I have a life simulator.

"Trust is something you have to give up yourself. I did this so that the seniors who care about their juniors would understand this."

At this critical juncture when the student council president is about to hand over the reins, Nagumo Masa unilaterally dismantles the barriers of trust and respect, and issues an even more brutal challenge to Horikita Manabu.

"I fully understand your actions."

"That's great, because this is just the beginning."

Although Nan Yunya still had a cold smile on his face and his tone showed no hesitation, his heart was actually filled with the lingering anger of being deceived and used.

Then again, even if he really decided to defend his victory in this sports festival by targeting Horikita Manabu and Class 3-B, he still had many other, more respectable methods.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji quietly listened to the conversation from behind the tree's shadow, then silently left again.

In fact, this was initially just an individual operation by Class B and Class C of the third year under his instructions, but using someone else's name to intimidate others and hide behind the scenes has always been more in line with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's personality.

Since Nan Yunya used two student council slots to force Class 1D to sign a loan agreement, it's no wonder that Class 1D used this as leverage to shift all the blame back onto Nan Yunya. Moreover, the close cooperation between Class 3B and Nan Yunya was an open secret among the third-year students.

In a sense, this is one of the drawbacks of an organization that has grown too large and complex. Many people who are not even considered part of the official staff will inevitably have their problems and responsibilities attributed to the leader.

Of course, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji still didn't think Class 2-A could win the final event under such circumstances.

Although Class 3A was indeed severely weakened and had basically withdrawn from the championship race, both Class 1D and Class 1B, to which he belonged, still possessed competitiveness that was no less than theirs.

"When it comes to the actual competition on the track, I might be even faster."

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji unconsciously recalled something Kitagawa Ryo had said to him during a training session in the past.

Although they are direct competitors who hold the last baton.

But who knows?

He never considered anyone other than that person as an equal opponent from the very beginning.

Nan Yunya is the same.

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

Unlike Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, who had to eagerly check on the results of his plans during lunch break, Ryo Kitagawa rested and slept comfortably on his camping mat before waking up to the school's announcement that the afternoon competition was about to begin.

Since the first event in the afternoon session was a race with borrowed items, Kitagawa Ryo stretched and opened his eyes to see an opaque box set up by school staff on the track not far away, which was used to draw 'items'. The students participating in this event would draw prizes randomly there and had to bring the 'item' written on the slip of paper to the referee for verification before they could continue until they reached the finish line.

If a contestant feels unable to obtain the slip of paper written on it, they can request a change from the staff, but must wait 30 seconds before drawing again.

Kitagawa Ryo had signed up for every event he could, so he naturally had to participate in the borrowing contest in the afternoon. After stretching his limbs a little, he went to the staff to get his number and casually looked around.

The format remained the same: two students from each class, forming groups of eight. In Class 1B, the boy in this group, besides Kitagawa Ryo, was Yukimura Teruhiko.

After all, the obstacle course race is more about luck than track and field. No matter how fast you run, if you can't get three, four, five or six 'items' in a row, you can't compete with someone who can get through in one go.

In this situation, the class would naturally prefer to let students who are not so good at sports participate in this project, which would also make it easier to save some energy for the top athletes.

Kitagawa Ryo still remembers the sports festival they experienced in the last simulation. Their Class C had the advantage with Hotaru, their cat-like classmate. It's a pity that times have changed now, and his younger sister can only stay quietly in her dormitory room.

"boom--"

Soon, after the referee fired the starting gun, the eight students near the starting line rushed out together. Although Kitagawa Ryo had a significant head start, he soon had to slow down and stop at the 100-meter mark of the track. Under the referee's watchful eye, he reached into the box in front of him and randomly selected a slip of paper from a dozen or twenty slips of paper inside.

"The student's left shoe (including socks)."

He drew a rather heavy topic right from the start, but the other students behind him also ran over while he was drawing his paper. Kitagawa Ryo, who was sprinting towards the top scorer, couldn't let go of the current score, so he had no choice but to not change his paper and just ran off the track with it, quickly running back to his class's camp.

As the focus of attention on the field, Kitagawa Ryo immediately attracted the attention of all the students in Class B as soon as he ran over. Sudo Ken even asked in an urgent tone:

"What did you draw? What do you want?"

Kitagawa Ryoki glanced down at Sudo Ken's oversized sneakers and his white socks, stained yellowish-brown by the dust and sand that had been flying during the morning's pole vault, and quickly ran away. After weighing the pros and cons and thinking it over calmly, he went straight to Sakayanagi Arisu, who was relaxing in a secluded spot, having participated in the fewest events and had the least amount of exercise in the entire Class B.

