I have a life simulator.

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Chapter 70: Kitagawa Ryo Studio, Under Expansion

As Kitagawa Ryo and Asahina Nazuna finished their drinks, the buses that had been assembled started their engines and drove out of the gates of Tokyo Advanced Educational High School one after another, heading towards Tokyo.

Because there were no assigned seats, the students from Dongyu quickly huddled together with their friends after boarding the bus, watching the scenery rushing past the window while quietly exchanging ideas about the special exam.

Although the specific company name and address to which each student would be working were distributed to them upon boarding the bus, it was wishful thinking to expect these high school students to know anything about these companies they had never encountered before. After all, they weren't recent graduates who had been job hunting for half a year, and their knowledge of companies was limited to the few brands they frequently saw on TV or in their daily shopping.

Even when students are looking for information online, they are less likely to look at information on standard company websites. Instead, they mostly choose to search on job search websites to see what kind of company they are going to work for, so they can have a better understanding of the situation.

Where is Airi going this time?

While Asahina Nazuna was also looking at her phone and researching the company she was going to, Kitagawa Ryo asked Sakura Airi, who was pretending to be asleep, a question. Sakura Airi rubbed her eyes sleepily and gave a small yawn.

"Go act."

"acting?"

"Well, since I applied to become a professional actor, the school has temporarily placed me under an agency. I should be able to do some guest roles in a few film crews this month, right?"

As she spoke, Sakura Airi took out her phone and showed Kitagawa Ryo the name of the agency that the school had sent that morning:

"Look, it's this Strawberry Pro. It seems to be one of those agencies that isn't very big in the industry but has a good reputation. They're currently focusing on web dramas and short series, since the exam period is only one month, and long ones would be more troublesome."

"It seems that Airi really intends to develop in this direction."

"Yeah, after all, I don't want to be an idol anymore, but I also feel it's not worth wasting all the popularity and resources I've worked so hard to accumulate over the past few years. So I can only switch to acting. There are quite a few actors who started as idols in the industry."

"That's true, but a large number of them are forced or compelled to change careers. At first, they can get into two different production teams and play two roles based on their existing popularity, but later their reputation easily gets ruined and they end up having no roles at all. In the end, it still comes down to acting skills."

Because he was originally a legitimate theatrical actor, and had genuinely experienced life as a multi-talented actor in Hotaru's automatic simulation, Kitagawa Ryo is quite knowledgeable about the entertainment industry. However, he will definitely not be able to set up any agency or studio in this lifetime; the only thing waiting for him in the future is to inherit the family business.

Thinking of this, Kitagawa Ryo unconsciously glanced at Horikita Suzune again. After all, the root of all evil could be traced back to that simulation in which the other party cleared the game in one life. If Suzune had not been easily defeated by him in the first simulation, but had been dragged into the second or even the third, then this talent would not have manifested in reality and would have profoundly affected the fate of everyone, including him.

Looking back now, though, there might have been some cat's big hand behind that.

"Yes, we can only learn by trial and error. After all, the only acting training I've ever had was the time I spent with Ryo when I was a kid. And the acting style of a theatrical actor is different from that of a film and television actor."

"There are still commonalities, after all, many professional actors originally came from theatrical or stage actor backgrounds."

After taking this opportunity to chat briefly with Airi Sakura about various topics related to acting, Nazuna Asahina, who was sitting in the seat in front of her, leaned back and joined in:

"The company I'm going to seems to have pretty good reviews. I heard their chief designer even won some international award, but it doesn't seem to have much to do with interns like us. I have a feeling that these companies don't have any special expectations for high school students like us. They'll probably just have us do odd jobs?"

"I think it depends on the specific size of the company. It feels a bit like a trap deliberately set by the school. Although those well-known big companies are indeed very attractive, as you said, the bigger the company, the less likely it is to entrust any slightly formal work to us high school students who are here for internships. Therefore, smaller companies are more likely to show their value and get opportunities."

“That makes sense. My company doesn’t seem to be a particularly big one. Maybe I can learn something from the designers in the store.”

"I'm confident in my senior's interpersonal skills; I feel there shouldn't be any problems."

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was chatting back and forth with Asahina Nazuna and Sakura Airi, his phone, which was in his pocket, suddenly vibrated. It was a message from Horikita Suzune, who had most likely been watching them from the beginning.

Tokyo Advanced Educational Junior High School allows students to bring mobile phones to this summer's special exam, but still strictly limits their functions and uses. Apart from work-related purposes, they can only contact other students in the school. Calling or texting parents or family members is prohibited. If any student is found to be contacting their parents or family members privately to seek help, they will be declared to have failed the special exam and expelled from the school.

