I have a life simulator.

Karuizawa Kei instinctively wanted to refute, knowing full well that what gave her courage was the memory of Ryo standing in front of her, taking a knife for her.

Kitagawa Ryo's eyes held a gentle smile as he said:

"But these kinds of things are always judged by actions, not intentions, and Hui's intentions were not problematic at all."

"No matter what, the current Hui is the way I imagined her to be."

"I'm really happy."

Kitagawa Ryo initially had no feelings for Karuizawa Megumi because he didn't like this parasitic way of life. Perhaps it was because he had been relied on and trusted in reality, but had failed too many times.

Perhaps, as Mr. Izaki said, he is actually still a child who wants to rely on others.

Kitagawa Ryo's favorite play is Macbeth, because he enjoys the feeling of being loved in it, having someone to lean on, and sinking into her soft arms to dream.

"Could you clean my ears?"

"benefit."

With his eyes closed, Kitagawa Ryo slowly unearthed the most basic desires and unfulfilled wishes that had been suppressed in his heart for the past.

"it is good."

Karuizawa Kei herself always carried an ear pick. She supported Kitagawa Ryo and gently placed his head on her lap.

She gently cleaned Kitagawa Ryo's ears, and because her head was lowered, a few strands of hair fell naturally, tickling Kitagawa Ryo's nose.

However, at this moment, Kitagawa Ryo was already immersed in the strange pleasure of being dominated by others.

I relinquished full control of my body and emptied my mind.

He could feel the soft touch and the refreshing scent. Karuizawa Megumi lowered her head and breathed warm air close to his ear.

"Turn to the side a little."

As he moved, Kitagawa Ryo felt his lips touch the skin of Hui's thigh, and he tentatively opened his eyes, somewhat dazed.

"Just close your eyes and leave everything to me."

Karuizawa Kei's beautiful eyebrows were slightly curved as she gently covered Kitagawa Ryo's eyes with her other hand.

The palms are warm.

"Relax."

After saying that, Karuizawa Kei gently brushed Kitagawa Ryo's hair aside with her slender fingers, softly grasped his ear, brought her face close, and gazed into the depths.

Feeling the organs next to his brain being manipulated, a certain mental pleasure almost melted away all of Kitagawa Ryo's rationality.

Without having to think about any worries, you can experience the reality of being truly alive and loved amidst the sweet excitement.

It felt like someone was watching deep inside my head, and there was an instinctive urge to confide in someone from within my soul.

My heart was pounding, and I could feel my body temperature rising.

The sounds around me seemed to fade away, and my sense of time seemed to have become weak.

Karuizawa Kei lowered her head slightly and kissed Ryo's closed eyes. The kiss was very soft and warm.

It is full of gentleness.

Chapter 61: Meow

"Welcome back."

After finishing three days of competition, Kitagawa Ryo was immediately asked to return to school. He was pulling heavy luggage in one hand and holding a huge bouquet of flowers in the other. He stopped in front of his dormitory room. Just as he took out his key from his pocket and opened the door, he heard words coming from inside the room.

He subconsciously responded with:

"Oh... I'm back."

Then Kitagawa Ryo quickly realized:

"You guys didn't each get a spare key to my room, did you?"

"Who knows?"

Horikita Suzune smiled and shook her head. Her hair, which had been temporarily tied into a ponytail while cooking, swayed slightly with the movement. She stretched out her right hand, her slender little finger gently hooking the hair tie, and let all her black hair down again. Her smooth, long hair cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall, creating a dynamic beauty.

"After all, I'm quite 'envious' of Ryo being able to take a spontaneous trip when the class is at its most chaotic."

As she walked to the door, she took the luggage from Kitagawa Ryo's hands, her tone hardening as if she were gritting her teeth.

On May 1st, homeroom teacher Tomoya Mashima announced the basic rules of class points, plunging the entire Class D into chaos. The most popular and respected students in the class, Honami Ichinose and Airi Sakura, unexpectedly left with Ryo Kitagawa. Moreover, before leaving, Ryo Kitagawa casually revealed that Suzune Horikita had joined the student council.

With Sakayanagi Arisu watching the drama unfold, she emphasized that this was an honor unique to the first-year students. Even the best class president of Class A, Katsuragi Kohei, was rejected in the interview. He was Horikita Suzune's true defeated opponent, never mentioning that he was also a nominal student council member.

The series of shocks did indeed leave the students of Class D confused. At this time, they urgently needed someone who seemed reliable to step forward, whether to stabilize morale or to lead the class forward. However, neither Ichinose Honami nor Sakura Airi, who seemed to have the best chance, were there. As a result, Horikita Suzune was inexplicably put in this position.

"This should be a good thing, right? Doesn't Lingyin want to lead Class D to Class A with honor and show her growth in front of her brother? Things change, and back then you ignored me..."

Seeing Horikita Suzune tilting her head with an indifferent expression that seemed to say, "Keep making this up," Kitagawa Ryo awkwardly stopped talking. He quickly handed the huge bouquet of flowers in his hands to Horikita Suzune.

Surprise!

"What we've already seen can't really be considered a surprise, and besides, this should be yours..."

Before Horikita Suzune could finish speaking, a small white creature emerged from the bottom of the bouquet. Hotaru understood the situation in about a second and, being very accommodating, meowed and hopped into Horikita Suzune's arms.

Still covered in leaves and petals, and carrying the fresh scent of flowers and grass, the pure white kitten simply winked at Horikita Suzune, instantly melting away her feigned icy demeanor and bringing a smile back to her lips.

"How was that? Not bad, right?"

Kitagawa Ryo was also showing off triumphantly, just like his interference in Horikita Suzune's life. The little cat named "Hotaru," who could accompany him for life, had long since become a part of his life.

The first purpose of this trip to the competition was to establish communication channels with students outside the school, to help deliver letters or gifts and make friends with upperclassmen. The second purpose was to take this opportunity to bring Hotaru in, although Kitagawa Ryo initially planned to put Hotaru in the water bottle, since it is said that cats are in a liquid state.

After half an hour of bold hypotheses and careful verification, Kitagawa Ryo changed his plan. In the end, Hotaru hid in the bouquet and was sent to Tokyo Advanced Educational Junior High School under cover.

"If they are discovered, not only will Hotaru be deported, but Ryo will also be punished."

As a student council member, Horikita Suzune was familiar with most of the school rules. After a brief moment of surprise, she regained her composure and hugged Hotaru with some concern.

"It's okay, as long as I stay in the room and don't go out, it'll be fine. And when I have enough points later, I can just exploit a bug in the school rules and buy a qualification for Ying to live here."

"After all, you can buy everything here with points."

Kitagawa Ryo was already quite adept at secretly keeping cats in the dorm, and he casually waved his hand to indicate to Horikita Suzune that she didn't need to worry.

"But then again, Lingyin's actions could be considered embezzlement."

Remembering Horikita Suzune's identity as a student council member, Kitagawa Ryo gave a mischievous grin and reached out to stroke Hotaru's hair.

"...Well, I'm not the older brother, nor am I the student council president."

"Perhaps, occasionally, turning a blind eye is not a problem."

Horikita Suzune, blushing slightly from Kitagawa Ryo's teasing, stomped her foot in frustration. She grabbed Hotaru's two front paws and rubbed Hotaru against Kitagawa Ryo's face, howling loudly.

After a while of playful banter, Kitagawa Ryo and Horikita Suzune washed their hands thoroughly and meticulously before sitting down at the dining table. Hotaru had already started to skillfully crawl into Kitagawa Ryo's wardrobe, preparing to build herself a warm little nest out of old clothes, just like she remembered.

Before he could even stick half his head inside, Horikita Suzune, with lightning speed, grabbed him by the back of the neck and easily dragged him back to the living room.

"I just washed, dried, and folded the clothes inside these past two days, so don't mess with them."

With a look of utter despair, Hotaru could only lie on the bare floor for the time being, watching Kitagawa Ryo, who showed no intention of speaking up for her. Hotaru scratched her chin and decided to temporarily downgrade Horikita Suzune's status as her cat servant by one level.

The rule has been downgraded to Level 2, which prohibits touching one's own head without permission.

Looking at Horikita Suzune who had washed her hands again, Kitagawa Ryo casually asked while eating the meal she had prepared in advance:

"So, what's the situation with Class D and the other three classes now?"

"Don't do these unnecessary things while eating."

With a slightly disgruntled glance at Kitagawa Ryo, Horikita Suzune pushed the plate in the middle of the table a few more times toward Kitagawa Ryo. She seemed to have already eaten, and was just propping her head up as she watched, or rather, enjoyed, Kitagawa Ryo eating her homemade food.

This was a new yet nostalgic experience for Horikita Suzune. In the past, her cooking was simply about selecting ingredients that were good for her body, cooking them in a monotonous way, and then eating them without any expression.

However, unlike seeing her older brother Horikita learning to eat her cooking, Horikita Suzune now seems to experience a deeper, almost tranquil joy.

After her explanation, Kitagawa Ryo indeed stopped talking and quietly enjoyed Horikita Suzune's cooking.

The soft clinking of chopsticks against plates, the gentle sounds of chewing and swallowing, and the purring of a cat nearby—the two of them shared this moment in perfect harmony.

"I am full."

With a satisfied sigh, Kitagawa Ryo put down his chopsticks, feeling as if a long time had passed, yet also as if only a moment had gone by.

"Go buy some daily necessities for Ying, but the school may not have them. If all else fails, buy some materials and make a nest yourself."

With a wave of his arm, Kitagawa offered a refreshing suggestion, of course not forgetting the greatest hero who had just heroically saved his master.

"it is good."

With a soft "yes," Horikita Suzune skillfully tidied the table. She was probably the most skilled at housework among all the girls Kitagawa Ryo knew, even surpassing Ichinose Honami. After all, her mother would rather see Honami studying diligently than sharing housework.

After washing the dishes with Horikita Suzune, Kitagawa Ryo neatly put them back in the cupboard. He also told Hotaru not to wander off and to stay in the room before taking Horikita Suzune out of the dormitory.

