Love Comes After Simulation

[She failed to make good use of that thing.]

[The door to the hospital room wasn’t locked; anyone could open it. Though there was a thin curtain by the bedside that could be drawn for privacy, it offered zero resistance to intrusion. In such an unprotected environment, the psychological pressure on you was immense.]

[You hesitated over how to reject the girl, but soon realized your rejection wasn’t necessary. Reina Nakajima’s knowledge in that area was woefully lacking, her mind filled with only shallow imaginings. She fumbled clumsily, at a complete loss.]

[You laughed at her. She buried herself in your arms, biting your shoulder in embarrassment and frustration.]

The joy spilling out from the simulated text flooded into Yuuki Minami’s heart. The fragmented memories and scenes of love stitched together an impression so vivid that he forgot about Yuko Ibuki beside him and thought only of Reina Nakajima in the hospital.

In the previous simulation, Reina Nakajima had passed away during his second semester of freshman year. In this simulated life, they had less than three years left together.

The girl likely died from a failed surgery. Would the surgery succeed this time? Would switching to another hospital or assembling a different team of experts change the outcome?

The answer was likely no.

Surgery isn’t a dice roll, where all outcomes are equally probable. The success or failure of a surgery isn’t typically determined by the procedure itself. The surgeon’s skill is only a small variable; the larger, unchanging factors are the current state of medical science and the patient’s physical condition.

Thinking this, the happiness in Yuuki Minami’s heart was draped in a thin, black veil. Watching himself in the simulated life, he could feel a thick fog of death enveloping him and Reina Nakajima.

He continued to observe the simulation interface.

[In the afternoon, the snow stopped. A light layer of snow blanketed the garden shrubs and grass, which brought you delight.]

[You had worried earlier that the rain at the start of the day would melt the falling snow. While the roads indeed failed to retain any, the shrubs and grass managed to.]

[You left the hospital room in a hurry to buy warm clothes for Reina Nakajima, intending to take her outside to admire the snow. Before you exited the hospital, Yohei Nakajima called you—he had already prepared the clothes.]

[You waited for him at the hospital entrance. His car stopped by the road, and Ibuki Yuko got out, handing you the bag containing the clothes.]

[A few months ago, you had asked Yohei Nakajima about Yoshida Town, about the lake there. Remembering an old promise, and with a mix of guilt and pity, he had asked Honoka to help pick out clothes that would keep his daughter warm even on snowy days.]

[The clothes were thick and comprehensive—hat, gloves, scarf, everything was included. When Reina Nakajima put them on, she joked that she looked like an escaped penguin from Antarctica.]

[You ignored her minor complaints and pushed her wheelchair toward the garden.]

[The borrowed wheelchair was narrow, and the girl bundled up in layers was almost squeezed into it, deepening her resentment.]

[But as they approached the snow-covered garden, her mind was consumed by the sight of the pristine white blanket adorning the greenery.]

[Together, the two of you gathered snow and built a small snowman, placing it in the garden pavilion.]

[She removed her gloves and sank her hands into the soft snow. The pure white snow clung to her fair hands, the image strikingly elegant.]

[She scooped up a handful of snow and tossed it at your face. In retaliation, you rubbed her cheeks with your icy hands, her crisp laughter echoing in the snowy garden.]

[While you were momentarily distracted, the girl scooped up more snow and stuck out her soft tongue to lick it like white frosting. The coarse, icy texture melted on her tongue, intriguing her enough to try licking the snow again.]

[By the third time she extended her tongue, you pinched the mischievous little slug.]

A Memory Scene Unfolds

The horizon was painted in hues of orange and red, the sunset nearing the rooftops in the distance, ready to sink below the skyline. The snow, bathed in the warm light of the setting sun, glimmered with a faint orange glow.

Reina Nakajima held a small handful of orange-tinted fine snow. A tender pink little slug peeked out from its nest.

Yuuki Minami had been prepared for this. He swiftly reached out, pinching the adorable little creature between his thumb and forefinger.

Soft, moist, and a lovely shade of blush, the slug shuddered violently when caught.

Reina Nakajima froze, like a startled cat grabbed by the scruff of its neck, momentarily unable to comprehend what had just happened. By the time she realized, it was too late—her vulnerability was now firmly in Yuuki Minami’s hands, leaving her powerless to resist.

“Mm-mm-mm-mm,” she mumbled, unable to speak, her lips slightly parted as she cast a pleading look at Yuuki Minami.

“What’s that, Reina-san? I can’t hear you,” Yuuki teased with a smile.

“Mm-mm-mm-mm! Mm-mm-mm!”

Watching her flustered and panicked, Yuuki Minami felt satisfied and finally let go.

The pale pink slug immediately retreated into its delicate shell. Reina Nakajima covered her mouth with her hands, staring at Yuuki Minami with a mixture of fear and disbelief.

This boy—how could he do something like that? Terrifying!

“Still thinking about licking snow?” Yuuki grabbed a handful of snow and held it in front of Reina. She shook her head vehemently.

She didn’t dare open her mouth, afraid her delicate tongue would fall prey to the boy once again.

“If you really want to eat snow, I can take you to a dessert shop. There’s no way the snow falling from the sky is clean,” Yuuki said as he pinched her cheek. “And even if you just wanted a taste, one try would’ve been enough. Why go for a third? You greedy little thing!”

A blush spread across Reina Nakajima’s face. She turned away and muttered softly, “It’s all your fault, Yuuki.”

“Wait, how is this my fault?” Yuuki asked, baffled.

“Because Yuuki won’t kiss me.”

“I just kissed you for ages when it started snowing. What does kissing me have to do with licking snow?”

Reina’s face turned even redder. Her voice grew quieter still, but Yuuki leaned closer and caught her words.

“Because licking the snow… feels a bit like it.”

Like what, she didn’t need to elaborate. Yuuki couldn’t help but chuckle. He pinched her cheek again. “So that’s it—you’re just a greedy little kiss monster.”

After being called a “greedy little thing” and now a “kiss monster,” Reina Nakajima was thoroughly annoyed. She turned her head and bit down on Yuuki’s fingers, the ones that had been pinching her cheeks.

[You hadn’t expected Reina Nakajima’s reason for licking the snow to be tied to the sensation of kissing you. You warned her not to eat anything so dirty again and tugged on her tongue as punishment.]

[What you didn’t know was that, when you caught that blush-colored slug, Reina’s heartbeat had quickened.]

“…?”

Yuuki Minami reread the simulated text, confirming his suspicion. A simple thought crossed his mind: Really?

He knew everyone had their quirks and sensitivities, but he hadn’t expected Reina Nakajima’s to be so… unique.

He’d always found it curious why Reina’s heartbeat spiked the most during their kisses. Sure, kissing was an intimate act, but there were plenty of things even more intimate.

Now he understood. Reina Nakajima’s sensitivity lay entirely in her tongue!

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