After Toru and Nijika Ijichi exited their simulations, our Miss Ryo was still struggling within hers.
At the moment, she was rather exasperated.
Ryo Yamada had realized something that whenever Toru acted for love or for his dreams, he would always go to ridiculous extremes. Burning his life away, blowing himself up, sacrificing himself for others...
He just kept doing it. Ryo had wanted to talk him out of it, but she never could.
Forget it, forget it. What's done is done. It was time for the ending anyway.
[Your life has ended peacefully. Simulation complete.]
[After your death, your adopted daughter Shio Kitahara buried you beside Toru. She knew you loved him deeply, but could never cut between him and Nijika Ijichi.]
[After you passed away, Shio fulfilled your wish. She firmly believed that in the carefree paradise above, the three of you could form a band again, just like those wonderful high school days.]
Ryo Yamada stared at those words. The more she looked, the stranger it felt.
The loser's stench was practically dripping off the screen…
Skip, skip.
Next came the simulator's evaluation. It was, at least, rather fair.
[Your life was one of unrequited love, bound by feelings you could never resolve. Miss Ryo, are you perhaps still stuck in your previous simulation?]
[This simulation's evaluation - B (mediocre, but stealing the affection of your rival's daughter was a very fine move. For a villainess, you did well).]
[Entering settlement mode.]
[Since you did not bind yourself to a breadwinner, the Affection System did not activate this round.]
[However, you have received gifts. Please check—]
[Gift from Shio Kitahara to her most, most, most beloved Mama.]
[Price: 0 (Compared to Nijika Ijichi, you've already beaten her soundly.)]
[Apology letter handwritten by Toru.]
[Price: 0 (Wait, why did he write you another apology letter…)]
Right.
Why another apology letter?
Even Miss Ryo couldn't figure it out.
She quickly retrieved the two gifts.
First was her daughter's, a pretty jewelry box containing a pair of delicate earrings. The design was unique, and Ryo was very satisfied.
After admiring them for a while, she opened Toru's apology letter.
After reading it...
Miss Ryo could only admit it.
She had lost fair and square.
In the end, she was one step short…
——
[How can one be faithful to both Buddha and a lover?]
[If Toru were given another choice, who would he choose?]
[It seems that answer will only be revealed in the next simulation.]
——
"Wait… what about my story?"
In the dim cabinet, Hitori was dumbstruck.
Why was it that in the latter half of the simulation, all her scenes had vanished?
This felt just like an anime about to end, with the ending credits rolling already.
Wasn't this supposed to be Bocchi the Rock... no, wasn't this supposed to be Hitori Gotoh's Pure Love Story, Season 3? Where was the heroine's screen time?
And also…
Where was her husband?
Dead. Again.
And in such a casual way too? This was even lazier than Captain Orga's death scene.
Bocchi-chan couldn't accept it. Her beloved husbando had first been killed off by Ryo-san, and now again, played to death by Nijika-chan.
In her very first simulation, even though she'd let Toru down, at least she hadn't gotten him killed, right?
Compared to these life-shortening witches, Hitori Gotoh considered herself the model of a good woman. Surely karma would catch up with them.
But why?
Why wouldn't Toru choose her?
Just because she never confessed?
Lottery winners still got their prizes even without effort, so why did all the good fortune go to them?
It wasn't fair.
She wanted a rematch!
But no matter how much Bocchi raged in her head, this simulation was already over. Once again, she'd been left out in the cold.
The realization drained the light from her eyes, and she collapsed in despair.
Next time, she swore, she would turn it all around.
——
Time passed, and soon it was the final day of Golden Week.
A heavy downpour fell from the sky, casting a shadow over the hearts of the Kessoku Band members.
"Senpai, what do we do?" Ikuyo Kita drooped, her energy completely deflated.
On their very first real performance, the weather had to turn on them. It was the worst.
She had invited lots of friends, but none could make it through the storm.
"It's fine, Kita-chan." Nijika Ijichi comforted her.
Having experienced the peak of success in her simulation, Angel Nijika was now brimming with confidence.
"Bocchi."
Ryo Yamada suddenly turned to Hitori Gotoh.
"Huh… what is it?"
"The teru teru bozu you hung is upside down."
"S-sorry, everyone, it's all my fault."
Bocchi stammered out her apology, then rushed to take down the doll she had hung outside the live house the day before.
When she came back...
"You know…" Ryo Yamada pressed her right hand to her chin, thinking.
"What is it, Ryo-senpai?" Kita asked.
"Those little weather dolls… they look just like someone with a rope around their neck, hanging."
The moment the words left her mouth, thunder boomed outside the live house.
Kita jolted like a frightened rabbit and instantly screamed—"Aaaaaah—!!"
Looking for cover, she clutched Hitori Gotoh around the waist, burying her face against her chest.
Bocchi froze. Kita's youthful scent was overwhelming, the intimacy too much to bear. For a social phobic, it was like a snail touched with salt, a fly caught by a frog, a sardine staring down a shark…
"Waaahhh!!"
"AaaaAAAHHH!!"
The two girls screamed together, louder and louder.
Ryo Yamada wore the satisfied look of a prank well done.
Nijika rolled her eyes. "This isn't the time for ghost stories."
"Sorry," Ryo bowed her head.
"I've told you, Bocchi's fun, but don't bully her."
"I was bullying Ikuyo."
"Mou~, that's not the point."
As the girls teased each other, the door opened and a man entered. The simple act of closing his umbrella instantly drew their attention.
Not only because of his handsome face, but his very presence. Distinct, out of place, unlike anyone else around.
"Kitahara-kun."
Ryo Yamada's eyes lit up. Dropping her ice-queen façade, she was the first to greet him.
"…Hello, I'm Ryo's friend, Nijika Ijichi."
Nijika restrained her impulse to rush forward, pretending not to know him well, though her heart had already leapt into his arms.
"K-Kitahara-san, h-hello."
Hitori Gotoh casually smoothed the wrinkles of her tracksuit. For a girl with social phobia, that was the very limit of what she could manage.
After everyone had greeted him, the only one left completely baffled was Ikuyo Kita.
Huh?
Wait, what?
What on earth had happened between them? Someone please let me in on it.
——