I have a life simulator.

However, Chabashira Sae herself didn't seem particularly interested in this matchmaking event. Her brows were slightly furrowed as if she was worried about something, and she kept glancing at the phone she was holding tightly in her right hand, looking somewhat anxious.

"What's wrong, Mr. Chabashira?"

After noticing this unusual situation, a male teacher who had come over immediately spoke up with concern, patting his chest and adopting a posture of sharing the burden:

"If you have any questions, just tell me. I'll definitely help if I can."

With him taking the lead, the others nearby followed suit, chattering and promising their own solutions. Chabashira Sae shook her head in slight distress and sighed, saying:

"Um, when I went out this morning, I found that my cat, which I keep in the dormitory, had run away. I asked the dormitory manager to check the surveillance footage, but they couldn't find it. It seems to have jumped over the wall from the balcony and run into the campus from our area."

As she spoke, Chabashira Sae showed her phone screen to the other faculty and staff nearby. On it was a picture of a pure white kitten with fluorescent eyes and a very lively expression:

"Here it is."

"So, Chabashira-sensei likes cats too. Actually, I used to have cats for a while, so I feel like we can exchange ideas on this topic..."

"Go away, didn't you hear someone say that the cat went missing this morning? It's okay, Teacher Chazhu, don't worry. Our Dongyu campus is a completely enclosed structure, and the campus is so big. The cat is definitely still wandering around here. I happen to be in the security department, so I'll ask the people in my group to help look for it later."

"Don't push! Let me see what it looks like. I think I saw a cat when I went out this morning. If you ask me, it might be the one that Mr. Chabashira lost."

"Bullshit, didn't you come with me this morning? There's no cat here. You can't just try to get close to me like this."

Perhaps because the aloof image that Chabashira Sae had cultivated in the past was so deeply ingrained in people's minds, many male faculty members were already incredibly excited when the other party only slightly showed an attitude of wanting to communicate or even seek help. One or two of them were bursting with desire to perform, and in no time, the news that Chabashira Sae had lost her kitten had spread.

"That kitten, doesn't it look like Ying?"

Upon hearing familiar adjectives such as "firefly-colored eyes," even without seeing the photo shown by Chabashira Sae, Amasawa Ichika quickly associated it with Hotaru and then understood Kitagawa Ryo's intention.

After all, when Kitagawa Ryo transferred to Class B and led Class B to a great victory in the mixed training camp special exam, with the class points catching up with Class A, his relationship with Chabashira Sae became somewhat delicate.

On one hand, Kitagawa Ryo's actions are frankly like those of a scumbag who takes advantage of others and then denies it. He had spoken sweet words to Chabashira Sae, but then he turned around and transferred to Hoshinomiya Chie's class, and even performed exceptionally well.

On the other hand, Chabashira Sae couldn't deny that the other party had indeed stole her heart. After all, the more outstanding Kitagawa Ryo was, the more it proved his ability and value, making her more and more convinced that he was actually the only one who could help her realize her long-cherished wish.

Most people might find Chabashira Sae's attitude strange. After all, on the surface, Class C, under the leadership of Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, has swept away the gloom and is showing signs of returning to its former glory. There is absolutely no need for them to be so enthusiastic about pursuing a student from another class.

But that's actually where the problem lies.

Even setting aside the fact that Chabashira Sae's thought process is incomprehensible to ordinary people and her logic chain that has gone into a dead end and reached a closed loop, given that she has become a traitor to the class and recently leaked information to students from other classes, Chabashira Sae's situation is, in a sense, more like a mysterious character in a classic scene who says 'there is no way to go back, there is no going back.' Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had already marked her on his list, and Totsuka Yahiko's self-destruction at the end of last year was the first clear shot.

But this doesn't mean that Kitagawa Ryo can still easily use empty promises to fool Chabashira Sae. After all, trust is always two-way, and relationships need to be maintained. Chabashira Sae felt that she had paid a considerable price in the past, but the expected return she saw was still as distant as a castle in the air.

And coincidentally, Kitagawa Ryo, who was serving as the temporary student council president at this time, needed to expose the weakness that could be used against him before others discovered it, namely Hotaru's existence.

Asahina Nazuna's idea was excellent from the start, and choosing Chabashira Sae as the target would kill two birds with one stone by rebuilding the trust between the two.

Even more conveniently, by taking advantage of this matchmaking event, Chabashira Sae could easily implant this preconceived impression into the vast faculty and staff population.

