I have a life simulator.

Kitagawa Ryo lay alone on the sofa in the living room and swiped away the chat page with the other party.

I think I've heard this name before in the simulation. She was a student in Class D of the first year, and I remember she was very popular throughout the entire grade and even the whole school. Her social skills were on par with Ichinose Honami.

However, I didn't have much contact with her. The only thing I remembered was that she became Long Yuanxiang's undercover agent around the summer vacation.

What were the conditions she proposed to Long Yuanxiang at that time?

Kitagawa Ryo closed his eyes and slowly recalled the events. He was now all alone in the house, and the only sound in the quiet was the ticking of the clock.

[Expel Horikita Suzune from school]

Upon recalling it, a hint of doubt flickered in Kitagawa Ryo's eyes.

Although Karuizawa Megumi, whom he had supported, was the leader of Class D at the time, in some aspects, Kushida Kikyo's status in the class was even higher than Karuizawa Megumi's. This is why Ryuen Sho was able to use Kushida Kikyo to quickly collect information on the privileged members of Class D during the privileged member exam.

At that time, Horikita Suzune's status in Class D had almost plummeted due to repeated defeats. She had no friends, let alone anyone to talk to.

There shouldn't be any conflict between these two. No matter how you look at it, Horikita Suzune wouldn't pose a threat to Kushida Kikyo.

But where does Kikyo Kushida's blatant malice come from, that she's willing to betray the class to get Suzune Horikita expelled?

Furthermore, based on my several conversations with Horikita Suzune, she seemed to have no impression of Kushida Kikyo herself.

In other words, this malice is entirely one-way.

Kitagawa Ryo secretly kept a watchful eye on things. Although he was happy to see Horikita Suzune suffer a setback, he wouldn't stand idly by if the situation really escalated.

Having experienced Karuizawa Megumi's simulation, Kitagawa Ryo clearly understood the extent to which such malice between girls could escalate.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was pondering the exact point of conflict between Horikita Suzune and Kushida Kikyo, Kushida Kikyo sent him a video first.

"My hands are the same color as yours, but my heart is ashamed to turn as pale as yours."

"No, you need to put more emotion into this sentence. Imagine the scene at the time. You two are a couple who have just committed regicide."

Kikyo Kushida looked at the performance in front of her, which was so stiff it couldn't be stiffer, and gave instructions.

"My hands are the same color as yours now..."

"Horikita-kun, eye contact is very important when acting. You should at least keep your eyes on the actor you're acting opposite."

Horikita Suzune frowned slightly, a hint of annoyance in her eyes.

[A bad start.]

Kikyo Kushida's message was filled with resentment. Although it was just a short video, Ryo Kitagawa could still see her hidden helplessness.

I even doubt if she's ever had a normal conversation with anyone. Her eyes dart around, she doesn't know where to put her hands, and she always has a blank expression; a smile from her looks like it's going to kill her.

It seems she harbors quite a bit of resentment; Kikyo Kushida looks rather dissatisfied.

Although she seems impatient, Rin isn't the type to give up easily. Please bear with her.

[Wait, are the department head and Horikita-kun quite familiar with each other? They're using such a friendly term of address.]

Kitagawa Ryo paused slightly, perhaps out of habit, and subconsciously typed "Ring".

Kikyo Kushida smiled as if she had found some secret treasure. She had realized that the relationship between Kitagawa Ryo was unusual from the first time Kitagawa Ryo asked her about Horikita Suzune. She didn’t expect that she would discover something quite extraordinary.

I've met her once or twice; her brother just likes watching my plays.

Kitagawa Ryo replied by moving his fingers.

Okay! Since the minister has asked me to do this, I will definitely do my best!

Kikyo Kushida wisely refrained from asking further questions and remained silent after sending the message.

He tossed his phone aside and continued to lie sprawled on the sofa.

He called out casually, and Ying suddenly jumped into his arms from nowhere.

[The Cat Owner (Purple): You have a well-behaved, intelligent, and understanding pet cat, but lately you've noticed something strange about the way it looks at you.]

The kitten that accompanied him in every simulation was always innocently adorable, no matter how many times he watched it.

Kitagawa Ryo reached out a finger to stroke Hotaru's chin, and Hotaru stretched out her two front paws to hold his finger, sticking out her tongue to lick his fingertip.

It has a wonderful, frosted texture.

The fluorescent pupils reminded Kitagawa Ryo of his younger sister, whom he had sent abroad for treatment.

