I have a life simulator.

"If the Empress were to be removed from... if Sakayanagi..."

Kitagawa Ryo gave his instructions methodically, and Shiina Hiyori quickly put on her headphones, seemingly to avoid revealing the next step.

His voice vanished instantly from the room.

Sakayanagi Arisu watched as Shiina Hiyori moved a piece, and she smiled as she waited for her next move.

His voice was right next to her ear.

Chapter 57: This time it's your turn to help him

"Thanks for your hard work."

Kitagawa Ryo switched places with Ishizaki Daichi in the group, while on the other side, Ryuen Sho nodded to Shiina Hiyori and stepped out of the group.

"But there are just too many people."

Ishizaki Daichi wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced at the line ahead; there were probably five or six couples left.

You should know that after Kitagawa Ryo asked him to help with the queue, Ishizaki Daichi immediately called Ryuen Sho. Ryuen was initially a little reluctant to go out in this hot weather, but when he heard that it was to help Kitagawa Ryo and Shiina Hiyori reserve a spot, he agreed.

"It feels like there are almost a hundred people here."

Ryuen Sho also glanced around at the students queuing up. You should know that there are only a little over 400 students in the entire Tokyo Advanced Educational High School. It was a rare sight to see so many people queuing up in front of this small fortune-telling shop during the past semester of school life.

Since it was a change of seats rather than cutting in line, the surrounding students naturally didn't pay attention. Occasionally, someone recognized Kitagawa Ryo from Class 1-C, which attracted the attention of some upperclassmen. Their attention naturally shifted to Shiina Hiyori, who was holding hands with Kitagawa Ryo.

Unlike her usual peaceful demeanor, Shiina Hiyori now often unconsciously reveals a smile and occasionally whispers a few words in Kitagawa Ryo's ear, making some single students who came specifically to see her, only to find that she only accepts fortune telling in pairs, feel envious.

For example, there's Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who suddenly arrives and hesitates at the door.

"Good morning."

Seemingly noticing that the students from Class C had seen him, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji made no attempt to hide and walked up to them to greet them.

As his gaze swept over Kitagawa Ryo and Shiina Hiyori's clasped hands, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka felt a pang of doubt, but outwardly remained calm and asked:

Are you two here for a fortune telling session?

"Of course, what about you, Ayanokouji?"

Kitagawa Ryo pretended to look around:

Where are your companions?

He then kindly reminded him:

"The divination services here are only available to groups of two."

"I didn't notice it at first, but I heard that the fortune telling here is very accurate, so I thought I'd come and take a look."

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji also responded that he had actually come here to scout the location yesterday at Karuizawa Megumi's request. Logically speaking, Karuizawa Megumi and Kitagawa Ryo should be standing here now, but the situation seems to have changed subtly.

Based on his current observations, Kitagawa Ryo and Shiina Hiyori seem more like a couple.

However, he already knew about the rumors and gossip between the two, and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had also personally witnessed Shiina Hiyori's affection for Kitagawa Ryo.

Therefore, this is a reasonable situation.

After assessing the situation, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka planned to leave quickly, but unexpectedly, Kitagawa Ryo called him back:

"Since we're already here, Ayanokouji-san, let's do a fortune telling together."

"Huh? But I don't have any companions."

"It's alright, let Long Yuan accompany you. He happens to be quite interested in this as well."

He gave Ryuuen Sho a wink, and Ryuuen Sho smiled warmly and put his arm around Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's shoulder.

"Yes, together, right? Ayanokouji from Class D, you did really well in the last Werewolf game?"

"I've only had some experience with it before, but I wasn't very good at it."

"No, no, you single-handedly decided the entire situation..."

Watching Ryuen Sho lead Ayanokoji Kiyotaka to the back of the line, and Ishizaki Daichi, who had already noticed something amiss and left the scene early, Kitagawa Ryo finally breathed a sigh of relief:

"Let these two torment each other. Anyway, Ryuen is quite interested in Ayanokouji, and he'll probably enjoy this opportunity to gather information."

"Pfft, I think Liang doesn't want Longyuan to be a third wheel following us around?"