The temperature in early May already carried a hint of summer. Horikita Suzune took off her school uniform jacket and draped it over her hand. The school uniform jackets of Tokyo Advanced Educational High School were all red, regardless of gender, but the color of the inner shirt could be chosen by the students themselves. Kitagawa Ryo remembered that Karuizawa Megumi usually wore a blue inner shirt.

However, like most students, Horikita Suzune chose the most basic white. Unlike the impact of red, Horikita Suzune, wearing a pure white shirt, seemed to form a stark contrast with her jet-black hair, and her temperament seemed to be a bit gentle and delicate.

"The question Liang asked about the class just now..."

However, when Horikita Suzune glanced at Kitagawa Ryo with her purplish-red pupils and began to speak seriously about important matters, she seemed to suddenly return to her original demeanor, exuding a dignified aura that was completely different from when she was in Kitagawa Ryo's room.

"Ah."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded. Compared to Karuizawa Megumi and Ichinose Honami before they changed, Horikita Suzune was a more independent person, both in terms of her own opinions and ideas.

Although this personality type can easily lead to getting stuck on minor details.

"Because of Liang's interference, the class scores this year are basically the lowest in the history of the school."

"In previous years, Class C would have had more class points left in the first month than Class A does now."

Horikita Suzune lowered her voice cautiously as she spoke, but since it was noon, there weren't many students on the road leading to the convenience store.

"So it's not just our Class D, the other three classes also had a big reaction."

“Long Yuanxiang from Class C realized he had been tricked by Liang and came to see Liang once, but you weren’t there. He just said a couple of harsh words and his face didn’t look too good.”

“Class B should be the one with the least reaction. On the one hand, the students in the class are relatively stable, and on the other hand, the gap between them and Class A is not actually that big. In a sense, it is a good thing that everyone’s points have shrunk, since there are fewer points to catch up with.”

"As for Class A, the blame was entirely placed on Rokusuke Koenji, who had already dropped out of school. Although some students in their class were somewhat panicked about the possibility of being surpassed by Class B, the class president Katsuragi and the homeroom teacher Chabashira managed to calm them down in time. Perhaps Katsuragi will even change his style of doing things because of this."

At this point, Horikita Suzune paused for a moment:

"After all, his previous advocacy of a conservative style was based on the premise that Class A had a significant advantage. At this stage, Class A no longer has much of an advantage compared to Class B. If they stubbornly stick to their old ways, they will easily be overtaken."

"As for our Class D?"

When her class was mentioned, Horikita Suzune visibly furrowed her beautiful eyebrows:

"The only good news is that, like Class A, all the responsibility for the past month has been dumped on Yamauchi and Ike, which makes everyone look a little better and allows us to barely maintain a semblance of a group."

"The most fundamental problem has not been solved yet. Many students have even given up on moving up a class, since there is no hope at all. Although Mr. Mashima said that the class points might be increased if they pass the midterm exam, it seems that Yamauchi and Ike will definitely not pass, so it is as if no points were added."

Horikita Suzune also seemed somewhat puzzled at this point:

"So why didn't Liang just expel those two students back then? Instead, keeping them for another ten or fifteen days made most of the students in Class D lose their motivation for the upcoming midterm exams."

"It's good that there's no motivation. Everyone can just work hard to pass, and the class average will be dragged down."

Kitagawa Ryo's answer sounded very perfunctory at first glance, but Horikita Suzune still sensed something was off. Just as she was about to ask a few more questions, she realized that the two of them had unknowingly walked to the entrance of the convenience store, so she had to keep quiet for the time being.

There seemed to be quite a few students shopping at the convenience store. After all, it was the beginning of the month when points were distributed, and students had plenty of money. A considerable number of students were chatting and laughing as they shopped, while a few first-year students with worried faces were comparing prices of the same type of items.

This year, the class points for first graders are basically only half or even less than in previous years. Leaving aside Class D with zero points, Class C this year only has a little over 100 class points. If you convert that, it's only a little over 10,000 points per month, which is a drop from 100,000 to only one-tenth of the previous amount. It's normal that they have to live a tighter life.

However, the predicament of the new students was not applicable to Kitagawa Ryo, who had more than ten million points in his hands. He and Horikita Suzune walked towards the area where there might be pet supplies, discussing in hushed tones.

Pets are not allowed at Tokyo Advanced Educational Junior High School, so cat beds, cat litter, and cat food are naturally unavailable. However, the two of them did not intend to buy ready-made products directly, but were looking for alternatives or raw materials.

"If I had known that the first month's test would be on classroom discipline, I would have definitely given that guy Koenji a good scolding."

"...After all, they've already dropped out of school. Let them work hard again later."

Across a row of shelves, Kitagawa Ryo and Horikita Suzune overheard two first-year students from Class A chatting about class matters while selecting items.

"As for the midterm exams, Class A will definitely pass without any problem."

"But Katsuragi-kun still organized a study session. Are you planning to participate?"

“It wouldn’t hurt to go and take a look. After all, Ge Cheng’s grades are among the top in the whole grade. A student’s duty is still to study and get good grades. I guess any special exams in the future will basically be testing academic ability. It’s always good to learn more.”