I have a life simulator.

"In my opinion, the White Room's provocation is nothing more than an ant trying to shake a tree, and the so-called artificial genius is nothing but a delusional fake."

"Alice!"

As the girl's face was fully revealed, her fairytale-like silver-white hair and delicate features made Matsushita Chiaki's mother let out a loud scream, so intense that Matsushita Chiaki rolled her eyes.

"Only I am suited to burying hypocritical geniuses."

Raise your cane, point forward, and make a declaration:

"The only value of the white room is that it has made my life so far a little more enjoyable."

"I will prove to everyone why geniuses are called geniuses."

Her words were resounding and powerful, and with the background music building to a climax, they were easy to evoke emotions. As the last note faded, the name Sakayanagi Arisu appeared.

It has to be said that the packaging ability of Japanese variety shows is truly unparalleled. Matsushita Chiaki's emotions were unconsciously stirred up, and she couldn't help but lean forward slightly, and the next scene slowly began to appear.

"Tokyo Advanced Educational High School? You mean that 'prestigious' high school whose entrance exam I passed with ease?"

The boy in the picture smiled, showing his teeth.

"Honey! I'm joining the White House faction!"

Matsushita Chiaki simply thought this boy was more handsome than anyone she had ever seen; his smile seemed to have touched her very heart. Meanwhile, Mrs. Matsushita had already decisively switched allegiance.

"What do you think about us having another son?"

Mr. Matsushita nearly spat out the tea in his mouth and coughed heavily a few times. Before he could reply, he realized that his two children were already staring intently at the TV screen, looking even more focused than before.

To be honest, there was only a not-so-clear video of Kitagawa Ryo circulating online before, and most netizens only learned about this news through various tabloids or marketing accounts. Many people didn't really notice that this child was actually so good-looking.

"As for what to say to Sakayanagi Arisu..."

The boy's tone suddenly filled with intense confidence. He opened his arms, and the camera began to zoom out, responding under the "WhiteRoom" sign:

"Can you really bury me?"

The sound echoed through the mountains and forests, and the last thing to appear was Kitagawa Ryo's fleeting black eyes.

The scene cuts back to Sakayanagi Arisu and Kitagawa Ryo, who have entered amidst applause from the audience and stand on either side of the host.

"Through the short video just now, you should all know the two people next to me."

"However, would you please introduce yourselves again?"

The host smiled and squatted down.

"I am Sakayanagi Arisu."

Sakayanagi Arisu was dressed very warmly today, and perhaps because of that, her face was a little flushed. Although she was secretly scratching her head so hard she could practically scream "Tokyo Advanced Educational High School," she still introduced herself with a smile.

"I'm Ryo."

Kitagawa Ryo's self-introduction was also quite brief. His somewhat thin figure looked even narrower than Sakayanagi Arisu next to him. Before Matsushita Chiaki could react, she was pulled into her mother's arms. She looked up in confusion and found that her mother was watching the TV screen intently, her eyes full of loving eyes.

Oh no, I think I've become a meal replacement!

After the two people finished introducing themselves, the host spoke again:

"Alright, as we could see from the short video just now, these two children each represent Dongyu and Baiwu behind them. So, we've also invited a few guests today."

The previously dark corner of the stage was immediately illuminated, and the first person to stand up under the spotlight was Sakayanagi Shigemori.

"Welcome Mr. Shigemori Sakayanagi, the current chairman of the board of directors of Tokyo Advanced Educational High School."

Enthusiastic applause.

"Welcome to Atsuomi Ayanokoji, the founder of the White Room training institution."

Atsuomi Ayanokoji also greeted people with a smile, and his smile, honed over many years as a politician, looked quite approachable.

"Then comes Jean Piaget, one of the world's leading child psychologists and a cognitive neuroscientist from Switzerland."

(Note: Jean Piaget passed away in 1980. This is for plot purposes and has no impact on the main storyline.)

The elderly scholar with white hair stood up and waved, his deep eyes watching the two people on the stage with great interest.

"Finally, there is Mr. Koenji, the current chairman of the Koenji Zaibatsu."

The last person to stand up was a rather well-off-looking man who waved with a broad smile.

For the Matsushita Chiaki family watching television, or for most ordinary families, these four people were considered important figures. At least, their string of titles sounded quite intimidating, which immediately made them look forward to the next episode even more.

It looks very professional, after all.

"Now, let's hear from our four guests about their thoughts."

The host quickly changed the subject, as he was someone you really couldn't afford to offend.

"Yes, what I wanted to say has already been said by Arisu."

"Me too."

Sakayanagi Narimori and Ayanokoji Atsuomi were locked in a tense standoff, and the background music created a similar atmosphere of impending conflict.

"I'm just very interested in these two, and I want to see if...they really are that talented?"

Piaget pointed to his brain as he spoke:

"Children's brains should be immature."

"So, I'm really looking forward to it."

The last speaker, Mr. Koenji, gave a very understated speech:

“My son thought it was quite interesting, so he asked me to be a guest to see if it was just for show or something.”

A loud commotion was produced.

The host quickly added:

"If Mr. Koenji doesn't believe it, he can come down and supervise in person later."

"Ah."

After the four guests finished speaking, the host began again:

"Before the competition officially begins, I would like to ask everyone about the definition of genius, or rather, in which areas must a genius be extraordinary to be called a genius?"

After thinking for a while, Matsushita Chiaki couldn't help but speak up:

"memory."

