I have a life simulator.

The girl's daily routine had become so regular and even rigorous several years ago; Horikita Suzune was a girl who pursued perfection.

Or rather, she is a younger sister who is pursuing her brother's image, because in her mind, Horikita Manabu is almost perfect, so it is not wrong to say that she is pursuing perfection.

After returning home from her 30-minute morning exercise, Horikita Suzune changed her clothes and took a hot shower. Under the hot water, her usually sickly pale skin turned slightly red. Her waist-length black hair spread out behind her, steaming and with a jet-black color like the wet feathers of a crow.

After rinsing off the sweat from her morning exercise, Horikita Suzune began to cook for herself meticulously. Cooking is an essential skill for surviving alone, and after several years of practice, her cooking skills have become quite impressive, making her stand out among her peers.

After placing the prepared breakfast on the table, Horikita Suzune turned on the TV to watch the morning news. Being alone did not mean rejecting all information from the outside world. She precisely cut the food on her plate and put it into her mouth while receiving all kinds of news.

After breakfast, it was time to wash the dishes. To avoid getting dish soap suds on her, Horikita Suzune casually swept all her long hair back and tied it into a high ponytail. Horikita Suzune didn't usually style her hair, so she typically had long, straight hair that flowed freely. Because of this, when she occasionally changed her hairstyle, the impression she gave was quite different. The high ponytail swayed slightly with her hand movements, adding a touch of dynamism to the girl's look.

Horikita Suzune's daily routine remained unchanged until, three minutes later, she received a cross-border call from Horikita Manabu:

"It would be best to meet Liang today, even if it's just to get to know him and become friends."

Her brother said this on the phone.

And so, Horikita Suzune's daily life came to an end.

Chapter Twelve: The Decision That Changed the Course

A fitting room is an extremely enclosed space. Many people like this kind of small space where you can see everything around you at a glance, believing that it gives them a strange sense of security. However, Karuizawa Kei cannot accept this view. For her, a narrow and enclosed space has nothing to do with the word "safety". It is more often associated with negative words such as "danger" and "nowhere to escape".

Thinking of this, Karuizawa Megumi's breathing became a little rapid, but she quickly realized that Kitagawa Ryo was standing outside the door. This fact immediately enveloped her, and she could finally act normally here.

She took off her clothes and put on this carefully chosen pure black long dress. The clock outside chimed the hour, and Karuizawa Kei's breathing became a little heavier. Her breath formed condensation on the top of a half-length mirror in front of her, making the mirror surface appear somewhat blurry.

It was already 11:00 AM, and Karuizawa Kei seemed to be deliberately slowing down her movements as she tried on the clothes.

Kitagawa Ryo had told her in the morning that he had something to do at noon, or rather, that he was going to meet someone, which was at his parents' request.

Karuizawa Kei keenly grasped this information, and so, during their shopping trip this morning, the two of them still came up empty-handed. Regardless of Kitagawa Ryo's opinion, Karuizawa Kei would always use the excuse that there might be a more suitable reason to start the process over again. From last night until now, she has repeated this excuse countless times.

Karuizawa Megumi reached out and wiped the half-length mirror in front of her, leaving a noticeable bright mark that reflected her snow-white neck.

She looked up and saw her body reflected in the mirror—a body that was not yet fully developed but could be described as scarred.

The arms, thin and seemingly fragile enough to break at the slightest touch, were connected to the small hands, giving the impression that the person had never been physically trained.

Her breasts, slightly swollen yet still depicting gentle curves overall, were the same everywhere else, from her small navel to her slender waist, extending to her feet. Shifting the gaze downwards, one could easily see her toes. Just as Kitagawa Ryo once thought, Karuizawa Megumi was shrouded in an aura of weakness that could arouse sadistic impulses.

What embarrassed Karuizawa Megumi even more were the bruises and small scars that had not yet faded, which were conspicuously displayed on her chest, abdomen, shoulders and back, as if reminding her of her past experiences over and over again.

