I have a life simulator.

"Okay, I admit defeat."

The instant Kitagawa Ryo finished speaking, she swiftly unleashed a combo on the BOSS. Seeing its health bar about to reach zero, Horikita Suzune became somewhat anxious again:

"let me!"

"Your comment really reminds me of those minor characters who try to steal the protagonist's first kill and then get killed by a boss in a blood-draining frenzy..."

Before Kitagawa Ryo could finish speaking, Horikita Suzune, who had rushed forward, was struck by the monster on the screen and became stunned, followed by a powerful triple slash.

"He really is dead..."

While Horikita Suzune was still staring blankly at the black-and-white image on the screen, Kitagawa Ryo calmly and quickly took away the BOSS's last bit of health:

"pass."

"I think your expression is worse than if you hadn't..."

Kitagawa Ryo looked at Horikita Suzune, who had lost all power, and after successfully reviving her using his character, he nudged her shoulder.

"Let's go to the next location."

The two then moved silently toward the next location in the game, leaving only background sound effects and silent breathing in the room.

"Has Lingyin never played two-player games before?"

"Ah."

Horikita Suzune stared intently at the screen, the white light casting a pale and blank light on her face.

"……Yeah?"

Kitagawa Ryo casually replied:

"If I had died uselessly just now, what would Suzune have done?"

"Take your controller and control two characters at the same time. Even if you take turns fighting them one by one, it's better than having one character who is completely useless."

Horikita Suzune answered without any politeness:

"Furthermore, I really dislike your attitude. You could clearly help the team, but you don't step in. Are you going to stay behind and be the hero at the end?"

"But it's just a game, right?"

“Games are also a competition. The essence of clearing a game is a cheap thrill of solving problems one by one. If people could realize that this is also true in real life, there wouldn’t be so many lazy people who give up easily. It’s better to work alone than to cooperate with them as a team.”

"What if Rinne isn't capable enough on her own? It's like a tortoise struggling to turn itself over."

Horikita Suzune rolled her eyes at Kitagawa Ryo:

"Can you please stop using this analogy every time? People aren't tortoises. If you're not capable enough, you should improve yourself."

"Only fools would not use the abilities they possess."

Kitagawa Ryo shook his head and asked:

"But how can Rinne determine whether the other party has any ability? Or rather, can you even see what kind of ability the other party possesses?"

"Take this game as an example. A skilled player can easily carry a newbie through the game. If you're testing their skills in this game, then they are undoubtedly capable. But in reality, they might just be a game enthusiast who stays at home all the time. If you're testing their physical abilities, then they would be useless."

Horikita Suzune retorted somewhat indignantly:

"I trust my own judgement."

"But in my opinion, Rin just likes to arbitrarily define people based on the surface of phenomena."

Kitagawa Ryo put the controller aside and said to Horikita Suzune in a very serious tone:

"For example, Horikita Manabu is not good at this game at all."

He smiled at the girl, and almost subconsciously reached out to touch her hair, just like he used to do with Karuizawa Kei. But as he raised his hand, he realized it was Horikita Suzune, so he could only pretend nothing was wrong and put his hand back down.

"I hope Suzune will remember this after I leave."

Kitagawa Ryo stated it this way.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Another Fireworks Festival

"Hmm...a fireworks display?"

Kitagawa Ryo raised his eyes slightly and introduced Shiina Hiyori on the other end of the line in a calm and easygoing tone:

"It's probably just a day to find an excuse to set off fireworks."

"Why would Hiyori suddenly ask me this?"

"Oh, because I said before that I would go back to London after the fireworks festival, right?"

Kitagawa Ryo stood up and took out the fireworks festival flyers that he had been handing out on the street for the past two days. The date written on them was tomorrow. Two days had passed since Karuizawa Kei came to stay at the hotel. Since nothing special had happened, it felt like the time had passed in the blink of an eye.

"A fireworks display can actually be considered a festival."

For some reason, Kitagawa Ryo himself was still unwilling to reveal his thoughts that he might not return to London as scheduled; he simply continued to explain the term:

"Especially for holidays with strong social elements, it might be a bit difficult for Hiyori?"

Upon hearing Shiina Hiyori's soft hum on the other end of the phone, Kitagawa Ryo, sensing something amiss, asked:

"Did Hiyori wear a yukata before?"

Having received a hesitant and uncertain reply, Kitagawa Ryo smiled and said:

"...Really? Hmm, you must try it next time you go back to Tokyo."

"Okay, bye."

After hanging up the phone, Kitagawa Ryo refocused his gaze on the black-haired girl sitting opposite him, and waved to her with a bright smile:

"Good morning, Ringtone."

"Good morning."

Horikita Suzune nodded naturally. If it weren't for Horikita Manabu's request, Kitagawa Ryo felt he would never want to get involved with a problematic girl like her, even though his childhood friend Karuizawa Megumi had even more serious problems.

Seeing Kitagawa Ryo sigh inexplicably, Horikita Suzune also cast a sharp gaze at him without any hesitation:

"You seem to be thinking about something inappropriate."

"Yes, yes, I'm thinking about how to marry Suzune into the Kitagawa family. Doesn't Kitagawa Suzune sound nice?"

"This kind of joke only leaves a frivolous impression."

"Anyway, I won't leave a good impression on Lingyin."

Kitagawa Ryo raised an eyebrow. For a girl like Horikita Suzune, whether it's a good or bad impression, leaving a deep impression is the most important thing. At least then she'll be willing to have even the bare minimum of communication with you.

"Why did you call me here today? You've messed up my schedule again."

Horikita Suzune knew that Kitagawa Ryo wouldn't contact her for no reason. Although they had formed an alliance, it was only a superficial relationship so far. Horikita Suzune was an overly calm girl. Perhaps that night a few days ago had indeed touched something deep inside her, but as soon as dawn broke, it all disappeared, and she returned to her original state.

