I have a life simulator.

"Unfortunately, that's not the case."

Seeing Katsuragi Kohei fall silent again, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka changed the subject once more:

"However, if Katsuragi could seriously consider my initial suggestion, then it's not entirely impossible."

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

Inside the gymnasium, after finishing his club activities for the day, Ken Sudo habitually said goodbye to the other club members and his instructor. As the third-year students approached graduation and he continued to improve, he had gone from a regular member with playing opportunities to a key player in the club, just waiting to show his skills in next year's competition.

For Takeru Sudo, the biggest advantage of the OAA system is that it allows him to clearly see his progress every now and then. This positive feedback of constantly moving forward and getting better continues to be his motivation, not only in club activities but also in his studies.

His current academic level is already in the middle of the class. Although it still sounds a bit shabby and is completely incomparable to his physical ability, which was rated A+ in the OAA system, considering that Sudo's academic level was only E in the interviewer's evaluation before entering school, which was even worse than the poor level of elementary school students, this is already a fairly obvious improvement.

After taking a shower and having dinner, Sudo Ken slowly walked out of the gymnasium after reviewing for his final exams in his dorm room and mentally planning out the rest of the day.

He is now gradually adapting to studying, which was unimaginable just over half a year ago. Back then, he barely passed his first midterm exam after entering school, but now Sudo Ken is quite confident in passing this and all subsequent midterm and final exams.

Every time he thinks about this, Sudo Ken himself feels a bit scared. After all, since he enrolled in Tokyo Advanced Educational High School, the two crises that brought him closest to expulsion, apart from the frame-up incident that Kitagawa Ryo helped him resolve, were the midterm exam where he barely passed with a score of 0.5.

He was just a hair's breadth away from dropping out of school along with six other students, including Haruki Yamauchi and Kanji Ike.

However, Sudo Ken sometimes felt a little confused, because looking back, although he had tried his best to cram at the last minute, people like Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji, who had better foundations than him, failed to reach the passing grade. It was really unbelievable that he had surpassed them by a narrow margin.

However, considering that the midterm exam was indeed a long time ago, and that he has been working hard ever since, Sudo Takeru could only attribute the cause to the vague concept of luck.

"Ding-dong-"

Suddenly, Takeru Sudo heard his phone vibrate in his pocket. It was a message from an anonymous account that didn't exist in his contacts:

"Back in the first semester, Kitagawa Ryo used his personal points earned through club activities to buy points for some students in the class who failed the midterm exam, helping them pass that midterm exam. You were one of them, Sudo Ken."

"So, don't do anything to betray him."

Chapter 369: Because it's a man

Around eight o'clock in the evening, Kitagawa Ryoichi, who had just taken a shower, came out of the bathroom and sat on the sofa drying his hair. Hotaru, as if attracted by the warmth rising from his body, pounced on him and quickly curled up into a fluffy ball on his thigh, looking a little cold.

After all, it's already early December, the beginning of winter. As the weather gets colder, not only Hotaru, but even Kitagawa Ryo feels that he has become much lazier lately. In addition to still having to urge a certain lazy girl to get up and exercise together every morning without fail, he has also unconsciously reduced the frequency of various outdoor activities.

However, what Kitagawa Ryo regrets the most is that due to the limited size of the dormitory at Tokyo Advanced Educational High School, and the school's need to consider the safety of the students, the kotatsu, which he used to use as a way to keep warm and relax, can only be sealed in the past for memories. If it gets any colder, Kitagawa Ryo will have to turn on the air conditioning for heating.

Since the sports festival and the cultural festival, this period has probably been the most leisurely time for him recently. In Kitagawa Ryo’s view, the key to winning this special exam lies in the last few days. Being too hasty will only backfire. At least he should wait for Class C to set a plan first.

Aside from the special exams, after experiencing numerous chaotic scenes at the sports festival and cultural festival, Kitagawa Ryo has now managed to escape those gravitational vortexes and catch his breath. Although he knows this is the calm before the storm, since everything is ready for the class transfer and all that's needed now is a plausible title.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was lying on the sofa with his cat, who was also motionless and only occasionally rubbing against him with its tail, waiting for his hair to dry completely, his phone on the table suddenly vibrated. Someone had called him.

