I have a life simulator.

He has always been a student with an extreme gambling tendency, after all, he earned his original twelve million personal points through gambling at the sports festival.

“I can get the personal points from Ryo, but you must guarantee that if there is a betting event in this area, you can only bet all your money on Rinne.”

After hesitating for a while, Hiyori Shiina gave this answer.

"Investing such a large amount will only lower Lingyin's odds significantly. Even if she wins, she won't make much. If you trust me, I'll handle all the points. This is never just about placing bets; it involves things both inside and outside the venue..."

"I never thought it was a good idea in the first place."

Hiyori Shiina interrupted Sho Ryuen's speech with unusual firmness.

"Putting all our hopes on this kind of thing only proves that our class is not far from being finished. There is no point in dragging Liang into this mess either."

At this point, Shiina Hiyori took another deep breath, and as if she had made a decision, she spoke resolutely:

"There's only one month left until the special exam at the end of the school year. If you can prove that our Class D is still a class that can be saved, I'll promise to do everything I can to transfer Ryo to our class."

As if completely unprepared for Shiina Hiyori's answer, Ryuen Sho also stood there stunned for a moment before a knowing smile appeared on his right lip. He ran his hand through his long hair, rubbed the back of his head, and finally nodded.

Okay, I understand what you mean.

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

"What were Hiyori and Ryuen talking about just now? It felt like they were chatting for quite a while."

"Some things happened within the class... I asked him how he noticed that Hui and I were doing these things."

Perhaps feeling that lying in front of her closest friend was indeed a very difficult thing, Shiina Hiyori quickly changed the subject and looked at her best friend who had been with her for half a month, discussing, preparing and arranging everything.

"Speaking of which, doesn't Hui feel a little regretful today? It feels like she was just accompanying me and helping me the whole time."

"Hmm? It's alright, after all, we already agreed to help Hiyori give the ring away smoothly."

Karuizawa Kei half-squatted beside the tree, propping her chin up with her right hand, watching the sun gradually move westward on the horizon, and lazily yawned:

"After all, I've seen Liang in class every day since he transferred here, so I don't care about a day or two. Besides, I've already done what I was supposed to do."

"...Wait, I don't think I've given out my gift yet. Hmm, I don't think I've given out the cold gift either. Well, that's alright."

When Karuizawa Kei mentioned her Valentine's Day gift, Shiina Hiyori was also a little curious. After all, the two had been inseparable for half a month and hadn't really seen each other make chocolates.

"It seems Hui didn't choose handmade chocolate?"

"Yes, I told Liang that others would definitely give him chocolates, so I wouldn't. Anyway, he can't finish them all."

Karuizawa Kei stretched casually and took out a small gift box with equally exquisite packaging from her bag.

"Look, it's right here. I ran into Ryo at noon today, but I was so focused on telling you what to do that I forgot to deliver it."

"So what exactly is it? Hmm... it doesn't look very big."

Shiina Hiyori tilted her head in confusion. Her Valentine's Day gift today was, of course, the ring that was to be given away, but she was completely clueless about Karuizawa Megumi's gift.

"Well, I'll keep this a secret for now, but Hiyori should find out soon enough. I'll give it to him when it cools down tonight."

Karuizawa Kei chose to keep everyone in suspense, then put the gift box away and glanced at the time on her phone.

"Okay, it's already past three o'clock. Let's walk around for a while longer, find a place to eat, and then go back to the dorm to take a shower before coming back. Setting up this thing is really time-consuming, mainly because Long Yuan brought over a bunch of troublesome things from somewhere. But even without him, the two of us would have spent the whole afternoon doing it, so it's not too bad."

"Indeed, the matchmaking event seems quite lively. Let's go check it out to kill some time—we won't go inside the stadium."

"Uh-huh."

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

As agreed beforehand, Kitagawa Ryo parted ways with Ichinose Honami a little earlier after finishing dinner, and they each returned to their respective dormitories to prepare for the fireworks display in a little over an hour.

