[You watched Yamada Ryo return home with the help of her family. That provocatively beautiful smile she gave you before leaving sparked your competitive spirit.]
[At the same time, that smile branded itself in your heart like a hot iron, lingering endlessly.]
[You realized that you didn't dislike what she did at all. In fact, her presence had already taken root in a corner of your heart.]
[Your relationship with Yamada Ryo deepened.]
[Yamada Ryo's affection and attention toward you increased significantly.]
Hold on, my guy...
Is simulated-me really this weak? Just one little kiss from some blue-haired troublesome girl and he's already crumbling?
Even if Yamada-san is the ideal "rich pretty girl" wife material he dreams about, this is way too fast to be this smitten. It makes him look kind of dumb, right?
How embarrassing. It must be the fault of that [Infatuation Card]!
It has absolutely nothing to do with him!
Kazami Haru took a deep breath, rubbing his temples from the overwhelming impact of that memory.
This could be a real problem now. Who would've thought that just walking Ryo-san home would let her steal a march on him like this?
This is definitely going to mess up the simulation's trajectory. Can he still stay on Kita's pure love route?
No, there's still hope for a recovery.
As long as he does some damage control afterward, he should be able to return to Kita's route.
[You realize your feelings for Yamada Ryo are unusual, but you also know you have feelings for Kita Ikuyo. The complexity of your emotions leaves you conflicted.]
[Over the next month, you continue practicing with Kita as usual. You accompany her on the keyboard while she plays the electric guitar, and your coordination grows more harmonious by the day.]
[To thank you, Kita often makes small snacks in cooking class and gives them to you as gifts. She hands them to you with a bright smile, and your feedback always draws adorable reactions—either joy or frustration.]
[Yamada Ryo, aside from her training, continues to keep to herself, brimming with her usual vanity and pride. On the surface, she appears completely unchanged.]
[It's as if the incident between the two of you was nothing more than a trivial side note.]
What's Ryo-san planning this time?
Did she just flirt and then leave him hanging? Is she expecting him to self-seduce in his own head?
Given she's the "ex-wife," Kazami Haru could roughly guess what she was thinking.
This troublesome girl was definitely aggressive in this area, but she had one fatal flaw: her overwhelming narcissism and pride meant she'd wait for the other party to confess first.
So as long as Kazami Haru didn't confess, the simulation shouldn't veer too far off track.
[Time flies, and soon it's the day of the band's first live performance.]
[You're all prepared, but unexpectedly face a torrential downpour that feels like it could drown the whole world.]
[Even so, the scheduled live must go on. The oppressive weather weighs heavily on everyone's spirits.]
[Kita Ikuyo, who trained hard for this day, is visibly nervous during her first time on stage. She tries to lift everyone's spirits, but her own anxiety has no outlet.]
[Faced with this, you decide to—]
[1. Gently pat Kita's head to comfort her]
[2. Yamada Ryo is giving you that 'look' again, drag her to a corner and give her a stern 'correction']
[3. Don't just comfort one person—support the entire band]
[4. VR]
These simulation options just keep getting scarier. It's like the damn simulator is intentionally trying to mess with him.
The third one seemed like a safe, normal choice.
But Kazami Haru, trusting his instincts, had a bad feeling. Choosing that might dump him straight into a harem nightmare route.
As a pure love champion, he needed to stay firm on the Kita route.
[You found a moment before going on stage to comfort Kita Ikuyo.]
[You easily saw through her forced smile, and she gradually opened up to you about her true feelings.]
[In reality, the always-smiling Kita was more nervous than anyone. She was terrified of dragging the band down and unsure whether her training would pay off.]
[Her fingers trembled slightly. You gently pulled her into your arms and stroked her bright red hair, whispering softly into her ear: "If the show flops, then go out with me, okay?"]
Down bad. Way too down bad.
Damn it, why was simulated-him so smooth with his words?
[That one sentence turned the nervous Kita bright red. The girl who usually excelled at communication was now stumbling over her words, covering her cheeks with both hands. Even her head seemed to emit steam from embarrassment.]
[You laughed and said it was just a joke. Kita, flustered and annoyed, lightly punched you several times. But that little "joke" successfully relieved her nerves, and thanks to you, she was filled with courage.]
PIC: Kita[1]
No doubt about it, this is so me FRFR.
If it were the real Kazami Haru, he probably wouldn't have been able to pull that off. It just goes to show how deeply he cares for Kita, being able to casually say something that even a cheerful and sociable girl like Ikuyo Kita would blush and get flustered over.
Still, judging from how things are going, it seems he's successfully steered the romantic trajectory back toward Kita-san.
Hopefully, there won't be another sudden "home invasion" like last time.
He needs to stay cautious of his "ex-wife", her combat power in this simulation is just too high. One slip, and this simulation that's supposed to be about "Kita" could easily become the stage for that woman.
[1] https://imgur.com/uSulKvP