I have a life simulator.

Even before learning the truth about the past from Kitagawa Ryo, Tsubaki Sakura already knew about her older sister's obsession with names. Whether it was her own Yuki or the other person's Ryo, they were the softest and most cherished parts of her heart.

"N-nothing, I'm just preparing for this special exam."

Tsubaki Sakura hurriedly turned off the recording, then anxiously observed Yuki's expression, even preparing herself to insincerely agree with her. However, to her surprise, Yuki remained calm, as if nothing had happened, and even returned her earphones with a smile, offering a word of encouragement:

"I see. Well then, Sakura, good luck."

"Oh, oh."

"Let's go eat, I'm starving after this PE class."

Looking at her older sister, who seemed like a completely different person compared to not long ago, Tsubaki Sakura nodded stiffly in agreement. While the other sister turned to go back to her classroom to get her lunch, she quickly sent a text message to Kitagawa Ryo:

"What happened between you and your sister these past two days? Did you use some kind of spell on her?"

A little while later, she received a reply from Kitagawa Ryo.

"It was just something lovers do."

Upon seeing this reply, Tsubaki Sakura's mind automatically translated it as, "Kids should sit at the kids' table. Don't ask questions if you don't understand. You'll naturally understand when you grow up." Therefore, she quickly replied:

"Haven't you two done this before? Didn't you do it during the last cultural festival?"

Kitagawa Ryo's reply this time was even more brief.

"Different."

"Where is it not..."

Tsubaki Sakurako was about to instinctively ask back, but when she looked up, she saw her older sister, who had already received her bento and was walking towards her. She quickly put her phone away and pretended that nothing had happened, but her mind was still on Kitagawa Ryo's reply.

What could be different that could suddenly make my sister so happy?

After giving Xue a suspicious second look at her smiling, maternal expression, Tsubaki Sakura suddenly had a mind-blowing idea she'd never had before.

Could it be that they deliberately didn't wear protective gear?

No way... If something happens, I'll definitely be expelled.

But it seems like my older sister wasn't particularly interested in attending this school in the first place, right? She was mainly there for Kitagawa-senpai, so she didn't seem to care about this at all.

But she wasn't ready to be an aunt... Ugh, this isn't about being an aunt anymore. Who plays such a big game in high school? And this isn't some underworld focused on dealing with a low birth rate.

Looking at her younger sister, who seemed lost in thought and looking troubled, Xue raised an eyebrow in confusion, reached out and patted her shoulder, and asked:

"What's wrong? Still thinking about the special exam?"

"I was thinking about my sister."

Seeing her younger sister suddenly gripping her hands tightly, Xue felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.

"What's wrong with me now? Is there a problem?"

"No, the fact that my sister has no problem is itself a big problem."

"Even Kitagawa-senpai won't tell me the truth. Are you two hiding something from me again?"

However, to Tsubaki Sakura's surprise, Yuki didn't answer the question directly, but instead asked a question in return:

"Where's Sakura? Is there something between you and Ryo that I don't know about?"

P.S.: Thank you for reading and subscribing.

PS2: I'm moving and looking for a new place to rent these past two days, so I might be a bit busy. Sorry.

Chapter 43: Stealing someone's house right in front of them is definitely the most thrilling!

Completely unexpectedly, Tsubaki Sakurako was flustered. Her sister, who usually didn't care about this kind of thing and even thought that her relationship with her future brother-in-law Kitagawa Ryo was too distant, suddenly made such a surprise move. Before she could even react, she had already subconsciously bitten her lip to deny it, just like a child who had been caught stealing candy but still stubbornly refused to admit it.

"Alright—of course I know that Sakura must have secretly asked Ryo about a lot of things about me behind my back, otherwise Ryo wouldn't have bothered to tell you about my past. And I also know that you did all this for my own good, and you've always done it this way. What's there to be embarrassed about? It's not like I'm unwilling to accept your kindness."

Even the snow before wasn't one that would adopt a defensive posture towards everyone, or that would deflect all the kindness shown to it like a hedgehog with its quills, especially after it had finally come to understand many things in the last two days.

