I have a life simulator.

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji nodded in agreement. Although he ate in the cafeteria most of the time and occasionally bought various fast food from the supermarket to experience high school life, he had also cooked in his dormitory before and had no problem with basic food processing.

"Okay, let's try to finish everything before 7:30, then we'll call the other members of the group over for dinner."

After setting their goal, Kitagawa Ryo and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka began to work diligently on it.

As the pinnacle of the White Gym, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji's physique, or rather his control over his body, is naturally beyond question. He has excellent eyesight, steady hands, and an exceptional memory. Kitagawa Ryo himself can teach him with ease, which is much better than the mentor-student pair of Horikita Suzune and Ibuki Mio. After all, Kitagawa Ryo often heard Suzune complain that Ibuki's cooking philosophy is characterized by its unconventional and whimsical nature, much like Ibuki herself, who possesses the flair of a sports student.

While waiting for the ingredients to stew, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji didn't ask or mention anything unrelated to cooking to Ryo Kitagawa. He would occasionally glance in the direction of Nagisa Hina not far away, already understanding the general situation.

However, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji still doesn't plan to deal with the second-year students. Since entering the school, his target has always been the third-year students, thus creating a staggered competition with Ryo Kitagawa, who is targeting the second-year students. As for Miyako Nami, she is ultimately just a dispensable piece of a move for him. He doesn't really like subordinates with such strong initiative. On the contrary, he finds it easier to use someone as down-to-earth as Miki Yamamura.

As the third-year students are about to graduate, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji still plans to focus on the incoming first-year students. The list he submitted at last year's cultural festival, besides being entirely male, also included a pre-emptive assessment of which classes these students would most likely be assigned to. If his guess about Toyu's bizarre class assignment system is correct, Ishigami, Utsunomiya, and Hosen will likely be assigned to classes A, B, C, or D respectively. And if they can successfully take charge of their respective classes, the entire first year will become his domain.

As for the second-year students who will soon be in the third grade?

To be honest, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji was not without his worries. After all, even if the system that Nangumo Masaru had carefully woven using the rules of Dongyu School had many flaws, it at least ensured that the entire grade could concentrate on a strong target most of the time. Didn't you see that Kitagawa Ryo was forced to retreat into the woods to avoid the brunt of the attack yesterday morning?

The problem now is that, unlike Kitagawa Ryo, who had already planted two nails in the second year, Asahina Nazuna and Kiryuin Fuka, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's influence on the second year is almost zero. For example, in the current chaotic situation where the Qin dynasty has lost its mandate, he can't even put forward a representative of his own for the time being.

Actually, Kiriyama Ikuha could be considered a decent choice. After officially joining the student council, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had some interactions with this former student council vice president, but their understanding of each other was definitely not as deep as that of Kitagawa Ryo and Asahina Nazuna, who were already in a romantic relationship. Relationships driven by self-interest and initiating forces will eventually break down due to greater interests.

Indeed, in the eyes of the legendary observer Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, Ryo Kitagawa has clearly established a romantic relationship with Nazuna Asahina. After all, compared to another upperclassman, Fuuka Kiryuin, whom he met around the same time, the connection between the two is undoubtedly closer. Furthermore, Ryo Kitagawa's attitude towards Nazuna Asahina is completely different from his attitude towards Kiryuin.

Even if Kitagawa Ryo himself doesn't have that intention yet, Asahina Nazuna's feelings are quite obvious. After all, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka has witnessed too many similar emotions in the past year. Otherwise, why would they call Kitagawa Ryo an encyclopedia of love?

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji even had a growing premonition that if he were to stand up for Ikuha Kiriyama at this moment, the final result would definitely be to give Ryo Kitagawa and Nazuna Asahina a wonderful boost to their relationship, just like the villains in fairy tales who always create difficulties for the protagonists to make their romance dramatic and unforgettable.

So he chose to give up.

After confirming that the time was almost up, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji, who had been silently counting down the seconds, lifted the lid of the pot at the most precise second. The ingredients, which had been stewing for a long time, had absorbed the essence of the broth. The pungent aroma and the steaming white mist rushed into his nostrils, obscuring his vision and blurring the abstract symbols called beta-carotene and vitamin A in his eyes.

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

The students in the third group were quite enthusiastic about waking up to a hot and delicious breakfast. Especially after hearing that Kitagawa Ryo was still in charge of cooking this morning, the boys didn't care whether it was a day off or not. After Kitagawa Ryo gave the order, they jumped out of bed with great agility, quickly washed up, and headed straight for the outdoor cooking area. Only when they actually picked up the full bowls of rice did every cell in their bodies relax again.

Following Hashimoto Masayoshi's suggestion yesterday, after finishing their last meal before the final exams, the boys in the third group went straight into the school building and headed towards the Zen room.

There aren't many students willing to get up early on their days off, and even fewer who get up early specifically to practice in the classroom. Therefore, Kitagawa Ryo and his group didn't encounter any other students at all and easily entered the empty Zen room... not really.

"So why is Rinne here too?"

Looking at Sakayanagi Arisu sitting upright on the futon inside, seemingly meditating, Kitagawa Ryo himself was somewhat surprised.

"Practice, after all, I still have a bet with Arisu and her team. Although it doesn't really matter now, winning would be the best outcome."

Upon hearing this, Horikita Suzune only opened one eye, offered this explanation, and then closed it again:

"Don't worry about me, do as you please."

After all, this place doesn't belong to anyone in particular, so the boys in the third group didn't care too much. They quickly found their familiar spots on their own, just like they had a few days ago, and sat down on the meditation cushions to start practicing meditation.

Because they had been scoring near-perfect marks for the past few days, and Ishizaki Daichi and the others insisted that they would easily become complacent if no one was watching over them, Kitagawa Ryo had no choice but to temporarily take on the role of teacher, pacing back and forth between them.

It must be said that after five days of training, even the most impetuous Daichi Ishizaki was able to calm down quickly and properly after sitting on the familiar futon and adopting the familiar meditation posture. Ryo Kitagawa wandered around for about ten minutes and did not find anyone who showed any signs of distraction or any other behavior.

Feeling a bit bored, Kitagawa Ryo slowly strolled over to Horikita Suzune, who was in the innermost part of the room. The other person had chosen a rather secluded spot, with a scroll bearing a large character for "Zen" hanging above her head.

With a mischievous thought in mind, Kitagawa Ryo bent down little by little and brought his face close to Horikita Suzune's pretty face, which was slightly closed and calm as if she was meditating. He gently blew a breath on her trembling eyelashes.

Just then, a gust of wind blew in through the window, causing the scroll above their heads to sway slightly and make a soft sound. Horikita Suzune instinctively opened her eyes, thus ending her meditation session.

As for the reasons for failure.

Horikita Suzune glared intently at the boy's eyes, which were close enough to hers to look at her with a slightly mischievous grin, but suddenly the Zen story came to mind.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo, who had successfully pulled off the prank, was about to look up and leave, he suddenly felt a slight weight on both shoulders. Horikita Suzune had already pressed him down, her gaze intense as if she wanted to say something important to him.

"Shh-"

Seeing that Horikita Suzune was about to speak, Kitagawa Ryo also made a shushing gesture to his lips, and then pointed to the group of other students in front of them who were still practicing meditation with their eyes closed, indicating that they should not disturb them and that they should talk outside the meditation room if they had anything to say.

Just as he looked at Horikita Suzune and nodded slightly to indicate that he understood, preparing to get up again, her lips retaliated by leaning in first, precisely capturing his desired target.

The bright winter morning sun shone through the clean, transparent windows into a corner of the secluded meditation room. Behind the dozen or so students who were intently meditating with their eyes closed, the sunlight fell on a couple behind them, their intertwined shadows stretching long and unreal at their feet.

Is it the wind that's moving, or the flag...?

Or is it just a flutter of the heart?

Chapter 434: My God, this is exactly how I feel (4k5)

It has to be said that kissing in a quiet Zen room with scrolls bearing the words "Zen," "Forbearance," or "Tranquility" hanging on all four walls is quite a thrilling experience. If it were in a Chinese movie, it would probably be accompanied by classic lines like "The Bodhisattva is watching" and "Does the Bodhisattva know how much pain I'm enduring?" especially with a dozen other students sitting in front of you who could open their eyes and turn around at any moment.

Compared to Kitagawa Ryo, who had been through countless battles and had even fought in a bathroom stall just two days prior, Horikita Suzune was clearly running out of steam. After her initial boldness, she carefully distanced herself again. However, after Kitagawa Ryo's interruption, her mind was completely elsewhere, and she could only shake her head, stand up, and gesture for Kitagawa Ryo to go outside the room with her.

“Hiyori came to see me last night.”

