I have a life simulator.

Kitagawa Ryo sized up Horikita Suzune, who seemed unusually nervous for some reason. Just yesterday, when he glanced at her from afar, she exuded a dignified aura unique to those with long, straight black hair.

After the introductions, the two fell into an awkward silence, like a blind date. Kitagawa Ryo glanced at the book "Crime and Punishment" on the table, trying to find a topic to talk about:

"Does Horikita usually read these foreign long literary works?"

What are your thoughts on our engagement?

Horikita Suzune spoke at almost the same time as Kitagawa Ryo.

A loud slap came from a nearby table, sounding like someone had slashed a plate hard with a knife.

Chapter Fourteen: Why Lie, There's No Need to Lie

Karuizawa Kei sat alone by the door of Kitagawa Ryo's room, hugging her knees and leaning against the door. Because there was a soft blanket on the floor, she didn't feel cold. Karuizawa Kei touched the fluffy soft carpet with her fingers. She was a little impressed with herself for not having any extreme reaction immediately after hearing the word "engagement". She just walked out of the restaurant in a daze and then returned here in a disheveled state.

If it were six months ago, she would have definitely gone up to confront Kitagawa Ryo directly. He had only said that she was "a friend's sister" before, and she had already questioned him about whether he was lying. She would have had so much to say to Kitagawa Ryo, but now she chose to leave silently.

Karuizawa Megumi realized that she was afraid and running away. She was unwilling to confront the truth herself. She preferred to get the facts from Kitagawa Ryo. All she had to do was believe him, nod and say okay, it's okay, I understand, Ryo doesn't need to worry about me.

Just like what she said to Liang when she got home last night:

“I’m so glad Ryo came back to me.”

Yes, that's right. Karuizawa Kei was very happy about Kitagawa Ryo's return. Ryo still protected her as before, and Ryo still cherished her as before...

It was as if this would allow them to ignore the fact that he would leave again soon, as if this would allow them to ignore the marriage contract that had appeared out of nowhere.

Karuizawa Kei clutched the clothes tightly to her chest. She forcefully and even roughly tore open the packaging of the dress she had bought that morning, then hugged the pure black dress. She pressed her face against the soft fabric, the unique scent of new clothes filling her nostrils. The skirt cascaded down her knees like flowing water. At that moment, she seemed to see Kitagawa Ryo's black eyes filled with eagerness and even pleading that morning again.

He really liked how he looked in that dress.

Karuizawa Megumi stood up and twirled around in front of her, holding the dress up in front of her. The walls of the hotel corridor were as shiny as mirrors, and her shy, pursed lips made her look like a bride-to-be trying on a wedding dress.

bride.

The word suddenly popped into Karuizawa Megumi's mind; it was a natural association that started with the word "marriage contract."

She suddenly remembered when she was in first grade, her homeroom teacher asked each student to say what their ideal career was. One boy said he wanted to be a scientist. Although he imagined a scientist as someone shaking bottles in a laboratory, no matter what kind of reagents were inside, he thought that feeling was incredibly cool. Another boy said he wanted to be a professional baseball player. He probably didn't understand the specific rules of baseball, but he also thought that swinging a bat and hitting the ball was so cool.

At that time, Karuizawa Kei seemed to stammer for a long time and couldn't think of a profession. Fortunately, the teacher didn't make things difficult for her. Seeing that she really couldn't say, the teacher let her sit down. Then, a girl who had now forgotten her name and appearance stood up and loudly said that she wanted to become a princess and be the prince's bride.

This answer instantly outshone the scientists and professional baseball players who had answered before. The children who had already answered regretted not having come up with such a sensational answer, while the children who hadn't yet answered followed suit. Suddenly, the whole class was filled with princes and princesses, brides and grooms.

On this day, when she turned fourteen, Karuizawa Kei seriously thought about this question again. Now, seven or eight years later, it seems that she still can't do anything and doesn't have any ideal career.

Idol? Writer? Actor? Even though she's still at an age where she dares to dream about anything, Karuizawa Kei is distressed to find that she doesn't actually have any such aspirations.

But when the word "bride" appeared out of nowhere, Karuizawa Kei immediately understood.

Even she has desires and a career she wants to pursue.

"cold……"

Karuizawa Kei hugged her skirt and slowly squatted down again. Whenever the name appeared in her mind, her heart would involuntarily race, as if she wanted to shout "Wow!" She felt a strange, itchy feeling in her heart.

As long as Kitagawa Ryo is by her side, she feels a strong sense of security.

Can she define this feeling as "liking"?

In the empty corridor, Karuizawa Kei suddenly calmed down.

"Then why, in the six months after Ryo left, did I only think of Ryo after I was bullied?"

