I have a life simulator.

What appeared before me was a sandwich that had already been bitten a few times, and next to the plate was a glass of milk that looked like it had been sipped twice.

Now that you mention it, the scene in my field of vision seems to be someone having breakfast.

Horikita Suzune made a judgment in a daze.

In the morning, I got up as usual, washed up as usual, sat at the table as usual, ate the same breakfast as usual, and stuffed the food into my stomach, which I didn't have much of an appetite for.

I don't know when it started, but Horikita Suzune's craving for food suddenly disappeared, even though children are usually the most greedy.

But compared to taste, it seems that food that is good for the body is the most important thing.

Breakfast is essential because failing to raise blood sugar levels can affect daytime learning. However, it's also important to control carbohydrate intake, otherwise it may cause drowsiness and affect listening efficiency.

Choose ingredients that are more beneficial to your health, in order to ensure the healthy development of your body and brain.

why?

The same ritual is repeated every day.

Are you spacing out?

When the voice came again, she realized that the person in front of her was her brother.

Looking up, you can see his posture on the far opposite side.

The figure was blurry, almost as if it had been pixelated.

Upon noticing the other person's presence, his body immediately felt as heavy as if it were filled with lead, but his consciousness instantly returned to normal.

Horikita Suzune finally realized that all her changes began the moment Horikita Manabu stood in front of her.

The girl opened her eyes, and what came into view was the familiar ceiling.

What just happened was just a dream, but it was indeed a scene that actually occurred in the past.

It's kind of funny, but Horikita Suzune often tries to recall Horikita Manabu's image to motivate herself, but she always realizes that the time she spends alone with him is pitifully short.

They are biological siblings, but the time they spend together each year is so thin that it's less than that of ordinary friends.

Especially after Horikita Manabu chose to enter the fully enclosed Tokyo Advanced Educational High School, he didn't even make a single phone call.

The memories between the two were like a barren mine that could be seen at a glance, but could be lit up in just a few nights.

Horikita Suzune chuckled self-deprecatingly, perhaps this was one of the reasons why she was so persistent.

Because there are so few memories, she thinks about them again and again. Those few memories are frozen, thawed, and recycled over and over again, so much so that the simple words "likes long hair" are enough for Horikita Suzune to willingly give up her past favorite hairstyle.

Horikita Suzune struggled to get out of bed. It was already dusk, and the setting sun outside the window was casting its last rays upon the earth. Winter was just around the corner, and the days were getting shorter and shorter.

She felt much better. In fact, Horikita Suzune was already quite physically fit. After a day of rest and medication, she was almost fully recovered. In the past, she would just tough it out when she encountered minor illnesses like this.

Unfortunately, Horikita Suzune's record of never missing a day or taking a day off, which she had maintained since childhood, was finally broken. However, while feeling upset, she also felt a little relieved.

Horikita Suzune easily found her slippers, which were neatly placed beside the bed. Looking up, she saw a glass of warm water on the bedside table, just the right temperature to hold or drink on this cool early autumn night.

After finishing the water in her glass in one gulp, Horikita Suzune stretched. Her already well-developed figure possessed both the innocence of a young girl and the charm of a woman.

Horikita Suzune pushed open the door and went out. She was covered in sweat on the bed and decided to take a shower first.

However, the sweet scent in the air caught Horikita Suzune's attention even faster. She sniffed it and walked towards the kitchen.

"Caramel pudding, peach mousse cake, candied apple, yogurt cheese mousse, mango double-skin milk, sesame sweet potato cake, mango glutinous rice balls, dorayaki, blueberry pie."

"Hmm, that should be about right."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded at the seven or eight delicate little desserts neatly arranged on the cutting board. The portions weren't large, but they should be enough for a tasting.

However, she still noticed Horikita Suzune's approach, since Horikita Suzune hadn't made any effort to conceal her footsteps.

"Lingyin is awake? Are you feeling any better?"