Once the two reached the outside of the meditation room, they walked a little further down the corridor until they were sure that talking here wouldn't disturb the other students in the third group who were practicing meditation inside. Only then did Horikita Suzune speak to Kitagawa Ryo.

"Hmm, did you come to thank Lingyin? After all, you helped find her ring."

"That's one reason."

Upon hearing this, Horikita Suzune lowered her head and pondered for a moment, seemingly recalling her conversation with Shiina Hiyori the previous night. After a brief pause, she continued:

"In addition, she also told me that she and Arisu had reached a mutual reconciliation, and that the debt for the ring would be settled with Class 1-C."

"It seems that Arisu has already held talks with Hiwa."

Kitagawa Ryo wasn't particularly surprised by Horikita Suzune's statement. After all, he was the one who knew the personalities and inner thoughts of the girls around him best. It could only be said that the person involved in this matter was Hiyori, who was the most gentle and innocent. If it were any of the others, they would never have chosen to forgive so easily. In the end, this matter had crossed the original invisible boundary and violated the tacit understanding between them. This was also why, after hearing about this matter yesterday, he didn't even eat and went to confront Sakayanagi Arisu immediately to redefine and emphasize this boundary once again.

There's no way around it; if someone really sets this precedent, then the methods that follow will only become more and more extreme. In the end, it's not entirely impossible to completely replicate the final hatchet ending of the second simulation of Ichinose Honami.

As for how to correct the twisted part of Sakayanagi Arisu's personality, Kitagawa Ryo wasn't worried. After all, the heavier and darker heartache of Ichinose Honami in the past had disappeared without a trace. It was just that Arisu's own psychology was closely related to Yuki and Amasawa Ichika from the same simulation, so he hadn't really taken action yet, but planned to wait until Yuki enrolled in school two months later to deal with it together.

"However, Hiyori also told me that Arisu told her part of the reason for doing this, which is related to Ryo."

"Is it related to me?"

"Um……"

At this point, Horikita Suzune herself visibly hesitated, but still chose to ask Kitagawa Ryo:

"She said that Ryo once died in front of Arisu. Is that really true?"

"You're even willing to talk about this? It did happen, but Suzune, you don't need to delve too deeply into it. I'll handle it properly myself."

"it is good."

Seeing that Kitagawa Ryo seemed unwilling to continue the conversation, Horikita Suzune nodded in agreement, though she still felt a mix of emotions. It wasn't that she believed in the idea that a romance had to be dramatic to be considered fulfilling, but she was genuinely curious about this kind of experience she had never had before. After all, this wasn't exactly a story completely unrelated to her, since the male protagonist was someone she had also chosen.

If it were the old Suzune Horikita, who still longed for a decisive romantic moment, she might have been more interested in the story between Arisu Sakayanagi and Ryo Kitagawa, a story that was already quite exciting even from just a few words. But after spending so much time with Ryo Kitagawa, she has become familiar with and adapted to the rhythm of connecting countless ordinary moments into their daily life. In a sense, it can be considered that she has "passed the age of being passionate and dramatic" and now pursues the idea that "simplicity is the true essence of life."

"There are less than two days left for this special exam. There are some problems in the first and second grades. As long as Liang pays more attention to the third grade, there shouldn't be any problems."

"Yeah, Suzune too. How's your bet with Arisu going?"

"Fortunately, our group is currently ranked one place higher than Arisu's group in the first round. Hopefully, we can maintain this advantage until the end. At least in the road relay race, our group is ahead of them. However, we are probably a bit worse in the written test. Overall, we'll have to see how we perform tomorrow."

Although Horikita Suzune said this, Kitagawa Ryo could still sense that she wasn't actually that confident. Otherwise, she wouldn't have come to the meditation room alone so early in the morning to practice meditation. Let alone the entire group like their third group, who were determined to win, Horikita Suzune didn't even bring two students from her class with her.

In Kitagawa Ryo's view, even though Suzune's simulation was his only one-life clear, Suzune's own problems were not completely solved. That time, he focused more on removing Horikita Manabu's idol from her heart and softening her personality little by little with sweets and time. But if he really asked her to take the initiative to socialize with people, those problems that had been covered up would resurface one by one, especially after he transferred to another class.

Of course, as this special mixed training camp has progressed to this point, Kitagawa Ryo can still feel Suzune's growth. He also hopes that she can take this opportunity to step out of her comfort zone once again.

"That's good."

Kitagawa Ryo raised his chin towards the direction of the meditation room:

"Good luck on your exam tomorrow. I'm going back to keep studying."

