61: Suspicious Simulation

[Leaving home at night and arriving on the streets of Tokyo, you face the first problem of independent living—you haven't had dinner and are now hungry.]

[Looking at the neon-lit restaurant signs on the street, you decide…]

[1. Just enough to fill your stomach.]

[2. That ramen shop on the street looks clean.]

[3. What are you thinking? To celebrate your first day of independence, you should definitely treat yourself to something good. High-quality wagyu beef and sushi sound great, don't they?]

Without any hesitation, Chisato chooses option 1.

He feels reassured now. If every financial decision in the future has options like this, he's confident he can manage his expenses precisely.

Surviving three years on 5 million yen might not be so difficult after all.

[To you, 5 million yen seems like a small amount. Your moms' lipstick costs more than that. You decide to save money and go to a convenience store to buy instant noodles for dinner.]

[Later, you stay at a friend's house, but that night you experience an unexpected problem: abdominal pain, and you are taken to the hospital.] 

[The doctor carefully examines you and asks about what you have eaten recently.]

[You answered the doctor's questions while holding your abdomen.] 

[He removed his stethoscope and told you that you had chronic abdominal pain caused by functional dyspepsia. You needed an IV and medication.]

[The cost for the IV and medication came to 27,000 yen. Watching the IV drip, you begin to understand.]

[You're like a top-tier sports car: sleek and powerful on the outside, but your internal systems are just as expensive.] 

[You need premium fuel, like high-octane 98, not the cheap 92. Using low-quality fuel could cause issues, as clearly shown by today's incident.]

[It's crazy! Even with a pampered lifestyle, who gets stomach pain from eating a bowl of instant noodles? There must be some system manipulation going on!]

[Learning from your previous experience, you were much more cautious in choosing your apartment.] 

[You picked a standard, clean one with good ventilation, a balcony, a bathtub, and a bubble massage feature.]

[It's wasteful. Just having a place to live is enough, and this apartment must have cost a lot.]

[The school's opening ceremony soon arrived.] 

[After experiencing two months of ordinary life, your once flashy noble demeanor had toned down a bit, but you still exuded an evident air of wealth.] 

[With your handsome looks and exceptional academic abilities, you quickly became a well-known figure on campus.]

[Your desk started to mysteriously fill with chocolates and cute handmade cookies.] 

[Your shoe cabinet was also frequently stuffed with colorful love letters—some from inside the school, some from outside, from both boys and girls.] 

[You ignored these obvious expressions of affection because you had other goals in mind.]

[One of your targets was the senior who spoke on stage with you at the opening ceremony, a model student named Kasumigaoka Utaha.] 

[Before officially going on stage, you had a brief conversation with her. She had a gentle voice, a full figure, and a stunning appearance.]

[Especially her legs— they were a real standout feature. Wrapped in black stockings, the curves were subtly visible and enticing.] 

[You thought she could be a great candidate for a potential partner.]

[Another target was Sawamura Eriri, also a first-year student. You easily noticed her due to her distinctive golden hair.]

[What really piqued your interest in her happened by accident. As you were going upstairs, she accidentally missed a step and fell into your arms.]

[Her clear, blue eyes looked like a fawn's, with a hint of panic and shyness.] 

[Her hair brushed past your nose, and her small hands, not knowing where to go, rested on your arm and one slipped through the gap in your shirt, touching your abdomen.]

[For the second time, you felt a thrilling rush. You realized how fragrant and soft a girl's body could be.]

[You thought she'd make a perfect partner: someone who would gently help out on the first occasion, then be sweet and eager to please, offering her delicate lips for a kiss.] 

[You were already thinking about a blissful life after a complete conquest.]

[This was still an idea before any real action had taken place, but you were quite bold in your imagination.]

[So far, everything was normal, and you continued reading.]

[The Suzumiya Group is a top conglomerate in Japan, controlling countless companies and businesses within the country.]

[You found one of your company's subsidiaries that had undergone a change from shady to clean.] 

[After meeting the owner, you, as the Suzumiya Group's heir, entrusted him with investigating Kasumigaoka Utaha and Sawamura Eriri's backgrounds and obtaining their medical examination reports from the start of school.]

[As expected, the owner, fearful and not taking any payment, used his connections and quickly obtained the information you needed.]

[Confirming that both had clean backgrounds and were in good health with no messy pasts or diseases, you decided to officially start pursuing them.]

[Having had a smooth life without many setbacks, you didn't think pursuing them would be too difficult.]

[With this thought, you decided to pursue just one of them first and chose…]

[1. Kasumigaoka Utaha]

[2. Sawamura Eriri]

The choice seemed indifferent. Considering he spent the night with Sawamura Eriri recently, he decided to start with Kasumigaoka Utaha.

