I have a life simulator.

If you're in a bad mood, just have a good meal. This is a lesson Kitagawa Ryo learned when he was very young.

Catching sight of a bag of prepared shrimp, Kitagawa Ryo reached out and took it out, deciding to make himself some shrimp dumplings for dinner tonight.

The kitchen had all the basic ingredients. I took out wheat starch and cornstarch from the cupboard, added salt and mixed them, then poured boiling water over them and threw them directly into the pot, covered it and simmered for five minutes. During this time, I found some side dishes. Authentic shrimp dumplings usually use bamboo shoots, but unfortunately I didn't see any dried bamboo shoot strips, so I could only take corn kernels, stir-fry them in the pot, and then plate them for later use.

After the dough was formed, it was taken out and a little lard was added and kneaded into a ball. Kitagawa Ryo enjoyed the process of kneading and patting. Hotaru had run to the ground outside the kitchen door at some point. She still remembered the rule that Kitagawa Ryo did not let her near when he was cooking, so she sat there obediently. Kitagawa Ryo slammed the dough onto the cutting board again and again. Every time there was a slap, Hotaru would tremble in fright, and her fluffy little ears would sway back and forth.

After kneading the dough, Kitagawa Ryo took out the bag of shrimp, washed it, chopped it into a fine paste with the back of a knife, cooked it in a pot, and then took it out.

After Kitagawa Ryo finished dealing with all that, he finally had a free hand to walk out of the kitchen and grab a can of iced coffee from the refrigerator in the living room. He gulped it down, while Hotaru, who was next to him, seized the opportunity to pat his trouser leg, looking pitifully hungry herself.

After patting Hotaru's head, Kitagawa Ryo realized that there was indeed no cat food in the hotel. After carefully considering whether cats could eat shrimp dumplings, Kitagawa Ryo decisively abandoned the idea. He would just throw Hotaru one and see if she would eat it, instead of thinking about all this nonsense.

After washing his hands, Kitagawa Ryo sped up his work, first mixing cooked shrimp paste, corn kernels, shredded green onions, MSG, salt, sugar and other ingredients to make the filling, then putting it in the freezer to freeze for a while, then dividing the dough into pieces and making the wrappers, and after waiting a little while, taking out the cooled filling and wrapping it in the wrappers.

After making a few ordinary shrimp dumpling shapes, Kitagawa Ryo started idly folding other shapes. After making a few oddly shaped ones, he threw all the shrimp dumplings into the steamer and steamed them over high heat.

The shrimp dumplings that were finally served were quite translucent. Apart from a few oddly shaped ones that looked even more distorted after steaming, the others looked pretty good. I quickly prepared a dipping sauce. Although dipping shrimp dumplings in chili sauce is a bit heretical, when Kitagawa Ryo eats alone, he always cares about his own happiness.

Kitagawa Ryo had no intention of watching TV today, and his phone was left charging on the bedside table. Hotaru cleverly didn't climb onto the dining table, but instead found a chair and squatted on it, watching Kitagawa Ryo eat the shrimp dumplings one by one.

"Pfft."

Seeing Hotaru's increasingly mournful gaze, almost bringing tears to her eyes, Kitagawa Ryo finally laughed. As soon as he laughed, Hotaru became even bolder, jumping onto Kitagawa Ryo's shoulder and rubbing her fluffy body against him, acting cute.

Kitagawa Ryo stopped teasing it and used chopsticks to pick up two shrimp dumplings and put them on the table. Whether Hotaru was really hungry or Kitagawa Ryo's shrimp dumplings suited its taste, Hotaru swallowed them almost instantly, and then stuck out its tongue to lick its mouth and little paws.

Hotaru is the kind of kitten that gets cuter the more you look at her. Kitagawa Ryo simply put down his chopsticks and focused on Hotaru's little face. He had heard that anime girls are drawn in the shape of cats, for example, making the eyes bigger and the nose and mouth less prominent.

