I have a life simulator.

After school again, under the arrangement of Kitagawa Ryo and Asahina Nazuna, Horikita Suzune also went to the second-year floor and temporarily borrowed the classroom of Class 2-A to start her campaign speech.

Asahina Nazuna had actually prepared several people to blend into the crowd and create a lively atmosphere. Their main lines were basically things like "I choose Horikita Suzune" and "She is the one everyone wants." But in the end, they were never used.

"Wow, she's really amazing. I have to say, she wasn't like this a month ago during the mixed training camp special exam, was she?"

After peering through the window from outside the door, Asahina Nagisa looked away in surprise and remarked to Kitagawa Ryo, who was also waiting outside.

"They even give off a bit of the vibe of Horikita-senpai, who's in her third year. You could say they're definitely siblings."

"These are all changes made by Rin herself, but there are indeed some common characteristics among outstanding talents."

Unlike Asahina Nazuna, who was constantly drawn back to the classroom by the applause, Kitagawa Ryo didn't seem too surprised. He leaned lazily against the railing by the corridor, leisurely enjoying the evening breeze.

"Indeed, I hope that Suzune can become a student council president as excellent as Horikita-senpai, or even better."

Because she and Horikita Suzune were in the same group during the previous mixed training camp special exam, and had interacted in daily classes, they were quite familiar with each other. Therefore, Asahina Nagisa addressed her by her first name.

As she spoke, she leaned against the railing with Kitagawa Ryo. However, unlike Kitagawa Ryo's forward-leaning posture, she leaned back with her hands behind her back on the railing. Her winter clothes, which had become much thinner as the weather warmed up, beautifully outlined a semi-circular arc on her chest.

"Speaking of which, has Nagumo been up to anything lately? I didn't see him when I came over today."

"It's the same as always. He clocks in for class and leaves immediately after class, never staying in the classroom for even a second longer. However, he goes to a variety of places, and sometimes it's impossible to determine his real destination."

As if she simply felt bored and disgusted with the name, Asahina Nazuna also seemed listless when she said these words.

Class 2-A, and even the entire second year, had indeed launched an isolation campaign against Nagumo Masako. However, the problem with the mechanism of Tokyo Advanced Educational High School lies in this: if the other party is cautious enough and has no intention of dropping out, there is really nothing you can do about him before a suitable special exam is offered.

“I have already sent Liang the details of the locations, the time of stay, and the people he was meeting. The conversations I could find out were also the same.”

"Yes, thank you for your hard work, senior. The information you gave me about Kiriyama last time was very useful and helped me a lot."

"Kiriyama... I saw the school's announcement yesterday, it seems he's been expelled from the student council and also received a major demerit, right?"

"Yes, we've achieved our goal. This guarantees Suzune's votes in the student council."

"It's clear that Ryo really wants Suzune to become the student council president."

"After all, it's something I promised. If I can do it, I should do it as well as possible, and do it well and beautifully."

"Your promise sounds so good that I'm almost willing to give up."

"That depends on the kind of promise. I can't do anything too grand or vague. These things should be done within one's capabilities. Making empty vows will only bring disaster."

After chatting idly with Asahina Nagisa for a while, Horikita Suzune finally finished her speech in the classroom, walked out with a bright smile, greeted Asahina Nagisa and thanked her, and then called Kitagawa Ryo to head to the next place.

"Okay, let's talk next time, senior."

"Okay, I'll treat you to something to drink next time."

"okay."

Smiling and waving goodbye to Asahina Nazuna, Kitagawa Ryo quickened his pace to catch up with Horikita Suzune, who seemed still immersed in the afterglow of her speech, and gently bumped her shoulder:

"how do you feel?"

"It felt different from the final exam for the speech subject that I took in the special mixed training camp before. It was fresh and interesting."

Although it was her first time giving a speech in front of dozens of strangers, Horikita Suzune showed no signs of stage fright; in fact, her tone suggested she wanted to continue speaking.

"The response from below has been very good."

"After all, Lingyin is the first candidate in this batch, or even in these years, to give a campaign speech, and she is very well prepared. All aspects of the content are things that second-year students care about or are interested in. Lingyin herself is also charismatic and expressive enough, so it is only natural that the effect is good."

