My Simulation… Why Is It Turning into a Real Romance?!-Chapter 91 - 29: I Just Wanted to See That Face

The warm, golden lighting of the ramen shop gave Raana's silver-white hair a soft, almost fluffy glow. Her mismatched cat-like eyes twinkled slightly, and that cottony-soft voice felt like a paw gently scratching at his chest.

"..."

Haru's hands froze. He looked up, expression a little off, at the stray cat across from him.

No doubt, those words hit him harder than he expected.

He had... a bit of a weakness for cute, petite girls and Raana, with her innocent and straightforward nature, so unlike a certain blue-haired storm of chaos, had managed to land a critical hit with just one sentence.

He was genuinely touched. He even kind of wanted to laugh.

But if he let that show on his face just because a little stray cat said "I like you," that would be way too embarrassing.

So Haru quickly summoned up memories of dumb jokes to calm himself down.

"Haru, are you... not happy?"

Raana blinked, noticing his neutral expression hadn't changed.

She tilted her head, confused, her large eyes fixed on him.

She'd said something that bold, and he was just... feeding her like nothing happened.

"Do you think just saying 'I like you' would make me happy?"

"Yep."

Hearing her dead-serious answer, Haru took a deep breath.

There was no way that line came from Raana herself. This little stray cat couldn't even remember her way home, she definitely didn't understand the full meaning behind the word like.

There had to be a culprit behind this.

"Who taught you that?"

"...Ryo."

Knew it.

Haru let out a sigh and gently wiped the broth from her lips like a patient parent, speaking with the tone of someone scolding their child:

"Don't believe everything Ryo says. She's not exactly reliable."

"Why not?"

"No reason."

Refusing to elaborate, Haru's curt answer made Raana puff out her cheeks in protest.

Her petite frame barely reached the floor from her chair—her legs dangled in the air, swinging gently.

"You're good for now. Finish the rest on your own."

He handed the chopsticks back. Just as he started to finally eat his now-ruined tonkotsu, Raana, who had been quietly watching, furrowed her brow and softly said again—

"I like you."

"Cough—! Okay, enough of that. I have something else to ask you."

To prevent further devastating one-liners, Haru quickly changed the subject.

Thank god they were alone, if she dropped a line like that around the other girls in the band...

Haru could already imagine Shiina Taki at her drum set, staring him down with the look one reserves for human trash, dialing that number to report him.

"Raana, are you in a band right now?"

"Boring girls."

She shook her head lightly, sipping her soup with a bored look.

STARRY's Ijichi Nijika had once tried to recruit her as a guitarist.

But Raana, the little stray cat of the LiveHouse scene, didn't even own a phone.

Catching her around STARRY was pure luck and she'd get bored quickly. She had no patience for practice or rehearsals, appearing and disappearing on a whim. In the end, Nijika gave up trying to pull her into the "Kessoku Band."

Even now, they'd still feed her snacks from time to time when she showed up, turning her into their unofficial mascot.

Others had tried to form bands with her too, but she'd lose interest fast.

Boring people.

The girls she met in those bands lacked personality, and Raana, never one for commitment, would quickly tire of them.

"Then how about joining the band I just started?"

Haru's sudden offer caught her attention.

She didn't hate being in a band. She just hated boring bands.

"...Kessoku?"

"No, not Nijika's band. It's a new one, with a bunch of weird girls."

Honestly, Haru didn't know how else to describe Tomori, Anon, and the others and weird was probably the kindest word he could come up with.

Something about that word seemed to intrigue Raana. Her eyes lit up slightly with interest.

"Okay."

"...Wait, you're agreeing that fast?!"

He hadn't expected it to go this smoothly.

"I want matcha parfait."

Ah. Not so smooth after all.

His wallet winced.

...

The next day, Haneoka High School

Togawa Sakiko was stressed.

Just like every other day, she sat alone in the corner of the music room, holding a light blue bento box in her lap.

It was the most isolated seat in the room, like a hedgehog hiding from predators.

The lunch was nothing fancy. Pre-made supermarket goods, pickled plum with enoki mushrooms and plain white rice. Not exactly tasty, but it filled her up.

