Chapter 87: Simulation Ends.

[You started using the nighttime to meet with Mayuri after Yuko fell asleep.]

[Mayuri often had disagreements, so you took her out on adventures. The nighttime streets and parks became your favorite places to play, shrouded in mystery due to darkness and silence, which excited Mayuri.]

[When Mayuri was in third grade, a touring art troupe came to Ino County with evening performances. You had planned to go see their show with Mayuri, and the girl had been looking forward to it.]

[You stood her up. Yuko discovered your nightly outings and looked at you with uneasy eyes, staying awake all night, lying by your side.]

[She didn't stop you, but you couldn't abandon her, no matter her emotions.]

[You heard from your mother that Mayuri waited all night.]

[By the time you settled Yuko, the art troupe had left Ino County, and you missed your chance to make amends.]

[Mayuri stopped talking to you.]

[Yuko watched you more closely, making it increasingly difficult for you to meet with Mayuri.]

[Your contact with your daughter gradually diminished.]

[Mayuri inherited your stature, always a head taller than her classmates, and strong. From your mother, you learned she often caused trouble at school.]

[After graduating from elementary school, Mayuri insisted on going to Misaki to attend junior high school. Your mother couldn't persuade her, so she came to you.]

[Thinking of Mayuri's rebellious nature, you felt a change of environment might suit her. Leveraging your connections, you arranged for her enrollment at a girls' high school in Misaki. Your sister Airi is studying for a master's degree in Misaki, and she can take care of Mayuri.]

[You stayed in touch with Chitose Kazumi and Asano Nao, informing them about Mayuri's move to Misaki.]

[One night, you received a photo from Chitose Kazumi, showing her, Mayuri, and Asano Nao. She and Asano Nao were on the left and right, sandwiching the embarrassed girl in the middle. You saved the photo and put it in a folder named Mayuri.]

[The folder's collection of photos grew, expanding from home settings to streets, malls, cinemas, bedrooms, and beds...]

[Mayuri's expression gradually changed from being embarrassed at first to being cheerful.]

[Unable to receive maternal love from Yuko, she found love from Chitose Kazumi and Asano Nao instead.]

[You thought this was okay.]

[Under their care and guidance, Mayuri, initially an average student due to her rebellious nature, soon became an honor student.]

[She got into the mathematics department at Misaki University.]

[She continued through to her doctorate, stayed to work in Misaki afterward. Rarely returning to Ino County, when she did, she only stayed with her grandparents, and you sometimes went a year or two without seeing her.]

[Chitose Kazumi and Asano Nao continued to send you photos. The three single women seemed destined to stay together forever. Parental pressure for Mayuri's marriage waned over time.]

[Your career progressed smoothly, and in your forties, you became a department head. Time left few marks on you and your wife, still a model couple admired by your subordinates for what seemed like eternal love.]

[At sixty, you retired with a generous pension, traveling across the country with Yuko.]

[Visiting Misaki, you took Yuko to dinner at Asano's home.]

[Asano Nao, Chitose Kazumi, and your greatest concern, Mayuri, sat around the table. Despite their advanced age, your wife still couldn't accept your daughter.]

[While clearing the table, you struck up a conversation with Mayuri, asking about her recent life. She rejected your concern, saying if you truly loved her, you would have divorced Yuko long ago and married either Asano Nao or Chitose Kazumi.]

[You couldn't respond to her.]

[At ninety-three, you passed away in your sleep. Yuko followed closely, taking sleeping pills.]

[Your younger relatives, whom you had cared for, arranged a funeral for you. Mayuri hastily lit a stick of incense and returned to Misaki.]

[End of simulation]

Minami Yuuki sighed as he got up from the sofa.

Indeed, it's not a perfect ending. The conflict between mother and daughter... It must trouble Mayuri deeply. Every night, as she falls asleep, she must wonder why she can't receive love from her parents, where things went wrong.

Rubbing his forehead, Minami Yuuki contemplated the irreconcilable nature of this conflict. Harmony and restraint were merely patching up the mismatch of love. True happiness required complete alignment.

The cause of this outcome, he thought, must be Ibuki Honoka. The girl, hurt by her mother, couldn't give her love to her daughter.

He checked the assessment:

[Summary]

[Stages experienced: Pursuit phase, honeymoon phase, adversity phase]

[Score: 86]

[Review: You two are like complementary fish, embracing tightly, each other's only one, creating happiness, but others, including your daughter, can't interfere.]

[Settlement: You gained a small amount of political experience]

Minami Yuuki first sighed at the metaphor in the review, then was surprised at the high score of 86.

Previously, his perfect life with Asano Nao barely achieved 80 points. How did his score with Ibuki Yuko rise by 6 points this time?

Upon careful thought, he didn't find it strange.

The time with Asano Nao, they had no children. This time, Mayuri was safely born and grew up healthy. Moreover, Mayuri, who lacked maternal love in her early years, found solace from Chitose Kazumi and Asano Nao.

He couldn't help but look up at the empty dining table beside him. The chairs were vacant, and Asano Nao, overwhelmed by inner shyness, had gone upstairs.

Glancing back at the simulation interface, there were still some rewards left.

[You have completed a happy life simulation]

[You gained one free simulation opportunity]

[You gained one skill extraction opportunity]

Similar rewards to the 80-point life simulation before. It seemed that every score above 80 could earn him these rewards.

Scores above 90 came with a dream movie as an extra.

Minami Yuuki set a small goal in his mind: to achieve 90 points in the next simulation!

Then, with the free simulation opportunity, he would truly care for Mayuri and experience Yuko-mama deeply. To achieve this goal, he needed to make efforts in two areas.

First, acquire more simulation attempts.

Second, ensure Ibuki Honoka doesn't leave without saying goodbye. Ideally, she would start loving Ibuki Yuko, the only way to solve Ibuki Yuko's psychological issues.

The former was easy; the latter, difficult but not impossible.

From the simulated text, Minami Yuuki could gather that Ibuki Honoka was a gentle and kind mother before the divorce. Her change stemmed from the failure of her marriage.

So, if she had a successful marriage again, could she recover?

But which man could be the suitable candidate?

Ibuki Honoka liked handsome men, ruling out those with ordinary looks. She often fell victim to men who used marriage as bait, so she needed a man who genuinely wanted to marry her and was stable and reliable.

Were there any such men around him, besides himself?

Minami Yuuki pondered deeply.