My Romance Simulation with Them

"It should be in the courtyard; we're very close now!"

Kita Yuyo nodded vigorously.

As a student at Ocha High School, this was the first time she had ever felt that the road to the school's central courtyard was so long.

The group continued forward.

Occasionally, you can still see the results of the previous quizzes that you didn't have a chance to revive.

The name of Nanxiang Shizhi is like a high mountain, hanging at the top of the report card.

"Waaah—"

Ichi Nijika clutched her chest, feeling a sense of pressure as if facing a high mountain.

And whether it was just their imagination or not, along the way they would occasionally hear people discussing Nanxiang and sighing with emotion.

The sense of oppression regarding Nanxiang is growing stronger.

Finally, after such an arduous journey, they arrived at the school courtyard.

It is now afternoon.

Students at Yucha High School either go home early to study or participate in club activities in the club building.

Therefore, the school's central courtyard was practically empty.

No... we can't say that yet.

The band members stopped and looked ahead.

It was only then that Ichika Ichichi understood why Kita Ikuyo had said, "I can spot Nango Toki in a crowd at a glance."

A young man was sitting on a bench in the school's atrium.

The other person was a young man about my age, who seemed to be reading a book. He was holding a thick novel and occasionally reaching out to turn the pages, making a rustling sound.

He had a healthy, fair complexion, short hair with slightly curled ends, a handsome face with deep-set features, and gentle, clear eyes...

But besides that, Ichiji Nijika also sensed an inexplicable sense of 'confidence' emanating from the other person.

He gives people the feeling that 'nothing can stump him'.

It was probably a kind of aura, Ichiji Nijika couldn't say for sure, but she had to admit that her gaze was indeed drawn to it.

But soon, Ichika Nijika, who had been stunned, reacted and shook her head vigorously, her tied golden side ponytail bouncing along with it.

What's the point of getting your attention drawn to someone who's being bullied and feeling lonely?

Uh... what's next?

Ask the other party for Little Lonely's guitar?

Well... but before we discuss that...

Ichi Nijika thought of the envelope she had just received.

Considering the order of things, Ichiji Nijika took out the envelope, walked up to the young man who was reading a novel, and handed it to him: "Excuse me, please accept this."

"Huh? Ah..."

Upon hearing Ichiji Nijika's voice, the young man before him seemed to have just stepped out of the world of a novel.

He murmured something, then glanced indifferently at himself and the envelope in his hand before speaking:

"I'm sorry, I have indeed felt your feelings, but I'm sorry, I don't have any plans to be in a relationship right now. You are a good girl, but we are not suitable for each other."

"Oh? Ah... okay, I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

Because Nango's refusal was so obvious, Ichiji Nijika felt a sense of loss and casually added a comment.

But she quickly realized what was happening.

wrong.

How did it turn into me being rejected after confessing my feelings?

Chapter Twenty-Six. Goto and I are actually close friends.

Ichi Nijika had originally planned to show Nango Toki her determination to stop him from bullying Goto Ichiri.

But before they could even get down to business, he was caught off guard by the other person's decisive "rejection of his confession."

This is not over yet.

His own bassist was behind him, turning his head to chuckle.

This was somewhat unacceptable to Ichiji Nijika.

She took a deep breath. Having worked part-time in the service industry, she was quite adept at dealing with people.

She quickly composed herself and spoke again: "I'm sorry, Nango-san, I didn't express myself clearly, but it's not what you think I meant, it's not that I wanted to confess—"

"I know, I was just joking a little, Ichichi-san."

"Well--?!"

Another unexpected curveball, and Ichiji Nijika, who had just composed herself, had her words cut off once again.

Speaking to the young man in front of her, Ichiji Nijika inexplicably felt as if the initiative was always in his hands.

But what surprised her even more was—

"You know my name?"

Ichi Nijika blinked her beautiful big eyes, somewhat surprised.

Isn't that obvious? I'm a familiar face on the emulator after two playthroughs.

Nango nodded, glancing at the red-haired girl standing behind Ijichi Nijika and the androgynous girl with short blue hair covering her eyes.

With just a slight mental effort, he deduced the reason why the three girls were here.

So he stood up and said gently, "I not only know Ijichi-san, but also Yamada-san behind you, Kita-kun."

"Uh...how did you..."

Ichi Nijika really wanted to ask him how he knew, but she felt that if she said it, the rhythm of the conversation would completely follow his. So she stopped talking and thought about how to start the conversation.

But to her surprise, Nanxiang Shi in front of her seemed to have seen through her thoughts completely.

"Ijichi-san wants to know how I know you all, right?"

Putting down the novel in her hand, Nango Toki couldn't help but chuckle: "Actually, Goto and I have been good friends for a long time. I often hear her talk about you guys who are also bandmates."

"Little Lonely's best friend?"

Ichika and Kita Ikuyo exchanged a glance, both seeing disbelief in each other's eyes.

Nanxiang didn't seem to care; the girls who had finished their band performance were probably there to talk to him about what happened yesterday.

But explaining all that stuff was too exhausting, so it was better to just make up a story about being a good friend of Goto Ichiri.

As for whether Goto Ichiri will expose the truth later...?

Having studied Nango's performance in the three simulations, I know her too well. The chances of expecting someone as extremely shy and socially awkward as Goto Ichiri to explain herself clearly in terms of interpersonal communication are less than 0.

So he continued, "I know you might not believe it, but it's the truth. After all, given Mr. Todo's communication skills, he shouldn't be able to accurately explain the intimate relationship between me and her."

That's true.

Ichi Nijika thought of the details she had asked Goto Ichiri about yesterday.

The other person simply shrank into the trash can and whispered some things about how Nango had taken his guitar.

It was indeed not explained clearly, and there are many points of doubt.

For example, why would Nango pay attention to someone like Goto Ichiri, who is an outsider on campus? If they were good friends, it would be somewhat understandable.

The key point is what Nango Toki said afterward... his 'close relationship' with Goto Ichiri? 'It's unclear'?

This sentence contains a lot of information, enough to make them start to fill in a lot of blanks in their minds.

but--

Such words alone are not enough to convince them.

"If you're really good friends, why did you take away Little Lonely's guitar? Doesn't Nango-san know that Little Lonely is actually very troubled?"

Ichiji Nijika forced a hardened heart, furrowing her long, beautiful eyebrows. It didn't look like she was putting pressure on her; instead, it looked like she was being coquettish.

But there was nothing she could do. Ichiji Nijika was never good at blaming others, and putting on this act was already her best effort.

She stared wide-eyed, wanting to observe Nanxiang's subsequent behavior.

Should we continue explaining? Or should we dodge the question and say something else entirely?

But to her complete surprise, Nango Toki simply nodded calmly, and then spoke with an extremely apologetic expression:

"It was indeed my fault regarding this matter. I did not explain myself clearly, which caused Goto to misunderstand. I am truly sorry. If possible, please convey my apologies to Goto."

There was no attempt to make excuses or try to evade the issue; instead, he openly admitted his mistake and even offered an apology.

Ichi Nijika couldn't utter a single word of accusation.

Nanxiang's earnest apology actually made her feel a pang of conscience.

I originally thought that Nango Toki, who was rumored to be incredibly talented by the students of Ocha High School, would be difficult to get along with.

To Ichi Nijika's surprise, he was actually quite easy to talk to.

This made her start to doubt herself.

Could it be that Goto Ichiri's explanation was unclear? Was Nango Toki actually a good person?

She and Kita Ikuyo, who was beside her, looked at each other in bewilderment.

Just as the two were filled with self-doubt, Nango Toki stepped forward and opened his LINE account on his phone.

"Regarding returning the guitar, I actually already discussed it with Goto on LINE, but this is her reply..."

He casually showed his LINE chat history with Goto Ichiri to the three people present.

Everyone turned their attention closer.

[Tokyo's Number One Handsome Boy (Nango Toki): Don't worry, I only borrowed the guitar temporarily. I'll return it to you tomorrow. I didn't keep any of your embarrassing videos; I've already deleted them.]