Chapter 70: When Ibuki Yuko Becomes the Savior.

[Remaining simulation attemps: 0]

[Simulation target: Ibuki Yuko]

[Initial relationship: Acquaintance]

[It's been five days since you arrived in this world. You've become friends with Asano Nao, who takes care of your meals; you've also befriended Chitose Kazumi, alleviating the boredom of school life. You've turned around your classmates' impression of you from an outsider to being accepted.]

[You've set your sights on Ibuki Yuko who lives upstairs in the apartment building.]

The beginning is the same as before, but now things are changing.

[You've learned more about Ibuki Yuko from other sources: she seems like a cute doll without a will of her own, teetering on the edge between life and death. She appears to crave an end to it all, yet there's a faint seed of hope buried deep within her for life.]

[Now, the challenge before you is how to approach Ibuki Yuko and form a stable relationship with her.]

[You choose...]

[1. "Propose to Ibuki Honoka and become Ibuki Yuko's stepfather!"]

[2. "Use my charm to seduce Ibuki Honoka and convince her to give me her daughter!"]

[3. "Wait for the right moment."]

[4. Free simulation]

Minami Yuuki looked at the options.

Option one suggested establishing a father-daughter relationship, which would provide legal authority as a guardian.

However, in this romance simulator, option one would raise serious ethical issues.

As for option two, it mirrored the path he took in a previous simulation where he approached Ibuki Yuko through her mother Ibuki Honoka, gaining her favor and securing a verbal engagement.

After analyzing the first two options, he clicked on option three.

He decided to stick to his original plan and directly interact with Ibuki Yuko. After all, his previous attempts to approach her indirectly through Ibuki Honoka were unsuccessful.

Now, he had found an opportunity to engage with the young girl.

[You choose to wait patiently.]

[However, you didn't stop taking action. You observed Ibuki Yuko's schedule for going to and from school from Asano house's study, frequently coinciding with her and walking together.]

[During this process, you unexpectedly noticed something off about Asano Nao; she was subtly trying to seduce you. You guessed it was due to your excessive attention to Ibuki Yuko. You rejected her advances.]

[The temperature quickly rose, and the summer sailor uniforms appeared on the young girls, marking the arrival of summer.]

[The summer vacation finally arrived.]

[On the first day of vacation, you followed behind Ibuki Yuko, accompanying her to the library to borrow books.]

[The road in front of the library was bustling with vehicles, and the sun in the sky was scorching. At the intersection, you saw that green truck, the metal beast, veering off course and heading straight towards you.]

[Faced with this imminent danger, you choose...]

[1. "Set aside my urge to help and respect others' fates."]

[2. "It's time to become a hero!"]

[3. "If only one of us can survive, let the person who reincarnates in another world be me!"]

[4. Free simulation]

Minami Yuuki contemplated the three options: avoiding alone, pulling Ibuki Yuko to hide together, and pushing Ibuki Yuko away while not hiding himself.

He chose option three, pushing Ibuki Yuko away but not fleeing himself.

This decision wasn't a mistake or a spur-of-the-moment choice; he had carefully considered it before the simulation began.

Faced with his sacrifice, if Ibuki Yuko truly were indifferent, like a block of wood, the simulation would abruptly end.

However, if her apparent indifference were merely a facade to conceal her vulnerable inner self, Minami Yuuki might glimpse hesitation on her face, allowing the simulation to continue briefly after his death.

After all, Minami Yuuki had saved her life and spent a semester with her, making them barely acquaintances or friends.

This was a test, an important one. Minami Yuuki was prepared to sacrifice a simulation life to gauge the depth of the girl's coldness.

Unexpectedly, the test took a completely unforeseen path.

[You remain in place, ignoring the blaring horns around you. Your gaze shifts from the speeding truck to Ibuki Yuko beside you. The girl is looking at you too.]

A slight dizziness washed over Minami Yuuki, a sign that a memory scene was unfolding.

Damn, why a memory scene now! I don't want to experience being run over by a big truck!

His internal protest was futile as memories surged, and he closed his eyes.

The memory scene unfolded:

Blaring horns echoed around them under the scorching sun, an unusually hot day with an unusually loud horn sound enveloping Minami Yuuki and Ibuki Yuko. Reality seemed distorted, or else why would that green truck be barreling toward them?

Minami Yuuki stepped back, steadying himself. He didn't immediately act; the truck still had some distance to cover. He planned to push Ibuki Yuko away at the last moment, for a more dramatic effect.

The truck drew nearer. Minami Yuuki observed the truck's front end with unprecedented seriousness. The green truck resembled a fierce beast, its windshield its eyes, and the silver grille below resembling insect mandibles. This giant green insect was charging straight at him!

Minami Yuuki wasn't afraid of the menacing truck itself, but the impending death it carried, ready to pour over him, shook his spirit.

Everyone harbors dark and deep-seated elements within themselves, and Minami Yuuki was no exception. Amidst the fear, a twisted sense of pleasure also emerged within him. This strange sensation, however, helped him regain clarity. He decided to give up.

Not giving up on life, but giving up on giving up on life.

Although his memories reminded him that his current experience was a simulation, he couldn't treat it like a game. Playing around with the idea of losing his life here would be too childish.

He also didn't intend to abandon the test. He thought about pushing Ibuki Yuko aside first, then fleeing from the other side. With luck, he might create an illusion of being crushed under the wheels.

However, just as he tensed his muscles, preparing to act, a figure threw itself in front of him, colliding with him and pushing him out of the truck's path.

His back hit the ground, and reflexively, he held onto the girl on him, using his other hand to push himself back.

The truck thundered past him, slamming into the library wall. He lowered his head, looking at the girl in his arms who had tried to save him.

Ibuki Yuko's forehead was slightly red. Just now, she had fiercely collided her head against Minami Yuuki's chest, using all her strength to push the boy away.

Her slender arm was dusted with dirt, and a thin bead of blood trickled from her elbow where the skin had been grazed.

Minami Yuuki hadn't expected that this girl, who seemed to crave death and would have chosen to die under the truck if not for his intervention, would end up saving him instead.