In fact, for three months after Kitagawa Ryo lost contact with Karuizawa Megumi, Karuizawa Megumi enjoyed her status as the core of the class. At that time, she did not notice any negative impact on her after Ryo left, as if she could survive independently without him.

but.

Karuizawa Kei closed her eyes in pain. When Kitagawa Ryo suddenly appeared in front of her yesterday and pulled her away from the tilted Americano, she truly felt a long-lost sense of security and dependence again, to the point that she hugged Kitagawa Ryo and cried, and gave him a light kiss on the neck.

Now, Karuizawa Kei is no longer clear about which of her feelings are genuine and which are simply derived illusions, deceiving herself by deceiving herself in her desire for the other person's protection.

"fraud……"

Karuizawa Kei muttered to herself. She had read about the "suspension bridge effect," a psychological phenomenon where a person's heart races involuntarily when crossing a suspension bridge with trepidation. If, at that moment, they happen to meet another person, they might mistakenly interpret this increased heart rate as a sign of attraction to that person, thus developing romantic feelings. Many "hero saves the damsel in distress" scenarios are often influenced by the "suspension bridge effect."

"Too strange……"

It's understandable that someone who has been bullied at school for a long time would fall in love with Ryo after being saved by him, right?

Karuizawa Kei shook her head in frustration, biting her lip. She desperately tried to find evidence to prove that she truly loved Ryo, and that it wasn't because she wanted some kind of protection, because she couldn't survive alone, or because Kitagawa Ryo was someone who willingly allowed herself to be her crutch...

She absolutely cannot admit these things, because once she does, Karuizawa Megumi will have no way to face Kitagawa Ryo again.

Who would call this kind of distorted emotion "love"?

Karuizawa Megumi stared hatefully at her reflection on the wall. The girl had a cute face, but Karuizawa Megumi knew very well how many ugly and indelible scars were hidden beneath this body. Even though some had been washed away by time, they were still etched in Karuizawa Megumi's heart. Thinking about this, she hated herself even more for being cute but having no talent, no will, and no way to protect herself.

if you can.

Karuizawa Megumi touched her reflection in the wall. She really wanted to start over, to start all over again from the very beginning.

She must work hard to improve herself, so that she won't be bullied by anyone, grow up healthy, and then—fall in love again, and like him in an ordinary way.

Perhaps this is a sign of weakness and escapism; Karuizawa Kei doesn't even have the thought of starting to change things now.

Anyway, it doesn't matter anymore, Karuizawa Megumi stood up.

Regardless of whether her feelings for him are real or not, all she can do now is stay by Kitagawa Ryo's side. Karuizawa Kei is already an incapable and fragile individual.

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

"I couldn't see Hui in the blink of an eye. Turns out she went to change into new clothes."

Kitagawa Ryo followed the navigation on his phone and returned to the clothing store from that morning, just as Karuizawa Megumi, who had just changed into that black dress, came out.

"Because Ryo said I looked good in it, I let Ryo take a few more glances."

Karuizawa Megumi cheerfully picked up where Kitagawa Ryo left off. Compared to how coyly she had said she didn't want it that morning, Karuizawa Megumi now appeared exceptionally confident. She turned around in front of Kitagawa Ryo without any hesitation and boasted:

"It's the same color as Liang's pupils."

"It seems so."

Kitagawa Ryo was somewhat surprised that Karuizawa Kei didn't bring up the topic of his meeting with Horikita Suzune at noon. Kitagawa Ryo clearly remembered that when Horikita Suzune said the word "engagement," Karuizawa Kei's reaction seemed quite strong, but that strong reaction seemed to last only for a moment, and he didn't hear much afterward.

However, Kitagawa Ryo himself wasn't guilty at all; he immediately explained his thoughts to Horikita Suzune:

The engagement was just an agreement between the previous generation. If neither of them wanted it, they didn't have to care. Horikita Suzune only needed to express her opinion, and Kitagawa Ryo could handle the rest himself.

To Kitagawa Ryo's surprise, Horikita Suzune's attitude was rather strange. Instead of immediately refusing, she said that because she was a good friend of Matsumoto, she wanted to get to know him better and take this opportunity to learn about Matsumoto's preferences.

Kitagawa Ryo was naturally impressed by this inexplicable obsession. He was indeed curious about what strange impression Horikita Manabu had left on Horikita Suzune back then, so that she still couldn't forget him even two years after he left.

In short, after this short conversation, Kitagawa Ryo talked with Horikita Suzune about some philosophical matters, and finally discussed some literary views using the book "Crime and Punishment" as a starting point. Kitagawa Ryo felt that he had already fulfilled the tasks assigned to him by his parents and Horikita Manabu.

