I have a life simulator.

After saying that, Kitagawa Ryo stood there for a while, and only after confirming that Yamamura Miki had completely left did he walk out of the bathroom and slowly start heading back towards the dormitory of the third group of first-year students.

Through this brief exchange with Miki Yamamura, Ryo Kitagawa was able to confirm with a high degree of certainty the identity of the target the other party was actually monitoring.

If there are no problems, it should be Hashimoto Masayoshi from Class 1-C.

Aside from the answer that Yamamura Miki herself admitted was an internal matter of Class 1-C, what actually gave Kitagawa Ryo this idea was a report from Kanzaki Ryuji.

Theoretically speaking, just like Miki Yamamura, he himself doesn't really know much about Masayoshi Hashimoto. After all, his schedule over the past year has been packed. Although OAA can help fill in some basic personal information and data, when it comes to details such as personality, hobbies, or any quirks, Ryo Kitagawa is much worse in this regard and is completely inferior to Kei Karuizawa and Honami Ichinose.

As for the entanglement between Ryuji Kanzaki and Masayoshi Hashimoto, it actually dates back to the sports festival last October. At that time, the Casanova Masayoshi Hashimoto easily won over a girl in Class B on his first attempt, and even managed to extract information about Class B's participation in the sports festival from her. However, not long afterward, due to Kiyotaka Ayanokouji's instructions to instigate infighting in Class A, he had no choice but to launch a second attack on Chiyo Maezono. Naturally, he broke up with the girl from Class B.

Actually, this wouldn't be a big deal in other classes, but it happened in the most collectivist and united Class B. So, a major investigation into the scumbag Hashimoto Masayoshi naturally began. Since Kanzaki Ryuji is a boy, which is more convenient, and he is also the vice class representative, the task of investigating and compiling information naturally fell to him.

In fact, Kanzaki Ryuji had been busy with this matter until the class voting exam at the end of last semester. He even followed Hashimoto Masayoshi all the way to Katsuragi Kohei and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. After observing for so long, during a casual chat after Kitagawa Ryo transferred to the class, Kanzaki Ryuji also told him a lot about Hashimoto Masayoshi.

One of the findings was that, according to his investigation, Hashimoto Masayoshi had a strange habit: whenever he had any troubles or worries, he liked to lock himself in a toilet stall to think about the problem, and he even had a habit of talking to himself.

According to Ryuji Kanzaki's speculation, this is likely related to Masayoshi Hashimoto's past experiences in elementary and middle school. He may have encountered similar bullying or sexual abuse during that time, which led to this habit.

Further reasoning from this perspective, the demeanor Hashimoto Masayoshi displayed after enrolling in Tokyo Advanced Educational High School was also a deliberate act of self-protection. Lying to others was his way of survival, and trust was utterly meaningless. As long as he betrayed others before he himself was betrayed, he would always be invincible.

You know what, after listening to Ryuji Kanzaki's analysis and combining it with his own understanding of Masayoshi Hashimoto, Ryo Kitagawa actually felt it was quite accurate. After all, he had witnessed Masayoshi Hashimoto's outrageous actions during the special exam on the deserted island. If the other party had dared to directly accuse Sho Ryuen back then, the entire process and outcome of the special exam on the deserted island might have been rewritten.

As for Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's purpose in having Yamamura Miki infiltrate the men's restroom to monitor Hashimoto Masayoshi, it seems he also realized that this person was too unreliable as a teammate, and most likely wanted to find an opportunity to kick him out of the class.

Hashimoto Masayoshi, of course, wouldn't sit idly by. Given his cunning nature and tendency to not put all his eggs in one basket, he's probably already arm in arm with Ryuen Sho from Class D. After all, if he really wanted to leave Class C and find a good new team, Class D would be his only option.

After sorting out the jumbled thoughts in his mind, Kitagawa Ryo finally returned to the door of the boys' dormitory of the third group, pushed the door open, and went inside.

Because he was already right on the lunch deadline, and had spent quite a while arguing with Miki Yamamura in the men's restroom, Kitagawa Ryo, who was once again the last to return to the dorm, unsurprisingly received a stare from all the dorm members. After all, he had made headlines in the student cafeteria just a few dozen minutes earlier, and no one cared about the former internet celebrity Nagumo Masaru, who had tried to ride the wild boar wave but was still past her prime.

"Um, if it's convenient, Kitagawa, could you tell me a little bit about your relationship with Sakayanagi-san from Class A?"

