I have a life simulator.

"Is Liang afraid of such a thing?"

As if she had caught something red-handed, Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly perked up, feeling a lot of strange and wicked ideas pop into her head, and she couldn't help but curl up a noticeable smile at the corner of her mouth.

"I'm not scared at all."

Although Kitagawa Ryo answered quickly, Sakayanagi Arisu, with her preconceived notions, felt something was amiss:

"Let's watch a horror movie together!"

It felt like the moonlight outside the window became a bit more eerie after those words were spoken. Kitagawa Ryo stiffened his neck and agreed. So the two of them returned to Sakayanagi Arisu's hospital room together. There was a laptop on her desk. If her condition relapsed, her father planned to use it to contact tutors to give Sakayanagi Arisu remote lessons.

However, its current mission is simply to be a video player.

After finding a reasonably suitable film, Sakayanagi Arisu snapped the lights off the hospital room.

"Hey, of course I'm fine, but Arisu, you clearly have a heart problem, right? A nurse wouldn't allow this."

Sakayanagi Arisu tilted her head and said disdainfully:

"I'm not that timid, and my heart isn't that fragile. Rather, it's a good opportunity to get some exercise."

"Who exercises while watching horror movies..."

Kitagawa Ryo sighed helplessly and handed an earphone to Sakayanagi Arisu.

"If it scares you, unplug your headphones immediately."

The laptop only has one headphone jack, so if two people are watching, each can only have one headphone jack.

Actually, Kitagawa Ryo was quite curious about whether horror movies were scarier in terms of visuals or music, but just to be on the safe side, he kept the volume down to the lowest level to avoid a sudden scream hitting Sakayanagi Arisu.

Soon, only the blue glow of the screen remained in the room. Kitagawa Ryo sat next to Sakayanagi Arisu, the two children sitting on the sofa, each wearing the same earphone on one side, huddled together with their knees drawn up.

However, the style quickly veered off in another direction and left everyone else far behind.

"How stupid! Just because it's a horror movie doesn't mean it doesn't need any plot logic at all."

"Why do detectives always prefer to investigate alone?"

"The Black man was indeed the first to die."

"The cross is no longer effective; Western gods cannot control Eastern demons."

"Hmm, the special effects are a glitch here."

Sakayanagi Arisu turned her head to look at Kitagawa Ryo, who had been muttering to himself since the beginning of the movie, and found no trace of fear in him.

As a result, neither of them let out a single scream or exclamation throughout the entire movie. Kitagawa Ryo was busy making sarcastic remarks, while Sakayanagi Arisu's attention was completely drawn to his comments, and she didn't even remember what the ending was for a moment, only recalling Kitagawa Ryo saying with a sigh of relief:

"good."

After saying that, Kitagawa Ryo glanced at Sakayanagi Arisu with a rather smug look:

"Want to sleep?"

"Can you sleep?"

Realizing she had been tricked, Sakayanagi Arisu replied irritably:

"I'll cut off your head..."

"It seems Arisu isn't too scared. Goodnight then."

It was indeed quite late, and even though both of them had slept for a while during the day, they still couldn't help feeling sleepy.

Kitagawa Ryo waved to Arisu, and before leaving, he let out a whistle.

"If there's only one head, then we can't behead it."

Sakayanagi Arisu understood Kitagawa Ryo's meaning. In Alice in Wonderland, the Cheshire Cat, about to be beheaded, concealed his entire body, revealing only his head, leaving the executioner bewildered and unable to carry out the deed, since the opponent only had a head left and there was no way to behead him.

"..."

It wasn't until Kitagawa Ryo's footsteps had completely disappeared that Sakayanagi Arisu came to her senses.

She felt her heart pounding, but it had nothing to do with the horror movie she had just watched.

Sakayanagi Arisu put the earphone that was hanging on the other side into her own ear, which still seemed to carry a little warmth from the other person.

She opened her search history on her laptop's web browser and looked at it again.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

The symptoms of ALS often begin with weakness and clumsiness in the fingers, gradually leading to muscle atrophy in the hands. As the disease progresses, it extends to the muscles of the limbs and trunk, eventually affecting the respiratory and tongue muscles, as well as the masticatory and pharyngeal muscles, resulting in weakness in tongue protrusion, difficulty swallowing, and difficulty breathing.

Sakayanagi Arisu continued to scroll down the mouse, which seemed to require immense courage, even more than what she had needed to click on the horror movie earlier.

The man in the video is sitting in a wheelchair with his fingers resembling withered eagle claws. He has a strange smile on his face that looks like both crying and laughing. A thin feeding tube is inserted into his nose, and the nurse who is taking care of him occasionally reaches out to wipe away the drool that involuntarily drips from the corner of the old man's mouth with a tissue.

