After delivering the bass.
Ijichi Seika stayed at FOLT long enough to listen to a few pieces played by Toru.
Her thoughts were as follows:
Each era brings forth its own talents, each shining for centuries.
With this level of guitar skill, it was no exaggeration to say Toru had a brilliant future ahead.
"Manager Seika, how does it sound?"
"For someone your age, quite good."
Seika maintained her usual tsun tsun behavior.
If she could avoid giving a direct compliment, she absolutely would.
"Thank you."
Toru responded humbly.
He had long passed the age of flaunting his sharp edges.
Simple fame and praise no longer attracted him, and others' compliments didn't make him particularly happy.
His joy did not show on his face, his likes and dislikes were hidden in his heart.
Sorrow did not spill outward, and life or death no longer depended on fate.
Such was Toru's mindset after countless simulations.
"Well, y you're still pretty amazing."
Seeing his calm reaction and worrying he might be hurt, Seika awkwardly added a bit more praise.
"Thank you."
Toru put the guitar away.
Tonight's live show required a rehearsal once Hiroi Kikuri woke up.
For now, he had nothing to do.
…
Seika didn't stay long and left soon after.
STARRY still needed her to keep things running.
————
The next morning.
Breakfast time.
Seika sat at the table drinking apple juice.
In the Ijichi household, meals were always handled by the little angel Nijika.
Seika's cooking wasn't terrible, but definitely not delicious.
Over time.
She had become used to it.
So eating Nijika's food no longer caused any guilt.
They were family after all.
Halfway through her juice...
[You have loaded the Hikaru Genji Simulator...]
[This simulation is dedicated to helping the player find the perfect partner. Would you like to bind?]
What?
Seika stared at the strange game interface suddenly floating before her. Her lips left the straw, and the straw drooped with it.
She'd lived nearly thirty years.
Never had she seen something so bizarre.
"Nijika, did you hear anything?"
"Nope."
Alright, so she was the only one being haunted.
Seika took a closer look at the so called Hikaru Genji Simulator.
Hikaru Genji?
If she remembered correctly, wasn't that the protagonist of a novel?
Written by Murasaki Shikibu. The title was The Tale of Genji.
Setting aside the story itself.
That tale had given rise to a particular term.
The Hikaru Genji Plan.
It referred to a man raising a little girl into his ideal partner.
[Would you like to bind?]
No.
Weird.
Seika wasn't a high schooler. She had been in the workforce for years.
Encountering something supernatural like this, her mature reasoning would not allow a reckless response.
She needed to stay calm.
[Note: The first playthrough will offer a free timeline rewind.]
What did that mean?
Explain.
[Simply put, you may return ten years into the past within the game and gain a chance to fix regrets.]
Seika glanced toward the kitchen where her sister was busy.
She had to admit.
Her heart wavered a little.
This simulator grasped her weakness perfectly.
It had been so many years that Seika was beginning to forget their mother's voice. She truly didn't want to let go of that chance.
Fine. Bind.
[Binding successful.]
But how was this Hikaru Genji Simulator even played?
[Bind a target, raise them into the perfect partner. After the game ends, rewards will be given based on evaluation.]
Raise a partner?
Seika had never dated in her entire life.
And now this simulator suddenly wanted her to play some sort of raising sim?
[Begin first simulation?]
Forget it.
Just start.
Overthinking was meaningless.
Only practice reveals the truth.
[Please choose a raising target:]
[1. Gotoh Hitori]
[2. Yamada Ryo]
[3. Hiroi Kikuri]
[4. Toru]
What?
Why were there girls? Seika had assumed they would all be men.
Since it said future partner...
Well, it looked like this simulator was ahead of its time and didn't mind yuri.
So how should she choose?
Seika was troubled.
First, Gotoh Hitori.
She definitely liked little Bocchi.
But raising someone with such severe social anxiety seemed exhausting.
Second, Yamada Ryo.
Sorry, that one was probably even more troublesome than Bocchi.
Third, Hiroi Kikuri.
Her fist hardened.
After thinking it over.
Seika felt Toru might be the best option.
Because he had a good personality and was nearly perfect already. Even without her guidance, he could become a fine man.
He fully matched the simulator's objectives.
Alright, Toru, I choose you!
————
Meanwhile.
Toru opened his own simulator, preparing for the seventh run.
He opened the inventory.
And used the Perfect Ending Card earned last time.
[You have launched the Life Simulator.]
[Perfect Ending activated.]
[Your job in this simulation is fixed as Ordinary Person. (Ordinary means blending into the vast crowd and becoming a speck among humanity.)]
He also had a Talent Upgrade Card.
After using it, he checked his talent.
[Talent: Return to Innocence]
After transcending the extraordinary, the next step was returning to simplicity?
Fine.
[You have activated Speedrun Mode.]
[Mode: Speedrun. Your learning speed increases threefold and your comprehension fivefold. However, at the start you will randomly receive a potentially worsening but nonfatal illness. Note: This illness cannot be cured by your own ability. NPCs in the simulation are unrestricted.]
[Remaining trial attempts: 3 (one added for every X rank or higher, shared with Extreme Mode)]
Not bad.
The bonus wasn't huge, but free buffs were better than none.
Last time, asthma couldn't take his life even after more than a hundred years.
Pathetically weak.
[You have gained the buff: Time Unfairly Continues (Learning x3, Comprehension x5)]
The usual stuff, nothing new.
The next debuff caught his attention.
[You have received the debuff: Amnesia. In this simulation, you will lose part of your memory due to an accident. Note: Only affects full immersive mode, not reality.]
"...?"
Toru really wanted to ask the simulator.
Your mother.
How was amnesia considered a potentially worsening, nonfatal illness? What kind of joke was that?
But after a moment of thought—
Fair enough, amnesia really didn't kill people.
So whatever.
[At age five, shortly after your transmigration, while wandering the streets, you determined your lifelong goal of becoming ordinary.]
A normal opening...
Wait.
Five years old?
This run skipped middle school and high school entirely and went back to early childhood?
Simulator, you really know how to surprise me every time.