I have a life simulator.

"it is good."

And so, he nodded in agreement.

The next second, Kitagawa Ryo heard Sakayanagi Arisu tiptoe over and whisper the second half of her sentence in his ear with a smile. Although her voice was very soft, it was enough for the students around her to hear it clearly.

"By the way, what I've always wanted is that engagement ring that you should have put on my finger a long, long time ago, but it's been delayed for so long. Ryo should know that, right?"

"My fiancé."

She unconsciously recalled everything from their past, and then found a more suitable term.

“...my childhood sweetheart.”

I am feeling unwell and need to take one day off.

I've been feeling unwell since the 8th, and I don't know if I've tested positive again, so I'm taking a day off to rest.

Let me briefly talk about the outline of this book. Long-time readers should remember that when I had written about 1.2 million words last year, I mentioned that there were still 800,000 words left in the story. The reason I've written so much now is because I expanded the outline again when I picked up the book again after a hiatus. Because of the several months that had passed and some new plot ideas that came to mind, there are some minor inconsistencies in the beginning and end, such as the incident with Sudo's midterm exam. I apologize for affecting the reading experience for some readers.

The reason why I suddenly started writing 10,000 words a day this month is very simple: I plan to quickly finish the remaining plot of the first year and then move on to the second year chapter. As I mentioned at the end of a previous chapter, when writing to this late stage of 2.5 million words, it is indeed necessary to introduce new characters to create new conflicts and freshness. So I will try my best to update.

Actually, I only realized today that I've already written 2.5 million words without even realizing it. I'm very grateful to the readers who are still following and subscribing. After all, this length is considered a long novel on Qidian, let alone on Hedgehog Cat. I'm truly very grateful to everyone.

I'll try again tomorrow when I feel better.

Wishing everyone good health.

Chapter 422: Sakayanagi Arisu: There's a cow! (4k5)

"...You definitely did this on purpose, didn't you?"

After finally managing to get rid of the crowd of onlookers gathered around the school by calling for school staff, Kitagawa Ryo retaliated by slightly increasing the pressure on his hands until Sakayanagi Arisu's petite and lovely face was squeezed into a rather comical shape in his palms before he let go and sat back down in his seat, looking somewhat helpless.

"That's Liang's fault too. Look, isn't that what Liang just said?"

Sakayanagi Arisu reached out and tidied her bangs, which he had just ruffled. It seemed that she had finally spoken out about something she had been holding in for a while, and she looked to be in a good mood, with a refreshing feeling of relief.

"As for those last two sentences, whether I fabricated something out of thin air or not, Liang should know best."

At this point, Sakayanagi Arisu glanced at Kitagawa Ryo with some suspicion, involuntarily recalling a newly coined nickname for "Lord of the Rings" that she had overheard in the crowd earlier. So, still a little uneasy, she added, "I'll ask you something else:"

"Or is it that Liang had similar engagements with other people besides me?"

"Not this one."

Kitagawa Ryo honestly shook his head at this, after all, there was only one of these items he had obtained, and it was only used on Sakayanagi Arisu.

However, aside from the engagement, he was actually married to a certain Ms. Horikita who wished to remain anonymous, and even played a piece called "Wedding in a Dream" during the 'piano' subject of the special exam on the deserted island, reminiscing about that memory.

However, considering Sakayanagi Arisu's current mental state, Kitagawa Ryo wisely refrained from saying those words again. After all, the other party was asking about the engagement, and saying no wouldn't really be considered a lie.

Seeing that Kitagawa Ryo didn't seem to be lost in thought or inadvertently look away, Sakayanagi Arisu also felt relieved and picked up her chopsticks again to continue eating the lunch that she had been dawdling over for so long. She seemed completely unconcerned about the various rumors that had started to spread among the other students because of her last two sentences.

"I really didn't expect Arisu to be so persistent about this matter."

“It’s not that I’m being stubborn. This matter has already happened in the past and is about to happen in the future. I’m just bringing it to the present.”

Seemingly somewhat displeased with Kitagawa Ryo's words, Sakayanagi Arisu pursed her lips, put down her chopsticks once more, and leaned her head to look at him, resting her hands on the table.

“I know that Ryo has been avoiding or unwilling to face this fact, but both of us should understand that if Ryo is bound by a marriage contract, then the most suitable person should be me, unless Ryo is willing to marry a girl he has never met.”

"...Ryo only has three years to spend at Tokyo Advanced Educational High School, and nearly a third of that time has already passed."

At this moment, Sakayanagi Arisu finally partially revealed her biggest but most difficult-to-speak-about advantage, exuding the confidence of a leading lady who was already standing proudly at the finish line, as if she knew that "you will come back to me sooner or later." If it weren't for her slightly lacking height and build, her aura would probably be even stronger.

