I have a life simulator.

"Waaaaah... It's because of my upbringing that she turned out like that."

"Why, why, why, why!"

My father, with his eyes half-closed, would cry and laugh until he was completely exhausted before finally falling asleep, and then he would snore loudly.

Two months later, the mother left the Kitagawa family in the midst of a heavy snowfall.

Less than two years later, the father also abandoned Liang and Ying and disappeared without a trace.

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"Oh, I remember now, it's that old man with the long beard, I remember he often came to our house."

At the hospital bedside, Ryo was carefully peeling an apple for Hotaru, who clapped her hands as she recalled what had happened:

"But that was a long time ago, when my sister was still alive."

After saying it, Hotaru suddenly realized that she might have said something inappropriate, so she quickly covered her mouth and peeked at her brother's reaction.

"It has been a long time indeed, let's eat."

Liang didn't show any unusual expression. He handed the smooth apple in his hand to Ying. He didn't mind and put the bunch of apple peels in his hand into his mouth and chewed. Fruit is not cheap.

"Oh."

While eating the apple in tiny bites like a hamster, Hotaru kept stealing glances at Ryo's profile.

"Actually, the past is the past, so you don't need to worry about it, brother."

Hearing his younger sister, who was two years younger than him, lecturing him in such an adult tone, Ryo shook his head with amusement.

Of course, he knew that Hotaru was afraid of taking the blame for the family's collapse. After all, if Ryo was as outstanding as Aki, the Kitagawa family wouldn't be reduced to just the two of them living in a corner of the city.

"Actually, I initially thought about following in her footsteps and continuing down the path of drama."

"But I later realized that this approach wouldn't work; everyone has their own path."

"Except for the most brilliant geniuses and the most idiotic fools, everyone in the world is neither the best nor the worst off."

"Although it may sound like I'm running away, gaining my own approval is more important."

Liang told her younger sister about her thoughts.

"And maybe I prefer chess to drama."

"Chess?"

Hotaru tilted her head cutely:

Is it the chess piece where the cannon moves the horse to jump over the center?

"I can play too! But I only know the kind where all the pieces are flipped over and then played one by one."

"That's Chinese chess, and the flip-chess game you mentioned... well, never mind, as long as you're having fun."

Liang looked at her younger sister and explained with some difficulty:

"Chess is a black and white game with pieces like the king, queen, and knight."

"Can't understand."

Ying shook her head cleanly and decisively; she was well aware of her own intellectual limitations in this area.

He can only play Flip Chess in Chinese Chess, and only Gomoku in Go. Of course, the best game he plays is Ludo.

Hotaru always felt that she was very lucky.

"Brother, you eat too."

She held the half apple in her hand to Liang's mouth, watching with satisfaction as Liang took a bite of the fruit.

"Eat more, get more nutrition so you can be discharged from the hospital sooner."

Liang only took one bite before returning the apple.

"I'm fine, I'd be happy to be discharged sooner."

Ying waved her little fist:

"He can run a thousand meters and jump two meters high!"

"Then Ying wouldn't be Ying anymore, she'd be Superman."

Liang shook his head and smiled.

The afternoon sun was warm and gentle, bringing a sense of peace to my heart.

This is his own path.

Chapter 5: The Genius Swallowed by Reality (End of Volume)

"It's hard to believe that you were a complete novice who didn't even know the rules half a month ago."

The middle-aged man dropped his chess piece and conceded defeat cleanly. He didn't care about the five thousand yen he had lost; he was simply filled with amazement and curiosity about the player he was playing against behind the screen.

In this chess-themed encyclopedia game software, players from all over the world can be matched with opponents online. As a retired former professional chess player, the man stands out in this game environment full of novice and amateur players, winning more than he loses.

About two weeks ago, he was matched with a player whose game ID was "Ying". At that time, the other player was almost a complete novice and was easily defeated. Logically speaking, a novice should be disappointed or even quiet down for a while after encountering an experienced player like him who was "smurfing". However, the other player did not seem to have that intention. After that, he always spent a long time in the game lobby looking for players to fight.

