I have a life simulator.

As he spoke, he stared intently into Kitagawa Ryo's pupils:

"Tell me honestly, do you hate Rinne?"

"Of course not. Lingyin and I have known each other since junior high school, and I don't deny that I have some feelings for her. But it's never a matter of whether I like or dislike her. It's just that I have never thought about becoming husband and wife with Lingyin."

"But in other people's eyes, that's enough."

Horikita Manabu simply shrugged at this:

"Among a couple who are engaged long ago, it is quite rare for the man to not dislike the woman and for the woman to like the man, like Ryo and Suzune. After all, mutual love is something that can only be encountered by chance. Rather, it is quite remarkable that you and Suzune have a certain emotional foundation in this situation."

"...I feel like I can't connect with someone as successful as you in relationships."

"Oh, do you want to talk to Suzune alone? I know she should be waiting at the door."

Horikita Manabu simply sighed, then got up from his seat and left. Not long after, Horikita Suzune sat down opposite Kitagawa Ryo.

Without a doubt, compared to the little girl who first appeared in a family restaurant reading "And Then There Were None," Horikita Suzune has now transformed into a more mature individual.

She was no longer as stubborn as before, always getting herself into dead ends. She became more tactful in her dealings with people, and every move she made was like a gentle breeze.

But it is precisely because of this that Kitagawa Ryo is now experiencing an exceptionally difficult and troublesome situation.

"Is Liang still unwilling to fulfill the marriage agreement?"

"In fact, I've wanted to abolish this unreasonable setting for a long time."

As if they had already had countless conversations like this, Kitagawa Ryo was tired of debating these issues with Horikita Suzune again, and instead cleanly and decisively pronounced the future fate of this marriage:

"If we really continue like this, it will only end in tragedy, which will not benefit either of us."

"not like this."

Even after being told such a resolute thing by her fiancé, Horikita Suzune remained calm and rational.

"Marriage is never a tragedy of love, or rather, love is never a tragedy for those who love. Does that mean that autumn and winter are tragedies for spring?"

"But I've never felt that there was any love between me and Rin."

Kitagawa Ryo stood up from his seat for the first time, attempting to explain to Horikita Suzune once more:

"Am I really worth you doing this, Rin, giving me all your feelings? Because from the very beginning, I've never been able to give you the same kind of feelings you've given me."

"It doesn't matter."

Horikita Suzune merely smiled at this, but Kitagawa Ryo could see no light in her purplish-red eyes; all that remained was a kind of incredibly murky obsession and insane emotion.

He suddenly felt a strange sense of fear.

Perhaps it's too much for the person being loved to show such fear or even hatred towards the person who loves them.

But Kitagawa Ryo still felt a chill run down his spine.

Because the feelings from Horikita Suzune were the kind that wanted to strip him bare, even his soul, what she sought was this twisted desire to have any possible relationship with him.

"Ryo doesn't dislike me, right?"

"But it's not love either. If I had to say, it would be more like a sense of responsibility or even guilt, because it is indeed I who made you this way."

"A sense of responsibility is one of the foundations of a successful marriage."

"...I don't understand."

Kitagawa Ryo shook his head, recalling his initial relationship with Horikita Suzune:

"Why can't Lingyin and I just pretend to be polite to each other's parents and elders, like before, and find some opportunity to break off the engagement? It's clearly what's binding us."

"Because I want this kind of constraint, this kind of relationship that locks two people together in a way that is like confinement."

Horikita Suzune also stood up, reaching out to stroke Kitagawa Ryo's cheek:

"Therefore, I also like marriage as a ritual that establishes a relationship of belonging between us on a social and legal level, where you must belong completely to me and I belong only to you."

Kitagawa Ryo inexplicably recalled a sentence he had read in a book in the past:

He wanted a free woman, and then he would put her in a cage and keep her there.

In some ways, Horikita Suzune also harbored similar feelings for him.

She wanted him, an ordinary person who wasn't a god, and then she wanted to nurture him in the shrine in her heart.

It turns out that when a woman doesn't ask you to truly love her, but simply wants to build an unbreakable bond between you, it's often easier to achieve than the former.

