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Ring, ring-a-ling—the service bell chimed softly.
"Waiter, I'd like to order!"
A voice as clear as a wind chime rang out beside him.
Kiyono looked up, as if sensing something, and saw a splash of bright blue.
It was a girl with blue hair like a summer sky.
[You have encountered a special girl.]
[Her name is Yanami Anna—]
...
At this moment, their gazes met.
From the young man's perspective, her features were quite perfect. Her eyes were a rare azure blue, like sapphires under the sun—clear and bright. A hint of baby fat on her face did not detract from her overall beauty; it added a touch of girlish cuteness.
She stood there waving, her smile radiant, and with the school uniform she wore, she exuded the strong youthful aura of a high-schooler and the girl next door.
Undoubtedly, this was a beautiful girl who would amaze anyone who saw her.
But Kiyono's focus was entirely on another aspect.
Blue hair, lively, big appetite—these tags, when put together, formed a familiar name.
"Yanami…" Kiyono murmured, feeling a bit strange.
Yanami Anna, sixteen years old, the heroine in a certain romance work—cheerful and outgoing, with high emotional intelligence—who single-handedly reversed the internet keyword "Old Eight." But her positioning as a heroine was…
A losing dog.
The kind who sits at the same table as Sawamura Eriri.
In short, Ba Nai Jian is the classic childhood-friend character in most romantic comedies, used to set off the talented, beautiful, and busty "fated encounter" type.
And after learning the true identity of the girl in front of him, Kiyono also gasped, finally understanding the system's sinister intentions.
He was now certain that the simulated heroine this time was Ba Nai Jian.
And also someone else's childhood friend.
And a childhood friend who was hopelessly in love with someone else.
Wasn't this just hinting for him to quickly become a cuckold?
"But I choose to refuse."
Kiyono was expressionless.
Even if this was just a simulation, even if following the system's instructions would yield tempting rewards… Kiyono had his own principles and his own desired way of living; he would absolutely never commit such a despicable act of satisfying himself by destroying others' happiness.
Perhaps he, who had once made mistakes with NTR doujinshi, could no longer be called a pure-love warrior, but if he were to face this evil system, he would once again don his armor, raise his banner with passion and hope, and fight against the NTR rebels!
Besides, he was struggling to even make a living. How could he have the mind to interact with beautiful girls? Even if he did, what then? Would he expect her to support him?
Heart-stirring things like school, youth, romance, and dreams, as seen in novels and comics, had nothing to do with him; all he wanted now was to survive in this city.
Therefore, the most important thing now was to quickly earn money, grind skill proficiency, and improve himself!
This was the correct way to open the simulation!
As for the losing-dog lady in front of him, he wished her happiness.
Thinking this, Kiyono's various emotions from seeing the 2D heroine dissipated considerably, his expression becoming even more indifferent. Then he skillfully entered the role of a waiter, walked to Ba Nai Jian's table, and opened the menu…
Yanami Anna recently felt like she had become a legendary heroine.
The reason she felt this way was—
[Welcome to the Wonderful Life Simulator.]
While eating dinner, Ba Nai Jian suddenly heard this unfamiliar voice in her mind, causing her eyes to widen and almost making her spit out the fish she had just put in her mouth. However, in the end, she couldn't bear to waste the meat; after carefully chewing it and gently licking her cherry lips, she finally had time to ponder what this was.
"Did I suddenly awaken superpowers?"
She usually read light novels and manga, so she easily thought of this. However, facing a temptation that most high school students couldn't resist, the girl patiently finished her meal, and after eating some snacks and a piece of gummy candy, she finally sat on her small bed and began to seriously study this so-called simulator.
[During the simulation, you will encounter the male protagonist. Your lives will intertwine, and you will walk toward the future together. There will be sweetness, bitterness, and dreams…]
"Ma-ma-ma—male protagonist!?"
Even though she was alone, when talking about such a private matter, the girl still stammered and shouted like a manga heroine, her cheeks blazing red.
Like most young girls, she already had someone she secretly admired.
That person was her childhood friend, Hakamada Sosuke!
Childhood friend… what a beautiful word that makes one smile just by saying it. A childhood friend is someone who runs to the door after school, waiting for someone to walk home with. A childhood friend is an unspoken understanding where you know the other's worries without words. A childhood friend is…
"So! This male protagonist must be my childhood friend!"
After all, she was the protagonist, so the simulation must be about the person she liked!
Thinking this, Yanami wished she could immediately press the simulation start button to begin their sweet interaction. However, she still retained some rationality and curiously asked:
"What are the specific rules of the simulation?"
[For example… you can immerse your consciousness into the simulated world, enjoying delicious food without worrying about gaining weight in reality.]
"I want to play!"
She shouted it out without hesitation.
Yanami's eyes sparkled with starlight, and she stood up immediately.
She had fantasized about such things countless times, and now that her dream was within reach, she had to consider if this might be her only chance in this life!
The next moment, she heard the sound of the simulation beginning.
[On your first day in this world, you ponder what you should do.]
[Soon, you think of your secretly admired childhood friend. You want to live a happy life as a couple with him. You are full of confidence, ready to confess to him and start dating.]
[You ponder for a moment longer. You give up.]
Evening.
After the school bell rang three times, the evening breeze swept across the campus.
