Chapter 74: Japanese Pretty Boy's Try Not to Laugh Challenge!

[Morning, Ibuki Yuko arrives on time. Ibuki Honoka seems to have a new boyfriend; she either comes back very late every day or leaves very early in the morning. As a result, Ibuki Yuko is quite free.]

[At first, she was somewhat reluctant to take care of you. If you didn't ask for her help for a day, she wouldn't come. Gradually, she started to arrive on time even on the days you didn't ask for her help.]

[During the times you spend together, you just have ordinary conversations with her, occasionally complimenting her cooking skills, like normal family members, like ordinary siblings, although Ibuki Yuko insists that your relationship is that of mother and son. Your relationship is becoming increasingly harmonious.]

[You wonder if you can rely more on Ibuki Yuko and get closer to her.]

[After careful consideration, you choose...]

[1. "Help me out, Yuko-senpai!"]

[2. "I should be a mature kid and not rely on Yuko-senpai anymore."]

[3. "Maintaining the status quo is fine."]

[4. Free simulation]

Looking at the options, Minami Yuuki strokes his chin. The meanings of the three options are clear: getting closer to Ibuki Yuko, becoming more distant from her, or maintaining the current state.

There's no need to be conflicted about this. Ibuki Yuko has already shown a flaw, so it's time to seize the opportunity!

He doesn't rush to click but instead looks back at the simulation text above.

So far, the progress of the love simulation is very smooth. The reason for the smooth progress is that Ibuki Yuko is very willing to take care of people.

Whether it was pulling him away from danger before or cooking for him afterward, it can be summarized as Ibuki Yuko taking care of him.

Minami Yuuki recalls Shiori Ichinose's three guesses. The first two guesses suggest that the reason Ibuki Yuko is weary of the world is that she hasn't experienced the joys of life.

Has the girl now changed because she found happiness in taking care of him?

He thinks of his sister, Minami Airi. The girl always likes to play with her dolls, changing their clothes, putting on makeup, playing house. He also thinks of his grandmother in his hometown, who has a mischievous Shiba Inu(dog). Since taking care of dolls and dogs can bring happiness, then taking care of a person should also bring happiness, although he personally doesn't find taking care of people enjoyable.

Or perhaps, what makes Ibuki Yuko happy is not the act of taking care of someone itself, but because she is taking care of him, thus being with him. Everyone longs for companionship; it's just that they often don't find the right companion.

After trying to analyze Ibuki Yuko's psychology, Minami Yuuki clicks on option one and continues the simulation.

[You decide to take it a step further and ask Ibuki Yuko for more care.]

[This noon, you refuse the invitation from Chitose Kazumi and some classmates to have lunch together, and head to the second-year floor, standing outside Class C's window, looking for Ibuki Yuko.]

[As you expected, given Ibuki Yuko's height, she must be sitting in the first row. She is in the innermost corner of the first row.]

[The girl doesn't see you. You ask the boys by the window to call her for you, but none of the three boys respond.]

[You go to the front door and ask a girl with glasses. The girl looks at your face, and you have to repeat your request twice before she understands. She helps you call Ibuki Yuko.]

[Using the excuse that mother and son should eat together, you have her bring her lunchbox to your classroom.]

[Ibuki Yuko is very popular at school; half of the students in your class know her. Some are amazed, and some are regretful about your relationship.]

[You introduce Chitose Kazumi to Ibuki Yuko, hoping they can become friends.]

"..."

Doesn't the last paragraph seem a bit familiar?

In the simulation with Asano Nao, didn't he do the exact same thing?

It shouldn't be a problem, though; it's just making friends.

He glances at the time. Half an hour has already passed, and in another hour or so, it'll be time to have dinner at Asano Nao's house.

Despite the tight schedule, Minami Yuuki still hopes this simulation will last beyond dinner time because if the simulation ends before dinner, it's likely just an ordinary ending.

He continues to watch the simulation screen.