The security department patrolling the campus, the disciplinary inspection department in charge of campus surveillance cameras, and the logistics departments, including the cafeteria...

Teachers, or school staff, are often perceived by students as having an air of authority and mystery due to their profession.

But actually.

We are all just ordinary people with emotions and desires, worrying about daily necessities.

Thinking of this, Tianze Yixia casually tucked her hands into her long sleeves, as if she suddenly felt that the matchmaking event in front of her was not interesting, and turned to leave.

Then, she heard the deafening roar from inside the stadium again, a sound that could be heard even from outside.

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

To be honest, Hiyori Shiina's life during this period has not been very stable.

This wasn't because anything new had happened in the class or grade. The atmosphere in Class D remained unchanged after the mixed-campus special exam. The student council election, which was the hottest topic in the grade recently, was also handled by Ryuu Yuen-sho. The students in Class D were already used to this lifestyle.

Moreover, looking at it optimistically, not only did they not lose any points in the last special exam, but they also gained dozens of points. In addition, the students from Class B helped to cover part of the debt. The students in Class D are currently experiencing the best period of their lives recently, so naturally they will not want to cause any more trouble.

Of course, even if there were another wave of discontent against Ryuen Sho in her class, just like during last year's sports festival, she would definitely not get involved, because she has more important things to do right now.

Hiyori Shiina never denies the fact that she is a literary girl. As one of the students who frequents the library most often in the entire Tokyo Advanced Educational High School, she has continued to enjoy the pleasure and spiritual satisfaction that reading brings, just as she did before high school, for the past year.

But just like the proverb that a scholar's rebellion will never succeed in three years, when it comes to actually putting a literary girl into action, she becomes nothing more than a theorist, especially when she is eager to devise a perfect plan.

It's no exaggeration to say that if Sakayanagi Arisu hadn't dealt Shiina Hiyori a harsh blow with her behavior during the mixed training camp, she probably could have kept that ring close to her heart for another year or two, spending her nights back in the dorm, showering, and rolling around in bed in her pajamas, lost in thought about the ring, and she could have been content for a long time.

If Sakayanagi Arisu gave her the courage to take another step forward, then the real help came from Karuizawa Megumi.

After opening up to each other at that cultural festival, the estrangement between Shiina Hiyori and Karuizawa Megumi disappeared without a trace, and their friendship became even deeper and closer than before.

After a full two weeks of meticulous preparation.

Hiyori Shiina finally decided to move forward again.

Chapter 470: No More Abbreviations

For Kitagawa Ryo, even though he already knew Shiina Hiyori's thoughts and possible actions beforehand, spending the day with Ichinose Honami was all he had planned for, at least until the other party actually appeared.

After all, they had already experienced the chaotic situation of last year's school festival, where they had to deal with special exam content, secretly negotiate and cooperate with Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, and even have other girls, including Yuki, who suddenly appeared from outside the school, while Amasawa Ichika was also causing trouble. Compared to that time, at least this time there was no pressure related to special exams and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, who was probably still strolling around the venue with his classmate, Motohi Chikako.

Thinking of this, Kitagawa Ryo looked around with interest. However, due to the large size of the venue and the large number of people around, even though his eyesight was excellent, he could not find Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. Instead, he immediately spotted a silver-haired girl who was no longer sending Matsushita Chiaki to fight, but was personally leading the charge.

However, Kitagawa Ryo did not expose him, and instead continued to visit each stall of Ichinose Honami's family according to the original plan.

Since it was originally a Valentine's Day event, most of the stalls here tacitly targeted couples as their main consumer group. The various small activities were also like this. For example, the balloon popping stall in front of them, which would have fit perfectly into a summer festival, attracted many customers to line up to experience it simply because the first place perfect completion reward was a pair of gold-inlaid jade bracelets.

"Does Fanbo want that?"

Kitagawa Ryo glanced at it again. Apart from the tempting first prize, the remaining prizes were basically all items in pairs, practically screaming "couples only" on their faces.

"There are too many people in line, let's just forget about it."

However, Honami Ichinose didn't seem to want to waste a single precious second of the day waiting in line. After hesitating for a moment, she shook her head, her sky-blue eyes sparkling, and then pointed to another stall next to her:

"It seems like they offer free photo opportunities for couples over there, let's go check it out."

