I have a life simulator.

"I've read Shakespeare's original works, but this is my first time seeing his plays."

The two found the best seats and chatted idly for the last five minutes before the show started:

"Although Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's four great tragedies, most people seem to have only heard of Hamlet."

"There are also people who consider Romeo and Juliet to be one of the four great tragedies."

Hiyori Shiina covered her mouth and chuckled softly:

Which of the four great tragedies is Liang's favorite?

"Hamlet?"

"why?"

"It was probably the final scene of the female lead, Ophelia, that left such a deep impression on me. Dying in the flower river was truly stunning."

"But this kind of tragic love story is..."

Shiina Hiyori wanted to say something more, but the lights above her head dimmed suddenly, the curtain on the stage was drawn back, and the theatrical performance was about to begin.

Kitagawa Ryo relaxed and curled up in the large, comfortable seat. Just as he was about to pull his right hand back from the armrest, he was unexpectedly gripped tightly by another hand.

In the darkness, Kitagawa Ryo couldn't see Shiina Hiyori's expression, but he didn't break free. He just felt the other's fingertips pry open his tightly closed fist and probe into his palm.

Perhaps Kitagawa Ryo's words had stimulated Shiina Hiyori in some way, because she used the warmth of her palm to convey a message to Kitagawa Ryo, like two ants reaching out their antennae to each other, waiting for Kitagawa Ryo's response.

Shiina Hiyori is a girl who seems light and carefree, but once she gets serious, she becomes surprisingly stubborn. Kitagawa Ryo scratched her palm.

This action immediately relaxed Shiina Hiyori's nerves, and she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but she did not let go of that hand until the end of the entire play.

The actors on stage took their bows to the only two audience members below the stage. Kitagawa Ryo and Shiina Hiyori responded with enthusiastic applause. Only then did they realize how long they had been holding hands, so much so that their palms still retained the warmth of each other, and there was a strange temperature difference when they struck each other's palms together.

"Shiina-kun isn't alone this time."

It seems that this theater troupe is quite familiar with Shiina Hiyori. However, considering what the girl mentioned earlier about booking the entire theater, it can explain why the elderly man who claims to be the troupe leader kindly walked off the stage to talk to Shiina Hiyori.

"Hello, I am Kitagawa Ryo from Class C, Grade 1. I am grateful for your care during this time. Your troupe's performance was superb, especially the scene where Lady Macbeth comforts Macbeth, which was truly amazing."

Kitagawa Ryo took the initiative to introduce himself, his manners impeccable.

"What a rare and polite child. At first, I thought he was just reluctantly coming to see the play because he was with Hiyori. I didn't expect him to not only watch it patiently to the end, but also listen to you and know a lot about theater, right?"

"I've only read the complete works of Shakespeare. Rather, it's only after seeing your troupe's performance that I realized the difference between a script and a play. Bringing those vivid words to life in reality is truly a wonderful art."

"It seems there are still kids who share similar interests with Shiina-kun."

The old man, pleased by Kitagawa Ryo's praise, stroked his white beard and gave Shiina Hiyori a teasing look.

"And they seemed to have a good relationship, after all, they were holding hands the whole time."

It was only then that she realized that the actors on stage had been watching her actions the whole time. Shiina Hiyori was unusually shy and hid behind Kitagawa Ryo, only peeking out her head.

The old man was somewhat surprised by Shiina Hiyori's appearance. After all, in the past few days, this girl who always came here alone always looked lonely, sitting for the whole day. He would even have to remind her to leave when the theater closed. He had originally thought that Shiina Hiyori was being isolated, but judging from the current situation, Shiina Hiyori was probably just feeling lonely and missing someone back then.

Thinking of this, the troupe leader spoke with great interest:

"There are only Shiina and Kitagawa today, but if we put on another play, there won't be enough time."

"I see that you two are both children who are interested in drama. If you would like, would you like to try performing a short scene on your own?"

Shiina Hiyori seemed quite interested in the suggestion, looking eager to try it out. Kitagawa Ryo didn't want to refuse her, so he nodded in agreement.

"What kind of show does Hiyori want to put on?"

"Hamlet!"

Shiina Hiyori grinned slyly at Kitagawa Ryo, her eyes crinkling into crescent shapes:

"But I have to drastically rewrite the script."

