My Simulation… Why Is It Turning into a Real Romance?!-Chapter 385 - 176: Sleepless

"…"

The black-haired girl quietly turned her gaze toward the bed beside hers. The silver-haired, soft-haired cat-girl was fast asleep, the silvery moonlight spilling in through the window screen making even the little drool at the corner of her mouth sparkle crystal clear.

Lying in bed, Taki took a deep breath. The thought of what was about to happen made her whole body tense up like stone. Yet, after a moment's hesitation, she steadied herself again, mustering up the courage to look down at the light-purple nightdress she wore.

It was the one Yahata Umiri had made her change into. No matter how she looked at it, it felt far too revealing.

"What if someone notices…?"

That thought alone made Taki's face flush with shy redness. But with her straightforward nature, she knew she could not back out now. Even if she got caught, she had to go through with this.

She slipped on her slippers, crept down from the soft bed, and just as she was about to step out of the room, a voice suddenly brushed against her ear, sending a shiver deep into her bones.

"Taki~"

"I, I'm just going to the bathroom!"

Her panicked response came out almost as a reflex. But when she looked closer, she realized that Raana, the one who had spoken, was still lost in her dream, murmuring in her sleep. After calling out Haru's name, she even mumbled "matcha parfait" three times in a row.

Taki let out a sigh of relief.

Relaxing her nerves again, she slipped out the door and tiptoed down the hall to Haru's room. This time, her luck held. No unexpected accidents, just a smooth turn of the knob as she slipped inside.

But she did not notice the sharp, watchful eyes fixed on her from not too far away.

Chihaya Anon clung to the corner of the wall in shock. Next to her, Yuutenji Nyamu pressed her face against Kita Ikuyo's. Ijichi Nijika's face was red as a ripe apple, while Bocchi dared not even lift her gaze, making for a striking contrast.

"Uwaah, Ta… Taki actually went in?"

"She's sneaking food at this hour? And while everyone's staying over together too? Who knew Taki could be so daring? That serious look she always has was just a mask?"

Anon whispered in disbelief, while Nyamu nodded furiously. Even Kita could only give a stiff, awkward smile. As they peeked, Yamada Ryo narrowed her eyes at the tightly closed door.

"You see? Just as I expected."

"This isn't the time for that! What if someone finds out?"

Nijika understood very well what was happening. She absolutely could not let these girls go and stir up trouble. Blushing hard, she dragged them all back into their room and gently closed the door.

The hallway grew quiet again, just like before.

"…Sorry to intrude."

Taki had no idea what had just happened outside. She simply pinched the hem of her nightdress, ears burning red, and stood at the doorway. The nerves that had been gripping her chest seemed to melt away the moment she stepped inside.

The faint voice she had almost let slip was swallowed back into her throat. By the four-poster bed, the black-haired boy sat leafing through sheets of music, his long fingers turning pages under the silver glow of the moon, which draped over him like a veil.

He looked up with that gentle, handsome smile of his, leaving Taki momentarily dazed.

But the romantic moment shattered in the next instant.

"So you chose this exact time to come. Guess you're bolder than I thought, Taki. You always insist on finding an empty corner just to steal a kiss, and now here you are, all proactive with a midnight visit?"

Haru looked at her in mock surprise, his playful tone making her flush with fury as she stepped forward and pinched his cheeks. In a low voice she snapped, "You're one to talk! Weren't you the one who told me to come at this hour?"

"That's true~"

His teasing words brushed her ear as his arms slid naturally around her waist, pulling her into his embrace. With her face burning, Taki could only give a soft, flustered hum.

"…Didn't you say you usually sleep without clothes?"

"That was a lie."

His straight-faced reply made Taki's brow arch. She was just about to retort when she realized his gaze had shifted down to her long, slender legs.

"…Umiri insisted I wear this. I knew it looks weird on me, doesn't it?"

"I'll be sure to convey my heartfelt gratitude to Umiri."

The sound of his throat swallowing was unmistakable. The tickle at her neck made Taki clutch the lace trim of her nightdress. The pale purple satin rippled across her knees, and her beautiful face seemed touched with pink cream, unbearably tempting.

Things were no longer as they once were.

Whether it was their past band camp or the confession at her house, their relationship had already deepened. Now, neither of them needed to hold back. Haru had no reason to deny her, and moving forward felt natural, inevitable.

The air grew still.

Haru's gaze lingered on her flushed cheeks as he gently asked, testing her:

"Is it alright?"

