pants and exhaled deeply.
After a few minutes, she went to the bathroom to change into fresh underwear.
Then she resumed the simulation.
[After one year as a couple, your bond grows even deeper.]
[You often surprise your boyfriend with little things he never expects, making every day something to look forward to.]
[Toru also takes you to experience new things together, wrapping your days in happiness.]
[You truly hope these days will last forever.]
Something in the air seemed to shift.
Hitori knew well, based on her past experience, that this was when the simulation usually introduced a challenge to test the relationship.
She was right.
[In the second year of your relationship, Toru brings something up. He plans to study abroad for university. In fact, he's already been accepted by Stanford University and will leave for California this August.]
[Hearing this, the 17-year-old you, who has never thought seriously about the future, begins to wonder...]
[Your boyfriend is far more capable than you, with a dazzling path ahead. Someone as ordinary as you likely can't follow him overseas.]
[Not to mention, Stanford is among the top three universities in the world.]
[Long-distance… no, cross-country love.]
[That night, after making love, you gaze at his sleeping face and make up your mind: ]
[1. Start studying from scratch for Stanford (Success rate: 1%)]
[2. Drop out of high school and go to America with him.]
[3. Revive your dream of making music.]
[4. Leave it to fate.]
Wh-which one should I choose?
Hitori had expected something like this, but the blow still hit hard.
Long-distance love? No, this was worse! It was international distance!
The first choice was nearly impossible. The second… tempting, but Kitahara-kun would never approve. So, no.
The third was unrealistic too.
In conclusion...
Better pick number four.