I have a life simulator.

The girl in his arms pleaded softly, her voice trembling and weak to the extreme, as if she were about to collapse at any moment.

Karuizawa Kei shook her head with a wry smile:

"No, you have to say it. Ichinose-kun can't escape, and you can't escape the reality you're running away from. The things you're hiding will be dug up one day. It's most appropriate for me, who has nothing to do with you, to be the bad guy."

This was originally the role she assigned to me.

A suffocating sense of anguish enveloped Honami Ichinose, and unease seeped into her body, piercing deep into her bones.

"Kitagawa-senpai has always wanted you to believe in yourself. He wants to hear your thoughts. If it's not Ichinose Honami's true words, then accepting or rejecting is meaningless; it's just subconscious avoidance and lying."

Like a sharp knife piercing a boil, sharp words hurt more than a knife, and ugly, repulsive negative emotions gush out like pus.

"You never expressed your own thoughts from beginning to end, which is why you adopted that attitude."

"……I know."

From those pale lips came words of utter despair, equally pale and utterly hopeless.

“…I knew that a long time ago.”

All, everything, everything.

Honami Ichinose can be honest with everyone, but she can lie to him again and again.

"Wouldn't it be better for you to realize this reality sooner rather than later?"

"……do not talk."

The original courage and determination are waning, and the original steadfastness and hope are withering away.

She bit her lip, desperately trying to suppress the emotions surging from the bottom of her heart.

"Actually, you knew this a year ago, right? Although deep down you knew it was impossible, you comforted yourself by giving up while still hoping for a possibility. You tormented yourself for the past year."

"I……"

I want to argue, to say that I didn't have any other intentions, and to admit that I gave up after knowing the truth.

But she could never bring herself to say it. Perhaps, as Karuizawa Kei said, even at this moment, Ichinose Honami still held onto a tiny bit of hope, hoping for that tiny possibility.

Is this an overly despicable idea?

"Ichinose-san, if your senior confesses to you again at the fireworks festival two days from now, will you accept him?"

will not.

The answer gradually became clear in my heart, but I couldn't say it aloud, as if once I admitted it, the fortress in my heart would collapse like dominoes.

A burning, restless emotion, yearning to reach out and touch that sliver of possibility in the void.

"he……"

"He probably wouldn't, he clearly knows me, he would understand."

They were making excuses, struggling, and begging for mercy.

Without hesitation, Karuizawa Kei shattered Ichinose Honami's last mental defenses.

"I think it's just a matter of priorities."

Cruel words crept up from behind, and for a moment, Honami Ichinose even wanted to cover her ears, afraid to hear what was to come.

But the sound still rang out; that's the reality that can't be changed.

"If Ichinose Honami had put Kitagawa-senpai first in her heart, this situation wouldn't have happened."

"If Ichinose Honami had put herself first and made judgments based on her own heart, this situation would not have occurred."

A heavy, bitter breath.

Karuizawa Kei's tone grew increasingly flat, as if a judge were pronouncing someone's death sentence.

"A person who cannot love himself or others is not qualified to be in a relationship."

Show no mercy.

I like to think that we had it all (we used to think we were a perfect match).

"We drew a map to a better place."

Karuizawa Kei's phone suddenly rang, abruptly interrupting their standoff. Karuizawa Kei opened the phone and saw Kitagawa Ryo's profile picture. Because of their pseudo-relationship, his profile picture was the same as Karuizawa Kei's, a photo of the two of them sharing a smoothie at a ramen shop.

"Hello, hello, why did it take you so long to answer the phone?"

Despite Ichinose Honami's pleading gaze, Karuizawa Megumi turned on speakerphone, and the next second Kitagawa Ryo's voice came through.

"Cold, cold indeed. When did you wake up? How are you feeling? Are your injuries serious?"

Karuizawa Megumi, who had just been so aggressive, suddenly started stammering.

"Hey, it's nothing. I just caught a bit of smoke. The fire wasn't very big to begin with, and it was almost extinguished after the quilt burned out."

Kitagawa Ryo's voice was indeed full of energy, which added to the credibility of his words.

"By the way, I finally managed to convince my mom to let me come out and have some fun during the fireworks festival tomorrow. How are your preparations going?"

He suddenly lowered his voice:

"Isn't Honoka next to you?"

"...not."

"That's good. I'll call her again later. I want to tell her that I just found out today that the origami crane she gave me before was opened and there were twelve identical 'I like you' written inside. Haha, she's clearly a tsundere who won't admit it."

"Yes, I've prepared everything that you assigned me, senior. Shall we proceed as planned?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by Kitagawa Ryo's forced, relaxed laughter:

"What I really wanted to tell Megumi is that there's no need to prepare anymore; Kitagawa Ryo's confession plan has been cancelled."

"Eh?"

"My mom came back this time specifically to take me abroad. I've only delayed it for one more day. I'm leaving Tokyo the day after tomorrow morning."

"A farewell confession before parting is unnecessary for either of them."

"Before I can be sure I can make her happy, let's put the confession plan on hold for a while. Anyway, we'll just wait."

"so."

"so?"

"So Karuizawa Kei's acting career is coming to an end. Although we haven't known each other for long, I'm very grateful for your help."

"No way, it was clearly me... who was taken care of by my senior."

"Then please be on time for the fireworks festival tomorrow, Karuizawa-san, and end our relationship there."

"Breaking up and experiencing heartbreak under a sky full of fireworks...it feels...it feels a bit cruel."

Honami Ichinose saw that Karuizawa Megumi was almost crying, but she was still laughing and joking.

"Let's treat this fireworks festival as a date, our last one, just the two of us."

[Story CG: Fireworks Fade Easily, End of Reading.]

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Second Ending: Dream

[Day Fourteen: You can finally stop thinking about the confession plan that has been troubling you for over a year. In fact, persisting in something for many days always requires a long accumulation, but giving up only takes one slightly bad day. After you dragged Ichinose Honami out of the fire yesterday, you realized that the birthday card you wrote was left in the room. At that moment, you almost didn't think twice and instinctively rushed back, but unfortunately, you still couldn't find it before you were knocked unconscious by the thick smoke.]

When you wake up again, it will be July 21st. Ichinose Honami's birthday has completely passed. Unfortunately, you don't have the chance to wait another year. Your mother was planning to forcefully take you away ahead of schedule. If what happened yesterday hadn't happened, perhaps this deadline could have been extended by two more days. But what has happened cannot be changed. The reality you face now is that at this time tomorrow, you will be boarding a flight leaving Tokyo.

You stood up and walked to the window. The hospital room your mother had prepared for you was more spacious than the one you had stayed in before, but it felt even more empty when you were alone. A neatly arranged, beautifully presented fruit platter was placed on the bedside table. You only picked out a few slices of apple and ate them before losing your appetite.

It's still drizzling lightly. According to the weather forecast, the rain will stop before noon, and the probability of precipitation will be close to zero until tomorrow evening. This is one of the reasons why the fireworks display has been moved to tonight.

Outside the window, large swathes of green plants grow, the closest to you being the emerald bamboo. You open the window, and soon your cheeks are dampened by the gentle breeze carrying a light drizzle. You watch the raindrops seep through the treetops and bamboo leaves, as if they were growing from there themselves, transforming from clear water into emerald rain.

You hear footsteps outside the ward, followed by a soft knock on the door. You close the window and sit back on the bed. At this hour, only two people would come to your room: your mother or Mr. Izaki. You gesture that you may come in, and the elderly butler opens the door. He seems to have just returned from outside, carrying the distinctive fishy and chilly smell of a rainy day.

"Young Master," he greeted respectfully, then closed the door and teased mischievously.

"You seem to have just broken up with your boyfriend."

"...Even Mr. Izaki cares so much about this kind of thing?" Compared to your mother, you are much more easygoing in front of Mr. Izaki. You tossed and turned in bed for a while before burying your face in the blankets and muttering this.

"It just feels like giving up suddenly isn't like you, young master. You're only halfway there at ninety. Maybe you'll succeed next time."

You listened quietly to the old man's words. He was probably the one who knew best how much effort you had put into Ichinose Honami. In his eyes, just a few days ago you were still discussing with him whether the fireworks for your confession should have the pattern "I like you" or "Be with me" and which pattern was better. Now, in the blink of an eye, you said that the plan was going to be canceled.

"Isn't this what all gamblers who lose everything at the table think? The higher their sunk costs, the more they think they'll lose if they stop now, and then they continue to lose more and more until they have nothing left."

He seemed somewhat dissatisfied with your answer, and frowned as he said:

"Feelings are not a sunk cost."

"Didn't you already know?" You rolled your eyes matter-of-factly, finally understanding why your old housekeeper was still single in his fifties or sixties.

"I don't think it's a pity that you gave up on Ichinose Honami. I do think the personality clash between you two is irreconcilable. Ichinose-san's personality is simply not suitable as a lover. Love is a process of mutual adaptation, but she has never been able to change. There are dangerous aspects to Ichinose-san's personality."

“But,” he added, changing the subject.

"I still think that young master should confess to Ichinose-san as planned."

"Does Mr. Izaki really want to see me get dumped by her again?" You asked, looking completely bewildered.

“That’s right,” Mr. Izaki said with a smile, then added:

"To put it bluntly, I hope that the young master can be rejected by her again openly and honestly, preferably losing miserably and crying his eyes out. Only then will it have meaning."

"Wow, why didn't I notice before that Mr. Izaki could be so ruthless when it comes to relationships?"

"No, love is not something pure, innocent, or gentle. Young Master should understand this as well."

Mr. Izaki wasn't about to let you off the hook, he continued:

"Love is an emotion that stems from the most primal human desires, and it is filled with deception, possessiveness, and betrayal, making it the most complex and dangerous thing."

"That's why the young master keeps making up lies to pressure Miss Ichinose and force her to make a choice. You two are just hurting each other endlessly."

"But love is just that selfish, hateful, and hopeless thing."

But then he approached you again, and with the tender care of an elder, stroked your head and said:

"That's why, because it's such a cruel thing, people pursue the light that shines through it, namely, the feeling of loving someone."

"It is precisely because of the pain and sorrow that happiness will arrive after overcoming these challenges."

[You already understood the logic he was talking about. To achieve this relationship, you used many people and many things. Even now, you can't determine what kind of feelings you truly have for Ichinose Honami. You trace it back to the source, remembering the popsicle you gave her when you were a child—a prize you won in a lottery. It turns out you made a promise back then.]

"That's why I can't see her again, let alone confess my feelings," you replied.

"We're definitely leaving tomorrow morning, so I can't see her." You turn over and look up at the snow-white ceiling.

"I once said that when I see her, I will not be able to bear to leave, I will not be able to leave."

"But, but yesterday I saw a lot of burning origami cranes in my room. She must have been preparing a farewell gift for me."

"Look, it was her... who was willing to let me leave first."

You take a paper crane out of your pocket. It was a gift from Honami Ichinose to you on your twelfth birthday. Now, it's the only one left. The only things she gave you that you still have are the Buddhist prayer beads bracelet on your right wrist that you never take off, even when showering or sleeping.

What Honami Ichinose never understood was that while folding a thousand origami cranes allows you to make a wish, and making a wish on your birthday is also possible, the ability to make ten, a hundred, or even a thousand wishes simply by having her stand before you was truly remarkable.

Unfortunately, summer is coming to an end, and tonight you had arranged to meet Karuizawa Megumi at the fireworks festival.

As night falls, you're already dressed in the yukata your mother prepared for you. The summer evening breeze is cool and comfortable. The weather forecast was spot on; there's no sign of rain tonight. The festive atmosphere is starting to emerge. You have about half an hour until your appointment with Karuizawa Kei, but you choose to arrive a little early. As you pass some small stalls set up alongside, you suddenly realize that you don't actually know Karuizawa Kei's preferences. Sweets or non-sweets? Candied apples, marshmallows, or takoyaki?

Thinking this, you dialed Karuizawa Kei's number, asking what she wanted to eat so you could bring it to her in advance. Karuizawa Kei seemed to be surrounded by many people; the laughter sounded a bit noisy. Karuizawa Kei quietly told you that she didn't particularly want anything, just some candied apples would be fine.

After confirming the other person's location, you bought two candied apples and turned off your phone. You didn't want to see other people's calls or text messages, you didn't want to see Ichinose Honami, and you didn't want to think about anything related to her. Tonight, your only task was to say a final goodbye to Karuizawa Megumi, the girl you'd been using, before leaving. You walked towards your destination with the candied apples in hand.

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

"No way, Kitagawa-senpai really said he's going to propose to Karuizawa-san tonight?"

"I heard they even specially ordered fireworks for the proposal. I have a relative who works in the logistics of this fireworks festival. The Kitagawa family did indeed buy an area to set off their own fireworks."

"Isn't sixteen too early? Besides, Karuizawa-san and Kitagawa-senpai have only been dating for about ten days."

"They just like it. Young masters from wealthy families usually do whatever they want."

"Hey, if someone really proposes with fireworks tonight in a setting like this, the girl's name will be on the news tomorrow."

"I'm so envious! Karuizawa, she actually has a boyfriend like that, and she even bragged about it by sending us all the messages."