"Mm…"

The instant the word left her lips, Haru leaned down and claimed her soft, trembling lips. The cedar-scented fragrance of incense mixed with the faint floral trace from his skin, flooding her breath and softening her from within. She could not resist.

A shiver ran down her spine like a current.

Even a girl as strong-willed and fiery as Taki could only reveal an unthinkable side of herself before the boy she loved. Not even she could have imagined it.

The hands that once held drumsticks with steady strength lost all power, her body weak as water, left defenseless before his advance. Haru was like a hero storming the demon king's castle, inch by inch claiming the treasure she had kept hidden away.

…

"…Sakiko, did you hear that?"

Lying in her bed, Nagasaki Soyo suddenly spoke. Her soft voice trembled faintly, her cheeks tinged pink as her blue eyes flicked toward Togawa Sakiko, who lay bundled in the quilt nearby.

"I didn't hear a thing!"

"…"

Nagasaki Soyo rolled her eyes. Even with her back turned, she could guess what kind of expression the other girl was making.

To think she once considered Togawa Sakiko her greatest rival in love, yet now it seemed laughable. Sakiko was far weaker than she had imagined. If not for Mutsumi, Tomori, and Nyamu supporting her in the end, who knew what state she would be in now? 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"So it looks like Taki was the first to make a move?"

She did not need to listen closely to know whose voice it was. It was Taki. From the sound of it, Taki was clearly struggling hard to suppress herself. Even Soyo found it difficult to stay calm, her cheeks flushed as she glanced toward Sakiko.

"Sakiko, what are you going to do?"

That question made Togawa Sakiko whip around. Her moonlit-beautiful face was covered in a rosy blush, and her amber eyes trembled as she stammered softly in reply,

"W-what do you mean what am I going to do? I'm going to sleep, obviously!"

"…You can actually sleep in this situation? I know I can't."

"Well, what else can I do? This is Taki and Uika's time. No matter what, we can't interfere. Besides, Uika has helped me so much already…"

Her ears burning, Sakiko ducked back under the warm covers. It was clear she was determined to honor Uika's kindness. That sight made Soyo sigh quietly.

Even if this Togawa heiress had grown from past experiences and changed a great deal, her stubbornness still remained. Once she set her mind on something, she would never let it go.

"Hmph~"

Soyo let out a sly little hum, and the sound made Sakiko raise her head in embarrassment and irritation.

"Soyo, what do you mean by that?"

"Nothing at all~"

Twisting a lock of silky brown hair around her finger, her honey-sweet voice carried a sharp edge. Narrowing her crystalline blue eyes, Soyo murmured as if to herself,

"I just thought… if Uika ends up going over too, won't that lead to someone else giving in as well, and then following after as the next one?

Besides, I don't think Taki and Uika can handle this alone."

Her soft words, like the buzz of a mosquito, acted like a signal. Sakiko's amber eyes widened as if remembering certain past "scenes," and she let out a faint, incoherent whimper.

Both of them knew this all too well.

Whether it was the stubborn heiress or the sly-acting Soyo, both had already experienced that sensation of falling apart, and the memories of being mercilessly overwhelmed even after losing consciousness were etched into them.

And it was not only them.

In other rooms too, girls began to stir awake. But every one of them kept perfectly silent, not daring to open the door to peek. They simply curled deeper into their blankets, shy and flustered.

…

The entire corridor was swallowed in strange silence. A blonde girl in a pure white nightdress clenched her fists nervously. Listening to the sounds drifting into her ears, she finally gathered her courage and stepped forward.

"S-sorry to intrude…"

Misumi Uika froze the moment she entered the room. Her violet eyes were already clouded with embarrassment. Though her timidity had long since faded, seeing this scene with her own eyes still left her at a loss.

Sensing the tension, Uika pressed her lips together. The lavender scent of incense filled the room, her gaze flickering uncertainly in one direction as she spoke in a tentative whisper,

"I… I came at the wrong time, didn't I?"

That line sounded strangely familiar.

Even Haru looked momentarily serious. His earnest yet smug smile was like a keyboard solo on stage, though right now the keys he pressed seemed far softer than usual.

It was plain to see that Taki was exhausted, as if she had just run a two-kilometer sprint.

"Not at all."

Haru's calm reply, paired with the faint upward curve of his lips, filled Uika's heart with joy. Her radiant beauty glowed fully under the moonlight, her eyes like purple butterflies fluttering in the night.