The patient has completely lost control of his body, like a head perched on a dead tree.

Only the occasional movement of his eyeballs indicated that he was still alive.

Sakayanagi Arisu slowly closed her eyes, her teeth almost drawing blood from her lower lip.

Reality is never a fairy tale, and any disaster can be preceded by an even greater one.

Chapter 71: Gifts for Each Other

[Painting Prodigy (Gold): Ink painting, printmaking, oil painting, meticulous brushwork... You possess a painting talent that puts everyone to shame; you are a one-in-a-million all-rounder. (Make good use of this talent, and you'll likely live to see your paintings appreciate in value.)]

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

Autumn has arrived. A light drizzle fell last night, and the temperature dropped again this morning. An early frost knocked the fallen leaves, which were still fluttering on the branches yesterday, to the ground. They lay quietly under the trees, and the entire courtyard was filled with a comforting, slightly bitter, earthy smell.

Kitagawa Ryo bent down, his shoes making a thin, crisp sound as he stepped on the dew-covered, withered leaves. He took off his gloves, reached out his left hand, picked up a relatively dry leaf, and easily crushed it into small fragments in his palm along the veins. Then he raised his hand and let the fragments fly away.

Good morning, it's cool.

Sakayanagi Arisu looks more energetic than she did two months ago. I heard that her father is already making preparations for her discharge from the hospital. According to the doctor, as long as she doesn't engage in strenuous physical activity, Sakayanagi Arisu can go to school just like a normal child.

Kitagawa Ryo himself was well aware that Sakayanagi Arisu would not stay here for long. If the situation did not worsen, Sakayanagi Arisu would leave by the start of the school year next spring at the latest.

This was also something Sakayanagi Arisu already knew. Today she was wearing a light blue jacket and thick pants that carefully covered her ankles. However, unlike Kitagawa Ryo, she was not wearing gloves. Sakayanagi Arisu walked over and gently and naturally took Kitagawa Ryo's right hand.

Even under top-notch medical conditions, Kitagawa Ryo's condition continued to deteriorate slowly but irreversibly. He could no longer show his bent middle finger to Sakayanagi Arisu when they first met more than two months ago. In the past two months, Kitagawa Ryo had gradually lost control of his right hand.

The gloves were a gift from Sakayanagi Arisu to Kitagawa Ryo two days ago, ostensibly because the weather was getting colder, but perhaps also because she didn't want to see his right hand.

Sakayanagi Arisu held Kitagawa Ryo's right hand through her gloves. The rough texture of the yarn reminded her of layers of vegetation. The middle finger that had been free in front of her two months ago now seemed as docile as a tamed livestock, yet stiff and lifeless.

However, Sakayanagi Arisu knew that Kitagawa Ryo's right hand had not completely atrophied. He traced his little finger across his palm, the movement was small, but it was indeed there.

I don't know if it was my fingertip or the layer of yarn, but it tickled her a little.

Good morning, Ayuki.

Kitagawa Ryo's greeting was as calm as ever, without a single knot, making it impossible to tell that he had just made a teasing little gesture.

"How about it?"

Kitagawa Ryo asked about Sakayanagi Arisu's condition, as if he were a doctor in her presence.

"When I finished my check-up this morning, the doctor looked very happy."

Sakayanagi Arisu replied softly that the doctor who examined her had been keeping his emotions hidden for months, which was why his smile this morning had left such a good impression on her.

In addition, given the information her father revealed a few days ago, it is highly likely that after the New Year, Sakayanagi Arisu will be able to leave this ward and return home, to school, and back into society.

"That's great."

However, Sakayanagi Arisu did not respond to him. The two of them walked hand in hand around the courtyard again. In fact, they had walked through this small courtyard countless times.

After their routine walk, Kitagawa Ryo and Sakayanagi Arisu returned to their hospital room together. The room, where they had stayed for more than two months, had gradually taken on the atmosphere of their respective owners. Sakayanagi Arisu sat on the sofa, looking at Kitagawa Ryo who was pouring her warm water, and seemed a little dazed.

She suddenly thought of a question: If a patient lives in the same ward for his entire life, would that ward also be considered a home for him?

While pondering this question, Sakayanagi Arisu took a sip of the water Kitagawa Ryo handed her. The drinking water, which was specially temperature-controlled, was neither too hot nor too cold. It slid down her esophagus into her stomach with a gentle, sluggish sensation, and was very thirst-quenching.

The ward's tabletop was spotless and shiny. Hospital staff came to clean it more than three times a day. Sakayanagi Arisu held a water glass and looked down. Two faint shadows were reflected on the mirror-like tabletop. They were reflected in the ceiling, as if they were standing in a vast expanse of water.

