I have a life simulator.

At this point, Honami Ichinose stretched, her black business suit showing off her graceful figure, making even her female assistant a little envious.

Putting aside the workload, the assistant was extremely envious of her boss's appearance and income, and even secretly regarded her as her ideal for future success.

I really don't know who will be lucky enough to marry the section chief in the future...

Just as the assistant was having this thought, she suddenly heard Ichinose Honami say:

"By the way, I need to take a break next month. Could you help me apply to the company for that?"

"Okay, okay, section chief, are you going to take the annual leave you didn't finish last year?"

"No, it's maternity leave."

Honami Ichinose smiled and shook her head, then unconsciously reached out and gently touched her lower abdomen.

She has become a better daughter than her mother.

Therefore, she will become an even better mother than her.

P.S.: Thank you for reading and subscribing.

Personal Side Story: Horikita Suzune: The Ultimate Taste of Humanity

Horikita Suzune has recently developed a sudden interest in soufflé cakes.

The incident likely stemmed from a novel she had recently read during her free time, titled "When You're Sad, Go to the Kitchen." The story follows three protagonists from different countries who, facing unexpected difficulties in their lives, try to find the strength to face life anew through the kitchen and a soufflé cake that requires extreme patience.

As for why Horikita Suzune suddenly started reading this type of novel, it was mainly because she herself had the idea of ​​writing her own novels during this period.

Just as Karuizawa Kei, who has already achieved great success and became the first Asian actress to win the Olivier Award, the highest honor in the theater industry, is asked by reporters whether she has any plans to publish an autobiography or memoir, Horikita Suzune has also been troubled by similar issues.

However, what the other party initially asked for was actually just a simple cookbook, similar to a recipe book.

Generally speaking, once a cooking blogger gains fame on the internet, all sorts of similar collaborations will come knocking on their door one after another. These collaborations may involve requests to endorse kitchenware or other kitchen products, or the launch of related products (which are essentially just rebranding their own products). It is also common for publishers or advertisers to come and negotiate book publishing.

To be honest, Horikita Suzune wasn't interested in any of these things at first, especially the last one, because she always felt that her own recipes were only tailored to a few people and not suitable for the general public. If she wanted to pursue universality, there were cookbooks and culinary books for kitchen novices everywhere on the market.

Just like the cookbooks she bought, over the years, Horikita Suzune has added annotations to every recipe in every book, and some even made deletions and comments. If the book says "bake at 180 degrees", then after personally experimenting, she might add a sentence next to it: "175 degrees tastes better".

In this respect, if all these annotations were copied down and organized, they could probably be pieced together into a new book belonging to Horikita Suzune herself. But as mentioned earlier, the colors painted on it, in a narrow sense, belong only to her and Kitagawa Ryo.

There may be half the people in this world who don't eat cilantro, just like him, but there is always another half who like to eat cilantro.

That is why Horikita Suzune always felt that if she really intended to write something down, she would rather use food and the kitchen as a starting point to write about other things than simple recipes.

This might also be an influence from Hiyori Shiina, just like her father who directly reversed his real name to use as his pen name. This father and daughter always tend to use a writing style that leaves the uninformed confused and those in the know amused, integrating real-life emotions into their creations.

However, compared to her father, a third-rate novelist, his daughter has clearly gone much further down this path.

After asking Hiyori Shiina for the secrets, Suzune Horikita received the answer that one must first be a good reader before becoming an author.

And so she began to read a lot of books on the subject, including "When You're Sad, Go to the Kitchen."

Perhaps because Horikita Suzune also has the identity of a chef compared to a mere reader, she inevitably became very interested in the soufflé cake, which is the focus of the book and serves as a key clue throughout the entire book, right from the beginning of reading it.

As a pastry chef who apprenticed under Kitagawa Ryo, Horikita Suzune's current skill level can no longer be described as that of an amateur after several years of professional training. However, it is precisely because of this that she is also very clear about the unique features of the soufflé cake that is repeatedly mentioned in the article and serves as the key point.

Actually, if you look at the recipe and method, this world-famous dessert doesn't require many ingredients or complicated procedures. But it's as if it's cursed by the god of cakes. Whether you're a cooking novice or a seasoned chef, you'll inevitably mess up this dessert.

This dessert is actually depicted in the classic Japanese food manga and anime adaptation, Food Wars!

In the early part of the story, during a training camp for his grade, when faced with the task of making breakfast using eggs as an ingredient, the protagonist, Soma Yukihira, chose a soufflé cake, only to be dealt a harsh blow by reality.

No matter how meticulously or carefully this dessert is made, it will collapse rapidly from the center within just a few minutes of being taken out of the oven, and its beautiful appearance will vanish along with its light taste.