She was long used to eating like this, but no matter how hungry she was, she'd never eat in the classroom.

Someone might notice and Togawa Sakiko's pride couldn't take that.

Even when classmates invited her to eat together, she'd always coldly decline. She'd rather be alone in the empty music room than deal with their pitying glances.

As a result, Sakiko had no one she could really call a friend at school.

Ding-dong.

A message notification. The icon was a little cucumber flower.

Mutsumi?

[Sakiko, do you have time to talk?]

The stark black text against the white background made Sakiko's expression darken.

She didn't even need to guess, this was about Soyo again.

"Sigh..."

She let out a heavy breath, her already gloomy mood sinking even further.

Transferring to Haneoka hadn't changed anything. As long as Mutsumi was around, she couldn't avoid Nagasaki Soyo and she knew Mutsumi too well, someone that kind and indecisive could never say no to others.

Soyo probably still hadn't given up. She was using Mutsumi to check in.

CRYCHIC isn't coming back.

Now, all Sakiko cared about was surviving.

She didn't have time for petty band drama anymore. She was exhausted.

Her fingers clenched tightly around her chopsticks. The anxiety just wouldn't go away.

Because of all her part-time jobs, her grades were tanking fast.

And if her grades fell too far, she'd lose the scholarship she needed to stay in school.

In the afternoon she'd barista at Bunny Café, then work customer support late into the evening. After that, she'd rush to the supermarket to grab discount groceries.

Her house didn't even have a washing machine, she scrubbed all her clothes by hand with soap.

Even so, she still had to carve out time for homework and prepare her own lunches.

Togawa Sakiko's life was a mess.

She'd grown used to the pressure, powering through every day by sheer willpower.

But why, why was today the day she felt so completely on edge?

Click—

The sliding door of the music room creaked open.

A black-haired boy stepped inside, holding a lunch box of his own.

He glanced around casually like it was no big deal, then—without hesitation—locked the door behind him, pulled up a chair, and sat right beside her.

Sakiko stared, bewildered.

And yet... somehow, seeing him made the anxiety vanish.

What filled its place was something else, something strange and unplaceable.

"Haru-kun? Wh-Why are you here today?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here for lunch."

Kazami Haru casually shook the black bento cloth in his hand, his response completely matter-of-fact.

Well, he did bring a lunch box, what else could he possibly be here for?

Sakiko blushed slightly. Maybe all the overtime was starting to fry her brain?

Still, she didn't quite understand why Haru would show up at the music room of all places. She'd never seen him here before, not even once.

Bothered by the question gnawing at her mind, Sakiko hesitated for a long time before finally speaking. "Why'd you come all the way over here?"

Haru raised an eyebrow and answered casually, "To see you, obviously."

"Eh?"

Sakiko froze, completely caught off guard by the answer. Her brain went fuzzy. She had no idea how to respond.

She could only clutch her chopsticks tightly, her ever-cool poker face already starting to crack.

To see her?

What did that mean?

They never even said hi to each other at school.

There was never any connection between them there, it was like an unspoken agreement, a rule both had followed.

So why today, of all days, would he break that rule and come find her?

Her thoughts spiraled, and her fingers holding the chopsticks turned pale from the pressure.

"Didn't I tell you before? I'd let you taste my cooking."

With a smug grin, Haru set his bento box down in front of her and then it hit her, back when they were chatting on the road, he'd casually mentioned being able to cook.

Back then, she didn't believe him. Someone like him, who'd fight for a discounted lunch bag, seemed too unreliable to actually cook anything decent.

But now here he was, with a homemade bento in hand.

"Gratefully enjoy it, Togawa-san."

"Of course, I'll be charging you for it~"

Haru slowly opened the bento box.

It wasn't anything extravagant—just simple, everyday dishes.

But each one looked like it was prepared with care. Even the octopus sausage had its outer membrane peeled for texture. For someone like Sakiko who didn't cook much, it was honestly impressive.

Even before tasting it, the presentation alone surprised her.

But—

After a brief pause, Sakiko shook her head.