To be fair, even if she were placed in Tsubaki Sakura's position, Yuki wouldn't think she could do better than her. In other words, she never harbored any ill will towards her older sister who had suddenly appeared in her life; it was all pure and innocent familial love.

Kitagawa Ryo's deduction was correct. Even if Yuki still harbored resentment towards her parents, who had also generously given her love, because of what happened back then, then Tsubaki Sakura was the most suitable person to let her experience this emotion beyond love. Because if you really want to calculate it, you might even feel that the older sister owes her younger sister a lot in some ways.

That's why, when Xue asked this question, she wasn't really testing her. She was just teasing her with the same question that Tsubaki Sakura had asked her earlier. But she didn't expect to run into Tsubaki Sakura, who was actually a little cunning, and she was almost tricked into using her ultimate move with a simple attack.

"If Sakurako and Ryo can become closer because of me, I think that would be great. After all, you two are already among the two closest people to me in this world... We're family, right?"

"Ah."

Seeing that she had managed to get away with it, Tsubaki Sakura secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Even though she thought her mental fortitude and ability to control her expressions were usually quite good, the pressure was still immense when she was playing this trick against her older sister. After all, pretending to be someone's best friend and pretending to be someone's best friend are two completely different things.

...So why did I subconsciously choose to lie just now?

"By the way, speaking of this special exam, we should try to 'force' the student council after school this afternoon."

"A coup?"

"Well, the main goal is to use this special exam as an opportunity to let us first-year students enter the core circle of the student council in advance and truly participate in some of the management work of Tokyo Advanced Educational High School. At the very least, we should be able to obtain more confidential information than before."

When this topic came up, Xue herself was also very interested:

"Although there are all sorts of gossips from the past year on the campus forum, firstly, it's troublesome to search for them, and secondly, it feels like there's a tendency to exaggerate. It's a bit distorted after so much time has passed. It would be great if we could just look at the files from the student council."

"Also, student council members can also apply to the school to host events. Ryo hosted one this Valentine's Day when he was acting president, and Suzune hosted one in March. If possible, I'd like to host one myself. What do you think, Sakura?"

What kind of event would you like to organize, sister?

"Well, I'll keep that a secret for now. Of course, if that really comes to that, Sakura will have to come and help me. It's settled then!"

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

Knowing there would be a good show at the student council meeting after school today, Kitagawa Ryo decisively took a hands-off approach once again, temporarily abandoning the drama club activities. After his afternoon classes, he rushed to the student council's activities room on the top floor of the club building and found a good spot in the corridor to stand and wait.

Since the holiday was over and no members had asked for leave today, the student council was unusually full. The four first-year students didn't waste any time and went straight to stating their needs.

“Other clubs are now providing full support to first-year students as required, so our student council should do the same. Otherwise, what if we’re still doing odd jobs? Especially on exam day, that’s just too unfair.”

The one who spoke was Takahashi Osamu from Class 1-B. Because he had made up his mind, he no longer spoke in a gentle and humble tone as before, but instead appeared quite resolute.

They joined the student council in the first place in pursuit of power that was above all other clubs. Now that they finally had this perfect excuse, they naturally wanted to make full use of it. After all, not everyone was as fortunate as Horikita Suzune to have a former student council president who had brought this upon herself.

Moreover, even with Nagumo Masayuki's deliberate suicide, Horikita Suzune only became student council president at the end of her first year. While it's not that they lacked patience, the four first-year students were quite willing to take this opportunity to shorten the time required.

After all, they were currently in the same boat, so before even asking Kitagawa Ryo, Yuki was already prepared to get involved.

Student council president Suzune Horikita and vice president Arisu Sakayanagi are ultimately related to Ryo Kitagawa. From the very beginning, when she joined the student council, she only wanted to rely on herself.

"We don't even know what type of questions will be on the day of the special exam. How can you expect the student council to provide full assistance?"

The first to speak was Mizowaki from Class 3-A. His rebuttal at this time was more out of a sense of 'superiority' as a third-year senior. After all, he could still obediently work for Horikita Suzune and Sakayanagi Arisu because of Kitagawa Ryo, but now a few first-year students who had only joined for less than a month wanted to take advantage of him. It could only be said that his bullying desire as a senior was rising.

"Given that each club tests the skills they have developed, the student council's test that day was about student council affairs. The reason we didn't test student councils from other schools like other clubs is because the functions of the student council at Tokyo Advanced Educational High School are different from those of the outside world."

"What we want to explore now are the aspects of the Dongyu Student Union that are completely different from the outside world."

It must be said that Takahashi Osamu was quite eloquent, and he refuted Mizowaki's argument in a reasoned and persuasive manner. He also knew that there was no need to argue with the two third-year seniors in the student council, so he turned to the student council president and vice president, who were in charge of the matter.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had no objection to this, of course. As he said before, three of the four people were on his side, so even if they made money together, he would still get three-quarters. Therefore, he agreed without any psychological pressure and cast his vote first.

Sakayanagi Arisu's attitude was quite subtle. Mainly, her mind was still somewhat muddled these past two days. Just as Kitagawa Ryo had predicted, the sight of snow now only brought back memories of that day. Therefore, she was forced to look away, passing the buck to student council president Horikita Suzune.

"Let Suzune decide, after all, you are the student council president."

Having been in the student council for over a year and served as student council president for two months, Horikita Suzune's rhetoric has become increasingly fluent:

“Since the school has said it will fully cooperate, our student union can’t be an exception. But after all, you’ve only been in the student union for a short time and are not yet familiar with some of the work processes. The student union is one of the face of Dongyu University. If we don’t handle things well, we will not only have difficulty in answering the school’s questions, but we will also fail to satisfy the students and eventually lose credibility.”

"So, considering this, I think there's nothing wrong with letting you guys get involved in the specific work. However, in order not to affect the normal operation of the student union, you can first organize the past files and review the student union's meeting minutes from the past year. You can learn from them the working philosophy and service tenet of our Dongyu Student Union. Only then can you gradually participate in the decision-making process. This should be the most appropriate approach."

"As for the special exam that everyone is concerned about, I think that's actually the least of your worries. In this special exam, you'll be facing the Dongyu school administration. Compared to other schools' clubs that are completely unknown to you, the school administration definitely knows your situation and your progress in the student council. So the questions will be more relevant to the specific circumstances."

Faced with Horikita Suzune's practiced and fluent tone, Takahashi Osamu's lips moved for a while, but he couldn't think of a way to refute her. He could only step back for the time being and signal to his other teammates to take turns attacking her.

Just as Ishigami Kyo and Utsunomiya Riku were racking their brains trying to find a loophole in Horikita Suzune's words, Yuki herself suddenly stepped forward and said something that made the other three gasp in shock.

"I think this is a good idea, because I feel that the school's questions this time may focus on the planning and organization of large-scale events. So I hope that the president can give me all the files and documents of the Valentine's Day celebration in February this year, from the project initiation to the specific implementation and the follow-up. Is that okay?"

No, what's so interesting about a planning document for a large event?

Hey, what we want is the right to participate in the formulation, modification, and implementation of the rules for the special exam, right?

After Yuki's statement betraying the alliance of the four first-year students, Horikita Suzune readily agreed and quickly moved on from the day's events.

"Alright, that's enough for today. Everyone should get back to their jobs. Even if you have to face a special exam, you can't neglect your primary duties."

Kitagawa Ryo, who had been quietly listening to the whole thing from outside the corridor door, couldn't help but chuckle. After enjoying the performance by the snow and Horikita Suzune, whether intentionally or unintentionally, he left the student council floor and returned to the drama club's activity room.

Nanase Tsubasa and Tsubaki Sakura's learning abilities are indeed quite impressive. Although only a few days have passed, their performances have already begun to look quite decent. At this time, with the help and advice of Karuizawa Megumi, they are finalizing the script for the day's performance.

"Considering the possibility of receiving an aid card later, I feel that choosing a theatrical segment that involves three to five people is the best option."

Karuizawa Kei flipped through the various scripts in her hands, then suddenly looked up at the two of them and asked:

"By the way, how was your cross-dressing performance? You mean playing male roles on stage?"

"Cross-dressing..."

Upon hearing this, Nanase Tsubasa scratched her cheek, then deliberately raised her voice, even changing her self-reference from the female "I" (あたし) to the male "I" (ぼく):

"I will avenge my father... is that it?"