However, Kitagawa Ryo did not return to his room immediately. Instead, he went directly to the club building, and after successfully obtaining the key that Tsukishiro Tsunehiro had his secretary place somewhere, he pushed open the door to the drama club activity room.

"As expected, you prepared two different versions... Yuecheng really knows how to handle things."

After receiving the two pairs of rings that Tsukishiro Tsuneo had specially ordered from outside the school at a high price, Kitagawa Ryo thought for a moment and decided not to take them both. Instead, he chose one that he felt better and put the other one in his closet and locked it away.

However, he didn't just take the one he wanted back to his dormitory. Instead, he ran back to the gymnasium and handed it to a staff member he had also spoken to beforehand. He told the staff member that the prop was in place before running back to his dormitory.

"I'm back—Hotaru, did you bring the present...?"

As soon as he opened the door, Kitagawa Ryo greeted Hotaru as always.

However, he didn't have time to finish speaking.

Because there are still people in the room.

To be precise, there was someone standing in the entryway.

It's Horikita Suzune.

In that instant, Kitagawa Ryo suddenly had a sense of déjà vu, a feeling that came from a certain epilogue world line named 'Taming and Being Tamed'.

Hotaru happily wagged her tail on the shoe cabinet behind her.

really.

A ring is the smallest necklace in the world.

Although its function is not to tame, but to release.

Chapter 480: Honami Ichinose is taking a bath

"...Rinne?"

Without any expectation, or even the slightest thought, Kitagawa Ryo immediately deduced Shiina Hiyori's intentions the moment he was tricked at noon.

However, the appearance of Horikita Suzune was completely unexpected by Kitagawa Ryo.

Moreover, at this particular time, in this particular manner, and in this particular setting, even if you were to say that Amasawa Ichika was lying in wait to give him a scare similar to that of Arisu in the morning, Kitagawa Ryo wouldn't be as surprised as he is now.

But it was Horikita Suzune who appeared here at this very moment.

"Hmm—surprised?"

However, Horikita Suzune's answer quickly pulled Kitagawa Ryo out of some unpleasant memories. After all, she was no longer the same person in Karuizawa Megumi's first simulation of the world line, who was led from one big pit to another by Kitagawa Ryo who just wanted to deal with things casually. That almost extreme sense of inferiority and the resulting possessiveness were also gone.

Rather, what stands before Kitagawa Ryo is merely a lovestruck young girl, captivated by her lover's special gift. It's just that due to his own profound shock, he unconsciously developed some PTSD symptoms. After calming down and observing carefully, he regained his composure and began to subtly probe and try to understand the situation before him.

To be honest, although Kitagawa Ryo's own dormitory room is slightly less private, among the few people who have spare keys, Horikita Suzune is the one who basically won't raid without warning, let alone break in. She's practically never done it, even though Honami, who should be taking a shower in her dormitory room upstairs right now, has done it a few times.

After school, the two of them would usually go to Suzune's house to cook after buying groceries. As for the reason, in Suzune's words, it was because her room had too many little things, and they were all quite important. Not to mention outside the kitchen, even inside the kitchen, the tea set in this cabinet was a gift from Karuizawa Megumi, and the tea in that display case was brought by Shiina Hiyori, so as to avoid them getting bumped or knocked over.

In fact, just like Horikita Suzune who went to the student council president's office for lunch today, although she wouldn't say it outright, she still didn't like Kitagawa Ryo's too many colors and smells. So most of the time, she would choose to bring Kitagawa Ryo to her place, to her room, so that he would be covered in her scent.

Kitagawa Ryo was also aware of this situation, and it was precisely because of this that there must be something strange about Suzune's appearance here, or something that had happened in a place and at a time that he was unaware of.

"It's alright, but I didn't expect to see someone standing in the entryway as soon as I walked in, so I was startled for a moment."