Kitagawa Ryo has never been stingy with his praise. Not only did he praise her verbally, but he also placed his hands on her shoulders as a gesture of comfort, gently kneading and massaging her.

The reason why student council elections in previous years generally did not involve such speeches is quite simple. First, students themselves do not pay much attention to student council elections, and candidates do not need to go out of their way to win over unpopular candidates. Second, the opinions of the former student council president usually carry considerable weight in the election. As long as you get that opinion, you can basically say that you have won, and there is no need to campaign for votes.

This year, ironically, is another year of intense public scrutiny and a particularly unusual situation where the former student council president was humiliated and kicked out of the student council.

"Even if we disregard the content of the speech, just in terms of performance, I believe Lingyin is the best among the three."

This isn't just Kitagawa Ryo trying to flatter her; after all, while everyone is a newcomer in this field, Sakayanagi Arisu and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka still have more significant shortcomings compared to Horikita Suzune.

Actually, none of the three of them are the type to get stage fright, but Arisu's main problem is that she doesn't have much popularity among the upperclassmen. She can't even get a basic stage to work, and she's also lacking in persuasiveness. As for Ayanokouji, there's not much to say. He only got a perfect score of 100 in his speech exam last month because of Tsukishiro Tsuneaki's connections. His actual level isn't that he's completely unpassionate, but his intonation and emotional delivery are not as good as audiobooks.

"I will try my best to play to my strengths and avoid my weaknesses."

Horikita Suzune didn't get carried away by Kitagawa Ryo's words. Instead, she took a few deep breaths and gave herself another thumbs-up.

His and Horikita Suzune's next destination was the floor where the third-year students were located. In fact, as soon as they reached the corner of the stairs, they saw Horikita Manabu and Tachibana Akane at the entrance of the building.

Perhaps because they were busy with many graduation matters, the two looked visibly tired after not seeing each other for a while. However, they still tried to cheer up after seeing each other and greeted each other.

"All the students in our class have arrived. As for how many students from other classes you can attract, that depends on your own abilities."

On the way to their destination, Horikita Manabu briefly introduced the current situation of the third year to the two of them.

"Classes C and D are basically enjoying their last moments of youth. I heard that some students are planning to just give up in March and use up all the remaining class points so they can graduate from high school with a clean slate."

"After all, the school will only convert individual points into yen according to a certain ratio and collect the last month's class points salary. It is indeed possible to do this, but this is too thorough a abandonment."

While Horikita Suzune could understand this, she couldn't help but click her tongue in surprise at the chaotic state of the third-year students.

"This can probably be considered a kind of confusion about the future."

"Even in ordinary high schools, many students feel lost about their future after graduation. Should they go on to higher education or find a job? Should their high school romances end naturally after graduation or continue? In a place like Dongyu High School, where graduation from the A class is the only true graduation, this confusion is naturally amplified."

Kitagawa Ryo also shared his thoughts on this, glancing at Tachibana Akane and Horikita Manabu, as he was also quite curious about what the two would do after graduation.

"Well, it might seem like I'm being hypocritical to say this as a student from Class A, but Kitagawa is right. Even in our class, quite a few people have been thinking about and hesitating about these things for a long time."

Horikita Manabu also nodded in agreement with Kitagawa Ryo's opinion:

“In the past, we wouldn’t let third-year students who are about to graduate participate in the student council election again, but this year was an exception.”

"So, if I were to say it, most third-year students today would probably want a final curtain call that would allow them to say goodbye to their high school years and even their student years as gracefully as possible without any regrets."

"I understand."

After Horikita Manabu reminded her of this, Horikita Suzune nodded:

"However, Liang and I have already thought of a corresponding plan in advance, which should be quite in line with the requirements."

"If possible, I would organize a graduation ceremony and performance for everyone, separate from the school's, regardless of whether I become the student council president."

"A separate graduation performance...that's a good idea, but it needs a little extra appeal, or rather, a gimmick."

"This was prepared a long time ago."

Kitagawa Ryo naturally picked up the conversation:

“Some people will tell them through their own experiences that graduation is not the end, but sometimes it is also a way to meet a better version of yourself.”

