Chapter 61: Chapter 61: You Proposed to Yamada Ryo
(TL Notes: Used BOLD a lot less now, lemme know if its good before.)
[After learning about the agreement with your parents, Yamada Ryo, who usually doesn't care about anything but herself, had a big argument with them.]
[But Yamada's parents, who had always spoiled her, didn't change their minds this time due to their daughter's attitude.]
[You understood this clearly, as you never expected arguments to solve the problem. If you wanted to gain their approval, you had to improve yourself first.]
[Moreover, you agreed with Yamada's parents' concerns. If you didn't get into the University of Tokyo, it would indeed be difficult to care for Yamada Ryo in the future.]
[Just as she trusted you unconditionally, you didn't want your life after marriage to be difficult for her.]
[Therefore, compared to before, you worked even harder, balancing her tutoring and your own efforts.]
[You often felt fatigued, but you were thankful. If you hadn't accepted Yamada's family's help, your body would likely have suffered.]
[The proper nutrition and improved study environment allowed you to withstand the intense studying and mental pressure.]
[Time passed like a fleeting moment, and a year quickly went by.
In that year, your academic abilities increased exponentially.
Your academic score reached 10, and your study specialization reached LV5.]
"Academic score 10?"
Seeing the result, Minami, who was absorbed in the simulation, was startled.
Even in real life, after working hard, his academic score only reached 8, and his study specialization was only LV4, barely improving.
Thus, he had always thought that a score of 10 and a specialization of LV5 were things of legend.
But he never expected that in the simulation, his character could reach this level.
Academic score 10...
What kind of realm was that?
Minami once again immersed himself in the simulation.
In his mind, he saw all the efforts he put in to improve his academic score.
Reading, studying.
Those days had become the main theme of his life.
And the result was—
[As you promised Yamada's parents, after completing the national centralized examination, you achieved outstanding results that set you apart from all the other candidates and were admitted to the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Medicine.]
[Due to your exceptionally high scores, even the second place could only be seen as dust compared to you.]
[That year, the Tokyo University candidates referred to it as the 'Year of Minami', implying that, under Minami's shadow, all students' efforts were meaningless.]
[Even Yamada's parents, who ran a private hospital in Tokyo, never imagined you would shine so brightly within Tokyo.]
As expected...
Having an academic ability of 10 is truly abnormal.
Recalling the previous mock tests, Minami's results were merely enough to enter the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Medicine.
But this time was completely different, as you dominated all candidates with absolute superiority.
The gap between these two was quite significant.
Minami marveled at the abnormality of having an academic ability of 10, while continuing to read on.
[In the same month, on a cloudless day, Yamada's parents officially recognized your relationship with Ryo Yamada.]
[In front of Yamada's parents, you remained humble after fulfilling your promise, which earned their favor.]
[Yamada's parents began to seriously consider the matter of your engagement to Ryo Yamada.]
[Setting aside your success in getting into the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Medicine...]
[Ryo Yamada, who had been tutoring with you for a long time, though she didn't enter the University of Tokyo as previously expected, was accepted into the more renowned Nihon University's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music.]
[There, she could continue chasing her dream with the band she joined.]
[After the exams ended, Ryo Yamada came to visit you, considering your exam preparations.]
[That evening, the two of you reluctantly discussed university exam questions until late—]
[The next day, Ryo Yamada, who brought her luggage, officially began cohabitating with you.]
[Soon, you understood why Yamada's parents had been worried before.]
[In daily life, she was very reliant on you, somewhat clumsy, and couldn't cook; whenever she was apart from you, she would start to go hungry, resorting to eating at restaurants or ordering takeout.]
[She also often had various whimsical ideas.]
[For example, she would be practicing bass with the band in the morning and would then ask you to take her on long trips in the afternoon, but by the evening, she would find the preparations for the trip too troublesome and instead choose a nearby expensive hot spring inn to stay.]
[Her enthusiastic approach made the nights your most comfortable time of the day.]
[At the same time, you finally understood what Yamada's parents meant; without a certain economic foundation, it was indeed difficult to support this indifferent, lazy woman with blue short hair and a teardrop mole.]
[The following month, Yamada's parents took the initiative to visit you, and you decided on the engagement day to formally visit your family.]
[As time progressed, the engagement day quickly arrived; for the first time, she, who was usually fearless and indifferent to others' gazes, showed signs of nervousness in front of you.]
[Facing your fiancée's anxiety, you leaned close to her ear and gently comforted her.]
[But that was of little use; the seemingly expressionless her grasped your hand, her small palm trembling slightly.]
[After the meeting, the warmth of your parents and sister made the typically aloof her feel somewhat at a loss.]
[While preparing the meal, she rarely fidgeted and proactively stood up to help in the kitchen.]
[However, she quickly returned to your side, fingers wrapped in a band-aid, amidst exclamations and surprise.]
[Seated beside you, she seriously asked you to teach her cooking when you returned home.]
[You were left speechless but ultimately agreed to her request.
This meal was enjoyable for both of you.]
[Whether it was you or Ryo Yamada's father, both were quite adept at reading the room; under your humorous and engaging interactions, laughter soon filled the dining table.]
[Although Ryo Yamada was still somewhat unaccustomed to your parents' and two sisters' enthusiasm, she was still making an effort to respond.]
[That night, originally intending to sleep in separate rooms, she hugged a pillow and came to find you.]
[Leaning against your embrace, with little concern for the outside world, and always carrying an air of narcissism, she revealed her worries for the first time, expressing her concern about not being able to be a good wife for you.]
[The night was deep.]
[In stark contrast to the noisy Tokyo, Akita Prefecture was very quiet at night.]
[Here, one could hear the distant sound of cars. One could hear the faint sounds as crows flew across the sky.]