“It’s not just about the voice and the way you address people. There are many things to pay attention to when cross-dressing. I don’t think it’s suitable for you two beginners. Never mind, I’ll find you some clips where all the characters are female.”

At this point, Karuizawa Kei unconsciously glanced at Nanase Tsubasa's overly prominent body part again, feeling that having this junior perform a cross-dressing role on stage was like having someone say the line "How did you find out I'm a woman disguised as a man" in one of those ridiculous TV dramas.

However, children these days are indeed well-nourished. Not only Nanase Tsubasa, but even Tsubaki Sakura next to her is absolutely outstanding, making Nanase's perfectly proportioned and slender figure seem somewhat inferior.

"But if we can get the support card, the safest way would definitely be to have Kitagawa-senpai play as a support. If we choose a scene with all female characters, does that mean we should have senpai play a female role?"

Tsubaki Sakurako raised an objection, which immediately shifted everyone's attention to Kitagawa Ryo, who had only been inside for a short while.

"A cool cross-dressing performance..."

"Don't look like you're actually considering the feasibility of this kind of thing, okay?"

Kitagawa Ryo walked over without ceremony and gently tapped the thoughtful Karuizawa Megumi on the forehead, then waved his hand and said:

"Don't worry about me. If all else fails, just let Hui play."

"But if there's only one aid card, I still think Kitagawa-senpai would have a better chance of winning if he played."

Tsubaki Sakura remained stubbornly opinionated. Nanase Tsubasa, who was standing next to her, initially wanted to pull her back, but remembering her conversation with her at the hotel earlier that month, she ultimately gave up and instead offered a brief word of support:

"It seems like Sakura really wants to win this time."

"...Because we lost last time."

"Last time, you meant the partner exam, right?"

Looking at Tsubaki Sakurako, who was stubbornly pursing her lips, Karuizawa Megumi thought for a moment and then smiled understandingly:

"Okay, I understand. We'll arrange two plans then, but it will be a lot of work for you two."

"Ok!"

"Ah...huh?"

Looking at Tsubaki Sakura, who was nodding proudly beside him, Nanase Tsubasa, who was forced to do extra training, tilted his head in slight confusion.

Something's not right, it's nine out of ten things is wrong!

P.S.: Thank you for reading and subscribing.

Chapter 44: My Heart Is Like This

Soon, as the first week came to a close, the Tokyo Advanced Educational High School released its first review report on the forum. The top three were the Drama Club, the Tea Ceremony Club, and the Student Council, while the bottom three were the Basketball Club, the Soccer Club, and the Track and Field Club.

Once the list was released, it immediately sparked considerable discussion and even controversy throughout the school. Many students were indignant and demanded that the school provide a specific and clear basis for the review. Upon investigation, it was found that the students were mostly first-year students from the basketball, soccer, or track and field clubs.

Aside from these meaningless protests, some students quickly noticed certain patterns in the list.

The better-performing clubs were mostly small to medium-sized, while the clubs with more members and larger size performed poorly. This was the case with the three sports department clubs that ranked last this time, all of which are among the largest clubs in the Dongyu School in terms of the number of members.

Compared to the first-year students' wailing and lamentation, many second- and third-year students were quite gloating, even those who were in the three clubs themselves. After all, this was a special exam for the first-year students, and even if they all failed in all three reviews, the first-year students would be the ones who would drop out, which wouldn't affect them at all. They didn't even consider that if all the first-year students in the club dropped out or became disillusioned with the club, the entire club would lose all its fresh blood and could only gradually die out.

However, among the second and third-year students, there are quite a few who can see the true meaning hidden in this special exam. Especially in the bottom three clubs, there are also many insightful people who no longer stand aside and work hard for it, trying to learn from the action logic of the top-ranked clubs so that the first-year members can successfully pass this special exam.

"It was supposed to be a special exam for first-year students, but it ended up involving students from all three grades in the school. It seems that what our homeroom teacher said at the beginning of this semester was that there would be a lot of cross-grade cooperative competition in the special exams this year, and it wasn't just referring to the obvious partner exams like last month."

Kitagawa Ryo was munching on potato chips while looking at his phone, enjoying a rare moment of leisure in the drama club's activity room.