My Love Simulation with Them

"Huh...? Your boyfriend...?"

Dr. Yamigishi's expression twitched.

"Is something wrong?"

Chisato puffed out her chest.

Minami wasn't here—

So she had every right to be bold!

"No, it's just..."

Dr. Yamigishi gave her a strange look.

Then, after a moment's hesitation—

She sighed.

"If you're referring to Mr. Minami..."

"Before you woke up, he specifically told me—"

"He's NOT your boyfriend."

"Just a friend."

"W-What—?!"

Chisato's jaw dropped.

She couldn't believe it—

Minami had somehow predicted this exact situation—

And went out of his way to reject her before she even said anything?!

She gritted her teeth.

That man...

That damn man...

That absolutely maddening, impossible, unbelievable—

"He knows me TOO WELL!!!"

Her frustration vanished—

Her eyes lighting up with pure excitement.

Chisato's long, toned legs swung up—

And in a fluid, cat-like motion,

She leaped off the bed.

Her gaze darted around the room.

Looking left and right—

Searching for any sign of Minami.

Because now she was sure—

She absolutely needed to date this guy.

She trusted her instincts.

And her instincts screamed—

Dating Minami Shouji would be the most fun she'd ever have.

Then—

She suddenly noticed something strange.

Her body—

Her movements—

Her breathing—

It all felt...

Different.

Her chronic exhaustion?

Gone.

Her constant heaviness?

Gone.

For the first time in her life—

Chisato felt completely new.

She was reborn.

For the first time in her life—

Chisato Nishikigi felt truly free.

Her body—

Which once felt so heavy and burdensome—

Was now light as air.

Her shortness of breath—

Completely gone.

A limitless energy surged from the depths of her being.

"Nishikigi-san, we've triple-checked everything."

"Your body is now completely normal—no different from any healthy person."

Dr. Yamigishi stated matter-of-factly—

Her voice barely containing her excitement.

Then, after a deep breath—

She continued—

"A case of congenital heart disease healing after 17 years...?"

"This might be the first recorded case in the entire world."

"Did you take any special medication?"

"How was your diet and sleep recently?"

"Do you have any recollection of how this miraculous recovery happened?"

One question after another poured out—

And Chisato's mind instantly flashed back to—

That single capsule.

The one Minami gave her.

She almost blurted it out—

But quickly regained her composure.

She shook her head.

"No, I don't remember anything."

After all—

Minami didn't tell the doctor about the blue capsule himself.

Which meant—

He didn't want anyone to know.

Chisato Nishikigi wasn't an idiot.

She understood immediately.

And so—

She chose to protect his secret.

"I see..."

Dr. Yamigishi sighed in disappointment.

If she could figure out how Chisato's body recovered—

If she could document it, publish a paper, present findings—

It would shake the entire medical world.

After all—

Congenital heart disease was one of the world's greatest unsolved medical challenges.

So naturally—

Dr. Yamigishi wasn't ready to give up.

"If you're willing, you could stay under hospital observation for a while."

"Of course, we wouldn't charge you anything—"

"But we'd like to conduct further studies on your body's recovery process."

"Eh...? No thanks."

Chisato politely declined.

She knew—

No matter how much testing they did—

The real reason for her recovery was Minami's capsule.

"It really won't take up much of your time, Nishikigi-san—"

Dr. Yamigishi tried to persuade her again.

But honestly—

Chisato didn't care about all that.

She was thinking about something else entirely.

"When can I see Minami again...?"

At this point—

Minami Shouji had become a complete mystery to her.

He played guitar.

He had strange psychic abilities.

And now—

He pulled out a miracle drug that saved her life.

Who was he?

What else was he hiding?

As she absentmindedly responded to Dr. Yamigishi's questions—

She was already crafting a plan.

And finally—

When she stepped out of the hospital—

She came up with a perfect strategy.

"I should just stalk him!"

Yes!

The fastest and most efficient way to learn about someone—

Was tailing them!

"Minami won't tell me where he lives?"

"Fine! I'll just find out myself!"

She clenched her fist.

"Step 1—get him to meet me using Mizuki-nee's phone!"