[During the lunch break, you went to the second-year floor.] 

[After asking a senior to call Kasumigaoka Utaha, there was a small commotion in the class. You invited her to have lunch together.]

[You were too young and direct with your invitation, so it was likely to be rejected. However, you planned to make up for it through a series of actions to build rapport.]

[Kasumigaoka Utaha agreed, went to get her lunchbox, and asked you to wait at the classroom door.]

"Hmm???"

Chisato sat up abruptly. This didn't seem right.

Looking at the text on the simulation screen, Chisato frowned. He sensed something was off but couldn't pinpoint what.

The simulation text continued smoothly despite his doubts, and he could only keep his concerns to himself and proceed.

[You invited Kasumigaoka Utaha to the school courtyard.]

[The courtyard was lined with lush trees on either side, providing shade from the glaring sun and prying eyes from classroom windows—perfect for couples to dine.]

[Kasumigaoka Utaha seemed unaware of your intentions. She calmly followed you to a quiet spot and sat down by a bench.]

[You both opened your lunchboxes and began eating.]

[Perhaps due to previous interactions behind the scenes at the opening ceremony, she seemed familiar and even a bit warm.] 

[She answered your questions openly and tried to liven up the conversation when it lagged. Contrary to your earlier findings, she wasn't the cold and aloof type.]

[Feeling more confident, you attributed this to your looks and charm. Indeed, you believed there was no woman you couldn't win over if you wanted to.]

[You both had a good first impression of each other and got along very well.] 

[During lunch, you even counted how many times Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled—twenty-one—and how many times she looked at you—thirty-seven.] 

[This seemed like a good sign that she was enjoying herself and interested in you.]

[With no plans for the weekend, you thought it might be a good opportunity to advance your relationship with her.]

[So, you decided to…]

[1. Ask Kasumigaoka Utaha to go to the aquarium to see dolphins.]

[2. Ask Kasumigaoka Utaha if she's interested in games, and if so, invite her over to play games at your place since no one will be home.]

[3. Wait and see how things go with Sawamura Eriri.]

Chisato finally realized what had felt off earlier. Since Kasumigaoka Utaha and Sawamura Eriri's appearances, everything has gone too smoothly.

He initially thought the simulation would be challenging, but it was surprisingly easy.

The problem was the smoothness of the developments, which felt unnatural and inconsistent with the characters' personalities.] 

Kasumigaoka Utaha's overly eager acceptance and behavior seemed off.

He suspected something was wrong and needed to determine if this was a deliberate manipulation.

Considering that Sawamura Eriri seemed to have developed some interest from the stair incident, he wondered if this simulation was somehow skewed.

The golden talent might be making all the girls fall for him unconditionally. His noble demeanor might be leading others to fawn over him.

Still, he decided to focus on the third option to better understand the situation.

[You observed Kasumigaoka Utaha's beautiful side profile, controlling your own impulses. Your pride told you not to rush or act on her signals too quickly.]

[As the heir of the Suzumiya Group, you needed to be reserved and dignified, avoiding being overly impatient in matters of affection.] 

[Showing some interest was enough; further emotional displays should be saved for more suitable opportunities, ideally prompted by the other party.]

[As lunch break ended, you pretended not to notice Kasumigaoka Utaha's anticipation, waved goodbye, and didn't exchange contact information, as if the lunch was simply a casual meal.]

[Later, in the final gym class of the day, your class and Sawamura Eriri's class had a joint sports session. The boys played basketball, and the girls played doubles badminton.]

[You were skilled at basketball but let the opposing team win to quickly end the game and move on. Afterward, you headed toward the badminton courts as planned.]

[On the way, you unexpectedly ran into Sawamura Eriri.]

[She looked at you, and you looked at her, as the evening glow painted the scene. She eventually blushed, lowered her head, and handed you an unopened bottle of water.]

Chisato's eyes narrowed, his suspicions rising.

The certainty of his earlier guess increased to twenty percent.

[Wednesday's lunch break arrived, and you received a friend request with a black cat avatar and enticing wine-red eyes.]

[After accepting, the sender introduced herself as Kasumigaoka Utaha.] 

[You were surprised but didn't get a chance to ask questions before she quickly sent a message inviting you to meet at the usual place, as she needed a favor.]

[Kasumigaoka Utaha's sudden action puzzled you, and you were unsure about her reason for the meeting.]

[Since she was your chosen partner, you didn't hesitate, agreed, and arrived at the courtyard bench where you had lunch earlier.]

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