I have a life simulator.

"The A-class graduation system at Tokyo Advanced Educational High School is only cared about by two types of people: those who look down on others like Koenji, and those who are focused on themselves."

Sakayanagi Arisu repeated what she had just said:

"Education is a platform. Many students admitted each year don't actually have the opportunity to enjoy the educational resources of Dongyu. Dongyu's teaching staff, club level, and even the students in Class A are among the best in the country, not to mention accommodation and other aspects."

"After entering Dongyu, there are only two kinds of people there."

"They only have eyes for the people in Class A, and only for themselves."

At this point, Sakayanagi Arisu also sighed helplessly:

"What I find unsettling is that the atmosphere fostered at Tokyo Advanced Educational High School only increases the number of the former type of people."

Kitagawa Ryo spoke with interest:

"So that's why Arisu wants to take over as the chairman of the Dongyu Association?"

"It's probably just an idea."

Sakayanagi Arisu shook her head and asked:

"Liang? What are your plans after that? What will you choose?"

It sounds like a normal conversation about life, but in this context it seems all the more ominous.

He had said before that it was too early for children to talk about marriage, but the day had actually come.

In this somewhat silent moment, Kitagawa Ryo's phone suddenly rang. It was a text message from Yuki:

Today's class is over! Let's have dinner together tonight!

Unlike Arisu Sakayanagi, Yuki, having stepped out of the shadows of the white room, chose to return there to live her life.

Go and become a teacher in the [new] White Room.

A teacher is not a drill instructor.

"I hate the drill instructors, I hate the white room, but I'm also scared."

“I’m afraid of seeing another child like Liang.”

With Kitagawa Ryo's help, she finally got the job a few days ago and became a teacher there responsible for teaching three- and four-year-old children.

There is no fighting involved in the course, and the children can play and romp freely after class.

The course doesn't have VR; you can go outside and see whatever scenery you want with your own eyes—look at the sky, the land, the sea, or even a snowfall.

There are no cotton-padded mothers in the class, because the teacher's friendly smile is the greatest encouragement to the children.

Kitagawa Ryo put away his phone.

He now roughly understands why Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly decided to take over as the chairman of the board of directors of Tokyo Advanced Educational High School these past two days.

It seems the "war" between the Dongyu faction and the Baiwu faction will have to go on for another ten years.

Chapter 121: This is the last time.

"Whoa, why is Ryo here with me?"

As soon as Amazu Ichika, dressed in a high school uniform and carrying a schoolbag, opened the door to her house, she caught a glimpse of Kitagawa Ryo lying on the sofa in her living room, looking utterly hopeless and idly flipping through channels with the remote control. She was startled.

She is almost a year younger than Kitagawa Ryo and Sakayanagi Arisu, so she is currently a third-year high school student. The reason she did not choose Tokyo Advanced Educational High School is that she did not want to be confined there for three whole years.

Tianze Yixia now lives alone. The Tianze family and she dislike each other. At first, the head of the Tianze family had some ulterior motives, but after realizing that the person in question, Kitagawa Ryo, didn't have those intentions, he gradually let go. Basically, he manages Tianze Yixia in a laissez-faire manner, but he still provides her with living expenses every month.

As for Amazawa Ichika herself, she was content to be alone and have some peace and quiet. Kitagawa Ryo and Sakayanagi Arisu would come to visit her from time to time. Amazawa Ichika also remembered the chess game she lost to Sakayanagi Arisu in the white room back then. Every time the two met, they would play two or three more games. So, life wasn't boring.

However, this was the first time Kitagawa Ryo had come without prior notice, which surprised Amazu Ichika.

With a light step, she kicked off her shoes and changed into indoor slippers. Tianze Yixia casually tossed her bag onto the shoe cabinet in the entryway, then skipped up behind Kitagawa Ryo. Shaking the silent Kitagawa Ryo's shoulder, she looked up curiously at the television, asking, "..."

"Hey, hey, hey, Liang, say something! This is illegal trespassing!"

"How come I remember that it was you, Xia, who begged and pleaded to give me the spare key, saying that it was not safe for a minor to live alone, and that I should come every two days to check if your vital signs were healthy?"

