My Simulation… Why Is It Turning into a Real Romance?!

Today, Yahata Umiri seemed a little different from her usual calm and easygoing self. Dressed in a sleek black leather jacket, she stood beside Kazami Haru without a trace of emotion on her face.

Her sudden appearance left Shiina Taki, still slightly flushed, momentarily stunned. Frowning, she asked with a hint of unease, "Umiri? What's going on?"

"I need to talk to Haru. I'll borrow him for a moment."

With that, Umiri gave Haru's shoulder a light pat, then turned and gestured toward the nearby hallway.

Though Haru wasn't sure what his brother-in-arms was up to, he could sense something different in her tone. Watching her walk away, he looked thoughtful for a moment.

Then he turned quietly to Taki and said, "Shiina, I'll be right back."

"Hey! Wait—"

Shiina Taki stared blankly as Haru followed Umiri down the corridor, her outstretched hand freezing midair.

To her, the two of them didn't look the slightest bit unfamiliar with each other. And considering she was close with both of them, this made her completely confused.

When did their relationship get that friendly?

"What are they planning? Is it something I'm not supposed to hear?"

That vague sense of anxiety wouldn't let her relax. Left sitting there, she could only glance toward the hallway out of the corner of her eye from time to time.

Brought to a quiet corner of RiNG, Haru had a feeling what this was about. From their last conversation, he already had a rough idea of how Umiri viewed him.

And now, with the subtle shift in his dynamic with Tomori, it wouldn't be surprising if someone as observant as Umiri had picked up on it.

Leaning against the wall, Yahata Umiri slowly lifted her emotionless gaze and spoke first in her cool, composed voice:

"Haru, who are you dating?"

Damn. Going straight for the kill with that one.

Of course, someone like Umiri wouldn't bother playing word games with him. She wasn't going to give him time to prepare or make excuses, just cut straight to the point. Even Haru, who had mentally braced himself, felt his back go a little clammy.

But facing his comrade, Haru didn't see any point in hiding or lying. After a deep breath, he calmly explained everything going on between him and Tomori.

He figured once Umiri found out he was "seeing two people," she'd probably lay into him with a full-on verbal assault.

To his surprise, Umiri only raised an eyebrow. There wasn't even a flicker of shock on her cool, handsome face.

"So it really is like that, huh?"

Her voice dipped slightly, and her gaze became more complex.

"I thought you'd at least try to dance around it, maybe lie your way out. I didn't expect you to lay it all out like that."

"There's no point lying to you, Umiri and I have no intention of hiding anything when it comes to stuff like this."

Haru shrugged under the weight of her sharp stare. Oddly enough, now that he'd said it out loud, he actually felt lighter. His gaze toward his brother-in-arms steadied.

"Fair enough."

Umiri nodded meaningfully.

There was no value in lying to her. They both knew it.

Even though she didn't seem especially close to Haru, Umiri was probably one of the people who understood him best.

Especially when it came to the complex web of people around him, she could see right through it, even if she never said a word. The fact that Haru had survived this long without being smacked or drugged was, to her, already something of a miracle.

After all this time around him, she had a firm grasp of what kind of guy he was.

If Haru had decided to go through with something as "scummy" as dating two people at once, then there was no chance a few words from her would bring him back to his senses. So Umiri didn't even try to lecture him again.

After a moment of thought, the cool, dark-haired girl spoke again:

"What if there are other people who like you too? What will you do then?"

Umiri already knew full well how many people around Haru had feelings for him. Among them were Misumi Uika and Togawa Sakiko, both held sincere, earnest feelings for him.

In her mind, it was only a matter of time before they confessed and when that happened, Haru, who was already "double-booked," would be completely cornered.

"…"

Faced with that question, Haru didn't put on his usual goofball front. Instead, he raised his dark eyes and looked straight at her, serious and direct.

He had never planned to hide anything from his comrade. He chose honesty.

"I won't ignore anyone's feelings. I'll give every single one of them a proper answer."

"Then what if I said I liked you? What would you do?"

The deadpan "confession" caught Haru off guard, making his mouth twitch. Even for someone like him, that was a bit much.

But he quickly realized, this was Umiri testing him, using herself as an example. No girl would confess something like that with a blank face, right?

And to be fair, she was terrifyingly sharp at times like this.

"Since I only see Yahata as a friend, I'd reject you directly."

"That so?"

She didn't look the least bit disappointed, and that was a relief to Haru.

Shiina Taki might occasionally dazzle him with unexpected beauty and stir his "brotherly instincts," but Umiri? She was the ultimate ride-or-die. When it came to her, Haru could just be himself: no masks, no pressure.

If this weren't Japan, he'd have grabbed her right then and there to swear an oath of brotherhood.

"Haru."

The black-haired girl leaned casually against the wall, toying with one of her punk-style earrings. Her deep green eyes looked up from below, studying Kazami Haru's face.

That normally cool and collected expression was tinged with the flicker of something more complicated. After two seconds of silence, she spoke again in a low voice.

"Then… if it were Taki who liked you, would you give the same answer?"

Haru froze.

"..."

Honestly, he didn't know how to answer that.

At first, he had seen Taki as someone he could trust with his back, a true comrade. But as their relationship deepened, what he thought was "just brotherhood" had started to blur, like fog clinging to glass.

Especially after that time he got sick and left the composition to Taki. Since then, the girl who always wore a scowl and clicked her tongue at him had started showing a softer side. Sometimes she'd blush when teased, get flustered if she hit him too hard and rush to apologize in a panic.

If Haru claimed he had no feelings at all for Shiina Taki, that would be a lie. No doubt about it.

And of course, Yahata Umiri noticed his hesitation.

Her jade-green eyes shimmered faintly with a new glint. Without another word, she stepped in closer.

Her words came sharp and cold.

"What you do with anyone else, I don't care."

"But if you're not prepared to face the consequences, then don't be so kind to Taki."

Usually calm and unshaken, Umiri now showed a side of herself that was anything but indifferent. Her voice was firm, her expression unusually serious.

Haru stood silent for a moment before he understood.

Of course, Umiri and Taki were close. She probably didn't care what kind of messy relationships he got into with other girls. As a friend, she'd already said her piece.

But if Taki got involved too…

Even the unplappable Umiri would probably cut him off.

After delivering her warning, Umiri let out a quiet breath. Then, like the autumn wind, she turned and walked away without a word, disappearing from his sight.

Haru stood there, unmoving, lost in thought.

"…What the hell just happened?"

From across the room, Shiina Taki had basically watched their entire conversation, but the distance and the fact that they both kept their voices low, meant she had no idea what they were actually talking about.

From her point of view, she could only see Umiri suddenly getting real close to Haru, and that was enough to make her head spin.

As Umiri walked calmly back in her direction, Taki couldn't take it anymore and blurted out, "Umiri, what did you say to Haru just now?"

"I confessed. He turned me down."

"...Hah?!!"

Umiri didn't acknowledge her best friend's wide-eyed disbelief. Instead, the cool, black-haired girl picked up her instrument case and walked away without another word.

Taki stood frozen, feeling a sudden throb in her temples.

The moment Umiri said it, she hadn't even doubted her, but hearing something so shocking out of nowhere left her mind in chaos. She clutched the sheet music in her hands, completely at a loss.

Umiri… liked Haru?

"How did this happen…?"

Taki had been ready to support Takamatsu Tomori's feelings for Haru. But now she found herself face-to-face with the fact that Umiri, her closest friend, also had feelings for him, and had even confessed.

Both of her closest friends, in love with the same person…

Maybe that's why something stung in her chest. Holding the sheet music tighter, Shiina Taki tried to shake the ache building inside.

She could feel her disappointment overflowing like a cracked dam. But still, she forced herself to focus on the notes in front of her.

By the time Haru returned, she had already reined in her emotions, putting her usual calm expression back in place the moment she looked up.

But the dull ache inside her chest didn't fade at all.

…

A high school cultural festival isn't just for fun.

To make sure every student could participate, each class and club became part of the event. That meant every student had to help run a "shop" of some kind.

The usual suspects included maid cafés, ramen stalls, haunted houses, or even full-blown stage plays. Clubs, meanwhile, hosted events themed around their activities.

That's what the culture festival was, everything mixed together into one vibrant chaos.

"Nee, nee! I heard Anon-chan's band and Kita-chan's band are both going to perform on the main stage! Is that true?!"

"I'm so hyped! I've always wanted to see our cool Anon in action~!"