"It's the same whether it's cold or not."

After watching Horikita Suzune walk down the stairs and leave the corridor, Kitagawa Ryo returned to the meditation room. During the short time he was gone, the boys in the third group were still focused on their meditation with their eyes closed, completely unaware of his slacking off as the temporary proctor.

Without any further disturbances, the remaining thirty or forty minutes passed slowly like the tide. After estimating that an hour had elapsed, Kitagawa Ryo gently clapped his hands, ending the meditation practice.

"Everyone performed perfectly. Remember this feeling. If you can replicate it tomorrow, our third group's meditation score should be fine."

As he spoke, Kitagawa Ryo continued to loudly announce the next arrangements, while watching the boys slowly rubbing their legs and getting up from the prayer mats:

"We can't leave the school for the road relay race, and there are no practice questions for the written exam besides reviewing our notes. Let's take a break, and then we'll find an empty classroom to practice our speeches."

Regarding the speech component of this final exam, the teachers who taught them actually announced the specific details a couple of days ago. The final format will be a semi-structured speech, meaning that each grade will have a specific main theme, but the specific content and topics will be conceived and carried out by the students themselves.

The theme for the first-year students was their feelings about Tokyo Advanced Educational High School and their school life over the past year. The second-year students focused on their relationships with their seniors and juniors, while the third-year students' theme was their plans and goals after graduation. Overall, the essay topics were not particularly difficult.

Although some students, like Daichi Ishizaki, struggled with their studies and were worried about their speeches, the presentations were graded based on a comprehensive evaluation of four aspects: volume, demeanor, content, and delivery. Content only accounted for a quarter of the evaluation, and Ryo Kitagawa himself helped revise and provide guidance on some of the content. Therefore, before the final exam, every student in the third group had finished their speeches.

Of course, writing it well is one thing, but giving a speech to other students in front of others is another.

As expected, as soon as Kitagawa Ryo announced that he was going to find an empty classroom to practice his speech, many students looked rather bitter and began to act awkwardly.

Although this speech wasn't exactly a dark chapter in their creative history, everyone put a lot of effort into writing it because it was related to their exam scores. Naturally, it included various artistic creative techniques. For example, in the speech that Kitagawa Ryo had read, there was his own unforgettable memory of the special exam on the deserted island. However, just looking at the content, it would be easy to think that he was the only one who single-handedly saved Class D at that time.

Besides students who focus on genuine feelings, many good students, represented by Yukimura Teruhiko, have been writing this kind of thing for a long time since childhood. They can spout empty words and platitudes off the cuff. They are the kind of students who can make school leaders blush when they read it to them. If possible, they really don't want to do it in front of other students in the same grade.

"Um, actually I haven't memorized the entire script yet, so I can't give a speech completely without notes. I'll skip the practice session for now and go back to my dorm to memorize the script."

After hesitating for a moment, Yukimura Teruhiko raised his hand somewhat embarrassedly. After thinking it over, he still couldn't bring himself to recite his great hymn to Dongyu in front of his group of friends with great emotion.

Actually, it didn't matter whether the students read from a script or not for the final exam speech, but since everyone wanted to get a high score, most of them chose to give their speeches without notes, which conveniently gave Yukimura Teruhiko a barely acceptable excuse.

Once Yukimura Teruhiko set the precedent, several other boys chimed in, saying they also had similar difficulties. They argued that for the sake of tomorrow's exam, they should immediately return to their dorms to memorize their scripts. In the end, only a handful of boys were willing to practice with Kitagawa Ryo.

Of the first-year A class, only Miyake Akito remained. Sotomura Hideo simply didn't have the courage, and Yamada Albert's Japanese was so poor that he was already preparing to strategically give up on the speech course. Hamaguchi Tetsuya and Watanabe Norihito from Class B were both there, but their main purpose was to protect Kitagawa Ryo, not wanting him to be alone. Class C had the most members, with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Hashimoto Masayoshi, and Hirata Yosuke not backing down. Class D, on the other hand, had all run away.

And so, the third group (disabled), which had been reduced from twelve to seven people, began to go downstairs. They quickly found a nice empty classroom in a secluded corner. But when it came to the final step, the group, who had finally made up their minds, started to procrastinate again, with no one wanting to be the first to go.

There was no other way; at this critical moment, Kitagawa Ryo, as the group leader, could only lead by example and take the initiative to stand on the podium as the first to speak.