Kitagawa Ryo felt like his shoulders were about to be shaken to pieces. Ichika's strength was truly immense. Although the White Room had disbanded, she had enrolled in several martial arts courses. If it really came down to a fight, he felt that none of the girls he knew could beat her. He guessed that only Suzune could probably hold her off for a couple of moves.

"Alright, then I won't pursue this matter further. So, Liang, what brings you to my house today?"

Amazuchi stopped, put his arms on Kitagawa Ryo's shoulders, crossed his arms in front of Kitagawa Ryo's chest, leaned forward slightly, rested his head next to Kitagawa Ryo's head, and asked with a grin.

"I just wanted to find a place to calm down. These past two days have really driven me crazy."

Kitagawa Ryo was still mindlessly flipping through channels with the remote control. Perhaps he didn't actually have any programs he wanted to watch; he was just repeating this monotonous action, watching the lights and shadows on the screen flicker and change.

"Does Yixia feel happier loving someone, or being loved by someone?"

"Yi Xia feels that being loved by someone you love is the greatest happiness."

"That's probably the least likely scenario."

Kitagawa Ryo couldn't help but shake his head, his ear brushing against the strands of hair beside Amasawa Ichika's ear, feeling a little itchy.

"But I roughly know what's bothering Ryo."

Tianze Yixia was quite confident. She withdrew her hand, stood up, and said:

"It's just that Ryo doesn't know whether to choose Arisu or Yuki. If he likes them both, then he can like them both."

"You really have a childish way of thinking."

Kitagawa Ryoko tilted her head back, rolled her eyes at Amasawa Ichika, and then sighed, saying:

"Although that's what I think too."

"Wow, that's such an obvious jerk statement."

Tianze Yixia retorted mercilessly.

"Isn't this the suggestion you just gave me?"

"I was just saying that."

She stuck out her tongue sheepishly, but Tianze Yixia quickly raised her arm again and said:

"But if that's really what Ryo thinks, I can help!"

As she said this, she nodded quite proudly, her twin ponytails swaying back and forth.

"If you joined, things would really get chaotic."

Kitagawa Ryo covered his face and commented that the past few years of getting along with him had given him a full understanding of Amaze Ichika's personality. He was probably a chaotic evil, or perhaps a fun-loving person.

He clearly didn't teach it this way in the white room.

"Alright, then I'll just be straightforward."

Tianze Yixia stopped smiling, seemingly sensing that Kitagawa Ryo was indeed troubled by this matter, and changed her tone.

"The reason things have turned out this way is simply because everyone is waiting to choose whether to catch a cold."

"You want to possess what you like; even a child knows that."

"But no one dared to show it first, because they felt that it would only push Liang to the other side."

"So even though Arisu has the pretext of an engagement, she won't pressure Ryo too much."

At this point, Tianze Yixia couldn't help but smile. As an observer over the years, she naturally saw things clearly:

"The poison of jealousy and greed is inherent in everyone's blood, but no one wants Liang to see the ugly side of it."

Tianze Yixia hesitated for a moment, but still offered a reminder from her own perspective:

“Especially… Arisu.”

As if afraid that Kitagawa Ryo would misunderstand, Amaze Ichika quickly added:

"But I didn't mean to say that Arisu's feelings were bad. On the contrary, as a girl, I can understand her feelings better. In any case, Arisu would never hurt... that's not what I meant."

Feeling that she couldn't explain herself anymore, Tianze Yixia frowned in annoyance.

These feelings are inherently inexpressible; they cannot be put into language, nor can they ever be put into language. Once they are put into language, they cease to be the same.

"So it's all Liang's fault. Liang shouldn't be nice to everyone."

"This kind of behavior is even worse than that of a scumbag."

Tianze Yixia stomped her feet and said this in a self-deprecating manner.

In the end, Kitagawa Ryo didn't get any truly useful advice from Amasawa Ichika.

Of course, it's also because Tianze Yixia has never been a bystander.

Then I'll have to find a second person to ask for help.

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

"Hey, Hotaru!"

Kitagawa Ryo lay on the bed, holding the cat in his arms high. Even though ten years had passed in the simulator, Hotaru's size and appearance had not changed. Strangely, the Sakayanagi family did not feel anything was wrong.

Hotaru blinked her big eyes, seemingly feeling uncomfortable with being held up with her limbs spread, and broke free from Kitagawa Ryo's grasp. She then unceremoniously placed her four feet on Kitagawa Ryo's abdomen and let out a soft cry.

"Meow."

"Sigh, after so many simulations, I still can't find a talent that allows me to talk to animals."

Kitagawa Ryo reached out and touched Hotaru's little head. This simulation made him almost certain that Hotaru was a being with her own thoughts and consciousness.

So let's assume for now that Hotaru can understand.

With this in mind, Kitagawa Ryo shared his concerns with Hotaru, concerns that he couldn't express to anyone else.

"The only reason I'm so conflicted is because this is a simulation."

"And it could be the final simulation to complete all the chapters."

"I'm not sure how many points I'll get in the end, but passing the game shouldn't be a problem."

The objective of completing Chapter 4, "Sakayanagi Arisu's Spring Wish," is to "find the twisted aspects of Sakayanagi Arisu's personality and correct them," a goal that Kitagawa Ryo is quite confident about.

The simulator's criteria for determining whether a character passes the game are quite procedural. In his second simulation with Ichinose Honami, he was accidentally killed by his opponent, but he was still judged to have passed the game with a score of 68 because he had indeed found and corrected the turning point in Ichinose Honami's life, although it eventually twisted in another direction.

In this simulation, Sakayanagi Arisu is in good health. Kitagawa Ryo estimates that this alone is enough to clear the game. Half of the psychological problems are due to physiological problems, and the physiological and psychological are inherently one.

"The reason I say it's the last simulation is because... well, I don't want to continue."

"Even if I only get a low score like that time, I'll finish the game as long as I complete it."

Hotaru listened intently to Kitagawa Ryo's narration. At this moment, in this world, only she could understand Kitagawa Ryo's words, and only she was accompanying Kitagawa Ryo.

Sakayanagi Arisu's two simulations were the two most painful simulations Kitagawa Ryo had ever undergone, both physically and mentally.

The golden talent [Persistence] is not a panacea; often, it merely serves to maintain Kitagawa Ryo's rationality at its last shred.

"Actually, I've been feeling really tired ever since I found out that the memories from the simulation would be passed on to the protagonist of the chapter when the game is completed."

"I not only have to take care of their feelings in real life, but also in the simulation."

Unlike Honami Ichinose and Megumi Karuizawa's two simulations, Ryo Kitagawa abandoned the mindset of a gamer and instead seriously treated each simulation as a real life experience.

But starting from Horikita Suzune's simulation, the three lives she has lived in the simulation are already much longer than the days she has lived in reality.

On the one hand, you know it's fake, but on the other hand, you need to treat it as real.

"So, I want to go back to reality."

Unlike Karuizawa Megumi's second simulation, this time Kitagawa Ryo is not troubled by his disorientation and huge contrast between the virtual and real worlds, but rather by a decision made after careful consideration.

"Instead of thinking about how to make girls happy in a simulation, I'd rather achieve it in reality."

"A solution has been found for Arisu's heart disease, and we have also learned about Ayanokoji Atsuomi and the White Room. It should be almost done."

"Actually, if I could do it again, I should be able to clear the game much more easily, just like in that simulation with Horikita Suzune, where I could easily achieve a good ending and a high score."

As Kitagawa Ryo spoke, he scratched Hotaru's chin, and said somewhat dejectedly:

"But I can't, because if I do that, I'll be abandoning someone's future."

"That's why I'm determined to make this simulation the last one."

Simulators only possess the power to change reality once you complete a game.

Kitagawa Ryo cleared Horikita Suzune's simulation on his first try, thus manifesting his "Heir of a Wealthy Family" talent, which led to him being designated as the heir to the Kitagawa family and drawing him into the conflict between two factions.

However, failed or abandoned simulations do not possess this function and can only be transformed into memories.