Time quickly reached the end of March.
The online voting for the music festival concluded smoothly.
There were no unexpected twists. Kessoku Band ultimately entered the next round of preliminaries with fifth place in popularity.
To celebrate this happy moment, Ijichi Seika specially held a party at Starry.
It was not anything strange, just a simple celebration.
"Big sis seems a bit drunk. That is rare."
The little angel Nijika rarely saw her sister drunk.
Work at a live house was not easy, with dozens of bands to arrange every day.
Carrying all of that on her shoulders, Ijichi Seika almost never got drunk. The last time was half a year ago.
"Seika-san is probably very happy, seeing Kessoku Band's growth," Toru said.
"Yeah… this is only our starting point. The future will definitely be even better."
Nijika's dream was simple. Carrying forward the dream her sister could not achieve back then, to become a first-class star in the night sky.
Because she had achieved it many times in the simulated world,
She was quite confident about it.
"By the way, Toru-kun and Bocchi-chan seem to have gotten very close recently."
Ijichi Nijika sat with Toru in a corner, with no one disturbing them.
Perhaps the feeling of an old married couple between them was too strong, making it hard for others to step in.
"Have we?"
Toru sensed a hint of battlefield tension.
Danger.
"Yeah."
Nijika looked at their companions playing around not far away and gently leaned on his shoulder. "You two are really close. I am a little jealous."
"…My relationship with everyone is pretty good, right?"
"Being indecisive is not very good, Toru-kun."
"If things stay like this, is that not fine?"
"I do not mind Toru-kun getting closer to everyone. I just do not want to be ignored by you."
Toru heard the meaning beneath her words.
Everyone in the band liked him. This love game had always been played openly. Everyone understood it, and no one was hiding it.
Ryo-san confessed to him once last summer.
Kita Ikuyo never hid her feelings. She even took the initiative to kiss him during karaoke last time.
Ijichi Nijika's love was gentle and silent.
Gotoh Hitori's direct affection left him unable to defend.
At this point, asking him to choose only one person?
That was something Toru could not do.
Ijichi Nijika knew he could not give up his harem, so she said those words just now, acknowledging him while making it clear that she did not want to be neglected or excluded.
The little angel was truly gentle.
"Nijika, the last time we went to Hitori's house, you asked me a question. About our daughter's name."
Toru decided to make some things clear.
"…Yeah, I remember. What about it?"
So it was finally noticed.
She had tested a bit too far. It seemed there was no choice but to lay it all out.
The fact that the simulator was a connected game could not be hidden anymore.
"What I am about to say might sound a little strange."
After a few seconds of gathering his thoughts,
Toru said sincerely, "If Nijika, you recently found a vague memory suddenly appearing in your mind, that is related to me."
Forcing a strange memory into a girl's mind,
That kind of thing was truly awful.
Hiding it forever was not an option. It was better to explain it clearly while there was a chance.
"…?"
Ijichi Nijika blinked. Wait, what did Toru-kun just say?
Was he not supposed to have discovered that I had a simulator?
After taking several seconds to sort out her thoughts, the little angel cautiously said, "The memories that suddenly appeared in my mind are related to Toru-kun?"
"Yeah… how much do you still remember?"
"Not that much."
Nijika thought for a moment and followed his train of thought. "Three years of high school, the band's farewell performance at Tokyo Dome, the years after we got married, and things like naming our daughter."
At that moment, Toru truly felt like a scumbag.
Ijichi Nijika loved him with her whole heart, yet he was thinking about dividing his love into many parts.
Seeing his mood drop, Nijika gently said, "Let's end this topic here."
"You do not care about the truth?"
"Everyone has their own little secrets, right?"
Ijichi Nijika had no intention of exposing herself. If things continued, the fact that she also had a simulator would not stay hidden.
It was better to stop for now.
'But why does Toru-kun know about my simulated memories? Who did he learn it from?'
The little angel noticed something strange again.
Asking about a daughter's name was indeed abrupt, but an ordinary person would never think in terms of having an extra memory in one's mind.
Then…
There was only one truth.
Near Toru-kun, there was a familiar girl who told him something about the simulator. Then Toru-kun followed the clues, pieced everything together, and found her.
So who was the culprit?
Ryo? Kita-chan?
No. The most likely culprit was Bocchi-chan. Her open crush on Toru was not something that started yesterday.
'So that is how it is… the simulation is not just a two-player game between Toru-kun and me? It is a multiplayer game?'
At this moment, Ijichi Nijika still did not dare to be certain.
She planned to find a time in private to talk through the simulator matter with Gotoh Hitori.
The little angel was not afraid of being exposed.
Ordinary people would never believe something like a simulator cheat. They would only think she was joking… unless Bocchi-chan was also a player.
She thought about many, many things.
Only then did Nijika come back to her senses, reluctantly leaving Toru's shoulder.
The party was nearing its end.
Ijichi Seika was completely drunk, even worse off than Hiroi Kikuri beside her.
How should she help her sister sober up later?
Half an hour later.
People left the live house in small groups. Toru stayed behind to help clean up.
After things were mostly sorted out,
"Toru-kun, sorry for the trouble."
"Seika-san is not heavy. It is no trouble."
Toru carried Ijichi Seika on his back, preparing to take her upstairs to sleep.
Nijika knew he was strong, so she was not worried.
However, in just one short minute,
Ijichi Nijika realized she had relaxed too early.
The scene before her made her pause slightly.
"Ugh…"
This big sister Seika had no grace at all, lying over the edge of the bed and retching into the trash can.
If not for her good looks, this scene alone could shatter any man's fantasy.
Beside her, Toru had taken off the jacket covered in vomit, wearing a lifeless expression.
He had been tormented by Hiroi Kikuri a few times before, but Ijichi Seika always controlled her drinking. This was truly the first time he suffered because of her.
Nijika pulled a few tissues and stepped forward to help wipe him as she said, "Toru-kun, your T-shirt and even your back are covered in filth. Go take a shower first."
After wiping him down briefly,
She continued, "…The trains are about to stop running. You can stay over at our place tonight. I will go find you some suitable clothes right away."
Toru nodded helplessly.
More than ten minutes later.
After finishing his shower, Toru changed into a new shirt and long pants. The size was unexpectedly perfect, which made him feel a bit strange.
There was more than a twenty centimeter height difference between Nijika and him. There was no way they wore the same size.
Could it be her father's clothes?
"Whose clothes are these?"
"Ryo bought men's clothes. I called her just now… she agreed to let you wear them."
Ryo liked buying loose clothes and always threw them around carelessly.
Over time, the Ijichi household accumulated an entire wardrobe of old clothes, with both men's and women's styles.
Toru: "..."
Was this really okay?
Staying over while wearing Ryo-chan's clothes, if something happened with Nijika at night…
He felt a strange sense of guilt.