I have a life simulator.

"It may be very difficult at first, but you'll get used to it if you persevere."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded in response, casting a concerned glance at Shiina Hiyori, who was still recovering:

"How about it? If you really can't take it, you can reduce the intensity of the training first."

Hiyori Shiina isn't the type to excel at sports, and besides, Ryo Kitagawa didn't expect to improve her physical fitness in just one week; after all, training is a long-term process.

"After all, the role that Shiina got this time doesn't require that much physical fitness from the actor. He just needs to focus on his facial expressions and lines."

Having just stepped ashore from the depths of the sea after making a deal with a witch, the little mermaid, who has gained human legs for the first time, feels as if she is dancing on the edge of a knife with every step she takes. Although there are many scenes in the play where mermaids dance, the actors are not required to have dance skills. The focus is more on how to express the hidden pain and the self-presentation in front of the beloved.

"I can get through this."

Shiina Hiyori responded softly, though she seemed rather unsure of herself, but she still rejected Kitagawa Ryo's suggestion.

After all, she herself had been so captivated by the play performed by Kitagawa Ryo yesterday that she had begged her mother to ask the theater troupe leader. If she couldn't even complete this most basic physical training, then her feelings would be too cheap.

Although some of the mystery novels she likes feature characters like the "armchair detective" who can solve cases from home, Shiina Hiyori still yearns more for the hands-on experience of Sherlock Holmes, who uses a cane and rides a carriage to investigate cases.

Moreover, exercising is never a bad thing.

I used to stay at home because I really love reading, and also because of my lack of social interaction. Even when I wanted to go out for a walk, I had no one to go with. Today, although I ran a very long distance, I had Karuizawa Megumi and Kitagawa Ryo with me the whole time.

Therefore, Hiyori Shiina felt that she could grit her teeth and persevere a little longer.

Moreover, Hiyori Shiina recalled the script she had read the previous night.

If she can't even overcome these challenges, how can she portray the bloodied resilience of the little mermaid in the play?

"Everyone, go home and rest for a bit. See you in two hours at the troupe's rehearsal room. There's a soundproof room there; I've already sent you the address."

After explaining the upcoming practice arrangements, Kitagawa Ryo waved goodbye to the two.

Compared to his own memories, the fates of Shiina Hiyori and Karuizawa Megumi seem to have deviated considerably. Kitagawa Ryo is unsure whether this is good or bad. This is not a simulation, but real life, so he proceeds with extreme caution in every step of his interpersonal relationships.

Especially when facing Karuizawa Megumi and Shiina Hiyori, Kitagawa Ryo himself might not even be clear about his current mindset.

As Kitagawa Ryo turned and left, he silently pondered his future. He cherished this second chance, so several years ago he set two goals that he was determined to achieve.

1. Separation from the Kitagawa family.

Second, save up enough money for Ying's treatment before her condition worsens.

After several years of effort, the first item has been basically completed, and the second item is also progressing smoothly.

In fact, Kitagawa Ryo doesn't particularly like theatrical performance. Even now that he has the golden talent of being a "veteran actor," theater is just a stepping stone for him to achieve these two goals. Once he has saved enough money, he will naturally retire from the stage.

If all goes well, it should only take about two years.

The entertainment industry for drama and the entertainment industry for idols are essentially the same thing. Regardless of acting skills, packaging and scheming are what matter. Even a once-in-a-lifetime genius, without skillful management and promotion, will ultimately be nothing more than a flash in the pan. Of course, if the packaging is perfect, even mediocre acting skills will at least make one a topic of conversation.

Having gone through all of this, Kitagawa Ryo is very clear about the rules of this circle, so it is very important to extricate yourself in time before you get really involved.

Once these two things are done, I might have the time and energy to find something I truly enjoy doing.

Kitagawa Ryo stretched and immersed his consciousness in the pages in his mind:

Currently, the player possesses eight items: Ichinose Honami's Blessing, Ichinose Honami's Self, Karuizawa Megumi's White Rose, Karuizawa Megumi's Self, Marriage Contract (one-time use item), Admission Qualification, One Ring, and Two Million Personal Points (one-time use item).

Since talents in the simulation are truly reflected in one's reality, these items should also be within the scope of usability.

[Admission Requirements: Qualification for admission to Tokyo Advanced Educational Junior High School]

Tokyo Advanced Educational Junior High School.

With access to a wealth of social resources, they can provide the most favorable conditions and support for the graduates of Class A.

Let's consider this as one of the alternative plans for now.