If nothing unexpected happens, Kitagawa Ryo will probably stay here until he dies... no, if his condition worsens, he will be immediately transferred to another ward, but by then Kitagawa Ryo will probably have lost the ability to live on his own.

Thinking of this, Sakayanagi Arisu felt that the walls and ceiling here were dazzlingly white, shining like shards of broken glass and stinging her eyes.

The furnishings in Kitagawa Ryo's ward were much less elaborate than those in Sakayanagi Arisu's, giving it a stark and empty feel.

Sakayanagi Arisu only needed to stay in her hospital room for a few months, but her father still tried his best to decorate it like a home.

"What's wrong? You seem so down today."

Kitagawa Ryo sat opposite Sakayanagi Arisu, holding a water glass, and said with a smile.

What color does Liang like?

As a result, Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly looked up and asked such an abrupt question.

Somewhat puzzled, Kitagawa Ryo put down his water glass and then scratched the back of his head with his free left hand.

"I don't seem to have a particular favorite color."

"What about colors you don't like?"

Sakayanagi Arisu pressed on relentlessly.

"It seems not."

Kitagawa Ryo thought about it carefully and then replied that he didn't really have any particular color preference, and what he was more curious about now was why Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly asked this question.

The answer to this question was found the next day.

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

"Is this... paint?"

Kitagawa Ryo watched as Sakayanagi Arisu directed people to transport a large amount of oil paint to the corridor. Thanks to their financial power, they were the only two patients in the entire building; otherwise, such a commotion would have drawn complaints from many people.

When did Arisu become interested in oil painting?

Kitagawa Ryo stepped forward. With the help of his talent as a "Painting Saint," he could judge the quality of the paints simply by smell. Unlike cheap industrial products, the paints that Sakayanagi Arisu brought in this time could be considered rare high-end goods. It felt a bit too extravagant to give them to a beginner to practice with.

"yesterday?"

Sakayanagi Arisu gave a casual reply, and after seeing off the last staff member, she excitedly pulled Kitagawa Ryo into the corridor.

The various colors of paint appeared even more vibrant and bright against the backdrop of the snow-white walls. Kitagawa Ryo was dragged all the way to the wall by Sakayanagi Arisu:

"Liang, choose a color that you think looks good."

Kitagawa Ryo smiled and finally chose the red one in the very center.

Immediately afterward, under the somewhat shocked gaze of Sakayanagi Arisu, Kitagawa Ryo skillfully began to mix his own color.

With crimson as the base color, a touch of lilac to provide a harmonious green, and a suitable amount of lake blue, the precise proportions and skillful technique ultimately present the two of them with—

"Rose red".

The clear, bright rose red was gorgeous yet elegant. Sakayanagi Arisu didn't even bother to ask Kitagawa Ryo where he was or when he learned this technique; she simply focused her gaze on the blended red.

"So lovely."

"Grandpa taught me some things about this before, but unfortunately it's no use now."

Kitagawa Ryo handed the palette of paints to Sakayanagi Arisu. The talent of "Painting Saint" was indeed quite strong, but it was not very useful for a patient who was destined to lose both hands. If Sakayanagi Arisu hadn't brought the paints today, he probably wouldn't have had the chance to use this talent.

"want……"

Kitagawa Ryo was about to start talking about painting, but when he turned his head, he saw Sakayanagi Arisu wildly dipping her brush in rose-red paint and slamming it onto the white walls of the hospital corridor.

Although everything in front of her looks like a mischievous child acting up, it is actually Sakayanagi Arisu who is doing this.

"Hey, Alice..."

"It's okay. If I find out, I'll hide Liang properly behind the flowerpot."

Sakayanagi Arisu smiled and handed another paintbrush to Kitagawa Ryo, acting like a good child even though she was doing something naughty.

"So Liang doesn't need to worry about getting beheaded."

She winked mischievously at Kitagawa Ryo, who hadn't yet reacted, a childlike playfulness flashing in her deep purple pupils, as alluring as a little devil.

In Chapter 8 of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Alice encounters three gardeners who are dyeing white roses red with paint. They have planted the wrong flowers that the Queen of Hearts wanted, and this fairytale-like method is the only way to fix it.

However, the three gardeners were ultimately unable to finish coloring all the roses. The Queen of Hearts shouted, "Cut off their heads!" and left. Faced with the guards' attempt to capture them, Alice stepped forward and hid the three gardeners behind the flowerpots.

Having read "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" even earlier than Arisaka Yanagi, Kitagawa Ryo naturally understood her meaning. He smiled, took the paintbrush, and, imitating Alice, heavily dabbed the paint on the snow-white wall.