"Yeah, that's okay."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded in agreement, and soon walked over with Ichinose Honami.

As the chief planner of this event, he only glanced at the location and number of the stall before recalling the information in his mind: the business that had contracted the stall was a photo studio in the Beech Tree Shopping Center.

Compared to the other stalls around, the stalls here do look much quieter. After all, in this era where everyone uses and is used to taking photos with smartphones, photo studios seem to be the only place that students think of when they need to use their blue-background one-inch or three-inch photos in various occasions.

"Hello, are you two interested in participating in our stamp collection event?"

As soon as Kitagawa Ryo and Ichinose Honami approached, the seemingly bored staff member immediately perked up and introduced them to the two in a practiced tone.

As for the stamp collection activity he mentioned, it was actually a small game created by Kitagawa Ryo himself to increase customer loyalty. Students entering the venue could receive a blank stamp card at the front desk, and most of the booths had games related to the products they were selling. After completing the games, they could get stamps. The stamps they collected could be exchanged for small gifts after the festival. Students who collected all the stamps on the card would receive an extra gift.

Having worked as a laborer in numerous simulations for a considerable period, Kitagawa Ryo is quite familiar with the details and selling points of such events. This advantage has subtly made him the true leader of this event; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to insert his own agenda everywhere.

"Hmm, but I see on your banner that it says two people can take a free photo together. What does that have to do with collecting stamps?"

"Yes, our stamp collection activity is actually what the banner here says about a free two-person photo. They are all taken with a 5-inch Polaroid camera. Of course, you have to pass the challenge first, otherwise you will still have to pay the cost."

"As for the specific rules, they are actually quite simple. I will randomly draw four cards from here, which will have some common poses for taking group photos written on them. You two just need to successfully make the poses shown on the cards to complete the challenge."

"Of course, since some poses may be a bit difficult, or if you two find them challenging, you can choose to skip them. As long as you achieve just one of the four poses, you will have completed the event. Not only will you receive a stamp, but the process and the final product will also be given to you for free."

"However, if you complete all four challenges, we will also give you an extra gift."

The staff member spoke fairly clearly, and since the game rules weren't difficult to understand to begin with, Kitagawa Ryo and Ichinose Honami quickly nodded to indicate that they understood, and were then led to a slightly more open area.

"So, who would you two like to draw the cards?"

How about one person, one time?

Kitagawa Ryo quietly asked Ichinose Honami for her opinion.

"it is good."

"Then I'll go first."

After receiving a reply from Honami Ichinose, Ryo Kitagawa stepped forward, took a card from a stack of thick cards in the staff's hands, glanced at its contents, and then returned it to Honami.

It has to be said that as the most watched couple in the entire venue, Honami Ichinose and Ryo Kitagawa were somewhat like big-name live streamers doing live-stream sales. They had only stayed there for a short while when people started to gather around, giving off a feeling of déjà vu as if I were in a relationship myself while watching others being so sweet and loving.

[Let me introduce you]

The card contains only four simple words that don't make the action easy to understand just by looking at them. However, the shop thoughtfully drew the specific pose in comic form below.

"How about it, is it okay?"

The cameraman standing in front of the two raised his Polaroid camera, smiled, and asked them a question, seemingly ready to take a picture.

"no problem--"

"That's okay with me too."

Because it was a fairly simple action, Kitagawa Ryo and Ichinose Honami nodded in agreement without much hesitation, then casually placed the card aside and made the pose they had just seen in front of the camera.

The so-called "introduction" actually involves the two people bringing their faces close together, and then one of them extending their two outstretched palms diagonally upwards towards the other, placing them slightly below the chin, making a gesture as if introducing the person next to them to others.

Although theoretically either the man or the woman could do it, due to the height difference, Kitagawa Ryo chose to have Ichinose Honami do the gesture, while he raised his right hand and pointed in his own direction with one index finger, as if saying to the camera, "That's me."

"One, two, three—alright!"

The middle-aged man, a professional photographer at the photo studio, naturally wouldn't miss this perfect moment. He quickly used his Polaroid camera to capture the instant photo of the two of them, and the five-inch photo was immediately ejected from the camera.

After exposing the photos briefly and confirming that the image quality was fine, the photographer proactively handed them to the two, even offering a few enthusiastic suggestions to Kitagawa Ryo and Ichinose Honami:

"We have prepared markers of various colors here. After you two finish taking the photos, you can use the markers to scribble or write something on them. For example, in this pose where you're introducing yourselves, the girl could write something like 'This is my boyfriend—' next to the guy."