Of course, the school has also taken into account the possibility of chance encounters. After all, Tokyo is such a big city, but no one can guarantee that students won't run into acquaintances or friends during exams. Therefore, there are supplementary rules that allow students to take exams as long as outsiders do not provide any form of assistance.

"Sit over here."

The message from Horikita Suzune was very short, consisting of only a few simple words.

Kitagawa Ryo put down his phone and looked up. Perhaps it was because of his status and aura as the student council president, but the seat next to Horikita Suzune was indeed empty. When she saw him looking over, she even reached out and patted the empty seat twice, clearly indicating that she was being beckoned over.

"Um, Lingyin asked me to come over, I'll go there first."

Faced with this situation, Kitagawa Ryo readily chose to change seats. It was as if he had returned to the lunch scene of the special mixed training camp exam at the beginning of this year. However, compared to the embarrassing situation of having to frantically change seats while serving rice back then, he only needed to change seats once on the bus today.

Carefully making his way through the bus aisle without disturbing the other students, Kitagawa Ryo quickly reached Horikita Suzune's side, sat down next to her, and then waved his phone:

"coming."

"I'm late. I thought Liang would come over to me as soon as he got on the bus."

Horikita Suzune was sitting by the window, so even though she deliberately turned her head away in a slightly sullen manner, Kitagawa Ryo could still clearly see her expression and demeanor in the window mirror. Suzune herself seemed to realize this, so she immediately turned her head back to Kitagawa Ryo and said:

"Don't you think it's strange that I'm in this car, Liang?"

Although Kitagawa Ryo really wanted to complain that ever since Horikita Suzune received that ring from Hotaru on Valentine's Day, nothing she did was strange, he swallowed his words and obediently played the straight man:

"That's true to some extent. After all, I thought Lingyin would go to a big company like a bank, like Fanbo, and become a typical social elite."

"What Liang was talking about was probably my ideal for the first fifteen years of my life, which was roughly the expectation I set for myself: to go to a good university, find a good job, and become a social elite under universal values, the kind of child that other people admire."

"Does anyone really say they are 'someone else's child'?"

Ignoring Kitagawa Ryo's quiet complaint, Horikita Suzune continued speaking:

"However, I have a completely new idea now. Although this line sounds like a long-standing foreshadowing that was suddenly abandoned at the beginning in the ending of a romance manga, and it is a line that the male protagonist would say when he suddenly chooses the female lead chosen by the author."

"Have you actually learned to make fun of yourself first?"

"In short, although this doesn't mean I'll go down this path in the future, I'd still like to give it a try during this rare special exam period. It's actually quite similar to Ryo's job, isn't it?"

"If you're referring to the self-media industry, then yes, actually I never thought Lingyin would go to a bank or anything like that. I thought she'd be more likely to set up a street stall or something. But now she's become a store-exploring livestreamer."

"I wouldn't call myself a full-time streamer. I still want to run an account like Liang did. I do have some basic photography, editing, and voice-over skills."

"Don't worry, if Lingyin fails, I will remember this embarrassing history until the last day of my life. No, how about I just play it on the big screen at the wedding?"

"Well, how about I switch to teaching cooking classes instead?"

Because Horikita Suzune's chosen direction was a bit more abstract than Sakura Airi's, the Tokyo Advanced Educational High School, after much consideration, still set up a guild for her. It is said that the person in charge was a graduate of Tokyo Educational High School a few years ago. In any case, this year's Tokyo Educational High School found a lot of alumni to mentor these juniors, which is really a lot of effort.

"At least when I first met Lingyin, I never imagined that one day I would see you develop in this direction. Hmm... your brother probably never imagined it either."

"So it all comes down to the coldness. Everything only started to change after I met you, including myself."

Although Horikita Suzune was no longer bothered by such sweet talk after Valentine's Day, she still blushed slightly when she realized they were on a bus full of other students. She instinctively turned her head away, only to find her expression clearly reflected in the window. So she awkwardly turned back, staring at Kitagawa Ryo with a defiant look, as if they were playing a little game where whoever blinked or laughed first would lose.

"...I still don't feel comfortable letting Suzune do this kind of thing alone."

Staring at Horikita Suzune's fox-like, purplish-red eyes, which possessed a subtle allure even when simply open, Kitagawa Ryo quickly raised his hands in surrender, saying with a hint of helplessness:

"It just so happens that we've chosen similar tracks, and neither of us has a fixed work location or content, so why don't we try working together? We can also submit our articles using two accounts."

"it is good."

