I have a life simulator.

After rattling off this string of words in one breath, Shiina Hiyori smiled and explained:

"This is a line from Shakespeare's play The Tempest."

"Because I only spent a short time in the theater company at the time, I haven't read many plays compared to the detective novels I've read, and this is my favorite one."

"I don't know what Horikita-kun, Megumi, or anyone else thinks about Ryo, and I don't care. I can only be sure of my own feelings."

"I don't like feeling lonely, so being with Ryo is my happiest time."

Horikita Suzune pursed her lips and remained silent. At this moment, she no longer cared whether Shiina Hiyori and Kitagawa Ryo had a past that was unique to them, just like hers.

Because the other person's feelings have reached this point without a doubt.

"I like it cool."

"Yes, it is like that."

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

Kitagawa Ryo stopped playing. The piece "Wedding in a Dream" was not long, but thanks to his superb playing skills, even Ishizaki Daichi, who knew nothing about music, couldn't help but be immersed in the beautiful and moving melody.

It wasn't until quite a while after the music ended that Ishizaki Daichi finally snapped out of his daze, smacking his lips, and gave Kitagawa Ryo a thumbs-up:

"Impressive, Kitagawa. I didn't expect you to have such a hidden trick up your sleeve."

"If the girls in our class saw what you were like just now, they'd be lining up to confess their feelings to you the next day."

"You only dare to say that when no one's around."

Kitagawa Ryo shook his head with a bit of a laugh, but Ishizaki Daichi's words just now made his heart skip a beat, reminding him of Shiina Hiyori who was in Class C.

Aside from the impromptu poetry recitation on the first afternoon, I hadn't run into Shiina Hiyori for over a day, and even then, she was in such a hurry that we barely exchanged a few words.

I wonder if her group with Ibuki Mio is going well.

Although I confirmed this morning that the two of them were ranked in the middle of the group, I didn't meet them in person and didn't know the specific situation based on their scores alone.

Thinking of this, Kitagawa Ryo also asked Ishizaki Daichi, who was standing next to him:

"Ishizaki, have you run into Hiyori these past few days?"

"You mean Shiina-kun... I initially thought it was just something the girls in our class were spreading. It seems your relationship is indeed quite special."

Daichi Ishizaki chuckled twice, winking at himself.

"Our group hasn't actually encountered them before, but with Ibuki leading the way, we should be fine. After all, her family owns a martial arts dojo, and although she seems a bit difficult to talk to, she gets along quite well with Shiina. Don't worry."

"And even if he's in a worse state than the boss of Longyuan, right? When I ran into him this morning, good heavens, he looked like a caveman. I don't know..."

Although his mind was a bit off, Ishizaki Daisuke finally realized something was wrong and quickly covered his mouth, stammering as he changed the subject:

"Anyway... I'll keep an eye out for Shiina if I run into her again, since you gave me a bottle of water, Kitagawa."

"I'll let you have first place this time. I need to go back and meet up with the others."

After Ishizaki finished speaking, just as he had said before, he casually pressed a couple of keys on the piano before leaving with a grin.

Anyway, only he and Kitagawa Ryo successfully registered here. No matter how good Kitagawa Ryo is, he was guaranteed second place, which can be considered a great success of picking up the scraps.

Watching Ishizaki Daichi dash away in a flash, clearly afraid of leaking any more information, Kitagawa Ryo shook his head and smiled helplessly, then shouted after him:

"Don't you dare exaggerate!"

I wonder if Daichi Ishizaki heard it.

"Amazing!"

At this moment, it was Tachibana Akane on the other side who clapped and cheered for Kitagawa Ryo.

"Although I don't know how good Suzune is at playing the piano, Kitagawa's piano skills are definitely the best I've ever seen."

"That's why I already said that I taught Lingyin to play the piano."

Kitagawa Ryo answered casually while checking his watch for the points and other rewards.

"Then what about that Shiina student that Kitagawa mentioned earlier?"

With a beaming smile, Tachibana asked, "The true intentions are revealed."

"...Ah, I suddenly remembered that Suzune mentioned to me before that Tachibana-senpai plans to go to the same university as Horikita-senpai after graduation?"

Kitagawa Ryo was no pushover either, and immediately switched from defense to offense.

"It's just an idea—and first, I have to graduate from Class A."

As expected, the moment Horikita Manabu was mentioned, Tachibana Akane's emotional intelligence and IQ dropped by fifty percent, and she hurriedly waved her hands and stammered a reply.

Just then, a message came through on the tablet that Akane had been holding. After reading the message, the petite senior immediately spoke to Kitagawa Ryo:

"It seems there's been some kind of mishap with Horikita-kun's project; I need to go there right away."

"Hmm? Which project is he in charge of?"

"It's the 'Tea Ceremony' in the three squares on the right."

