I have a life simulator.

Startled, Kitagawa Ryo shook his head, trying to banish the terrible thought from his mind. Then he saw that Yuki had sent him another new message:

"There are so many people in line, it's so boring."

"This year's student council will definitely be very popular. After all, most freshmen know some of the inside story of Dongyu University, and they will naturally be envious of the power of the student council."

"Hmm, speaking of which, will Arisu be the one interviewing me?"

"It's hard to say. Theoretically, both the president and vice president might be present at the interview, but Arisu might come specifically to see Yuki."

"After all, it's Alice. It would be a sign of weakness if she didn't come. But I thought she would come to see me yesterday, but I haven't heard from her yet."

"Well... it's probably related to her recent mental state."

At this point, Kitagawa Ryo vaguely recalled that his and Sakayanagi Arisu's regular morning exercise routine in the latter half of last year had been practically dead for a long time. At first, he did have something to do, but later it was to avoid suspicion. When he took the initiative to ask her out during spring break, Sakayanagi Arisu refused.

The special end-of-year exams last month really hit her hard, not just because she failed, but also for other reasons.

After briefly telling Yuki about Amasawa Ichika's victory over Sakayanagi Arisu in the chess competition, Yuki also shared her own thoughts:

"That's understandable. For someone with her personality, such a defeat would definitely leave a bad taste in her mouth. Actually, I'd love to compete against Arisu, but I've never had the chance. I knew all the questions on that variety show that Ryo and Arisu participated in. I was really envious of how popular you two became back then. But I later found out that there were people pushing you behind the scenes."

After sending the long message, Xue temporarily raised her head, even though there should have been another true thought hidden after the last sentence.

Even knowing that it was the result of the White House and Dongyu's joint hype and publicity, the feeling of being noticed and watched by everyone in the world was still a sight that Xue, whose world was so small that it only contained the blurry faces of dozens of classmates and instructors, and the pure white walls and ceilings in the small space, had never seen before.

Just like the grand performance she witnessed on Valentine's Day the month before last, which even made Tokyo Tower cooperate and made the city's magnificent night view a mere backdrop.

Chapter Nine: My Younger Sister (5k)

"Hello there!"

After encountering countless bizarre first-year girls who made one want to call the police on the spot, this time, Karuizawa Megumi was greeted by an energetic blonde junior who seemed normal in every way.

"I am Nanase Tsubasa from Class 1-A. I have been very interested in the art of drama for a long time, so I hope to join the drama club and learn and improve with my seniors!"

As a character who only appeared outside Horikita Suzune's confectionery shop during last year's school festival, Karuizawa Megumi, who was still working with Shiina Hiyori at the time, naturally hadn't met Nanase Tsubasa in person. However, considering Nanase's bright and sunny smile and the fact that she didn't mention Kitagawa Ryo's name at all, her attitude was equally friendly and cordial.

"Welcome. Nanase, please fill in your more detailed personal information on this registration form. The pen is here."

"Uh-huh."

Nanase Tsubasa had just taken the registration form and pen and was standing at another table, bending over to fill it out. Meanwhile, Ichinose Honami finally returned to her post, pulled out the chair next to Karuizawa Megumi, and sat down.

"Thank you for your hard work, I'm back."

"It's nothing. How did your conversation with him go? I also feel that he doesn't seem like someone particularly easy to get along with."

"That's true to some extent, but that's all Liang's concern. After all, it's him who's dating, not us."

"Fanbo even went up to him on his own initiative. What did he do to provoke you?"

"I wouldn't say I provoked her, it's just that we have different views on certain things. If this disagreement isn't resolved, I won't be able to get along with her normally in the future, just like with Hui before."

Although Honami Ichinose said this, Megumi Karuizawa still seemed to understand but not quite:

"I understand, but not completely. But it doesn't matter to me. Fanbo, you can do whatever you want. If you need any help, just tell me."

"Yeah. I know."

With a nod of agreement, Ichinose Honami avoided the other person's gaze. Unlike Sakayanagi Arisu, she wasn't willing to bring up all the things from the past, especially in front of Karuizawa Megumi. She couldn't just casually say, "Back then, all I could think about was stabbing you to death, but I accidentally stabbed Ryo to death," that would be too embarrassing.

"Wow, there are so many application forms! There must be forty or fifty of them. Goodness, almost all the first-grade girls have come to apply here?"

"There are still several people filling out forms over there."

Karuizawa Megumi gestured towards Nanase Tsubasa's direction with her lip, then picked up the two application forms on the top and started flipping through them:

"I have no experience in drama, no stage performance or vocal training, and I have never been to a theater to watch a live performance before. The reason I signed up for the drama department is because I am a fan of Liang. Why do I specifically state that I was a fan of his looks at first? Did I start with his appearance and stay loyal to his talent?"

"There's also someone writing a love letter on the registration form right there in the middle of the day, their handwriting is so ugly..."

"Sigh, it seems like no one here really wants to act in a play."

As the most dedicated actor in the drama club, Karuizawa Kei genuinely wanted to use this club recruitment opportunity to discover some promising talents. However, after looking around, she felt that everyone was an absolute abstraction.