Moreover, the two of them already had a connection called a marriage agreement.

"I can actually wait, but not everyone can wait."

Horikita Suzune withdrew her hand again, using this relaxed attitude to put even more psychological pressure on Kitagawa Ryo.

"But Liang needs to understand that waiting any longer will not lead to a good outcome. After all, no one can go back to the beginning of the story, so we can only face the inescapable ending we have now."

"Ten years ago, Karuizawa couldn't reciprocate Ryo's feelings. Ten years later, Ryo still can't reciprocate Shiina's feelings. Time can change many things, but it also can't change many things. After all, if we go back ten years, Ryo probably couldn't imagine a future where he wasn't with Karuizawa."

"So why resist?"

Like a patient and persuasive hunter, Horikita Suzune gradually dismantles Kitagawa Ryo's psychological defenses.

"Just like my brother said, we are not strangers who do not understand each other. Feelings always fluctuate with age. Even if Liang does not believe in the future where we will love each other, she should still choose me for the future she wants to pursue, because I know everything about you and will not interfere in any way."

"Whether it's Shiina or Karuizawa, I don't care if Ryo has any lingering connections with them afterward. All I'm looking for is to establish our relationship in the eyes of others."

“If Ryo really feels that her feelings are free, then marriage should never be a tool to bind her.”

Kitagawa Ryo knew perfectly well that these tempting words were all sophistry, but he still admitted that he was moved by the promises made by the other party.

"Actually, Liang should have made this choice from the beginning, treating it as a mere performance, just like we did back then."

And so, Horikita Suzune, seizing the opportunity, took something out of her bag and handed it to him:

"All the ceremonies are ready. I don't care whether Ryo's feelings for me are the guilt, remorse, or sense of responsibility you mentioned, or something more direct and straightforward like or dislike, but at least in front of the camera, please put on a better performance."

Kitagawa Ryo reached out and took the item handed to him; it was a small gift box containing a ring.

"Proposal, engagement, and formal wedding ceremony."

Horikita Suzune reached out and placed her hand on Kitagawa Ryo's shoulder again, bringing her face close to his in one breath:

I will put a ring on your finger three times.

"You must put it on me three times as well."

"Now please practice."

Kitagawa Ryo simply shook his head, as if utterly exhausted.

"Maybe next time, that's all for today."

After saying that, he turned and left the room.

Within seconds of Kitagawa Ryo leaving the room, Horikita Suzune, who had been smiling just moments before, collapsed onto the sofa behind her.

Her eyes were glazed over, and her breathing was erratic, yet she exuded a sweet and alluring aura.

"Ha...finally...it's been such a long time."

The joyful sounds quickly turned into sobs. Horikita Suzune tightly gripped the ring that Kitagawa Ryo had taken earlier and then put back on the table, gazing at it with rapture for a long, long time.

"No, hold on, hold on, it's almost over."

"As long as we take the last step, we will definitely succeed."

Just as a skilled hunter always appears as prey, the relationship between taming and being tamed can sometimes be misaligned in an instant.

For Horikita Suzune, this was a step she had prepared long ago.

The fox tamed by the Little Prince can break free from the millions of foxes and become the Little Prince's one and only fox. In contrast, the Little Prince also breaks free from the millions of humanoid creatures and becomes the one and only fox boy.

Although she had just told the other party to at least maintain a proper demeanor in front of the camera, now that the day has come, she herself might be the one to overreact.

After all, she can't help but want to show some kind of carnivorous, beastly behavior.

Of course, such an accident did not occur.

"Congratulations!"

May lovers be united in marriage!

"A ten-year love marathon!"

A few days later, the pre-rehearsed proposal ceremony took place without any surprises.

In the presence of other relatives, Kitagawa Ryo knelt down on one knee and put the ring on Horikita Suzune's outstretched left hand.

She was incredibly quiet the whole time, as if she had been so shocked that she had lost all sense of the outside world.

really.

A ring is the smallest necklace in the world.

Submissive in front of others.

Released afterward.

written request for leave

My daughter has a fever today and will be resting for the day. Everyone, please take care of yourselves as the temperature has dropped these past few days and avoid catching a cold.

