My Romance Simulation with Them

"But...but..."

Ichi Nijika was completely stunned. Her mind was in turmoil as she muttered to herself, "But why would someone so amazing bully Little Lonely?"

Shouldn't these two people be like two parallel lines?

At this moment, everyone turned their attention to Goto Ichiri, who looked lonely and pitiful as he prepared to crawl back into the trash can.

Chapter Fourteen. Third Playthrough Simulation Begins!

The behind-the-scenes discussions of the 'End' band were actually unclear when Nango returned to his rented apartment.

After all, from the beginning, he only wanted to have a good conversation with Goto Ichiri.

I pretended to record the video to prevent her from escaping—I originally planned to delete it in front of her afterwards.

The subsequent developments, which resembled a 'bullying' theme, were something he hadn't anticipated.

The main problem is that people like Goto Ichiri, who have long suffered from social anxiety, low self-esteem, and self-harm, will subconsciously steer conversations toward bullying.

Handing over wallets and guitars—these things are basically all paranoia imagined by Goto Ichiri, a socially anxious person who feels pressured even by simple interactions with others.

Seeing that he still couldn't communicate with Goto Ichiri, who was so nervous that she didn't even dare to look up, Nango Toki accepted her guitar, intending to let her calm down and talk to her again tomorrow.

The only thing to be thankful for is...

Unlike the simulated scenario, Nango Toki deliberately chose the courtyard after school to approach Goto Ichiri this time, and was not noticed by others.

Therefore, the 'rumors' in the simulation should not occur.

Although the process of making contact was not as smooth as he had imagined, he still got what he was supposed to get.

It doesn't refer to the guitar, but to Ichiri Goto's LINE account.

Goto Ichiri couldn't refuse and added his account.

Thinking of this, Nango shook his head, feeling that he should at least explain a few things to avoid making Goto Ichiri feel uneasy.

He opened LINE and selected Goto Ichiri's profile picture.

Tokyo's Number One Handsome Boy: Don't worry, the guitar is just temporarily borrowed, I'll return it to you tomorrow. I didn't keep any of your embarrassing videos, I've already deleted them.

Put down your phone.

About two minutes passed.

You have gained 20 Heart Points from Ichiri Goto.

At the same time, it was a message from Goto Ichiri.

He's probably dead: Yes, yes, I'm so sorry! I'm truly terrified that this has caused you any discomfort. Tomorrow, I will bring my wedding expenses with me, please accept them.

“?” Nanxiang Shi.

He could only explain again.

Tokyo's most handsome boy: That's not what I meant.

He's probably dead: but... but isn't my lifetime wedding expenses enough?

Tokyo's Number One Handsome Boy: What I mean is, you don't need to feel so much pressure. Goto-kun can play the guitar, right? I'm also very interested. Can I ask you for some pointers then?

It's probably like I'm dead: meaning not only money, but even my time is going to be...

"....." Okay. Let's just do what we have to do.

Realizing that he seemed to be making things worse by trying to explain, Nanxiang decisively ended the online conversation.

He roughly understood that for someone like Goto Ichiri, who was afraid to talk to others and had low self-esteem and self-destructive tendencies, it seemed that she would always think of things in the worst possible way.

There are many beautiful things under the sunlight, but she always unconsciously casts her gaze towards the shadows.

This is her long-term lifestyle, having lived alone since childhood.

It's unrealistic to expect her to change overnight.

If you suddenly pull someone who is used to hiding in the shadows into the sunlight, it will only cause them pain.

It seems I can only proceed step by step—alas, women, they really are just troublesome creatures.

Put down your phone.

Nanxiang re-examined the system's so-called 'heartbeat value' setting.

The "heartbeat value" here probably doesn't just refer to feelings of affection. Even if, like before Nango, the simulated object was somewhat worried or afraid, that would still count as a heartbeat.

Nango shook his head and opened Goto Ichiri's guitar case.

Inside is the electric guitar that Ichiri Goto often used.

Without pickups and effects pedals, I can't practice any songs for the time being. At most, I can borrow Goto Ichiri's guitar to practice my fingering and hand position.

Following the guitar knowledge provided in the system's Music LV1, Nango practiced for about an hour and a half until his fingertips started to ache from pressing the strings and his wrists ached before he gave up.

After an hour and a half, I had barely gotten the basics of finger technique.

Nanxiang was not entirely satisfied with this speed.

Although he didn't use the Rock Queen's learning card, he already had the Music LV1 special skill to assist him.