Shiina Hiyori chuckled and whispered in Kitagawa Ryo's ear.

She simply couldn't bring herself to say such things in public, but whispering in someone's ear was far more likely to capture their heart.

The luckiest thing in the world is when the person you like also likes you.

Especially a long-term unrequited love.

The shyness and timidity of unrequited love are hard for those who haven't experienced it to understand. It's like going in but not being able to find an exit, and only being passively ended, like a tender bud that sprouts and blossoms but dares not dream of bearing fruit.

That's why Hiyori Shiina readily agreed when Ryo Kitagawa proposed dating her.

The two of them simply went through a pre-prepared symbolic procedure, because people would believe it no matter when the news was announced.

"I have imagined many times the scene when Ryo confesses to me. Maybe it is a moonlit walk for the two of us in college, maybe it is a grand fireworks display in the night sky, or maybe it is under a sky full of stars."

Hiyori Shiina has read many books, but that doesn't stop her from yearning for love as a young girl.

"But in the end, it's really just a simple sentence."

Will Hiyori be disappointed? Should I redo it?

Kitagawa Ryo was well aware of the girl's fantasies. In fact, he was just making up for his lack of a confession at the worst possible time.

As his mind gradually calmed down, he realized that he was just abusing the girl's feelings for him.

He actually had many more romantic opportunities to confess his love, whether on the stage of a theater or on a deck with the sea breeze blowing.

"No need."

Shiina Hiyori interrupted Kitagawa Ryo's reverie with her words.

For her, the two had performed many self-written and self-directed plays on stage, and had uttered many love lines to each other, such as "We will never be apart." However, none of these flowery words could compare to Kitagawa Ryo's sudden remark that night:

Should we try... dating?

Seeing that Shiina Hiyori didn't care, Kitagawa Ryo nodded in agreement, but in his heart he was planning how to hold a grand confession ceremony.

Thinking back, I realized that I had considered using fireworks to form words to express my feelings during the second simulation, but the confession I had been planning never came to fruition until the simulation ended.

Calculating the remaining personal points he had, Kitagawa Ryo decided to take advantage of the few days left in the summer vacation to think things through carefully.

"arrive."

As Hiyori Shiina looked at the room getting closer and closer, she noticed that, seemingly to create an atmosphere, the fortune-telling shop had used a purple curtain with long tassels swaying in the breeze.

As Kitagawa Ryo stepped forward and gently lifted the left half of the curtain to go inside, Shiina Hiyori slightly stopped him. She then lifted the right half of the curtain symmetrically before gesturing for the two of them to go inside together.

I always felt that Hiyori was particularly attentive to these strange little details.

But it's also quite cute.

As the two entered the room together, their vision was suddenly plunged into darkness. The room was dimly lit, with decorative candles and lamps and unidentified animal skulls hanging on the walls. The crystal ball in the center shone brightly in the light. The old woman wearing a black hood fit the common image of a witch. She gestured for Kitagawa Ryo and Shiina Hiyori to sit down.

After the two were seated on a pair of backless round chairs, the fortune teller smiled kindly and began to peruse an antique book in front of her, slowly pulling out a copy—

Fee schedule.

Along with the fee list, a small card reader was also taken out.

Kitagawa Ryo sighed as he took the price list, having transformed from a witch into a businessman in an instant, and in doing so, completely ruined the atmosphere he had painstakingly created.

If Shiina Hiyori hadn't become interested in divination after hearing about it, he wouldn't have bothered coming here.

For Kitagawa Ryo, who possesses the golden talents of "super detective" and "con artist," even if he were to wear a black robe and sit in the position of a fortune teller, he could still use his eloquence to completely deceive the high school students opposite him.

After only a quick glance at the price list, Kitagawa Ryo was quite surprised by how expensive the shop was.

The most basic package requires 5,000 personal points, while other more detailed specialized divinations on love, career, studies, and many other aspects require tens of thousands of points.

You know, it seems that Class D students can only get less than 20,000 points a month now, but while queuing up just now, Kitagawa Ryo really saw quite a few Class D students. It's really hard for them to squeeze out this money to have their vague fate divined.

