Love Comes After Simulation

Yuko Ibuki’s small figure was wrapped in the interplay of light and shadow cast by the desk lamp. She sat in the chair, its modestly sized backrest completely obscuring her spine. From his vantage point, Yuuki Minami could only see the upper part of her ponytail and her elbows resting on the desk.

The girl retrieved a paperback from her small shoulder bag and started reading.

Was she truly focused on the book in her hands? Or was her mind instead churning with plans and thoughts? Yuko’s persistence gave Yuuki a tinge of melancholy, reminding him of Nao Asano—his reclusive elder sister whose determination was no less intense than the girl under the lamp.

This steadfastness moved him, yet it also planted an unsettling idea in his mind. Why should his flowerpot hold only one bloom? Perhaps he could create an entire garden and plant hundreds of flowers… No, even setting aside legalities and the opinions of the girls involved, his own body couldn’t handle it.

It was wiser to find one favorite flower to cherish.

With that, Yuuki closed his half-lidded eyes and continued looking at the simulation interface.

—

[Friday Night: You, Yohei Nakajima, and Yuko Ibuki gather in Reina Nakajima’s hospital room.]

[Yohei Nakajima sends Yuko Ibuki away, leaving you to talk with his daughter.]

[Reina, worried her father might separate the two of you, feigns weakness. She repeatedly cites the doctor’s advice, emphasizing that she can’t handle strong emotional stimulation and needs to rest.]

[Her implied message is clear: if her father opposes your relationship, it will only hurt her already frail body.]

[Yohei feels both sorrow and bitterness at his daughter’s naïve coercion. He glares at you before voicing his decision.]

[He allows the two of you to date, but only under the condition that you exercise restraint.]

[Joy washes over you both. As Reina’s anxiety dissipates, she reflects on her actions with guilt. She peels fruit and offers it to her father repeatedly, trying to atone for her perceived misdeeds.]

[Her filial gestures warm Yohei’s heart. After a while, noticing Reina frequently glancing at the clock on the wall, he tactfully excuses himself.]

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[He takes the eavesdropping Yuko Ibuki with him, leaving the room to you and Reina.]

—

The memory scene unfolds.

The night was deep. The sweltering summer had passed, giving way to autumn’s refreshing coolness. Yet regardless of the season, the temperature within the convalescent building remained unaffected.

The air conditioner hummed softly, maintaining a stable climate year-round. Outside, the view resembled a large oil painting on the wall, mechanically rotating through changes. In this hospital room, time seemed to have stopped.

At least, that had been the case.

Reina Nakajima glanced at the boy beside her. Over three months ago, he had intruded upon this stagnant timeline, pulling her into a whirlwind of summer heat and autumn breezes. He had taken her into the “oil painting” world beyond the window.

She thought of the garden, the climb up Azuki Mountain, the swing from the previous night, and that kiss that had filled her with indescribable happiness.

Her mind wandered back to the park swing, where destiny’s mischief had interrupted her words. The boy had confessed his feelings, yet she had been unable to respond.

“I like you,” she said softly, lowering her head as her fingers nervously clutched the blanket.

“So do I,” Yuuki Minami replied, lying on her bed with his head resting near her feet.

Even with the blanket as a barrier, the girl was visibly embarrassed. She bent her legs and pulled her feet back.

Yuuki found it amusing. Had she not been confined to the hospital, there would likely be a long line of people admiring her slender feet. Yet here she was, feeling self-conscious about such a trivial matter.

Propping himself up on his elbows, Yuuki shifted closer to Reina’s feet, cornering her against the bed’s headboard.

He rested his head on her feet, separated by the thin blanket, relishing the delicate texture beneath.

“Please don’t do that,” Reina said, gripping the blanket tightly as she gazed at the boy in distress.

There was a hint of disappointment in her voice. She had known, the moment her confession escaped her lips, that Yuuki would tease her. However, she had expected his teasing to come in the form of kisses.

What she longed for was the kind of kiss that would leave her breathless, enveloped in love and being loved—not this playful game with her feet that only left her flustered.

“How should I do it then?” Yuuki Minami tilted his head up. From this angle, all he could see were Reina Nakajima’s tightly pressed calves.

“You could… do something else,” Reina said, parting her legs slightly. Through the gap, her slightly flushed face peeked down at him, offering a subtle hint.

“Something else? Got it.” Yuuki got up from the bed and stood by Reina’s bedside.

The boy’s intense gaze made her feel unbearably shy. The thought that she had been the one to suggest it—that she was essentially asking him for a kiss—deepened her embarrassment.

She closed her eyes.

But what came next wasn’t what she expected. Instead, she felt the boy’s hands slide under her back and knees. A moment later, the weight beneath her disappeared—he had lifted her up.

What kind of kissing method was this?

Something felt wrong. Opening her eyes, she saw Yuuki was already carrying her out of the hospital room.

“Why are we leaving?” she asked cautiously. Even now, she clung to a sliver of hope that perhaps he was just looking for a better place to kiss her.

But Yuuki’s words shattered her illusion.

“Didn’t Reina-san say we could do something else? I thought I’d try carrying you downstairs. It’s a common scene in dramas, right?”

His gaze was earnest, as if he genuinely thought this was what she had in mind.

Reina felt a wave of frustration. What I wanted wasn’t a princess carry—it was something far more heart-pounding! In dramas, those kinds of moments are way more frequent than princess carries!

“Put me down.” She wriggled lightly in his arms and slid to the ground, running barefoot back into the hospital room.

Yuuki watched her retreating figure and wondered if he’d taken the teasing too far.

He took a few steps back toward the room when Reina came out again, this time wearing slippers.

“Let’s go,” she said, walking ahead.

Inside the elevator, she stole glances at him, carefully observing his expression to see if her little tantrum over the princess carry had annoyed him. Once she was sure he wasn’t upset, she let out a sigh of relief.

At the nurse’s station on the first floor, they borrowed a wheelchair. Yuuki helped her sit down, carefully draping a blanket over her knees and shoulders before pushing her outside.

It was autumn, and the garden’s flowers had dwindled, replaced by lush greenery.

Reina still couldn’t shake the longing that burned on her lips. The cool breeze of the autumn night cooled her skin, but it only made the heat in her chest and the fire in her lips and tongue even harder to bear.

She turned to look at the boy behind her, only to find his gaze wandering among the greenery on either side. He was marveling at the odd shapes of certain leaves or branches, sharing his observations with her.

She answered absentmindedly, but inside, she was filled with frustration. She couldn’t bring herself to directly voice her desires, so she directed her resentment toward the plants that had stolen his attention.

The garden, which she normally found so beautiful, now seemed annoyingly intrusive.

She placed her hand on the blanket covering her legs, forming a kissing gesture with her thumb, middle, and ring fingers, hoping he would notice and share her longing.

But even when they sat down in a gazebo, Yuuki showed no reaction.

When he reached into his backpack to take out some snacks, she came up with a new plan of attack.

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