Karuizawa Megumi brushed her bangs aside, revealing a scabbed scar clearly visible on the right side of her scalp. It was a scratch about six or seven centimeters long. Karuizawa Megumi had already forgotten who had caused this scar; at the time, she was just glad that it was an ugly scar that could be covered up.

But now Karuizawa Megumi has once again deliberately exposed it. She stares at it in the mirror with some fear, then reaches out and touches the scabbed scar. The wound, which has long since healed, no longer causes Karuizawa Megumi any physical pain. When she touches it, she even feels as if the other party has separated from her body. The bloody smell has long since cooled, as if it had never happened.

Karuizawa Kei began to slowly change into that jet-black long dress. In the past, Karuizawa Kei usually wore casual clothes with blue or white as the main colors, or the school uniform. So occasionally trying a different style would give people a completely different impression, like Cinderella being enchanted.

It has to be said that, even just judging from the reactions of Kitagawa Ryo herself and the surrounding shop staff, this dress was absolutely perfect for Karuizawa Megumi. Even she herself was stunned when she stepped out of the fitting room and stood in front of the huge full-length mirror.

"Let's buy this one."

Kitagawa Ryo, almost for the first time, spoke with such certainty, standing beside Karuizawa Megumi and praising her without reservation:

"I didn't expect Hui to suit dark-colored clothes so well."

Even though Kitagawa Ryo said there was no problem, and Karuizawa Megumi herself felt that the dress was particularly suitable, at this delicate moment, Karuizawa Megumi always felt that Kitagawa Ryo wanted to finish this task quickly so she could do her own thing and go see someone else.

Karuizawa Kei felt a sudden panic. The surrounding air and voices seemed to travel through her empty and blank mind and body. The pure black color seemed to be pulling her down like a bottomless abyss. She grabbed Kitagawa Ryo, who was about to pay, as if she were grabbing a rope thrown down from above.

"I feel... it's not quite right. Should we look at a few more?"

Karuizawa Megumi casually tugged at the hem of her skirt:

"It doesn't seem to fit quite well."

As soon as she finished speaking, she lowered her head and pursed her lips, fiddling with the lace on her skirt, as if counting how many lines there were. The skirt was indeed exquisitely made. Karuizawa Kei looked at the neat stitches and waited for Kitagawa Ryo's response.

"But I feel that Hui is quite suitable for me."

Kitagawa Ryo was still somewhat stubborn, but Karuizawa Megumi felt a surge of unease when she saw him paying attention to the clock on the wall, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Karuizawa Megumi simply went back to the fitting room and took off the dress even faster than she had put it on. She handed the dress back to the shop assistant, as if she was eager to get it out of her sight.

But Kitagawa Ryo's voice quickly followed:

"But I really think Hui looks especially good in this dress. Although there might be other dresses that would suit her better, buying this one won't stop Hui from trying on dresses at other stores later..."

Kitagawa Ryo had somehow taken the dress from the shop assistant again. He seemed to be waiting for Karuizawa Kei to nod and say something, so that the dress would be packaged and handed to Karuizawa Kei in the next second.

"Anyway, Liang won't be leaving for another six days, so we still have plenty of time to choose."

Karuizawa Kei emphasized the word "six days" in the sentence as she walked, as if reminding Kitagawa Ryo that he had only been back for a short week, and that a seventh of the time had already passed. In this light, the "quite long" in her words carried a hint of dissatisfaction.

She truly wanted to monopolize Kitagawa Ryo for this entire week. Karuizawa Kei wanted to remember every single minute and second of this week clearly, like animals stockpiling food before winter. She knew very well that Kitagawa Ryo's departure in six days was an unchangeable fact, so she had to prepare memories for herself in advance. She didn't want to be like a hibernating bear, only able to lick its paws when hungry.