For beginners, this sudden and devastating change can happen in just a few seconds. For highly talented culinary geniuses like Soma Yukihira, the protagonist of "Food Wars!", all they can do is prolong the process slightly, but it will inevitably collapse in the end, like a fleeting dream.

In this respect, soufflé is indeed a dessert that requires extreme patience, because most kitchen novices have to spend countless long attempts, with the patience of gradually reducing the human 100-meter sprint record from ten seconds to nine seconds, recording little by little whether their final product has improved, and watching how its lifespan changes from three seconds fresh out of the oven to ten seconds, thirty seconds, fifty seconds...

Even if it eventually collapses mercilessly, as if it doesn't care about your efforts as a baker at all.

This book is based on this characteristic of soufflé, and tells three stories that revolve around it, as well as the choices of the three protagonists.

If Horikita Suzune were to give her evaluation, her favorite story would probably be the one about a woman who, after losing her wife of most of her life, slowly learns to live alone, cook for herself, and take care of her husband on her own amidst her grief.

In particular, watching the protagonist, who had never been exposed to anything related to the kitchen before, gradually learn to buy ingredients and kitchen utensils, learn to cook, and face life anew in the kitchen his wife used to use, Horikita Suzune herself was quite moved, and even naturally thought of herself and Ryo.

After all, if one of them were to leave the other first, the other person would probably not have any desire to cook or even eat when they walk into the kitchen and see the tableware and traces left behind.

Thinking about this, and looking at the scene in front of her where the soufflé she had just made and placed on the plate was slowly collapsing from the center, Horikita Suzune could probably empathize with the psychological descriptions in the book.

"Why is Lingyin making soufflés today?"

A familiar voice came from behind, followed by the rustling sound of tying an apron.

Compared to the cramped kitchen in their old dormitory room at Tokyo Advanced Educational High School, where two people could barely turn around, the kitchen in their current apartment is undoubtedly much more spacious and bright.

But the distance between her and Kitagawa Ryo remained unchanged. He skillfully circled around behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, and rested his head on her shoulder, looking curiously at the soufflé cake on the cupboard that was almost completely collapsed.

"Want to try this cool one?"

Instead of answering the question immediately, Horikita Suzune reached into the cupboard next to her and took out a clean spoon. She gently scooped a spoonful from the cake, bent the back of the spoon, and without even looking at it, put it directly into Kitagawa Ryo's mouth as he leaned in.

"Mmm... It tastes pretty good. Did Lingyin plan to make this for me right on time? I was a little late parking at the entrance today, sorry."

After saying that, Kitagawa Ryo let go of his hand and started to pick up the raw materials that Horikita Suzune had prepared in advance. There were still quite a few raw materials left.

"However, soufflés actually taste best in the first two minutes after they come out of the oven. I'll make two more so we can eat them together later."

"Okay."

Although she said that, Horikita Suzune still seriously ate all the soufflé she had made before starting to observe Kitagawa Ryo's actions. It felt like she had inexplicably returned to the time when the two of them first developed feelings for each other. The sweetness of love was physically expressed through sight, smell, hearing and taste.

But no matter how many times it had happened before, Horikita Suzune still enjoyed every single one of these scenes; it was the quietest and most peaceful place deep in her heart.

"Liang has more experience in baking than I do, so do you have any good ideas about the problem of soufflés collapsing?"

"The problem of soufflé collapsing... This is mainly related to the baking temperature and the consistency of the soufflé topping, but it is essentially a physical phenomenon that cannot be changed. At most, it can only be delayed. In fact, there is no absolute way to keep it completely fluffy, otherwise physics would probably not exist."

Kitagawa Ryo explained as he began skillfully separating the egg white and yolk. With just a slight tap of his slender, fair fingers, he effortlessly separated the egg using the shell as a natural container. No matter how many times you watched, it was as magical as a magician's technique.

"That's it."

After asking that question, Horikita Suzune stopped talking, while Kitagawa Ryo focused on his work. Soon, two freshly baked soufflés were served on their table.

The freshly baked soufflé was indeed a hundred times better than her collapsed self in both appearance and taste, especially with the help of Kitagawa Ryo's baking skills. Just by taking the first bite with a spoon, Horikita Suzune couldn't help but smile.

"So Lingyin still hasn't answered the question I asked her when she came back: why are you suddenly interested in soufflés? Are you going to use them in the next video?"

"After reading the book 'When You're Sad, Go to the Kitchen,' I suddenly had the urge to try it out."

"I've read this book too. It's indeed a good work. However, compared to the healing label that the media has given it, I think the core of this book still carries a touch of sadness. After all, reality is not like things in the kitchen, where as long as you follow the steps, the ingredients will give you the corresponding response."