"Leaving aside whether they have any prior experience in this field, it's difficult to find someone who can fill out the form properly and neatly."

After frantically scrolling through several more forms, Karuizawa Megumi finally found one that looked decent:

"Tsubaki Sakurako from Class 1-B has a habit of watching plays in the past year, and she has also specifically learned about and studied related knowledge in the past year... The reason for joining the drama club is that she thinks acting is very interesting and that she can live another wonderful life on the stage."

While looking at the profile picture, Karuizawa Kei also searched for the other person's name on the OAA system on her phone, browsing through the basic profile provided:

"Is this child Xue's younger sister?"

"Yes, a year younger, but we entered the same cohort this time."

"Looking at the data alone, there's nothing particularly noteworthy. She's a solid Class B level candidate, but being average is the biggest advantage. Let's assume she passed the initial screening for now, and then we'll see how she fares in the interview."

"Karuizawa-senpai, I've finished filling out everything here! Ah, Ichinose-senpai, hello, I'm Nanase Tsubasa from Class 1-A."

As they were talking, Nanase Tsubasa, who had already filled out the company registration form, jogged over to the two of them, politely bowed slightly, and handed over the completed form with both hands.

Since the registration lines were already full, and given her positive first impression of the other person, Karuizawa Megumi casually chatted with her while looking at the information on the registration form submitted by Nanase Tsubasa:

"Nanase-san."

"Yes! Just call me Nanase."

Rather than being startled, Nanase nodded seriously, her eyes shining as she looked intently at Karuizawa Megumi.

"I see that in the section for your reason for wanting to join the drama club, you wrote 'Because I think the atmosphere in the drama club is great, and I want to spend my high school life in a warm and welcoming club.' What exactly do you mean by that?"

"It means exactly what it says. I met Kitagawa-senpai from the drama club during the last cultural festival. I felt that he was particularly good at handling all kinds of complicated emotional problems and interpersonal relationships. Therefore, I thought that if he were to be the club president, the atmosphere in the club would be very good. Moreover, Karuizawa-senpai and Ichinose-senpai, the two vice presidents, both seem to be very gentle people."

It must be said that Nanase Tsubasa has a sweet tongue. Although she mentioned Kitagawa Ryo, Karuizawa Megumi was still quite pleased, so she smiled and continued to ask:

"But I see that you filled in 'none' for relevant experience. If you do end up joining the drama club, what kind of job would Nanase like to do?"

"First of all, although I don't know much about drama before, I can guarantee that if I can join the drama club, I will put in twice the effort to learn actively. As for what kind of work, I lack relevant experience, so in my first year, it would be good if I could be given some logistical and backstage work."

This was yet another answer that Karuizawa Megumi considered perfect, and she nodded repeatedly in approval.

Actually, there were other freshmen with relevant experience who applied before, and even some students who had attended drama training classes when they were young. But they all came up looking like they wanted to replace her as the vice minister of the drama department.

Heaven has mercy on how many years of time and effort it took to build up Karuizawa Megumi's reputation as a go-to leading lady. It's safe to say that any girl who even hints at such a thing is already on her blacklist and there's no way she'll be allowed into the drama club.

Compared to these people, Nanase Tsubasa's speech was undoubtedly much more appropriate and generous. This spirit of giving up the glamorous stage and willingly doing logistics work behind the scenes can be said to have transcended vulgar tastes, which made Karuizawa Megumi very satisfied.

What does Fanbo think?

Of course, even though she had already mentally given it a perfect score, Karuizawa Kei still politely asked Ichinose Honami, who was sitting next to her, for her opinion.

"Hmm, let's see how it goes after the interview."

Upon hearing this, Honami Ichinose simply glanced around at the junior who was smiling kindly at her. Apart from thinking that this girl looked more like her own sister than Maki in terms of figure, she didn't have any particular feelings. After all, she was still thinking about Yuki's situation and the messy thoughts that came to mind because of her.

"Okay, then Nanase, come to our drama club's activity room for your interview after school tomorrow. It's in the club building. Let's exchange contact information first."

After Honami Ichinose nodded, Megumi Karuizawa also stood up and took the initiative to add Nanase Tsubasa as a friend.

"Okay, I'll go there as soon as school is over tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Nanase Tsubasa earnestly waved her little fist, then bowed politely to the two of them.

"Thank you both, seniors. See you tomorrow."

After the other person walked away with light, quick steps, Karuizawa Megumi turned to Ichinose Honami and asked:

"Where's Liang? I haven't seen him."

"He was supposed to come with me, but I felt that his presence would only make things more chaotic, so I didn't come. Some of the girls in the first year are a bit too crazy. Even though we're only a year apart, it feels like we've lived in completely different eras. I don't really understand their behavior."

"Is Maki like that too?"

"Maki is alright, but sometimes I can definitely feel the generation gap between her and her sister. Her sister is a troublesome creature too."

At this point, Honami Ichinose herself recalled that the direct trigger for her earliest theft was the hair clip that her younger sister wanted.

