Love Comes After Simulation

[Summary]

[Score: 95]

[Experience Stages: Pursuit, Passion, Warmth]

[Commentary: You saved her life, she became the meaning of your existence, and you both lived a life with no regrets.]

[Settlement: You have gained some memory fragments.]

So, it’s over.

Minami Yuuki closed the simulation interface and looked toward the window by his bed.

The glass was wiped clean, reflecting a clear blue sky. The sun hid behind the clouds, softening the sunlight enough to be looked at directly. Before long, the clouds drifted away, and the glaring sunlight shone through the window, making Minami Yuuki squint.

After the simulation ended, countless thoughts surfaced in his mind, and he sorted through them one by one.

This time, the simulation’s ending didn’t mention the deaths of Yūko, Nao, and Kazumi—likely because he and Reina had left early, meaning the other three were still alive.

There was a lot of text referencing Ichinose Shiori in the simulation. With the advantage of his future knowledge, this classmate of his successfully became the Prime Minister. Even after stepping down, she made a strong comeback.

That made him a little envious. In Yūko’s simulated life, he had also taken the political path, but the highest position he achieved was a Cabinet Minister.

One thing stood out—Ichinose Shiori, even until the very end, never questioned his identity as someone from the future. This simulation had proven that she was both trustworthy and reliable.

Finally, his thoughts settled on two people: Nakajima Reina and Asagiri Mayu.

Reina was different from Nao and Yūko. She had no psychological issues, no conflicts with her daughter, and their child did not become an obstacle in their relationship. Because of this, their daughter, Mana, had little presence in the simulation.

Fortunately, there was still Mayu to make up for it.

Once he gets his next batch of simulation attempts, he’ll use the Free Simulation feature to check in on Princess Reina, who knows how to use items, enjoys role-playing, and has a sensitive tongue. And, of course, Asagiri Mayu, the obedient and considerate girl who had helped him twice in his simulated lives.

Now, the question is—who should he get the paper cranes from?

If he waits for Airi’s cranes to be sent over, it’ll take two to three days. Asking Nao for a batch would be faster.

Besides, he still needs to keep an eye on Nakajima Reina’s illness.

First, he should extract the surgical technique he gained in this simulation.

[Would you like to use the Skill Extraction Opportunity?]

Yes!

Minami Yuuki operated the interface with practiced ease. Soon, memories and physical experience surged into his body from the void.

He rubbed his temples, recalling the new surgical procedure he had developed through countless trials.

Two lifetimes as a doctor, two lifetimes of surgical experience—Minami Yuuki had become an undisputed authority in the field of cardiology. He was in awe of the surgery’s precision. If medicine had progressed along a conventional path, there was no way such a perfect procedure could have been developed. 𝙧à𐌽ồ฿Êʂ

Only in a worldline where he had intervened—where his lifetime of research on old surgical methods merged with Mayu’s lifetime of biotechnological advancements—could such a surgery be created.

The procedure was both complex and simple. Complex in technique, yet simple in its equipment requirements.

With today’s most advanced medical devices, it was entirely possible to replicate this surgery.

Minami Yuuki felt reassured. Nakajima Reina’s heart surgery was scheduled for two years later. That was enough time for him to find a way to covertly operate on her.

If she received a Simulation Movie and cooperated with him, things would be even easier—all he’d have to do was transfer her to a hospital he had prepared in advance.

But…

Minami Yuuki stared at the junction of the window and the wall, where the sunlight didn’t reach. A shadowed, uncertain space.

Should he really give Reina a Dream Simulation Movie?

Nao and Yūko had received theirs because he hadn’t yet understood the mechanics of the simulator at the time—he had accepted the rewards in a daze. Now, he knew that the simulator would also distribute Dream Simulation Movies to the girls involved.

He wasn’t necessarily going to choose Nakajima Reina in the future. Would giving her a Simulation Movie really be a good thing?

He opened the rewards screen.