It wasn't until the two met again that the man was somewhat incredulous to discover that his opponent's chess skills had improved by leaps and bounds. Although his defeat in this game was partly due to his initial underestimation of his opponent, he had still lost. From this perspective, his opponent had reached the level of an amateur player in just half a month.

Slightly dissatisfied, he challenged to another match, but his opponent demanded a bet of 5,000 yen, which was just the price of a dinner for the man. He quickly agreed, and then came the second round, which he had a slight chance of winning but ultimately lost.

After transferring 5,000 yen to the account provided by the other party, the man still wanted to ask a few more questions about his age, hoping to bring him into the professional field. After all, if this player named "Hotaru" really transformed from a novice to this level in such a short time, the other party was fully capable and talented at a professional level.

But just one minute after the money was transferred, the other party's avatar went gray, and he logged off.

The man patiently waited for "Firefly" to come online again. After all, judging from past events, she was quite fond of chess and spent a lot of time on it every day.

Once a man can get in touch with the other person and confirm that the other person does indeed have such talent, he is confident that he can use his connections to train him to become a professional player.

He reviewed the match between the two players and was amazed by his opponent's moves.

The opponent definitely has the skill to become a top professional and pursue the highest honors in chess.

【Grand Master】

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After Hotaru's condition improved slightly, Ryo chose to take his younger sister home to recuperate.

It wasn't that he didn't want his sister to receive better care, but rather that their combined financial situation simply couldn't afford the high hospitalization costs.

The amount of compensation he received from the school was quite small, but this was the result of mediation. In fact, if Liang hadn't asked someone to intervene, let alone compensation, the school could have simply found a reason to expel him.

Although I used up what little I had left in my social circle and borrowed some money, my sister's illness was still a bottomless pit that could never be filled.

If it were the Kitagawa family in the past, they could rely on Aki's income to make up for the shortfall, but when this burden truly fell on Ryo's shoulders, it became an unbearable weight.

He tried his best to find any job that could earn money. Many places rejected Liang, who was underage and had no education, but he could occasionally find some temporary work.

I've worked as a kitchen helper in restaurants and as a laborer in the city's sewers. The coffee shop where I used to work has closed down, and the sign with the pink rabbit has been taken down. A new arcade has opened, filled with the acrid smell of smoke and the noise of young people every day.

Liang worked there as a temporary worker for two days. Those were the busiest days of the arcade during the holidays. The front desk staff were too busy to handle everything. Liang seized the opportunity and volunteered to promote himself, as if he were recommending a cheap and useful product.

The boss only agreed to hire him for two days and assigned him to the outermost, noisiest, and busiest area.

This is a gathering place for NS and Switch players. With the development of virtual reality technology, these once-popular game consoles have fallen behind the times. Inside the arcade, wealthier people enjoy the technological achievements of the new era, putting on virtual reality headsets to start their second life in the virtual game world.

However, Ryo still looked on with envy at his peers who were clamoring and moving the controllers. The characters on the screen were being controlled by them to fight back and forth with the bosses. For Ryo, who had never had the opportunity to experience this kind of thing since he was a child, it was a novel experience.

While cleaning up the trash and sweeping the ground, he would also take the opportunity to sneak a closer look.

During this time, some players did feel Liang's gaze, and some even generously offered to let him play for an extra life, but Liang refused them all.

He was well aware of his current situation; video game consoles were definitely not something he should be considering.

When I was working at a dessert shop, the owner would sometimes give the employees some leftover scraps from the day, which were mostly burnt bread. For a long time, Liang used these as his dinner.

Occasionally, she would receive some normal desserts, such as a quarter of a blueberry pie, and Liang would carefully wrap them up and take them home.

"Actually, it's not difficult. If I have the opportunity in the future, I can make it myself, and then Ying can eat as many as she wants."

