I have a life simulator.

Even though he had never been in a relationship before, Ken Sudo immediately recognized the purpose of the neatly arranged candles on the ground and the heart-shaped archway he had glimpsed in the distance. Combined with the other person's mention of his lifelong commitment, he immediately pressed for an explanation:

"Who is Kitagawa proposing to? Ichinose?"

"If it were really Ichinose, we three brothers wouldn't have been dragged here to become Palu."

Ishizaki Daichi simply rolled his eyes at this.

"It's definitely Shiina from our class. And by the way, you got it backwards. It's not Kitagawa to anyone, it's Shiina to Kitagawa."

"So proactive?"

"That's how it is in Kitagawa, you'll get used to it, it's okay. I'll dream about this kind of thing when I get home tonight, maybe one day a beautiful girl will propose to me."

Ishizaki Daichi patted Sudo Ken's shoulder with practiced ease, then took out his phone and glanced at the time:

"Alright, I'm not going to say any more to you. Spread out a bit more in a bit. It's about to start, so don't cause any trouble, or even the boss of Longyuan will be furious with you."

"What does this have to do with Longyuan...?"

Although he was still muttering to himself, Sudo Kenjiro's legs still honestly widened the distance between them.

It was another break in the fireworks display. Whether it was psychological or not, Sudo Ken kept looking back and forth between the crowd and Ishizaki Daichi, vaguely sensing that this might be the calm before the storm.

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First of all, Kitagawa Ryo had to admit that since Ichinose Honami's simulation was entirely text-based for him, and most of the plot progressed quite quickly except for a few cutscenes, theoretically, he himself, as the person involved, didn't know what kind of fireworks he had prepared for Ichinose Honami at that time.

Fortunately, the other party involved, Honami Ichinose, was also unaware of this.

It was precisely for this reason that, when preparing for the final fireworks display, Kitagawa Ryo simply abandoned his past thoughts and, based solely on his current perspective and his feelings for Ichinose Honami, completed the final round of fireworks customization.

During his conversations with staff and merchants, Kitagawa Ryo learned a bit about customizing fireworks patterns, which generally involves three methods.

First, the design pattern is obtained by loading the propellant using a template. This means that the predetermined pattern is arranged during the loading process, and it will be displayed in the air after launch. However, the patterns released in this way are relatively simple.

Secondly, patterns were created by combining dots. This involved using multiple single-point fireworks to form a predetermined pattern. The effect was acceptable, but the resulting patterns and text couldn't stay in place for long, so it was eventually abandoned by Kitagawa Ryo.

Finally, there's the smoke screen. By introducing laser technology, words are scanned onto the smoke screen using lasers, and then modular fireworks are used to scan the words into shapes, which are then displayed in the sky. The only drawback is the high cost.

However, this was really no big deal for Kitagawa Ryo. After all, this was not a once-in-a-lifetime event for him and Ichinose Honami, but a once-in-three-lifetime event, so naturally they would choose the best presentation.

Actually, it's just that the infrastructure and environment in Dongyu don't allow it; otherwise, Kitagawa Ryo wouldn't mind doing something even bigger, like the gift he prepared for Sakayanagi Arisu in Tokyo.

"It's almost over."

As the time on her phone slowly approached eight o'clock, Honami Ichinose sighed with a touch of regret.

Generally, a fireworks display lasts about an hour or an hour and a half, and today's performance is no exception. It started promptly at 6:30 and will end promptly at 8:00.

"Hmm, there should only be one round left."

Taking advantage of the gap between the last round and the penultimate round, Kitagawa Ryo and Ichinose Honami found a bench and sat down.

Unfortunately, in order to perfectly recreate the fireworks festival she missed, Ichinose Honami not only wore a yukata but also the most traditional wooden clogs, which were indeed a bit uncomfortable after walking for a long time.

As expected, as soon as the two sat down, Ichinose Honami gently kicked off her wooden clogs, hugged her knees, and leaned against Kitagawa Ryo's left shoulder quite naturally, greedily savoring the other's aura.

"Did Liang wear perfume last night too?"

Because they were almost touching, Ichinose Honami quickly and keenly noticed a new scent on Kitagawa Ryo that was different from the one he had in the past. It was a very reassuring incense scent.

"Hmm, isn't Fanbo the same? It suits you very well."

Now that things have come to this, Kitagawa Ryo certainly couldn't be foolish enough to say something like, "This is a Valentine's Day gift that Megumi gave me today." He could only nod in acknowledgment first, and then immediately throw the same topic back at Kitagawa Ryo.

"That's good. This is my first time using something like this. I hope it has a cool scent that I like."

Ichinose Honami had closed her eyes at some point, and her tone had become languid and relaxed:

"Including other cosmetics, the closest I can think of is the prickly heat powder my mom used to put on me when I was very young."

"If that's what you mean, then I remember wiping Hotaru's face a long time ago. It's been so many years."

"That's right. If Liang were still doing this kind of thing now, I could go to the police station to report it."

Thanks to the relationship between Ichinose Maki and Hotaru, Ichinose Honami had also established a very friendly relationship with her a long time ago. Therefore, even though Kitagawa Ryo seemed to bring up his sister rather abruptly, Ichinose Honami didn't feel anything was wrong. After all, in her heart, they were already considered family.

"By the way, would you like some chocolate?"

"Did you make it yourself?"

"of course."

"Then, I want to eat."

After receiving a positive reply from Ichinose Honami, Kitagawa Ryo also took out a box containing small pieces of chocolate that he had prepared beforehand from his pocket. That's the convenience of winter; the pocket of his coat was indeed deep and large.

Kitagawa Ryo picked up a small piece and brought it directly to Ichinose Honami's lips, whereupon the other person took it in along with the very tip of his finger.

The warm mouth and saliva quickly melted the small piece of chocolate on the tip of his index finger, but then the tender tongue licked it clean. Even though the chocolate had been swallowed, the other person still seemed to be craving the remaining sweetness, rubbing it there again and again in a rather provocative manner, making Kitagawa Ryo's fingertips and heart itch together.

After a while, Ichinose Honami finally released him from his restraints.

The final fireworks display of the night began at Tokyo Advanced Ikusei Junior High School.

Near Tokyo Tower, which shimmers with silvery-white lights, the trails of large drones streak across the sky.

On the ground opposite the sky, Shiina Hiyori raised her hand, and like dominoes being toppled, points of light meandered through the darkness, illuminating paths leading to a predetermined direction.

Chapter 486: I Like My Tall Mom

When fireworks go up into the sky, should you look at them from below or from the side?

Perhaps this question is not important at all. For most people, who they are watching the fireworks with is what they care about more. In fact, if the person they are holding hands with is their dream partner, they probably won't care too much about what kind of fireworks are blooming in the sky.

The same applies to Honami Ichinose.

Compared to this real-world, tangible fireworks display, what she is pursuing is probably some more abstract and stream-of-consciousness concepts and meanings. Fireworks are just a vehicle, carrying many things, including that unfinished confession, a relationship that ended before it even began, and so on.

From this perspective alone, it doesn't seem to matter if Kitagawa Ryo didn't recreate the fireworks festival for her, because the feelings that couldn't be conveyed back then, the love that was conveyed but then rejected, have already reached their end through other means and come to a close.

But humans are not creatures that can remain stuck in the past forever, and from this perspective, it seems that this fireworks display is indispensable.

Because it wasn't just Ichinose Honami and Kitagawa Ryo who were watching it.

Therefore, this is both a conclusion to the past and a declaration of the future.

Ichinose Honami unconsciously tightened her grip on Kitagawa Ryo's hand, her azure eyes quickly scanning the others around her.

When someone doesn't want to accept a relationship from someone in the first place, no matter how carefully the other person tries to avoid the surging crowds, as if afraid of hurting her, being sensitive, being affected by everything around her, or being ridiculed and mocked, when they approach her one-on-one, she will still feel like there are people coming and going around her, countless gazes are like thorns in her back, countless comments fill her ears, and giving a reply feels like it takes immense courage.

But if she really wants to accept someone's relationship, she would want the whole world to witness it. No matter how crowded and intense the crowds are, all the stares and discussions will not affect her in the slightest. She just wants to stand at the center of the world stage and show all the details as if no one else is there.

After all, when a person is vulnerable enough, they will worry about getting hurt even if they touch cotton, and they will let happiness slip through their fingers even if it is within reach.

When she is strong enough, there is no wall she cannot cross, no fortress she cannot climb over, and no moral concern she cannot let go of. In fact, there is no God who can control her.

When the first fireworks of the final round revealed their shape and pattern on the horizon, the crowd around them instinctively erupted in surprised gasps.

Because it was a completely different shape from the previous rounds, or more precisely, it was a letter.

When the distance between objects and the human eye is too great, it creates the illusion that they have merged into one and are lined up in a row. This is true of the water and sky merging into one color, and it is also true of looking up at the starry sky at night, even though the distances between those stars and the moon and the earth are all different, varying by many light-years.

And the fireworks that bloom in the night sky now are the same.

The two names imprinted on the curtain of night did not flash by like other fireworks, but lingered between the stars and the moon, as if they were reflecting each other, as if they wanted these stars and planets that have existed for hundreds of thousands, millions, and hundreds of millions of years to witness the eternity of this relationship.

【I like you】

Let the stars bear witness to this simple vow.

Of course I'd love to do it with you again.

This time, let's take it slow and do it properly.

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"...Tsk."

If we were to compile statistics, this would probably be the day that Sakayanagi Arisu clicked her tongue the most in her life so far. Even Matsushita Chiaki, who had been pretending not to hear, could clearly sense that the other person was not in a good mood, especially after the final round of fireworks was about to go up into the sky, and there was still no movement from Kitagawa Ryo.

Without a doubt, for Sakayanagi Arisu, even though Kitagawa Ryo came to find her immediately after the fireworks festival with Ichinose Honami, it was still a defeat for her. This obvious subservience was something she could not accept, since she had been waiting all day long since morning.

"Excuse me, are you Ms. Sakayanagi Arisu... or a classmate?"

Somewhat unexpectedly, a woman in a school staff uniform approached her and asked her something. Seemingly noticing the almost palpable impatience on the other woman's face, she immediately added:

"I need to take you to another place. Of course, this is Kitagawa's idea. Please come with me."

As expected, upon hearing Kitagawa Ryo's name, Sakayanagi Arisu immediately calmed down like a kitten that had been stroked.

As the eldest daughter of the Sakayanagi family and the only daughter of the former chairman of the board, Sakayanagi Shigemori, she naturally recognized the staff member's identity. The other party was a veteran who had been working for their family since the founding of Dongyu School, so she did not suspect anything and quickly followed the other party to a room.

However, Kitagawa Ryo himself was not in the picture.

Come to think of it, after all, the other person was just standing hand in hand with Ichinose Honami in her field of vision.

Just as Sakayanagi Arisu was a little confused about the other party's intentions, the originally dark room suddenly became bright. A large projection screen had been hung on the white wall in front of her at some point, and as the equipment behind her was turned on, a clear picture quickly appeared in her eyes.

Those are images that look like they were taken from a live stream.

"This is indeed live footage, synchronized with the current time in Shiba Park 4-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo."

As if sensing Arisu Sakayanagi's confusion, a notification sound quickly rang out in the room.

However, Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't care less about that, because all her attention was drawn to the scene in front of the camera.

In front of the Tokyo Tower, which is lit up with silvery-white lights out of season, drones carrying cold fireworks have already soared through the night sky, outlining her name.

For Arisu.

The magnificent city night view seemed to lose its luster at this moment. It was a grand scene that could be seen from hundreds or thousands of kilometers away. Countless drones of all kinds were writing chapters in an orderly manner under the night sky. Even though there was no clear word pointing to anyone except at the beginning, every image depicted was a memory that Sakayanagi Arisu could recognize at a glance when it happened.

Why choose a location near Tokyo Tower?

When preparing for this ceremony for Sakayanagi Arisu, Sakayanagi Narimori had asked Kitagawa Ryo about this issue.

Does it have any special meaning?

Although Kitagawa Ryo only vaguely addressed the question at the time, he actually had an answer in his heart, but he just couldn't bring himself to tell Sakayanagi Shigemori.