[Of course, one could also hear the sound of her heart beating tightly against you.]
"Can I really be a good wife for you?"
"How could you worry about something like this? It's not like you, Ryo."
Minami looked down at her only to find her golden eyes gazing back at him.
Under the starlight, it seemed something was sparkling within them.
"I am being serious with you."
The teasing of her fiancé caused her to instinctively look away, emitting a sound of mild discontent.
"I am also serious."
Minami did not remain silent for long.
In the darkness, his straightforward and unambiguous voice soon echoed.
"Even if I can't fulfill the responsibilities of a good wife, I think it's fine."
"After all, what exactly are the 'responsibilities of a wife'?"
"That's too far; we haven't even married yet, just engaged. Besides, what I like is that carefree, unfettered, unrestrained you."
That's right. Minami had never thought about using marriage to stifle her invaluable personality.
Silence.
After a long pause.
Then—
Her voice rang out in the room.
"I can't even cook."
"That's okay; I can cook; if you get tired of my cooking, you can always order takeout or eat out."
"I can't even do laundry."
"There's a tool called a washing machine now." "I only know how to play music and instruments, and I'm wasteful with money, don't know how to control myself; I don't know how long it will take to recoup the money I put in."
"I can earn money to support you."
"Are you trying to make me a useless person?"
Being a bit too indulgent, Ryo Yamada nuzzled against his shoulder and complained, lightly biting his arm.
This time, the pressure was extremely soft, like a tiny kitten nibbling on his fingers.
"Turning Ryo into a useless person also sounds pretty good."
Minami affectionately brushed aside the short hair covering her eyes and gently kissed her once.
Watching her indifferent face quickly flush, he chuckled.
"Ryo, sometimes you really are quite talkative."
Turning her body away from Minami, she faced away from him, refusing to look at him.
"I'm not talkative."
Forcing her face to face again, Minami this time didn't use a teasing tone.
"You just need to continue living as you have; don't change yourself because of other external factors."
He expressed everything he wanted to say.
"I'm marrying Ryo Yamada, not someone like my sister, a virtuous wife and mother."
"Are you implying that I'm not virtuous?"
Minami didn't respond to that; he simply pinched her soft, white face.
She pouted in a pouty manner and turned her face away again, but this time, Minami simply held her face and kissed her.
"Minami, what are you doing!"
"I think you want me to kiss you."
"Minami, you're talking nonsense, I... mmm."
Before she could finish her sentence, Minami kissed her again.
"Do you want me to kiss you?"
Minami took the rare chance to be assertive.
"No... mmm—"
The sound was drawn out.
"Is that so?"
Minami asked again.
"I... it's up to you, Ryo."
[After a few kisses, the usually carefree, indifferent, and lazy her finally melted.]
[What happened next needed no further explanation.]
[Under your comfort, Ryo Yamada finally shook off the insecurities of being engaged.]
[She returned to her normal state, but seemed even more confident and narcissistic than before.]
[She would tell others that even without effort, her fine fiancé was enough to support her lovely self for a lifetime.]
[It seemed like a boast, but clearly, she enjoyed the process.]
[Having put on the engagement ring, she still maintained her usual indifference, but sent several posts on SNS.]
[When she posted these updates, a Isosta account named @kita0421, which usually shared personal updates daily, hadn't been updated for three whole weeks.]
(TL Notes: Her Isosta account is @kita0421 in "Jumping Girl(s)".)
[It was almost a month later that she finally sent her congratulations to Ryo Yamada.]
[The vacation soon ended, and you both transitioned into the learning phase at university.]
[With the boost from an academic ability of 10, the knowledge from the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Medicine was merely an advanced topic to grasp for you, presenting no significant challenge.]
[Gold shines wherever it is, and you, too, naturally shone.
The challenges of your classmates were solved effortlessly in your hands, and the questions posed by professors in the university were hardly a hurdle for you.]
[ You steadily excelled above all your peers with outstanding grades.]
[The medical professors at the university took a liking to you, and through their introductions, you became acquainted with numerous influential connections in Tokyo.]
[Under their guidance, you finally understood that the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Medicine seemed to be a gathering place for exchanges among Tokyo's elites.]
[These connections were highly necessary, and you didn't refuse them but began to develop your own network within the faculty.]
[Among them, the number of women was quite significant, and a considerable portion of the Tokyo socialites didn't mind whether you had a fiancée, frequently sending you overt hints due to your reputation as a genius and handsome looks.]
[You typically politely declined their advances, and if they persisted, you would block and delete them.]
[However, even after being treated this way, they didn't mind at all, seeing it as part of your personality.]
[Moreover, even if you blocked their phone numbers, it was just a matter of getting a new number for them.]
[A fan club primarily composed of women had appeared for you at the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Medicine.]
[Meanwhile, on the other side, Ryo Yamada, studying at Nihon University's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, had recently received several invitations from active admirers.]
[With her ice-cold, strikingly androgynous beauty, she received high marks among some men. She completely ignored these invitations, and for those who relentlessly pursued her, she would respond with disdain and disgust.]
[These external factors had never affected the love between you two; your romance was still in the heating phase.]
[You, good at socializing, quickly established many connections with significant figures in Tokyo's medical field, who even assured you that once you graduated from medical school, they would arrange for you a well-paying position in their hospitals.]
[Faced with these invitations, you didn't agree immediately. Instead, you chose to spend your holidays interning at various hospitals.]
[You accumulated substantial clinical and internship experience about the medical field, your skills gradually matured, and your knowledge surpassed that of an average University of Tokyo student, while also building an extensive network.]
[After graduating, you declined all requests from friends, resolutely taking a position at the private hospital run by the Yamada family, much to their baffled surprise.]
[A year later, you proposed to Ryo Yamada.]