Love Comes After Simulation

Chapter 117

【After exiting the subway station, you transferred to a bus and, after another fifteen minutes, arrived at Azuki Mountain.】

【It was nearing noon, and Nakajima Reina was worried that the nurse delivering the meals might notice her absence, but once they entered the forest, her anxiety was quickly soothed by the rustling of the lush green trees.】

【After the heavy rain, the scent of the earth and trees mixed in the wind, fresh but somewhat pungent—a smell only found in the mountains. Water droplets clung to the leaves and pooled in depressions, sparkling in the gentle sunlight.】

【As you walked along the trail, a woodpecker tapped away on a tree trunk behind you, while two grayish-white birds fluttered and played among the treetops ahead.】

【Nakajima Reina was captivated by this new world. For forty minutes, she said nothing, her eyes moving from the treetops to the tree trunks, then to the leaf-strewn ground. Even the dust on the trail, the floating leaves in the puddles, and the few stones by the roadside fascinated her.】

【The relatively gentle trail only reaches two-thirds up the mountain. Beyond that are long staircases.】

【You left the wheelchair by a small, unattended shop at the bottom of the stairs and continued up, holding Nakajima Reina’s hand.】

【After thirty steps, the girl’s breathing grew rapid.】

A memory scene appears.

Azuki Mountain is not a popular attraction and is only somewhat well-known in the hiking circles of Misaki City.

Hikers usually take the forest trails and avoid the regular stairs, so the less-traveled stairs are quite narrow, only wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

The sun had risen high, and the effects of the rain were fading, with the sunlight growing more intense.

Minami Yuuki tightly held Nakajima Reina’s hand, feeling her palm becoming slightly sweaty. He heard her light breaths.

“Are you tired?” he asked.

“No,” Nakajima Reina shook her head.

She looked up, the narrow stairs appearing intermittently between the trees on either side, stretching endlessly and seemingly leading up to the azure sky.

“Your out-of-breath appearance is hardly convincing,” he said.

“I can walk a bit more,” she replied.

“Are you sure you can make it?”

Nakajima Reina fell silent.

Amid her shallow sadness, the boy released her hand and squatted in front of her.

“Come on,” he said.

“No need...”

“Put on your jacket; it’s cool at the summit,” Minami Yuuki offered his jacket.

Nakajima Reina was about to reach for it but suddenly had a whimsical thought. She raised her arms and looked at the boy.

Minami Yuuki quickly understood her hint and teased, “You even need help putting on a jacket? Princess Reina, you really haven’t grown up!”

The girl blushed slightly and began to lower her arms, but Minami Yuuki had already grabbed her wrists.

He helped her into the jacket, his strong arms wrapping around her waist as he pulled the jacket’s hem down and slowly zipped it up.

The coarse jacket snugly covered her upper body.

The sun was directly overhead, and the temperature hadn’t yet risen, but the sunlight was particularly intense.

The summit platform was deserted; tourists avoided it at noon during the summer, and hikers were reluctant to climb through the damp forest after yesterday’s heavy rain.

On the mountain, there were only Minami Yuuki and Nakajima Reina.

They had lunch in the nearby pavilion—a variety of small snacks. They walked around the platform and then sat quietly in the pavilion.

As the sun gradually shifted, Nakajima Reina first gazed at the shrinking city and then at the orange-yellow sunset drawing closer to the horizon.

The two stood at the edge of the platform, hands resting on the iron railing, shoulders touching as they gazed together at the fading twilight.

The sun had completely dipped below the horizon, turning the blue sky into an inky black. The bright moon cast a hazy light, and the city lights began to shine. The vast buildings’ shadows sparkled with countless lights, coming together to form a brilliant galaxy of stars.

The boy’s face was partially obscured by moonlight. His eyes, like stars, slowly drew closer to her, and her gaze fixed on his slightly reddened lips. A fragment of a chocolate pocky suddenly flashed in her mind.

She took a step back, avoiding his approaching lips, turning her face away as she recalled a boy from spring days long past, using those memories to resist the summer boy’s advances.

“By the way, I haven’t introduced myself to you, have I?”

The boy’s light-hearted voice echoed through the forest: “I’m Minami Yuuki.”

Nakajima Reina was stunned by the familiar name.

The boy who had accompanied her in the spring now merged with the summer boy before her, and she found herself without the strength to resist.

Minami Yuuki kissed her lips.

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