Of course, before finding clues and deducing the truth, Kitagawa Ryo remained calm and composed, changed his shoes naturally and went into the room. He then quickly caught sight of Hotaru, who had already put away her tail and was sitting upright on the sofa, looking obedient.

"When did Lingyin arrive? Have you been waiting for a while?"

"It'll probably only take an afternoon, maybe three hours? Because I don't know exactly when Liang will be back."

Feeling a sudden, heavy atmosphere engulf him, Kitagawa Ryo picked up his teacup, poured himself a glass of water, and drank it all in one gulp. Fortunately, Honami needed at least an hour to arrive, so he didn't have to worry about being suddenly and violently pushed open the door while chatting with Suzune.

"I didn't see Lingyin at the stadium today."

"Yeah, I was on the outer edge all morning, had lunch at the student council, and then came here in the afternoon. At that time, Ying..."

At this point, Horikita Suzune herself hesitated and paused for a moment.

Based on her past personality and style of doing things, she would definitely bring up that strange thing that happened at the student council at noon, since it wasn't the first or second time that their conversation had turned to work-related topics. But at this moment, Horikita Suzune remembered the advice from Horikita Manabu for the first time in a long time.

After all, compared to this matter, she had something more important to ask, or rather, she wanted to get answers to her questions from Kitagawa Ryo.

"What's wrong, Hotaru? Oh, Suzune must be talking about me asking her to send you a gift, right? How was it? Did you like the gift?"

Despite taking every step with caution, Kitagawa Ryo, who had no idea that the traitor was Hotaru, still stepped into the trap.

So, Ying excitedly raised her tail once again.

As we all know, in various romantic comedy light novels or comics, cross-channel chat caused by information gaps has always been a classic trope that authors have tried and succeeded with. After all, the various misunderstandings that arise from this often push the relationship between the two parties to the next stage by accident.

What I want to see is this mouth and teeth.

Perhaps because the corners of his mouth were turned up too arrogantly, Kitagawa Ryo also noticed Hotaru behind him, who was cosplaying the evil smile of a white sugar-free bread roll, and vaguely sensed something strange and abnormal.

Come to think of it, this seems to be the first time that Hotaru didn't come out to greet him when he returned to his room, especially considering her strange expression...

Although Kitagawa Ryo, a seasoned sister-complex character who has been widely recognized and certified, generally wouldn't cast doubt on Hotaru, he also had to admit that his good sister had given him several major surprises this year.

Even setting aside the fact that she insisted on sleeping in the same bed with him again on his birthday, and that her various statements reeked of German incest, Hotaru in her cat form has already done a series of things that have caused trouble for her brother, such as taking advantage of his special exams during last summer vacation to leave school, going out of the dormitory to take a walk because she couldn't stand being alone, only to be discovered by second-year student Asahina Nazuna (in fact, Hotaru even took the initiative to provoke her); turning on an automatic simulation without his knowledge, which resulted in him gaining even more god-like talents; and abandoning her work to sneak out on the day of the cultural festival, and so on.

Sure enough, after being glanced at by Kitagawa Ryo, the pure white kitten immediately stood at attention and then darted behind the sofa.

However, Kitagawa Ryo didn't have time to ask his younger sister what she had done this time, because right after he asked the question, Horikita Suzune had already approached him, or rather, pressed down on him.

Although there is indeed a height difference between the two, considering that Kitagawa Ryo is sitting on the sofa at this moment, Horikita Suzune actually has the higher position.

She rested her hands on the soft armrests of the sofa, leaning slightly forward. Her long, flowing black hair cascaded down her nose and shoulders, the tips of which carried his most familiar scent.

It smelled like the shampoo in his bathroom.

This afternoon was definitely not just a wasted afternoon of waiting!

"I really like the gift, but I would have preferred Ryo to give it to me in person."