He still remembers the feeling of relief after he saved up enough money. For two years, he worked almost non-stop, performing in various places to earn money.

His decision to leave the theater industry was partly because he no longer needed more money, and partly because he genuinely felt weary and exhausted.

Every day, when I open my eyes, it's all drama; when I close my eyes, it's still all drama in my mind.

Every day, they calculate the amount of money they can earn, immerse themselves in all sorts of roles, and deliver one flawless and brilliant performance after another under the blazing spotlight, until the cheers and applause from the audience become increasingly unfamiliar.

I feel like this kind of life is all too familiar, as if I've seen it before.

"Hello, this is Kitagawa Ryo."

The vibration of his phone interrupted Kitagawa Ryo's aimless thoughts. He reached out his right hand, picked up the phone he had just tossed aside, and held it to his ear.

"Hello."

The voice on the other end was that of an unfamiliar middle-aged man, so Kitagawa Ryo instinctively turned on the recording.

"I am from the admissions office of Tokyo Advanced Educational Junior High School."

The other party's tone was relatively mild.

I opened my laptop and searched the number online. It turned out to be the admissions office phone number listed on the official website of Tokyo Advanced Educational High School.

"Tokyo Advanced Educational High School? I'm only a second-year junior high school student. You must have the wrong number."

Kitagawa Ryo was also somewhat puzzled upon hearing the words "Tokyo Advanced Educational High School".

According to his understanding, Tokyo Advanced Educational High School actually adopts a method of advance assessment and determination for admissions each year. In other words, as long as they determine that you are qualified for admission, you will be admitted regardless of your written test and interview scores.

Although Kitagawa Ryo himself did intend to enter this school, that would be more than a year from now.

Why would the other party call him at this time?

"Here's the thing, about six months from now, our school will be holding a cultural festival. The invited guests are all people involved in the construction and operation of our school, as well as their families. Chairman Sakayanagi has also filled in your name, so I'm calling to confirm with you."

"what?"

Kitagawa Ryo, completely bewildered, logged onto his social media account on his computer and contacted Uesaka Yanagi Arisu:

What is a cultural festival?

Let's play together!

Sakayanagi Arisu seemed to have anticipated Kitagawa Ryo's message, replying almost instantly and even adding a small smiley face emoji at the end.

Kitagawa Ryo was originally planning to refuse, but then suddenly realized that this year's freshmen were the same class as Horikita Manabu.

Kitagawa Ryo pursed his lips and typed a reply:

I can agree, but I'd like to bring one more person.

【Hmm? Your sister?】

【almost. 】

I agreed on behalf of my father; one more person won't make a difference.

Sakayanagi Arisu agreed quite readily.

After receiving confirmation from Kitagawa Ryo, the staff at Tokyo Advanced Educational High School also hung up the phone.

Kitagawa Ryo re-opened the video that Kushida Kikyo had just sent him, and looked at Horikita Suzune in the video.

Actually, I don't dislike her. Sometimes I can even see a reflection of my past self in her expression.

Consider this the last time.

Chapter Twelve: Becoming Your Own Idol

In the first two weeks of the new semester, students are often still immersed in the afterglow of the holiday, reminiscing about and feeling reluctant to leave the past vacation in their dreams, while they can only slowly get up at the urging of their parents, yawn as they change into their uniforms, and wash up while still sleepy. There will be a steaming breakfast already prepared on the table, the father reading the newspaper, and the mother in the kitchen. But for Kitagawa Ryo, this kind of routine has never appeared in his life.

Waking up early isn't a painful thing, even though Kitagawa Ryo didn't sleep much last night anyway.

Kitagawa Ryo's biological clock, as precise as a machine, woke him up precisely in the early morning, only to be greeted by the same unchanging ceiling.

First, he picked up his phone, which was charging on the bedside table, and skillfully turned off the pure white noise ASMR that had been looping for an hour. Then, he took off the headphone cord that had been wrapped around his neck. Kitagawa Ryo quickly changed his clothes, neatly folded the quilt, opened the curtains, squinted at the weather, stretched his limbs in the early morning sun, and then stepped out of his room.

The house he lives in now is part of the blue talent "Small Assets". It is quite spacious. Even when he and Hotaru lived together in the past, it was not crowded. Now, it is only Kitagawa Ryo living alone.

