I have a life simulator.

"Speaking of which, I was the one who came up with the name for this store's promotion."

Kitagawa Ryo stroked his chin and made a rather comical gesture towards that direction:

"Say 'I love you' aloud, and set off towards happiness!"

"...It sounds more like a family relationship mediation program that middle-aged and elderly people would like to watch."

"No, actually it works quite well. It also makes it easier for guys and girls who are just about to take that step to say some cheesy pickup lines and take that step."

"Oh, isn't that Komiya and Shinohara?"

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was about to take Ichinose Honami over to investigate, another couple arrived first: Komiya Yogo from Class 1-D and Shinohara Satsuki from Class 1-A.

"So, the person Komiya said she wanted to confess to during the mixed training camp was Shinohara, and it seems like things are progressing pretty well?"

Seeing that Ichinose Honami looked slightly puzzled, Kitagawa Ryo briefly recounted what had happened to their third group during the recent mixed training camp.

Love is not a privilege reserved for handsome men and beautiful women. While there are celebrity couples like him and Ichinose Honami at Tokyo Advanced Educational High School, whose every move attracts a lot of attention, there are also many ordinary and even unknown breakups and reconciliations. However, the person who has the most say in this matter should be Kushida Kikyo.

"I remember Komiya is in the basketball club, right? Shinohara does seem to like that type of guy. But in the environment of Dongyu, cross-class romances don't feel as good as cross-grade romances, at least you're not in direct competition."

"The main problem with students from different grades is that their graduation times are different, but it seems that most students don't really consider this. There are quite a few freshmen who are dating upperclassmen."

"Next year, we'll be the seniors to the freshmen too."

At this point, Honami Ichinose suddenly raised a question that Kitagawa Ryo hadn't expected:

"Speaking of which, when new students enroll in April, each club has to take on the task of recruiting new members. Ryo, do you think our drama club needs to add new members?"

"Hmm—it would be best if there were a suitable candidate."

"Then let me take charge of that."

"We'll see then. As the minister, I myself need to carefully screen the candidates."

Since being easily tricked into making all sorts of promises by girls like Horikita Suzune and Ichinose Honami, which led to a series of unexpected major incidents, Kitagawa Ryo now strictly adheres to the principle that making vows recklessly will bring disaster. Therefore, he did not immediately agree to Ichinose Honami's suggestion, since he really planned to use the recruitment as an excuse to squeeze some people into the drama club in a little over a month.

"OK then."

Although Kitagawa Ryo politely rejected her, Ichinose Honami didn't show any disappointment. It was as if she had just casually asked a question, and she quickly turned her attention back to the stall in front of her.

After fiddling around for a while, Shinohara Satsuki and Komiya Yogo seemed to have finally come to some conclusion. The woman took the initiative to reach into the box and finally took out a skewer with something engraved on it. She opened it with some trepidation, then pursed her lips and handed it to Komiya Yogo, who was also a little nervous.

"I like you. Can we go out together?"

Komiya Yogo seemed surprised by the bluntness of the note, but he still stammered as he read it aloud, word by word.

Shinohara Satsuki was equally surprised that Komiya Yogo didn't hesitate at all. She froze for a moment, then forgot to take the souvenir the shop assistant offered. After staring blankly at Komiya Yogo for a while, she suddenly turned and ran away. Kitagawa Ryo quickly pushed Komiya from behind, signaling him to hurry up and chase after her.

However, Honami Ichinose's attention was no longer on the two of them. Perhaps because of the date that Ryo Kitagawa had mentioned earlier, she felt a strange sense of disorientation and familiarity about the scene before her.

Because she seemed to have smoked something similar back then, but in the end she didn't have the courage to open it and instead threw it away as if simply escaping reality.

Of course, if we were to have Kitagawa Ryo add to this...

The sentence should be prefixed with "the one he meticulously planned, the one that Fanbo would definitely pull out".

Just like right now.

Since we've decided to come back again to make up for all the regrets, then naturally we should get another stick.

This Valentine's Day celebration was never, as Sakayanagi Arisu had guessed, influenced by his personal agenda.

It should be true from beginning to end.