【Marriage Contract: A one-time use item that allows you to enter into a marriage contract with any character】

Attention is naturally drawn to this prop. In fact, Kitagawa Ryo has been thinking about how to deal with this special prop for the past few years.

Perhaps the shadow cast by his engagement to Horikita Suzune in the fourth simulation was too great, because he never thought of using it to form a so-called engagement relationship with anyone else. If it weren't for the fact that the item couldn't be destroyed or abandoned, Kitagawa Ryo would have discarded it long ago.

If you truly love someone, an engagement is completely unnecessary.

If there is no destiny between them, even if they are engaged, they will only end up making do with each other.

-------------------------------------

"A marriage contract! There is a marriage contract!"

"The princess was the prince's fiancée from the beginning, but in fact, the prince did not intend to marry her at first. What the prince really couldn't forget was the mysterious girl who rescued him from the shipwreck. But in fact, it was the princess who saved the prince who was washed ashore."

In a small, soundproof room, Karuizawa Megumi and Shiina Hiyori were having a heated discussion about the script.

"But it was clearly the mermaid who truly saved the prince's life. She placed him on the shore; even without the princess, the prince could have survived on his own."

"You can't deny that the princess just got a free ride and stole the mermaid's credit."

When the topic of books came up, Hiyori Shiina immediately launched a eloquent and insightful rebuttal.

"There is no criticism of the princess in Andersen's original work. Your prejudice is because in the subsequent adaptations, the princess has mostly become a villainous character to highlight the little mermaid's kindness."

Karuizawa Kei seemed to have done her homework, and retorted shrewdly.

"The mermaid fell in love with the prince only hoping that he would fall in love with her and grant her an eternal and immortal soul belonging to a human."

"Once love becomes utilitarian, it's hard for it to move people."

Hiyori Shiina showed no weakness:

"So the truly moving part of 'The Little Mermaid' is that the little mermaid initially approached the prince for utilitarian purposes, but in the end, she fell hopelessly in love with him and chose to end her life between love and life. Even after turning into sea foam, she can still achieve immortality of her soul through good deeds, which also reflects Andersen's praise and admiration for the little mermaid's behavior."

When Kitagawa Ryo brought the costume from outside and entered the room, the two of them were still staring intently into each other's eyes, exchanging a silent snort and turning their backs on each other.

"...Um, you can change into your own performance outfits."

"Let's go over the lines with the script first."

Completely unaware of what had happened, Kitagawa Ryo put down his clothes and left the room.

Thinking about it carefully, the danger of Karuizawa Megumi being with Shiina Hiyori is no less than being with Ichinose Honami. Fortunately, neither of them has the memory of the simulations, and they were probably just discussing the script.

While squatting by the door of the room, waiting for the two people inside to change their clothes, Kitagawa Ryo also casually opened the script of "The Little Mermaid".

Because the original work is not long, the adapted play is also a short story, which is more suitable for new actors to perform. In this respect, the troupe leader's choice was correct.

The two were assigned the roles of the female lead, a little mermaid, and the second female lead, a princess.

Perhaps they felt that Hiyori Shiina's tranquil temperament gave her a more underwater mermaid vibe?

Trying to guess what the troupe leader was thinking, Kitagawa Ryo yawned listlessly.

Since the prince doesn't have many scenes in this drama and is mostly just a background character, he only needs to casually go through the motions.

Anyway, it's the two of them who will be conducting the assessment for joining the group, so it's okay for me to slack off a little.

For example, right now, he's too lazy to even change into the prince costume that was prepared for him.

Once he received a message on his phone that the two had changed their clothes, Kitagawa Ryo put away his script and pushed the door open again.

"How's it cool?"

Her stage costume, with its bright yellow and sky blue as the main colors, was eye-catching. Her honey-colored long hair was draped smoothly over her shoulders. Karuizawa Kei lifted her fluffy skirt and twirled in front of Kitagawa Ryo with a light laugh.

"Very suitable."

Nodding in approval, Kitagawa Ryo then turned his gaze to Shiina Hiyori on the other side.

To showcase the characteristics of a mermaid, Hiyori Shiina's costume was specially designed as a form-fitting fishtail style, outlining the girl's slender figure and slightly protruding chest. The semi-transparent light blue skirt extends all the way to her small ankles, giving her the feel of a ballet dancer.

"Shiina would also be suitable."

At least in terms of character portrayal, both of them are acceptable, after all, Hiyori Shiina and Megumi Karuizawa are both quite eye-catching girls.