The sea of trees swayed in the wind; birds took flight from the treetops, riding the wind back to their nests. The lingering sunlight coated the school building with a thin layer of gold, and the gentle light of the setting sun stretched the students' shadows long.
This scene evoked thoughts of youth.
However, Yanami, sitting in the classroom, paid no attention to the scenery. She propped her chin on her hands, her expression serious.
She had originally planned a blitzkrieg, intending to conquer her childhood friend directly with her charm. She had always firmly believed that her advantages were significant—besides, this was just a simulation anyway, and isn't a simulation for doing things you wouldn't dare to do in real life?
But after immersing her consciousness, she got cold feet, and three minutes later she decisively chose to give up.
Because it all felt too real! Scary!
"There will be many more opportunities in the future, no need to rush. Dating is just a natural progression, and besides, maybe he'll even confess to me first!"
For now, let's eat!
[You don't have the courage to confess, but you do have the courage to eat together. You invited your childhood friend to dinner, but he refused because he's been busy with club activities recently. You didn't think much of it; you left school and walked the streets alone, looking for delicious food.]
She walked into a ramen shop.
She walked into a dessert shop.
Yanami had completely broken the shackles of her suppressed nature, transforming directly from a modern, cute high school girl into a gluttonous high priestess!
The blue-haired girl walked along the night street, holding a skewer of takoyaki in one hand and cupping her fair, delicate cheek with the other, her face full of happiness, with joyful pink little flowers constantly blooming above her head.
Simulator, I adore you!
Amidst her emotion, Yanami suddenly paused, put down the takoyaki in her hand, and shifted her gaze to a corner of the roadside—there, a young man sat with a bowl in front of him, appearing to have nowhere to go.
She blinked, originally wanting to give him some money, but she looked down and felt her wallet, realizing that today's allowance had already been spent.
So she could only leave helplessly.
[On the second day, you ate sushi. The sushi was bought from a very ordinary food truck—inexpensive—but you ate it happily.]
[On the third day, you ate oden, picking only vegetarian items.]
[But that night, as you were lying in bed about to fall asleep, you suddenly woke up with a start. You touched your little tummy, then clenched your small fists, your expression resolute: "Yanami, oh Yanami, how can you be so decadent! You absolutely cannot eat like this again tomorrow!"]
The next day, the blue-haired girl walked into a long-desired family restaurant with a serious expression.
"This is really the last time!"
Comforting herself thus, she came to her seat with a more relaxed mood and began to call the waiter.
Family restaurants primarily offer a rich variety of dishes—from Western-style fries and burgers to pan-fried dumplings and tonkatsu rice bowls, from Italian ice cream to Japanese desserts, and even some rather unusual flavors like matcha, hojicha salt, and soy sauce.
And this buffet-like variety of choices was clearly Yanami's paradise.
While happily pondering, she suddenly felt someone standing in front of her.
Yanami subconsciously looked up and saw a young waiter in a white shirt and black bow tie smiling at her.
"What would you like to eat?"
The young man opened the menu on the table and took out his own small notebook and pen.
Girls deeply in love rarely cast their gaze upon other members of the opposite sex, and Yanami was no exception. However, at this moment, she clearly remembered this person's appearance—perhaps because of his refreshing smile, perhaps because of his crystal-clear eyes, or perhaps the inexplicable pure aura about him…
"This passerby is quite unique," Yanami mumbled softly. She had almost thought she was in a discreetly elegant Western restaurant, where even the in-store music automatically switched from pop songs to Mozart's piano pieces, and her mood inexplicably grew nervous.
She suppressed the slight oddness in her heart and enthusiastically placed her order, only stopping when the waiter's eye twitched almost imperceptibly.
"Please wait a moment," the waiter said, maintaining his smile.
"Such good service," Yanami sighed, watching the young man's retreating back.
A delicious meal was quickly served.
After enjoying her meal, the blue-haired girl picked up the receipt from the table with her finger and skipped, like a fawn in the forest, to the front counter.
Under the gentle gaze of the cashier, she pulled out her wallet.
But the next moment, the girl's expression inexplicably froze.
She opened her wallet.
She let out a surprised "Eh?"
She flipped through it back and forth.
Finally, her expression turned to 0v0.
"This development… no, it can't be. I clearly remember bringing money today…"
Under the cashier's gentle gaze, the blue-haired girl started to sweat a little. What should she do now? Call her parents or Sosuke for help?
How embarrassing! No matter what she chose, it would be so awkward!
Yanami covered her head, letting out a silent scream in her heart.
The girl's unusually stiff behavior also attracted the attention of others. The cashier's gaze changed from gentle to strange, and customers nearby also cast their eyes over—some even saw the girl's exquisite features and eagerly wanted to approach and strike up a conversation… after all, this was a rare opportunity.
On the other side, Kiyono, who also noticed this scene, paused slightly… If he remembered correctly, this seemed to be the beginning of a certain sweet-and-sour campus story?
Only…
Where was the male protagonist?
Kiyono looked left and right, but he didn't see Yanami's beloved childhood friend or her classmates… which meant that there was no one to be a scapegoat—no one to pay for her right now!
Not only was there no one to help her, but there were quite a few ill-intentioned people trying to flirt.
So, what now?
Just ignore it!
Anyway, he wasn't the one who was embarrassed!