Chapter 468: What Has Been Accumulated

"Are you two also interested in our activities? The rules are simple: just read the sentence on the randomly drawn slips to each other, and you can receive a free souvenir. If you read it together, you'll receive an extra small gift."

As Ichinose Honami and Kitagawa Ryo approached together, the staff behind the booth gave them a brief explanation of the rules. Then, they waved the blind box filled with skewer sticks at them. However, after noticing Kitagawa Ryo's slight nod, they discreetly pressed a small mechanism on the bottom of the blind box, using other items on the booth as cover.

Although the fortune slips in his box are all auspicious sayings that fit the mood and please people, the meaning of each sentence depends on the specific situation. For customers like Kitagawa Ryo who have made arrangements in advance, this is exactly the kind of thing they like the most. Not only can they earn a little extra personal points, but they can also avoid all possible risks.

"Fanbo, come and draw."

Kitagawa Ryo readily gave the opportunity to Ichinose Honami, who did not refuse and reached into the box, fumbled around for a bit, and then took out a wooden stick.

On that date long ago, the same slip of paper that was drawn but not opened contained the same words as their 'promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold' from back then. At that time, Kitagawa Ryo's meaning was quite simple: he would never leave Ichinose Honami's side.

In Kitagawa Ryo's view at the time, as long as Ichinose Honami could still remember the promise they made in their childhood, she would understand his feelings in an instant. Then, it would be natural for them to climb to the top of the mountain and, under the brilliance of fireworks, give each other another lifelong promise that would connect the past, present, and future.

The plan was perfect, but unfortunately, it failed miserably in the very first step.

Not only did Ichinose Honami not open the slip of paper, she didn't even actually reach the top of the mountain. Although the latter was indeed related to Karuizawa Megumi's unexpected intrusion into their relationship, it was Ichinose Honami herself who actively abandoned, or rather, dared not accept, this affection from the very beginning.

But it's different now.

Honami Ichinose looked at the contents of the stick.

She also clearly remembers all the feelings she had when she rejected Kitagawa Ryo back then; bad endings are always more memorable than good endings.

Fairy tales only end with "The prince and princess lived happily ever after." If your story with him ended there, and time and the world stood still, you could proudly record, "You lived happily ever after." But reality doesn't stop for two people; its pages turn with the years until the very end of life. Of course, you won't see the final ending, but you can be certain of one thing—

You can agree to it.

Even if you can't see where the story will end, you're willing to believe that as long as you're by his side, the future, no matter how long, will have a wonderful magic that makes you genuinely look forward to it.

As a child, Honami Ichinose would close the book contentedly upon seeing the sentence, "The prince and princess lived happily ever after."

As she grows up, she worries about what happens after the "happily ever after" story, because the world and time won't stop for two people. New conflicts, new difficulties, and even the trivialities of life can cause this happy ending to turn into something bad again.

But now, she only feels unsatisfied and looks forward to their next story. Fairy tales are like this, and so is reality.

Many things have been said countless times in the past, so all that's needed now is confirmation.

Just like the simplest sentence that Kitagawa Ryo was saying to her in unison:

"Hello, please guide me for the rest of my life."

"Hello, please guide me for the rest of my life."

The staff member watching from the sidelines subconsciously paused in her usual action of handing out a paper bag containing a commemorative gift. It was as if the two people in front of her had already separated from the world she lived in. Even though they were within arm's reach, she felt that she couldn't do such a thing at all, and a sense of alienation and isolation arose for no reason.

She blinked, as if she could see something called memory flowing through the two bodies almost touching, giving the feeling that it was not a high school romance at all, but a completely different feeling that had nothing to do with words like immaturity, naivety, or caution, and was full of the weight of time.

one two three.

The only three times.

The longest three times.

Fully, three lifetimes.

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

Unlike Ichinose Honami and Kitagawa Ryo, who had already started browsing the stalls inside the venue, and unlike Sakayanagi Arisu, who followed them the whole time, Horikita Suzune's Valentine's Day plans were quite simple, even boring.

Despite having submitted and received approval from the school as the student council president, Kitagawa Ryo had already made a special application to relieve the student council members of the responsibility of maintaining order and monitoring violations at large events, as was the case at Tokyo Advanced Educational High School in the past. However, just like Majima Tomoya, whom Kitagawa Ryo and Ichinose Honami met this morning who voluntarily participated in this task, Horikita Suzune still chose to help with this work as the student council vice president.

Only after most of the students and faculty had entered the venue and the flow of people had been completely dispersed by the various areas and stalls inside and outside the venue, did she finally have a chance to catch her breath, find a place to sit down and sip the mineral water provided by the school for the staff.

"That's really exaggerated."

As soon as Horikita Suzune sat down, another figure appeared beside her like a shadow. It was Amasawa Ichika, who had temporarily formed an alliance with her during this period of fighting against Sakayanagi Arisu.

Unlike Horikita Suzune, who had been diligently working all morning and whose bangs were slightly disheveled and covered in a fine layer of sweat, Amasawa Ichika looked as energetic and vibrant as ever today. Her round, fluorescent eyes were mischievously looking around, and her upturned cat-like mouth subconsciously reminded Horikita Suzune of Kitagawa Ryo's cat named Hotaru, which Kitagawa Ryo kept in the dormitory.

"If I didn't know your personality well, I would also think you were deliberately putting on a show."

Amazusa Ichika patted Horikita Suzune on the shoulder cheerfully, his tone carrying a hint of teasing:

"By the way, how about I stick a note on your back later, Lingyin, that says, 'I didn't get a date for Valentine's Day, so I have to come to work...' What do you think?"

"I didn't get a date with Yixia either, so I guess I should just put one on my back first."

Having spent a lot of time with Amazusa during this period, Horikita Suzune had a pretty good understanding of his personality and behavior patterns, so her tone became unusually casual.

"So—"

At this point, Tianze Yixia herself was also somewhat dissatisfied. Her twin ponytails swayed back and forth with her frantic movements, but then she suddenly stopped as if she had remembered something, and touched her chin with her right hand as she spoke:

"What if, when I walk into the gym, a reliable-looking guy named Kitagawa Ryo, dressed in brand-new clothes specially chosen for Valentine's Day, suddenly walks up to me with flowers in his hands, says 'Happy Valentine's Day, let's have a great time from morning till night, and it will always be like this,' and then, in front of everyone else, he puts a ring on my finger, kneels down on one knee, and proposes to me?"

"If you're still sleepy, you can go back to your dorm and sleep some more. Participation in this event is not mandatory for everyone, especially for those with delusions."

Horikita Suzune muttered this comment, utterly speechless, as she looked at the red-haired, twin-tailed goblin who was already relentlessly applying a script to herself—and it wasn't even a script for just one person—and said:

So are you going in later?

"There's no point in going in. Am I supposed to follow Arisu and stalk him? I don't want to watch Ryo being all lovey-dovey with other girls all day. I should have gone there this morning and just snatched him to bed."

It can only be said that after spending so much time together recently, Horikita Rinne is now completely unfazed by Tianze Yixia's rather bold and uninhibited remarks.

However, she herself knew that what Amazawa Ichika was saying now was just polite talk after the fact. If the other party really did that, her favorability with Kitagawa Ryo would drop rapidly. After all, this was an unspoken rule that everyone tacitly agreed to. For example, Sakayanagi Arisu, who had been testing the waters on this line last time, had now incurred the dislike of many people, which is why Amazawa Ichika, who had been neutral, took the initiative to come and support her.

"Hey, Rin, don't think I'm just saying this casually... Mm, if you ask me, it's precisely because you don't understand that you're always a step behind others."

To be honest, before having much contact with Horikita Suzune, Amasawa Ichika always thought that she was the kind of person who was in control of the overall situation and never got impatient. After all, Suzune's face and her whole demeanor were very deceptive, easily giving people the illusion of an ice queen or a high-and-mighty flower that was hard to approach.

Or to put it more bluntly, it gives people a slightly cold or indifferent feeling.

But after spending more time with him, Tianze Yixia belatedly realized that...

Is it possible that Horikita Suzune is simply slow-witted, and extremely slow-witted at that?

It can only be said that she and Horikita Manabu reached an amazing consensus on this point. The latter really gave his younger sister a lot of help this year, but the two of them still seemed to be getting along in a lukewarm way. Every day, watching the two of them push a shopping cart to the supermarket, Horikita Manabu felt that they had skipped dating and gone straight to marriage, and were already a married couple several years into their marriage.

Especially when compared to other girls, this contrast is particularly strong, and Tianze Yixia is the one who feels it the most right now.

"I think it's good to just let things take their natural course."

As someone who managed to diligently run her dessert shop all day during that tumultuous cultural festival, Horikita Suzune simply tidied her hair and replied to Amasawa Ichika's complaints with the same nonchalant tone.

Whether compared to Ichinose Honami, who is currently being led out of the past by Kitagawa Ryo and fulfilling her unfinished dreams one by one in the venue, or to Karuizawa Megumi and Sakayanagi Arisu, Horikita Suzune's personal simulation experience has determined her mentality and personality.

Love was the endpoint of her only simulation, but it wasn't the main theme that ran through that simulation; self-awareness and self-reconciliation were.

That is why Horikita Suzune rarely participates in behaviors that she considers excessive. The most emotional outburst she had in the past few months was during Christmas last year, and even when Kitagawa Ryo stood her up for an entire day, she didn't actually say anything outrageous.

"I'm really defeated by you."

Seeing that Horikita Suzune remained unmoved, Amasawa Ichika sighed helplessly and stood up, pointing towards the venue:

"Then I'll go in and take a look. Maybe they have a Valentine's Day three-person set meal promotion."

"Well, as the vice president of the student council, at least in the projects I've seen, there shouldn't be any such activities."

"I was just saying. Actually, I was planning to go to the matchmaking event to take a look. I think there's going to be some interesting things to see."

Tianze Yixia waved her hand casually:

"Where's Lingyin? I see you're free now, aren't you going to go in and have some fun? You should enjoy the festival."

"Well, I know."

"Okay, I'll leave first."

As if suddenly remembering something, Tianze Yixia quickly took out a beautifully wrapped small gift box from her bag:

"That's right, that's right."

"Tomorrow is Lingyin's birthday, right? This is a birthday present I prepared for you. It's not anything very expensive, so please accept it first, otherwise I'm afraid I'll forget to give it to you tomorrow."

"Thank you."

Somewhat surprised to receive a birthday present from Amazuchi, Horikita Suzune looked a little dazed, as if she hadn't even realized her birthday was tomorrow. However, she quickly regained her composure and politely thanked Amazuchi.

To be honest, she didn't feel any particular connection to her birthday either.

But like that slip of paper covered in words, some things always need a certain opportunity to be said more naturally to someone.

For the first time, Horikita Suzune wanted to make a birthday wish.

She had almost never done this kind of thing in the past.

So, you should have accumulated quite a few by now.

Chapter 469: Shiina Hiyori is Ready

As a celebration event jointly participated in by students and faculty, while many student couples inside the venue began to wander between various booths collecting stamps and checking in to receive free gifts, eligible faculty members outside the venue also started their matchmaking event almost simultaneously.

When Tianze Yixia strolled over here with light steps, she found that there were quite a few students who shared the same idea and had come to watch the excitement. After all, it was quite a rare and novel thing to see the teachers who were usually serious and stern with her participating in blind dates.

Although the male-to-female ratio at this year's matchmaking event didn't seem particularly skewed—definitely not a 1:9 ratio—most attention, both on and off stage, was focused on the two single female teachers, Hoshinomiya Chie and Chabashira Sae.

As two of the most beautiful teachers at Tokyo Advanced Educational High School, even though both have their own eccentricities, distance makes the heart grow fonder. Apart from Majima Tomoya, who already knows them well and is aware of their true nature and troublesome aspects, most of the faculty and staff have a natural affinity for them, especially Chabashira Sae, who has a better reputation. Otherwise, Kitagawa Ryo wouldn't have been able to secure the victory for her at last year's cultural festival.

It was precisely because of this that, after the brief self-introduction session, as the host announced the start of the free chat period, a considerable number of male teachers gathered around Chabashira Sae. Most of them had dressed up and tidied themselves up before leaving home, either wearing brand-new clothes or getting a fashionable perm, vying for attention in front of Chabashira Sae like peacocks courting their mates.