It was only at this moment that he realized how much effort Goto Ichiri had put in during the simulation after he left.

There's no doubt that 'Guitar Hero,' with 30,000 subscribers, possesses superb guitar skills.

But if she wanted to go beyond 'Guitar Hero' and reach the pinnacle of national rock queen status in a short period of time...

It's no wonder that the simulated Goto Ichiri suffered from various forms of mental stress and at one point had to rely on stimulants to get through it.

He eventually passed away due to illness...

This woman, in a way, is indeed so naive and endearing that it's heartbreaking...

Nango turned to look at the dating simulator and fell into thought.

Although he and Goto Ichiri became lovers and did get married in the second time around, the process was not smooth. Goto Ichiri ruined her health in her early years by practicing guitar day and night, and she also chose an ordinary university and got a job at an ordinary company after graduation. For the two of them, this was not a good outcome. In addition, Goto Ichiri's social anxiety symptoms did not improve even after she became an adult.

The only time she can interact normally with people is with her bandmates and family. Even when facing the media, it's usually only Ichika Niji and Kita Ikuyo who go up to give interviews. Occasionally, when there's an interview that requires her to appear, she cleverly uses her superb guitar solos to cover it up, and she rarely speaks out directly for an interview.

In the end, Goto Ichiri died with regret due to the physical burden, and he also tragically committed suicide by drowning himself in a lake because he could not accept the reality of his wife's death.

In the end, nothing was resolved. In the context of wordplay, this would definitely be a bad ending.

No wonder he only received a low score of 67, which is just passing.

Nanxiang pondered, his finger swiping among several options.

In the second playthrough, his excessive focus on Goto Ichiri led him to ignore the gossip circulating at school, resulting in the subsequent tragedy.

So this time, we'll change our strategy.

Why not temporarily shift our focus away from Ichiri Goto, change our approach, and extinguish the source of the rumors?

[Do you want to resume the previous simulation process?]

【Yes! 】

[Number of simulations remaining: 1]

Memories from the simulation began to flash through my mind.

[You, who traveled through time a year, met Goto Ichiri from Class 2, Grade 1. You shamelessly used the excuse of learning guitar to get in touch with her and became friends. Day after day, she was infected by your humor and cheerful attitude towards life; her originally gloomy expression lessened, and her smiles increased. With your encouragement, she focused on her guitar activities outside of school, but she never forgot her promise to you.]

Everything seems to be moving in a positive direction.

The decision is yours.

[I. You're still worried about Ichiri Goto's situation; please continue to follow it closely.]

[Second, occasionally we should also look at other things and temporarily shift our focus away from Goto Ichiri.]

[3. Dating all the time is too boring, I should focus on studying.]

[IV. Personal Simulation]

The system page is different this time.

The first option dims, indicating that this simulated route has already been traversed and cannot be selected again.

But Nanxiang didn't care.

His finger slid to the second option, awaiting the changes in this simulation.

[You believe Goto Ichiri's situation has stabilized. Although there are still things about her that you need to worry about, excessive interference will only increase her dependence on you. Shift your focus away from Goto Ichiri and concentrate on other matters.]

With your keen observation skills, you've noticed that recently, due to your spending so much time chatting and laughing with Goto Ichiri in the music room, seeds of rumors about you and her have begun to sprout on campus.

Faced with the budding seeds of rumors on campus, what do you decide?

【I. Great! Rumors about my relationship with Ichiri are already circulating outside! Now is the time to fan the flames, amplify the rumors, and seize the opportunity to confess my feelings.】

[Second, these are just some rumors circulating on campus, which happen in every school. They should quell on their own if left unchecked.]

III. Preventing the further spread of rumors

[IV. Personal Simulation]

A brand new option popped up, which brightened Nanxiang Shi's eyes.

Sure enough, after choosing this route, a new option appeared that wasn't available in the second playthrough.

Chapter Fifteen. Loneliness is actually a very romantic word.

For people from the south, these options are not difficult to choose from.

The first option is simply stirring up trouble, actually wanting him, the person involved, to fan the flames—it's like they're afraid Goto Ichiri won't become withdrawn.

The second option is simply to leave it alone.

If you choose this option, there's a high probability you'll end up on the same tragic path in your second playthrough.

With this in mind, Nanxiang decisively chose three.

[You, who are always at the center of rumors, don't actually care, but you're worried that this matter will affect Goto Ichiri.]

[So you found the source of the rumor]