Liang waved his hand and said, refusing his sister's offer to share the already meager dessert.

"Wow, brother is so amazing."

Although she is already in junior high school by age, Hotaru still acts and speaks like a child in front of Ryo.

"And I even earned an extra 5,000 yen today."

With a hint of pride, Liang showed off the transaction records on his phone and said:

"I never thought I could make money by playing chess."

"Actually, my brother could also get rich through ring toss."

"But the fireworks festival is an annual event, and I don't want to leave you alone at home this year."

Liang reached out and wiped the crumbs from her sister's mouth, then tucked the blanket around Ying's feet, keeping her legs warmly wrapped.

Hotaru's body is quite fragile. When she first came back to live here, her calves would often cramp in the middle of the night from the slightest bit of cold, waking her up in pain. Although Ryo, who was sleeping next to her, would always wake up immediately to rub and massage her legs, the pain after just one cramp was enough to keep her awake all night.

For Hotaru and Ryo, cramps are actually one of the easiest pains to deal with. On most nights, the only help Ryo, as the older brother, can give Hotaru, who is in pain all night and can't sleep, is comfort and a hug.

That's it.

"I feel like my brother has been very tired lately."

After finishing her dessert, Ying opened her eyes and looked at Liang.

Even though her cheeks had become much thinner, her fluorescent pupils still radiated an astonishing beauty with every glance, like exquisite works of art that could be shattered at the slightest touch.

"It's not so much that I'm tired, but rather that I'm scared. After all, when Ying first came back, she was really weak. Sometimes her breathing was a beat slower or faster, and I had to keep an eye on her for a long time, just in case something happened to her when I dozed off."

"I will feel guilty and regret it for the rest of my life."

Liang lowered his head and sighed for a moment, then smiled at Ying:

"So if Hotaru can stay healthy, that would be the best reward for me, her brother."

"Oh."

"I will."

Ying nodded vigorously.

However, things did not go as planned; instead, they gradually collapsed in an irreversible manner.

On the second day, Hotaru did not get better as she had said; instead, she became even weaker. She did not show it immediately but watched Liang leave for work as usual.

She tried to get out of bed by herself.

She felt tightness in her chest and shortness of breath. The moment her feet touched the ground, a wave of dizziness washed over her. The world spun around her, and the solid cement beneath her feet seemed to melt into sandy soil after the rain. Every step she took was soft, and she had to stop and rest every two steps.

Having timed it perfectly, the person she had secretly contacted yesterday had already arrived at her doorstep. Ying went forward and opened the door.

Standing outside was an elderly woman, well past sixty, with deep wrinkles on her face, her back hunched, carrying a backpack she'd somehow acquired. The only valuable thing she owned was a camera hanging around her neck.

This is a familiar stranger that the people living in this area interact with most often. Most of the people living in these dark and damp basements are elderly people who have no one to support them or patients who have given up treatment and do not want to burden their families. Their special needs have given rise to this strange profession.

"You are the youngest child I have ever seen."

The old woman sighed with a pout. She took out a backdrop from her backpack. The backdrop depicted green mountains and clear waters, blue sky and white clouds. The green was cheerful and the blue was like a gentle spring breeze.

The vast sea passed beneath Ying's feet, as if a touch would cause a splash of azure water.

The people here, in their final moments lying in bed, can only see a gray ceiling, so even if it's fake, they should be allowed to see these sights one last time.

"Sit down."

With a stiff smile, the old woman gestured for Ying to stand in the center of the set.

"Can you laugh? Yes, you look absolutely gorgeous when you laugh. What a beautiful girl."

"Look ahead."

Still feeling something wasn't quite right, the old woman pondered for a while, then took out a white sun hat from her backpack and went over to put it on Ying.

"Okay."

The old woman grinned, revealing her toothless mouth, and returned to the camera's position.

With the flash of the camera, the photo was printed out in no time.

"Keep it. If you want to use it sooner, that's fine. But if you don't want to use it, then just stay safe and sound."