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

Chapter 495: It's Not a Collar (4k5)

"Gululu..."

The sound of the stew boiling in the pot in front of him pulled Kitagawa Ryo back to reality from the corridor of his memories. He quietly turned down the heat and turned to gaze at Horikita Suzune, who was spreading out a tablecloth and preparing bowls and chopsticks at the dining table outside the kitchen.

While the entire Tokyo Advanced Educational High School was in an uproar over the post about the investment and financial management mini-lesson, he and Horikita Suzune were currently in dormitory room 408. This was not to avoid other Tokyo Advanced Educational High School students who came out for lunch during their lunch break, but simply because eating out was never on either of their minds, and today was no exception.

After confirming the time, Kitagawa Ryo put on thick special gloves and carried the stew pot by the two handles on either side, placing it steadily on the tablecloth with the heat-insulating mat, announcing that today's lunch was all ready.

Winter should be a time to be surrounded by warmth.

Clean bowls and plates were set on the table, and a plump stew pot was filled with hot stew. The rice cooker next to it stopped working naturally after the timer went off. Pressing the open button revealed perfectly cooked white rice, steaming hot. The cat was yawning lazily in the corner where sunlight streamed in through the window. The two of them took off their aprons and sat down to eat.

Why didn't Ying come over today?

Seeing that the kitten still showed no sign of moving even when it was mealtime, Horikita Suzune turned her head curiously to take a look, trying to beckon it to come a little closer.

"Just take Lingyin's words as an attempt to create space for the two of us."

Kitagawa Ryo scooped up a bowl of hot soup with a spoon, sipped it slowly, and gestured to Horikita Suzune not to worry too much, changing the subject.

"Today is Lingyin's birthday. Would Lingyin want a birthday cake?"

"A birthday cake..."

After Kitagawa Ryo made this suggestion, Horikita Suzune unconsciously slowed down the speed of her chewing, looking thoughtful.

Actually, she did receive birthday cakes from her family when she was a child, but because she wasn't particularly interested in these things or even birthdays themselves, she gradually stopped receiving such gifts later on.

"If you're just making a simple two-person serving, I feel like an afternoon should be enough."

Since the idea of ​​a birthday cake had been proposed, Kitagawa Ryo naturally didn't plan to just find a shop to buy one on the spot. Instead, he decided to make one by hand for Horikita Suzune, because it would be better in terms of both taste and sentiment.

"That's okay too."

After hesitating for a moment, Horikita Suzune agreed. If Ichinose Honami was pursuing the future, then what she needed now was the past, to relive those things that were appropriate for her age but which she had always ignored.

"In that case, I feel like we should also prepare the other matching gadgets."

Kitagawa Ryo, of course, was aware of Horikita Suzune's idea, and immediately followed up with a teasing suggestion:

"If we have the cake, let's also buy some candles for making wishes and a little crown for the birthday girl to wear on her head, okay?"

"Um... these things."

After briefly imagining herself wearing a paper birthday crown, clasping her hands together and making a wish over the candles on the cake, Horikita Suzune subconsciously showed a somewhat subtle expression, her eyes also starting to wander, but in the end she gritted her teeth and agreed:

"If it's just me and Ryo there, it seems like that would be fine too."

"Oh, then it must be the two of us. Actually, I contacted Horikita-senpai this morning, and he just told me to have fun with Suzune. Graduation season is always so busy."

Kitagawa Ryo appreciated Horikita Manabu's sincere intentions, although he also felt that at this stage, Suzune didn't need him, her brother-in-law, to act as a wingman to lure out monsters. Perhaps in the end, Suzune's relationship with Secretary Tachibana wouldn't even progress as fast as theirs.

"Okay, let's go to Beech Tree Shopping Center together this afternoon. The stores should all be open by now."

After briefly confirming the afternoon's itinerary, Kitagawa Ryo and Horikita Suzune stopped talking and quietly enjoyed their lunch together.

It wasn't until after the meal, when it was time to clear the dishes, that Horikita Suzune finally added one more sentence: