I have a life simulator.

This is how you answered.

Being with her makes happiness so easy to find, like a piece of fruit candy you fed me when I was a child, a taste I can never recapture.

[Scene CG triggered: Actor]

[The actor is forcing the person who loves you most to improvise.]

[Would you like to watch this cutscene? (This may be helpful for your subsequent gameplay)]

Chapter Twelve: The Actor (Part 1)

Will Ryo always be by my side?

"Hmm? Maybe."

"Eh?"

The little girl let out a small scream, partly because of the other person's answer, and partly because of a centipede that the boy had dug out of the ground, which was about seven or eight centimeters long.

"How about we move it away?"

Seemingly realizing that the girl beside him was really angry, the boy quickly used a small shovel to cover the poor centipede, which had just been dug out and didn't know what was happening, with soil. To express his apology, he stomped on it twice.

He stood somewhat bewildered next to the girl who was still pouting, wanting to take her hand, only to find that his hands were covered in mud.

Why doesn't Ryo stay by my side forever?

"Because no one can stay together forever."

Kitagawa Ryo said matter-of-factly.

"But I hope Ryo can stay with me forever."

She took a clean handkerchief from her pocket and wiped the boy's hands.

"One of the girls in our class moved to Hokkaido today. We were having lunch together just a few days ago, and now I can't see her anymore."

Kitagawa Ryo roughly understood what the girl meant. He rummaged in his pocket for a while. Boys this age always had strange things in their pockets, such as a stone that looked like a five-pointed star, a dead cicada, and a whole maple leaf. But in the end, Kitagawa Ryo took out a small wooden stick.

"for you."

He said this to Honami Ichinose.

The girl took it, and in the sunlight, she saw four characters carved on the stick:

"One more!"

"This is the ice cream I bought at noon today. I won the prize."

The ice cream that Kitagawa Ryoko mentioned was a soda-flavored popsicle that could be bought for only 60 yen at the gate of their elementary school. It had no packaging and a very mild flavor, but due to its low price and the possibility of winning a prize, it was undoubtedly the most popular product among the children at that confectionery shop.

Why did you give me this?

Honami Ichinose opened her eyes wide in confusion, looking left and right, but all she could see in her hand was a simple wooden stick.

"You said you wanted me to always be by your side, so I'm giving this to you."

Kitagawa Ryo seemed proud of his brilliant idea, and he explained to the girl in front of him:

"If one day we stop playing together, and we're both angry and don't want to talk to each other or apologize first, then this will come in handy."

"Because at that time I definitely won't be able to resist coming to you for this thing, and maybe I'll find you fiercely and say to you:"

"Hey, Ichinose, give me back my stuff. I'm going to trade it for free ice cream."

In that case, we'll have no choice but to meet.

Kitagawa Ryo looked into Ichinose Honami's eyes and continued:

"As long as we meet, we won't be separated."

"why?"

Kitagawa Ryo turned his head away shyly, completely lacking the composure he had displayed just minutes before when the centipede appeared before him.

"Because I'll miss it."

He glanced around furtively, then leaned close to Ichinose Honami's ear and whispered, as if showing off his most precious treasure to a friend:

"Once I see you, I don't want to leave."

[Ring ring ring ring!]

Kitagawa Ryo habitually turned off the alarm clock by the bedside. He heard the low rumble of the air conditioner running. It was still working diligently, even though he had forgotten to set the timer last night. Kitagawa Ryo, who had casually turned off the air conditioner, still had the urge to stay in bed. So he lay quietly for a while longer. The air conditioner blanket he had covered himself with last night had been kicked to the corner of the bed. He hooked the blanket back with his toes.

Almost a year has passed since he left the apartment where the Ichinose family lived.

With his gaze slightly raised, he focused on the small seam between the wall and the ceiling created by the wallpaper. Only after the drowsiness in his mind had completely disappeared did Kitagawa Ryo finally get up.

[A few years ago? Eight years ago or seven years ago?]

As the first rays of morning sunlight began to fall, Kitagawa Ryo drew back the curtains in his room. He stroked his chin, recalling last night's dream while also predicting today's weather. The Buddhist prayer beads on his right wrist gleamed in the sunlight. Just as the weather forecast predicted, today would be a fine day.

After a quick wash, Kitagawa Ryo heated up a large bottle of milk and drank it slowly. He then sat on the sofa. He wasn't a person who liked to cook, and besides, he hadn't felt like cooking this morning. So he casually took a box of cookies with chocolate filling from the cupboard.

Let's tidy it up a bit.

For some reason, Kitagawa Ryo thought of his messy childhood self again, and with this thought in mind, he dawdled at home for another half hour.

When Kitagawa Ryo arrived downstairs at Ichinose Honami's place, it was less than five minutes before their agreed time. This was a good time to arrive ahead of time, since arriving too early isn't always better, as it can put pressure on the other person.

"It's cold, just a moment, I'll be right down."

The window on the fourth floor was opened, and Ichinose Honami leaned out and waved to Kitagawa Ryo, who nodded in response.

Sure enough, less than a minute later, Kitagawa Ryo saw Ichinose Honami coming downstairs. When she reached the second-floor stairwell, Kitagawa Ryo finally got a clear look at her attire.

Honami Ichinose doesn't usually wear headbands or hair clips, so her long, golden-pink hair is casually draped over her shoulders as always. Two fair and delicate wrists peek out from the sleeves of her cool white shirt, which accentuates her curves that seem beyond her years. Her light blue pleated skirt covers her above the knees, and her plump and straight legs are encased in white stockings, finally disappearing into her light-colored leather shoes.

As she hurried downstairs with her bag slung over her shoulder, the breeze slightly lifted her skirt, causing Kitagawa Ryo to turn her head away somewhat awkwardly.

"Good morning, Ryo."

The greeting was still very energetic.

Realizing that the other person was already standing beside him, Kitagawa Ryo finally withdrew his gaze from what he had been pretending to be admiring the scenery:

"Good morning, Honoki."

"I'm sorry, I woke up this morning and found that Maki was missing. I quickly called her and found out that she had made plans to go hiking with her friends, which made me a little late."

Ichinose Honami explained softly, but Kitagawa Ryo didn't pay any attention. At this moment, all his thoughts were on the girl walking beside him on this path.

The irises in the roadside green belt were in full bloom, and the morning air was particularly refreshing, which invigorated Kitagawa Ryo's mood.

"By the way, why did Ryo choose to take this particular bus route?"

Having boarded the first bus that arrived at its stop, Honami Ichinose took out a thermos of lemon flower tea from her bag and asked curiously.

"Because it's a surprise."

"Life always needs a little bit of unexpected surprises."

After finishing his tea, Kitagawa Ryo leaned his head closer to Ichinose Honami. He looked out the window at the scenery, and his nose touched Ichinose Honami's hair, which was filled with the fresh scent of green citrus shampoo.

"And it's also quite interesting to stop and observe others from time to time."

He looked at the crowds hurrying by the roadside. Some of them were happy, with bright smiles, while others were sad, with tears streaming down their faces. Some were saying goodbye, while others had just reunited.

The two of them started making up stories about the people outside the window. Ichinose Honami guessed that the middle-aged balding man with a happy face might have just received news of an internal promotion at his company, while Kitagawa Ryo guessed that he was because he suddenly received a notice that he had a day off while at work. Ichinose Honami said that the elementary school student with a worried look must have not finished his homework from cram school, and Kitagawa Ryo said that he might be because he was rejected after confessing his feelings last night and now he has to face the person he confessed to today...

Until they decided to get off at a certain park stop ahead, the two of them continued to act like children.

As soon as I got off the bus, I saw a huge road sign stone with the park's name engraved on it in bright red paint. Although it was still early, there were already quite a few tourists and locals there, some exercising and others birdwatching. The lush forest stretched as far as the eye could see, making me want to take a deep breath.

"How about we hold hands? There are quite a lot of people here."

When you were little, you could hold hands all day without a care in the world, but now, Kitagawa Ryo can only offer his stiff right hand to the girl next to him with a flimsy excuse.

Have fun today!

Honami Ichinose generously accepted your outstretched hand. Her hand was a whole size smaller than yours, so you could easily wrap your tiny palm inside. Your palm was a little cold, but you could clearly feel the warmth emanating from her palm, as if warm blood was seeping into your veins from there.

"Yes, I'll be happy."

Kitagawa Ryo gazed at the crowd ahead and tightened his grip on the girl's hand:

"You're crossing the pedestrian crossing."

From a distance, it didn't look like much, but once they crossed the pedestrian crossing and actually reached this side of the park, the two realized that the signpost stone was surprisingly large. Seeing other tourists taking photos, Ichinose Honami also had an idea. Luckily, there were volunteers there who were responsible for taking photos for tourists, so Kitagawa Ryo handed over his phone. They posed, held hands simply, and with a click, the camera captured their smiles at their peak.

After buying tickets and entering, the two followed a secluded bamboo path winding upwards. The bamboo forest surrounded a long stone staircase. Climbing to the top of the mountain would require a lot of physical strength, but both of them were in good physical condition. Kitagawa Ryo was the president of the soccer club, and Ichinose Honami had never slacked off in physical training. The two of them easily walked to the rest point halfway up the mountain before stopping.

This is a typical souvenir street found in tourist attractions, but it's even more extravagant than the two had imagined. Snacks, clothing, and handicrafts are sold here, with colorful lanterns, folding fans, sarongs, and essential oils displayed at each stall. Because of the annual fireworks festival, all kinds of bathrobes are also common.