Kitagawa Ryo's close proximity made Hotaru suddenly feel a little flustered. She licked Kitagawa Ryo's right hand that he offered and rubbed against his fingers.

"I'm still eating."

Although he said that, Kitagawa Ryo didn't seem angry at all. He even reached out and hugged Hotaru to his chest.

"Hotaru, do you think I'm really useless...?"

Kitagawa Ryo stroked the fur on Hotaru's chin. Every time he gently scratched it there for a while, Hotaru would squint her eyes comfortably.

But today, Hotaru still looked at Kitagawa Ryo with her bright, jewel-like eyes, puzzled. She didn't know what her master was doing. This was the first time she had seen Kitagawa Ryo with such an expression since she was picked up by her master on a rainy night half a year ago.

Kitagawa Ryo usually seems very calm, with a smile unconsciously on her face. Sometimes she'll write letters alone with the lights on in the middle of the night, sometimes she'll laugh out loud for no reason, and sometimes she'll deliberately pour out too much cat food to torment herself...

I've never seen him like this before.

Hotaru subconsciously licked the liquid that had dripped down Kitagawa Ryo's face. It was bright and shiny and looked pretty, but it tasted bitter and salty.

"Meow……?"

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Kitagawa Ryo heard the knocking at 10:30 p.m.

He stood up to open the door, and sure enough, it was Karuizawa Megumi.

Karuizawa Kei was standing there wearing that long black dress. Unlike yesterday, she had applied a ring of light red lipstick to her lips, as if she had specially made herself up before coming. Kitagawa Ryo glanced at her bright red lips and felt a strange sense of disgust and sorrow welling up in his heart.

Kitagawa Ryo remained silent, and Karuizawa Megumi stood nervously at the door, like a recently released prisoner standing bewildered at the prison gate, unsure of where to go. But in the end, she hurriedly spoke first:

"Hotaru, is it here with Ryo?"

Once the silence was shattered, it lost its meaning. Kitagawa Ryo sighed and prepared to go into the room to carry Hotaru out to her, but as soon as he turned around, he found that Karuizawa Megumi had already taken slippers, changed, and followed him in.

The clock on the wall ticked away like a traveler on his journey, its sound echoing in the room, seemingly amplifying the entire space. Karuizawa Kei walked silently to the living room and pulled a brand-new red rose from her bag, as if searching for a suitable place to put it.

Where did you buy it?

Kitagawa Ryo finally composed himself and tried to speak to Karuizawa Megumi as naturally as possible.

"I happened to see a flower stall downstairs, and they gave me the last flower for free, saying it wouldn't be fresh tomorrow."

Karuizawa Megumi spoke as if she had been granted a pardon. She looked around, still searching for a suitable home for the flower, and asked timidly:

"Do you have any empty vases here? I heard that if you change the water regularly, the flowers can stay open for a few more days."

Kitagawa Ryo then went into a few small rooms next door. He remembered that there seemed to be a few decorative bottles and jars on the windowsill there. Karuizawa Megumi followed closely behind him, like a little dog wearing a bell. Kitagawa Ryo could even faintly hear the jingling sound.

They found a vase of the right size, and Karuizawa Megumi put the roses in it. She then moved the vase to the living room table, and this unexpected new decoration seemed to brighten up the whole room.

"I heard that after Valentine's Day every year, you can find a whole rose garden in the trash cans on the streets of Tokyo."

Karuizawa Kei propped her head up and looked at the bright red rose.

Use it and then discard it.

Kitagawa Ryoya reached out and touched the red rose, but Hotaru, perched on his shoulder, seemed uninterested in the bright, thorny flower and didn't even bother to smell it.

"Have you heard the story of Valentine's Day roses, Hui?"

It seems like a light rain has started to fall outside, like the clock on the wall is walking along, dripping and pattering.

"It is said that a high school student bought a large bouquet of roses for his girlfriend on Valentine's Day, but before going out on a date, he suddenly decided to give one to each of his father and grandfather, jokingly saying that they should also give one to his partner, who is his mother and grandmother."