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

"This is not right, this is not right. If this continues, we won't even be able to keep our base of support from the third graders."

Since confirming a certain piece of news this afternoon, Katsuragi Kohei has unusually lost his usual calm and composure, pacing anxiously around like an ant on a hot plate. The other C-class students next to him also have solemn expressions, constantly refreshing the latest news on the forum on their phones.

Unlike the previous class leader, Katsuragi Kohei, the current leader, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, is undoubtedly much better at coordinating and managing the class. Firstly, he did lead the class to achieve good results in the special exam, and secondly, he actually managed to wipe out the class's debts through negotiations with Nagumo Masaru.

Because of the latter alone, the students in Class C couldn't bring themselves to say a single word against Kiyotaka Ayanokouji, not even Ai Morishita and Masumi Kamuro.

Although Kiyotaka Ayanokoji maintained his usual calm and collected demeanor, he was well aware that his current situation was indeed precarious.

To be honest, he had never known anything about Shizuku the Idol. His impression of Sakura Airi was limited to the fact that she had threatened and extorted a considerable amount of personal points from the school when it started, making her someone to be wary of. But the internet is such a convenient thing. With just a little use of the search function, he understood the popularity she once had and the influence she could have at any time on the Dongyu campus.

Not only on the Dongyu campus forum, but also on Twitter outside the school, this unconfirmed rumor has become a trending topic. The nearly one-year graduation gap has indeed caused Sakura Airi to lose a lot of fans, but due to the large base, the number of those who remain is also quite astonishing.

It's no exaggeration to say that even though everyone in Class C looks miserable right now, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji is willing to believe that there are definitely people who secretly vote for Suzune Horikita because they want to see their idol Shizuku make a comeback.

Even if they aren't fans of the other party, even if it's just to have something to brag about on the internet later, some people would still make this choice. After all, Dongyu students have already become the envy of other netizens because of this still unconfirmed news.

First-year, second-year, and third-year students—or rather, the entire Dongyu school, from students to faculty and staff, was completely stunned by the bombshell dropped by Horikita Suzune today. After all, no one expected that Sakura Airi, who had been keeping a low profile for nearly a year, would actually choose to step into the limelight again for such a matter at this time.

...This must also be Kitagawa Ryo's doing.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji habitually made this deduction in his mind.

In a sense, the other party's female fan club is a kind of treasure trove; you never know what surprises they'll pull out next.

Oh, by the way, the above information is the result of Kiyotaka Ayanokoji's hard work after his historic defeat in last year's special exam on a deserted island, which was a test of common knowledge about anime.

"Sakayanagi should have seen this message too."

After a moment of silence, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji finally made his decision:

"Let's go and talk to her."

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Room 408, Kitagawa Ryo's dormitory, welcomed today's guest: Sakura Airi, who is currently the subject of widespread discussion on forums both within and outside the school.

"I have to say, seeing Airi make a comeback under the name Shizuku makes me a little nostalgic. Hotaru and Maki used to be big fans of yours. Oh right, let me check, there it is."

As he spoke, Kitagawa Ryo also opened his phone and successfully found Hotaru's recent post on her personal social media account, which she had only opened to him. Without much thought, he read it aloud:

"I never thought that you could actually get Shizuku to make a comeback. Next time you leave school, please remember to bring me the high-definition live footage, and also bring back my Valentine's Day chocolates. Thank you—oh, right, and snow... cough, I won't go into the rest."

Kitagawa Ryo put his phone back in his pocket and, as if changing the subject, turned his gaze to Sakura Airi, who seemed to be looking through her past performances and rehearsal videos:

"After all, it's been a long time. Can you still find the feeling?"

"Well, it's only been a year. A little rehabilitation will do the trick, and many of the movements can be considered muscle memory."

Sakura Airi was quite confident about this, but she immediately sighed and slumped back into the soft sofa:

"However, I didn't expect it to cause such a big commotion outside of school. Now the rumors are almost that I will make a comeback after graduating from high school. I have no intention of becoming an idol again. This time I was just helping Ryo out."

"But this help was really huge, it almost directly helped Lingyin gain the upper hand. No wonder she is a super popular idol girl."

