I have a life simulator.

"Who's next?"

Turning back to ask one of the other students, Kitagawa Ryo himself walked to the window, opened it, and smiled as he explained:

“Our third group is practicing public speaking. If any students are interested or would like to practice, feel free to come in and sit down. It’s more comfortable than standing outside.”

As soon as Kitagawa Ryo said that, the other members of the third group who were in the classroom were dumbfounded again. They had agreed that he would only give a speech to the students in his group. Why were new audience members suddenly added?

"This way we can practice better, since we'll have to do this tomorrow anyway, so let's just treat it as a practice run in advance."

After letting the students who were willing to participate in the speech practice or simply wanted to watch the fun into the classroom, Kitagawa Ryo casually sat down in the first row and nodded towards Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and the others:

"Who's going?"

After hesitating for a moment, it was Hirata Yosuke from Class 1-C who finally raised his hand. As a handsome and refreshing guy who was popular in his class and even the grade, he was actually not afraid of this kind of occasion to perform in front of others. Although he was a little nervous at first, he quickly got into the zone and finished his speech practice in a generous manner. Kitagawa Ryo also pointed out a few minor problems that could be corrected after he finished, which made the atmosphere more lively.

With Hirata Yosuke setting such a good precedent, students such as Hashimoto Masayoshi, Hamaguchi Tetsuya, and Watanabe Norihito followed suit. Later on, even students outside the third group took the initiative to go on stage. After all, such a good opportunity to practice in advance was hard to come by, and with Kitagawa Ryo, a 'teacher' who was definitely a professional, guiding them, they were all eager to participate.

However, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji, whom Honami Ichinose was particularly interested in, never chose to go on stage. Even at the very end, when Teruhiko Yukimura, who had initially been hesitant and said he was going back to his dorm to memorize his speech, finally mustered the courage to go. Although everyone was amused by his dramatic and rhythmic "Respected teachers and leaders" at the beginning.

And so, the three- or four-hour-long speech practice was forced to stop when the lunch bell rang. Even then, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji still showed no sign of getting up.

Suppressing this doubt in his heart for the time being, Ichinose Honami jogged a few steps forward to catch up with Kitagawa Ryo after leaving the classroom. The boys who were originally walking alongside him also made way for him, chuckling strangely as they quickened their pace and walked away first.

"I saw Fanbo sitting in the back of the classroom just now. I thought you would also choose to go up on stage for a speech practice."

"There were too many students who wanted to go on stage, so I didn't plan to compete with them. After all, I didn't think I needed to practice beforehand. I'd rather leave the opportunity to those who need it more."

As she spoke, Ichinose Honami, as if by telepathy, took Kitagawa Ryo's outstretched right hand, feeling the soothing warmth emanating from the other's palm, and let out a deep sigh of relief:

"After seeing Liang's performance today, I feel that no one will doubt that you will win the final first place in the whole school."

Before the final exams began, every student at Tokyo Advanced Educational High School, recognized by the OAA system as a unique student with an overall A+ rating, knew that ordinary written tests and road relay races were Kitagawa Ryo's forte. However, they did not expect that Kitagawa Ryo would also excel in the rather unconventional subjects of public speaking and Zen (meditation). This morning's chance encounter with his practice session allowed many students to personally experience his delivery of lines and his demeanor, proving that the title of "famous theatrical actor" was no longer confined to club award ceremonies and encyclopedia entries.

According to Ichinose Honami's own observation, if Kitagawa Ryo were to show even the slightest inclination now, the so-called upperclassmen in the second year would probably readily elevate him to the position of the next Nagumo Masaru. After all, once that religious-like inertia and fanaticism faded with Nagumo Masaru's failure, Kitagawa Ryo, who was undoubtedly more outstanding in every aspect, would naturally steal their attention.

Although compared to the group of girls, Honami Ichinose is still holding a grudge against Kiyotaka Ayanokouji because of that one expression.

"It just so happens that I happened to be in the part I'm good at. Speaking of which, Fanbo, you should have noticed it just now, right? It was the last paragraph of my speech."

"Yes, it's from the birthday card that Ryo wrote to me. I didn't expect Ryo to still remember it. It's just a pity that I couldn't understand it that time."

When the simulation from back then was mentioned again, Honami Ichinose still felt a little regretful, but she no longer dwelled on her feelings at that time. Her whole state was quite peaceful, and her expression remained the same as always.

It must be said that as the only one among the four chapter heroines to enjoy the treatment of three simulations, even though the first two simulations were just the most ordinary and simple process described in words, the plot CGs that existed as important nodes and the many memories attached to these words were still very impressive to Kitagawa Ryo. Compared to Karuizawa Megumi, who could only find a photo of them together as a souvenir after Hotaru searched hard between the two simulations, he and Ichinose Honami had so many special items that could serve as carriers of memories that it was hard to count.

Whether it was the birthday card he had just quoted, filled with sincere wishes for his childhood sweetheart, or the large umbrella with the first letters of their names in Roman letters engraved on the handle, enough to envelop them both, or even the origami cranes made from paper that Kitagawa Ryo had broken but Ichinose Honami hadn't been able to give away, they were all perfect tokens of their love. It was as if they had never fought such a rich battle before.

Moreover, Kitagawa Ryo didn't think there was anything wrong with Hotaru's choice. After all, the most important thing between him and Ichinose Honami was the "one more stick" that represented the talent of "keeping one's word." These four words were the past, the present, and the future for the two of them, and were themselves endless possibilities.

"It's not too late to understand now."

Kitagawa Ryo was also somewhat moved upon hearing this. If Horikita Suzune, whom he had been focusing on during this special exam, was still in her developmental stage, then Ichinose Honami had already completed this step after last summer vacation. There were quite a few girls who knew or guessed that he would transfer classes, but only Ichinose Honami was able to meticulously plan and ultimately raise 20 million personal points to transfer classes with him without any investment. Karuizawa Kei was only temporarily ahead because of the home advantage she had built up over the past year. Even so, Ichinose Honami's influence was also rapidly increasing throughout Class B.

What made Kitagawa Ryo even more gratified was that, perhaps because she had personally created that worst ending, or perhaps because of her inherent personality, Ichinose Honami had always managed to control her relationships with him and other girls with ease, especially on the night the school festival ended.

On that night, which was supposed to be the first time he had slept in another student's room since enrolling, nothing unexpected happened. They simply cuddled and slept together in a warm embrace. If Asahina Nazuna was the older sister type in terms of age, then among these peers, Honami was the one who was the gentlest and most tolerant to him.

Of course, Kitagawa Ryo is also willing to admit that this perception is also related to Honami's appearance and physique. After all, no matter how Sakayanagi Arisu poses and looks like that, there will always be a sense of incongruity. After all, he is not the Kitagawa Ryo who was confined to bed due to ALS and whose muscles were atrophying, or who was tormented by addictive drugs to the point of being emaciated, as seen in the two simulations. However, this contrast is one of the reasons for Sakayanagi Arisu's twisted and strange psychological problems.

"Speaking of which, how's Fanbo's group doing?"

"Although the atmosphere within the group has completely collapsed, the ranking is surprisingly high, first in the grade."

Kitagawa Ryo wasn't surprised by Ichinose Honami's answer, after all, their group's strength on paper was too solid. Even if we disregard the fact that Honami and Megumi were both capable of being group leaders in other groups, the other members, such as Kamuro Masumi, Morishita Ai, and Ibuki Mio, were all top performers in their grade, so scoring points really wasn't a problem.

"Rinne's group is second and Arisu's group is third, but the total scores of the top three are about the same, so we'll see how they perform in the final exam."

Compared to Horikita Suzune, who would surely continue discussing the topic of this special exam seriously at this point, Ichinose Honami clearly had no intention of wasting their precious time alone on such matters. Therefore, after answering Kitagawa Ryo's question, she changed the subject:

"By the way, after this special exam, it won't be February until we get back to school—"

"Oh right, it's almost February before we know it."

Reminded by Ichinose Honami's seemingly unrelated remark, Kitagawa Ryo immediately realized what was going on. The Christmas operation from last year flashed through his mind, but unfortunately, there was no excuse this time for him to leave school and hide away to avoid the limelight.

Without giving him any time to think, Honami Ichinose pressed on with her question:

"Yes, and I checked, the 14th is a weekend when there's no school, so Liang should be free, right?"

Seeing that Honami had booked Valentine's Day a full two weeks in advance, Kitagawa Ryo had no reason to refuse, so he quickly nodded in agreement without much hesitation.

"Fanbo was the first person to ask me out."

Seeing Kitagawa Ryo readily agree, Ichinose Honami unconsciously raised the corners of her mouth, her eyes crinkling with laughter:

"After all, most people are probably still thinking about this special exam, so let's put it this way: Liang will have to stay with me all day, 24/7—"

"it is good."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded in agreement. Actually, rather than worrying about who to accompany or not to accompany, he was more concerned about how many favors or personalized chocolates he would receive that day. After all, unlike people who simply buy them at a store, he genuinely planned to bake them by hand to make the return gifts, which was quite a huge undertaking.

Moreover, this wasn't the first time Ichinose Honami had done this. Karuizawa Kei had talked to him about it when he transferred classes during winter break. Compared to holidays like Christmas, New Year's Day, and Valentine's Day, she was actually looking forward to March 8th this year, which was her birthday, and hoping that Kitagawa Ryo could be by her side peacefully.

When the topic of birthdays came up, Kitagawa Ryo suddenly thought of Suzune again.

Because he remembered very clearly that Lingyin's birthday was February 15th every year, which was the day after Valentine's Day.

If he were to spend the entire day with Fanbo, then at the very moment that midnight arrived on the 15th of the following day.

At that time... in what kind of situation or posture would he send that happy birthday text message to the other person?

Chapter 246: The Freest Child (4k5)

Perhaps feeling inexplicably guilty, after securing Kitagawa Ryo's schedule for Valentine's Day half a month in advance, Ichinose Honami used the excuse of going to the window to get food to temporarily separate from him.

Theoretically speaking, this should be their third-to-last meal in this student cafeteria. After all, once the four exams are over tomorrow afternoon, the students of Tokyo Advanced Ikusei Junior High School will embark on their journey back to school. After a week of simple meals, many students at Tokyo Ikusei Junior High School are already starting to miss the various set meals in the school cafeteria.

Once again, the aunt at the food counter enthusiastically filled his bowl with rice, leaving Kitagawa Ryo somewhat speechless. However, he didn't intend to approach anyone today. Instead, he casually found an empty table nearby and sat down, focusing intently on the three dishes and soup in front of him. Even so, Kitagawa Ryo could still feel numerous, subtle gazes fixed on him from near and far, densely clinging to his back.

There's nothing we can do about it. He's been pulling off one big stunt after another at the student cafeteria these past few days, and it's starting to feel like it's becoming a staple. Plus, the female lead is never the same, and every time it's a domestic storyline that everyone really enjoys.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo swallowed another mouthful of miso soup, the empty seat in front of him was suddenly occupied by another person. Looking up slightly, he saw Amasawa Ichika's pretty face with a strangely resentful look in her eyes.

"Hey...it's cold."

Showing no interest in eating, Tianze Yixia put down her plate and looked at him, deliberately drawing out her words:

"Did you come to the girls' dormitory again last night?"

"Ok?"

"No need to play dumb. I actually noticed Kushida going out in the middle of the night from the beginning, and I followed him. That's when I caught a glimpse of Ayanokouji and the others. I was originally going to shout a few words in a high-pitched voice to create some chaos and stop them from interrogating Kushida. But then I thought that since I was able to follow Kushida out, there was no reason why Ryo, who shares a dorm room with Ayanokouji, would be left behind by him. So I wondered if Ryo might have other plans, and that's why I hid."

At this point, Amazu Ichika glared at Kitagawa Ryo with obvious displeasure:

"And then, and then, after I saw that most of the people had left, I wanted to go and meet up with Ryo, but Ryo turned around and ran away with Ayanokouji over the wall without looking back. Do you think I'd eat you?"

"Well, it's hard to say."

Kitagawa Ryo smiled at this:

"So it was you, Ichika, who was chasing after me last night. I didn't pay much attention at the time. After all, it was a girls' dormitory. My first reaction was probably to run away without being seen. And Ayanoji was there too."

"So what did Ryo say to Ayanokouji afterwards? Is it really okay for Hirata to be exposed by Kushida like this?"

"I just explained Hirata's actual situation to him. After all, Hirata is not Totsuka or Hashimoto. As long as he is not actually caught or does anything to betray the class, it will not be easy for Ayanokouji to get him to leave. After all, Class C can't find another student who can fill this niche."

"Is it that easy?"

"more or less."