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

Kitagawa Ryo put on his performance costume in front of the standing mirror backstage. His white gloves gave him the impression of a noble young master, and the black piping embroidered with elegant patterns extended from his sleeves to his upper body. He was dressed in a smart and neat medieval prince's outfit. Even the actors in the troupe next to him sighed, as if the real Danish prince Hamlet had appeared here.

The scene chosen by Hiyori Shiina is the "Death of Ophelia" that Ryo Kitagawa mentioned earlier. Ophelia was Hamlet's fiancée. Deeply in love with Hamlet, she was torn between her father and her lover and ultimately drowned herself in a river covered with flowers.

This play was originally Ophelia's solo performance, which was also the final scene, but Hiyori Shiina unceremoniously altered Shakespeare's original work.

Kitagawa Ryo lifted the curtain to look at the stage, where the backdrop was already covered with flowers.

Hiyori Shiina is standing at the other end of the stage.

The girl was wearing a pure white dress with countless pleats on the hem, and a thin mist covered the dress with gauze.

The uneven lace trim on the cuffs reveals a graceful posture, while the gemstone patterns spiraling down from the shoulders shimmer with light. With her eyes closed and arms placed in front of her chest, Shiina Hiyori appears like a princess in the clouds or a sleeping beauty. Her silver hair reaches her waist, giving her an elegant and gorgeous impression.

And will he not come again?

The narration begins.

The music is ringing.

And will he not come again?

No, no, he is dead.

Go to the deathbed, he will never come again.

Amidst the mournful and helpless background music, the girl walked step by step to the flower burial site and lay down amidst the sea of ​​flowers.

"I'm back."

Kitagawa Ryo walked onto the stage and came to her side according to the script that Shiina Hiyori had given him.

He knelt on one knee beside Shiina Hiyori and lifted the girl's right hand.

However, Shiina Hiyori did not wake up and recite her lines as the script suggested. Kitagawa Ryo glanced at the girl's face strangely. Her long, black butterfly-like eyelashes were trembling, and her blush, like the sunset, spread from her cheeks to her ears.

Kitagawa Ryo had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue the performance.

He pressed his lips to the girl's right hand, which was clad in a white lace glove. Kitagawa Ryo's kiss was very light, as if there was a fuzzy barrier between his lips and the girl's skin.

"FOREVER WE ARE ONE"

Kitagawa Ryo said in a low voice.

The sound of camera flashes could be heard from the audience.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: I Want to Know Your Past

"Does the boss want to go swimming with us?"

Ishizaki Daichi, who shares a room with Kitagawa Ryo, extends another invitation. Two days have passed since the special exam on the deserted island. The first-year students, who have regained their energy, are still nervously waiting for the second exam that the school may assign. Although the homeroom teacher of Class A said something like "Please enjoy your summer vacation" when the special exam on the deserted island ended, the entire first-year class who foolishly believed such words last time were thrown onto the deserted island on the first day of summer vacation.

This "vacation" lasted for two weeks. One week was spent on the special exam on the deserted island, and the next week was spent entirely on the cruise ship. Therefore, many people speculated that the second exam would be held on the cruise ship. However, after two days of tension, the school did not release any information about the exam. The ship gradually returned to the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere of summer vacation. The students, relieved of their worries, finally began to enjoy the various facilities on the luxury cruise ship.

"The exam should be over by now."

"The exam on the deserted island takes up a week, so it's reasonable to give students the remaining week to relax."

With this in mind, the first-year students also enjoyed their youth on the cruise ship, and it is even said that several couples have become inseparable.

"Is the eldest still staying in the dorm playing games?"

Ishizaki Daichi had already changed into his swimming trunks. Because there was a swimming pool on the cruise ship, he often saw men and women in swimsuits coming and going in the corridor these days.

"Yeah, don't worry about me, just have fun."

Kitagawa Ryo waved the controller in his hand and turned his gaze back to the electronic screen. He had brought it from school, but because he had been staying on the deserted island, he only had time to take it out and play with it these past two days.

Albert Yamada and Daichi Ishizaki, who shared a room with him, had both gone swimming. Ryuen Sho had gone off somewhere to gather intelligence. Compared to most of the students who had relaxed, he still believed that the school would definitely hold another exam in the remaining week.

"came back?"

While controlling the character on the screen, Kitagawa Ryo heard the door open and, thinking it was Ryuen Sho, casually asked a question.

"Hmm? It's me."