Whether it was because the conversation at noon was a bit tiring, or simply because he hadn't taken a nap and wasn't very energetic, even Kitagawa Ryo himself was losing interest after browsing a couple of stores. Just then, Karuizawa Megumi, sensing his mood, suggested that they take a break, so the two of them casually found a bench by the roadside to sit on. There happened to be a bus stop next to them, so Kitagawa Ryo looked at the bus schedule and counted the number of stops to pass the time.

Suddenly, Kitagawa Ryo spotted a somewhat familiar place name and his eyes lit up. He pointed it out to Karuizawa Megumi:

"Does Hui still remember this park?"

Karuizawa Kei tilted her head and leaned close to Kitagawa Ryo's head to look:

"I think I vaguely remember... Didn't Ryo and I go there before?"

"It should be. I remember there was a temple on the mountainside over there."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded firmly, propping his head up with his right hand as he spoke:

“I remember Hui took me there. To be honest, it was the first time I had ever taken a bus for so many stops in one go. I felt like I was so far from home, and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get back.”

"Liang was actually afraid of this back then."

Karuizawa Kei chuckled, seemingly a little incredulous.

"After all, in my memory, Ryo is an all-powerful childhood friend."

"No one is omnipotent. There are always things that a person cannot do."

Kitagawa Ryo unzipped his jacket, then took it off and put it on backwards, showing the zipper on the back to Karuizawa Megumi:

"You see, if it's just one person, there's no way they can zip up the back of their pants by themselves."

As he spoke, he comically reached his right hand behind his back, trying to zip up the zipper, but he couldn't manage it halfway through.

"You look so stupid..."

Seeing that everyone's eyes were focused on them, Karuizawa Kei quickly reminded them:

"Hurry up and put it back on."

After Kitagawa Ryo put his jacket back on in the front, he said with a grin:

"Right, that's why I had Horikita do this at noon too, because she insisted on the idea that one person can survive and doesn't need anyone else."

"The results of it?"

Kitagawa Ryo shrugged, recalling how Horikita Suzune had blushed and refused to admit defeat at noon, desperately trying to zip up her zipper.

"Oh right, let's go to the pet store."

Seemingly having a good idea, Kitagawa Ryo suddenly stood up:

"Has Hui considered getting a cat or a dog? I'll buy you enough cat or dog food in advance. I also know the director of a pet hospital so that even after I leave, Hui will have a companion."

Karuizawa Kei could tell at a glance that Kitagawa Ryo had been prepared all along, so she simply brought along a pre-arranged surprise and excitement:

"Okay, okay, I also really like cats and dogs."

All she has to do now is accept all of Kitagawa Ryo's gifts. She wants to build a deeper and closer relationship with Kitagawa Ryo until their fates are completely intertwined. It seems that only by doing this can she feel a little more at ease. Even if Kitagawa Ryo really runs away one day, Karuizawa Kei can pull him back to her side by following the rope.

Half an hour later, Karuizawa Kei saw the beautiful white cat with fluorescent eyes. After seeing Kitagawa Ryo and Karuizawa Kei, it rubbed its blurry fluorescent eyes with its little paws, wagged its fluffy tail, and snuggled up to Kitagawa Ryo's finger to act cute.

What do you think of the name 'Firefly'?

Kitagawa Ryo held it and handed it to Karuizawa Megumi.

"It's a very nice name, I like it very much."

Kei Karuizawa gently took Hotaru from the white cat, playing with its little paws. Hotaru wasn't fierce at all.

"From now on, Hotaru will be Megumi's cat."

Seeing that Karuizawa Keiya also seemed very pleased, Kitagawa Ryo made his conclusion with satisfaction.

"I think this is the cat that Ryo and I raised together."

Karuizawa Kei lifted Hotaru's little paws and waved them cutely in front of Kitagawa Ryo.

"Isn't it?"

Her eyes were full of smiles.

I don't need to lie, why should I lie?

[Story CG: Lying, reading complete.]

Chapter Fifteen: The Little Prince and His Rose

On the night Jiangpu Huimei's maternal grandmother died, her mother hugged her in the hospital corridor, holding her body tightly and crying.

"Why are you crying?"

At the time, ten-year-old Emi asked her mother this question.

Her mother was also puzzled by the question.

Her mother told her that she would never see her mother again, and Jiangpu Huimei would never see her grandmother again. Wouldn't that be painful?

Why do I feel uncomfortable?

Her mother didn't understand her feelings when she asked that question.

"Grandma is dead, and we will all die too."

"What does this mean?" the mother asked Jiangpu Huimei with some horror, her voice trembling as if she couldn't understand her daughter.

"I don't know what the meaning of life is."

Her mother never understood her words, so Emi sighed.

"I don't understand what life is, nor do I know what living means. From the time I was born until now, I haven't felt any resonance whatsoever."

“You never talk to me about these topics.”