"Love fortune telling".

"Love fortune telling".

Since they were already here, and Kitagawa Ryo and Shiina Hiyori weren't short of money anyway, Class C, which was supported by Class A and Class D every month, was actually a bit richer than Class A. Since they had decided to have their love affairs divined, they didn't hesitate any longer.

"Oh?"

"Let me make it clear beforehand that my divination will look at your palms, faces, and inner thoughts."

"You might see some things you don't want others to see."

A warning glint appeared from the gap in the hood. If Kitagawa Ryo hadn't overheard the fortune teller using the same opening line with the previous couple at the door, he might have been slightly intimidated.

Seeing that the two remained completely unresponsive, the fortune teller chuckled dryly and gestured for Shiina Hiyori to extend her palm first:

"Hmm... Your lifeline is very long and the lines are smooth, with no signs of breakage in the middle. Therefore, you will live a long life and will be free from illness and disaster at this stage."

Although Kitagawa Ryo felt that the witch was talking complete nonsense, Shiina Hiyori seemed to be listening quite attentively, nodding repeatedly.

In fact, compared to the somewhat frail bookish girl she was when she entered school, Shiina Hiyori has also stepped out of her closed-off environment this semester.

Whether it's shopping or cooking, it all indirectly improves the girl's physical strength. Even if she can't compare to athletes like Ibuki in her class, Shiina Hiyori is much healthier now than she was back then.

"Then comes the love story."

Seemingly realizing the girl's true concern, the witch mumbled incantations for a long time before confidently stating:

"The person you've met now is the perfect match. Your love has blossomed and will surely last a long time."

He's just saying nice things, just like a scumbag who deceives young girls, pouring out all sorts of sweet words.

Couples who come here for divination at this time are bound to say nice things, and thinking about it that way, making some money is really easy.

Kitagawa Ryo was starting to yawn; he had to admit that the dim atmosphere was quite suitable for taking a nap.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was getting drowsy, the witch finally finished her divination of Shiina Hiyori.

Because he was distracted and missed the second half, Kitagawa Ryo didn't hear what the other person said. He only saw Shiina Hiyori blushing and gesturing for him to move closer.

Hearing Hiyori's words, the witch extended her hand as well, and then began her divination again.

"This student seems to have suffered very severe torment during his childhood."

As if out of affection, the old man took her wrinkled hand in his, and Kitagawa Ryo frowned, unsure how to react.

After all, such a vague statement has no basis. Almost every child should have had some unpleasant experiences in their childhood. If you nod and agree in line with the other person's line of thinking, you will have fallen into their trap.

So Kitagawa Ryo shook his head:

"I think my childhood was pretty good."

"It is because of this optimistic attitude that you have been able to grow up safely to this day."

It seems the other party is also an experienced player.

A sharp glint flashed in both of their eyes at the same time. Shiina Hiyori, sitting to the side with a smile, did not notice anything unusual and was completely unaware of the subtle confrontation between the two.

"Your childhood was harsh because of family discord."

The witch spoke tentatively, pointing out that people often project their preconceived notions into divination, but Kitagawa Ryo only sneered:

"I have lived alone since I was a child."

"This is also a situation of family discord."

The witch quickly changed the subject, realizing she was no longer in a favorable position, and swiftly steered the conversation to the next topic:

"Your love life is quite bumpy, with many breakups and reconciliations along the way, but you will definitely find your true love in the end."

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was about to continue responding, Shiina Hiyori couldn't help but ask first:

"Um... I wanted to ask, when is the final date for this?"

She probably wants to confirm her position, whether she's just someone going through ups and downs or her true love.

The witch saw through Shiina Hiyori's thoughts and smiled kindly:

"As long as the feelings are genuine, whether there are ups and downs or harmonious relationships, the one who stays by your side in the end is your true soulmate."

Her words were quite eloquent, perfectly evading Shiina Hiyori's question.

However, judging from Hiyori's thoughtful expression, she must have been caught up in the other person's logic.