"Even though I had some decent interaction with Ryo and Tomori yesterday, I only received one simulation attempt as a reward?"
Kazami Haru stared thoughtfully at his desk. A mechanical pencil spun smoothly between his slender index finger and thumb, then lightly tapped against the page of his notebook as he scribbled down meaningless numbers.
It's not enough.
Just how can he gain more simulation attempts?
But there's no need to rush—thanks to several successful simulations, he had already obtained a lot of skills and rewards.
Even though he hadn't received that one-trillion-yen bonus, his abilities had improved significantly.
[The Ultimate Romance Simulator]
[Host: Kazami Haru]
[Skills: 'Piano LV2', 'Music Theory LV3', 'Barista LV2', 'Guitar LV2', 'Love's Cuisine LV2']
[Items: 'Ijichi Nijika IF Route Card', 'Random Identity Card']
Without even realizing it, his 'Guitar' skill had already caught up to his diligently trained 'Piano' skill—even though he had never touched a guitar before.
Looking over the new batch of skills, Kazami Haru nodded in mild satisfaction.
Well then, I'll just wait for the right opportunity for the next simulation.
For now, the most important thing is probably working more shifts to feed himself.
"Speaking of which…"
Kazami suddenly realized that Hitori Gotou was nowhere to be seen today.
After Nijika said she'd be working part-time at STARRY to fund the band, Bocchi's face had looked like she was ready to die. Even when Kazami left, the look of despair still hadn't faded.
And today, she didn't even come to school—she just took a leave.
The guitar hero... could it be that she was so afraid of working she ran away entirely?
Do all guitarists have a talent for running away?
Ahem! "Everyone, please give me your attention."
The teacher at the podium didn't start the lesson immediately. Instead, they clapped their hands to get everyone's attention—including Takamatsu Tomori who was studying a bandage, and a slightly spaced-out Kita Ikuyo.
"Although it's a bit sudden, we have a new transfer student joining our class today."
As the teacher finished speaking, the sliding door to the classroom opened.
Walking in was a strikingly beautiful girl with flowing pink hair as vivid as cherry blossoms, lightly swaying behind her.
Her adorably cute face bore a dazzlingly bright and friendly smile.
"…Hmm?"
This girl looks familiar. Wait a second, Isn't she the CEO of ANON TOKYO?
So she transferred here during this timeline?
Chihaya Anon's sudden appearance brought Kazami Haru's hand to a halt. His eyes met hers for a brief moment.
[New simulation target unlocked—Chihaya Anon]
Wait, what? She suddenly became a simulation target?
There was no reaction from the simulator before, but the moment he locked eyes with her, she was added as a "capture target"?
Just how does this simulator decide who can be simulated?
Wait a minute, thinking back…
Sakiko became a simulation target after the Ryo simulation ended. Kita was unlocked after Tomori's simulation ended. And now, right after Kita's simulation finished, Chihaya Anon became the next target.
He's starting to see a pattern.
Each time he completes a simulation with one character, it unlocks the next one?
If that's the case, then why didn't Nijika become a permanent simulation target? He's been dying to marry his beloved Nijika-mama!
On the podium, Chihaya Anon blinked her lovely gray eyes. As soon as she entered the room, she instinctively started scanning the classroom's "ecosystem." But almost immediately, her gaze landed on Kazami Haru.
Black hair, black eyes, long hair—his facial features were sharp yet soft in that unique Asian way. Just calling him "good-looking" didn't do justice to his striking appearance.
What really drew Anon's attention was not just his looks, but the strange sense of familiarity she felt.
But why did that guy just glance at her and then immediately focus back on a cheap 50-yen notebook from the supermarket?
Was that notebook really more attractive than her—this super cute, flawless girl?
That's kind of irritating!
"Chihaya-san, please introduce yourself."
The teacher's voice snapped Anon out of her thoughts. She quickly composed herself and flashed a sunny, friendly smile while waving to her classmates.
"Hello, everyone~! My name is Chihaya Anon! I transferred here due to family reasons, but I hope we can all be friends. Please take care of me!"
Her naturally cheerful and outgoing personality, combined with her attractive looks and confident presence, immediately won over the class.
Several extroverted students quickly approached her to chat.
"Chihaya-san! Nice to meet you!"
"Yes, nice to meet you too~"
Kita Ikuyo also greeted her warmly, and Anon immediately sensed something familiar about this vibrant red-haired girl.
She's the same type as me. Looks easy to get along with!
"Currently, there's an empty seat near Takamatsu-san. Chihaya-san, please sit in front of her."
"Got it!"
Anon replied with a polite smile and made her way to her seat in front of Takamatsu Tomori.
Before she even sat down, she was already casually greeting her nearby classmates. Her social finesse was effortlessly impressive.
Her seat ended up placing her behind Tomori and to the right of Kazami Haru, forming a perfect isosceles triangle among the three.
"Um… nice to meet you?"
"Nice to meet you."
Anon had only greeted Kazami on a whim—she didn't expect him to respond so quickly.
It was like he'd been waiting for her to speak just so he could throw out a rehearsed reply!
To Kazami, it was just basic politeness. Regardless of how he felt, it was important not to leave a bad impression.
But to Anon, it meant something different. Could this really handsome guy actually be…
That kind of guy—the classic tsundere?
Heh heh~
He clearly wants to talk to me, but he's too shy to look at me directly?
That little flicker of irritation in her heart began to fade. Now that she had pegged him as this type, Anon even found his already handsome face more pleasant to look at.