My father and grandfather had never experienced anything like this before. My grandfather didn't even know what Valentine's Day and roses meant. They instinctively felt a little ashamed and embarrassed, saying they'd been married for so long and were way past these youthful customs.

"But in the end, the two of them still gave the roses away. The father gave it to his wife who was cooking in the kitchen, and the grandfather gave it to his wife who was sick and staying in the hospital. To their surprise, both of them accepted the roses with delight."

The large bouquet of roses that the high school student gave to his girlfriend was left in the hotel room after they checked in, and was casually thrown into the trash can by the second cleaning staff.

The rose her father gave to his wife was carefully cared for in a vase for several days, remaining vibrant for a week afterward.

The rose that Grandpa gave to his wife was dried and made into a sachet, which he still wears around his neck to this day.

Kitagawa Ryo briefly recounted the story he had seen in a book before. He had read quite a few of these miscellaneous short stories back then, and he still had some impression of them.

After telling the story, he took the rose back out of the vase, not even noticing the water that dripped onto the table.

"For you."

Kitagawa Ryo handed the rose to Karuizawa Megumi.

"Eh... but I just gave this to Ryo, didn't I?"

Karuizawa Kei clearly hadn't expected this turn of events. She hesitated, unsure whether to accept it. Kitagawa Ryo should have known the significance of a boy giving a girl a red rose, but at this moment, he generously handed over the rose as if it were a piece of candy given to a child.

"Maybe it's because I don't like seeing roses wither in front of me, and besides, I don't know how to make sachets."

Kitagawa Ryo offered a half-joking explanation, then, touching the thornless stem of the rose that had been smoothed with a knife, he half-forcefully shoved it into Karuizawa Megumi's hand:

"It's raining outside, Hui should go home early. Jiangpu Huimei has been arrested this afternoon on suspicion of murdering her own father. Hui doesn't need to worry anymore..."

Karuizawa Kei held the rose in her hand. Its bright red color made her arms and fingers, which were exposed outside her black dress, appear exceptionally pale. Her figure seemed to shrink considerably, and her voice was lost in the sound of rain in the deep night.

"I...I brought clothes."

When Kitagawa Ryo heard Karuizawa Megumi say this, her eyes looked thirsty and dry, like a plant on the verge of death.

Firefly rolled over, still confused about what the two people were doing.

Chapter Twenty-Three: A Bloodstained Kiss

A faint scent of incense lingered in the hotel room. Kitagawa Ryo had been staying there for three days, but he only noticed it now.

The faint, fresh scent of grass and trees tantalized his senses, as if there was a plant-based allure in the air. Kitagawa Ryo lay on the sofa and turned up the TV volume, seemingly trying to drown out the sound of running water from the bathroom behind him.

Even though Horikita Suzune had used the bathroom here that morning, Kitagawa Ryo had already left the room by then. So when he realized that there was a girl in the bathroom less than ten meters behind him, Kitagawa Ryo couldn't help but feel a strange mix of emotions. A little nervousness, a strange sense of anticipation, a slight shyness, and other random feelings mingled together like the dipping sauces he often made. Kitagawa Ryo's heart was like a shrimp dumpling being held between chopsticks, bobbing up and down in this sauce.

Perhaps because the hotel was relatively upscale, the bathroom had both a bathtub and a shower. Karuizawa Kei seemed to have showered first before getting into the bathtub, which was already filled with water. As for Kitagawa Ryo's reasoning, it was partly based on the sound, and partly...

Kitagawa Ryo carefully shifted his body, his eyes fixed on the TV screen but his mind was elsewhere. Because he was used to living alone, he hadn't noticed that the hotel bathroom was designed very differently. The frosted glass walls only covered about four-fifths of the space, leaving the area below the knees completely transparent.