As he spoke, Kitagawa Ryo poked the soufflé in front of him again:

"This little guy is the best example."

"If Lingyin is looking for inspiration for her writing, this book is actually not very suitable."

"Yes."

Horikita Suzune sighed upon hearing this. Although her personality was no longer as sharp as it had been at the beginning, especially after she turned twenty, some traces of her former self still remained, whether it was her stubbornness in making personal choices or the charming cunning that flowed in her crimson eyes at this moment.

"After reading it, I knew that this was definitely not a story or plot that I could write. Rather, I should say that I couldn't have come up with the title in the first place, because I don't think I've ever been to the kitchen when I was feeling sad in my entire life."

At this point, Horikita Suzune slightly raised her eyes and recalled:

"When I first came into contact with cooking, I simply felt that it was an essential survival skill that I needed to master for independent living. Cooking was for better intake of the nutrients needed for growth and to fill my stomach. At that time, I was probably indifferent to it. I simply didn't have any particular feeling about cooking and kitchens."

"After that, it was all about the cold. From then on, the kitchen really did have a different meaning for me. But I can say for sure that I never went into the kitchen with a sad mindset and used cooking to escape reality or forget my troubles."

"So for me, it shouldn't be a sad time to go to the kitchen."

"what is that?"

"Of course, you should go to the kitchen when you're cooking."

Although it might sound like a lame joke where the answer is right there in the riddle, Horikita Suzune explained it quite naturally:

"Would Liang really go to the kitchen specifically for filming a variety show called 'Case Crime Kitchen', except when he's cooking and washing dishes afterward?"

As she spoke, Horikita Suzune hummed smugly twice and held her spoon to Kitagawa Ryo's lips:

"The lesson Liang taught me a long time ago is that there's no fixed taste in food; what suits your palate is precious. So today, I'll teach Liang another lesson—"

"If our daily routines are a series of miracles, then the most important part of those routines is our three meals a day. So the kitchen is the center of everything. As the head chef of the Kitagawa family kitchen, I am naturally the center of Ryou, understand?"

Kitagawa Ryo couldn't help but chuckle as he opened his mouth and bit the spoon Horikita Suzune offered, nodding indistinctly in agreement. Then, he heard her next sentence:

"As for how to keep the soufflé from collapsing, it's just like this."

Food should be eaten while it's hot.

People should love while they can.

P.S.: Thank you for reading and subscribing.

Personal Side Story: Sakayanagi Arisu: The Outcome is Undecided

It's that time of year again for the cultural festival.

It was almost like a cycle of fate that Kitagawa Ryo returned once again to his loyal Tokyo Advanced Educational High School as a member of the chairman's family.

It has been almost ten years since he dropped out of school here, and the students who graduated this year are already the seniors from eight years ago. However, it is not entirely accurate to say that Kitagawa Ryo has been away for so long before returning to Dongyu. After all, in the past few years, he has been coming here quite frequently because of someone.

Ultimately, rounding it up, this land can be considered one of his own properties, especially after Alice, who has not grown taller in all this time and probably will not grow any taller in the future, was officially confirmed as the chairman of Dongyu this year.

However, this formal handover ceremony, which officially announced the transfer of power from Sakayanagi Narimori to Sakayanagi Arisu's generation, did not actually attract much attention within the school. Firstly, students, as always, did not particularly care about who the chairman of their school's board of directors was. Secondly, Sakayanagi Arisu was not parachuted in to take over; she had already started working at the school several years after graduating from university and frequently appeared in the students' sight.

That is why, apart from secretly adding a small stool and a cushion behind the stage during the opening speech, nothing particularly noticeable changed at Tokyo Advanced Educational High School in a short period of time; the new broom sweeping clean before the new broom had truly caught fire.

However, as one of the insiders, Kitagawa Ryo was well aware that as early as two years ago, before Sakayanagi Arisu officially took over as chairman, she had already replaced Sakayanagi Narimori in handling most of the affairs of Tokyo Advanced Educational High School. In this respect, her initial efforts as a new leader should have already been made.

"I thought our first year of high school's cultural festival was already quite exciting, but I didn't expect this year's to be even more extravagant."

Watching the steady stream of guests entering the campus from near the newly renovated and expanded school gate, Kitagawa Ryo unconsciously uttered this remark. Meanwhile, standing next to him, Sakayanagi Arisu was still fully engaged in her work, earnestly checking whether the crowd control and anti-stampede evacuation work at the most congested section in front of the school gate was being carried out effectively and efficiently.

After a long while, she nodded and hummed in agreement.

"After all, with the increase in the number of students on campus, the number of guests will naturally increase due to the need for special examinations."