Remembering the news and stills from a film company announcing that a Black actress would be starring in "The Little Mermaid," Kitagawa Ryo twitched his lips and shook his head to forget this rather cringe-worthy memory.

"Since the princess doesn't have any scenes in the first act, I asked Karuizawa to read the narration for me, which was a good opportunity to practice my lines."

"Ah."

Thinking about what might happen next, Karuizawa Kei felt a little disappointed, but she quickly composed herself.

When the little mermaid finally turned fifteen and excitedly stretched her head out of the sea, the sun had already set, but all the clouds still shone like roses and gold; at the same time, in the pale red sky, Venus was already twinkling beautifully and brightly.

The air was mild and fresh. A large ship with three masts was anchored on the calm sea.

Music and singing filled the air. As darkness fell, all sorts of lanterns lit up at once.

The little mermaid swam towards the cabin window. Each time a wave lifted her up, she could see through the mirror-like glass that the most beautiful person in the crowd was the prince with captivating, dark eyes; he was only sixteen years old. Today was his birthday, and that was why the day was so lively.

As the prince emerged, over a hundred rockets shot into the sky simultaneously. They illuminated the sky as bright as day, terrifying the little mermaid, who quickly sank to the bottom. But a moment later, she poked her head out again—and then she felt as if countless stars were falling upon her. She had never seen fireworks like this before.

Many enormous suns hissed around, and dazzling firefish leaped into the blue sky, all of which was reflected on the clear, calm sea.

It was very late; but the little mermaid couldn't take her eyes off the ship and the handsome prince.

She is the best singer among the sisters.

She didn't know if the other person could hear her, but in the quiet of the night, the little mermaid wanted to sing a song for this beautiful human.

Mermaids' songs don't need lyrics.

They are natural singers, and the little mermaid's voice is especially moving.

Her song traveled from the sea to the heavens. In the quiet night, on the deep blue sea, under the glittering starlight, the little mermaid sang for the prince.

Everyone was captivated. In the ethereal and profound song, the prince seemed to hear feelings of love, and he instinctively wanted to ask the captain beside him...

"His Royal Highness Prince."

But the old captain beside him shook his head in alarm; his strong, muscular body was even trembling slightly, as if he were afraid.

"That's the song of mermaids, once these sirens start singing..."

"It will attract a storm!"

His voice became shrill with terror, and before the prince could react, the old captain had already ordered his sailors to prepare.

Then the colorful lanterns went out, the rockets stopped firing, the cannon fire ceased, and the prince was escorted back to his cabin.

The little mermaid wagged her tail and approached the ship with some confusion. She didn't recognize the big ship and just wanted to know where the prince had gone.

As if by fate, a buzzing sound echoed from the depths of the sea.

The little mermaid sat on the water, bobbing up and down. She was the daughter of the sea, and she was never afraid of the ocean. With the help of the rising and falling waves, she could see what was inside the ship's cabin.

But the ship sped up; and the sails were all hoisted one after another.

The waves rose higher, heavy dark clouds rose, and lightning flashed in the distance.

Oh, a terrible storm is coming!

The sailors lowered their sails, and the experienced captain, cursing the sirens, directed the ship's voyage.

On this raging sea, the ship lurched and sped forward. The waves rose like massive black mountains, threatening to snap the masts at any moment. Yet, like a swan, the ship would plunge into the raging waves one moment and rise again atop the towering crests the next.

The little mermaid had no idea what was happening. The waves were just a normal sight for the little sea maiden, so she continued to sing amidst the undulating waves.

Each of her high notes seemed to bring forth surging waves.

The ship now made a cracking sound; its thick planks were bent by the onrushing waves. The mast snapped in half like a reed. Then the ship began to list, and water rushed into the cabin.

When the ship split open and sank into the depths of the sea, the little mermaid saw him.

She immediately became very happy because he was now coming to her. But then she remembered that humans could not live in water, and he could never enter the seabed unless he became dead.

The little mermaid wanted to save him.

She didn't want to see him die in front of her, even though she didn't know why she felt this way.

"Pfft, cough cough, help, help me!"

As if he were truly drowning in a boundless ocean, Kitagawa Ryo's tone was filled with helplessness and fear of death, as he effortlessly embodied the role of "Prince".

"Please, please hold me tight."

Hiyori Shiina stammered as she recited her lines, and the difference in her acting skills was almost immediately apparent.

But she was still trying her best to perform.

As Karuizawa Kei watched the two perform, she pursed her lips and told herself that it was just a performance on stage.

As if desperately grasping at the last straw, the little mermaid and the prince embraced in the dark sea.

Just like she had seen before.