It's common knowledge that the people calling him at this hour aren't the girls who have his apartment key; after all, if they really had something to say, it would only take them a couple of steps downstairs.

As expected, the name displayed on the caller ID was Ken Sudo. The other party's tone was quite serious, and there was no even the usual small talk. He directly stated that he had something very important to tell him in person, and the meeting place was in the lobby downstairs.

Although he was a little confused about what important thing the other person wanted to say to him at this time, the person who said this was one of his best friends in the class, a good buddy who had shared a lot of firepower with him during the special exam on the deserted island. Therefore, Kitagawa Ryo did not hesitate and readily agreed. He put on his warm clothes, told Hotaru to take good care of the house, and then went out and took the elevator to the lobby on the first floor.

"What's wrong? Why did you call me out at this hour? If it's just to practice basketball, the gyms are all closed right now."

As soon as Kitagawa Ryo stepped out of the elevator, he saw Sudo Ken standing at the door, leaning against a pillar as if in a daze. He took the initiative to go up and greet him, making a teasing remark.

"Although I really want Kitagawa to teach me a few more moves, I do have something important to tell you today."

Unlike usual, Sudo Ken seemed to be carrying a burden on his mind today. He scratched the back of his head, gave a wry smile, and then pointed to a row of benches in the courtyard outside the dormitory:

"Let's talk over there."

"Aren't you cold sitting there? Your nose is all red from the cold. Did you just come back from outside?"

"It's okay, I always feel like my head is clearer when the wind blows on me like this."

Faced with Kitagawa Ryo's concern, Sudo Ken simply shook his head, then plopped down on the ground, supporting his drooping head with his hands, maintaining this position for a while before taking several deep breaths and speaking again:

"...Actually, I'm not quite sure where to begin."

As he spoke, Sudo Ken suddenly raised his head again and asked Kitagawa Ryo a question that he hadn't expected:

"During the midterm exams in the first semester, I probably failed and was going to be expelled, right?"

Before Kitagawa Ryo could reply, he took the initiative to provide the answer himself:

"That's how it is. Then, Kitagawa, you helped me make up for the few points I was missing by paying Majima's homeroom teacher 100,000 points per point. Besides me, there should be two or three other students in the class who did the same."

At this point, Takeru Sudo reached out and rubbed his nose, which was red from the cold. Perhaps because of this action, his voice unconsciously became slightly nasal:

“I just went to the teachers’ dormitory and asked Majima, the homeroom teacher. Even he himself is very surprised that you haven’t told us about this yet.”

Takeru Sudo clearly remembered Maezono's argument not long ago, but at the time he couldn't find a suitable example to refute it, because during the first semester, Kitagawa Ryo really didn't have much of a presence in the minds of most students except for his face.

They would respect Majima Tomoya, their homeroom teacher who subsidized them out of his own pocket and never gave up on them during difficult times, and they would also acknowledge Horikita Suzune, who helped the whole class organize the review scope and high-frequency test points before the first midterm exam. But Kitagawa Ryo was different. In fact, because he was able to get personal points rewards from the school through club activities, many students in the class were a little jealous of him. After all, the class points were always zero at that time, and no one had any income. How could he be the only one who was different? This can be considered a kind of human nature.

Takeru Sudo had considered using the incident where he was framed to refute the other party, but since almost everyone involved except him had been expelled from school, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to publicly contradict them. In fact, after leaving, he actually agreed to the other party's final request and has kept quiet about the matter concerning Maezono to this day.

But it wasn't until this afternoon, after receiving that anonymous text message and repeatedly confirming with his homeroom teacher, Majima Tomoya, that Sudo Kenji finally realized what was going on.