"Step 2—follow him home and find his address!"

"Step 3—cling onto him so tightly that he can't shake me off!"

"And if that doesn't work—there are other ways!"

"No matter what, I'll make sure he can never escape from me!"

She nodded to herself.

Her plan was flawless.

Minami would never expect it.

He would never see it coming.

Feeling confident—

She pushed open the wooden doors of "Riko-Riko" Café.

Muttering to herself as she walked in—

"First, I need to lure Minami out..."

"That's the only way I can set this all up..."

"Hmm... this plan is perfect. I just have to make sure he never finds out..."

Her grin widened.

She could already see the light of victory.

And then—

"Find out what?"

"Huh—?!"

Chisato froze.

Her golden eyes snapped toward—

Minami Shouji.

Sitting at the bar counter.

Looking directly at her.

Her mind went completely blank.

"W-Why are you here?!"

"And why—why did you have to hear THAT part?!"

Her mouth fell open.

Her pretty lips twitched.

Her face twisted into an expression of pure, unfiltered disbelief.

Why—

Why was Minami here of all places?!

Why at this exact moment?!

This was supposed to be her secret mission!

And now—

He caught her before it even started?!

Her brain crashed.

Her words failed her.

But—

Despite her shock—

Chisato still looked adorable.

Her slightly parted lips.

Her dazed expression.

Her tiny muscle twitches as she processed what just happened.

She looked like a cute, confused puppy.

Minami watched her in silence.

Then—

He lifted his hand.

And gently closed her open mouth.

After that—

He calmly asked—

"Nishikigi-san, what were you just saying?"

"Uhhh...?"

For a split second—

Chisato's brain shut down.

And then—

She snapped back to life.

Her eyes sparkled.

"YES! PERFECT!"

She found her chance!

For a brief moment—

Chisato Nishikigi thought she was safe.

Her internal monologue—

Had been so quiet—

That there was no way Minami had heard it.

Which meant—

Her carefully planned stalking mission was still intact!

"That means... I still have a chance!"

The golden-haired girl immediately snapped back into her usual, flawless, cheerful mode.

She shook her head confidently—

And flashed her signature bright smile.

"I didn't say anything!"

"Geez, Minami-kun, you just scared me, that's all!"

Her expression? Perfectly natural.

Her tone? Completely smooth.

Her eye contact? Not a single flaw.

She could swear on her life—

That Minami would never see through her act.

There was no way he could suspect her.

As she watched him closely—

Minami slowly lifted his gaze and spoke.

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Y-Yeah! Yeah!"

Chisato nodded enthusiastically—

Even adding a little playful pout.

"Seriously, Minami-kun, you must've misheard!"

"I was just thinking about what to drink tonight!"

She kept up the act—

Until—

"Then explain this—"

Minami calmly recited—

Word for word—

"'Step one: lure Minami out. Only then can I make my move... Hmm... This plan is crucial. He absolutely must not find out...'"

...

For a brief second—

Her brain just shut down.

Like a cat caught by the scruff of its neck.

Like a Saiyan getting their tail grabbed.

Like a deer caught in headlights.

Chisato Nishikigi—

Who just moments ago stood with her hands confidently on her hips—

Now froze.

Her forehead—

Started sweating.

"H-He heard that?!"

"He— He heard EVERYTHING?!"

But—

She refused to surrender.

"U-Uh..."

She averted her gaze.

Casually—

Nonchalantly—

As if nothing had happened.

"Ahaha... I don't know who said that, but... it definitely wasn't me!"

To sell the lie further—

She whistled.

Or at least—

She tried to.

But all that came out was a pathetic "whoosh whoosh whoosh" sound.

...

Minami stared at her.

Expressionless.

Silent.

If Gotoh Hitori's problem was having skin too thin—

Then Chisato Nishikigi's problem was having skin too thick.

"I literally just quoted you word for word, and you're still denying it?"

At this point—

Any other girl would have at least been a little embarrassed.

But Chisato...

Chisato Nishikigi—

Was built different.

Instead of panicking further—

She secretly observed Minami's reaction.