[Chitose Kazumi had already learned about Ibuki Yuko from you. As someone who had been a schoolmate of the girl, she clearly understood the girl's charm. She adjusted her mindset and started talking to Ibuki Yuko about their middle school days.]

[Ibuki Yuko was not interested in Chitose Kazumi's topic. After responding a few times perfunctorily, she stopped paying attention to her. You intervened in the conversation, continuing Chitose Kazumi's topic, and only then did Ibuki Yuko continue to speak.]

Tsk tsk, Minami Yuuki thought as he read the text.

This loli senior is particularly cold-hearted in terms of interpersonal relationships. It would be great if she could share a bit with Asano Nao—one is overly concerned with others' feelings, and the other doesn't care at all.

[After school, you and Ibuki Yuko went to the supermarket together to buy ingredients. Ibuki Yuko owes you more and more money.]

[Having gotten used to the high-end ingredients at the Asano household, you couldn't stand the taste of ordinary food. Your spending on meals was substantial, and with the debt to Asano Nao, your money was running out.]

[You thought of ways to make money and created an account on a video site in a country across the sea, posting some guitar playing videos. You didn't show your face, and the videos had almost no views.]

[This dismal reality was unbearable. With your master-level guitar skills, the double-digit view count was an insult.]

[In October, you decided to give up. You showed your face and posted a new video—"Japanese Pretty Boy Watches Romance of the Three Kingdoms!"]

[This was the turning point in your career as an uploader. Within a week, the video exceeded a million views.]

[You grasped the essence of the internet, posting a new video every day, exploring the food culture, architecture, and TV dramas of the neighboring country. Additionally, you started a popular series—"Japanese Pretty Boy's Try Not to Laugh Challenge!"]

[Each of your videos made it to the rankings, and your fan base grew rapidly, as did your video income.]

[You paid off your debt to Asano Nao.]

[You had tried to introduce Asano Nao to Ibuki Yuko. You thought the difficult one to convince would be Asano Nao, but surprisingly, Asano Nao immediately agreed and came downstairs at the appointed time without hiding in her room.]

[Could it be that without your meticulous care, Asano Nao's mental state had actually improved? You couldn't help but think this way; otherwise, you couldn't explain Asano Nao's abnormal behavior.]

[This hit you hard. But after the frustration came joy. Asano Nao's mental state had greatly improved, which put you at ease.]

[When the two girls met, the problem was Ibuki Yuko. Ibuki Yuko treated Asano Nao even worse than she had treated Chitose Kazumi before. She completely ignored Asano Nao and only spoke to you.]

[These days, your relationship with Ibuki Yuko had become increasingly close, but at the same time, she became more indifferent to others.]

[You felt joy but also had a bad premonition.]

It's doomed!

Minami Yuuki sighed deeply as he looked at the simulation interface.

Sure enough, their emotions couldn't be this smooth, and Ibuki Yuko's issues manifested in another way.

[By the end of the second semester, you had nearly a million followers on the video site. The site's operators contacted you, asking if you could attend the Top 100 Gala. You declined the gala and the award, saying you were undeserving. They then asked if you would join the site's reality show, offering generous conditions, but you still refused.]

[There was one week left until winter break, and the cold air had already arrived. You bought a kotatsu, and it often contained you and Ibuki Yuko.]

[The kotatsu was too comfortable. You accidentally fell asleep inside it. In the middle of the night, you woke up freezing, with your lower half warm inside the kotatsu and your upper half cold outside it. As expected, you had a fever the next day.]

[In the morning, you woke up groggily once, sent a message to Ibuki Yuko to ask her to help you call in sick, and then fell back asleep.]

[When you woke up again, it was already noon. The winter sun brought some warmth, and you turned your head to see Ibuki Yuko's small face.]

[The girl was sitting on the floor, her elbow resting on the edge of the bed, with her chin in her hand, her clear eyes watching you.]