As a result, Kitagawa Ryo, who was lying on the bed at the beginning, could see Karuizawa Megumi's calves and feet, as well as the water flowing down her fair skin, from this subtle angle with just a slight turn. So Kitagawa Ryo quickly moved from the bed to the sofa, ruthlessly shooing Hotaru, who was lying comfortably there, aside, and then pretended to turn on the TV.

"...Trouble."

The rain was still falling outside the window, the raindrops hitting the transparent glass and leaving crisscrossing streaks. The boy's face reflected in the glass seemed to be distorted as well. Kitagawa Ryo supported his head with his left hand, his eyes half-closed.

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This is an extremely spacious space compared to the word "bathroom." In Karuizawa Kei's mind, the bathroom is a narrow and enclosed place like a dressing room. The small size, where you can see all around at a glance, brings a sense of security to some people, but also a deadly sense of suffocation to others.

Karuizawa Kei looked around the bathroom.

The enormous bathtub, which even exceeds the size of one's own room and could comfortably accommodate two adults, was already filled with hot water before one entered and automatically adjusted to the most comfortable temperature. On the shelf next to it were yellow rubber ducks of unknown purpose and various kinds of bath gels.

The expensive-looking lighting fixtures cast a warm, yellowish glow, and the pristine white wall tiles, maintained daily by a professional, were spotless and almost mirror-like.

Karuizawa Kei submerged herself completely in the hot water, relaxing every muscle in her body, and looked up at the misty ceiling.

She could hear the sound of the television coming from outside, and Karuizawa Kei suddenly began to enjoy the atmosphere. She was in the bathroom, while Kitagawa Ryo was watching TV in the living room outside. After she finished showering, she could naturally lean against him. At this moment, it didn't matter what was on TV.

When she was little, Karuizawa Kei didn't like taking pictures with Kitagawa Ryo for a while because his back was always straight, his mouth was always upturned, and his eyes were always bright, unlike her, who looked like a sickly little dog soaked in the rain, like a broken piece of porcelain that could be broken at the slightest touch.

At that time, she wondered if Kitagawa Ryo's friendship with her was just because he felt sorry for her. Does feeling sorry for someone count as a kind of affection? The word "feeling sorry for someone" always felt like a condescending act. Karuizawa Kei shoved half of her face into the water, creating a series of bubbles.

Karuizawa Kei shook her head, dismissing these thoughts. Anyway, she was already halfway down the path she had set for herself, and she had no intention of turning back. In fact, feelings didn't matter anymore; sometimes, not understanding was a good thing.

When Karuizawa Megumi finished showering and stood in front of the mirror, unlike yesterday in the fitting room, she accepted her body immediately, including the scars. Karuizawa Megumi naturally reached out to touch them. In fact, they no longer hurt. As long as she didn't think about them, they were as if they didn't exist.

The most real and eternal things are actually just a thought away. As long as you keep thinking about them, they will never die. Once you give up thinking about them, they will disappear as lightly as a wisp of smoke.

Karuizawa Kei quickly got dressed. Summer clothes are few to begin with, and now she was like a freshly fired porcelain piece, pushing open the bathroom door with a sense of freshness and a little trepidation.

Kitagawa Ryo was sitting there upright, but the moment Karuizawa Megumi pushed the door open, his right hand, which was stroking Hotaru, suddenly increased the frequency by fifty percent. He was rubbing Hotaru's back frantically at a speed that seemed like he was about to rub her bald. The drastic change startled Hotaru, who looked up at Kitagawa Ryo suspiciously.

Fortunately, Karuizawa Kei didn't come over immediately. Instead, she grabbed a hairdryer she had prepared beforehand and started drying her wet hair on her own.

The intermittent strong winds ruffled Hotaru's fur, and the little guy thought it had encountered some kind of storm, so it snuggled closer to Kitagawa Ryo before feeling at ease.

The hairdryer stopped, and Kitagawa Ryo's nerves tensed instantly. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Karuizawa Megumi, who had just finished showering, walking gracefully towards him. She seemed to still have a layer of mist rising from her body, making her skin appear even whiter and rosier. Her long, honey-colored hair was loosely draped over her shoulders, not tied up as usual. Karuizawa Megumi, wearing a plain white T-shirt and denim shorts, sat down next to Kitagawa Ryo.