In the past, she would never have been able to say such things, which sounded like complaints or even dissatisfaction with her family. However, she said it much more freely now. After the old constraints and obsessions were broken, Ichinose Honami herself felt much more relaxed and no longer got stuck on problems as much as before.

"I think Fanbo can relate to this feeling of coolness. I feel that the relationship between siblings is much more difficult to handle than that between sisters, especially given the situation in his family where they depended on each other for survival. I feel that the two of them are like half-bodies, each other's other half of body and soul."

"really."

Having had close contact with the Kitagawa siblings long ago, Honami Ichinose also largely agreed with Kei Karuizawa's view:

"Although Maki and I are also very close, it's definitely not as close as Ryo and Hotaru's relationship. The term 'half-sibling' is often used to describe twin siblings, but sometimes it's because we're too familiar with each other that we don't have that special feeling."

"Yes, this is known in psychology as the Westermark effect. It's like the attraction between family members who have grown up together since childhood. On the contrary, when you are separated for a period of time and suddenly experience that kind of close relationship that should have appeared in your early years again after you have grown up, you will feel special and value it more. If it is the opposite sex, you might even develop feelings similar to love. For example, the setting in 'Yosuga no Sora' is like this."

"So Hui also studies this area?"

"I read a few related books a while ago."

Karuizawa Kei gave a vague and perfunctory answer. In fact, she had read these things in her early years because she felt that Kitagawa Ryo's mental state was unstable, and she wanted to learn about psychology to better understand him, although she didn't use them much later.

"so."

Honami Ichinose turned her gaze back to the application form with Tsubaki Sakura's name on it that she had just picked up. If she remembered correctly, Yuki herself was also from the White Room, which meant that the two sisters, who were only one year apart in age, did not live together during a long period of their childhood.

This does align quite well with the psychological theories that Karuizawa Kei just mentioned.

It seems that we could try to subtly probe this person for information.

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

A sudden period of being single can indeed be a necessary condition and catalyst for the true birth of a relationship.

"I am back."

Seeing Kitagawa Ryo return to the dorm smoothly today and greet her as usual, Hotaru raised her front paw in response:

"Meow meow meow."

In fact, for a long time after she and her brother truly jumped to the current world line, Hotaru herself was seriously thinking about a question.

On this timeline where Kitagawa Ryo's fate is destined to be rewritten, will his other self develop feelings for him that are not familial?

Ying never denied that most of her obsession and emotions actually came from the entire process from her illness to her death, a process that could never be replicated. Whether you call it the suspension bridge effect or some more extreme emotion, without those final memories, she would never have become the person she is now.

A closed-off world from which one cannot escape, a dependence based solely on the warmth of two bodies, and a threat that has never gone away and is always approaching—these are the perfect breeding ground and petri dish. But whether what is born and grows out of it is good or bad, true or false, no one knows and cannot make a definitive judgment.

But there is no doubt that this is a crop that can only be produced in the most extreme environments.

That is precisely why Hotaru is puzzled.

If she can grow up healthy, laugh freely, and go out on her own to meet new friends and see the world, will those feelings still arise?

Will she still make those three wishes?

To be honest, at certain moments, Hotaru even felt a complex and contradictory emotion towards herself, a feeling that was similar to jealousy, resentment, or perhaps relief.

She both hoped that she could naturally fall in love with him again, because it felt like a destiny from a shoujo manga where feelings would never change no matter how much time and space they crossed.

But at the same time, she didn't want to fall in love with him so easily. Sometimes she would even subconsciously want to criticize whether such a light and fleeting feeling, which hadn't even involved experiencing the distance between life and death, could be called love.

Every time she thinks of this, Hotaru turns around and bites her own tail, muttering to herself in self-reproach.

There's no such thing as high or low status when it comes to liking someone. Does one have to suffer hardship to feel that the feelings gained in that way are more genuine or even superior?

But then she would contradict herself:

There is no inherent hierarchy or value in feelings, but it is only natural that more special experiences can give rise to more special feelings. Haven't you heard the saying, "A friend in need is a friend indeed"?

Sometimes Ying would roll around with her head in her hands, feeling that it didn't matter whether she liked it or not. It wasn't like she had to use herself as a substitute. Rather, if she didn't like the version of herself in this world, then her feelings would be unique. What was wrong with that?

You've never even seen him at his most heartbroken, saddest, weakest, and most helpless. How can you so casually say things that I couldn't even say in the end?

She should be the only one who has seen everything.

The departure of a loved one is never a torrential rain, but rather a long, damp period of the rest of one's life, just like the basement where the other person once lived.

That's why she wanted to leave your side early, just like in those stories that comfort the living, to make proper arrangements for a happier next life for you and give you the most perfect second life.

Ying also believed that once the restart button was pressed, the other party would, as she wished, arrange a more suitable life for her, who was also starting over.

But even after all of these things were achieved, she still found herself in this dilemma.

But you clearly took advantage of Horikita Suzune's simulation to cancel the direct blood relationship between the two of you in reality, right?

This is just leaving himself a way out!

It's better to be safe than sorry.

Even Neko couldn't figure out Hotaru's true thoughts, as she was on a completely different timeline from her own.

But things took a turn for the better during the two years the other person went abroad for treatment.