Because he really liked Masaya Nakagawa's novel "Tokyo Tower".

As Kitagawa Ryo earnestly recalled and conceived of his relationship with Sakayanagi Arisu, the contents of this novel unconsciously appeared in his mind.

This would probably seem quite strange to others who are unaware of the situation, since "Tokyo Tower" has never been a romance novel with a youth theme, but rather a family novel depicting the relationship between mother and child and other family members.

Although Kitagawa Ryo was always somewhat troubled by Sakayanagi Arisu's almost obsessive desire to control and her obsession with being the dominant one in their relationship, which was different from other girls, he also understood that it takes two to tango, because he was the one who started the other person's thinking.

Because at certain times, he did indeed invest similar feelings in someone.

The real person is Kei Karuizawa, because she witnessed all his struggles, pain and pain firsthand, making her a worthy example of someone who has been reborn.

The person in the simulation was Sakayanagi Arisu, because the two simulations related to her were precisely the period when he was in the most distressed, exhausted, and even on the verge of collapse, both physically and mentally.

No emotion arises out of thin air; after all, there is no such thing as love or hate without a reason in this world.

For a long time, Kitagawa Ryo even felt that his relationship with Sakayanagi Arisu had transcended the world's definition of lovers, because he stubbornly believed that love must be an exchange between two people, with each gaining and losing.

However, when he was bedridden due to ALS and completely lost his ability to take care of himself, he was personally cared for by her until his death. When he was rescued by her from the aftereffects of addictive drugs, his relationship and feelings with Sakayanagi Arisu naturally changed.

If I had to say something, the best answer would probably be the phrase "older sister" that Arisu Sakayanagi naturally wanted him to call her during the other person's second simulation. He might indeed want a lost kind of love from an elder.

The most dramatic twist is that Kitagawa Ryo happens to run into Sakayanagi Arisu, who already had this inclination and also harbored some extreme desires due to her mother's death. The combination of the two has led to the current situation, which is almost out of control.

But Kitagawa Ryo still wanted to tell Sakayanagi Arisu that, as the line from "Tokyo Tower" says, children leave their parents not to find better parents, but to seek other wonderful relationships. For example, friends, lovers, and spouses; we leave home to find these beautiful and genuine relationships.

Then, strive to become a better parent.

It's pointless to project the emotions stemming from family and childhood flaws, as well as past extreme experiences, into one's next chapter in life. If one only focuses on and dwells on this point, Kitagawa Ryo's life would have been impossible to continue long ago.

However, as things stand, Sakayanagi Arisu probably hasn't yet realized the deep-seated earnest hope in Kitagawa Ryo's actions, as the progress in the video is already almost at its final stage.

Unlike the previous patterns that depicted the past, this is a dividing line between reality and the future, vividly outlined by a drone, showing a figure kneeling on one knee in the direction of the camera.

At the same time, the Tokyo Tower next to it also lit up with a huge red heart symbol.

After a while, the camera in the live stream dedicated to Arisu Sakayanagi quickly zoomed in on the figure's hand. The letters "For Arisu," which had appeared once before, lit up again. Then, at the moment the camera zoomed in, all the images suddenly exploded into a dazzling display of fireworks. The blinding white light made Arisu Sakayanagi unconsciously squint.

When she opened her eyes again, a beautifully crafted ring was quietly floating in the same spot where the scene had just unfolded. It was as if the enormous figure spanning the night sky on the other side of the screen had traversed the distance of time and space, miraculously teleporting over in an instant.

That was Kitagawa Ryo's heartfelt sentiment and a small, vengeful response.

Sakayanagi Arisu could only chuckle at this, but she still took the initiative to extend her left hand forward. The middle finger, which had removed the sports ring beforehand, finally welcomed its new owner, fitting perfectly without any mismatch.

However, after doing all this, Sakayanagi Arisu still showed no intention of leaving immediately. Instead, looking at the Tokyo Tower in the picture, she thought of something else:

In Tokyo, there's a long-standing love legend about Tokyo Tower turning off its lights at midnight—if lovers can see the tower turn off its lights together at midnight, they'll stay together forever and be happy forever.