This has never been a question of loyalty being absolute or absolute disloyalty, nor is it about believing that Kitagawa Ryo could know and resolve the matter without his reminder. Even setting aside his position as a class leader and student, even if he hadn't passed the midterm exams with points paid by Kitagawa Ryo, but only out of friendship, he shouldn't have hidden this from Kitagawa Ryo at all. Although Maezono and the others claimed to be protecting themselves, once they gathered in large numbers, they could become the final straw that led to Kitagawa Ryo's unexpected expulsion from school.

Moreover, everything Kitagawa Ryo did during the midterm exams was the best counterattack against Maezono's sophistry. He was never a leader who didn't care about the students in the class, a half-baked leader who could be replaced; he just didn't talk about his silent efforts behind the scenes.

That's why Sudo Ken, who felt he wouldn't be able to sleep that night if he didn't explain immediately, chose this time to call Kitagawa Ryo down.

"It's been so long, what, Sudo, are you planning to pay me back these points? There's no need for that. The class points you earned for our class are enough to pay me back several times over."

When Sudo Ken brought up the events of last semester, Kitagawa Ryo was momentarily taken aback, but immediately smiled and patted him on the shoulder, saying this.

"That's different. I'll definitely pay you back these points once I've saved them up. Besides, I have something else to say."

So, Sudo Ken explained everything about the mae-en to Kitagawa Ryo in detail, and finally apologized somewhat embarrassedly.

"I'm sorry, I should have told you Kitagawa right away."

"It's alright. After all, you're under a lot of pressure, Sudo, and it's not too late now."

After hearing what Sudo Ken said, Kitagawa Ryo remained outwardly calm and said he didn't care, but his mind was already racing with thoughts.

In fact, he didn't really care much about the specific people and affairs in the class. Besides the fact that there were too many things to deal with and interpersonal relationships, it was also because of the existence of Ichinose Honami and Sakayanagi Arisu, especially the former. It could even be said that Kitagawa Ryo's understanding of many students in Class C was entirely through his casual chats with Ichinose Honami.

According to Sudo, this happened several days ago, but he hasn't heard anything about it from Ichinose Honami or Sakayanagi Arisu until today.

Although it was unclear what kind of ideas these two restless girls were plotting, Kitagawa Ryo instantly gleaned an excuse that he could use to his advantage.

"As for this matter... Sudo, come here and listen to me."

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

On the second day in the cafeteria, Ichinose Honami and Sakayanagi Arisu once again shared a table.

"Fanbo really knows how to beat around the bush. If it's just about letting Ryo know about this, wouldn't it be better to just have Hasebe, as a party involved and a witness, tell him directly?"

Faced with Sakayanagi Arisu's obvious question, Ichinose Honami didn't even have the desire to answer. She glanced at him and continued to eat her lunch slowly.

"However, the person that Fanbo chose is indeed quite good. His actions are easy to predict, he has a good reputation in the class, and he has a good relationship with Liang. Moreover, he is indeed one of the students in the class that Liang helped back then. Of course, there is also the last and most crucial point."

Sakayanagi Arisu smiled and winked at Ichinose Honami sitting opposite her. She could see right through Ichinose's thoughts, because they actually shared the same idea.

Chapter 370: Each Other's Birthdays

What do you think Liang will do?

After tacitly skipping the previous topic, Sakayanagi Arisu took the initiative to ask Ichinose Honami for her opinion again.

Because of the favor promised during the sports festival, Sakayanagi Arisu will unconditionally cooperate with Ichinose Honami's every action this time, so Honami doesn't hide anything from her and speaks out her speculation without any concealment.

"If Liang wants to transfer classes, all he needs is personal points and a seemingly legitimate reason."

No sooner had Ichinose Honami finished her first sentence than Sakayanagi Arisu proactively raised a question:

Does such a reason really need to be given?

"Of course, because Liang will come back sooner or later. He went through so much trouble and took such a long detour to get us into one class, not just to abandon the class and leave now."

At this point, Honami Ichinose's expression was somewhat complicated:

"When we were here a few days ago, Arisu had a long talk with me about how Ryo's management of the class was problematic, which led to this internal clique incident, right? Well then, let's just leave for a while and use the simplest method of controlling variables to verify this inference."