In fact, Karuizawa Kei was more terrified of Kitagawa Ryo's departure than anyone else. She had long understood that her relationship with Kitagawa Ryo was like that of a child and a kite in her hand. Kitagawa Ryo was the kite she held in her hand, but he hadn't flown away yet. If he flew away, the connection between the two of them would only be a thin string, which could break at any time. Karuizawa Kei even felt that Kitagawa Ryo would break it on his own.

Over the past six months, Karuizawa Kei had realized that memories and everything else were fragile things. Once Kitagawa Ryo left and never came back, Karuizawa Kei would be completely helpless. She couldn't do anything about him; he could simply disappear whenever he wanted.

"But I have to meet a friend's sister at noon today, it's something he asked me to do."

Kitagawa Ryo seemed not to understand Karuizawa Megumi's words. He glanced at the time with some distress and said:

“I didn’t expect Hui to take so long to pick out clothes. I had arranged to meet her around 11 or 12 a.m., and it’s getting late now, but it should be done soon. I can spend the afternoon with Hui.”

Karuizawa Megumi didn't even get to hear Kitagawa Ryo's last words. When she heard the word "she" in Kitagawa Ryo's voice, Karuizawa Megumi felt a chill run down her spine. The vague fear that had been lingering in her heart suddenly materialized as if real insects were gnawing at her.

"Did Liang not lie?"

Karuizawa Megumi suddenly turned her head, stared into Kitagawa Ryo's eyes, and whispered:

Who exactly are you going to see?

She was practically questioning him. When she was bullied in the past, Karuizawa Kei would subconsciously use the weapons of forbearance and appeasement when she was afraid. But when facing Kitagawa Ryo, she would always be inexplicably tougher, but she would soon be suppressed by the weakness brought on by panic.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it..."

Just like now, Karuizawa Megumi suddenly shrank back down, and she tugged at Kitagawa Ryo's sleeve and asked.

"She's just a friend's sister. I only met her at my friend's request."

Karuizawa Kei looked at Kitagawa Ryo, who was repeating her statement again, and finally nodded.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo breathed a sigh of relief and was about to hand the clothes in his hand to the shop assistant for her to wrap and buy, he suddenly realized that Karuizawa Megumi didn't understand his explanation at all, as he had imagined. Instead, she gave Kitagawa Ryo a completely natural smile:

"If she's just a friend's sister, then why wouldn't Ryo cancel our meeting at noon today for my sake?"

In fact, Karuizawa Kei regretted those words the moment they left her lips. Any lie, whether well-intentioned or malicious, always falls into a speechless and awkward situation when you dig deeper and expose it. Karuizawa Kei felt that she was hopeless. Kitagawa Ryo had done nothing wrong to her, but she was still like a ruthless executioner, directly slashing at this obvious lie.

Kitagawa Ryo pressed his temples, unable to reply. He moved his lips as if trying to explain something, and this action seemed to turn on a switch. Karuizawa Megumi clearly realized that her eyes were starting to swell, and she knew she was about to cry.

It is impossible for a person to never lie, because the meaning of truth is based on lies. If everyone stopped lying, honesty would not be praised as a virtue. Lies often serve only to plug the gaps in an event or to cover up unexpected causes.

"It was already arranged, and it's something I promised."

Kitagawa Ryo offered a weak explanation, scratching his head somewhat embarrassedly:

"I'm sorry, there's really no other way."

He turned around and gestured to the shop assistant to pack up the black dress. A moment later, he handed a paper bag to Karuizawa Kei.

Karuizawa Kei awkwardly hugged the dress to her chest. After the two left the clothing store, Kitagawa Ryo finally spoke to her again:

"I have completed the investigation into Hui's bullying at school. If Hui is willing, I can have everyone, along with their parents, come over at noon today to apologize to Hui. Hui can do whatever she wants, as long as it doesn't get too serious."

"..."

After a night of investigation, Kitagawa Ryo discovered that most of the bullies came from families with problems to varying degrees. Some had divorced parents, while others came from single-parent families where either parent had passed away. Often, it was the lack of proper family education and the lack of parental companionship that led to their distorted personalities. These bullies, who preyed on the weak and feared the strong, were also self-centered and willful. Many of them even harbored resentment and dissatisfaction towards their parents.

However, they only dare to bully their classmates at school. They always talk about looking down on their parents when they brag, but they never dare to really resist them. This is because they are like this: they resent their family environment while having to rely on their parents to survive, and then they vent all their negative emotions on their classmates who are weaker than them.

Therefore, all that's needed is to target their parents, making those who have always protected them truly realize the seriousness of the situation, destroying the people who have always supported them, and depriving them of the courage to bully again. Last night, Kitagawa Ryo used some of the Kitagawa family's connections to exert relevant pressure. He squinted, recalling the terrified expressions on the faces of those fearless bullies after seeing their parents so easily kneel down and apologize.

I've heard that growing up is about gradually realizing that you're not omnipotent, and neither are your parents. Once you realize these two things, you can be considered grown up. So, this is like pulling up seedlings to help them grow. Of course, if the seedling really dies, Kitagawa Ryo won't feel sorry for him.

However, the only variable is Emi Eura. She is someone who has no feelings for her parents. Even Kitagawa Ryo himself doesn't know what motivates her to live. She seems to be simply jealous, simply dissatisfied, and simply want to crush Karuizawa Megumi into the ground so that she can never rise again.

This kind of pure malice was something Kitagawa Ryo had never seen before.

"I don't care about anyone else, I just want to see Huimei alone. I have something I want to ask her."

Karuizawa Megumi still habitually called her "Megumi," and she turned her head to look at Kitagawa Ryo:

"Is it okay if it's just the two of us at noon today?"

"No, I'm not worried."

Kitagawa Ryo instinctively refused. He always felt that Emi was dangerous, and he would definitely not allow the two of them to meet alone.

"Then Liang will come and keep me company."

Karuizawa Kei stubbornly refused to show weakness. She didn't care about Eura Emi at all; she just wanted Kitagawa Ryo to be by her side. If she could achieve that, she would use anything she could as a bargaining chip or capital and throw it all onto her side's scales in one fell swoop.

Kitagawa Ryo sighed. He had finally conceded defeat to Karuizawa Megumi, but he couldn't yet grasp the impact his next move would have on the future. He had simply made a decision:

"Then Megumi will come with me to see Horikita Suzune first, and then I'll accompany you to see Emi Eura."

Chapter Thirteen: About the girl Horikita Suzune

For the first time, Horikita Suzune was so distracted that she couldn't concentrate on the book in her hand. She was sitting in a familiar restaurant, in a familiar spot, with the familiar dishes she was used to eating. Generally speaking, people tend to be more composed in the face of familiar things, but when Horikita Suzune thought about her conversation with her brother that morning, a strange unease welled up inside her, so much so that she had been sitting on the same page for twenty minutes.

She put the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel "Crime and Punishment," which she had only started reading that day, into her bag. In this state of not being able to read, she figured it was better to give up. Horikita Suzune carefully put the book away and glanced at the clock on the wall.

It is now exactly 11:00 AM. According to her older brother, Horikita Manabu, the other party will meet with Horikita Suzune around 11:00 or 12:00 AM today. Because she doesn't want anyone to enter her house, Horikita Suzune has chosen the second most familiar family restaurant as the location.

To be honest, with Horikita Suzune's current cooking skills, she could easily cook at home by herself. However, Horikita Suzune still insists on coming here every day not only to save some time and energy, but also mainly because she and Horikita Manabu used to occasionally dine here together.

However, that was a long time ago. Two years ago, Horikita Manabu left Tokyo for England on the other side of the world. Now that she thinks about it, it has been two years since she and Horikita Manabu last met.

Horikita Suzune wanted to follow in Horikita Manabu's footsteps, but as she followed, her older brother ahead told her not to. By the time she came to her senses, he had already disappeared. Not having the courage to forge a new path, she could only continue to follow in his footsteps.