Undoubtedly, this is another personal creation of Kitagawa Ryo, inspired by his time in the underground idol scene before entering university. However, it was Ichinose Honami's first time experiencing this new way of playing. If it weren't for the fact that she could draw three more cards, she probably would have rushed over right now to write or draw something on this Polaroid photo of the two of them.

"Fanbo, go draw the next one."

"it is good."

It seemed that Ichinose Honami was completely aroused, and her tone became more lively without any attempt to hide it. She quickly pulled out their second pose card for the day from the staff.

However, this time, the content above has been changed to five words:

[Princess carry with back to back]

In terms of difficulty alone, this is probably the type that the staff just mentioned can be skipped. After all, although a princess carry is a common element in various artistic works, it is not something that everyone can do in reality, let alone the kind that needs to look good in front of the camera.

However, Kitagawa Ryo is clearly not among those who need to consider this kind of problem.

Let alone Ichinose Honami, he could probably carry one in his arms and another on his back without any problem.

"Here, please pay attention to the lighting."

Seeing that Kitagawa Ryo and Ichinose Honami had no intention of skipping over, the photographer began to direct his colleagues. After all, this round of shooting involved photos taken from behind, so extra attention needed to be paid to the lighting and background.

Because the venue was already air-conditioned, both Kitagawa Ryo and Ichinose Honami chose to temporarily remove their bulky coats and prepare for the shoot in light clothing.

Then, at the photographer's instruction and under the gaze of the students around them, Kitagawa Ryo put one arm around Ichinose Honami's back and lifted her legs with the other, easily pulling her into his arms. However, instead of posing immediately, he mischievously spun her around twice in place before finally standing still amidst the gasps and exclamations of the crowd.

However, Honami Ichinose has never been the kind of girl who would be shy about such intimate interactions in public. Otherwise, she wouldn't have confessed her feelings to Ryo Kitagawa in front of the entire school at the sports festival. So after a couple of laps, the smile in her eyes grew even brighter, and she didn't seem to want to close her eyes. Her eyes were wide open, looking and remembering.

After effortlessly passing the second card, "Princess Carry Back to Back," Kitagawa Ryo drew the third card, "Forehead Embrace," and completed it smoothly without any pause. The biggest obstacle in the whole process turned out to be the cheers of "Give me a kiss!" that started from someone around them after their foreheads touched, their noses brushed, and their breaths mingled so close together.

Of course, Kitagawa Ryo didn't want the impatient audience to wait too long. Just like the stack of cards in the staff's hands wanted to respond to their wishes, Ichinose Honami casually drew out the fourth card, which was an undisguised and revealing image of a sweet kiss.

"Congratulations! You've drawn the only kissing-related card here. Would you two like to skip it? But this is the last of the four, and there's a special prize for successfully completing all four!"

The photo studio staff were quite dedicated, or rather, they were very enthusiastic, speaking so loudly that everyone nearby could hear them clearly. This instantly reignited the excitement of the crowd, who had just quieted down in disappointment.

In reality, their clamor and jeers were completely unnecessary.

Kitagawa Ryo and Ichinose Honami are not your average high school couple.

This may have reduced the awkwardness and impulsiveness unique to men and women of this age in their relationship and atmosphere, but the noise around them at this moment just happened to add a youthful background sound to their relationship.

A young girl's blush can sometimes be more powerful than any sweet words in the world.

Human thought and memory will eventually be overwhelmed by the torrent of time, which is why we need to solidify the most precious memories into reefs and build them into a castle for the two of us. And this moment is a landmark that belongs only to him and Honami Ichinose.

In the photographer's lens, the silhouettes of the two people, thus cast into the most brilliant moment, were finally captured at this instant.

Finally, Honami Ichinose wrote her delicate and neat handwriting on the Polaroid photos with a pink marker, while next to her was Ryo Kitagawa, who left his mark with a black marker.

The words are placed close together, just like two people in a photograph who are in close proximity.

They no longer talk about liking and loving casually.

They are earnestly putting their liking and love into practice.

Say goodbye to the Romanized initials; they are now as formal as if they were written on a marriage registration form.

Kitagawa Ryo & Ichinose Honami.

February 14th, Valentine's Day.

Chapter 471: What color should I use?