"You can add a 'former' prefix, or you can just remove the 'idol' suffix. In any case, I will definitely not make a comeback."

Seemingly particularly fixated on this point, Airi Sakura emphasized it once more, and then raised a new difficulty on her side:

"However, if we really want to perform on stage, we will definitely have to solve the problems of venue, equipment, and costumes first, especially costumes. I feel that we will have to buy a set or alter a suitable one."

“I’ll help Airi with the venue and equipment. We have experience from preparing for the Valentine’s Day celebration before. As for the clothing, let’s see if we can find a store in the Beech Tree Shopping Center to make it. They should be happy to take on this kind of order, and we can also do some publicity at the same time.”

"As for the rehearsal space, let's set it at the drama department's activity room. It's a larger space with better soundproofing, and no one is using it right now, so I'll just give the key to Airi."

At this point, Kitagawa Ryo let out another deep sigh:

"Of course, according to our agreement, whether it's rehearsal or the actual performance, I will be the closest place to watch over Airi."

"After all, he only made a temporary comeback because he was going to cool off. In the end, it was all for the sake of one person's idol."

Sakura Airi gave a bright, toothy smile, then held up one finger:

"Also, Ryo, remember to wear your support outfit."

"Airi, are you referring to that autographed limited edition fan support shirt that's been resold for 200,000 yen after you graduated?"

"Oh, that's actually quite simple to do yourself."

Sakura Airi looked around and quickly found what she wanted on the nearby desk, holding a ballpoint pen in her hand.

Then, she naturally walked up to Kitagawa Ryo, lifted up his sweater, placed her left hand on his chest, and used her right hand to write on the innermost part of his shirt, where his chest was covered with an oil-based pen.

This familiar yet long-lost gesture left Kitagawa Ryo momentarily stunned. The rough pen tip tickled his skin through his clothes, and the fragrance that brushed past his nose and the warmth from the other's hand were just as they had been years ago. However, the more oppressive leaning forward after two or three years and the final words written were different from before.

It is no longer the curtain that Sakayanagi Arisu once teased as completely unrecognizable, which was imagined as a monster in childhood fears, but a clearer and more distinct chibi version.

That was Sakura Airi, with Cupid-like angel wings, shooting heart-shaped Cupid arrows toward his heart. Her facial features were drawn in a rather simple style, but she could still be recognized at a glance by her hairstyle.

Among the girls Kitagawa Ryo knew, there were some who liked to wear pigtails, such as Amasawa Ichika, but only Sakura Airi would wear the style where she tied a small high ponytail on each side above her ears, with the rest of her pink hair hanging down her shoulders, giving people a playful and lively impression at first glance.

"Please continue to support me wholeheartedly from now on."

After habitually writing down this sentence, Sakura Airi muttered to herself again:

"No, idols should be able to date after graduation."

Chapter 503: No One Should Regret It (5k)

Since both sides needed to meet, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and Sakayanagi Arisu quickly confirmed the time and place. The former brought Katsuragi Kohei along, while the latter, without fail, had Matsushita Chiaki come along.

"I didn't expect that you hadn't won over Sakura beforehand."

At the start of the conversation, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji subtly shifted the blame onto the student council candidate, which at first glance seemed to make sense. After all, if it weren't for Airi Sakura's sudden involvement, the student council election situation wouldn't have changed so drastically in just one day, almost securing the final victory for Suzune Horikita.

"The only people who can truly get Airi to willingly step into the spotlight are Ryo and herself. Ayanokouji, who always plays the role of a stalker, should know this better than I do."

Sakayanagi Arisu also retaliated. After all, she was not Karuizawa Kei, and her relationship with Sakura Airi was not that good. Therefore, even though she knew from the beginning that the other party was the biggest uncertainty factor in this election, she could not appease Sakura Airi in advance like Karuizawa Kei did before the sports festival.

"Ayanokouji-san, there's no need to put all the blame for Suzune's victory on me, because from the very beginning, you weren't really determined to win this student council election, were you?"

To prevent Ayanokouji Kiyotaka from continuing to use this as an excuse, Sakayanagi Arisu directly pointed out his intentions: