I have a life simulator.

Sakayanagi Narimori's knowledge was naturally much broader than that of Sakayanagi Arisu at the moment. He had also experienced the tragedy of friends who had ruined their lives after accidentally getting involved with this substance, so he spoke with a heavy expression and pursed lips:

"It was like all the bones in my body were being crushed, that's what he told me at the time."

Thanks to his past experiences, Sakayanagi Shigemori has a good understanding of this subject.

Generally speaking, the normal process of addiction should start with inhalation, then switch to intravenous injection because the pleasure is not enough, and finally become so crazy that the drug is injected directly into the artery to pursue the most extreme stimulation. However, Kitagawa Ryo was forced to have intravenous injection from the beginning, and even underwent an "arterial injection" a few days ago.

Moreover, underage children have weaker immune systems, making them more susceptible to drug addiction and dependence. With all these disadvantages combined, even Sakayanagi Shigemori didn't have much confidence.

"But it's so quiet."

Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't help but speak up, and Sakayanagi Narimori was also slightly taken aback.

He recalled the image of his friend during his drug rehabilitation, where he had a nurse tie him to a restraint chair, yelling and screaming with a ferocious expression, first crying, then laughing, and finally dejectedly admitting defeat and begging for one last injection.

It was so quiet inside that if Sakayanagi Shigemori hadn't specifically arranged for a nurse to stay with him, he would have been worried that Kitagawa Ryo might have fainted.

However, Sakayanagi Arisu's words made Sakayanagi Narimori somewhat uneasy, but he still patted his daughter on the shoulder:

"It's alright, trust the child."

"I'll come see him again once his condition has stabilized."

"After physiological detoxification, psychological detoxification is also needed, and that's when we'll need Arisu's help."

"help?"

Sakayanagi Arisu tilted her head curiously.

"Ah."

Sakayanagi Narumi smiled and patted his daughter's head. He squatted down and explained affectionately:

"For psychological detoxification, having family or friends with you can help encourage and distract you, which can help you reintegrate into society more quickly."

“Dad might not have that much time, so I’m asking Arisu for help.”

"understood."

Sakayanagi Arisu nodded seriously in agreement to her father's request.

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

For Kitagawa Ryo, the hellish two weeks were finally over.

Thanks to the comprehensive medical system and nursing support arranged for him by Sakayanagi Shigemori, coupled with his own willpower and the help of his golden talent [Persistence], the physiological detoxification phase was finally successfully completed, and his body was basically free from dependence on drugs.

Lying on the hospital bed, drenched in sweat, Kitagawa Ryo estimated his weight and felt that he had lost even more weight than when he first arrived. He slowly exhaled from his almost bloodless lips, looking utterly exhausted.

At this point, I do miss the earliest versions of text simulators, which were basically just repetitive phrases like "[Day xx: Withdrawal symptoms occur, overcome]".

Unlike the suffering of ALS patients in the previous simulation, one is the helplessness of watching the body's organs and muscles gradually fail and atrophy, while the other is an intense desire, an itch and pain deep in the bones.

It should be said that the previous simulation experience served as a mental preparation. This time, the physiological detoxification process was forced through by Kitagawa Ryo, but it was definitely one of the most unforgettable experiences of all the simulations so far.

As was his habit, Kitagawa Ryo took the medicine prescribed by the doctor from the table. During these two weeks, he had almost lost the ability to sleep on his own and could only rely on medication to help him fall asleep. The effect of medication was very significant, but he did not feel any sense of satisfaction after sleeping when he woke up. It was just artificial, mechanical sleep.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was about to take his medicine and go to sleep as he had for the past two weeks, the screen of his phone on the bedside table suddenly lit up.

This was left here by Sakayanagi Shigemori, meaning that if Kitagawa Ryo encountered any difficulties, he could call him at any time. But the person calling now is not Sakayanagi Shigemori, but Sakayanagi Arisu.

"Hey."

Perhaps influenced by the overall effects of this simulation, or perhaps because the experiences of the past two weeks had left him exhausted, Kitagawa Ryo's voice sounded somewhat indifferent.

However, this is consistent with his current persona. If Kitagawa Ryo could still be carefree and cheerful every day, Sakayanagi Shigemori would probably suspect that he has some kind of mental problem.

"Hey...it's cold."

I heard someone mutter quietly on the other end, "Is that what it's called?" and the sound of pages turning.

"I heard you've successfully passed the first stage, so congratulations."

It was accompanied by a soft 'clapping' sound.

The character Sakayanagi Arisu in this simulation seems more lively and agile, probably because she recovered from her illness beforehand.

For the past two weeks, Kitagawa Ryo has been working hard to communicate with the doctors and nurses who are taking care of him and to obtain information. These medical staff, who were specially hired by the Sakayanagi family, naturally enjoyed talking about the congenital heart disease incident that happened more than a year ago. As a result, Kitagawa Ryo also learned that Sakayanagi Arisu had been cured.

Although the medical staff treated finding the treatment plan as just a story and a bit of fun, Kitagawa Ryo knew very well that it was probably true.

The USB drive sounded very familiar; it was clearly the pathological analysis and treatment plan for congenital heart disease cases like Sakayanagi Arisu that he had painstakingly compiled during the last simulation.

However, the specific causes and consequences still need further investigation, although Kitagawa Ryo always felt that Hotaru was involved in this matter.

After all, it's rumored that Arisu Sakai found the USB drive by following a cat.

However, being able to cure Sakayanagi Arisu's congenital heart disease in advance is entirely beneficial for clearing the game. Sakayanagi Arisu's psychological defects do not entirely stem from her physical defects, but they are certainly related to them.

So we should still give credit to Yingji.

"Meow."

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was thinking about Hotaru, he happened to hear a familiar cat meow from Sakayanagi Arisu's direction, followed by Sakayanagi Arisu's slightly disdainful comments like, "Why are you being so attentive to me at a time like this?"

After pressing down the cat that had forcibly approached, Sakayanagi Arisu, still wearing her pajamas, quickly spoke up:

Anyway, I can visit you at the hospital tomorrow. Goodnight.

"Also, Father said I'm older than you, so remember to call me 'older sister' tomorrow."

It seemed as if they were afraid of disturbing Kitagawa Ryo's sleep time, or perhaps it was originally...

Just to inform her of this one thing, Sakayanagi Arisu quickly hung up the phone.

Kitagawa Ryo put his phone, which was now stuck in a busy signal, back down and lay back on the bed, feeling both amused and exasperated.

In the last simulation of Horikita Suzune, he was Sakayanagi Arisu's older brother, but now he's become her younger brother. Life is truly unpredictable.

However, what bothered Kitagawa Ryo was that neither Sakayanagi Arisu nor Sakayanagi Narimori mentioned anything about the engagement in their conversations, but the [Engagement] item had indeed disappeared from their personal inventory, indicating that it had already been used.

I can only ask about it later.

After reviewing the entire process of the simulation so far with his eyes closed, Kitagawa Ryo set his sights on the [White Room].

Although he had only been in the White Room for six or seven years, he had thoroughly understood what kind of organization the White Room was. In addition, he had already clashed with them in the real world, so he had no psychological burden at all about destroying this plan.

Even though I've been away from the white room for two weeks, I still find myself thinking about what happened there.

And people.

Raising my left arm, the scars and needle marks on it have begun to fade, but you can still vaguely see the grotesque look of the past.

There must be a way.

Muttering to himself, Kitagawa Ryo closed his eyes and began to trace back everything from the past.

"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka escaped the White Room with the help of Ayanokoji Atsuomi's butler."

This information comes from Ichinose Honami's third simulation, which dates back a long time.

"That was when Kiyotaka Ayanokouji was fifteen years old, which is eight years from now. At that time, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji was able to escape because Atsuomi Ayanokouji lost control of the White Room. He was forced to hand Kiyotaka Ayanokouji over to the butler Matsuo to take care of for a year. On the butler's advice, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji chose to apply to Tokyo Advanced Educational High School to escape the White Room's pursuit."

“Ayanokoji Atsuomi is probably not the real mastermind behind the White Room Project. If we go back from the start of the White Room Project, Ayanokoji Atsuomi was only about thirty years old at that time, and he had no resources or ability to support such a project.”

“He wanted to produce results, and so did his use of me, and the process was quite rough and hasty. The White Room was clearly not a project that could produce results in the short term.”

"This shows that the person supporting him behind the scenes also desperately needs such results and achievements. Ayanokoji Atsuomi himself is not of low status and can serve as his backer. What the other party is after is the power of this country."

Although they had almost pinpointed the real culprit, Kitagawa Ryo didn't think he had much of a chance. After all, with his small frame, it was wishful thinking to try and refute the other party on a political level.

Furthermore, Kitagawa Ryo strongly suspects that Ayanokouji Atsuomi's White Room project was interrupted because something happened to that powerful figure, and based on his age, it's likely that he passed away.

"However... there are still some things that can be used."

The status quo of the White Room will not change because of his departure. If Kitagawa Ryo's prediction is correct, he should be labeled as eliminated. That's how the children of the White Room disappeared without a trace.

Horikita Suzune's simulation process provided Kitagawa Ryo with a good idea.

In that case, let's use magic to defeat magic.

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

"Are you planning to move your entire room over there?"

Sakayanagi Shigemori looked at his daughter with a headache as she directed the movers to load various items into the trunk of the truck.

"Anyway, Dad never comes home to sleep."

Sakayanagi Arisu blinked, carefully selecting books from the bookshelf and stuffing them into her suitcase, while simultaneously putting the chess set box from the table into her backpack.

"Besides, I don't know what he likes, so it's best to bring a few more things."

"Chess, Go, playing cards... cell phone, laptop... and Dad said he needs sleeping pills to fall asleep lately, so I also brought storybooks."

“When I was sick before, my dad prepared this for me in the same way.”

"I specifically looked it up, and psychological detoxification is a long-term process, so companionship is extremely important!"

It was rare to see his daughter so concerned about something, but he never interfered in Sakayanagi Arisu's affairs, so he just shook his head helplessly.

"You look exactly like your mother."

"Being compared to my mother is the greatest compliment I could receive."

Sakayanagi Arisu responded with a smile, carefully putting away the stack of season tickets for amusement parks, zoos, and aquariums that her father had given her into her pocket, when she suddenly remembered something:

"Has Dad recently taken on the role of chairman of the board of directors at Tokyo Advanced Educational High School?"

"Yeah, that's why I've been so busy lately."

Sakayanagi Shigemori muttered a helpless complaint.

Then he saw his daughter obediently extend her hand to him:

"Then please hand over all the tickets for the cultural festival."

Going home, taking a day off

I suddenly received an urgent notice from the school, which led to a chaotic rush home. Suddenly, there were no more classes, no more exams, and winter break was brought forward by a month. (Although the price was home quarantine.)

I've been traveling all day and I'm so tired I can't write anymore. Sorry, I'm going to bed now.

Thank you for your continued support.

Chapter 94: Humans are creatures that crave love.

Tokyo Advanced Educational High School, although it is still ninety years away from being a century-old prestigious school, has made a name for itself in Tokyo and even the whole country in recent years with its claimed college entrance rate and employment rate of 99.9%.

As its reputation grew, Tokyo Advanced Educational High School also gained an air of mystery due to its fully enclosed management model. It only enrolls 160 students each year, yet its investment is visibly huge. It can be said that in recent years, every move of Tokyo Advanced Educational High School has attracted considerable attention in the education sector.

Although this was nothing new to Kitagawa Ryo, he still tried to show some curiosity when faced with Sakayanagi Arisu sitting in front of him, giving a vivid introduction.

It's roughly at the level of "sounds really impressive," or "slap slap slap."

Incidentally, Kitagawa Ryo had no intention of calling Sakayanagi Arisu "older sister" as she wished. After all, considering that her memories from the simulation would also be synchronized, it was better to avoid those embarrassing moments as much as possible.

However, Sakayanagi Arisu only felt that Kitagawa Ryo had just escaped from the white room and was unable to accept or express the kindness of those around him. This aroused her inexplicable competitive spirit, and she seemed determined to make Kitagawa Ryo obediently and compliantly agree with her.

After giving a thorough introduction to Tokyo Advanced Educational High School, Sakayanagi Arisu finally revealed her true colors:

"So, Ryo, would you like to come with me to this year's Dongyu Cultural Festival?"

Sakayanagi Arisu took out the last two season tickets from the various season tickets lined up in front of her and waved the tickets in her hand.

The only time Tokyo Advanced Educational Junior High School is open to the public is during its cultural festival around November. Relatives of school staff can obtain a limited number of tickets to enter the campus as guests, which can be considered a kind of implicit benefit.

As the newly appointed chairman of the board of directors of Tokyo Advanced Educational High School, Sakayanagi Narimori naturally had this right as well, so Sakayanagi Arisu easily obtained two tickets to this year's cultural festival from her father.

Feeling like he'd heard similar invitations before, Kitagawa Ryo quickly recalled receiving invitations from Sakayanagi Arisu for cultural festivals both in Horikita Suzune's simulation and in reality. However, on those two occasions, he had only acted to help Horikita Suzune resolve her inner conflict.

Sakayanagi Arisu, naturally unaware of Kitagawa Ryo's thoughts, assumed Kitagawa Ryo was resisting going to crowded places. She leaned forward slightly and earnestly promised:

“I’ll stay with Ryo, and there aren’t any… uh, bad people there.”

"If there were such a thing, I could also protect Liang."

Although Sakayanagi Arisu's thin arms and legs didn't look very convincing, Kitagawa Ryo looked down at his own skinny arms and legs after being tortured, and still nodded with a forced smile.

Out of concern for Kitagawa Ryo's unpleasant memories, Sakayanagi Arisu tacitly avoided mentioning anything related to the white room. After confirming that Kitagawa Ryo was willing to go to the cultural festival with her, Sakayanagi Arisu happily asked:

"Is there any game you'd like to play, Liang?"

"game?"