Her spotless white dress resembled the snow falling outside the window, pure and untainted, in perfect harmony with her golden hair. From across the room, Taki blushed deeply, casting pearl-like shadows onto the wooden floor.

"L-let me rest a little first…"

Panting, Taki retreated to the corner of the bed. The sharp eyes that once cut like blades were gone, leaving her looking utterly unlike the Taki Uika remembered. And yet Uika could easily guess what had left her in such a state.

But even knowing the "demon lord's castle" lay before her, Uika pressed forward without hesitation. She all but rushed into Haru's arms, surrendering to the warmth of his embrace that made her whole body melt, unable to escape its tenderness.

"S-sorry! Am I bothering you, Taki?"

"…Not at all. If anything, I should be thanking you."

The usually loud and fiery Taki now spoke in a voice as thin as a mosquito's. Hugging a pillow to her chest, Uika sat beside them, quietly watching every move with not a trace of resentment.

"Uika, you… you must be 'like me,' right? I never thought you'd stay so calm through this…"

Taki muttered shyly, trying to tease her. But Uika only gave a soft smile, tucking back the strands of golden hair at her ear and gathering her long hair behind her head in a neat, ready-for-action style.

"Does it really look that way? Honestly, I'm not calm at all."

"Not at all… eek!"

Taki's reply quivered. Realizing she was being toyed with, she shot Haru a sharp glare. But her eyes, once so piercing, had lost all their bite, instead brimming with a sultry glow that only deepened her allure.

After teasing her, Haru smirked with satisfaction before turning his gaze toward Uika. He was about to speak, ready to make his move on the perfect idol before him, when she suddenly smiled brightly and beat him to it.

"Haru, I love you."

At some point, her fingers had already intertwined with his, the exact opposite of how Taki had been just moments ago.

On the outside, Taki seemed strong and aloof, yet before him she became passive and docile. In contrast, Uika, usually so gentle and approachable, revealed an initiative and intensity far beyond her outward image.

The expensive incense Soyo had set filled the room, its intoxicating fragrance mingling with the invisible hormones in the air. Even the idol who could smile flawlessly on stage, Uika, now seemed veiled in a faint blush of pink.

Haru went rigid.

This time, he truly could not be blamed.

To endure this would take a god. Forget Haru's willpower, even if you brought in a million iron-willed men, none could resist.

"I've liked you for a very, very long time. But I… I was too much of a coward. I couldn't even speak my true feelings. Even now, there are still so many things I've never told you."

"But now it's different. Now I can finally say it all."

Her white teeth gently nipped his earlobe, embodying pure greed. Even Taki stared wide-eyed in shock, unable to believe that this was the same popular idol she knew.

"I've wanted to do this for so long."

At some point, the strap had slid off her smooth shoulder. Haru could only feel the disordered rush of her breath at his ear, the pounding of her heartbeat, and the raw emotion spilling from her soul.

"But before that..."

"Haru, c-could you say you love me?"

Uika's face burned red as she leaned close, stripped of all the poise of a star. At this moment, she was nothing more than an ordinary girl lost in love, unable to free herself.

If Uika asked him to elbow his way through the Tokyo subway right now, Haru probably would not hesitate.

Much less when her "request" was hardly a request at all. There was no way anyone could reject her love.

Snapping back to himself, the black-haired boy lifted his eyes. His deep, dark gaze met her violet ones. After a single steady breath, the words came out straight from his heart.

"Uika, I love you."

"…!!!"

Uika felt her heart melting away. She kissed him with greedy abandon, as if taking everything she could. Beside them, Taki blushed furiously, both hands pressed to her lips, unable to utter a sound.

At last, Haru managed to steal a breath. But just then, Taki edged closer. Her eyes were so shy she could not meet his, only daring to sneak glances up at his face from below.

"What you just said to Uika…"

"C-could you say it to me too?"

Wait, so even his bro wanted that?

For a moment Haru looked surprised, but of course he would not be stingy with the words that belonged to his future partner in life. Turning toward the red-faced beauty with long black hair, he spoke without hesitation.

"Taki, I love you."

"…R-really?"

Taki's face blossomed with joy. Though her heart pounded wildly, she forced herself to stay composed. Meeting Uika's smiling eyes, she reached out, cupped her boyfriend's cheeks, and leaned in to bite down softly.

Their muffled cries seeped through the walls.

The sudden thudding sounds were like the low notes of a bass guitar, disturbing the quiet in every other room. The rhythm, as if from a live performance, stabbed into the ears of all who lay awake, ensuring that no one would get any sleep.