I_LOVE_RICE+

Chapter 233 – Yoyoko Ohtsuki Is Very Conflicted 

"Mm... And also, Minami is my boyfriend."

The moment Ryo Yamada said those words, the atmosphere changed in an instant.

Minami Shouji couldn't help but glance at her—still piggybacked on his back.

From any angle, Ryo was clearly one of those people who couldn't read the room at all.

As if sensing his gaze, Ryo lowered her voice and leaned close, whispering, "It's fine, Minami. My dad actually has a pretty good impression of you."

"...…" Minami.

Thanks f...

Chapter 232: Meeting Yamada’s Parents 

Music Recommendation: Tomofumi Tanizawa - Sawakaze [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

...

Later that evening, Ikuyo Kita left Minami Shouji's new home, citing the need to "sort out her thoughts."

Minami wasn't surprised.

That was just Ikuyo's way—even under pressure, she never complained, choosing instead to bear it silently and find a solution herself.

Since that was how she handled things, all Minami could do was wait for her to make her decision.

At around 10 PM�...

Chapter 231: Kessoku Band’s Bond Won’t Change 

Sometimes, a look alone can make a person squirm.

Minami Shouji learned that firsthand today.

Feeling the stares of Ryo Yamada, Hitori Gotoh, and especially Ikuyo Kita, whose gaze was… complicated, Minami realized—

Maybe I really shouldn't joke around with girls like that anymore.

But honestly—

Who could've seen this coming?

Nijika Ijichi, usually so serious and proper, had actually taken his playful joke seriously—and kissed his cheek.

Sure, ...

Chapter 230: As Compensation—Kiss Me 

The entry conditions for the Teen Music Fest were actually pretty simple.

Basically, if you kept up regular performances at venues and had decent skills, plus posted content consistently online, reaching 1,000 followers wasn't hard.

For an average band, with frequent uploads, it would take just three or four months to hit that number.

The problem was—

"Our Kessoku Band SNS account has never properly posted a performance video!!"

Nijika Ijichi, practically in te...

Chapter 229: Where was Kessoku Band supposed to get that many fans?!

Minami Shouji took the time to thoroughly check out the room on STARRY's first floor.

And it was really nice.

Probably designed to match the professional kitchen next door, the room was surprisingly spacious.

A quick glance showed it was at least twice the size of his old eight-mat rental.

Inside, two windows provided solid lighting and airflow.

Compared to his old place, the soundproofing here was way better.

After all, the floor below was STARRY's perform...

Chapter 228: Even If I Fall for Him, It’s Fine!

"I need to make sure Nijika doesn't get caught in Minami's trap, too…"

Seika Ijichi sat at the counter, sipping her strawberry milk while watching Minami Shouji clear out the first-floor room. Her mind was hard at work.

She wasn't stupid.

She could see Kessoku Band's situation perfectly clearly.

First of all, both Hitori Gotoh and Ryo Yamada definitely had feelings for Minami.

Just from how Ryo allowed Minami to touch her face or pat her head—it was obvious.<...

Chapter 227: You're Gonna Be Doing It With Me Anyway 

In the end—

Kikuri Hiroi's completely unreliable words didn't stick with anyone in the room.

And truthfully, while Minami Shouji had become more charismatic, more "manly" than before, he hadn't slacked off on his responsibilities at all.

That alone was enough to put Ryo Yamada, Nijika Ijichi, and Ikuyo Kita at ease.

So he's just… more attractive than before. That's normal for guys in their teens.

Nothing to worry about.

They brushed it off optimisticall...

Chapter 226: Time to Deal with You Little Girls! 

What exactly was the relationship between her and Minami now?

At this point, Hitori Gotoh was once again spiraling into confusion.

Sure, last night she'd said, "Even if I'm not the first, it's okay."

But honestly, deep down, who wouldn't want to be the first?

I-I already did that kind of thing with Minami...

I-It should count as being first, right?

Hehe… Hehehe…

Thinking that, the pretty face hidden beneath her long bangs broke into a goofy smile....

Chapter 225:“I’m Sorry for Giving You My First Time!” 

"Are we really going to end up with the band throwing a party together?"

Sitting at the small round table, Minami Shouji pondered.

It wasn't strange that Nijika Ijichi and Ikuyo Kita had feelings for him.

After all, he had helped Kessoku Band quite a bit.

And according to the course of events in the original simulations, these two girls would have naturally developed feelings for him as he tutored them.

But in reality, due to Ryo Yamada and Hitori Gotoh's proacti...

Chapter 224: Let’s Have a Band Party Together! 

The room in the cheap apartment was freezing.

Winter had nearly arrived, and cold wind blew in from who-knows-where, making the whole building creak and groan with eerie "whooo" noises.

As if the weather wasn't bad enough already, Ryo Yamada's offhand comment — "Instead of staying in a dump like this, why not just move into my place?" — made the atmosphere in the room grow even colder.