"Hmm? Did Liang draw some kind of unmarried person...?"

Before Sakayanagi Arisu could finish speaking, Kitagawa Ryo had already half-squatted down, supporting the girl's body with one hand to maintain her balance, and with the other hand he slightly lifted her left foot and quickly untied her shoelaces.

"Sorry, I only need the shoes and socks. I'll return them to Arisu in a bit."

Just as fast as his movements were Kitagawa Ryo's speech. After confirming that the shoelaces were completely loose, he reached out and touched Sakayanagi Arisu's instep. He slipped two fingers into the gap between the ankle and the shoe, and with a gentle downward force, he removed the other person's shoe.

Then, without any hesitation, Kitagawa Ryo directly touched the edge of the white socks worn by Sakayanagi Arisu with his fingertips. He moved slightly inward and could clearly feel the other's soft ankle. He flipped the sock over to reveal the arch and toes that were covered inside.

"Matsushita, could you help me up? I'll be right back to help Arisu put it on!"

After getting the still-warm shoes and socks, Kitagawa Ryo fled the scene of the accident in a flash. Sakayanagi Arisu was taken over by Matsushita Chiaki, who was standing next to him. It took him a while to realize what had happened. He gritted his teeth with a bit of resentment, determined to take advantage of the opportunity when the other party put the shoes and socks back on him and stomp on him a few times.

Of course, even though she thought that way, Sakayanagi Arisu's body still honestly asked Matsushita Chiaki beside her in a low voice:

"...Hmm, there shouldn't be any sweaty smell, right?"

As she spoke, her small, round toes involuntarily curled inward again, as if she could still feel the warm touch from before, a slightly tingling sensation.

"I can't say."

Matsushita Chiaki remained silent for a moment, but still tried to smooth things over:

"But maybe Kitagawa, like some boys, just likes that kind of thing."

Kitagawa Ryo, of course, couldn't hear what the two were saying. After obtaining the key item to clear the level, he ran back to the competition venue. After showing the referee what was written on the note, he breathed a sigh of relief and crossed the finish line first, clutching Sakayanagi Arisu's shoes and socks.

Ignoring the slightly complicated expressions and strained tones of the other students in the class as they congratulated him, Kitagawa Ryo immediately turned to look at the figure still sitting in that secluded, high seat in the audience.

The golden talent 'Eagle Eye' allows Kitagawa Ryo to clearly see everything about the opponent's expression and movements hundreds of meters away. Sakayanagi Arisu's face clearly showed a look of anticipation and cunning.

Her fair and smooth calf, from which he had removed her shoes and socks, was dangling there, swinging back and forth.

Chapter 306: Hiyori Shiina's Heart Races

As the saying goes, "If you borrow and repay, it's easy to borrow again."

So even though Kitagawa Ryo could clearly foresee that he would be pranked by Sakayanagi Arisu, who was waiting there with her legs crossed, he still had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk towards the other side of the audience.

Fortunately, as the second group's obstacle course race began, most students' attention was drawn back to the competition, and few noticed his actions and movements.

Although the gazes of those girls already made Kitagawa Ryo feel a bit uneasy, he could even see Horikita Suzune, who was closest to him, turn her head away slightly in frustration, and unconsciously lift her left foot and tap her toes lightly twice on the grass.

"Now the jade has been returned to its rightful owner intact—"

When Kitagawa Ryo reached Sakayanagi Arisu, he deliberately used a relaxed tone, as if he intended to turn around and make an excuse to leave as soon as the other party took the item.

Since Japan also has a large number of four-character idioms based on Chinese proverbs, such as 'a peerless national hero,' 'a hundred flowers blooming in disarray,' and 'swift wind and thunder,' and given that Sakayanagi Arisu herself had no problem reading, she immediately understood Kitagawa Ryo's meaning. She didn't rush to take her shoes and socks, but simply smiled and replied:

"The way it was borrowed should be the way it is returned; only then can it be considered a perfect return."

As she spoke, Sakayanagi Arisu slightly raised her left leg and then gestured with her chin toward Kitagawa Ryo, giving him a sly look that said, "You should know what to do."

"Okay, I'll put it back on you, Arisu, then."

Thinking of the person who had put shoes on someone last time and eventually became the Marquis of Liu of the Han Dynasty, Kitagawa Ryo could only comfort himself that at least this person wouldn't put the shoes on and take them off repeatedly to torment him. Therefore, he took the initiative to reach out and hold Sakayanagi Arisu's left foot, and clearly felt the other person's body tremble slightly.

