I have a life simulator.

Kitagawa Ryo pulled a photo out of his pocket and handed it to Ryuen Sho mysteriously. The caution in his movements made Ryuen Sho tense up as well. He deliberately used his body and the chair as cover to quietly reach under his legs and take the photo.

"what?"

"The member who sacrificed the most in this operation, I hope you, Longyuan, will remember his contribution."

Long Yuanxiang frowned. There shouldn't be any absent members in the class. His fingertips deftly flipped the photo over, and he caught a glimpse of white out of the corner of his eye:

"This, this is?"

Kitagawa Ryo patted him on the shoulder, presumably the other man could now understand his feelings.

"Isn't that Ying? But you remind me of something, what will happen to the cat while you're gone for two weeks?"

Long Yuanxiang tossed the photo back to Kitagawa Ryo with a speechless expression, crossed his legs, and casually asked.

"Someone is taking care of it for me."

Kitagawa Ryo stretched and turned his gaze to the dormitory building that was now behind him:

"wrong."

"It should be said that Ying successfully used herself to hold back our biggest competitor."

"Sakayanagi Arisu?"

Long Yuanxiang's gaze sharpened, and he gently tapped his thigh with his fingers:

"I remember the year you went missing was related to her, right?"

"After all, such a big incident happened back then. If the Sakayanagi family hadn't covered it up for me, I wouldn't be able to come here to study. I might still be wandering somewhere now."

Kitagawa Ryo recalled the scene and said with his eyes closed:

"So maybe I don't dislike Sakayanagi Arisu...who knows?"

"Pretentious."

Ryuen Sho glanced at Kitagawa Ryo and uttered these two words.

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

The azure ocean shimmered under the sunlight, and the salty sea breeze gently enveloped his body and brushed against his nose. Kitagawa Ryo stood on the deck of the cruise ship, took a deep breath, and enjoyed this rare moment of leisure all by himself.

"Ooooooh! That's great, aa ...

However, the other students did not seem to have the same leisure and elegance as Kitagawa Ryo. Faced with the magnificent sea, most of them, like Ishizaki Daichi, could not help but roar out loud. Upon closer inspection, it seemed that not only Class C, but also Class D, Class B, and even Class A had a large number of students gathered on this deck, shouting at the sea as if they had nowhere to vent their joy, jumping up and down like baboons.

Kitagawa Ryo even saw a couple from who-knows-which class were on the deck of a luxury cruise ship, raising their hands and striking the classic pose from "Titanic".

Something feels a bit ominous...

"What a beautiful view! I'm so touched!"

"Tokyo Advanced Educational Junior High School is the best!"

"It's so great to be here!"

The women, who had prepared sun protection, emerged from the boat one after another. They smiled broadly, just like the boys, and chattered excitedly as they pointed at the sea.

"The scenery is really amazing."

One of the group members, Honami Ichinose, also exclaimed with genuine admiration, leaning on the deck railing and gazing at the sea.

The azure ocean gently washed away the hardships and torments of the past semester. The students of Class D in the first year were even moved to tears. As the only class in the entire grade with four students dropping out, and with a mere 87 points, a significant portion of the students in Class D usually survived on free mountain vegetable meals. You see, the luxury cruise ship they boarded today had all its facilities, including various restaurants, cinemas, and spas, open to the students free of charge. This VIP treatment would last for two whole weeks. Just thinking about it made them want to cheer.

"Where's Ryuen?"

Kitagawa Ryo casually pulled Ishizaki Daichi, who was loudly arguing about what to eat for lunch, over to him.

"It seems that Brother Longyuan didn't come to the deck; he must have gone inside the ship."

"is it?"

Kitagawa Ryo nodded, and Ishizaki Daichi leaned in and suggested:

"Hey bro, do you want to have lunch together? I heard there's a really good restaurant on the third floor. Our class of boys is planning to go to the swimming pool this afternoon."

"Alright, you guys go ahead and have a good day. The school shouldn't cause any more trouble today, but remember to conserve your energy."

Kitagawa Ryo had his own plans and naturally didn't intend to go to the swimming pool with the boys in his class. However, he guessed that if the school were to hold a survival test on a deserted island, it probably wouldn't be today. After all, everyone had taken a bus to Tokyo Bay at 5 a.m. and then boarded the cruise ship. Kitagawa Ryo also believed that most students were probably too excited to sleep much last night, and if the special test started today, it would be difficult to guarantee the mental state of every student. Therefore, the test would most likely start tomorrow.

"Okay, if the boss sees Brother Longyuan, tell him too. Maybe Brother Longyuan will be interested in this."

After giving Ishizaki Daichi a casual reply, Kitagawa Ryo watched the boys from Class C walk away and yawned softly. He did know where Ryuen Sho had gone, since the school's announcement was:

"The first week will be spent enjoying a vacation in a guesthouse on a deserted island, and the following week will be spent staying on a cruise ship."

If the first week corresponds to the special exam on the deserted island, then Kitagawa Ryo doesn't really think the school would be so kind as to let the first-year students continue to have a carefree week on this cruise ship. Corresponding to the first week, the school should also arrange a special exam, and the location—

It must be this enormous, luxurious cruise ship.