This was probably one of the softest and gentlest tones that Kitagawa Ryo had ever heard Horikita Suzune speak in all the time they had known each other. The girl's natural voice was clear and melodious, and the close proximity allowed him to see almost every detail on her face. The last rays of the setting sun shone through a corner of the window, casting an even brighter shadow on her face. The fine downy hairs that hadn't completely faded away during puberty were clearly visible, as if reminding them that they were in the prime of their lives.

Although Kitagawa Ryo himself remarked in the Valentine's Day letter he sent to Horikita Suzune that their relationship sometimes resembled that of a middle-aged couple who had been married for a long time, this was partly due to their personalities, but also because they had both unconsciously accepted, or rather, followed the continuation of the simulated story.

But from the perspective of age alone, they have all been reborn back to their high school or even junior high school days ten years ago.

Their mindset could have been younger.

Whether it's prioritizing work over romance, or the dynamics and atmosphere of getting along.

Horikita Suzune also enjoyed every moment of their past, whether it was pushing a shopping cart in the almost empty fresh food section, picking and choosing, or finding the other person already holding an umbrella to pick her up after finishing her student council work and walking out of the club building after a sudden rain, from the pots and pans in the kitchen to the documents on the desk.

That's why people say that human desires are insatiable.

Just like how she had always harbored the conflicting thoughts of wanting to stay in the student council while also wanting to join the drama club.

However, for a long time, Horikita Suzune herself was unaware of this.

Because she was growing up all over again, and it was the first time she was learning to date someone.

If Honami Ichinose wanted to pursue an ending where "the prince and princess lived happily ever after," then Suzune Horikita now wants all the stories that were missing before.

One is burdened by the past so much that they feel uneasy about the future, while the other is full of expectations for the future but feels that the past is too thin and their memories are not enough.

Under normal circumstances, Kitagawa Ryo could probably easily recreate the aforementioned psychological constructs for the girls in his mind.

but--

Who can tell him now?

What kind of gift did Hotaru give Suzune that made her rush over and say such things?

However, Kitagawa Ryo was a seasoned veteran who had seen all sorts of situations, and even in this situation with completely unknown information, he still managed to make his own decisions in just a few dozen seconds.

The first thing Kitagawa Ryo thought of was naturally the 'sacred relics' that Hotaru had carefully preserved, namely the photo he had given to Karuizawa Megumi as a gift, Ichinose Honami's 'One More Stick' stick, Shiina Hiyori's ring, and Sakayanagi Arisu's USB drive.

After all, although Hotaru always claims to be the god of the simulator, she can't conjure a gift out of thin air, so what she gives to Suzune must be something she already has on hand.

But Kitagawa Ryo quickly denied this idea.

Because he clearly remembered that the souvenir Hotaru took from Suzune's simulation was actually the small net that they had torn while playing the goldfish scooping game at the cultural festival. It might indeed be quite memorable, but it was definitely not enough to make Horikita Suzune, who was diligently standing guard outside as a student council member this morning, run straight to his room and stay for the entire afternoon, taking a shower, making a surprise visit, and saying all these things.

and many more……

Kitagawa Ryo remembered that the last girl who was usually reserved and subtle in expressing her feelings, but suddenly turned on him at one moment, was named Shiina Hiyori.

The opportunity that emboldened the other person to openly confess their feelings at the door in front of many guests on the day of the cultural festival was—

Ring.

ring?

Kitagawa Ryo's thoughts stirred slightly.

But as far as he knew, there were no items related to the ring in Horikita Suzune's simulation.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that among all his simulations, the only ring that truly holds sentimental value is the one worn by Hiyori Shiina.

So, putting aside the simulation, do such props exist in reality?

...There really is.

Kitagawa Ryo quickly connected the ring he had just received in the club activity room. Although theoretically it was a secret room that could not be entered without a key, a cat, or rather a cat with a human soul inside it, was definitely not within the scope of normal security measures.