However, the person who pushed open the door and entered the room was not Ryuen Sho, whom Kitagawa Ryo had expected, but someone he had never thought of.

"Oh, it's Hui..."

“————?”

Kitagawa Ryo suddenly looked up, not even noticing that his character had been instantly killed by the BOSS's combo attack. He pulled off his headphones and looked at Karuizawa Megumi standing at the door of the room in disbelief.

"Why did Hui come here?"

Stepping out of bed and into her slippers, Kitagawa Ryo walked over to Karuizawa Megumi, her neck a little sore.

"Because I haven't seen Liang on the ship for two days."

Wearing a sleeveless white dress and sandals, Karuizawa Kei walked into the room and closed the door behind her.

"Has Liang been playing games alone in her room these past few days?"

Upon seeing the large display screen and controller placed on the small table on the bed, Karuizawa Megumi's mouth gaped slightly in disbelief.

After all, this is a luxury cruise vacation that you might not experience even once in your life. It's a shame that someone would sit in their room playing games without even being tempted. It feels like such a waste.

"No, I go to the theater every night to perform... cough cough, to watch plays."

Kitagawa Ryo quickly refuted Karuizawa Megumi's words, trying to prove that he had no problems with his social life.

"It's a theater, huh?"

Karuizawa Megumi sat on Kitagawa Ryo's bed, sighing and complaining:

"No wonder I haven't been able to find you at swimming pools or high-end spas these past few days. I doubt many people go to the theater either."

The girl's eyes sharpened:

"I remember that only Shiina from your class really liked going there."

"Of course not. Ayanokouji from your class goes there often too. Last time, she even watched a performance of 'Icarus' with your D class's homeroom teacher, Chabashira-sensei."

"Huh? What's Ikaros? Is she the female protagonist of 'Heaven's Lost Property'?"

Seemingly touching on a blind spot in Karuizawa Megumi's knowledge, she asked in confusion.

"It's a story from Greek mythology. It's about a character who, along with his father, made wings out of bird feathers and wax to try and escape his prison in search of freedom. However, because he ignored his father's advice and got too close to the sun, the wax between his wings melted, and he fell from the sky into the sea and died."

"Oh... I never expected Ayanokouji to watch a drama with this kind of plot."

Karuizawa Kei nodded as if she understood, but not quite. She had taken off one sandal at some point, and her two straight and slender legs, which were usually covered by stockings, were now exposed, swinging from side to side. The other sandal was also hanging on her foot, bouncing and tapping the ground with the movement.

"Is the play very good?"

"It depends on individual interests, but Hui doesn't seem like someone who would be interested in this kind of thing."

Kitagawa Ryo expressed his opinion tactfully.

"Is Liang implying that I'm not well-educated, lack artistic sensibilities, and don't share your interests, so she doesn't plan to be with me?"

"Why do you talk so fast, like a machine gun?"

Kitagawa Ryo covered his forehead and looked at the sullen girl in front of him. He looked at the white dress she was wearing and had a strange sense of déjà vu.

"How is it? Looks good, right?"

Seeing Kitagawa Ryo staring intently at her, Karuizawa Megumi smiled and lifted her skirt. If she hadn't taken off her shoes while sitting on the bed, she would have stood up and twirled around to be satisfied.

"It's quite beautiful."

The outfit is very cool and has a summery feel. Compared to swimsuits, Kitagawa Ryo actually prefers this kind of casual wear, which has a more approachable and everyday feel.

"But speaking of which, besides going to the theater and playing games in his room, Ryo has never been to the swimming pool even once?"

"It's huge and super lively."

Megumi Karuizawa spread her arms as if trying to make a gesture, but forgot that sleeveless dresses are best avoided with such large arm raises, otherwise it's easy for the fabric to show through...

But what he saw was something else entirely, and Kitagawa Ryo subconsciously asked:

Does Hui go to the swimming pool often?

"Pretty much. Actually, I wasn't really interested at first, but Matsushita and Sato kept urging me to go, so I went twice."

Karuizawa Megumi nodded excitedly, as if she wanted to share her good mood with Kitagawa Ryo:

"Actually, Onodera in our class swims very fast. His 50-meter time isn't much slower than Sudo's."

"However, it seems that the fastest swimmer in the class is still Koenji, but his movements are too exaggerated, and he always laughs while swimming, which makes it so that no one wants to swim with him in the same pool anymore."