The words and phrases like 'engagement ring' and 'fiancé' have probably exceeded the level of reality experienced by high school students, and are rushing headlong towards an almost fantastical direction. Even Ishizaki Daichi, who is usually very outspoken, is unusually cautious at this time.

"Let's just consider it a kind of couple play between Arisu and me. Including Ishizaki himself, the students in the student cafeteria at noon are also part of our play."

Faced with Ishizaki Daichi's question, Kitagawa Ryo, who was neither able to confirm nor deny it, had already prepared an answer and thus casually brushed the question aside for the time being.

"Indeed, after all, this is the 21st century, not some world of Andersen's fairy tales."

Upon hearing Kitagawa Ryo's answer, Ishizaki Daichi scratched the back of his head and muttered something to himself.

"I think so too. After all, if you and Sakayanagi really had that kind of relationship, how could she let you spread all sorts of rumors with so many girls so freely?"

On the other side, Komiya Yogo echoed this sentiment.

"Actually, that's not necessarily true. Maybe Sakayanagi-san is just a girl with some strange fetish. I've met students who feel a sense of satisfaction from seeing their boyfriends so popular."

The one who picked up the conversation was Hashimoto Masayoshi, whom Kitagawa Ryo had just been thinking about. This C-class boy, who outwardly appeared to be a frivolous playboy, seemed to have a lot of credibility when he said this, and quickly steered the topic off course.

"Huh? I thought this kind of plot only happened in those kinds of movies, and that it's usually the guys who have this weird fetish, like deliberately pushing their girlfriends away."

It must be said that the boys were quite interested in discussing this topic. After all, it was their rest time in the afternoon, and since they were too lazy to take a nap, they chatted without any restraint.

"The last one I watched was like that, but that one was because the man had a congenital physiological problem and could only satisfy his twisted psychology through this kind of perverted play."

"Damn, now that you mention it, it's starting to feel more and more real to me. After all, given Kitagawa's level of experience, Sakayanagi could also be considered physiologically..."

"I said stop, stop—"

Seeing that the topic had already taken an unexpected turn and sped up rapidly while he, the person involved, was still present, Kitagawa Ryo quickly stepped in to stop the discussion.

"Stop making wild guesses and spreading rumors about my girlfriend. Instead of wasting your time, use it to review the material for the final exam the day after tomorrow. I remember Yukimura took notes for the whole exam, so share them with yourselves. Every point you can gain is a bonus. We're at the very end now, so let's all grit our teeth and persevere to the end."

Because they genuinely felt it wasn't appropriate to make such a lewd joke in front of the person in question, the boys in the third group quickly shut up after Kitagawa Ryo spoke. At the same time, Yukimura Teruhiko stood up and distributed the notes he had diligently taken in class over the past few days, as Kitagawa Ryo had instructed. In an instant, the entire dormitory returned to silence, with only the rustling sound of pages turning in the background.

Although Kitagawa Ryo also took two pages from Yukimura Teruhiko, he didn't need them at all because of his photographic memory. So he simply returned them to him, indicating that he had memorized them all. Then he lay down on the bed and closed his eyes to take a nap.

That said, the root of this incident and the problems surrounding Sakayanagi Arisu can be traced back to that talent known as the 'lost gem of a wealthy family'.

Looking back now, it was actually a mysterious talent that disrupted all his life plans and even the thoughts of many girls around him, a talent he would rather not have.

In a sense, this was a custom-made gift for Sakayanagi Arisu, instantly rekindling her fantasy about the long-lost engagement.

……wrong.

In that instant, Kitagawa Ryo suddenly realized, somewhat belatedly, that another girl beside him was deeply influenced by this talent.

This talent physically severed his original blood ties with the other party.

On this winter afternoon, Kitagawa Ryo suddenly and somewhat absentmindedly recalled the short line of text that the little cat had painstakingly typed on the keyboard before Hotaru's birthday celebration last Christmas, when he had asked her what she thought of another Hotaru:

[A more hopeful version of yourself that can achieve your dreams].

For a long time afterward, Kitagawa Ryo believed that the wish in that sentence meant that he was cured of his illness and could embrace a new future.

The conversation from that day flashed vividly back into his mind once again.

"However, I should have been the first to discover it. All of my brother's good qualities, all the reasons why others would like him, I realized and felt them before everyone else...

"Those three talents are what I want most."

"Firstly, it allows me to stay by my brother's side and ensure his good health."

"Secondly, as long as my brother is my brother, my family can be happy."

"If it's number three, then I'll grow up to be a beautiful girl who doesn't need everyone to admire her, only my brother admiring her is enough."

Hey... was this part of your plan?

