[Your love interest(target) is dead!]
[Congratulations! You have unlocked an ultra-high achievement reward: "Without Conscience" (When the Life Simulator target's favorability reaches 100, but their true favorability is below 90, and the target dies).
Favorability points +6 million. Umazing!]
Ryo stared at the notification on the panel, remaining silent for a long time.
She only felt that these words were blinding.
The miracle didn't happen.
This isn't a fairy tale.
There will be no prince to wake the sleeping princess.
Toru has nothing left, except for a gravestone with his name engraved on it, surrounded by flowers each year on the anniversary of his death.
———
[Game Over!]
[Your life was full of randomness. You cruelly toyed with someone who deeply loved you, threw his heart on the ground, and trampled on it multiple times. Even at the end, when you watched him die in your arms, you didn't even shed a few tears. To ordinary people, you are a terrible person, but to the Easy Life Simulator, you are undoubtedly a genius!]
———
[Simulation Rating - S (Perfect. Hope you can continue being a bad bitch in the future.)]
[Entering settlement mode!]
[Current remaining favorability points: 10.25 million]
[Exchange List :]
[Bass Grandmaster (Bonus reward: Level +1)]
Price: 10 million
[Bass Sheet Music – "Ryo"]
Price: 0 (He truly loved you, even though you never realized it at all.)
[A personal apology letter from Toru]
Price: 0 (I don't quite understand… why does he feel the need to apologize to you?)]
———
"Simulator, isn't there a way to bring him back to life?"
Ryo first exchanged for the last two items in the shop.
She wasn't good at expressing her emotions, but that didn't mean she had no heart.
———
[This simulation has ended. There is no possibility of continuation!]
———
"Really? There's no way?"
Ryo quickly caught onto a loophole in the simulator's text.
She asked, "What about the next simulation? Will he be able to live longer next time?"
This time, she failed Toru.
In the next simulation…
———
[Everything in the simulator operates according to specific rules and cannot interfere with individual choices, but you can spend 10 million favorability points to reduce the likelihood of his death next time.]
———
[Would you like to purchase?]
———
"Yes."
Ryo didn't hesitate.
She had no intention of using the simulator to improve her bass skills.
She would not forget her original intentions.
Pursuing fame and fortune had already made her lose herself once.
Now, all she wanted was to use the simulator to make up for Toru.
———
[Target's upper limit: Toru's stress threshold has increased from 100 → 120.]
[Since no other products can be purchased, favorability points have been reset to zero.]
[Simulation has entered cooldown…]
———
"That's good."
The wound in Ryo's heart from the simulation had healed slightly.
She stored away the sheet music for "Ryo".
Then, she opened the apology letter that Toru had written to her.
Slowly, she began to read.
———
A few minutes later…
She couldn't hold it in anymore.
Ryo covered her face and cried bitterly.
———
————
A High-End Apartment in the Harbor District
Toru stretched lazily, his expression relaxed.
"The letter I left behind should've made Ryo cry miserably, right?"
This was part of his dark humor.
Even though it was just a simulation, if his waifu forgot him and gave herself to another man, that would hurt.
———
"After reading that letter, it won't be long."
"If Ryo still can't forget me after three years, that'll be considered a victory!"
"A lifetime of regret—now that's what I call a success!"
———
[Game Over!]
[Your life was ordinary yet extraordinary. You worked hard, pushed yourself to the limits, and even went mad in the pursuit of your goals. You wrapped yourself in a cocoon just to seek the possibility of becoming a butterfly. But when you emerged, your beauty was revealed to only one person. This may be the highest form of pure love.]
———
[After shedding the excess, only gold remains. The light fades, revealing your true nature. Your spiritual realm has reached a height that ordinary people cannot attain!]
———
[Simulation Rating – S+ (Extremely Perfect)]
———
[Due to your outstanding performance, you may choose three of the following six rewards ——]
1. Bass Mastery (Divine-Level) – Your music is so magical that it can bring dead trees back to life.
2. The Bass Gifted by Ryo – The first gift she ever gave you, filled with sentimental value.
3. Hitori Gotoh's Pure Love Card – After using this, no other woman besides Hitori Gotoh will appear in the next simulation.
4. Talent Upgrade Card – Increases your current talent level by one.
5. 100 million yen (Overwhelming financial power).
6. Double Physical Fitness (Muscle).
———
"I'll choose 1, 4, and 6."
Toru didn't think for long.
The rest of the options were of little use to him.
———
His advantage was that he could easily immerse himself in the simulator.
But there was also a disadvantage...
After finishing a simulation, he could quickly detach from it…
———
Basically, what I mean is—
When Toru plays the simulator, he can have as much 'pure love' as he wants.
But once he returns to reality, he can be as heartless as he pleases.
He won't take anything from the simulator seriously.
———
This is also why, last time, he chose a fox photo over a scarf.
He might never see that little fox in real life, but Hitori Gotoh…
Toru could see her every day.
———
This time, the item rewards were options 2 and 3.
The former option...he didn't want to see things that reminded him of people, blurring the lines between simulation and reality.
The last one, he didn't think it was necessary.
In the simulator, favorability resets every time.
If he really wanted to follow Hitori Gotoh's pure love route, he wouldn't need a card for that.
———
At least in the next simulation…
He was ready to switch his "waifu."
———
[Notice: Due to an unknown influence, your stress threshold has increased from 100 → 120.]
"Huh?"
"An unexpected bonus?"
"Not bad."
———
————
Gotoh Residence
———
In the dark closet of a certain room.
Hitori had also finished her simulation.
[Game Over!]
[Your life this time can be summed up as "daring to love, daring to hate." Even though you didn't take the crown this round, you firmly believe that next time, you'll surely win Kitahara Toru's love.]
[Failure is the mother of success! Young warrior, please try again!]
Th-this… isn't this exactly the kind of speech a loser would make?
Bocchi covered her head with her hands. Toward the end of the simulation, she hadn't even dared to step between Ryo and Toru.
To cut in and steal someone's love.. for a social-phobic like her, that was way too difficult!
[Evaluation for this simulation: B]
[In recognition of your solid performance, you may choose two of the following three rewards—]
[1. "Wandering Heart" Card (In your next simulation, the target will be more likely to cheat on their partner with you)]
[2. "Lucky Aura" (Grants you better fortune)]
[3. Kitahara Toru Affection +10]
Hitori thought it over for a few minutes, then chose 1 and 2.
Next simulation…
As long as she could get to Kitahara Toru first, she should be able to stop Ryo from swooping in. But just in case, she still picked the "Wandering Heart" card.
Affection points felt way too unreliable.
Even more unreliable than the "Lucky Aura."
"Phew, I'm exhausted…"
Hitori crawled out of the closet and flopped onto her futon.
Even though she hadn't really done anything, she still felt like she'd worked herself to the bone.