She still maintained that detailed, almost strict, schedule, still getting up at six in the morning to wash up and go for a run, learning new knowledge and reading new books every day. That indulgent night of playing games all night was almost as if it never existed, becoming like water without a source.

"Does Rinne hate variables?"

"Because variables often mean instability."

"However, outstanding talents often need to have the ability to face and solve changes."

"More talented people can nip all the variables in the bud from the very beginning."

Kitagawa Ryo glanced at Horikita Suzune, who always wanted to take on everything, and roughly understood the meaning of "a bad person with a big addiction". He stood up and pounced on Horikita Suzune, punching her pretty face without hesitation.

Horikita Suzune was completely unprepared for Kitagawa Ryo's sudden outburst. She instinctively raised her arm to protect herself, but Kitagawa Ryo instantly withdrew his fist and grabbed Horikita Suzune's wrist, pulling and dragging her down onto the sofa.

"You see, Lingyin can't predict these kinds of variables now."

Kitagawa Ryo raised his right thigh to press down on Horikita Suzune's still kicking legs, and smiled with a hint of amusement:

"I remember Xue told me that Lingyin had also learned some self-defense techniques, but it seems they weren't very useful."

Horikita Manabu is a 5th dan in karate and a 4th dan in aikido. Kitagawa Ryo has also studied martial arts. Horikita Suzune's physical abilities are definitely among the best of her peers, and she is indeed learning self-defense techniques in the footsteps of her brother. However, when faced with Kitagawa Ryo's sudden attack, she did not react at all, which disappointed Kitagawa Ryo.

"When a person is pinned down, they will try to straighten up by using their lower back muscles."

As Kitagawa Ryo spoke, he pressed his left elbow directly against Horikita Suzune's waist, which was extremely flexible and still trying to exert force at this moment, and pressed it down heavily.

"Well……"

Her face was pressed hard into the sofa, her right hand was held captive by Kitagawa Ryo's right hand, and her legs and waist were firmly controlled. Horikita Suzune let out a whimper of unwillingness, but she showed no intention of begging for mercy.

"Let me go."

"So Lingyin still likes to define people on her own, even though I told her this a few days ago."

Kitagawa Ryo used his elbow to apply more force, and he positioned it precisely at the core of Horikita Suzune's waist. A tingling, slightly painful sensation traveled from the nerves deep in her spine to Horikita Suzune's brain, causing her to groan a few more times.

"For example, Rin would never have imagined that I have any fighting skills, nor would she have imagined that I would suddenly attack you. These are all variables."

Kitagawa Ryo, calculating that the time was about right, took a step back and released his hold on Horikita Suzune, looking at the girl whose face was flushed and who was panting heavily, and said:

"Lingyin still has a long way to go."

"Tsk."

Smacking her lips in annoyance, Horikita Suzune rubbed her aching shoulders and looked at the boy in front of her who always wore a smile but had just attacked her so ruthlessly, asking:

"You didn't call me here just for this, did you?"

"of course not."

Kitagawa Ryo shook his head and sat back down on the sofa. Horikita Suzune, on the other side, could still feel the tingling in her waist. She gritted her teeth and glared at Kitagawa Ryo, then gave up and sat back down.

"Has Lingyin ever been to a fireworks festival?"

As Kitagawa Ryo handed over the flyer on the table, he casually asked while sending a message to someone.

"No."

Horikita Suzune would never go to those bustling and crowded temple fairs. Since the festive atmosphere makes a lonely person seem like a wandering ghost, she'd rather not go out.

"……All right."

Kitagawa Ryo rubbed his forehead, looking a bit of a headache.

"It seems I'll need to buy you a suitable yukata before tomorrow."

"What on earth do you want to do?"

Horikita Suzune suddenly felt a strange, inexplicable anticipation welling up inside her, but she didn't mince words:

"I've already booked a viewing of Hemingway's 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' for tomorrow night."

"Let's take a group photo! Take two photos to fool our parents."

Kitagawa Ryo spoke casually, and he even thoughtfully added:

"It won't take long, maybe five minutes? Lingyin will still have plenty of time to go back and read her book."

"……understood."

Horikita Suzune seemed to want to say something more, but then she saw Kitagawa Ryo gesture for her to be quiet as he answered a phone call.

"Hui, it's me."

"Okay, no problem. Just like before, it's still the two of us."

"You mean that shop that sells candied apples? Of course I remember. Hui couldn't finish them and gave them to me to eat."

"Alright, alright, no matter what Hui says now, it won't change the fact that my record against me in catching goldfish is seven to zero."

Horikita Suzune looked at Kitagawa Ryo in an intimate tone and looked away with slight annoyance.

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

"We found a heart-shaped mold in the cabinet."

On the morning of the fireworks festival, Kitagawa Ryo brought out breakfast from the kitchen. In addition to the usual dishes, the heart-shaped egg placed in the center immediately caught Karuizawa Megumi's attention. Kitagawa Ryo explained this to her.

"They look a little reluctant to eat it."

Karuizawa Kei poked the thick, heart-shaped egg with her chopsticks. After that night, Karuizawa Kei never did anything outrageous again. She was as innocent and cute as a girl who was really her age, and she waited for Kitagawa Ryo's breakfast like a child. You couldn't tell at all that she was so stubborn that night when she still kissed him even though there was blood on her lips.

Kitagawa Ryo had already adjusted his mindset, but he didn't expect Karuizawa Megumi to be able to pretend that nothing had happened, which made him a little suspicious that the other party was planning something big.

"Liang, come and eat with us too."

For example, right now, Karuizawa Kei is smiling and acting coquettishly towards Kitagawa Ryo.