"I can't eat it."

"You only brought one bento, didn't you? I'm sorry, but I can't accept your kindness."

She couldn't let Haru go hungry just for her and besides, she didn't even have money to pay him back, her allowance was already running dry near the end of the month.

After all, their relationship was nothing more than coworkers helping each other out.

Haru might treat her to lunch sometimes or join her in hunting for discounted meals and she'd return the favor, like gritting her teeth to buy chocolate swirl bread she'd never normally get.

This wasn't supposed to be a one-sided relationship.

"Togawa, you're really something else... Always thinking only about yourself."

Haru's deadpan comment made her freeze.

"Who said it was all for you?"

"You brought your own bento, didn't you? I just wanted to trade."

"Oh, and next time, bring me a bottle of Max Coffee."

Grrr...

Sakiko's shoulders trembled. She glared at Haru, red-faced and fuming.

She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

That jerk!

Frustrated, she bit her lip and snatched up a piece of cod filet from his bento, stuffing it into her mouth as if trying to chew him out along with it, but the moment it touched her tongue, she froze.

The food had long gone cold, the flavors nowhere near their peak, but even so, she was stunned.

It was like a wave of warmth spread from her mouth down into her stomach. The texture was soft and comforting, the simple flavor lingering on her tongue and warming her from within.

Why?

Why did such an ordinary dish feel so special?

Made with everyday ingredients, seasoned simply, yet it made her feel like she was wrapped in sunlight.

It was as if she could see the care he'd put into every bite.

The bento was filled with something more, his thoughtfulness.

She had never felt something like this before.

It was... delicious. Genuinely delicious.

Maybe it was because she hadn't had a home-cooked meal in so long, but the sudden wave of warmth even made her eyes mist up. She quickly bowed her head to hide it, pretending to focus on eating.

Luckily, Haru didn't notice.

"So, Togawa, how's it taste?"

Haru leaned his cheek on one hand, eyebrows raised, smiling.

He had turned down guitar practice with Anon at noon, even skipped lunch with Bocchi and Tomori, just to see this expression on her face when she tasted his cooking...

Totally worth it.

This was the reaction he'd been hoping for. I live for this look.JPG.

"...It's really good, honestly. I'm kind of surprised."

Surprisingly, Sakiko actually admitted it straight up.

Earlier, before Haru arrived, her heart had been tangled in anxiety, but now, as they chatted about silly things, that dark mood seemed to melt away.

Without a release, she might've exploded from stress.

But now she realized... her feelings about Haru were getting more complicated.

If this kept up, she didn't know whether she'd grow weaker because of him.

Scared... but reluctant to let go.

She'd gotten used to his teasing. When he wasn't around at work, she'd feel oddly empty. Going shopping for discounted goods together was actually fun.

Because with him, she didn't have to pretend.

"D-Don't just stare at me while I eat."

She noticed him watching her closely without taking a bite himself, and that made her panic, had she eaten too much?

Without thinking, she picked up a piece of octopus sausage and held it out to him.

And only then did it hit her, what the hell was she doing?!

Feeding a guy? With her chopsticks?

Her face turned scarlet. The moment their eyes met, she averted her gaze. Her hand froze awkwardly, suspended mid-air.

Right now, she looked more like a typical, flustered high school girl than ever before.

"Well, I won't say no then."

Of course he wouldn't hesitate.

Hey, she offered it to him, not the other way around.

Free food from a cute girl? Who could resist?

Haru gobbled down the little octopus in one bite, and Sakiko went completely stiff, like she'd turned into stone. Even so, her instincts kicked in and she slowly pulled her chopsticks back.

She tried hard to keep a cool, indifferent face, but the steam rising from her head said it all, her brain had officially overheated.

Sakiko Togawa was in full mental shutdown.

She stared at the chopsticks in her hand, unsure of what to do.

These were the chopsticks she'd just used. Then she'd fed him. That wasn't just sharing food... that was a straight-up indirect kiss!

...

(TL Note: Totally expected an

Erina: It's Disgusting!!!

Yukihira: EHHHHH????!!!!

This wasn't bad as well, right?)