As for Long Yuanxiang, his first priority was naturally to figure out the layout and structure of the entire cruise ship, as well as the most important monitoring range.

Since he tasted success last time, Long Yuanxiang has become increasingly skilled in this area.

After Ishizaki Daichi, other friends he knew tried to invite Kitagawa Ryo to meals or other entertainment venues. To Kitagawa Ryo's surprise, even some girls from other classes he didn't know blushed and boldly invited him out, but he politely declined them all.

Actually, there was no one he was waiting for, nor anything he was in a hurry to do. Kitagawa Ryo propped himself up on the deck and quietly enjoyed the sea breeze for another half hour. After the initial novelty wore off, most of the students had left the deck to explore the facilities inside the cruise ship, making the few figures left behind quite conspicuous.

"Is Kitagawa-kun waiting for someone?"

Turning around, she saw Ichinose Honami speaking to her. She still had a friendly smile on her face and stood naturally next to Kitagawa Ryo, leaning against the railing with him, gazing at the sea.

"I've been standing here for almost an hour now."

"Where's Fanbo? I remember you spent just as much time on deck as I did, didn't you?"

"me?"

Honami Ichinose didn't mind Kitagawa Ryo's approach of answering questions with questions. She reached out and tucked her wind-blown hair behind her ear, her azure eyes reflecting the color of the sea.

"Nothing special, I just saw Kitagawa-kun standing here and wanted to ask him something."

It sounds somewhat ambiguous, but considering Ichinose Honami's consistent personality, Kitagawa Ryo isn't surprised:

"I'm fine, but Fanbo had better not get involved with me."

"After all, Class B and Class C are currently the most direct competitors."

Class B currently has 683 class points, while Class C has 656, a difference of only 27 points. This is close to the gap of 60 points after the first month of school. Considering that Class B also has to provide Karuizawa Kei with 800,000 personal points every month, Class B can currently obtain fewer personal points than Class C. It seems that Class C replacing Class B is just around the corner, especially considering that the two classes have a considerable grudge against each other before.

Although Kitagawa Ryo doesn't need to worry about Ichinose Honami's popularity in Class B, he'd probably feel uneasy if the students in Class B saw their class president chatting and laughing with them from Class C.

"Kitagawa-kun is considerate of others."

Honami Ichinose understood Kitagawa Ryo's meaning, but had no intention of leaving.

"Chihiro's matter has been resolved. If we underestimate Class B now, Kitagawa might also fail."

After Kitagawa Ryo provided information about Shiranami Chihiro as an "undercover agent," Class B resolved the aftermath of the incident in the fastest and most direct way. After a class meeting where everyone was honest with each other, Class B ultimately accepted Shiranami Chihiro back without any reservations. In this respect, it seems that only Class B among the four first-year classes could do this.

"Actually, I always thought of Chihiro as my younger sister, and I never realized... that she actually had those kinds of feelings for me."

"However, it was precisely because I failed to realize these feelings in time that the students in Class C took advantage of the situation and threatened her to become an undercover agent."

Honami Ichinose spoke with a wry smile. For her, who regarded her classmates in Class B as her most precious treasure, dealing with this kind of relationship was indeed a bit of a dilemma. However, she remembered the conversation she had with Ryo Kitagawa when they were eating ramen, and in the end, she managed to politely reject him and resolve the matter.

"I'm very sorry about the last shopping trip. Due to personal reasons, I had to ask Kitagawa-kun to leave first."

Of course, Honami Ichinose had no idea that the entire shopping trip was planned by Ryo Kitagawa, and instead sincerely apologized:

"I was so agitated because I really didn't want to see the theft, and that's why I chose to talk to Kamuro alone."

"It's fine."

Kitagawa Ryo shook his head:

"Let's make an appointment again next time we have time."

"Yes, I'm available anytime."

Honami Ichinose responded with a smile, seemingly having said what she wanted to say, and walked away from Ryo Kitagawa, intending to return to her cabin.

"Then I'll leave first. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Kitagawa Ryo watched Ichinose Honami's figure gradually disappear. He lowered his head, logged into an anonymous account on his phone, and scrolled to the bottom of his contacts list:

"Chihiro Shiraha".

The plan proceeded as scheduled. Kitagawa Ryo had long anticipated that, given Ichinose Honami's personality, she would definitely hold a class meeting to openly expose Shiranami Chihiro's betrayal of Class B, then inquire about her grievances, and take the opportunity to help her reintegrate into Class B.

However, what she didn't know was that Chihiro Shiranami actually had two secrets: one was that she liked Honami Ichinose, and the other was the recording of Honami Ichinose recounting her past.

Chihiro Shiranami would naturally not choose to reveal Ichinose Honami's past in front of the whole class. After all, she chose to betray Shibata Hayate in the first place in order to hide this fact. Therefore, Chihiro Shiranami only had one choice left: to expose the relatively easy-to-accept fact that she liked Ichinose Honami and replace the handle that threatened her by Class C with this.

