"Wah! Ryo, why are you in my house?!"
Amasawa Ichika, still in her high school uniform and holding her schoolbag, was shocked when she opened the door and found Kitagawa Ryo sprawled lifelessly on her living room sofa, aimlessly flipping through TV channels.
She was nearly a year younger than Ryo and Arisu and currently in her third year of high school. She had deliberately chosen not to attend Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School—she didn't want to be sealed inside that place for three whole years.
Ichika lived alone now. The Amasawa family and she had long grown tired of one another. Though the family head initially had ulterior motives, once they realized Ryo wasn't interested, they gave up. These days, they barely supervised her, though they still sent her a monthly allowance.
Ichika didn't mind the solitude. Ryo and Arisu often dropped by to check on her anyway. She still remembered losing to Arisu in a chess match back in the White Room, and every time they met, they'd play a few rematches. It kept life from feeling dull.
But Ryo showing up unannounced like this? That was a first.
She kicked off her shoes and slipped on her indoor slippers with practiced ease. Tossing her bag onto the entryway shoe cabinet, she trotted into the living room, grabbed Ryo's shoulders from behind, and gave them a firm shake.
"Hey, hey, hey! Say something! This is illegal trespassing, you know."
"Didn't you beg me to take your spare key because 'it's unsafe for a minor to live alone'? And didn't you tell me to check on your vital signs every few days or something?"
Ryo winced—Ichika was strong. Despite the White Room's disbandment, she'd enrolled in several martial arts courses. Among the girls Ryo knew, probably only Suzune could keep up with her.
"Fine, I won't pursue the matter. So why are you here today, Ryo?"
Ichika stopped shaking him and casually draped her arms around his shoulders, crossing them in front of his chest and leaning her head against his. She smiled teasingly.
"Just needed a place to clear my head. These past few days are driving me insane."
Ryo continued flipping through channels, not really watching anything—just letting the lights flicker across his face.
"Ichika, which is better: loving someone, or being loved by someone?"
"Being loved by someone you love. That's the happiest."
"That's also the rarest."
Ryo shook his head, his ear brushing against Ichika's hair—it tickled slightly.
"I think I know what's bothering you," Ichika said confidently, pulling away.
"It's about choosing between Arisu and Yuki, right? If you like them both, why not just like them both?"
"You really do think like a child."
Ryo rolled his eyes at her, then sighed.
"Although… that is kind of what I've been thinking."
"Wow, classic scumbag line."
Ichika didn't hold back.
"Didn't you just suggest that?"
"I was just kidding!"
She stuck out her tongue sheepishly, then raised her arm again.
"But if you really mean it, I can help too!"
She nodded proudly, her twin tails bobbing with the motion.
"If you get involved, things will really spiral out of control."
Ryo covered his face. After all these years, he understood Ichika well. She was chaotic evil—or maybe just someone who lived for fun.
This was definitely not how she'd been taught in the White Room.
"Alright, let me be serious for a moment."
Ichika's smile faded, sensing that Ryo was truly troubled. Her tone softened.
"The reason things are so tense now is because everyone's waiting on you to choose."
"Even kids know that when you love something, you want to keep it to yourself."
"But no one wants to be the first to act. They're afraid it'll push you toward the other."
"Even though Arisu has the excuse of the engagement, she still doesn't push you too hard."
Ichika gave a rueful smile. She had watched this unfold from the sidelines for years and knew exactly what was going on.
"Jealousy and greed are in everyone's blood. But they're hiding it from you because they don't want you to see their ugliness."
She hesitated, but then added a pointed reminder:
"Especially… Arisu."
Afraid of being misunderstood, Ichika quickly added:
"I'm not saying her feelings are wrong. As a girl, I probably understand her better than anyone. She would never hurt you—wait, that's not what I meant either."
Ichika furrowed her brows, flustered. Some things couldn't be spoken—they lost meaning when put into words.
"So it's your fault, Ryo. You're too nice to everyone."
"That's worse than being a scumbag."
She stomped her foot in mock frustration.
In the end, Ryo didn't get any real advice from her.
But perhaps that's because Ichika had never truly been a bystander.
He would have to find someone else to ask next.
-------------------------------------
"Hey, Hotaru!"
Kitagawa Ryo lay in bed, holding the white cat up high. Ten years had passed in the simulation, but Hotaru's size and appearance remained unchanged. Strangely enough, the Sakayanagi family didn't seem to find that odd.
Hotaru blinked her big eyes, clearly displeased with being held up in such a stretched-out position. She wriggled free from Ryo's hands and landed squarely on his stomach, giving a soft meow:
"Meow."
"Ugh, all these simulations and not one talent that lets me talk to animals."
Ryo gently patted her head. After everything, he was nearly certain Hotaru possessed a mind of her own.
So, assuming she could understand him, he began to speak.
These were the thoughts he couldn't share with anyone else.
"The real reason I'm so conflicted... is because this is a simulation."
"And it might be the final one—after clearing every chapter."