"Liang, help me dry my hair."

Perhaps because her hair was so thick, even though it had been blow-dried, many of the ends still had a lot of moisture. Karuizawa Kei, somewhat annoyed, naturally handed Kitagawa Ryo a dry towel.

"……understood."

Karuizawa Megumi, who had just taken a shower, was a little warmer than Kitagawa Ryo. When she took the dry towel, she accidentally touched the other's hand, which was also warm. Kitagawa Ryo did not refuse and began to dry Karuizawa Megumi's hair little by little while her back was turned to him.

Karuizawa Kei's hair was of excellent quality, soft and smooth, like the finest silk, with a pleasant scent, a fresh fragrance of herbs and trees. Kitagawa Ryo placed Hotaru on his left and turned around to carefully wipe Karuizawa Kei's hair. Water droplets fell onto her snow-white shoulders, carrying an alluring beauty.

"It's all wiped clean."

Kitagawa Ryo ran his hand through Karuizawa Kei's newly dried hair again, but unexpectedly Karuizawa Kei suddenly leaned back and fell into his arms with her back turned. His hand followed Karuizawa Kei's movement and landed on her head. His fingertips instantly felt an unnatural touch.

It's a scab on the wound.

"Ah...this is—"

Karuizawa Kei instinctively prepared to speak; after telling Horikita Suzune's lie today, she was already quite adept at it.

But Kitagawa Ryo just smiled at her and shook his head, saying:

"I have already met Emi Eura today."

Panic and embarrassment overwhelmed Karuizawa Kei in an instant. Her expression was like that of a child who had been caught lying by her parents. She looked like she wanted to cry but was also pursing her lips, thinking about how to explain herself. All sorts of thoughts rushed into her mind, and Karuizawa Kei's brain suddenly went blank.

She could only look pitifully at Kitagawa Ryo, just like the pitiful expression on Hotaru's face when Kitagawa Ryo found her back then, as if she were waiting for her fate to be judged.

"Really...really...there's no need to do this anymore."

Kitagawa Ryo stared at Karuizawa Megumi with a strange expression, a bitter look that was a mixture of heartache and sorrow.

Why are you looking at me like that?

I couldn't understand the problem for a moment, but I quickly realized that if he continued talking, things would spiral out of control in an unimaginable direction.

No, that's not right, it shouldn't be like this.

"Jiangpu Huimei, Jiangpu Huimei is lying to you. How could you believe someone like her? She's always been jealous of me, she was jealous of me back then, she just wanted me to be bullied. Jiangpu Huimei has been bullying me for a long time, look, look at this scar on my head, she cut it with a knife, she wanted to kill me, she wanted to kill me—"

“If Ryo doesn’t come back, she will definitely kill me. I knew I was kidnapped when school started. She’s using my name to bully others, but in the end it’s always me. People will just say that Karuizawa Kei bullied girls from other classes, and then she uses that as an excuse to bully me... Ryo saw it too, right? Right? Right?”

Karuizawa suddenly rolled over and pinned Kitagawa Ryo down beneath her. She held Kitagawa Ryo tightly, babbling incoherently and nonsensical sentences, as if Kitagawa Ryo were the bottomless tree hole in a fairy tale, and Karuizawa was eager to bury all her secrets inside.

"..."

Kitagawa Ryo felt Karuizawa Megumi's weight pressing down on him. Her legs were already wrapped around his thighs, and her long hair was draped over his cheeks and chest. He stared blankly at the swaying Karuizawa Megumi, as if he were seeing her for the first time.

"benefit."

He could hear the other person's burning heartbeat and breathing. He ignored all the arguments in his ears and quietly called out Karuizawa Megumi's name.

Kitagawa Ryo's eyes were gradually reddening, and his voice was becoming a little hoarse.

"You lied."