Upon hearing this, Kitagawa Ryo himself hesitated.

To be honest, this is a topic that he himself has been avoiding, or rather, that everyone has been tacitly avoiding. In terms of high emotional intelligence, it is to ensure that everyone can enjoy their three years of high school life without regrets. But in terms of low emotional intelligence, it can also be seen as the last period of time that everyone can spend together happily before the inevitable end arrives.

High school or college is often the last period in which most students don't realize how big the gap is between themselves and their classmates in terms of family background, status, talent, or personality. This is because almost everyone wears the same school uniform, lives in the same dormitory, takes the same classes, and eats in the same cafeteria. This kind of life can often remain unchanged for three to four years, but everyone's situation will change dramatically within a year or even half a year after graduation.

The same applies to relationships.

Whenever he thinks of this, Kitagawa Ryo would turn his gaze to that talent that still evokes complex emotions in him to this day.

If given the chance, he certainly wouldn't want the identity of a chaebol heir.

This is not some Versailles story or a case of getting a bargain and then complaining.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo said when he left school to celebrate Hotaru's birthday not long ago, the two of them had already gotten through the most difficult time through their own efforts. Even without this sudden change, the future of the brother and sister had already escaped the worst possible outcome.

Even for the girls around Kitagawa Ryo, this sudden identity also brought them heavy pressure. Whether it was Karuizawa Megumi expressing her hope to enjoy the three years with him when she enrolled, or Ichinose Honami's long-standing psychological burden before last summer vacation, it is hard to say that this identity was not related to them.

If we had to find a single beneficiary, it would probably be this young girl in front of us, because, as Arisu said, her identity and background make her the most suitable and appropriate one...

"Not necessarily. Actually, my father loves me quite a bit. If I talk to him about this, I feel like there might be a good chance."

Just as Sakayanagi Arisu was confidently giving her acceptance speech, a girl she never expected suddenly burst into their conversation—Kiryuin Kaede from Class 2-B.

"I don't think it's funny to joke about something as important as this."

"How could you say I was joking, Sakayanagi-san? After all, I've known Kitagawa for more than half a year. You know, we were fighting side by side this morning. As for what Sakayanagi-san, who isn't joking about her life's most important thing, was doing this morning, I'll keep you in the dark for now."

Facing Kiryuin-senpai, who had come out in a funny way but also indirectly helped him out of a tight spot and eased the atmosphere, Kitagawa Ryo gave her a rather subtle look of gratitude. After all, he knew that although this girl was also from a large conglomerate, she had never publicized it as much as Koenji. In fact, she had enrolled in Tokyo Advanced Educational High School to temporarily escape her identity. The last few times she saw him, she had complained to him about why Tokyo Educational High School didn't have a system for repeating grades, so that she could stay there for a few more years.

However, Sakayanagi Arisu was unaware of this information. Rather, compared to the vast majority of students at Touyu, she was one of the very few who knew Kiryuin Fuuka's true identity.

That is why, even though she knew that Kiryuin Fuuka was probably just being unreasonable, Sakayanagi Arisu herself couldn't bring herself to refute her. After all, according to her theory, Kiryuin, who also came from a conglomerate background, was much more suitable than her. After all, the Sakayanagi family's influence was mainly in the education sector, which was different from those conglomerates that could actually influence the country's politics and economy.

By now……

Let's talk about feelings then.

Seeing that Sakayanagi Arisu's attitude had suddenly softened again, and she was looking at him expectantly as if afraid that he would say something like "Yes, she and I are indeed very close", Kitagawa Ryo couldn't help but chuckle. He suddenly realized that he hadn't noticed before that Arisu had a subtle little devilish nature. It was the same on the cruise ship last time. As soon as she finished making her yandere declaration, he grabbed her arm and lifted her up a couple of times, and she became obedient.

However, Sakayanagi Arisu did feel that she was incompatible with girls with silver-white hair. Not to mention Shiina Hiyori, the girl Kiryuin Kaede who had just appeared also had a head of dashing white hair that reached her waist, and she was the tall, older sister type. Standing next to her, they looked a bit like an adult and a child.

"Thank you so much for what happened this morning, Kiryuin-senpai. Are you and Asahina-senpai alright afterwards?"

Feeling that nothing she was going to say would be appropriate, Kitagawa Ryo simply changed the subject and sincerely thanked Kiryuin Fuuka and Asahina Nazuna for their chivalrous help that morning. After all, as second-year students, their actions were, in a sense, an act of defiance against the entire second-year class, and they faced considerable pressure.