And when she saw that he wasn't pressing the issue—

Her confidence returned.

"Hah! So what if he overheard a little?"

"At least he doesn't know the most important part—THE STALKING!"

She made a quick decision.

"No need to delay—I'll tail him today."

"Today, I'll find out where he lives!"

"Once I have his address—"

"Everything else will fall into place!"

Out of Minami's view—

Her lips curled into a mischievous grin.

Her action plan was set.

She would strike while the iron was hot.

Victory was within reach.

And then—

"Nishikigi -san, you're not thinking about tailing me, are you?"

"COUGH COUGH COUGH—!!!"

Chisato choked on air.

Her eyes widened in pure shock.

She snapped her head toward him—

And stared.

How?!

How did he figure it out?!

She hadn't even done anything yet!

"W-Wait... did he read my mind?!"

"Did he somehow SEE the plan I made in my head?!"

What kind of cheat ability was this?!

As she struggled to comprehend—

Minami shook his head.

"Did I guess correctly, Nishikigi-san?"

"Uhh..."

Chisato couldn't even argue.

Because—

There was nothing more painful than getting caught before the mission even started.

But—

She wasn't about to give up that easily.

"Think, Chisato, THINK—!"

Chisato Nishikigi's big, round eyes shifted slightly.

And just like that—

She felt way better.

After all—

Minami Shouji was going to be her boyfriend in the future.

If he was this smart—

Then wasn't that just great for her?

So, without hesitation—

She planted her hands on her hips—

And confidently declared:

"That's right! Minami-kun, you got it exactly right!"

"I'm TOTALLY going to stalk you!"

"And let me tell you—there's NOTHING you can do to stop me!"

"I'm gonna dig up ALL your personal info!"

...

Minami blinked slowly.

And just stared at her.

To be fair—

He had already expected this.

But—

Even with that expectation—

He still found himself speechless.

"She's a SOCIAL TERRORIST."

Who the hell—

Tells their stalking target—

"I AM GOING TO STALK YOU."

"Like, OUT LOUD."

"You do realize stalking is illegal, right, Nishikigi -san?"

Minami raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I know."

"And you also know that following a healthy young man around is something a respectable young lady shouldn't be doing, right?"

"Yeah, I know that too."

"Then… can you NOT stalk me?"

"Nope."

Chisato Nishikigi—

Vigorously shook her head.

"..."

Minami sighed.

Clearly, logic wasn't going to work here.

"Fine. You don't need to stalk me."

"If there's something you want to know—just ask me directly."

"As long as it's not too personal, I'll answer."

"Eh?!"

"Really?!"

"Of course. I'd rather you ask me straight up—"

"Than have a girl wandering around at night, doing something as reckless as tailing a guy."

Despite Tokyo being relatively safe—

That didn't mean it was completely crime-free.

Especially at night—

Where drunkards and vagrants roamed.

Minami, as a guy, could manage.

But Chisato—

A cute girl like her—

Was practically a walking magnet for trouble.

Chisato blinked.

She immediately caught the meaning behind his words.

Then—

She grinned mischievously.

"Minami-kun…"

"Are you worried about me~?"

"You can interpret it that way."

Minami answered calmly.

Now that he thought about it—

The only person who knew his home address in Tokyo was Yamada Ryo.

But—

In the grand scheme of things—

That was a trivial matter.

What mattered more was—

The real reason he had come to Riko-Riko.

Without hesitation—

He held out his hand.

"Hmm?"

Chisato tilted her head.

Curious.

"What's this?"

"What do you think?"

"Your taxi fare to the hospital was 18,000 yen."

"Since you're fine now—"

"Riko-Riko should pay me back."

"EH—?!"

Chisato dragged out the syllable.

She had totally not expected this.

Minami hadn't stayed at Riko-Riko to wait for her.

Or for any sentimental reason.

No.

He was literally just here—

To collect his 18,000 yen.

"This guy…"

She was genuinely confused.

This was the same guy—

Who had given her a miracle cure for free.

Now—

He was hassling her over a mere 18,000 yen?!

The contrast was insane.

Was he generous—

Or was he cheap?!