A cluster of lively schoolgirls surrounded Chihaya Anon, whose long pink hair swayed as they closed in on her. Normally, she basked in attention like this but today, it felt a bit overwhelming.

She gave them a slightly forced smile and replied, "Yeah, it's all true~"

[Seven days left]

After sealing that "bet" with Ikuyo Kita, Anon had thrown herself into practice. She even stopped doing group guitar training.

But the nonstop intense practice hadn't boosted her confidence. If anything, her nerves and anxiety just kept growing with each passing day.

"..."

Anon found herself glancing toward the red-haired girl decorating the classroom. Kita stood nearby, chatting with friends, a sunny, dazzling smile on her face.

She looked as cheerful as ever but on closer inspection, all five fingers of her left hand were wrapped in bandages.

So just as Anon suspected, Kita was giving this everything she had too.

"Anon-chan, we're rooting for you~!"

"Huh? What do you mean…"

The meaningful smiles of the girls around her made Anon blink in confusion. Then they deliberately looked in Haru's direction.

Instantly, the sharp-witted pinkhead caught on.

Her face turned bright red, and she huffed in embarrassment, "Come on, what are you guys even talking about?"

"Puh-lease, aren't you just trying to win over Haru during the culture fest?"

"Exactly~ If you wanted to hide it, maybe don't make it so obvious every day?"

Their teasing hit her like a bullet. Anon's eyes darted away, flustered. She couldn't help sneaking a peek toward Haru's direction.

But he caught her.

The moment she saw him looking back, Anon ducked her head, startled.

Haru: ?

What's with the weird pink one?

"I-I'm gonna go to the bathroom."

Chihaya Anon, flustered and red-faced, couldn't help mentally cursing herself.

She'd already imagined living a "married life" with him in her dreams—so why was she still freaking out over something this minor? She really was getting more immature by the day.

But seriously, what was she even panicking about?

Only after splashing cold water on her face and leaving the bathroom did the heat in her cheeks begin to subside. Just as Anon finally pulled herself together and was about to head back to the classroom to finish decorating, a bright, energetic voice rang out in her ears.

"Anon-chan, were you spying on me just now?"

Smiling sweetly, Kita Ikuyo stood behind her with her hands folded behind her back. The sudden ambush nearly made Anon's soul jump out of her body.

"K-Kita-chan?! What are you doing here?!"

"Eh? You tossed a look my way earlier, so I thought you were calling me out…"

Ikuyo blinked innocently, looking puzzled.

As if she'd ever do that!

"The culture fest performance is coming up soon, right? Anon-chan's all ready, isn't she?"

"O-of course!"

Anon puffed out her flat chest with fake confidence. Kita, whose own assets were equally modest, could only stare at the pinkhead with teary eyes and a glare of jealousy.

Feeling a little one-upped, Kita huffed in protest, "Well I'm ready too! There's no way I'm losing to you, Anon!"

"Hmph~ If you want to back out of the bet now, I won't hold it against you, you know?"

"No way that's happening!"

Kita raised an eyebrow and shook her head with a light laugh.

Her already lovely face lit up with a warm smile. In the next moment, she gently placed her left hand over her chest. With a calm but radiant voice, she spoke words full of sunlight.

"No matter how it turns out, I won't have any regrets."

Gah! Where did this sun-beast come from?!

Quick, call an Ultra Bracelet to handle this!

"Ugh…"

Seeing Ikuyo practically glowing with energy, Anon started to panic again. She clutched the corner of her skirt with her right hand, that familiar anxious flutter returning before the performance had even begun.

Normally, she'd go to Haru for comfort when nerves got this bad.

But not this time.

This was a fair, head-to-head battle with Kita. No matter what, she couldn't cheat and get a head start.

With fists clenched, Anon met Kita Ikuyo's gaze without a hint of fear. She took a deep breath, as if trying to drive away the anxiety in her chest. Her crystal-clear eyes sparkled with determination.

With a serious expression, she declared, "I'm not going to lose to you, Kita!"

"And I'm not going to lose to you either, Anon."

Kita saw that intense look in Anon's eyes and let out a small sigh of relief. Then, just like always, she laced her hands behind her back and gave that bright, beaming smile.

And just like that, her glow lit up everything around her.

From here on, it would be a contest of willpower between the two.