"Qi and I are both fine. We just couldn't find you after we separated once, so we thought you must have hidden in the forest. Qi was a little worried at first, but I thought that since you could fight and defeat even wild boars in the forest, there was no reason why you couldn't beat those second and third-year students who chased us in. Now it seems that's true."

Kiryuin Kaede simply waved her hand dismissively, but when she mentioned wild boars, her eyes flashed with a look of eager anticipation.

After saying that, Kiryuin Fuka deliberately glanced in the direction of Sakayanagi Arisu, then reached out and patted Kitagawa Ryo's shoulder, her fingertips brushing across his neck, before leaving as if no one else was there.

"If you're bored tomorrow, you can come find me and we can go play in the forest together—um, let's play with wild boars."

After taking a deep breath, Kiryuin Fuuka finally walked out of the student cafeteria under the somewhat nervous gaze of Sakayanagi Arisu, which made her breathe a sigh of relief.

Sakayanagi Arisu had always considered herself to be no less than anyone else, but this was indeed the first time she had encountered someone whose intelligence, physical strength, background, and even appearance were on par with hers. This gave her a subtle feeling that one thing could subdue another. After all, in her investigation, the person who should be closer to Kitagawa Ryo was Asahina Nazuna, but the one who suddenly appeared and disrupted her plans was Kiryuin Fuka.

"...I'll go explain this to the others briefly. Of course, I won't renege on my promise to Arisu if she wants something."

When Arisu Misaka finally calmed down, Kitagawa Ryo naturally got up immediately to take his leave. After all, the past ten minutes had already proven to him that Arisu was a gravity vortex that could throw out shocking remarks at any time. It would be best to wait until Shiatsuyuki enrolls and make a positive difference between the two negatives.

"Well, this special exam isn't over yet, so Liang should be careful."

"I think the person I should be most careful about is Arisu."

"Can this sentence be taken as Liang's approval of me?"

"Sure, after all, it really made me realize that the prettier the girl, the more likely she is to lie. The little tricks she did to me last night were probably to make me lower my guard and not have time to pay attention to other details around me, right?"

With Kitagawa Ryo speaking up, Sakayanagi Arisu could only force a response:

"……really."

She still couldn't admit that only that one handprint was a completely impromptu decision, otherwise wouldn't it seem too casual?

Another, more casual student, Tianze, finished the last piece of meat on his plate not far away. While licking it until it was translucent and shiny with the tip of his tongue, he observed the situation on Sakayanagi Arisu's side.

Pulling and tugging is good.

Without the intense back-and-forth between these two, she wouldn't have had the chance to overtake them.

And what's the point of an engagement?

It was useless in the past life, and it's destined to be the same in this life.

Rather, she was already looking forward to Kitagawa Ryo wearing the engagement ring and recreating the terrifying scene from last night with her.

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

Because they had spent too much time at Sakayanagi Arisu's table, by the time Kitagawa Ryo returned to Ichinose Honami and Karuizawa Megumi's table, ate a few bites of rice, and shared his conversation with Arisu with the two of them, the meal was already nearing its end, and they had no choice but to part ways temporarily.

The main reason is that this afternoon and tomorrow are rest and preparation time provided by the school for students, so there are more opportunities to meet secretly than in the previous days, so it is only 'temporary'.

After finishing his meal and leaving the student cafeteria, Kitagawa Ryo went to the restroom near the cafeteria again, but this time it wasn't to meet anyone, but simply to take care of his business.

Because the urinals were already full of students, Kitagawa Ryo had no choice but to push the doors of the adjacent stalls. However, he seemed to be unlucky, as several stalls he tried to open were already occupied. He was forced to walk all the way to the innermost and most secluded stall, but when he reached out and applied a little force, the door was locked.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was about to turn around and check if the urinals were available, the door to the next stall was suddenly pushed open from the inside. A boy from Class 3-B came out and, seeing Kitagawa Ryo waiting at the door, quickly slipped away, looking hurried.

However, Kitagawa Ryo didn't care about any of that. After going in, he closed the stall door, lifted the toilet seat, and started using the toilet.

Perhaps it was the scene inside the toilet stall that stirred up some memories for him, as Kitagawa Ryo unconsciously recalled what had happened in the early hours of the morning. Fortunately, the girl who was using the toilet in the stall next to them didn't peek through the crack in the floor of the stall door out of boredom, otherwise they would have seen two pairs of shoes squeezed together.

Thinking of this, Kitagawa Ryo, who had already finished using the restroom, glanced listlessly at the crack in the floor of the innermost stall to his right, the one he hadn't been able to enter earlier. But the next second, he subconsciously frowned.

He didn't see anything.

Theoretically speaking, whether the other person is sitting or standing, their feet should be firmly on the ground, right? Are they some kind of weirdo who is used to squatting on the toilet to defecate?

