Ryo did not expect it.
Just going out for a cup of coffee, and she ran into a surprise.
And the kind that could scare someone to death without compensation.
There were more simulator players than just herself and Toru. Wasn't that terrifying?
No.
She should keep listening to their conversation.
Scout out the enemy situation.
"We're not lovers at all. We haven't even met in real life. If I suddenly went to ask him something that strange, he'd definitely hate me."
Kirie did not want to be disliked by him.
She really liked Toru.
"Then are you just going to keep waiting like a sitting duck?"
Renka sucked on her straw like a little rabbit and took a sip of her drink.
"No."
"Then go catch him at places he often shows up?"
After thinking for a few seconds, Kagarino Kirie gently shook her head.
"…I don't dare."
"Then what are you going to do?"
For the first time, Renka felt that her best friend was really troublesome.
If they were not childhood friends who had known each other since they were little, Renka truly might not be able to put up with Kirie's tsundere personality.
"I plan to wait a few more months first. If that still doesn't work, I'll go look for him at that live house in Shimokitazawa." Kagarino Kirie said softly.
It felt like by then, it would turn into a bloody battlefield of a love war.
Of course, that had nothing to do with Renka.
She was not interested in Toru.
————
After Ryo paid the bill.
She hurried out of the café.
That silver-haired girl should be 'Kagarino Kirie'…
Her name had been mentioned in the simulator.
But throughout that entire simulation, Sim Ryo never saw her face clearly, as if it had been deliberately hidden by some mysterious force.
The enemy was in the open, she was in the shadows.
And the other party was a classic case of being stubborn in words but honest at heart.
Honestly speaking, the threat level was not high.
At present, in Ryo's mind, the threat levels of love rivals were as follows:
Ijichi Nijika, three stars. She could win as long as she confessed, but the probability of confessing was infinitely close to zero.
Kita Ikuyo, one star. A born NTR queen, extremely low threat level at the current stage, but something to watch out for after marriage in case of being secretly stolen.
Ijichi Seika, two stars. The only big sister type.
Gotoh Hitori, four stars. For some reason, she always received Toru's affection.
Kagarino Kirie [new], three stars. White hair and red eyes, perfectly fitting Toru's preferences. Unfortunately, she was a tsundere. A sudden-appearance tsundere. The probability of becoming a losing heroine greatly increased.
Before she knew it, the number of love rivals was growing.
Ryo gathered her thoughts and began looking for the nearest opportunity to ask Toru out.
Early February, in weather this cold, where would be a good place to go?
She could not think of anything for the moment.
Or should she just push him down directly?
————
After school in the afternoon.
Inside STARRY's practice room.
"Everyone, I want to invite Toru-kun to be our manager…"
Ijichi Nijika looked around.
"Ah… I think it's p-pretty good!" Bocchi-chan answered in a startled way, no one knew what she was thinking inside.
"If Hitori-chan agrees, then I'm on board too." Kita Ikuyo said with a bright smile.
This kind of decision had been verified through the simulation and was completely feasible.
Seeing that neither of the two objected, Ijichi Nijika looked toward the last person.
"Ryo, what do you think?"
Among everyone present.
Ryo was actually the most likely girl to refuse.
Because right now, her odds of winning were infinitely high.
There was no need to take a harem route at all. She could go full pure love alone and just keep winning.
But yesterday, a love rival that Ryo did not know appeared, and it was even a love rival with a simulator.
The plan needed to be temporarily changed.
Stabilize first.
At present, the worst outcome was the harem route. If handled properly, it could still be shifted into the pure love route.
If she won, it would be a huge gain. If she lost, it would not be a loss.
After finishing her thoughts.
Ryo nodded.
"Okay."
"Then I'll message Toru-kun?" Nijika opened the LINE screen, typed the message, and sent it.
A few minutes later.
The other side was typing…
Beep beep.
Toru: Manager? Sure. I'm usually free.
"He didn't refuse."
Little angel Nijika was actually a bit scared.
She was afraid that since Toru had already been a manager once in the simulation, coming back to reality might make him feel annoyed.
Not being refused was really great.
————
On the other side.
FOLT in Shinjuku.
Toru closed LINE and put his phone down.
He really was too soft-hearted.
After only getting close to five girls, deciding on a future partner already, was that a bit too early?
There were so many high-quality women in the world.
Why hang himself on five trees? Wait, five trees, hanging oneself sounded a bit difficult… being torn apart by five horses?
Anyway, the simulator was just a simulation. The girls of Kessoku Band did not know about it.
That sentence sounded a bit scummy.
But what Toru said was completely true. He had never confused the simulator with reality. Being able to open a harem in the simulation did not mean the girls in reality would also accept it.
Secondly.
If the actions from the simulation were replicated in reality, Toru's peaceful daily life would be broken. He would need to show his face and gain a large amount of fame, something he had always resisted.
To describe it in a more abstract way, it was two words.
Freedom.
With great power comes great responsibility?
Sorry, Toru did not have that kind of savior mentality.
He could save people and benefit all of humanity.
But you could not force him to do it.
The reason Toru climbed step by step to the peak of power and fame in the previous simulation was, firstly, to open a harem.
Secondly, it was to test his own limits.
Hesitating and standing still was not an option.
Just as Toru was lost in thought, Ohtsuki Yoyoko came out of the practice room and immediately noticed his worried expression.
Oh my, what's going on?
Could it be that he was dumped by a girl he liked?
Pfft, how pitiful.
Yoyoko smirked and walked over to Toru, waving her hand in front of his face.
"Bro, did you get dumped, or was your confession rejected?"
"No, I was just thinking… whether liking the new and hating the old is not very good."
Toru gave an example. "When we make a new friend we really get along with, we always want to learn more about them, right?"
"I know I don't have many friends, you don't need to remind me…"
Ohtsuki Yoyoko felt a little hurt.
Honestly, her only same-age friend now, aside from her bandmates, was Toru.
"Don't apply it to yourself. Let me change the example, though it's not very appropriate…"
Toru thought for a moment and said, "Yoyoko, would you get tired of old clothes just because you've worn them many times, and start to dislike them?"
"Yes. Every year after I buy new clothes, I throw the old ones away or send them to a secondhand shop."
That was perfectly normal.
There was nothing wrong with it.
"That's pretty much how I feel right now. I hate this version of myself."
"Wait, the 'clothes' you're talking about… you really mean clothes?"
Yoyoko's expression turned subtle.
It kind of felt like…
"Women."
Toru answered immediately.
"You treat women like clothes?"
Ohtsuki Yoyoko covered her chest, her face full of shock, backing away several steps. "You're completely a scumbag."
"Don't worry, I won't harm you."
"Heh, who knows?"
Yoyoko turned her head away and said tsundere-style, "I'll say this first, I don't like you."
"Yes, yes… Yoyoko-san is adored by everyone. I'm not worthy."
"Th-that's not as good as you make it sound."
This woman was really easy to deal with.
It felt like he could trick her into bed eight times in one day.
————