Looking at Amazu Ichika, whose every smile and frown was so natural and whose expressions were so rich, Kitagawa Ryo felt a little melancholy. If Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had received training from the fifth generation of the White Room a year later, even if he had been instilled with superficial emotional education, his situation would probably be much better than it is now.

"...You two are really strange."

Seeing Kitagawa Ryo's vague expression, Amazusa Ichika also muttered something under her breath. She didn't know much about Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, but she had heard about the bet between the two of them from Kitagawa Ryo in the past, so she was also a little confused about the change in their relationship.

However, Amasawa Ichika didn't think too much about it like Horikita Suzune or Ichinose Honami did. After all, with her extensive experience, she could be said to know Kitagawa Ryo's sexual orientation and even his various fetishes better than anyone else. Therefore, she quickly changed the subject with great interest:

"Oh right, our group got into another argument this morning."

"What's the reason this time?"

Having heard so much gossip about Amasawa Ichika's group over the past few days, Kitagawa Ryo herself had become somewhat desensitized. Ironically, when the groups were initially formed, the girls all wanted to join either Ichinose Honami's or Kushida Kikyo's groups. However, it turned out that even with students skilled at mediating and maintaining harmony in such a mixed training camp, the groups couldn't withstand the pressure. Ichinose Honami's group had already completely fallen apart, while Kushida Kikyo was still trying to maintain her angelic persona, trying her best to avoid offending anyone and maintain a peaceful atmosphere. But even she couldn't stop the gradual breakdown of relationships within the group, and the group's ranking in the grade dropped to fourth place in the bottom half.

"Because of the mileage allocation issue for tomorrow's road relay race."

Amazuki took a big bite of rice, then, with the spoon still in her mouth, she mumbled an explanation to Kitagawa Ryo:

"Because I initially signed up for the maximum distance of 3.2 kilometers, I was able to watch the show, but the other students were basically arguing with each other for almost the entire morning."

Although boys and girls take the same four subjects in their final exams, the total distance for the road relay race is different, about one-fifth less. Therefore, the maximum distance each student can undertake is reduced from 3.6 kilometers to 3.2 kilometers. Even so, this is still a number that makes girls shudder, since it's not a flat track and requires considerable physical strength.

"Although everyone said they would follow Kushida's arrangements at first, after Kushida actually made the arrangements, everyone still had all sorts of complaints. It's like when a girl asks where to go on a date and always answers 'anything,' but then starts complaining after going there."

"That analogy is quite apt."

"What about Liang? Have you decided on the mileage allocation for tomorrow's road relay race?"

"Yes, I did a spot check when I was practicing outside a couple of days ago. The final plan may not satisfy everyone, but it will definitely maximize our strengths and minimize our weaknesses to get the highest score and achieve the best results."

"Oh, that's one way of thinking. After all, everyone wants to get good grades. But someone like Kushida, who wants to get good grades while also taking care of others, will end up with a worse solution."

At this point, Tianze Yixia felt a surge of anticipation again:

"I wonder if I'll run into Liang tomorrow. Liang is probably running the last leg of the return trip, just like me, right?"

"No, that's not it. I ran the section near the turnaround point, the steepest and most difficult section to run."

"I see. If Kushida had a sense of responsibility like Ryo, our group wouldn't have been arguing in the dorm all morning."

It seemed that she was really being tortured. Tianze Yixia sighed helplessly and complained with a hint of resentment.

"However, once the exams officially begin tomorrow, Liang won't need to hide around like she did yesterday. After all, the exam order is different for each grade, and there will definitely be more proctors."

"Well, actually, no one has really come after me today."

With both Class A and Class D of the first year preoccupied with their own internal problems and the second year rife with undercurrents, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji chose to fairly compete with him in tomorrow's final exam. This is the source of Kitagawa Ryo's confidence to go out for a stroll today and even to give a speech practice to the whole school with ease.

Human nature is always a complex thing. Even when almost the entire school was organized to surround and intercept him yesterday, many students chose to turn a blind eye. After all, they were just seventeen or eighteen-year-old high school students. It wasn't some kind of hot-blooded high school movie set. Waving a flag and shouting a few times was considered to be doing justice to the care that the student council president of Nagumo usually showed them.

And so, after chatting casually with Amaze Ichika for a while, the lunch break came to an end. It has to be said that Amaze Ichika was indeed the freest girl among Kitagawa Ryo's group of girls. Even in this special mixed training camp exam where she was bound to be involved and suffer internal strife with the other students in her group, she still maintained a very high degree of freedom. Over the past few days, she and Kitagawa Ryo had spent the most time chatting.