"I don't know what score I'll get, but clearing it shouldn't be a problem."
The goal of Chapter 4, Sakayanagi Arisu's Spring Wish, was to discover and correct the distortion in Arisu's personality. Ryo was confident in that regard.
The simulator's judgments were highly systematic. He'd once been killed by mistake during Ichinose Honami's second simulation, but still passed with 68 points because he had successfully corrected the turning point in her life—even if that turn spiraled somewhere else.
In this simulation, Arisu was physically healthy. That alone, he figured, was enough to ensure a pass. After all, half of all mental problems stemmed from the physical.
"And the reason I'm calling this the last simulation... is because—I just don't want to do this anymore."
"Even if I get a low score like that one time, as long as I clear it, I'm done."
Hotaru listened intently. At this moment, she was the only one in the world who could understand him—and the only one by his side.
Arisu's two simulations had been the most painful Ryo had ever experienced—both physically and mentally.
The golden talent [Perseverance] wasn't some magical cure-all. Most of the time, it merely kept the last thread of his rationality from snapping.
"Ever since I found out the simulation's memories would transfer to the chapter heroine once cleared... I've been exhausted."
"I have to consider their feelings in reality and in the simulation."
Unlike the simulations with Honami and Kei, Ryo had stopped treating this like a game and started living each one like a real life.
Since Horikita Suzune's simulation, he had lived three virtual lives—longer than his actual life outside.
Part of him knew it wasn't real. But another part had to treat it like it was.
"So... I want to return to reality."
Unlike Kei's second simulation, this wasn't about feeling lost between two worlds. This was a deliberate choice.
"Instead of thinking about how to make girls happy in a simulation... I want to do it for real."
"Arisu's heart condition has a solution now. I've uncovered the truth about Atsuomi and the White Room. That's enough."
"If I did it all over again, I could clear it easier—like in Suzune's simulation, getting a high score and a good ending without breaking a sweat."
He scratched Hotaru's chin, voice growing soft.
"But I can't. Because if I did that, someone's future would be sacrificed."
"That's why this has to be the last simulation."
Only a cleared simulation could change reality.
Suzune's simulation was cleared in one go, which manifested the talent [Noble Heir], placing Ryo into the Kitagawa family and its political game.
Failed or abandoned simulations didn't have that power—they became mere memories.
White Room.
Ryo couldn't guarantee he'd draw that rare unranked talent again in the next three simulations. Which meant this might be his only chance to connect with Yuki.
He didn't know exactly what the [White Room] talent would manifest as in reality, but based on past effects, the simulator would apply a logical adjustment to make it fit.
But he had always known—
In the real White Room's fourth generation, only Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was considered a success.
Which meant in reality, Yuki had already been discarded.
Ryo knew what became of those children—almost all were mentally broken and unable to function in society.
So every time Yuki smiled at him, he thought of that.
Like a tragedy with a predetermined ending.
It made for great theater—but was absurd in reality. No one wanted to accept it.
"I've loved the Life Simulator game since I was a kid."
"I even used it for bedtime stories with my sister."
"Because our lives were already rotten, we yearned for better ones."
"But there's no more need to simulate anything now."
"One, two, three... eight. This is the eighth simulation."
"It's enough. Because the life I'm living now—is the one I once longed for most."
"It must've been a long time ago... but it's still the clearest memory I have."
"Our basement room was three floors underground. The first level was the parking garage. Then down one... then another... like falling into the center of the earth."
"Tiny space. Living room, bedroom, and kitchen all in one. One bed—shared at first, then just me. It was damp. Moss sometimes grew on the walls. When it rained, the mattress soaked up water. No sunlight. We could only hear fireworks. Never see them. I never knew when day began."
"Maybe that's why I couldn't let go of anyone. Because I saw myself in all of them. Their burdens, fears, indecision... I'd felt them all."
Ryo hugged Hotaru close. Curled up like a child, he remained silent for a while—then suddenly whispered:
"Right, Hotaru?"
Hotaru was Hotaru.
Just like in every simulation, no matter what name he rolled, he was always named Ryo.
Staring into her eyes, he remembered his very first, uneventful simulation:
[Day 1: It's July 9th, the Tokyo summer heat is intense. You follow your phone's GPS to your new apartment. Everything feels novel. Couples fill the streets. Giant screens flash with ads. Your white cat taps your cheek with her paw, signaling the light is green.]
[Day 2: Your cat wakes you up. After washing up, you realize she has no name. You name her Hotaru, after her eyes—bright as fluorite. After breakfast, you bathe her. Soft and fluffy. Petting her brings you joy. Joy +1.]
[Day 3: You're obsessed with petting your cat.]
[Day 4: You're still obsessed.]
"Meow."
Hotaru reached out and touched his face. Then, circling once, she gently licked his eyelid.
In that moment, Ryo thought he heard a voice.
So that's how it is.
All his doubts, confusion, and pain vanished in an instant.
[Clear all chapters to receive a special reward.]
It was a gift that had been waiting all along.
(All simulations complete.)
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