Especially when it came to Ikuyo Kita and Nijika Ijichi's reactions.

Kita, who h...

Chapter 223: Why Not Just Stay at My Place

"What a miscalculation..."

When Minami Shouji woke up, it was already 7:30 PM.

Outside the window, the sky had turned into a canvas of night, dotted with stars scattered across the indigo expanse.

Lying in bed and gradually regaining clarity, Minami shook his head.

It really was a miscalculation.

He murmured to himself.

His cold had mostly cleared up by noon.

His fever had started to subside.

So, he had gotten up to take a shower, washing away t...

Chapter 222: Being Called “Mom” Is... Kind of Nice

"Minami-san… this is…?"

Looking at the stack of test papers on the small round table, Nijika Ijichi stood up and glanced toward Minami Shouji.

But this time, she didn't get a response.

When she turned around, she found him lying back, eyes closed, clearly dazed from the fog in his head.

It seemed just getting up to answer the door and exchange a few words with her had used up all his energy.

Now, he was clearly in a daze.

"…."

Nijika looked at M...

Chapter 221 – Nijika Ijichi’s Melancholy

Lately, something's been off with Nijika Ijichi, the leader of Kessoku Band, and the band's resident ray of sunshine, Ikuyo Kita.

Even someone as oblivious as Hitori Gotoh had picked up on it.

Nijika still wore that gentle smile, always kind to others, but... the moment Shouji Minami's name was mentioned, her eyes would drift off, unfocused.

She'd messed up drink orders for customers more than once at STARRY, their studio café. Her older sister, Seika Ijichi, had even grown...

Chapter 220: Bring the Simulated Daughter into Reality?

"It's over!"

Finally, it was over!

Minami stretched with a deep sigh of relief.

It wasn't that he felt the ending was unstable…

It was just that he clearly felt something was off with his body today.

This cheap rental room of his had always been a bit drafty.

And ever since he got soaked in the rain, his body seemed to have caught a chill.

Even after a hot shower, there was no improvement.

Add to that the fatigue accumulated from setting quest...

Chapter 219. Your Daughter Sticks to You

[You gradually aged, transitioning from youth to middle age.]
[Time continued to pass.]
[Your daughters grew up as well.]
[Under the influence of you and your wives—]
[Haruto Shouji and Nayuki Shouji respectively followed paths as an athlete and a novelist.]
[Haruto Shouji, in particular, inherited Chisato's talents—showing exceptional skill in archery and shooting sports, enough to enter a top university in Japan on her talents alone.]
[Meanwhile, Nayuki Shouji inherite...

Chapter 218. 【Your Wives Are Jealous of You】 

[Time continued to pass.]

[It felt like in the blink of an eye, you had already graduated from university.]

[After graduation, you continued running the business you had built during your university years.]

[Having already amassed a good amount of wealth, you bought a luxurious home in Tokyo that could comfortably house four people without ever feeling cramped.]

[Rio, meanwhile, chose to remain at Tokyo University, diving deeper into her field of physics.]

[Once ...

Chapter 217. You Gained Their Approval

[You didn't run away—you chose to be completely honest.]

[To you, love is something that should never be handled carelessly. Even if you can hide it for a while, you can't hide it forever.]

[You didn't want Chisato Nishikigi and Takina Inoue, who willingly stepped back for your sake, to be treated unfairly.]

[At times like this, it was your duty as a man to step up and take responsibility.]

[Just as Futaba Rio said, her parents had returned to Japan.]

[The day ...

Chapter 216. Enough Thinking! Let’s Just Seal the Deal Already!

[Being with all of you, she no longer felt lonely or anxious.]

[As long as she had you by her side, she had the courage to face anything.]

[And now, she was ready to carry that courage forward.]

[After entering university, she followed her plan and chose to major in physics, while you chose a major in new media.]

[Compared to complex, difficult physics, you found new media more appealing.]

[Before, you might have picked the same major just to stay close to her.]<...

Chapter 215. Your Physical Strength Improved Thanks to Their Initiative

Taking the canned coffee she handed him.

Where their hands touched, there was some warmth.

But because of the spring weather, it still felt a little cool overall.

"You didn't go to Germany?"

Minami stood still, watching her lazily leaning on the railing, shaking the can in her hand, and asked.

"Nope."

Hearing his words, the girl shook her white lab coat, turned her calm face toward him, and blinked.

Click.

She popped the can and took a ...

Chapter 214. Spring’s Contrail, Just the Right Flavor

"Nice! This is going really well!"

In reality, Minami Shouji let out a satisfied voice.

He was pretty sure now.

Up to this point, he hadn't made any wrong choices.

Everything he picked was right on target.

Futaba Rio's inner struggles were resolved.

Chisato Nishikigi and Takina Inoue had accepted her.

A good future was basically waving at him from inside the simulation.

But...

"This still isn't the time to relax."

Minami, curled up u...