Kitagawa Ryo randomly walked into a shop. The shop owner was an elderly man with gray hair. The shelves in front of him were filled with perfumes and essential oils, including lilies, lavender, roses, and frangipani. The fragrances included floral, fruity, woody, and herbal scents. The various carefully packaged perfume sachets, soaps, and perfume bags were so tempting that Kitagawa Ryo even had the idea of ​​buying a few to give as gifts.

"Want some ice cream?"

While Kitagawa Ryo was still pondering, she heard Ichinose's voice. Unlike Kitagawa Ryo, Ichinose seemed to have her eye on a small stall next door that sold all kinds of thick electric cones. The ice cream she was talking about was not something like Häagen-Dazs, but rather the simplest ice cream, packaged in large tubs according to flavor.

"I want a chocolate one."

It was almost noon, and the temperature was gradually rising, so Kitagawa Ryo did not refuse.

"Then I'll have a mint flavor."

Hearing what the two said, the stall owner, a woman in her forties, took out a large spoon, opened the freezer, and scooped out the corresponding flavor of ice cream. The special large spoon would close up and down into a spherical shape with a little force, and the scooped-out ice cream would be pressed into a ball shape and then put into a cardboard box.

A moment later, Honami Ichinose returned with a cardboard box containing two scoops of chocolate and mint ice cream. She scooped out a small piece with a spoon in her right hand, her pale pink, almost shimmering lips slightly parted, and offered the spoon and the ice cream to Ryo Kitagawa.

"what."

Kitagawa Ryo was still talking to the perfume shop owner when he subconsciously turned his head to catch it. The delicious combination of icy and slightly bitter sweetness quickly won over Kitagawa Ryo's taste buds. He simply put down the perfume packaging in his hand, and under the somewhat gratified gaze of the old stall owner, he followed suit and picked up his small spoon to scoop out the other side of the ice cream and stretched it towards Ichinose Honami.

Kitagawa Ryo gently rotated the exposed handle of the spoon twice before pulling it out of the small spoon that had been sucked clean.

Feeding Honami Ichinose ice cream up close always gives me a subtle, astringent feeling.

The two of them then fed each other the ice cream, one bite at a time.

While Ichinose Honami went to throw away the trash, Kitagawa Ryo quietly signaled to the shop owner to pack up a rose-scented perfume. When Ichinose Honami returned, Kitagawa Ryo had already pretended that the item was too expensive and turned to leave the shop.

"Should we find a restaurant to eat at or continue climbing to the top of the mountain? There should be some facilities there too."

Kitagawa Ryo sat on a stone bench under a tree, spread out a tourist map, and struck up a conversation with Ichinose Honami, who had been somewhat distracted since earlier.

"Huh? I, I'm fine with anything."

Ichinose Honami seemed not to have reacted yet. She looked around before whispering to Kitagawa Ryo:

"Maki just posted an update on Instagram, and it feels like the location is the same as ours."

Upon hearing this, Kitagawa Ryo also took out his phone, which he had originally planned to keep silent all day.

He opened the social media app, and before he could even find Ichinose Maki's account, he saw a post she had made a minute earlier with a picture attached:

In the picture, Ichinose Maki is holding a white cat, wearing a simple summer outfit, with the large road sign stone where Kitagawa Ryo took a photo that morning in the background.

The girl standing next to her was wearing a small round sun hat and a blue and white collared short-sleeved casual shirt. The lace trim on the buttons added a lot of color to the simple appearance. If you look closely, you will find that the cuffs are also fitted. All kinds of small details are quite exquisite. The back part of the shirt hem was casually tucked into the waistband of denim shorts, and the flowing front hem was tied in a pointed knot, which looked very playful and lively.

Like the girls around her, she proudly showed off her fair and straight legs, wearing a pair of sandals, and made a V-sign at the camera.

Karuizawa Megumi.

Chapter Twelve: The Actor (Part 2)

"There's no need to worry about them. We can say hello when we actually run into them."

Kitagawa Ryo turned off his phone, and the black screen reflected his indifferent expression.

"...Although I'm a little worried, if that's what Ryo said, then let's leave it at that for now."

As before, Ichinose Honami, who inexplicably became timid in front of Kitagawa Ryo, agreed to his suggestion. She sat down next to Kitagawa Ryo and brought her head close to the map in his hand:

"If you go to the right, there's a temple. Of course, you can also choose to continue up the mountain. Which path is better?"

How about a best-of-three game of rock-paper-scissors?

Kitagawa Ryo recalled the games they often played when they were children and answered with great interest:

"Whoever wins, we'll listen to them."

Honami Ichinose did not refuse Kitagawa Ryo's suggestion. She hid her right hand behind her back, recalling Kitagawa Ryo's punching habits.