Although she had wiped Sakayanagi Arisu's feet on the cruise ship, that was a private occasion with only the two of them. Now, however, they were in the midst of a bustling sports festival. Even if most people didn't notice them, the noise of the environment would inevitably cause a subtle change in their mindset.

October weather is already autumn season. Perhaps because he had been exposed to the wind for a while, Kitagawa Ryo could clearly feel the temperature difference between the other person's soles and his own palms.

Just as he took the socks to put them back on Sakayanagi Arisu, she shook her head and made a new request:

"I'm a bit chilly from the wind, could you warm me up for a while, and also my socks?"

Thinking of the experience of the person who had helped others by covering their straw sandals last time, which eventually made him famous, Kitagawa Ryo nodded and patiently helped Sakayanagi Arisu cover, rub, and massage for a while. Finally, seeing the other person's satisfied expression, he helped her put her left shoe and sock back on, ending this little disturbance caused by the borrowing contest.

Just as you feel cold all over when your feet are cold, and warm feet make you feel warm all over, after being teased by Kitagawa Ryo, Sakayanagi Arisu leaned on his shoulder with a blush on her face. Then, with lightning speed, she raised her hand and suddenly waved twice at a certain corner.

Then, Kitagawa Ryo saw a former school chairman, disguised, suddenly emerge from the audience. The man had a camera hanging around his neck and was giving him and Arisu an OK sign with a big smile.

"These photos, one by one, record moment after moment, and when strung together, they form a lifetime."

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

Until the girls' borrowing competition started, Kitagawa Ryo's mind was still filled with the jokes that Sakayanagi Arisu had made to him, whether true or false, whether it was a joke or not, that he would make these sets of pictures into 'I will swear allegiance to you' and post them on the school forum during next year's student council president election.

The thought of how Horikita Suzune had tricked him into promising to support her during the student council president election made Kitagawa Ryo feel a headache coming on. He sensed that the situation would become just as tense as it was now between Ichinose Honami and Karuizawa Megumi.

The last group of first-year boys was competing on the field. To distract himself, Kitagawa Ryo idly turned his gaze to the track and unexpectedly spotted Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

The other person was currently standing in front of the lottery box. Although his expression remained calm and his mood was unreadable, his indecisiveness suggested that he had drawn an 'item' that he couldn't borrow.

After hesitating for a while, Kitagawa Ryo saw Ayanokouji Kiyotaka run off the track and start moving. He first jogged over to Class D and pulled up several students, including Katsuragi Kohei, but it seemed that he hadn't gathered enough students yet, so he hesitated and then took the initiative to come to Class B.

Or rather, she walked straight up to him.

"The slip of paper I drew said 'four friends'."

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji briefly explained to Ryo Kitagawa, then showed him the slip of paper he had drawn, which indeed had the words 'Four Friends' printed on it, just as he had said.

Although no further explanation was given, Kitagawa Ryo understood what the other person meant.

Speaking of which, are he and Kiyotaka Ayanokouji really friends?

In those brief few seconds, Kitagawa Ryo himself couldn't figure out the question, but he subconsciously recalled the scene before the sports festival when the two of them returned together from Tsukishiro Tsuneo's chairman's office and then parted ways at the elevator in the dormitory building. The scene of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka being completely swallowed up by the narrow, silvery space still left a strange and deep impression on Kitagawa Ryo.

"Alright, anyway, the top three in this group have already been decided."

Kitagawa Ryo dusted himself off and stood up. In the end, he chose to nonchalantly join Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's group and went with him to check with the school officials.

Just as he said, due to the long delay, not only the top three, but even the top six in this group had already been decided. And just as they were confirming, the only student besides Kiyotaka Ayanokouji who was still looking for items somehow found a large grandfather clock, and breathlessly carried it to complete the item requirements on the note, becoming the second to last in the group.

Even though he had fallen to last place, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji was still communicating and confirming with the school's judges very seriously, in order to ensure that the contestants were not just random people pulled from the sidelines to make up the numbers.

"He is Kitagawa Ryo from Class 1-B, and he is also my friend."

After the other three, Kohei Katsuragi, Yosuke Hirata, and Kikyo Kushida, had all confirmed their answers, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji nodded slightly in the direction of Ryo Kitagawa.

The staff members next to him cast slightly questioning glances at him.

"Correct."

Kitagawa Ryo simply agreed and nodded.