Kitagawa Ryo slowly took off the gloves he had been wearing while cooking. His slender hands and fingers gradually freed themselves from their restraints. It was an ordinary action, but when he did it, it always carried a subtle allure.

"never mind."

Horikita Suzune casually replied that she was more curious about the desserts on the table. Although Kitagawa Ryo had been taking care of dinners at home during his stay, this was the first time she had seen him make desserts on such a large scale.

Although Horikita Suzune is very good at cooking and is considered one of the best among her peers, she doesn't actually have much experience in desserts.

Since it's unnecessary, it's meaningless, so there's no need to learn it.

A simple and straightforward syllogism.

"I've got nothing else to do, so I'm just killing time. Lingyin, would you like to try some?"

Noticing Horikita Suzune's gaze, Kitagawa Ryo casually grabbed a plate of desserts and handed it over.

"I might open a dessert shop someday, just as a way of tasting it."

"...I'm not interested in desserts. Excessive sugar intake has no benefits other than making you fat."

"Besides, I haven't eaten much of it, so I can't satisfy your request to try it."

Horikita Suzune shook her head decisively. She had always been a girl with strong goals, ambition, and self-discipline. For her, cooking was almost not about satisfying her appetite, but about physical development.

That's her cooking style, and she chooses ingredients that are good for the body. This is one of the reasons why Horikita Suzune let Kitagawa Ryo stay here, because Kitagawa Ryo can fully fulfill Horikita Suzune's wishes and make suitable dishes in conjunction with daily training.

In conclusion, Horikita Suzune believes she has no affinity for desserts.

Although she often heard her classmates discussing which dessert shop nearby had launched new products during class breaks, she also frequently saw students sitting at table after table in coffee shops after club activities.

However, Horikita Suzune really doesn't like desserts and has never tried them.

"People always have to try. After all, before today, Lingyin was a well-behaved child with a zero absence rate."

Kitagawa Ryo had already prepared the small spoon, and he handed the plate along with it to Horikita Suzune.

"If you don't try them, you won't be able to find your favorite flavor."

Horikita Suzune looked at the dessert that had been stuffed into her arms with a bit of a flurry of activity. The small and lovely blueberry pie was proudly displaying itself, and with the slightest touch of the spoon, its molten center was revealed.

Thinking it was just to help the other person, Horikita Suzune tentatively scooped out a piece and put it in her mouth.

Then, without realizing it, she finished the whole plate.

Horikita Suzune only came to her senses after the spoon mechanically reached into the plate and then slammed against the empty bottom.

"I feel like it will sell very well."

Horikita Suzune hadn't forgotten Kitagawa Ryo's words, and she affirmed them from a business perspective.

"What are your own feelings about Rinne? For example, is it too sweet or not sweet enough, etc..."

"I think it's delicious. If all desserts outside are made like this, then I can understand why girls are so enthusiastic about it."

Desserts that are beautiful, delicious, and easy to take photos of are hard for girls to resist.

"So, does Rinne like it?"

Kitagawa Ryo's tone carried a mischievous smile:

"After all, Suzune just said she wouldn't accept desserts."

"...It's okay to eat it occasionally."

Horikita Suzune had somehow gotten another dorayaki, and she mumbled something while biting into the soft outer layer.

"Since Lingyin has said so, then my plan to open a dessert shop should be fine."

Kitagawa Ryo clapped his hands, patiently watching Horikita Suzune try this and that, completely forgetting about taking a bath, until all the desserts were in Horikita Suzune's stomach, then he smiled and said:

"We'll need to ask Lingyin for help then."

The last bite of cream choked Horikita Suzune, her purplish-red pupils widening slightly, filled with confusion and bewilderment.

"You ate my food, didn't you?"

Kitagawa Ryo said this with his arms crossed.

"...Isn't this supposed to be a tasting?"

Have you ever seen someone who eats every last bite of everything during a food tasting?

