After receiving Manager Mika's approval, Minami spent most of the next few days practically living at LycoReco.
During this time,
he extended invitations to Chisato Nishikigi, Takina Inoue, and Satou Matsuzaka,
asking if they would like to come with him to visit his hometown in Akita Prefecture.
Chisato was as straightforward as ever.
The moment she heard Minami's invitation,
she didn't even bother listening to the rest—
she eagerly raised her hand, saying she absolutely wanted to go.
This overly cheerful girl gave Minami the distinct feeling that if he really wanted to, he could probably trick her a hundred times over without her noticing.
Once Chisato agreed,
Takina really had no room to refuse either—
so she also agreed to go to Akita.
Originally, Takina had planned to stay behind at LycoReco for winter break.
After all, business at the café had been booming lately, and winter break meant many young couples would drop by for dates, giving the café a steady stream of customers.
Since LycoReco was entering a critical growth phase, as the acting sous-chef,
it made the most sense for Takina to stay and help.
However, once Manager Mika heard about it, he didn't say much.
He simply lifted his eyes slightly and told her to go with Minami.
The reason was simple:
LycoReco was planning an expansion, they were preparing to acquire the shop next door,
which would lead to a lengthy period of renovation downtime.
During that break,
there wouldn't be much for Takina to do anyway.
Once Takina learned this,
the diligent black-haired girl no longer hesitated and accepted Minami's invitation.
As for Matsuzaka Satou:
Her initial answer was simple and straightforward:
No.
Her reason was even more practical:
No money.
And really, that was only natural.
After Matsuzaka Sayuri had decisively severed ties with all those shady men she once associated with, the financial situation at the Matsuzaka household had become far less secure.
If things kept going this way, Satou's future would mirror the simulation exactly:
even affording university would become an immense struggle.
Even a public school like Shuka High wasn't exactly cheap.
To avoid falling into that financial pit, Satou had decided to start working at LycoReco.
As a result, she hadn't even worked for two days yet, and now she was being asked to spend money on a trip. That was clearly something she couldn't accept.
So, even though she really wanted to go with Minami and the others to Akita Prefecture,
her financial difficulties tied her hands, leaving her completely helpless.
She wanted to go, but she couldn't.
At first, her stance was firm.
But girls like her, at their core, were like ice—
if you got a little closer, warmed them up with patience and kindness, they would naturally melt into soft water around your fingertips.
Minami's method was precisely that:
persistent persuasion, appealing both emotionally and logically.
Eventually, even Matsuzaka Sayuri, Satou's aunt,
brought out her own savings and joined in the persuasion.
With both Minami and Matsuzaka Sayuri, the two people she cared about most in the world persuading her together, the stubborn Satou finally softened.
Of course, Matsuzaka Sayuri didn't tell Satou that the money she offered was actually given to her by Minami.
After all, Minami had saved up a modest amount from his part-time work as a sous-chef at LycoReco over the past six months.
Covering Satou's travel expenses and accommodations for the trip
was well within his means.
Thus, the matter of inviting Chisato, Takina, and Satou from LycoReco was settled for now.
Putting that solved problem aside...
Another brand-new issue popped up in front of Minami:
"I've collected all the 'Hearts of Love,' so why is there still no effect?"
At the moment, in Minami's room:
Preparing to catch the train to Akita tomorrow,
he had already packed his clothes, phone charger, wallet, and most of his luggage neatly into a suitcase.
After checking several times to confirm he hadn't forgotten anything,
he couldn't help but look up at the simulation interface above him,
and let out a baffled sigh.
Yes—
baffled.
In the simulation's inventory,
all nine Hearts of Love were collected.
Chisato's "Future" symbolized the life Minami had saved.
Takina's "Tranquility" symbolized her quiet, noble nature.
Satou's "Purity" symbolized her lifelong pursuit of pure, untainted love.
These three new hearts had joined the six he had already collected,
all glowing faintly on the inventory page.
But aside from the glow, nothing happened.
It felt as though collecting the Hearts of Love had been completely meaningless.
Even after gathering all nine hearts from his simulation targets,
no special effects triggered.
"What the hell is going on...?"
Minami rubbed his chin, puzzled.
Originally, he had expected that once he collected all the Hearts, something dramatic would happen.
That's why he had taken a gradual, step-by-step approach, not rushing through the collection.
Yet to his surprise, other than the status changing from "Collecting" to "Collection Complete," there was no event, no effect, nothing.
It gave him a serious case of "big buildup, small payoff."
Frowning, Minami poked at the simulation interface.
If nothing had happened, it would have been fine.
He just worried that some bizarre complication would arise later,
which would be much more annoying.
And sure enough, as if responding to Minami's fears,
or perhaps triggered by his tap—the originally still interface rippled slightly.
In the ripples, he saw a new message pop up:
"System has detected full collection of 'Hearts of Love.'"
"Effect activation requires the presence of heart holders. Please try again later."
"...Huh?"
Reading the suspended text,
Minami's finger froze midair.
Heart holders must be present?
He mulled over the wording.
After a moment, he withdrew his hand, coming to a conclusion:
If he understood correctly, to activate the Hearts of Love, the girls who held them—like Hitori and the others, had to be present.
Otherwise, it wouldn't work.
Minami shook his head in exasperation.