Chapter 424: The Girls' Back and Forth

Outside the girls' dormitory of the first group of first graders.

"Although I know that apologizing to you at this time might seem a bit deliberate, it was something I had already decided to do. After all, I originally planned to return the ring and apologize to you immediately after the field training this morning... So, I'm very sorry, regarding my tacit agreement to let the students of Class C steal the ring, regardless of whether Hiyori will forgive me, I still want to express my sincerest apologies to you."

Looking at Sakayanagi Arisu, who was bowing slightly in front of her with a very sincere expression, Shiina Hiyori simply tightened her left hand with her right hand again. After the incident of the stolen ring, she no longer trusted even the inner pocket of her coat and instead chose to wear it directly on the middle finger of her left hand.

Of course, besides preventing further theft, as news of Sakayanagi Arisu's actions at the student cafeteria at noon spread among the students of Tokyo Advanced Educational High School, Shiina Hiyori herself no longer needed to receive excessive attention because of this as in the past. In a way, Sakayanagi Arisu helped her share some of the public opinion and attention, since what she was talking about was a proper engagement ring related to marriage, which had long exceeded the relationship between high school couples.

"but……"

Seeing that Shiina Hiyori was keeping her head down and remaining silent, seemingly unwilling to accept her apology, Sakayanagi Arisu shook her head and brought the topic to a more direct level:

"Although Liang took all the blame at noon today, I know that he was trying to save face for me, or rather, he was artificially setting a bottom line for me and you, and perhaps for more disputes like this in the future. The thought that he was prepared for this kind of thing makes me realize that Liang is not just playing around, but is seriously considering a future with us."

At this point, Sakayanagi Arisu, with a mix of emotions, folded her hands into her pockets. The winter afternoon sun looked warm but didn't bring much heat or warmth, and every gust of wind carried a distinct chill.

"Of course, even if he said that, I wouldn't deny that my motives for acquiescing to this matter didn't include those extreme negative emotions. In fact, sometimes I don't even want to remember it so clearly. Maybe it's because I remember it too clearly that I would especially want to go back to the past. It would be better to just forget it."

"...If Arisu forgets, then all the things Ryo did for you will have been in vain. Unseen, enormous sacrifices are a way to write a tragedy, but they are not needed in reality."

Seeing that Shiina Hiyori had finally been tricked into revealing something, Sakayanagi Arisu continued to elaborate on the issue:

"But even when you didn't remember, you still met and got to know Ryo without any surprises, didn't you? Before you got this ring at the sports festival, I even thought you were living a more carefree life. At least you wouldn't be worrying about how to give it back in a grand ceremony like you are now, and you would be seen as a fatal weakness by those with ulterior motives."

"It's different. A person's life is limited, and I will never feel that I have too little of these extra but real moments and memories."

Even if the ending is tragic?

"At least it taught me the experience and methods to avoid it, allowing me to understand Liang better and understand myself, because no matter what kind of memory it is, it is something that has already passed and ended. We live in the reality that time is moving forward little by little."

“If Hiyori were really like what you said, she wouldn’t have gone straight to Ryo’s side on the day of the cultural festival, and she wouldn’t have been hesitating until today, still thinking about how to return the ring.”

Faced with Sakayanagi Arisu's rebuttal, Shiina Hiyori simply shook her head:

“It’s no use for Arisu to say anything to me here. I’ve already talked all my emotions out with Megumi on the day of the cultural festival. Ryo had nothing to do with you that time. It was just a matter between me, Megumi, and him.”

Hiyori Shiina knew very well that she was lying, because in fact, in Karuizawa Megumi's second simulation, Arisu Sakayanagi occupied a significant portion of Kitagawa Ryo's past story, and was even the mastermind behind Karuizawa Megumi's "Autumn Memories". But since the other party had no idea, she naturally did whatever she could to hurt the other party.

As expected, Sakayana Arisu's expression wavered slightly after Shiina Hiyori's words, but she quickly retorted without hesitation:

"It's okay. After all, in my world and Ryo's world, there has never been a Hiyori, not even once."

To avoid the other person saying, "It's pathetic that you're still living in the illusions of the past," Sakayanagi Arisu added without hesitation:

"Besides, I won't have any other thoughts about you or the ring on your hand anymore. After all, I'll have one myself soon, and Ryo has already promised me."

"...Now I'm really starting to wonder what Arisu and Ryo have been through. It's a pity."