Horikita Suzune then noticed that the seven or eight plates were now empty, and she nodded stiffly.

This practice of offering payment first and then making demands is utterly despicable.

I can use it myself later.

The girl nodded secretly.

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

Having learned his lesson from the previous simulation with Karuizawa Megumi, Kitagawa Ryo appeared quite casual in this simulation with Horikita Suzune.

Especially after Sakayanagi Arisu exposed Horikita Suzune's illusion, Kitagawa Ryo, realizing that this simulation had little hope, simply adopted a laissez-faire approach.

Opening a dessert shop was something he had always thought about, because he had worked in a dessert shop in his previous life. At the end of the day, he would occasionally receive unsold desserts from the shop owner that were not of good quality. This was a vivid memory for Kitagawa Ryo.

Just like his obsession with video games in Karuizawa Kei's second simulation, now that I think about it, it was actually because his previous desires were forcibly suppressed by his past self, and then they finally erupted in the simulation.

It's probably similar to the retaliatory consumption behavior of someone who had to give up a toy when they were young due to financial constraints, and then bought a dozen or twenty of them all at once when they grew up and had enough money.

Even though I may no longer be interested in this, it's like I'm trying to make up for my past self.

Therefore, Kitagawa Ryo plans to open his own dessert shop in this simulation.

And I also happened to draw the [God of Cookery] talent.

Kitagawa Ryo has already decided on a name: "Hotaru," which will be perfect for the little guy to be the mascot.

[Having some assets] Talent has already reserved a property for him, and the start-up capital has been gradually raised over the past few years.

During the days that Horikita Suzune was attending school, Kitagawa Ryo was busy with these things.

However, because she is a minor, Horikita Suzune's father has always acted as her guardian.

Anyway, the "relatives and friends" connection comes with a blood relationship with the Horikita family, so why not use it?

The shop isn't big; it's just something to do for fun. Kitagawa Ryo is a pastry chef himself, and the goal is to hire two servers and a receptionist, all of which have been arranged in advance.

So, in early autumn September, a dessert shop called "Firefly" quietly appeared on the corner of the commercial street. There are several high schools and junior high schools nearby, so there is no need to worry about the number of customers.

When this dessert shop was first being renovated, the cafes, milk tea shops, and dessert shops next door had already jumped on the bandwagon.

In particular, the owner of a nearby maid café personally spent a long time researching the business. After all, competitors are rivals, and he was initially wary of whether this shop was similar to his own, easily capturing students' wallets with maids and anime as gimmicks.

However, after observing that the store's decoration was fresh and elegant, the wallpaper was ordinary, and the sales staff were well-behaved, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems they are not very competitive.

He made this judgment with a cold laugh.

However, things quickly developed in a way that exceeded his expectations.

The store was packed with people in just one afternoon on its opening day, all because of a super cute lucky cat.

Unlike the plastic lucky cat in the shop that is painted gold and only moves its arms up and down, the one sitting on the counter, waving its paws cutely to attract customers, is an incredibly well-behaved and lovable real cat.

It's alive! It moves! And it can even be cute!

If that's the case, then so be it, since there are other cat cafes along this street that also use cute pets as their selling point.

The owner of the maid café was full of confidence because he believed that no matter what, the allure of a pet could not compare to a waitress who would sweetly call you "Master" and wear a black and white checkered maid outfit.

Still too tender.

The man adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose.

Just a cat.

But he suddenly realized that the students who had been drawn into the shop by the cat never came out again, followed by exclamations of "Great!" "I've never eaten such delicious desserts before!" "It feels like I've been chewing a mixture of sand and rubber."

It wasn't until this moment that he finally understood a truth.

A dessert shop, at its core, is still about selling desserts.

No, I can't just give up like this!

The next day, a student passing by rubbed his eyes and asked his friend uncertainly:

"Aren't the skirts in this store... a little too short again?"

My friend examined it politely for a moment, then nodded firmly.

"Yes."

"Want to go in?"