"Why is Honami like this too? I thought you would at least understand Maezono and the others' thoughts a little bit. After all, you should have a better relationship with them than with me, right?"

"Perhaps it's because I always tend to think of things in the worst possible light, and because I have a good relationship with Maezono and the others, I can't really find fault with the fact that I was so devastated by this incident."

"Aren't you just squandering the reputation and trust you've built up over the years? Just like that trick you used at the last sports festival, it's fine once or twice, but you can't maintain it if you use it too often."

"That's good too. Anyway, there's still Kushida from Class C in the grade. Thinking about it that way, Maezono and the others are actually helping me out. At least they didn't come to me like Totsuka from Class C, pestering me for help."

Honami Ichinose and Arisu Sakayanagi both spoke quite quickly, and they stopped talking after they finished their exchange without giving each other a word. They then took their water glasses from the table and put them to their lips to moisten their slightly dry throats.

Not far away, Matsushita Chiaki, who was still acting as a lookout, turned his head and saw the two of them drinking water from their cups in unison. It could be said that the former's gesture of slightly raising his left middle finger outward was a bit deliberate, while the latter's gesture of stroking the name tag on the cup with his palm facing inward was also quite exaggerated. Matsushita Chiaki couldn't help but smile slightly.

After finishing their water, the two put their cups back together, and this time it was Ichinose Honami who took the initiative to speak.

"Of course, during this special exam, Arisu should not only refrain from making any rash moves, but also keep an eye on Amasawa Ichika for me."

Since her rise to fame at the school festival, Honami Ichinose's filter for the younger sister of a certain outstanding graduate of the White Room has been completely shattered. In this respect, she should have something in common with Yuki.

"Fine, I owe you a favor."

Sakayanagi Arisu waved her hand dismissively. She had noticed Amasawa Ichika's intentions long ago, and now she found Ichinose Honami's belated realization quite amusing.

"It just so happens that Ichika promised me during the cultural festival that she would help teach Nagumo a lesson. Using this to distract her shouldn't be a big problem. However, I still have to remind you, Honami, that if she finds out that you are the mastermind behind Ryo's transfer, the consequences could be quite terrible."

As someone who personally experienced the final simulation, Sakayanagi Arisu is well aware of the value of Amasawa Ichika and Yuki, the graduates of the White Room. In fact, in her opinion, the White Room experiment in the simulation was much more cruel than the one in reality. In a sense, they could be considered petri dishes for mentally ill and extreme patients.

As for what happens when Amazu Ichika becomes obsessive, Ms. Kushida Kikyo from Class 1-C should have a lot to say about it.

“Then Arisu herself has to keep it a secret even more. After all, you are now my helper. And to be honest, if you didn’t also want to be Ryo’s rival, you wouldn’t have obediently come to help me just because of this so-called favor.”

After responding to Sakayanagi Arisu's threat with a smile, Ichinose Honami brought the topic back to the very beginning:

"Actually, apart from that title, Hui probably hasn't saved up enough personal points yet. The sports festival and cultural festival combined probably only give her about two-thirds of her points. But considering the fundraising from the other students in Class B and the sponsorship from Hoshinomiya, it should be just about enough. After all, she might be able to earn some more in this special exam."

"So, Fanbo, do you think Liang will lend some points to Class B?"

"No, but it will happen... but we might have to find a different way to solve both problems at the same time."

"Now that Fanbo says that, I think the food in the cafeteria at noon today was a bit too sour. Tch, next time I should just ask Ryo to make me a lunchbox when he makes breakfast, so I don't have to come here for the set meals."

Seeing that Sakayanagi Arisu had suddenly put down her chopsticks and seemed to have lost her appetite, Ichinose Honami continued to eat her lunch slowly and methodically, though she still looked calm. But she also felt a strange unease in her heart.

Well, it's probably because the two of them bought the same set meal that was also soaked in the same overturned jar of jealousy.