After all, for children her age, whoever has a good memory will have good grades and can be considered a little genius.

The parents agreed, and nodded in agreement.

Sure enough, the host smiled and said:

"The most enthusiastic shouts from the audience just now were about memory."

"Then let's start our duel with memory."

Are you both ready?

Kitagawa Ryo and Sakayanagi Arisu spoke together:

"Ready."

"Alright, let's take a look at today's matchup."

The scene shifts again, and what appears before Chiaki Matsushita is a deck of cards.

"Memory Challenge: Advanced Version of Neurasthenia"

Neurasthenia is a very popular card game in Japan, and even Matsushita Chiaki knew the rules.

A deck of cards is shuffled and arranged face down on the table in an array or in a random manner. Each of the two players takes turns flipping over two cards. If the cards have the same value, the player wins, takes their hand, and takes another turn. If the two cards have different values, the player loses, flips their two cards back over, and ends their turn.

The game ends when all the playing cards are collected into one's hand, and the player with the most cards wins.

It is indeed a game that tests memory, but when Matsushita Chiaki plays with her friends, they usually just guess. It's already quite impressive if they can remember the positions of a few cards.

However, the rules shown on the television screen were different from those that Matsushita Chiaki usually played:

[Advanced version of neurasthenia: Two decks of cards are shuffled and placed face down in a square array on the table. Each player turns over two cards each turn. Success requires both the rank and suit to match (e.g., three of hearts and three of hearts). The player can then remove their hand and take another turn. Any other outcome is considered a loss. After each successful turn, a blank card is immediately placed in the corresponding empty space. If a player later turns over a blank card, they lose that turn and are penalized with a one-turn pause.]

The player with the most cards at the end of the game wins.

"Oh my God……"

Not only Matsushita Chiaki, but even her parents were getting restless. Generally speaking, the advanced version of neurasthenia uses two decks of cards, called double neurasthenia. However, the new rules added to this advanced version have increased the difficulty on the basis of double neurasthenia.

Because in the game of neurasthenia, there are always fewer and fewer cards on the table in the end, which reduces the pressure on memory. However, this rule makes the game have 108 cards from beginning to end, which greatly increases the pressure on memory.

The reason this game is called "neurasthenia" is because even the most basic rules often leave ordinary people dizzy from remembering the card positions, much like experiencing neurasthenia.

Is this really a game that people your own age play?

Matsushita Chiaki trembled.

"no problem."

"Already prepared."

On television, Kitagawa Ryo and Sakayanagi Arisu nod to each other.

Just like the Ellery Queen brothers back then, the prerequisite for a successful show is to have real talent.

and so.

Let's give it our all.

Sakayanagi Arisu took a deep breath, but noticed that Kitagawa Ryo's gaze was somewhat unfocused.

Following the other person's gaze, she found a girl about her age sitting in the front row of the audience.

She clasped her hands together as if in prayer, her beautiful purplish-red eyes reflecting only the image of one person.

Chapter 104: I Don't Really Want to Lose Today

"May I examine the playing cards?"

After the rules were read out, Mr. Koenji, who was in the guest seat, immediately raised his hand.

Cheating can occur in any card game, including those involving neurasthenia. A common cheating method is to tamper with the patterns on the back of the cards to convey information.

"Of course no problem."

The host nodded and handed two decks of cards he had prepared to Koenji, who walked onto the stage. Mr. Koenji then made a phone call, and soon his assistant brought over a brand-new deck of cards that he had just purchased, matching the style of the props.

The newly purchased deck of cards was compared one by one with the prop cards, and the backs of the two decks of cards were also shown on the screen. The viewers in front of the TV screen squinted and stared at the cards for a long time, as if they were playing a game of spot the difference.

"It should be the same, just ordinary playing cards."

Matsushita Chiaki stated with certainty that this is the common type of poker she usually uses when playing with friends.

As expected, Mr. Koenji quickly finished his inspection and nodded:

"no problem."

"Thank you for verifying, Mr. Koenji. Now, the duel shall officially begin."

After the host finished speaking, the staff members next to him stepped forward and randomly shuffled the playing cards on the table. In order to further demonstrate fairness, they even asked the four guests in the guest seats to get down and move a few playing cards.

One hundred and eight cards were neatly arranged on the table, and Kitagawa Ryo and Sakayanagi Arisu, who had been waiting for a long time, walked step by step to the center of the stage under the spotlight, confronting each other around the card game.

Since Kitagawa Ryo won the previous coin toss round, he has the first move.

However, this can hardly be considered an advantage, because in the game "Neurosis", the initial stage is purely a memory-based process, not to mention this advanced version, the chance of successfully matching right from the start is extremely small.

So Sakayanagi Arisu didn't panic. She was a child with a strong desire to win. Even though she had many questions in her mind, the moment the duel began, she became the same Sakayanagi Arisu she used to be.

The first half of the game "Neurosis" is not turned over for the purpose of matching pairs, but for the purpose of memorization.

Because of the setting that allows an extra round after a successful pairing, as long as the opponent's hand size does not exceed half of the total, it is possible to achieve an incredible reversal through continuous successful pairings.

Kitagawa Ryo first turned over two cards: the three of hearts and the five of spades, and unsurprisingly, he failed.

Sakayanagi Arisu memorized the position, suit, and number of the two cards, and then began her turn.

Human memory is limited, especially when it comes to rote memorization.

Therefore, association and constant recall are necessary.

Neurasthenia is no exception.