Chapter 52: Simulation Ends.

[A week later, you showed no intention of getting a divorce.]

[Asano Nao reminded you, but you said you were too busy recently and that the divorce procedures were too complicated. Besides, marriage wasn't that big of a deal, so you continued your marriage.]

[At first, Asano Nao was a bit worried, but when she found that married life hadn't changed much and she didn't have to face any responsibilities or expectations, she gradually relaxed.]

[After graduating from sixth grade, Miu was admitted to a city middle school. Every morning, you drove her to school and picked her up in the afternoon.]

[Before the start of middle school, you changed Miu's surname. From then on, she was no longer Yumemi Miu, but Minami Miu.]

[After Miu started school, she joined the school's classical music club and would only come home in the evening. You told Asano Nao that since there was no one to help you with the convenience store anymore, why not have another child?]

[Asano Nao couldn't refuse your small request. After all, you only wanted a child to help manage the convenience store. How could she not fulfill that for you?]

[The following year, Asano Nao gave birth to a younger sister for Miu, and you named her Rikka. After Rikka was born, Asano Nao was a bit anxious and restless. You understood that your wife was feeling emotional pressure regarding Rikka.]

[You deliberately talked in front of Rikka about how unreliable her mother was, letting Asano Nao overhear. At first, Asano Nao was tormented by this, not wanting her daughter to have a bad image of her. Gradually, she got used to it and stopped worrying about Rikka's expectations and dependence on her. The mental pressure disappeared, and her emotions returned to normal.]

[Once her emotions stabilized, you mentioned that driving Miu to and from school every day was too troublesome, so the family moved to the city. The new apartment you bought was very spacious, but your practice rooms took up several rooms, leaving only two bedrooms. Miu needed one, so you and Asano Nao had to sleep together.]

[That New Year's Eve, you said you wanted to eat Asano Nao's cooking and took her and the two daughters to your old home in Ino County. You asked her to cook and took the opportunity to inform your parents about your marriage.]

[Your parents and sister were very surprised. At the New Year's Eve dinner table, they tried to place responsibility and emotions on Asano Nao, but you used rhetoric to deflect all of it.]

[After Miu graduated from middle school, you used your connections to get her into Tsukimori High School in Misaki City, your alma mater. The family moved to Misaki City and returned to the Asano residence. You bought a piece of land next to the Asano residence and built a practice room.]

[Asano Nao vaguely felt something was wrong, but she couldn't confirm it. You remained indifferent to her, not showing any deep affection.]

[You often left her and the younger daughter at home to visit famous pianists, honing your skills. Your piano skills became increasingly profound.]

[During Miu's first year of high school summer vacation, you composed a piano piece inspired by your two daughters. You named it after them, and this piano piece brought you significant fame in the industry.]

[Your bandmates frequently visited you. Now, they were also semi-retired. Over the years, you wrote a song for them annually, and the band's popularity deepened over time.]

[You learned about Chitose Kazumi's whereabouts from Oda Yota. Years ago, to avoid leaving her with too many thoughts and fearing she might affect your relationship with Asano Nao, you cut off contact with her.]

[Oda Yota told you that Chitose Kazumi had been looking for you for a long time. She even changed jobs to an agency for this reason and remained single.]

[He asked if you wanted to meet Chitose Kazumi. You hesitated for a moment and agreed.]

[He helped arrange the time and place for your meeting. The meeting with Chitose Kazumi was uneventful. You reminisced about the past like old friends. You did not exchange contact information or arrange to meet again.]

[Returning home, you sat in the bright and quiet practice room, recalling your encounters with Chitose Kazumi. You composed a piano piece and named it after her.]

[This piece, both joyful and sorrowful, brought you great fame. Even ordinary people who didn't follow the music scene heard and liked this piece through various channels.]

[The agency realized this belatedly and approached you, wanting to turn you into a piano star. You declined their proposal. You had saved enough money, and pursuing piano further was just to better teach Miu.]

[You continued to write a few more pieces. Without the agency's promotion, your fame among the general public was limited, but your reputation in the industry grew.]

[More and more people visited you. Asano Nao was curious, but you never took the initiative to talk to her. Your slightly distant behavior made her feel very at ease.]

[Some curious individuals began to explore your creative journey and discovered that you had named many compositions after your daughter and friends, but conspicuously omitted your wife. Rumors spread that you did not love her. Upon hearing this, Asano Nao felt both saddened and relieved.]

[Miu adapted well to life in Misaki City. You secretly arranged for her friend Rika to be in the same school and class as her. After entering middle school, Miu made many new friends, but she remained closest to Rika.]

[In her first year of high school, Rika confessed her love to Miu, who rejected her. This did not affect their friendship.]

[In her second year, under your guidance, Miu won the gold medal in the Misaki International Youth Piano Competition and received a direct admission offer from Misaki Arts University. In her third year, she went to Europe to participate in the 12th Lyrica International Piano Competition, where she performed a piece composed by you and won fourth place. She officially embarked on her musical journey.]

[Unlike her sister, Rikka was a mischievous child who often left Asano Nao exasperated. She learned guitar from you and, after graduating from high school, went to study in the UK, where she formed an all-girl band.]

[In Miu's first year of university, you secured a teaching position at Misaki Arts University, keeping a close watch on her health, frequently taking her to the hospital for check-ups, fearing she might suffer a sudden heart attack as in the previous simulation. Your worries proved unfounded; Miu was very healthy.]

[When Miu graduated from university, her grandmother passed away at the age of 92. She could have lived longer if not for the devastating blow of losing her old lover the previous year. Before she passed, she held your and Asano Nao's hands, wishing you happiness. She had a life with its share of hardships but no regrets.]

[At 61, your reputation in the industry reached its peak. You were a globally renowned piano composer, scoring many films and holding numerous solo concerts. You even had a music award named after you, though it was a small local one.]

[By then, you had composed nearly a hundred pieces, yet still none named after Asano Nao, giving rise to many urban legends.]

[At 73, you said goodbye to your father; at 77, you said goodbye to your mother. You and Asano Nao became the elders of the family.]

[At 91, Asano Nao passed away before you. During her final days, you and your two daughters stayed by her side, expressing your love for her. She passed away in happiness.]

[You lived until 98 when death finally came for you. On your deathbed, you held your daughters' hands, listening to their words of love and reluctance.]

[Before you died, you revealed a lifelong secret to Miu, telling her that you were, in fact, her biological father.]

[Seeing the astonishment in her tear-filled eyes, you left this world content.]

[Many people came to mourn you after your passing, and an online trend emerged of playing your piano pieces to remember you.]

[While sorting through your belongings, your daughters found a manuscript of a piano piece kept in a safe. The piece was titled "Nao" and was completed six years earlier. It was a love letter you had spent a lifetime writing for your wife.]

[This piece ended the rumors about you and your wife and was hailed as the most moving piece of the century.]

[Simulation ends]