Compared to some of his peers who would get nervous and stutter when being stared at by several pairs of eyes, Kitagawa Ryo, who was already used to large-scale stages and spotlights, was naturally impeccable in terms of mental fortitude. His posture, demeanor, and stage presence were all perfectly controlled. Judging from his aura alone, he seemed more like a professor giving a lesson to the students in the audience than a student practicing here.

Unlike the silent meditation practice just now, the speech practice required a loud and emotional voice. In addition, it was already around nine o'clock in the morning, and many students had woken up from their sleep. Therefore, it did not take long for the number of audience members gathered in the classroom to increase significantly.

The first to run over were the students from the third group who had given up earlier. After all, they were just too scared to do it themselves, but they had no problem watching others.

Then there were the students who were also coming to this school building to cram a few times. There were boys and girls from all grades. Because Kitagawa Ryo's voice was too obvious in this area, they quickly gathered around curiously and peered into the classroom through the window.

Honami Ichinose was one of them.

However, unlike the others, at the end of the speech, she heard a very familiar passage—a paragraph from a birthday card she had once received from him.

This special exam for the mixed training camp was not a pleasant experience for her, especially after she was assigned to the same group as Karuizawa Kei. Although the two of them did not reach the level of Horikita Suzune and Sakayanagi Arisu, the competition between them, whether visible or invisible, still existed.

However, all these negative emotions were gradually soothed away at this moment, accompanied by Kitagawa Ryo's gentle yet firm voice.

She leaned against a window, looking at Kitagawa Ryo standing on the stage inside, and whispered with him reciting those familiar yet unfamiliar passages, lines written not only for her, but for everyone:

"Time may fade memories into blurriness, but it also proves that the days we spent together were not a lie. Our bodies are growing, and our minds are growing stronger along with them. Perhaps in the future we will hate who we are now, but I know clearly that who we are now is not the end, and we will not end with who we are now."

I know that people can never stay in the past, and should always yearn for the future, but I still hope that I can always remember the feelings of the past:

To value someone's feelings; to like someone's feelings.

A gentle feeling, a warm feeling, a joyful feeling.

A feeling of sadness, regret, and pain.

I don't think these things are meaningless, because they constitute who I am up to now.

Even if they are insignificant, it doesn't matter. As long as these emotions remain in our hearts, they can become our will, our weapons, and then, they can pave the way for the future we desire.

Although Kitagawa Ryo omitted the latter half of her heartfelt blessings for her due to the limitations of the theme, Ichinose Honami still felt genuinely satisfied and moved upon hearing those sentences again.

Can other people do it? (crossed out)

Just as Ichinose Honami was satisfied and shifted her gaze from Kitagawa Ryo, who had just finished his speech, to check on the other students' reactions, she suddenly noticed Ayanokouji, a classmate sitting in the classroom who seemed to empathize even more than she did.

Dude... what's going on with you?

Chapter 345: I Must Immediately Establish a Ringtone Protection Association

To be honest, after delivering his speech fluently and with great emotion, Kitagawa Ryo was taken aback when he subconsciously looked up and saw a sea of ​​people outside the window, resembling a zombie apocalypse. However, soon, as the boys from the third group in the classroom led the applause, the students who had been drawn to the classroom also joined in. But since most of them had been the ones who had been chasing and blocking Kitagawa Ryo just twenty-four hours earlier, they were too embarrassed to come back into the classroom. After Kitagawa Ryo bowed and stepped down from the podium, they dispersed again, leaving only a few students who knew him well.

Why are there so many people outside?

Because Kitagawa Ryo himself had been completely focused on Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and the others during his speech, he asked Watanabe Norihito, a classmate, with some confusion as soon as he stepped off the stage.

"They must have been drawn here by your speech, Kitagawa. Before we knew it, we had gathered in such a large circle."

Watanabe Norihito scratched the back of his head and offered an explanation, then immediately followed up with heartfelt praise:

"No wonder the teacher asked you to be a teaching assistant before. Your speech just now was really amazing, and the script was also very well written. If I were a judge tomorrow, I would definitely give Kitagawa full marks for your performance."

"It's alright, after all, I have some background in this area."

Upon hearing this, Kitagawa Ryo simply shook his head modestly. The automatic simulation that Hotaru had previously created not only gave him the talent of "ultimate younger man-complex" for pranks, but also manifested a purple talent called "great screenwriter" on him, giving him rich experience in writing and screenwriting. Writing a semi-open-ended speech was naturally no problem for him.