As a trainee who was abandoned by Kitagawa Ryo without a word in her memory and was left behind at this school for two and a half years (the simulation ended after the sports festival in the second semester of the first year), Shiina Hiyori originally thought that her resentment was already quite extreme. However, looking at Sakayanagi Arisu in front of her, she suddenly felt that she was still a mentally healthy little girl who just loved reading mystery novels, which made her want to explore the truth behind it all.

Actually, the girls had discussed their memories with each other before. During winter break, when Kitagawa Ryo gave them those little souvenirs, she, Sakayanagi Arisu, Karuizawa Megumi, and Ichinose Honami talked about this topic. However, at that time, they all emphasized only sharing good news and not bad news. They used the method of showering others with PDA to prove to others that their past with Ryo was perfect and that their past and present lives were complete. Everyone tacitly hid the truth behind those stories.

"It means exactly what I said at noon."

Faced with Shiina Hiyori's revisiting of old stories, Sakayanagi Arisu seemed to become somewhat interested in talking as well, her gaze drifting as if she were lost in memories of the past.

"Liang is my fiancé and also my childhood sweetheart."

Just when Shiina Hiyori thought that her partner was once again showing off their affection through the USB drive full of pathology data, as before, Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly stared into her pupils and said something completely unexpected in a rather calm, even dry, tone:

"However, until the day he passed away, our relationship remained at this level."

Despite it being a perfectly sunny day with excellent weather, and it being midday with the sun high in the sky, Shiina Hiyori still couldn't help but shiver after hearing Sakayanagi Arisu's words.

Theoretically speaking, for someone who is used to reading all kinds of mystery novels, this level of description is at most ordinary and definitely not scary. But perhaps it is because the person who said this and the person in the sentence are familiar and close to her in real life that she felt particularly shocked.

"That's precisely why I have reason to suspect that Fanbo's state before last summer vacation might have been due to her having witnessed or experienced similar events as me."

Because Ichinose Honami and Kitagawa Ryo have remained silent about this matter, and there are no special beings in reality like Amasawa Ichika or Shiina Hiyori who can share simulated memories with others, Sakayanagi Arisu can only make this speculation based on the available information. However, she really cannot imagine that the one who actually took action was Ichinose Honami herself.

"...Is this so?"

Perhaps because the topic Sakayanagi Arisu was talking about was too heavy, even though her tone didn't reveal much emotional fluctuation, Shiina Hiyori still felt a bit of a depressed atmosphere. After all, compared to being abandoned without saying goodbye, this kind of life-or-death experience is indeed more likely to cause personality distortion or change.

In fact, the trio formed in the final simulation all had very clear stances on their attitudes toward Kitagawa Ryo. Sakayanagi Arisu was a complete control freak, especially after the memory boost from the first simulation, she exuded an absolute desire to control Kitagawa Ryo.

Tianze Yixia is an absolute dependency, just like the rhesus monkeys in the experiment who were completely unable to engage in normal social and reproductive activities after being separated from their mothers. Now, she would freeze up if she were separated from Kitagawa Ryo, and she was constantly craving close physical and psychological contact.

As for Yuki, her situation is the most complicated because she has both of these psychological states at the same time. This is due to the abnormal situation caused by the fact that she and Kitagawa Ryo are each other's cloth mothers in the simulation. She wants to hurt and she also wants to protect. However, whether she wants to hurt and then protect or protect and then hurt is still a pseudo-proposition that even she herself cannot clearly distinguish.

However, Shiina Hiyori was naturally unaware of all this at the moment. Her personality was actually similar to that of Ichinose Honami, a warm-toned person. After all, literary girls who like to read mystery novels are naturally somewhat naive and innocent. Therefore, after being slightly agitated by Sakayanagi Arisu, her original resentment and anger towards her had completely disappeared.

"But as I just said, all of that is in the past. There's no need for Arisu to dwell on the past anymore. Just cherish and enjoy every moment of the present."

Seeing that Shiina Hiyori had even started to comfort him, Sakayanagi Arisu lowered her eyes and nodded silently.

"I know, I'm really sorry about what happened this time."

"Yes, I forgive Arisu. After all, Arisu only acquiesced this time. It was Class C who actually devised and implemented this plan. I must find a chance to get revenge next time."

As if to reinforce the persuasiveness of her statement, Shiina Hiyori clenched her little fist again, seemingly already pondering how to avenge Class C for this humiliation.

Seeing that the situation had finally evolved back to the current state as he had hoped, Sakayanagi Arisu nodded silently to himself.