He couldn't help but think his simulator device was way too inflexible.
Really, couldn't it just activate the hearts immediately upon collection?
Why wait until all nine were gathered and then delay further?
Resigned, he smacked the simulation interface hard enough to make it ripple again.
Satisfied, he withdrew his hand.
Forget it.
There was no point arguing with the simulator.
Minami had long known this thing was pretty unreliable.
And besides, he had already made it through the hardest 99 steps—
only one more step remained.
Naturally, he would find a way to finish it.
Tomorrow, after all, he and the girls were setting off for Akita.
He would figure out whatever nonsense the simulator had planned then.
With that thought, he turned his head to glance at his packed suitcase.
Since there was still time,
he stood up, stretched,
and continued double-checking his luggage.
...
The next morning:
Minami woke up from his dreams.
After unplugging his charging phone, he glanced at the time, ate a simple breakfast, then dragged his suitcase down from his apartment to the Starry venue below.
"Ah... Minami, you're down," wearing a knitted cap, with her long blonde hair tucked neatly into a dark gray jacket, a scarf wrapped around her neck, hands gloved, her entire body bundled up tightly in layers of winter clothing, looking like a penguin escaping from Antarctica—Ijichi Seika greeted Minami.
Next to her stood PA-san, equally bundled up, and Hiroi Kukuri, who, despite it being the dead of winter, wore incredibly thin clothing,
as if she wasn't afraid of freezing to death.
The contrast in their outfits was absolutely ridiculous.
Especially between Kukuri and Seika, one seemed terrified of freezing, the other seemed terrified she wouldn't.
The only one who looked relatively normal was Ijichi Nijika,
wearing a simple beret, with her hair tied into a side ponytail,
looking at Minami with an embarrassed but helpless expression.
"Nee-chan... why are you dressed like that? It's not like we're going to the Arctic."
"It's just basic winter protection. Oh, by the way, Nijika, you should dress warmer too.
I heard it's already snowing and freezing all along the Akita railway line—temperatures are super low."
Seika didn't even bother taking her hands out of her pockets as she said this,
casually advising Nijika to join their 'penguin army.'
But honestly, the getup was so exaggerated it looked extremely hard to move in.
Nijika took one look at it and immediately rejected the idea without hesitation.
"Haha... it's really not that bad, Nee-san, PA-san, look at me, I'm totally fine—"
ACHOO!!
Standing nearby with only a scarf and gloves, Hiroi Kukuri tried to show off her superhuman toughness, even flexing her biceps in a pose.
But just as she raised her arm halfway,
a huge sneeze exploded out of her,
causing her whole body to shudder violently from the cold.
And the funniest part,
even after that...
This girl was still stubbornly pretending to be fine, forcing a mature and pretty smile onto her face:
"See? N-no problem at all. It's just... a few sneezes, that's all."
"...I suggest you put on a few more layers before we head out."
Minami looked at Hiroi Kukuri, dressed like a so-called "child of the wind," acting as if she weren't afraid of the freezing cold at all.
Still, he felt the need to remind her:
"I remember you have several jackets, right?"
"Uh—"
Kukuri scratched her head awkwardly and explained the situation.
"They're gone. Probably because I haven't been drinking much lately, my brain wasn't working right...
I accidentally threw all my unwashed winter clothes into a laundromat... and they're still not dry yet—Achoo! Ahahaha..."
"..."
Minami was genuinely baffled how someone like her managed to survive this long.
'Not drinking lately,' huh?
He thought to himself, if she drank like she used to, she might've thrown herself into the washing machine.
With a helpless sigh, Minami turned around, opened his suitcase, and pulled out a spare coat to hand to Kukuri.
It wasn't really because he was worried about her being cold.
He was more concerned she might freeze to death before they even reached the station, disrupting their whole schedule.
At the same time, as he lent her the coat, he made it very clear this was just a loan, she would have to return it afterward.
Hiroi Kukuri slapped her chest proudly:
"Don't worry, Minami-kun! I'll take good care of it! Absolutely no accidents! Come on, don't you trust me, Hiroi Kukuri?!"
"..."
Minami stared deeply at her.
He really wanted to tell her:
It's because it's you that I don't trust.
But whatever.
It was just a jacket.
Minami shook his head and turned to Ijichi Nijika:
"Where's Ryo, Hitori, and Ikuyo?"
Minami had arranged three gathering points for today's trip.
The first one was at his place, Nijika's home.
Particularly close to his home Ryo's home and Kita Ikuyo,
and Gotoh Hitori also lived fairly close.
Thus, it made sense to use Starry as the starting point.
There were still about ten minutes left until their first meeting time.
Hitori and Ikuyo had already called to say they were waiting at Shimokitazawa Station.
That left only Ryo, who was supposed to come to Starry.
But...
even though it was almost time, there was still no sign of Yamada Ryo.
Could it be... that even after setting up a meeting, Ryo overslept?
Even Kukuri, who was basically half-drunk most of the time, managed to show up on time.
No way Yamada Ryo would be that unreliable... right?
Thinking this,
Minami took out his phone and dialed Ryo's number.
And then—
"The number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later..."
Minami hung up expressionlessly.
At that moment, he was pretty sure:
Yamada Ryo really is... not particularly reliable.