The toothbrush and toothpaste cup on the washstand were still a neat pair, a combination of sky blue and pink, leaning against each other.

Kitagawa Ryo did not erase these traces of his past life, because in the previous two years, even though he was away from home more often due to performances, Hotaru always kept a set of his daily necessities, which was probably another kind of companionship.

Kitagawa Ryo, squeezing out toothpaste, observed with great interest the toothpaste his younger sister had been using. It was a bright orange-red color and had an orange flavor that children liked.

Perhaps in some ways, Hotaru is still a younger sister who hasn't grown up.

Of course, she shouldn't accidentally swallow toothpaste like she used to.

perhaps?

With strange and unusual thoughts swirling in her mind, Kitagawa Ryo washed up in front of the mirror while routinely checking the morning news on her phone.

"The morning news reports that the city's renowned theater troupe 'Dawn' has finally returned. According to the troupe director, the troupe will focus on performances within the city for the next year..."

Unexpectedly, he heard a familiar name again. Kitagawa Ryo was slightly stunned, but he did not stop what he was doing.

"Ding dong."

Spitting out the mouthwash, Kitagawa Ryo used his left hand to operate his phone and open the text message he had just received:

"Are you up yet?"

The sender was "Ichinose Honami", and her profile picture was a photo of her and her sister.

Because of Ichinose Maki's relationship with Hotaru, Kitagawa Ryo first met Ichinose Honami while picking up his younger sister from school.

Honami Ichinose still remembers the cup of cocoa she gave him, and she is also very grateful to Hotaru for taking care of Maki Ichinose.

To Kitagawa Ryo's surprise, Hotaru also had a very good impression of Ichinose Honami, and the two gradually became more familiar with each other.

"I just got up and am brushing my teeth to make breakfast."

Kitagawa Ryo wiped his face clean with a hot towel, hung it back on the shelf, and only then did he have a free hand to reply to the message.

In a sense, he and Ichinose Honami actually have a lot in common. Just the topic of how to deal with his younger sister who is two years younger than him is enough for the two of them to talk about for a long time.

Moreover, Kitajikawa Ryo did not want Ichinose Honami to go down the path of theft.

So he tried to find some odd jobs for Ichinose Honami in the theater troupe. He originally thought that she would be hesitant to accept because of her mother's attitude, but Ichinose Honami agreed quite readily.

However, what gave Kitagawa Ryo a bit of a headache was that Ichinose Honami seemed to really appreciate the help she received. She even took the initiative to add him on her own, and every time Kitagawa Ryo returned from a performance out of town, Honami would easily find his way home and do some chores within her capabilities.

He knew very well that Ichinose Honami was not the type to accept help from others and remain indifferent, so he did not stop her at first. Besides, Kitagawa Ryo was also very busy at the time and had no way to take good care of Hotaru, so Ichinose Honami took over the job.

On one occasion, Kitagawa Ryo was away from home, and Hotaru happened to be sick. In the end, it was Ichinose Honami who took her to the hospital and took care of her for several days.

Honami Ichinose thus entered the lives of the brother and sister in a gentle yet subtle way.

"No need to make it, I've already made it at home and will bring it over right away."

"The cold flavor should still be the same, right?"

"The supermarket had a sale yesterday, so I brought some fruit with me. I still remember the taste of the blueberry pie I made last time."

"I'll be there in ten minutes, Liang, get ready to receive me."

"My slippers, Ying, have always been kept on the third shelf of the shoe cabinet, on the far left. They're the light blue ones."

"They're a little different from Hotaru's sky-blue ones, Ryo, don't mistake them for each other."

“(??'?ω?`)??))”

Seeing so many messages coming in from the other side in a flash, Kitagawa Ryo didn't even have time to say a word until the intense chatter ended and he slowly typed "OK".

Honami Ichinose always arranges everything meticulously, and often, Ryo Kitagawa only needs to nod in agreement.

After tidying himself up, Kitagawa Ryo glanced at the clock on the wall, walked to the door, and took out a pair of light blue slippers from the shoe cabinet with his left hand. He listened to the footsteps at the bottom of the stairs, calculated the time, and opened the door in advance with his right hand. After waiting for about thirty seconds, he heard a greeting from Ichinose Honami.

Although Ichinose Hohan, as the student council vice president at school, always had a very energetic and infectious personality, her voice would soften considerably when she was with me.

"Good morning, Ryo."

Honami Ichinose smiled at him, holding up the packaging bag in her hand.