No...maybe there's another possibility.

In a split second, Kitagawa Ryo thought of another possibility and quickly tapped lightly on the partition door next door, speaking somewhat apologetically:

"Hello—I forgot to bring any tissues, could you lend me some?"

There was no response.

After waiting for half a minute, Kitagawa Ryo immediately opened the door and reached out to pull the door of the innermost cubicle next door, which was still locked.

The next second, he walked back into the cubicle he had been in before, quickly stepped onto the toilet, and used his height advantage to glance at the next stall.

Although it was only for a moment, he still got the answer he wanted.

Standing there was a girl who was both familiar and unfamiliar to Kitagawa Ryo.

She is Miki Yamamura from Class C of the first year.

Chapter 423: Was this also part of your calculations? Firefly! (4k5)

To be honest, Kitagawa Ryo's understanding of Yamamura Miki came only from the few words he and Sakayanagi Arisu described, so in a sense, this was probably their first meeting alone.

Although both the setting and the manner of the event exuded a rather awkward atmosphere.

Seemingly worried that the students in the cubicle might see her girls' shoes through the crack in the floor, Miki Yamamura was curled up on the toilet. Of course, all her clothes were still on, so Kitagawa Ryo didn't see anything more embarrassing.

Since it was already past the end of the mealtime, the restroom quickly went from being packed to being deserted. After confirming that it was just him and Yamamura Miki, Kitagawa Ryo gently knocked twice on the door of the stall where she was.

"I know you're in there, Yamamura. If you don't come out soon, I'll have to call the school authorities to handle it."

Although I felt that my words inexplicably carried a hint of "you don't want others to know you're hiding in a men's restroom stall, do you?", thankfully, the person inside, Miki Yamamura, wasn't the kind of person who would say something like, "I'm using the men's restroom because it's too crowded and long-distance, what's wrong with that?" So, as soon as Kitagawa Ryo called out her name, we soon heard the sound of the stall door being pushed open from the inside, and Miki Yamamura walked out with her head down, so it was hard to see her specific expression or demeanor at first glance.

After noticing Kitagawa Ryo's gaze, Yamamura Miki, who was stuck there, had no choice but to raise her head with difficulty. Her face did not show much panic at being discovered, but rather a calm and undisturbed expression, which in some ways was quite similar to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka himself.

"Let me out."

As Yamamura Miki spoke, Kitagawa Ryo finally got a clear look at the face of this girl from Class C. There were quite a few girls in Class C with outstanding looks. Even if we disregarded Kushida Kikyo, who was among the best in the entire grade, and Morishita Ai and Kamuro Masumi, with whom he had different levels of contact, they all had their own unique charm. But this Yamamura-san... in terms of facial features alone, she was definitely above average. However, because her face was expressionless, coupled with the aura of inconspicuousness that surrounded her, if Kitagawa Ryo didn't have his golden talent of photographic memory, he would probably have forgotten her appearance in two minutes.

"What are you doing here, Yamamura-kun? Did Ayanokouji send you to stake out this place?"

Completely ignoring the other person's request to leave, Kitagawa Ryo unusually displayed a somewhat aggressive attitude. If someone completely unaware of the ins and outs of the incident were thrown here, upon seeing the scene before them, they would probably immediately think he was some delinquent who had dragged a girl into the men's restroom to bully her.

Upon hearing Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's name, Kitagawa Ryo keenly noticed a slight change in Yamamura Miki's expression. It seemed that the information provided by Sakayanagi Arisu was accurate; the other party was indeed a subordinate that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had recently won over.

Sensing Kitagawa Ryo's determination to not let her go without finding out what happened, Yamamura Miki hesitated for a moment, but ultimately just shook her head.

"I'm not here to spy on you."

"I know."

Kitagawa Ryo simply nodded in agreement. After all, he didn't have the habit of chatting with people in the men's restroom, especially after that bathhouse incident. He would intentionally go to these single cubicles, whether he was young or old, to avoid any communication with other people as much as possible.

As his mind raced, Kitagawa Ryo had already sketched out several answers in his head, but he still needed to confirm them with Yamamura Miki.

"This is an internal matter for your Class C, right? You just need to nod or shake your head, answer honestly, and I'll let you go."

Seemingly feeling that answering the question wouldn't be considered a leak, or perhaps simply wanting to leave first, Yamamura Miki pursed her lips before nodding at Kitagawa Ryo's question.

"Thank you for your cooperation. You can go now."

Having received this not-so-unexpected answer, Kitagawa Ryo kept his promise and stepped aside, only adding a slightly wistful remark as Yamamura Miki was about to leave:

"Although we don't know who devised this outrageous plan, let's try to avoid such dangerous behavior next time."