She excels in academics and sports, and has never been late or absent since elementary school. Even when she is sick, she insists on going to school. For Horikita Suzune, nothing is more important than studying hard, getting into a good high school, and then a good university.

It must be admitted that Horikita Suzune has an incredible ability to control herself and her self-discipline. She almost compulsively commands herself to move in the direction of Horikita Manabu, like a well-programmed and meticulous machine that never tires.

In Horikita Suzune's mind, she can accomplish anything on her own, so she doesn't engage in so-called social activities. In her daily school life, she has seen too many so-called "teams" that are inefficient due to members shirking responsibility and the incompetence of the team leader, and she can't see any results from cooperation.

At the same time, Horikita Suzune doesn't feel lonely eating alone, going to school alone, or coming home alone, because in her memory, her older brother Horikita Manabu also has this kind of personality. Thinking this way, she naturally concludes that her current approach is correct.

This self-consistent and functioning system came to an end this morning.

First, Horikita Suzune learns that her brother has a friend named Kitagawa Ryo.

Secondly, Kitagawa Ryo also has a marriage contract with her.

Two shocking facts erupted at once, almost completely shattering the values ​​that the girl had built up over the past ten years. She felt that she didn't need friends because her brother was the same way, but suddenly Horikita Manabu told her that he had a friend, and that this friend was also her so-called "fiancé".

Horikita Suzune paused for a moment with her right hand holding the fork before mechanically putting the food into her mouth and chewing.

She was someone who didn't know what friends were and thought she would never make friends, so naturally she wouldn't tolerate a sudden fiancé. However, Horikita Suzune was also somewhat curious about Kitagawa Ryo, who hadn't yet appeared in front of her, because of Horikita Manabu.

The food on the plate was finished, and it was 11:45. If the deadline was 12:00, then the other party had about 15 minutes left. Horikita Suzune wiped her fingers and mouth with a tissue and took out "Crime and Punishment" from her bag again to read.

This novel, written in the mid-19th century, tells the story of a protagonist who, driven by poverty, kills a loan shark and her innocent sister. After a painful confession, he eventually surrenders himself to the authorities at the urging of a Christian. The book is structured like its title, divided into two parts: "Sin" and "Punishment." The first chapter narrates the protagonist's crime, while the latter part devotes considerable space to describing the protagonist's psychological state and the torment he endures.

Since Horikita Suzune had only just started reading, she had only read the first few sections of the first chapter, which happened to be the scene where the protagonist kills two people with an axe. Dostoevsky's description of this scene was extremely detailed, and the various details made Horikita Suzune, who had just eaten, feel a little uncomfortable.

Her emotions seemed more sensitive today than ever before, and upon realizing this, Horikita Suzune looked up at the clock on the wall again:

At 11:55, Horikita Suzune frowned. If Kitagawa Ryo was late for their first meeting, his impression of her would drop significantly.

In the last five minutes, Horikita Suzune simply kept her eyes fixed on the restaurant entrance, observing every customer who entered the store.

At 11:56, an elderly man came in with a child.

At 11:57, a girl who was about the same age as me entered. Her honey-colored long hair easily left a deep impression.

At 11:58, no one entered.

At 11:59, Horikita Suzune saw a boy push open the restaurant door and immediately lock onto her direction.

Before long, Kitagawa Ryo arrived in front of Horikita Suzune and sat down opposite her with an air of nonchalance.

"Hello, I'm Kitagawa Ryo, nice to meet you."

The boy sitting opposite her nodded to Horikita Suzune and introduced himself. His features were very handsome, especially his eyes, which were as bright as black gemstones. With just a glance, Horikita Suzune felt instantly attracted to them.

"I am Horikita Suzune."

The girl first introduced herself somewhat awkwardly, then realized that it might be a bit impolite, and added:

"Hello, please give me some advice."