"Hm?"
Minami tilted his head slightly, momentarily distracted from his conversation with Kita as he looked at Bocchi.
The moment Bocchi met his gaze, she panicked and quickly lowered her head.
Huh...?
For some reason, Minami had felt her gaze on him for a while now.
It was as if she had been secretly watching him.
But...
After going through countless simulations, Minami was more than familiar with Bocchi's personality.
She was definitely not the type to secretly stare at guys—she wouldn't even dare to.
So this unusual behavior naturally caught his attention.
Was something on her mind?
Feeling a little puzzled, Minami didn't immediately ask.
After all, with someone like Bocchi, if he suddenly confronted her about it, it would only make her even more anxious.
Sure, in many of his simulations, she had ended up as his wife.
But that was only in the simulations. In reality, his relationship with Bocchi was nothing like that.
At best, they were just friends who could exchange a few words if they ran into each other—nothing more.
Forcing his simulated experiences onto reality would be both narcissistic and self-indulgent, and frankly, it would be disrespectful to both himself and Bocchi.
After all, she had no memory of the simulations.
With that in mind, Minami relaxed.
He gave Bocchi a small smile and, before she could look away in a panic, shifted his focus back to the simulator.
Although it was a bit late to mention it now, after completing a 90-point simulation, the system had given him more than just
"Shouji Hitori's Happy Cooking Skills"
and
"Ryo Yamada IF Route Card."
It had also unlocked the
Item Shop
and rewarded him with
1,000 points of Heart Value.
A
huge
windfall.
That amount was enough to exchange for
three
full simulation attempts.
With this much at his disposal, Minami could finally try out the
"Direct Simulation"
feature, which required three attempts.
However, instead of spending his points recklessly, he figured he should first check out the
Item Shop.
Opening the shop, he scanned through the available options.
In truth, he had already taken a look the night he completed the 90-point simulation.
To be honest, the shop's inventory was
far
simpler than he had imagined.
Instead of a wide variety of dazzling items, there were only
three
basic options available for purchase:
[Data Scanner 10/10 (200 Heart Value)]
Allows you to see others' impressions of you, as well as their special skills and attributes.
[Study Boost Pill (500 Heart Value)]
Temporarily enhances learning ability when consumed.
[Universal Healing Medicine (900 Heart Value)]
Capable of curing any theoretical injury or illness.
...Everything was
insanely
expensive.
Through all of his interactions with Bocchi, plus system rewards, Minami had accumulated a total of
1,130 Heart Value points.
But looking at these ridiculous prices?
The
Data Scanner
was 200 points—it had
10
uses, but still, it wasn't cheap.
The
Study Boost Pill
was 500 points. It could temporarily enhance learning ability, but Minami didn't need that right now. Besides, 500 points was too steep.
And then there was the
Universal Healing Medicine
, which cost a whopping
900 points
.
One word—
expensive.
And he didn't even need it.
Based on the simulation results, Minami was in excellent health, with no major illnesses throughout his life.
Sure, he had some minor physical weaknesses, but those could be improved through exercise and a proper diet.
So he probably wouldn't need something like a
900-point
miracle drug.
Shifting his gaze away from the Universal Healing Medicine, Minami focused on the
Data Scanner.
He couldn't afford the
Study Boost Pill
at 500 points.
The
Universal Healing Medicine
at 900 points was just absurd.
That left the
Data Scanner
, which, at 200 points, was
relatively
reasonable.
Plus, with
10 uses
, it seemed like the most practical choice.
"Not only does it reveal affection levels, but also special skills and attributes..."
Reading the item description, Minami already had a plan in mind.
Spending 200 points
hurt
, but as Nijika had pointed out earlier—
Even now, he still wasn't entirely sure how his
LV2 Guitar Skill
compared to others.
With the
Data Scanner
, he could finally compare himself directly to the other members of
Kessoku Band.
Without hesitation, Minami exchanged
200 Heart Value
for the
Data Scanner.
[Remaining Heart Value: 930]
Ignoring the slightly painful reminder of his dwindling points, Minami turned his head toward Ryo, who was practicing her bass.
Activating Data Scanner.
His vision shifted slightly, and new information about Ryo appeared before him.
Name:
Ryo Yamada
Appearance:
8
Athleticism:
5
Academics:
6
Special Skills:
Narcissism LV3, Learning LV2, Bass LV2
Current impression of the host:
Attracted, Slightly Curious
System Evaluation:
She is curious about you and attracted to your talents. If you pursue her aggressively, you may achieve significant results.
...Huh?
Miss Yamada, why are you attracted to me again?
Minami massaged his temples as he glanced at Ryo, who sat there lazily, exuding her usual cold indifference.
Then, back at the text floating in front of him.
No matter if it was in the
simulations
or
reality
, Ryo always seemed to end up drawn to him somehow.
But aside from that, this scan gave him some real insight into his own level.
Right now,
Ryo's Bass skill was LV2.
That meant she was
far
from the accomplished
"Bass Queen"
she had become in the simulations, where she had reached
LV5.
At the moment,
LV2
seemed to be the peak of amateur skill—just like his
LV2 Guitar skill.
"So LV2 is high-level amateur, and LV3 is where professional ability begins...?"
Minami analyzed the information carefully.
Suddenly, he grew curious.
If Ryo's
LV2
was considered amateur elite, then what about...
Bocchi, the guitar prodigy who had debuted online?
What was
her
opinion of him?
And more importantly—
what was her guitar level?
For Advanced Chapters, 16+ ahead on my /Loverice929
Thanks to @Charlie Dalfall, @Ethan Farias, and @Insert Name.
I'll upload more chaps later