Love Comes After Simulation

Chapter 42

【You left the symphony orchestra and, together with two like-minded students from the same school, formed a rock band, where you served as the guitarist and lead vocalist.】

【You were quite famous in the orchestra, so your departure and switch to the rock band caused a big stir. A group of people planned to make things difficult for you, but you received a tip-off from their girlfriends, avoided them, and got through the crisis safely.】

【After a brief period of adjustment with your band members, you used the contacts you had made from years of singing in bars to secure performances at various live houses. Initially, almost all the attendees were people you knew, but gradually, passersby began to be attracted by your music, and your popularity started to rise.】

【Unhappy with the slow progress, you realized that as students of Misaki Arts University, your skills were impeccable, but you lacked original songs that could set a trend.】

【You recalled the rock songs that were huge hits in your past life, filled in the fragments of lyrics and melodies from your memory, and wrote new songs.】

【Some of these songs didn’t become hits due to the different times, but most of them caused a huge sensation once performed. Your fan base grew larger, and many live houses invited you to perform.】

【Several talent agencies took notice of you and extended invitations, but you didn’t accept any, patiently waiting for the right opportunity.】

Minami Yuuki closed his eyes, his mind filled with many noisy images of their practice and performances.

The high-pitched sound of the guitar, the deep tone of the bass, the loudness of the drums, the bright practice room, the dim stage, the cheers of the audience – all these sounds and images flooded his brain. He felt the fatigue in his hands, the sweat on his forehead, and his intense focus.

【Chitose Kazumi often came to your performances. She wasn’t interested in the music, just in seeing you. You understood this and hinted multiple times that there was no future for the two of you. She seemed to understand, but she kept showing up anyway.】

【In May, a day before your daughter Miu’s first birthday, you found a desirable talent agency – 765 Productions. They contacted you through the school to arrange a meeting. Their offer was excellent, but their demands were also high.】

【Your two bandmates were tempted but also had some reservations. You encouraged them, and you signed an artist contract with the agency. You included a clause, prepared after consulting a well-known female lawyer, that would allow you to exit smoothly in a few years.】

【The agency secured many resources for you. You performed frequently, appeared on shows, and you brought out more classic songs. Your band quickly gained immense popularity and received even more resources.】

【As the band’s popularity soared, you started to worry. A few years later, you would leave the band to live in Yori Village. What would happen to your two bandmates then?】

【You had a good relationship with your two bandmates. You found an opportunity to hint that you would retire once you earned enough money. Your two bandmates respected your decision.】

【In the face of their understanding, you chose…】

【1. “Since they said they don’t mind, I shouldn’t mind either, right?”】

【2. “Actually, being a singer forever isn’t so bad. There are so many pretty girls lining up to date me, why not just enjoy it and change one every month?”】

【3. “We are friends; how can I be so heartless? Let’s cultivate a new lead vocalist.”】

【4. Free simulation】

This was an easy choice! Of course, it’s option three!

Minami Yuuki clicked option three.

【You submitted a request to the agency for a new lead vocalist, saying that it was too troublesome to handle both roles of guitarist and lead vocalist yourself.】

【By this time, in the third year of your official debut, your band was at the peak of its popularity. The agency was more than happy to oblige – even if they paired you with a pig, it would attract immense attention.】

【The agency selected a few artists who had already debuted for you to choose from, but you were dissatisfied with their mediocrity and rejected them all.】

【The agency then gave you a list of trainees. You observed their performances during artist classes and selected a male trainee your age, named Oda Yota. His name sounded familiar to you.】

The Minami Yuuki in the simulation couldn’t remember, but the real Minami Yuuki recalled it instantly.

Oda Yota was the boy who had ambushed him after school today and got beaten up. As one of the few blond-haired boys at school, Minami Yuuki remembered his name – claiming otherwise earlier was just a ruse.

Who would have thought that this guy would become a trainee after graduation, and at 765 Productions, no less?

【The only reason you chose him is because his style is very similar to yours. You’re sure that after training, he can replace you.】

Goodness, so he was chosen as a stand-in!

【You had long forgotten Oda Yota, but Oda Yota still remembered you. On the night of the welcome party, he revealed his identity and apologized for the past.】

【You comforted him, saying everyone is impulsive when they’re young, and it’s nothing to dwell on. He originally admired your character and talent, and now he thought you were a gentle person. Soon, his impression of you changed. You set up a nearly cruel training schedule for him and demanded the utmost rigor from him.】

【After six months of special training, you had Oda Yota participate in the band’s performance and let him be the lead singer for a song. The performance went smoothly, but Oda Yota faced public backlash. Your fans suspected he was a tool the agency was using to take your place.】

【You clarified the situation on social media, and the storm subsided. Oda Yota respected you even more.】

Reading the simulation text, Minami Yuuki scratched his head, puzzled as to why Oda Yota had so much screen time.

His confusion was soon resolved.

【You held a concert at Misaki Dome, the tickets sold out instantly, and the atmosphere was electrifying. Everything went smoothly. But as you were leaving, you were attacked.】

【The attacker was a middle-aged man wielding a kitchen knife. Taking advantage of the chaos, he managed to get close to you.】

【His target was you. A year ago, he divorced his wife, suspecting that she was bewitched and seduced by you.】

【To some extent, his belief wasn’t entirely wrong. His wife was your fan, and seeing that she was a renowned cardiologist, you intentionally approached her. After hearing her complaints about her overly controlling husband, you persuaded her to divorce him.】

【Your unintentional actions bore bitter fruit. The man who lost his wife sought revenge on you.】

【With fans surrounding you on all sides, you had nowhere to hide. Your luggage and instruments were with your assistant, so you had no weapon. In this critical moment, Oda Yota, who was beside you, used his guitar case to block the knife. As a result, he caught the attacker’s attention, and the attacker slashed his chest.】

【The bodyguards, now alerted, subdued the attacker. You rushed Oda Yota to the hospital. His injuries weren’t severe, and he would recover after a few months of rest. Your bond with him deepened.】

Minami Yuuki paused his reading, rubbed his forehead, and sighed in relief.

No wonder Oda Yota had so much screen time; he was a crucial figure in his life.

Without him, this attack might have cost Minami Yuuki his life or at least caused severe injury, likely ending the simulation there.

Thinking back, if he hadn’t chosen the third option earlier, Oda Yota wouldn’t have joined.

That option had a significant impact here.

Thankfully, he chose the third option.

Thankfully, Oda Yota was a brave, loyal person.

He stared at the ceiling in the dark for a while, thinking about the concept and possibility of being attacked.

He decided it was time to do another simulation to practice martial arts.

Stopping his thoughts, he continued reading.

【The attack quickly made the news, and fans who were dissatisfied with Oda Yota let go of their prejudices and accepted him as a member of the band.】

【Your parents and sister were worried about you, and you reassured them.】

【You stopped your activities for a while, waiting for Oda Yota to recover and rejoin the band before performing again.】

【In the year you decided to retire, your band had become the most popular national band.】

【You used the attack as an excuse, pulled some strings to get a diagnosis of severe depression, and officially announced your retirement, heading to the countryside to recuperate. The band’s popularity wavered briefly but eventually stabilized after a slight decline.】

【Relieved, you took the huge fortune you had amassed over your career and went to Iori Village in Yuhibi County, joining Asano Nao and Yumemi Miu.】

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