Because he didn't want others to find out that he actually liked a girl, and that she was the class president, Ichinose Honami, he was threatened and manipulated by Ryuen Sho from Class C.

While the reason was somewhat far-fetched, it was at least plausible. Moreover, given Ichinose Honami's personality, she had already intended to forgive him, as the unity of Class B was the most important thing. Going with the flow, Shiranami Chihiro successfully cleared her name and reintegrated into Class B.

[Only a spy who has regained trust like this can destroy Class B in one fell swoop.]

Kitagawa Ryo lowered his eyes and clicked on the other person's profile picture:

"So you didn't release that recording after all."

"So, you still want to keep Ichinose Honami's secret, right?"

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Music Continues, the Dance Continues

"I can't wait to swim on my private beach soon."

"Yes, yes, although there are swimming pools on cruise ships, the ocean is just as exhilarating!"

"I want to ride a jet ski!"

Perhaps because their destination was so close, the first-year students' enthusiasm only increased on the second day of the cruise, as they enthusiastically discussed entertainment options once they arrived on the island.

Tokyo Advanced Educational Junior High School seems to have its own artificial island in the south. Just as the students could almost glimpse the outline of the island on the azure sea, the ship's loudspeaker suddenly blared:

"Attention all students. If you have time, please gather on the deck. We are about to see the island, and I'm sure you will see some very interesting sights in a short time."

When this "strange" announcement suddenly came on the ship, most of the students didn't seem to mind at all. They were so focused on where to go and how to have fun that they cheered with great anticipation. However, the students in Class C suddenly tensed up because Kitagawa Ryo, who had just been chatting and laughing with Ryuen Sho, suddenly stopped smiling and put his right index finger to his lips, making a shushing gesture.

"In a moment, I'll look to the east, and you look to the west."

Kitagawa Ryo whispered his instructions, and Ryuen Sho nodded with his hands in his pockets.

The school's reminder this time was too obvious. It wasn't just the two of them; it seemed that outstanding students from other classes also noticed the phrase "meaningful scenery."

A few minutes later, figures appeared on the island.

More students emerged from the cabins and gathered on the deck, causing a sudden crowd. Because Class C had arrived early and looked fierce and unruly, few dared to push their way in. However, some aggressive male students from Class D pushed aside the Class D students who were occupying good spots.

"Hey, you're in the way. Get out of the way, you defective products."

A boy, while making a threatening gesture, shoved aside Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's shoulder, who was standing there. The impact caused Ayanokouji Kiyotaka to stumble slightly and quickly grab the deck handrail to avoid falling.

When the male students saw Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's vulnerable appearance, they laughed contemptuously.

"what you do!"

Sudo, who was originally standing at the front, immediately came over. Since he had earned 100 class points for the class, most students' impressions of him had changed. Of course, this was also because the students in Class D no longer had to pay points to Class C every month.

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji silently slipped behind Sudo's broad back. Since the crisis in Class D was resolved, he had returned to his initial state of slacking off over the past two months, except...

"You all understand how this school is structured, right? This is a meritocratic school. Class D has no human rights. Defective products should behave like defective products. We are the noble Class A."

A boy from Class A spoke arrogantly, like a lackey. Upon hearing this, Kitagawa Ryo also turned his gaze to the boy who was spouting nonsense. Although Sudo was somewhat annoyed, he had already heard the same words on the first day of school. At that time, he couldn't control himself and ended up causing great damage to Class D. Therefore, Sudo just frowned, using his strong physique to put pressure on the boy in front of him, while sending someone to call Karuizawa Megumi or Hirata Yosuke, who were in charge of the class.

The standoff between the two classes immediately attracted the attention of other students. However, when they saw that the two sides facing off were Class A and Class D, most people lost interest. After all, no matter how you look at it, Class D is not even remotely comparable to Class A. If the difference in strength is too great, it is more like a one-sided "trolling" than a "standoff".

"Totsuka Yahiko from Class A? I remember you were at the bottom of Class A in both academics and sports, right? But maybe that's why Katsuragi considers you a confidant. After all, it's easy to discard you afterward without feeling any regret."

Before Karuizawa Megumi and Hirata Yosuke arrived, Horikita Suzune, standing to the side, spoke sharply first. In the past two months, the girl had deeply understood the importance of information, so she not only recognized the boy's identity immediately, but also made a sarcastic remark. However, unlike her sharp remarks, Horikita Suzune seemed to lack some energy, but because Class D had been intentionally isolating her recently, no one noticed.

Totsuka Yahiko was hit where it hurt by Horikita Suzune's words and was about to retort when the members of Class A arrived first. The man in the lead had a physique that did not look like a high school student at all. He had a square face and a calm expression, but what was most eye-catching was his shiny bald head.

"Enough, Yahiko. I sent you here to negotiate, not to provoke us."

The man first reprimanded Totsuka Yahiko, then stepped forward and introduced himself:

"I am Kohei Katsuragi from Class A. I am very sorry for what happened just now. Class A has no ill intentions towards Class D. I hope you will not take it to heart."

"That's right, after all, it's the prestigious Class A. Our Class D isn't worth even a second thought."