As if she had been waiting for Kitagawa Ryo's invitation, Horikita Suzune nodded in agreement without any hesitation. In a sense, she had also grasped Kitagawa Ryo's psychology, since everyone else wanted to team up with him in this special exam, and her chosen job didn't allow it.

Of course, if Kitagawa Ryo is willing to go on a Tokyo wandering plan with Ryuen Sho, then we can pretend Horikita Suzune never said anything. But then we'll have to bring everyone over to put pressure on the other side. It seems that Ichinose Honami is quite interested in this inexplicable male-male relationship with Ryo, but the main focus is on Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

And so, Kitagawa Ryo's studio, which was originally set to be run by one person, expanded to a two-person operation. Although theoretically, if Kitagawa Ryo wanted to recruit more people, Ryuen Sho could have squeezed the entire Class D into the team, he really didn't plan to babysit and drive a baby bus again this time. The main reason for bringing in Horikita Suzune was that he was genuinely worried that she, who knew nothing about this industry, might suffer some great loss. Even if she was just pretending to be stupid, Kitagawa Ryo could only accept it. After all, if he didn't care about his girlfriend, who would?

The others at least have a legitimate company to work for, and Shiina Hiyori, who is barely related to freelancing, also has her father's connections. She directly chose a publishing house that has been cooperating with Shiina Katsumi for a long time. By then, the editors at the surname-reporting company should have a pretty good idea of ​​what's going on. Next, it will be time for the writer to make up stories. She doesn't seem to be under any pressure at all.

"So Ryo is only paired with me for this special exam, right?"

Horikita Suzune seemed to care about this as well, and quickly asked directly.

"That's not true."

Kitagawa Ryo simply shook his head at this, and then said another name that surprised Horikita Suzune somewhat, yet also seemed to be expected.

“And fireflies.”

However, what she doesn't know right now is that the other party is referring to more than just the kitten that just escaped from Chabashira Sae's dormitory by climbing over the wall.

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

PS2: The characters from the book "Push" will not appear in this book; there will only be a slight connection in name.

Chapter 71: I'm here to join this family

Soon, the bus from Tokyo Advanced Educational High School arrived at the Shibuya Crossing, one of the busiest intersections in the world, bustling with traffic and crowds. Students who were chatting with friends or looking at their phones couldn't help but press their faces against the bus windows to experience the unique vibrancy of this metropolis.

There's no way around it. Since enrolling in Tokyo Advanced Educational High School, although I did leave the school during last summer vacation and the special mixed-campus exam at the beginning of this year, the former was on a deserted island and the latter was a forest school in the mountains. I hardly ever saw anyone there. The cultural festival and this year's club special exam were the most lively ones. Seeing so many people coming and going all at once now, I feel a bit disoriented and amazed that things have changed.

Around the intersection, towering skyscrapers were covered with huge electronic advertising screens, with all kinds of advertisements and entertainment information playing incessantly day and night. The sound and light intertwined, mixing with the sounds of car engines, pedestrians' footsteps and conversations, street performers' music, and announcements from trains arriving at the station, all of which entered the bus. Fortunately, most of the people in the bus were native Tokyo residents, and after a brief moment of disorientation, they came back to their senses and began pointing at the surrounding buildings and shop signs, trying to recall what they had seen.

After driving for a while, the vehicle finally arrived at the parking lot. Under the guidance of the school staff, the students on the bus began to get off in an orderly manner and collect their luggage. Next, they had to follow the navigation on their phones to report to their respective work locations.

"Thank you."

After politely thanking the staff, Kitagawa Ryo took his suitcase from them, waved goodbye to Sakura Airi and Asahina Nazuna, and then joined Horikita Suzune.

"It's been so long since I've been out..."

Feeling the solid sensation of stepping back onto the ground after leaving the car, Horikita Suzune sighed, raising her hand to shield her forehead from the scorching summer sun, and then asked Kitagawa Ryo:

"Where to go first?"

"Let's take a look around. The school should be giving us tasks soon, otherwise we won't even have a place to eat and stay tonight."

Unlike the two exam methods of daily-paid part-time jobs and internships where meals and accommodations are provided, the path chosen by Kitagawa Ryo and Horikita Suzune undoubtedly highlights the challenge of urban survival. However, the school has of course taken this into account, so it has specially introduced relevant rules for professions like theirs that do not have a fixed place of work.

Completing daily tasks earns them a basic living allowance, and the better they perform, the higher their final score. If you were to say they were filming Running Man or Extreme Challenge, people would believe it, since their looks are definitely on par with celebrities. All that's missing is a whole crew of photographers and directors.

All I can say is that Tsubaki, a student in Class 1-D who had already become a working soldier, must have felt quite resentful. She had worked so hard to create her own variety show, only to have Horikita Suzune easily steal the spotlight from her.