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

Despite facing the dual pressure of upcoming special exams and final exams, the drama club's rehearsals have been packed during this period, as they have already submitted an application to the student council to participate in a competition on December 24th and 25th.

After another exhausting club activity, Karuizawa Kei, who had already said goodbye to the other members and seemed to be heading back to her dorm to rest, wandered around the campus aimlessly. When she estimated that it was about time, she walked back to the club activity room. Kitagawa Ryo, who hadn't left either, was already waiting there, passing the time by wiping the trophies in the display case with a wet wipe, cleaning off the dust.

"Fanbo should have taken care of everything in the class for me."

"Kansaki should have taken care of everything in the class."

The two had just met when they uttered similar remarks in perfect unison, and exchanged a knowing smile. After closing all the doors and windows, they sat on the sofa and began chatting about the events of the past few days.

"My previous speculation with Hui was correct. Fanbo's goal from the beginning was not to prevent me from transferring classes, but simply to be in the same class as me."

Because he understood the logic behind all of the other party's actions from the sports festival to the present, Kitagawa Ryo quickly realized that this was also Ichinose Honami's doing after receiving information about Maezono from Sudo Ken. However, in order to achieve the best performance effect for this play, he could only improvise and pretend to be stupid, returning to his old profession as an actor.

However, compared to the simulation, this time the two are more like the lead actors who have already rehearsed their important lines before the curtain rises. Therefore, even though there hasn't been a single direct exchange about the script, they are actually cooperating with each other's performance without any pretense, since they both want to achieve the same goal.

However, no matter how she tried to cover it up with such a reason, Kitagawa Ryo could still feel the excessively heavy emotions of Ichinose Honami herself. In terms of the difficulty of the script, what she had to do was to obtain 20 million personal points by her own strength, and then properly and steadily ensure the two of them made a dignified exit. In particular, the second half of the scene that she forcibly took over should have been a solo performance by Kitagawa Ryo.

"Well... and the same goes for our class. In fact, Kanzaki and the others have been intentionally creating this atmosphere since the end of summer vacation."

Karuizawa Kei nodded in confirmation.

The reason why the four first-year classes have been unable to reach a consensus and cooperate to overcome the difficulties in this special exam is actually due to the confusion of their demands. Class C in the first year is still unable to reach a consensus. However, as early as during the sports festival, a group of students from Class B, led by Ryuji Kanzaki, tried to propose their own solution. That is, when individual demands and collective demands conflict, they try to reconcile the two, hide individual demands within collective demands, and thus transform individual demands into so-called collective demands.

Just like Karuizawa Kei wanted Kitagawa Ryo to transfer to Class B, this was actually just her personal request. However, to achieve this request, the collective interests of the entire Class B had to be sacrificed, namely the transfer fee of 20 million personal points.

"Kansaki intentionally leaked part of what happened in Maezono, and now everyone is quite indignant on your behalf, since such a situation is indeed quite rare in Class B."

By now, Kanzaki Ryuji and his classmates have resolved all the issues between the homeroom teacher and the ordinary students. This special exam has been the final push, and many students have even taken it for granted that Kitagawa Ryo should be in their Class B for the first year. In a sense, they are just waiting for Kitagawa Ryo to arrive in his loyal Class B.

"Hmm, what did the homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya, say?"

"If Ryo can confirm it, she will make up for any shortfall of less than five million points. These are Hoshinomiya-sensei's exact words."

At this point, Karuizawa Kei asked with some concern:

"But if Ryosuke really transfers to another class, what will happen to Class C and Chabashira-sensei?"

"Don't worry about that. After all, the final result of the transfer was that your Class B bought me. As long as I lie to her and say that I was also forced, she will continue to believe me. In fact, once I really join Class B and join Hoshinomiya-sensei's camp, she will probably be even more obsessed with transferring me out as soon as possible."

Although he spoke quite casually, after his evening meeting with Chabashira Sae a few days ago, Kitagawa Ryo had already vaguely sensed some hidden dangers in his heart. His relationship with the other party had now reached the edge of a precipice, and one wrong step could cause them to fall into an abyss together.