บท 57: Chapter 57: The Daughter is Indifferent, the Mother is Enthusiastic.
[Simulation Start]
[Remaining Simulations: 2]
[Target: Ibuki Yuko]
[Initial Relationship: Acquainted]
Lying on the bed, Minami Yuuki started the simulation.
[Five days have passed since you arrived in this world. You've become friends with Asano Nao, who now takes care of your meals; you've befriended Chitose Kazumi, alleviating the boredom of school life; and you've changed your classmates' impression of you, transitioning from a fringe person to a social butterfly.]
[You've set your sights on Ibuki Yuko, who lives in your apartment building.]
[The girl is a year older than you, yet she's a whole head shorter. Her exquisite appearance, emotionless face, and eccentric behavior surround her with an air of mystery, making her seem less human and more like a beautiful Japanese doll or a small fairy tale elf.]
[You want to put her in a display case, to place her by your bedside, and play dress-up games with her.]
"…"
That's not true!
I didn't think that!
Stop making stuff up!
Putting her in a display case and playing dress-up… does sound kind of nice?
Minami Yuuki thought of Ibuki Yuko's overly small, overly pale, and delicate face.
His reasons for protesting vanished, and he continued looking at the simulation interface.
[You added the girl sitting behind Ibuki Yuko to LINE and asked her for information about Ibuki Yuko. You didn't get much valuable information, only learning that Ibuki Yuko comes from a single-parent family, and her mother divorced her father a long time ago.]
[Chitose Kazumi and Ibuki Yuko went to the same middle school. Through a friend's introduction, you added one of Ibuki Yuko's middle school classmates on LINE.]
[When you inquired, the other person wasn't very enthusiastic and responded perfunctorily. When you changed your LINE profile picture to your own photo, the other person immediately became enthusiastic and told you everything she knew.]
[You learned something that piqued your interest: Ibuki Yuko's mother seems to be quite flirtatious, often changing men.]
[You also searched for clues among the school's faculty. You added the homeroom teacher of Class C on LINE, but she couldn't provide the information you wanted.]
[Your investigation reached a deadlock, so you decided to…]
[1. Continue investigating; 2. Start stalking; 3. Directly approach; 4. Free simulation]
Looking at the options, Minami Yuuki pondered.
There was too little known information for him to determine the most appropriate choice.
Well then, let's just choose one randomly.
Number 3 it is!
What could be more reliable than direct contact?
[You decide to approach Ibuki Yuko directly.]
[You go to the Asano household and borrow Asano Nao's study, watching the path Ibuki Yuko takes to school, and figure out her usual school-going time.]
[For the next few days, you stand by the elevator at this time, intercepting the elevator coming down from the eleventh floor to create a chance encounter. To avoid seeming too deliberate, you only meet her twice every three days.]
[Unlike Asano Nao, Ibuki Yuko doesn't have an initial liking for you and shows indifference to your beauty. You prepare yourself for a long-term battle.]
[As you anticipated, every time you meet, Ibuki Yuko is polite but not close. Two weeks pass, and despite walking to school together many times and discussing various topics, your relationship shows no progress. You aren't any closer.]
[You start adding encounters on the way home from school. However, your aggressive approach fails to melt the ice surrounding Ibuki Yuko.]
[In June, you decide to change your strategy.]
[You approach Ibuki Yuko's mother, Ibuki Honoka. You arrange a chance encounter with her when she returns to the apartment at night. Thanks to your looks and charm, Ibuki Honoka quickly becomes friends with you.]
Looking at the simulation text, Minami Yuuki nodded in satisfaction.
As expected of me!
If the daughter can't be won over, then go after her mom and launch a flanking maneuver!
[In your interactions with Ibuki Honoka, you notice that she has a certain level of affection for all handsome men, including you.]
[You recall a rumor you heard earlier, which said that Ibuki Honoka is particularly flirtatious. Indeed, this woman is very flirtatious, but not out of a desire for physical pleasure. Rather, she likes every good-looking man. She has the ability to find the cute aspects of almost all men and the capacity to tolerate almost all their flaws. She is a natural flirt.]
[You maintain your boundaries and remain just friends with Ibuki Honoka, not developing a deeper relationship with her.]
[After drinking twice at an izakaya with Ibuki Honoka, you feel that your relationship has reached the right point, and you bring up Ibuki Yuko. Ibuki Honoka often talks about her daughter, so your words don't raise any suspicion.]
A short memory scene appears.
The lighting in the izakaya is warm-toned. Many men are sitting at the bar near the entrance, mostly drinking and making noise.
Minami Yuuki and Ibuki Honoka are sitting in a booth inside the izakaya. The booth has wooden partitions on both sides, forming a small private space.
On the table, there are snacks like fries and green beans. Minami Yuuki is holding a juice, and Ibuki Honoka has a beer.
"How are Yuko-senpai's grades?" Minami Yuuki asks while using chopsticks to remove bones from a grilled fish.
"Quite good, it seems. During the sports festival, a teacher told me that she could aim for a well-known university," Ibuki Honoka says, downing a large glass of beer and lying on the table, staring at the boy's face.
Unlike any man she has met before, this boy, whose every move radiates youthful beauty, doesn't need any emotional embellishments. Just seeing the beauty of his youthful body is enough to make her feel elated and lose track of time.
To make a comparison, it's like doujinshi (fan-made works), where most manga works need to add accessories like animal ears, black stockings, or settings like siblings or childhood friends to capture the interest of seasoned readers. But a very small number of exceptionally well-drawn works can make veteran readers' hearts race just by seeing the characters themselves, causing them to lose weight over time.
The boy in front of her would be at the top even among those exceptional works.
When drinking with other men, Ibuki Honoka always needs to interact with them, pulling and laughing to find enjoyment. But with this boy in front of her, just quietly watching him is enough to bring her joy.
"That's great. I wish I had a smart brain too," Minami Yuuki complains. "The finals are coming up, and if I fail, my family might make me go back to school."
"Grades are just the struggles of those who are lacking in other areas. Yuuki-kun, you don't need those to succeed," Ibuki Honoka reassures him. "But family expectations can be a hassle. If there were a brain-swapping surgery, I'd sign off immediately and give you Yuko's brain."
"That's too scary. I just want to get through the finals."
"By the way, you're a first-year, right? Yuko is already a second-year. Why not have her tutor you?"
"Is that okay? Wouldn't Yuko-senpai mind?"
"Don't worry, Yuko listens to her mother!"
"Then I'll leave it to you, Honoka-san!"
Seeing Ibuki Honoka patting her chest and making a promise, Minami Yuuki smiles.
The plan is successful!
Now he can approach Ibuki Yuko by visiting her home!
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