Chapter 151: As long as you're willing to marry me

When Kitagawa Ryo heard Akane mention the word "tea ceremony," his heart skipped a beat, because he remembered that Horikita Suzune had recently participated in a project called "tea ceremony," mainly for the ingredients that were being awarded.

No two topics will appear in the same round of the deserted island exam, so the "tea ceremony" that Tachibana Akane mentioned should be the topic that Horikita Suzune was on, there is no mistake about that.

Thinking of this, Kitagawa Ryo immediately moved closer and asked in a low voice:

"Senior Tachibana, Suzune is participating in this project. Has something happened over there?"

"Rinne is there too? No wonder."

Tachibana Akane was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, but quickly showed a look of realization, and also lowered her voice to say:

"Actually, it's not a big deal. It's just that the teacher who was originally in charge of reviewing that project suddenly fell ill and has been airlifted to a cruise ship for medical treatment, so he can no longer serve as a judge."

"The school originally intended to have Horikita take over, since Horikita's tea ceremony skills are also quite good, but it was inexplicably canceled. The current order is for the third-year students who have finished their work nearby to go there and form a temporary judging panel to review the project."

"If Suzune is also there, then Horikita-kun really wouldn't be a good fit to fill in as a temporary judge. Hmm, let me see..."

After all, the school also needs to consider issues of fairness and avoiding conflicts of interest. Although Horikita's professional level is not in question, the school had to change its approach because his biological sister was among the participating students.

It seemed the school had shared information about the research project. Tachibana Akane swiped through the tablet's screen and muttered to herself:

"Rin's name is indeed there, as are Ryoko Nishikawa from Class A, Asako Amakura from Class B, and Hiyori Shiina from Class C..."

From the other side came the sound of someone calling Tachibana Akane's name. Tachibana Akane quickly responded and then said to Kitagawa Ryo:

"Then I'll head over now, see you next time."

Because the teacher in charge there was urging her to hurry, Tachibana Akane also left in a hurry with her tablet. It seemed that in order to quickly send people over, the school also used various means of transportation, and soon a beach buggy arrived.

Although Kitagawa Ryo really wanted to go along and use the school's vehicle, the teacher in charge was unlikely to agree.

However, Kitagawa Ryo was quite concerned about the list of participants in the "Tea Ceremony" project that Tachibana Akane had just mentioned. Although he thought that Shiina Hiyori, who had joined the Tea Ceremony Club, would most likely participate in the project, he still couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache after confirming that she was with Horikita Suzune.

After all, Shiina Hiyori is different from Horikita Suzune and the other three. Kitagawa Ryo does not intend to tell her about the existence of the simulation or her past memories. This is also why he has not tried to discuss the topic of the ring with Shiina Hiyori all these years.

Should I tell Shiina Hiyori that I once used her to dump her?

Why not let that first meeting at the theater, and Shiina Hiyori's slightly embarrassed recitation of "Hamlet," become the beginning of their story?

Furthermore, Kitagawa Ryo also noticed Horikita Suzune's actions these days, including her probing of other girls.

Both "change" and "unchanged" are positive and negative terms.

Thinking this through, Kitagawa Ryo no longer hesitated. He walked directly to the teacher in charge of exchanging supplies who was still standing, took a deep breath, took out the exchange manual from his backpack, pointed to something on it, and said:

"Hello, I would like to redeem this with points."

"……oh?"

The teacher in charge was surprised for a moment, but quickly replied with a smile:

"You've come at just the right time. I estimate that in another two hours, this thing will be removed from the redemption list."

The teacher pointed to the sky as she spoke:

"You'll probably receive the notification soon. There will be a heavy rain this afternoon and evening. The school will advise you to find a suitable campsite as soon as possible around noon. If you encounter any difficulties, please contact us immediately using your watch."

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

[Notice: Attention all students and school staff. According to the weather forecast, a large-scale rainfall is expected on the island between 15:20 PM and 19:40 PM today. Students are requested to find campsites in advance and exchange for necessary supplies. School staff are requested to return to the rest area in the starting grid in advance. For the safety of teachers and students, all sessions this afternoon are cancelled.]

In case of any sudden emergency, please contact the school immediately using your watch.

Horikita Suzune quickly read through the notice that the school had just sent to each student's watch. She looked up at the sky again, but it was still clear and sunny, with no sign of heavy rain.

Ibuki Mio reacted quickly and went to exchange for rainproof tarpaulins and raincoats. The members of the other groups who were staying here also got up at the same time, and for a moment only Shiina Hiyori and Horikita Suzune were left sitting here.

After Shiina Hiyori's explosive remarks, Horikita Suzune was at a loss for words. She could only lower her eyes and fiddle with her watch, idly switching between pages related to time, leaderboards, and school announcements.

It seems there's something wrong with the examiner for the "Tea Ceremony" topic. Even though ten minutes have passed since the start time, there's absolutely no intention of starting the topic.

Just as Horikita Suzune was feeling uneasy, Shiina Hiyori, on the other hand, remained indifferent, as if nothing had happened. She continued to play with her message in a bottle, occasionally lifting it up as if trying to find the right angle to throw it.

"Does what I did count as littering?"

Shiina Hiyori's sudden remark, delivered in a slightly dazed tone, inexplicably elicited a chuckle from Horikita Suzune, whose emotions were in turmoil, which somewhat eased the awkward atmosphere.

However, considering that one of the rules of this exam is against damaging the environment and littering, Shiina Hiyori's concerns are not unfounded.

"Then just throw it on the beach and pretend it's a message in a bottle that was washed ashore by the sea."

Horikita Suzune casually remarked this, but unexpectedly, Shiina Hiyori seemed to think it was a good idea and actually raised her hand to throw the message in a bottle onto the deserted shallows.

Perhaps due to the gravitational potential energy from its elevated position, or perhaps because the sand on the beach was indeed soft, the message bottle traced a beautiful curve in the air before firmly embedding half of its body in the sand.

Half a message in a bottle is buried in the golden sand. If you take a good picture of it up close with a decent camera, it would make a great computer wallpaper.

"I'll pick it up again after the project is over."

If the project weren't about to start anytime soon, Hiyori Shiina would probably rush over and grab the bottle back right now. So, despite saying that, she stared intently at the half-destroyed bottle, as if afraid that a wave would come and carry it into the deep sea at any moment.

Just as Horikita Suzune was about to ask what was written on the letter the other person had put in the bottle, a rough engine sound suddenly rang out in the area.

The next second, a black dot appeared on the sea not far away.

This was a loophole that Kitagawa Ryo discovered on his first day. Although the school would not provide any form of transportation assistance to the students on the island, there was a similar item in the exchange booklet.

That is the water jet ski, which is classified as a recreational activity.

Kitagawa Ryo had rented these before when he visited the deserted island, so he knew them pretty well. However, last time he went parasailing with Shiina Hiyori, being tied to the back of a motorcycle and enjoying the wind the whole way. This time, it was finally his turn to have some fun himself.

The topic of "Tea Ceremony" happens to be located in a grid near the coast, which is quite quick to reach by sea.

Kitagawa Ryo gripped the handlebars tightly, forging ahead against the oncoming wind and waves, trying to forget the large amount of points that had just been deducted.

Although it was only a daily rental, the price of a jet ski still reached an astonishing 2,000 points, which was equivalent to half the price of a water purifier. Even though Kitagawa Ryo's Level 5 discount card (the first place reward for the "Piano Performance" project was upgraded to Level 1) reduced the price by 45%, 1,100 points was still quite painful.

Moreover, even though it will be unusable in just a few hours, the price doesn't seem to be getting any cheaper.

No wonder the teacher in charge of the exchange looked so strange; he was probably the only student on the entire island who had ever exchanged this thing.

[Watch me upgrade my discount card to level 10-15, then you'll know whether it's free or not.]

While inwardly cursing the school's unscrupulous nature, Kitagawa Ryo struggled to raise his watch amidst the wind and waves to check his location and direction.

To prevent any accidents from happening to him, the lifeboats next to him were also dispatched immediately, forming a protective circle on both sides. Fortunately, most of the coastal area was designated as a restricted zone at this time, and there were relatively few students nearby. Otherwise, if they had seen it, they might have thought it was some kind of maritime capture operation.

The motorcycle sped across the waves and arrived at the shore of the grid where the "Tea Ceremony" project was located. After getting ashore, Kitagawa Ryo immediately spat out a mouthful of salty seawater, tidied his hair which had been blown off his hairline, and then waded into the sand.

Thanks to his talent [Eagle Eye], Kitagawa Ryo had excellent eyesight. He easily found the protruding cliff and Shiina Hiyori and Horikita Suzune who were looking at him with some shock.

"Hiyori! Suzune!"

While waving to the two people on the high place, Kitagawa Ryo was looking for a path to get up from this side. However, he hadn't taken more than two steps when he tripped over something under his feet. Fortunately, he was in amazing physical condition and managed to maintain his balance, so he didn't fall into the sand in a sorry state in front of the two people.

"……what?"

Kitagawa Ryo pulled out the item that had almost tripped him from beside his feet, somewhat puzzled.

It was a sparkling message in a bottle containing a little sand, a few seashells, and a rolled-up piece of paper.

"Hidden themes in the school?"

Because special exams were still being conducted, and the island itself belonged to Tokyo Advanced Educational Junior High School, Kitagawa Ryo subconsciously made this conjecture.

Then he began to try to pull out the cork from the message in the bottle to see what was inside.

Meanwhile, Shiina Hiyori, who was high up, was also caught in a dilemma.