Chapter 213: Girlfriend: ... Again? 

Under Minami Shouji's gaze, the simulation continued.

[Just watching Futaba Rio take action while you, the person involved, stay passive—this clearly doesn't match your usual style.]

[You also know Chisato Nishikigi and Takina Inoue very well.]

[You're aware that this cheerful, carefree girl, who always seems laid-back and is super friendly to others, would definitely enjoy this kind of situation.]

[So, you decide—]

[Option 1: I'll love Rio only, forever! Go ...

Chapter 212: A Trio? A Four-Person Ending?

[Your baiting scheme succeeded.]

[The now-bold Rio Futaba, completely unguarded, handed over the leverage to you herself.]

[Faced with your relentless questioning, cornered against the wall, Rio Futaba was at a complete loss—unable to respond.]

"I really didn't expect this, Rio. You actually went and did something like that behind my back."

Staring down at Rio, who had retreated into the corner, Minami Shouji strode forward, boxing her in, feigning a look of sorrow.<...

Chapter 211: Morning Kiss?

Minami Shouji didn't particularly mind girls getting cozy with other girls.

But he had a vague sense of realization.

The true meaning behind the "Special Option" likely wasn't about some yuri route, but rather—

The deepening relationship between Rio Futaba and Chisato Nishikigi represented nothing more than Rio gradually integrating into the LycoReco café circle.

Whether her bond with Chisato would evolve beyond that…

Minami figured that was pretty unlikely....

Chapter 210: What the Heck is a Yuri Route?

Minami Shouji wasn't in a rush to start the simulation.

As usual, before beginning, he first checked his remaining Heartthrob Points.

Remaining Heartthrob Points: 660

Thanks to today's interaction with Rio Futaba, his total Heartthrob Points had increased, reaching 660.

"Plenty."

Satisfied, Minami nodded at the total.

With 660 points, even if this simulation went sideways, he'd still have enough to run it again and make things right.

In that case... 2025-03-20 09:19:21 +0000 UTC View Post

Chapter 209: Girls Who Love Using LINE

Under the cover of night, he escorted Rio Futaba home.

Minami Shouji was in an excellent mood.

It had started out as just an experiment.

But to his surprise, he'd completely bet on the right horse.

Not only had his relationship with Rio Futaba progressed, but thanks to the troublesome help of Chisato Nishikigi, Rio's emotional burden had been lifted.

With these two achievements combined…

For the upcoming simulation, Minami Shouji honestly couldn't imagine...

Chapter 208: Your Relationship with Rio Futaba Deepens 

Gourmet Captive.

This was the phrase that came to Rio Futaba's mind.

The dishes prepared by Minami were simple, everyday home-cooked meals: a five-ingredient mushroom soup, tempura, and meticulously pan-fried Pacific saury with a crispy, golden skin.

These were dishes so common that Rio Futaba could easily recreate them herself.

Yet, these ordinary home-cooked meals had an entirely different taste.

The fish meat was delicate and tender.

The five-ingredient ...

Chapter 207: Gourmet Captive

It wasn't until Takina Inoue tallied up the day's total revenue that Rio Futaba realized just how much money LycoReco Café had raked in (or rather, bled out of customers) during its open hours.

Over one million yen!

That neat stack of ten-thousand-yen bills—it was hard for Rio to take her eyes off it.

Coming from a well-off family, her monthly allowance far exceeded that of the average high school student. One million yen wasn't a fortune to her—it was just numbers on a...

Chapter 206. Let Him Touch Them!

Taking orders was supposed to be the simplest task at LycoReco.

All you had to do was write down the table number and the dishes ordered on a sticky note, tear it off, and hand it to the kitchen.

Task complete.

Compared to Chisato Nishikigi and Mizuki Nakahara, who were constantly clearing plates, or Kurumi, who juggled billing and greeting customers at the front…

It really seemed simple.

Rio Futaba thought so too.

But once she actually started, Rio reali...

Chapter 205. Is Minami Shouji an Alien?

"You really don't like Minami-kun? Not even a little?"

Takina Inoue's question made Rio Futaba pause for a moment.

Because, truthfully, she didn't even know the answer herself.

But—

Whether it was Takina Inoue or Chisato Nishikigi...

Rio felt that both of them definitely liked Minami.

If that was the case...

"I guess I have some affection for him," Rio replied, "but I don't like him."

"Is that so?"

Takina didn't press her like Chisato ha...

Chapter 204. The Two of Riko-Riko

The data displayed by the [Data Scanner] wasn't far off from what Minami Shouji had expected.

In particular, the traits "Need to Be Needed" and "Self-Loathing" had already reached the same levels as Gotoh Hitori's past issues with social anxiety and low self-esteem.

But aside from those two traits, there was one more entry that Minami knew he had to pay close attention to.

That was—

"Feeling Heart Flutter."

In other words, at this point, Rio Futaba already harb...