In fact, after the field training this morning, she had already been thinking about how to prevent Shiina Hiyori and the girls from Class D from getting involved in her and Horikita Suzune's leadership struggle in Class A. After all, it was Suzune who helped find the ring in the end, and even just for that reason, the other party was very likely to side with Horikita Suzune as an external force at a crucial moment. Therefore, such timely reassurance and communication were still very necessary.

While Sakayanagi Arisu was reminiscing with Shiina Hiyori about their glorious past, her imagined rival Horikita Suzune was meeting with Amasawa Ichika.

In fact, Amazusa Ichika originally intended to be an observer. After all, she was never interested in the position of class leader, and her relationship with either Sakayanagi Arisu or Horikita Suzune was not good enough to warrant her full support. In the end, if she hadn't really not enough personal points, she would have been parachuted into Class B with Kitagawa Ryo long ago.

However, it must be said that Ayaka Sakayanagi's behavior this time really made Amazawa Ichika feel uncomfortable. As a staunch Kitagawa supporter, she has always adhered to the principle of "I'm too lazy to get involved in how you fight among yourselves, but don't drag Kitagawa Ryo into it." Especially since she herself had been troubled this morning, she went directly to Horikita Suzune after parting ways with Kitagawa Ryo and expressed her willingness to cooperate with her temporarily.

Horikita Suzune had no reason to refuse Amazusa Ichika's offer to join her class. After all, she was currently out of options. Because she had fallen for Sakayanagi Arisu's bet, her relationship with the other girls in her class was not very good. This morning, she even had to ask third-year student Tachibana Akane for help to steal the ring back. She was as pathetic as could be.

However, every advantage has its disadvantages. Horikita Suzune's actions this morning won the approval of many boys in Class A. In particular, her quiet dissemination of the news that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had already left was clearly intended to help Kitagawa Ryo out of a predicament. Therefore, students like Sudo Ken, who already had a good relationship with Kitagawa Ryo and felt that their class ranking was not that important, were more willing to cast their votes for her rather than Sakayanagi Arisu.

"Of course, the most important thing now is how to ensure that Liang can be in the best condition to take the final exam during this day and a half of rest."

When Horikita Suzune asked her question, Amasawa Ichika gave her answer without hesitation:

"Attack where the enemy must defend, just like we dealt with Class A during the special exam on the deserted island. Let them fall into chaos on their own."

As she spoke, the outstanding graduate of the white room also smiled, revealing her teeth. She was always a girl who held grudges, especially when it came to matters involving Kitagawa Ryo.

Moreover, she should be one of the three or four people who know best how to break down Sakayanagi Arisu's defenses.

Chapter 425: The Four-in-One Sacred Body of Love!

It has to be said that after a rather tight schedule of four or five days of training camp life, when this precious day and a half of vacation finally arrived, most of the students at Tokyo Advanced Educational High School were somewhat at a loss as to what to do.

After all, they are not like they are at school, where they can use all sorts of electronic devices to pass the time. The forest school does not have large, multi-functional buildings like the Beech Tree Shopping Center for them to wander around. They have already seen all the facilities on campus during the past few days of classes. Although the mountains and forests outside are quite vast and full of the primitive atmosphere of nature, since Nan Yunya from Class 2A has just had an accident, the school will naturally not allow students to go out again without reason and cause any possible accidents.

Perhaps it was because of the saying "when you're full and warm, you think about other things," or perhaps it was simply because they were exhausted from the boys' dormitory these past few days. Even though they had met other girls in their class and school during lunch in the morning and at noon, the topics of conversation in many boys' dormitories quickly and unconsciously veered off in an indescribable direction. Kitagawa Ryo's first-year third group was no exception. Less than an hour after Sakayanagi Arisu was mentioned, Ishizaki Daichi couldn't concentrate anymore and put down the notes he had taken from Yukimura Teruhiko for last-minute cramming. He whispered to his classmate Komiya Yogo, who was in the next bed.

"I really want this special exam to end as soon as possible. I hope it can be the final exam tomorrow. I don't even care what kind of grades I get. As long as I don't fail to reach the school's passing score, that's enough for me."

"Ugh, I feel like I'm going to go crazy if I stay here any longer."

"Huh? I think it's alright. Although it is a bit inconvenient, it's not to the point of being unbearable, is it?"

"Hehe, Xiao Gong, didn't you notice that I switched the direction of my head and feet to sleep after the first day? Although it's a bit late to say this now, promise me that you won't hang your washed socks at the foot of the bed in the future."

"Damn, I didn't even complain about you, but you're complaining about me first. You really should come and experience our basketball team, especially during summer training camp. You could train your nose to be perfect in just two days."

"...Now I'm glad it's winter."