[You have completed a fulfilling life (Score ≥ 90)]

[You have received: (Skill Point ×1)]

[You have received: A Mysterious Reward]

[Would you like to claim the Mysterious Reward?]

[Please note: The Mysterious Reward will activate in your dreams.]

As long as he didn’t claim the mysterious reward, Nakajima Reina wouldn’t receive the Dream Simulation Movie. The choice was his to make.

But he was undecided. If he didn’t claim the reward, he wouldn’t get the Dream Simulation Movie either.

Receiving the medical expertise had already left his head aching, and the decision about the Dream Simulation Movie made it hurt even more.

He lay down on the bed and pulled the blanket over himself.

I’ll think about it after I wake up!

He closed his eyes, and the world sank into darkness, like a curtain falling or a light being switched off. But he couldn’t pull the curtain down in his mind. He couldn’t shut off his brain. No matter how hard he tried, he kept thinking about the Dream Simulation Movie.

Maybe… maybe he shouldn’t give it to Nakajima Reina.

Nao and Yūko were already enough of a headache. If not for Mayu’s photo today, he would have ended up in a shuraba—a full-blown lovers’ conflict. If he added Reina into the mix, things would only escalate further.

Wait… could Reina even come to his house?

For now, he definitely wouldn’t be performing surgery on her. Reality only gave him one chance, and he planned to test it in multiple simulations first, confirming its feasibility and safety before attempting it in real life.

That meant, even if Reina got the Dream Simulation Movie, she wouldn’t be able to show up at his doorstep like Nao and Yūko did.

Following this train of thought, it felt like standing at a crossroads, gazing down a path he wasn’t planning to take. Deep down, he already knew—the real issue wasn’t whether Reina could come to him. It was what she would feel in her heart.

Then, suddenly, a flash of insight struck him—like an arrow from beyond the city walls, carrying a message tied to its fletching. He caught the arrow, untied the letter, and read the heavens’ instructions.

Ask Nakajima Reina in Free Simulation.

Yes. That was the perfect solution.

Who would understand Nakajima Reina better than Nakajima Reina from the future? If he turned his real-life dilemma into a hypothetical scenario and asked her in the simulation, he’d get the right answer.

His mind settled. The lights in his head flickered off, and he drifted into sleep.

—

Outside the window, the sun slowly shifted. The golden hues of sunset spread across the sky, casting a warm, overly nostalgic glow—one that easily made people melancholic.

The three women who held Minami Yuuki in their hearts each carried their own worries.

Chitose Kazumi worried about her chances of winning his love against two formidable rivals.

Asano Nao worried about his preferences, wondering if her body fit within his “strike zone.”

Only Ibuki Yūko’s concerns were entirely different.

—

In an apartment, Honoka had gone out drinking.

Ibuki Yūko sat at her mother’s desk, using her mother’s laptop to search for information.

She had spent the entire afternoon looking up Lilian Girls’ Academy. The girls in the photos were adorable, always appearing in school events or media interviews. If a photographer noticed them, they would inevitably become part of the shot.

So there had to be some trace of her online.

But she found nothing.

Expanding her search, she browsed through forums where people discussed female students who had appeared in news articles. Soon enough, she found a picture.

Now, that very picture was displayed on her laptop screen.

It was a group photo—middle school students in gym uniforms, all flashing bright smiles at the camera.

In the corner of the image stood a short-haired girl with strikingly familiar features.

She bore a nine-tenths resemblance to the girl in the photo Yūko had seen that morning at Minami Yuuki’s house.

“Ojihana Academy, Middle School Division, 3rd Year, Class B.”

“Her name is Asagiri Mizuki.”

“This photo was taken last year. So she’s in high school now?”

“She’s the same age as Yuuki? But why does she look so much younger in the picture? Have they known each other for that long?”

Ibuki Yūko curled her slender legs onto the chair, hugging them to her chest. Staring at the screen, she muttered to herself.