Nearly two years ago, after making thorough preparations, Tokyo Advanced Educational High School increased its enrollment by half, reaching 240 new students each year. However, the number of classes remained at four, with 60 students per class.

Before she actually got involved in the specific and complicated matters, Sakayanagi Arisu didn't expect that what seemed like a simple matter to her—expanding the number of students—would actually be so troublesome to implement. It was indeed a major matter that affected everything in every sense, and it took a long time to prepare before it was finally pushed forward and implemented.

"Alright, Arisu, relax a little today. Don't act like you're the chairman of this place. I finally got to come in through the front door openly and legitimately. Come and show me around properly, just like in the beginning."

If Sakayanagi Arisu hadn't heard from others that Kitagawa Ryo's first visit to the Tokyo University Cultural Festival was accompanied by Horikita Suzune, she probably would have believed him. But as the saying goes, anyone can be the first if you add enough qualifiers. Thinking that she was also the first person, as the chairperson, to take Kitagawa Ryo, who was already part of the family, to the Tokyo University Cultural Festival, Sakayanagi Arisu felt relieved and took Kitagawa Ryo's hand, shaking her head and tossing aside her work-related matters:

"Okay, I'll bring Liang to shop."

After intentionally wearing masks and sun hats to cover their faces, Sakayanagi Arisu and Kitagawa Ryo blended into the continuous stream of guests without attracting much attention. They quickly followed the flow of people into the Tokyo Advanced Educational High School and strolled leisurely into the campus, which had also undergone an expansion.

"Thinking about it this way, it seems like our graduating class is pretty much the kind of classic case of being the unfortunate ones who graduated just as all the new buildings and facilities on campus were completed?"

"That's not quite right. If you ask me, my class and Ryo's class should be the one that officially started the transformation of Dongyu. It was no less important than the class that was founded. If it were a manga, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the era of a miracle of unpolished gems. Although Ryo dropped out of school halfway through, his influence on the other students in that class and on Dongyu's subsequent educational policy was unparalleled."

"Perhaps, but it seems that the students from our graduating class have all done quite well now. And it's rare that it's not just the students from Class A who are outstanding; many students from the other three classes are doing the same."

As the two reminisced about their youthful days, they arrived near the club building.

Although Kitagawa Ryo felt that compared to many other high schools, Dongyu High School had invested the most in clubs when he first enrolled there, with ample facilities, resources, and teachers, the clubs did not perform as well as expected for a long time due to various reasons.

However, after ten years of development and changes, Dongyu University can finally be considered to have achieved something in terms of student clubs. Both sports and arts clubs have shown a surge in performance. The main reason is the change in the club atmosphere and the school's intention to carry out a lot of exchange activities with other clubs in other schools, thus avoiding the recurrence of the situation of working in isolation.

Because the entire campus had been expanded, the club building for this cultural festival was not requisitioned as one of the locations for students to set up stalls. Instead, it was locked and not open to outsiders. However, this was no problem for Sakayanagi Arisu, the chairman of the board, who quickly had someone bring the key to unlock the door.

In fact, the only places where you can still find traces of their graduating class at Tokyo Advanced Educational High School, which has undergone a major renovation, are probably in the various clubs. The student council keeps a list of past student council members, including Arisu Sakayanagi (except for one illegal person), and the honors that Ryo Kitagawa and Megumi Karuizawa earned back then are still displayed in the drama club's exhibition hall, highlighting the footprints they left in this school.

When Kitagawa Ryo walked around to the drama club's activity room with great interest, he found that there was even a poster of Karuizawa Megumi, who had just won the Olivier Award, hanging inside, which can be said to be keeping up with the times.

"Actually, when I officially accepted the position of chairman of Tokyo Advanced Educational High School this year, I was still wondering if I was suitable to sit in this position, because I could always clearly feel that I am not the same kind of person as my father and grandfather. They always have a natural enthusiasm for children and education."

“But I’m not like that. I don’t actually have the same… well, or perhaps some kind of sacred sense of mission as my father and grandfather do?”

Perhaps it was because she had some rare time alone with Kitagawa Ryo, or perhaps it was simply because they were at the new campus of Tokyo Advanced Educational High School, which inevitably evoked some memories, but Sakayanagi Arisu leaned against the window of the activity room and suddenly turned to Kitagawa Ryo and said these words.

"There's no rule that says you have to be like Uncle Sakayanagi to be called a well-known educator by the media. Besides, Arisu is more suitable than your father to be the chairman of To-yu at this time."

As he spoke, Kitagawa Ryo made another small joke:

"If it were Arisu, she wouldn't have been fooled by Ayanokoji Atsuomi's sweet talk at least twenty years ago."

"Too."