Then, having confirmed his identity, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji ran alone toward the finish line, his shadow stretching long in the sun.

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

With Kiyotaka Ayanokoji bringing the first-year boys' obstacle course race to a close, the long-awaited first-year girls' race finally took the stage.

Compared to boys who are not particularly sensitive to or overly concerned about interpersonal relationships, girls almost always manage to create some fun during the obstacle course race at the sports festival every year.

To put it simply, if a girl draws a note that says "four friends" like Ayanokouji Kiyotaka did just now, it means she has entered a life-or-death test.

Which four people in your social circle should you ask for help? And which of these four should you ask first and which should you ask last? These are questions that girls need to pay special attention to, otherwise this matter may be brought up again in a few months as strong evidence that "you have never regarded me as a true friend".

The situation was even more explosive when it came to topics related to emotions, since, just like what Kiyotaka Ayanokouji had just experienced, the topics related to people that were drawn all had to be verbally verified by the judges.

Of course, you can try to trick your crush into bringing them along after drawing the 'person you like' card, but they might just shake their head and deny it with a single question from the referee, completely shattering your girlish fantasy. It's just that this is a part of the annual sports festival that Tokyo Advanced Education Junior High School has to experience every year.

Although Karuizawa Kei and Ichinose Honami had just exchanged words during their lunch break, they weren't actually the first pair of contestants to perform. So they were resting and recharging in the rest area. However, unlike Ichinose Honami, who was resting with her eyes closed and taking deep breaths, Karuizawa Kei couldn't help but look towards the arena.

Because one of the two players from Class C in the first group was Hiyori Shiina.

After all, it's an entertainment event that relies heavily on luck. As the purest participant in this sports festival, Hiyori Shiina naturally wouldn't miss it. After a midday rest following being fed by Ryo Kitagawa, she looked to be in pretty good shape and was waiting at the starting line for the referee's signal with a relaxed expression.

"boom--"

About thirty seconds later, with the sound of a starting gun fired by the staff, the eight girls in this group rushed to the vicinity of the lottery box one after another, nervously reaching their hands inside, praying that they could draw a reliable item.

"Hey-"

Shiina Hiyori quickly pulled out a slip of paper that had been folded twice. After unfolding it in a few quick movements, she only saw a rather brief word written on it:

【ring】.

ring?

Although Tokyo Advanced Educational Junior High School does not impose many restrictions on students' daily attire, most high school students still choose earrings, which are accessories that subtly highlight their personality. Necklaces and rings, which seem to be more mature, are only seen on a handful of married teachers.

However, Hiyori Shiina quickly remembered the sports ring that Arisu Sakayanagi always wore. Although it was mainly used to monitor her exercise status and physical condition, it could probably be considered a ring.

Thinking of this, Shiina Hiyori subconsciously looked up to find Sakayanagi Arisu's location. Due to Kitagawa Ryo, although her relationship with him wasn't particularly close, they were at least acquainted, so borrowing his place for the time being shouldn't be a problem.

But soon, Hiyori Shiina was disappointed again.

Because Sakayanagi Arisu was sitting on a rather secluded high platform in the stands, quite a distance away from her, given her limited physical abilities, by the time she ran there and back, the other students in her group would have already finished running.

Just as Shiina Hiyori was hesitating about whether to change the note, a detective's intuition suddenly flashed through her mind. She recalled that Kitagawa Ryo accompanied Sakayanagi Arisu every morning when she exercised, and how Kitagawa Ryo wore the ring so conspicuously on the middle finger of his left hand. She suddenly realized that Kitagawa Ryo might also have a matching ring with Sakayanagi Arisu.

Compared to Sakayanagi Arisu, Kitagawa Ryo was much closer to her, and she was also much more motivated to run in that direction. Therefore, Shiina Hiyori did not hesitate any longer, and ran towards Kitagawa Ryo with the paper strip printed with the ring in her hand.

"Hey—Ryo, you should have a sports ring that matches Sakayanagi-san, right? Can I borrow it for a bit? That's the one I drew."

Although he had already guessed that Shiina Hiyori would most likely come to borrow something from him, Kitagawa Ryo still subconsciously paused when he heard the other party speak with a slight pant.

Of course, he always carried the matching sports ring that he had bought with Sakayanagi Arisu. But having experienced the other's inexplicably heavy emotions just over ten minutes ago, Kitagawa Ryo could roughly imagine what he would experience if he were to casually lend that ring, which was of great significance to Sakayanagi Arisu, to Shiina Hiyori.

A girl's emotional world is always rich and ever-changing.