"Let's go——"

Naturally, Kitagawa Ryo took Horikita Suzune's hand, and like tourists visiting Shibuya, Kitagawa Ryo and Horikita Suzune soon began strolling around with their suitcases.

Because the crowds on the streets of Shibuya are indeed astonishing, and Kitagawa Ryo's fame is only within the small circle of theater, there is no need for him to do anything deliberate in disguise. After all, he is not a national-level actor like in that automatic simulation. If we're being honest, the chances of him being recognized by Airi are much higher.

Before long, the two arrived at the crossroads they had just seen from the bus. While waiting for the traffic light to turn green, Kitagawa Ryo unconsciously recalled his first simulation experience. Back then, he was just a penniless man who spent his time in a basement reading a bunch of text that called a life simulator. Hotaru set up this was the first scene for him.

In a sense, it can also be considered an opening animation.

Upon arriving at the familiar spot again, Kitagawa Ryo silently recited the words he had seen back then:

[Day 1: The date is July 9th. Early July in Tokyo is the height of summer. You stand at a street intersection, following the directions on your phone's map navigation to the property's location. Everything here is new and exciting. During summer vacation, you see many couples dating on the streets. Advertisements are playing on the large screens installed on the exterior walls of the surrounding buildings. The white cat on your shoulder pats your cheek with its paw, indicating that the light is green and you can cross.]

It was as if they knew exactly what he was thinking at that moment. In a daze, Kitagawa Ryoma felt a soft, furry touch on his cheek. Looking closely, he saw Hotaru sitting obediently on his shoulder, who had appeared out of nowhere. When he turned his head to look at him, Hotaru even pointed to the traffic light in front of him, which had turned green.

"...Why does Hotaru seem a bit elusive?"

Unlike Kitagawa Ryo, who was already used to this, Horikita Suzune, who had been holding his hand, was a little startled by Hotaru's sudden appearance and glanced at the kitten with some suspicion.

"Without this elusive and cleverness, Rinne wouldn't have been able to receive my ring in the student council president's office on Valentine's Day. Hotaru is very smart."

"It really is."

Kitagawa Ryo's words probably reminded Horikita Suzune, because she immediately took out a small box from her shoulder bag and solemnly took out the ring inside, putting it on the middle finger of her left hand:

"It's not always convenient to wear one at school, but it doesn't matter outside. It's cold outside, so I'll wear it anyway."

Before Horikita Suzune could finish speaking, Hotaru, on Kitagawa Ryo's shoulder, had already pounced on his backpack as if she had received a command. She used her front paws and teeth to unzip the backpack, poked her front half inside, buried her little head in it, and rummaged around for a while before quickly pulling out a small box. She then handed it to Kitagawa Ryo quite proactively and zipped the backpack up as well.

Kitagawa Ryo himself swore that if Hotaru didn't pick out the ring that corresponded to Rinne's at this moment, then his live streams for the next month would have to focus on cute pets and cats.

Fortunately, Hotaru is not confused about such important matters, after all, Horikita Suzune is the heroine she admires the most.

Just kidding. She personally customized and presented the other party with that championship ring back then. How could she possibly pull any tricks now?

And so, an hour after forming a husband-and-wife (crossed out) studio with Horikita Suzune, or rather, after idly strolling around the streets of Shibuya, Tokyo for an hour, the two finally received the phased and daily tasks issued by the school on their phones simultaneously.

It must be said that because they chose almost the same career path, Kitagawa Ryo and Horikita Suzune had the exact same tasks.

Phase One Task:

Create a new personal account on a mainstream social media platform.

(Completion reward: 10,000 yen)

Second phase task:

Publish your first submission and get at least one hundred likes.

(Completion reward: 10,000 yen)

Daily tasks:

Eating and sleeping are the most important things, so please manage your meals and accommodation smoothly.

(Completion reward: 1,000 yen)

"It seems that this 10,000 yen is the start-up capital the school gave us. Well, it's not bad."

After reading the message from the school, Horikita Suzune felt fairly satisfied. After all, the task of registering a personal account in the first stage was basically a freebie. If she used the 10,000 yen sparingly, it wouldn't be a problem to live on it for a few days. After all, if she really wanted to stay home, she could make do with an internet cafe for about a week.

However, Kitagawa Ryo's expression was a bit subtle. After all, this phase of the mission felt to him like a "trash-to-riches system" or a "newbie system" that only arrived after he had already reached the Great Ascension stage.

Although he's not exactly a big star, he can easily generate some buzz for tasks that are popular with a large account.