Ever since she had fallen on the snowy slope, Ryo no longer dared to look Toru in the face.
This behavior didn't subside until nighttime.
[Ryo's Favorability +3]
Toru checked the simulator's notifications and felt somewhat relieved.
It seemed that Ryo only appeared indifferent on the surface, but deep down, she still had a good impression of him. Otherwise, tonight's confession really might have failed.
Upon returning to the rented wooden hotel, Toru lit the oil lamp and turned on the heater.
"Ryo, are you really okay sleeping in the same room as me? Should I get another one?"
Toru looked at Yamada, who was sitting in a chair, turning her delicate face to the side as she gazed at the snowy sky outside the window while wearing Bluetooth headphones.
There was no response.
Well, she was once again immersed in the sea of music.
Compared to him, who had been her close friend and companion for the past two years, she loved rock more.
Like a snowflake outside, she would soon dissipate with the wind, not knowing where she would go...
You're really hard to understand, Ryo-san.
"I specially brought some camping gear so we can have hot pot later," Toru said as he took out a portable stove, a gas tank, and some pre-prepared ingredients, all carefully cleaned.
As he spoke, he began preparing dinner, but Ryo didn't respond.
She just stared out the window, listening to music.
The two of them felt worlds apart, separated by a vast void of silence where no sound could pass through.
It wasn't until the aroma of the hot pot reached Ryo's nose that she finally removed her headphones.
"Time to eat?"
"Yeah."
Sensing the anticipation on her face, Toru nodded.
Ryo-chan is so cute~
Ryo took the bowl and chopsticks he handed her and began eating with him.
Outside the window, night gradually fell, and soon the only surrounding light was the soft orange glow from the fire and the heater.
"I'm full." Ryo set down her chopsticks.
"How was it?"
"Delicious."
There was a hint of satisfaction on her face, and her usual expressionless demeanor made her look even cuter than usual.
Toru handed her some napkins.
Ryo wiped the corner of her mouth and said, "Thanks for the meal."
She hadn't expected Toru to be such a good cook.
After finishing dinner, Toru washed the dishes and put them away. Soon, the two of them began chatting.
"Ryo, you really love rock music. I wanted to talk to you earlier, but you didn't respond..."
"Sorry." Ryo apologized.
She murmured to herself, apologizing to an avatar felt kind of weird.
"It's fine. Ryo, you're really charming like this, I like it a lot."
Toru admired people who were passionate about something.
Whether they were men or women, that focus and dedication made them beautiful.
Ryo didn't say much.
Was she attractive? Certainly.
Would Toru like her? That was inevitable.
In a world where favorability levels were visible, romance was just a series of codes and data.
A confession with an affection score of 80 or higher was guaranteed to succeed, like a mathematical theorem.
"Do you like me?"
"...Yeah. Ever since we met two years ago, I've always liked you."
"Oh."
Ryo looked into his eyes.
His feelings seemed so real, as if he had actually spent two years with her...
But Ryo had only known him for a few hours.
Even counting all the unexpected events in the simulator, their total time together barely added up to a few days.
Did she like him?
She couldn't say it was love.
"Then... do you want to date?"
In the cozy little cabin, the girl took the initiative to confess.
It was a confession with no emotion, yet Toru felt so happy.
He knew Ryo simply wasn't good at expressing her feelings.
But that didn't mean she didn't like him.
"C-clear."
"That's good."
Ryo thought for a few seconds, then smiled and said,
"I like you too, Toru-kun."
It was an obvious lie, but Toru didn't notice.
Men become fools when they're in love.
———
Tokyo
A luxury apartment
Toru exited the simulator and looked at Ryo's relationship status in the bonds menu.
He was in a great mood.
This time, Ryo-chan seemed much colder than before when they were alone.
But Toru didn't think too much about it, he simply assumed Ryo was just shy.
"Eh, this isn't good. It's too easy to fall for her."
He patted his cheek.
Compared to Ryo and Hitori Gotoh, Toru preferred using fully immersive mode, often substituting his virtual self for the experience.
The advantage was that he felt more motivated and learned faster.
But the disadvantage?
It was dangerously easy to get trapped in the virtual world.
These beautiful girls only existed inside the simulator, they had nothing to do with reality.
He couldn't afford to get sentimental.
"Keep moving forward and see if you can break the limit."
Toru continued planning.
[Current Weekly Plan:] Ultimate bass practice.Ultimate bass training.Ultimate bass training.Ultimate bass training.Ultimate bass training.Travel. Date with girlfriend.
Since LV.5 was the limit for an ordinary person, there was no longer a set experience value.
From now on, progress depended entirely on the player.
———
After a week
[Bass skill at LV.5 has no more room for improvement. Players may train other skills.]
Toru sighed.
"As a bassist… what should I do to improve?"
Toru recalled advice from famous musicians about their careers.
Smoking? Drinking? Partying with women?
At its core, it was about freedom like living without restrictions.
"Should I try it?"
He adjusted his plan.
[New Weekly Plan:]Ultimate bass practice.Bar.Ultimate bass training.Bar.Ultimate bass training.Sleep.Date with girlfriend.
After a month…
[LV.5 Bass still has no room for improvement. Players may train other skills.]
Toru expanded his training plan to a full month.
Half an hour later, he exited simulation mode and rubbed his temples.
No.
It wasn't working at all.
With nothing else to do, Toru clicked on Ryo's bonds page, ready to chat and relax.
An unexpected opportunity appeared just like that...
[One day on a date, you told Ryo that you felt your bass playing wasn't improving.]
[Hearing this, Ryo didn't say much. She only offered a few words of comfort. With her extraordinary talent for bass, she had already reached a professional level. The gap between you and her was steadily widening. You thought to yourself that perhaps level 5 was the limit for ordinary people, and also your limit.]
[Noticing this gap, you felt unwilling. Deeply unwilling! You wanted to keep up with the one you admired. You wanted to stand by her side.]
[Hint: Congratulations, player. You have obtained: Bass Playing: Extreme Pressure Training Method.]
[Note: This method can raise your skill ceiling to Master level! The side effects are severe. In this simulation, your lifespan will be reduced to 35 years. Please take caution.]
"…" Toru lay back on the sofa, eyes closed, deep in thought.
He was not a perfect person, nowhere near capable of mastering every instrument with ease.
"Should I use it?"
Toru didn't think for long. The answer was yes.
Since it was the simulator, he had to push himself to the very limit of skill, to raise the final evaluation. Even if it cost him years of life, he would not regret it.
As for Ryo, he could only offer her an apology. He might not be able to stay with her until the very end.
If another chance came, he would make it up to her in the next simulation.