It can only be said that the quality of the graduates from the White Room is indeed a bit too high for the girls. Even though a considerable number of students do not approve of Tianze Yixia's behavior, just like in this road relay race where she directly took the highest distance, her strength is there, and others can't do anything about her. They even have to rely on her to get more points for the team.

After waving goodbye to Amazu Ichika, Kitagawa Ryo left the student cafeteria. Perhaps because the final exams were approaching, most of the students were a mix of anxiety and relief. He even encountered two students who asked him if he would continue practicing his speech in the same classroom that morning.

Kitagawa Ryo politely declined to answer the question.

To be honest, the way things turned out this morning was already beyond his expectations. Moreover, all the students in the third group except for Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had already practiced once. He wasn't so eager to teach all the students in Dongyu University. Besides, what Amasawa Ichika said earlier reminded him that it would be best to have an open and honest discussion with the other members of his group about the mileage allocation for tomorrow's road relay race in advance.

With this in mind, Kitagawa Ryo went straight back to the dormitory of the third group. After waiting for a while, and seeing that everyone had returned, he stood up from his bed, clapped his hands, and indicated that he had something to say.

"Tomorrow is the final exam. We've already practiced meditation and public speaking this morning. Next, I'll talk about the arrangements for the road relay race."

As soon as Kitagawa Ryo finished speaking, his classmates Watanabe Norihito and Hamaguchi Tetsuya immediately raised their hands and said in unison:

"Let's talk about this tonight."

"Actually, I think it's fine to say it after I wake up tomorrow morning."

They were both genuinely terrified by the unprecedented situation yesterday and really didn't want to see Kitagawa Ryo suffer the same fate as other students for leaking information. Therefore, they both wanted to postpone the matter as much as possible.

"No need. Saying it earlier would have given everyone time to adjust and consider."

Kitagawa Ryo was well aware of their concerns, so he first gave them a reassuring look, then took a pen and paper from Yukimura Teruhiko and casually drew a simple terrain map on it. He then marked fifteen equal sections of the route, each section being 1.2 kilometers long, and called everyone over to gather in a circle.

"Our group of twelve people will run eighteen kilometers. The minimum distance for each person is 1.2 kilometers, which means there will be an extra 3.6 kilometers."

"In our group, Ayanokouji and I are both students who can run up to 3.6 kilometers, which is our absolute advantage over other groups. And if we want to make the most of this advantage..."

At this point, Kitagawa Ryo looked up at Yukimura Teruhiko again:

"Qicheng, Waicun, if possible, I hope you can strategically give up participating in this road relay race."

His words shocked the entire dormitory. However, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji was not surprised. He had already guessed this would happen when Kitagawa Ryo told him last night that both of them would run 3.6 kilometers. After all, if no student withdrew from the race, the two of them would only be able to run 3.6 kilometers and 2.4 kilometers respectively.

Students are allowed to withdraw from the competition due to injury during this final exam, just like Nagumo who was carried away yesterday. The price is that the student will receive a zero in that subject. For Yukimura Teruhiko and Sotomura Hideo, this is actually a choice between individual points and team points. After all, it is obvious to everyone that even though the two of them have worked their hardest in the past few days, they will still be the weakest link dragging down the team in the road relay race.

"I'm OK."

After a brief hesitation, Yukimura Teruhiko nodded and agreed. After all, due to his physical limitations, his individual score was not good enough to compete for a high ranking in the first half. However, thanks to his good grades in subjects such as the written test, even if he gave up the road relay race, he would definitely not fall to the point of failing and being expelled. If their group could take this opportunity to win first place in the whole grade, and even push the ranking of the group to move up further, the reward he could get in the end would actually be more.

After he agreed, Hideo Sotomura nodded, but his reason was simpler, which was a bit lazy and thought that if you can be lazy, you might as well take the opportunity.

"Okay, then it's settled."

After resolving the issues with Yukimura Teruhiko and Sotomura Hideo, Kitagawa Ryo continued assigning tasks. The 2.4 kilometers vacated by their withdrawal were assigned to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Hirata Yosuke, respectively. The final lineup consisted of himself and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka for 3.6 kilometers, Hirata Yosuke for 2.4 kilometers, and the rest were the most basic 1.2 kilometers.