Drowning in Love

Her purplish-red pupils contracted slightly, and she instinctively wanted to retort, but after her lips moved twice, she closed them again, making a soft smacking sound. Her gaze drifted to the ground, her small nose twitched, she took a deep breath, and finally glared at herself.

The rich detail in these facial expressions is so captivating; it's fun to watch no matter how many times you see it.

"Is the Drama Club recruiting new members? I want to join the Drama Club."

However, Horikita Suzune was quite clever. Since Kitagawa Ryo was the head of the Drama Club, she figured that if she could join the Drama Club, she would have a chance to see him perform.

And who knows, I might also possess a talent for drama—like Oedipus Rex, for example?

If Kitagawa Ryo can act in it, why can't I?

Moreover, she had to act even better than him, so that her brother could see that she was no worse than him.

"If you want to join, contact the relevant people yourself. I'm just someone who doesn't get involved."

Kitagawa Ryo didn't want to argue with Horikita Suzune, but since she seemed determined to go against him, he decided to just hand her over to the Drama Club to deal with.

Ultimately, drama requires the collaboration of Actor, directors, and support staff, and given Horikita Suzune's personality, she will most likely encounter obstacles.

Kitagawa Ryo recalled a conversation he had with Horikita Manabu two years ago, when Horikita Manabu asked him during the thank-you segment after a performance:

What is the riddle of the Sphinx?

"Is it that riddle about walking on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and one leg in the evening?"

"Yes, I know the answer is 'human'."

"The Sphinx is a monster, a monster with the body of a lion and the face of a woman; it represents fear and temptation."

"But after Oedipus Rex solved the riddle, he fell off a cliff and died."

"This means that once people understand themselves, they can overcome temptation and fear."

Kitagawa Ryo said with a smile:

"This is also one of the famous oracles of the Delphi Temple: Know thyself."

"Many Ancient Greece dramas were keen to highlight human glory and greatness."

"Maki my sister could also come and see one of your Oedipus Rex."

Horikita Manabu grasped Kitagawa Ryo's hand, and knowing Horikita Suzune, he quickly understood what she meant.

Just as Oedipus Rex was born burdened with the divine prophecy of being "the one who kills his father and marries his mother," Horikita Suzune also carries the seemingly ridiculous but very real pressure of being called "Horikita Manabu's younger sister."

Kitagawa Ryo was well aware of the feeling of having a genius older brother and sister, which meant being constantly in their shadow. Perhaps it was because of this that Horikita Manabu chose to distance himself from Horikita Suzune. He did not want his equally talented younger sister to become a victim in his shadow. However, he did not expect that his departure would further distort his image in his sister's mind, even to the point of making it almost perfect.

Therefore, what Horikita Manabu hopes for is that Horikita Suzune can truly "know herself" and defeat the "Sphinx" that she plays, which represents desire and fear.

The desire to prove herself to her brother, coupled with the fear of realizing she may never surpass him.

To this day, Horikita Suzune still stands before the Sphinx, too afraid to take another step.

Azabu Middle School, Drama Club.

"Kushida Kikyo, you've worked hard today! There are so many new students applying to join the club this year."

An older female student tidied up the materials in her hands and placed them on the table. She couldn't help but ruffle the hair of the girl in front of her.

Actually, it wasn't just her; the entire Drama Club adored this girl. After all, a girl who is good-looking, academically gifted, athletically gifted, has a good personality, and is caring is always favored by others.

"It's alright, senior. It's probably because news about Minister Kitagawa has spread this year that there are so many people here."

Kushida Kikyo quickly waved her hand to indicate that she wasn't tired.

"Speaking of Kitagawa, it's really something. He's only been to the Drama Club twice, but just because he's a famous Actor, the school actually made him the head of the department."

"This year's recruitment was a complete mess, and I've received quite a few complaints from new students."

Upon hearing the name Beichuan, the senior student couldn't help but make a couple of sarcastic remarks.

After all, anyone would feel resentful if they had a boss who completely ignored everything and refused to take responsibility.

Of course, the Tian in front of him was an exception.

"Actually, Minister Kitagawa probably has his own difficulties, and as a professional theater Actor, he must be incredibly busy. It's not his fault that he doesn't have the time and energy to come here..."

Sure enough, Kushida Kikyo quickly defended Kitagawa Ryo she had only met twice.

"Oh dear, that's why you're just too kind, Kushida Kikyo."

Kushida Kikyo chuckled inwardly, but maintained an embarrassed, sweet smile on her face.

After all, a certain level of acting skill is indispensable in order to gain everyone's respect and trust.

Actually, she initially joined the Drama Club just to get in touch with Kitagawa Ryo, the most popular guy in the whole school. As someone who was good at interpersonal relationships, Kushida Kikyo knew very well that if she could gain Kitagawa Ryo's friendship or even his affection, her popularity in the whole school would increase rapidly. It was a shortcut.

However, to Kushida Kikyo's surprise, Kitagawa Ryo was actually just a figurehead. A year had passed, and they hadn't even met twice, let alone developed a friendship. Kitagawa might not even remember her name.

Just as Kushida Kikyo was feeling troubled and considering quitting the Drama Club, she inadvertently discovered another advantage of it:

Suitable for stress relief.

Having built friendships with students throughout her class and even the entire school, she absorbed the nourishment of "trust" while also accumulating a lot of pressure. In the past, Kushida Kikyo always chose to vent these feelings anonymously on her blog, but after joining the Drama Club, she was pleasantly surprised to find that theatrical performance was also a good method.

Because it's a fake performance, there's no problem expressing emotions however you want. Even if someone sees inappropriate behavior, you can easily brush it off with a simple "I'm preparing for the performance" or "I want to understand the character's thoughts."

Looking back, I realized that I had actually spent a whole year in the Drama Club.

Kushida Kikyo let out a soft breath and, after saying goodbye to her senior, resumed organizing the materials related to the Drama Club's recruitment.

She thoroughly enjoyed this act of prying into other people's privacy. Kushida Kikyo would discover their secrets and then experience a thrilling, electric-like sensation running through her skin.

[Horikita Suzune, a second-year junior high school student, transferred to this school this semester.]

Kushida Kikyo had naturally heard some news about this one-of-a-kind transfer student, but she never expected that the student would choose the Drama Club.

Even in a simple, official ID photo, the girl's beauty is still evident.

Kushida Kikyo licked her lips. The more perfect a student seemed, the more she wanted to uncover their secrets.

Just like when she learned that the most popular boy in her class had a crush on a girl who was not pretty and was even quite ordinary, Kushida Kikyo looked through the girl's information.

Driven by this bloodthirsty curiosity, she wished she could transform into an insect and burrow into Horikita Suzune's veins in order to uncover deeper and darker secrets.

[Initial review passed]

She stamped it with a large seal.

Chapter Ten: Drowning in Love

It is currently dusk, around five o'clock, before nightfall.

Looking up, the crimson clouds that had burned half the sky emitted an eerie glow, enveloping the entire station in a dreamlike light. Karuizawa Kei leaned against a pillar in the hall, shifting her gaze to the bustling platform and the crowded people. The ancient melody of the platform bells echoed in her ears, and she began to understand why people called this moment "the hour of twilight."

"Phew, it's been so long since I've been back."

Familiar landmarks and scenery give people a sense of security. Karuizawa Kei watched the diverse crowd in front of her with great interest, her mind gradually emptying. After staring for a while, these old people, young people, and children all became like the black and white gibberish on the screens of television programs in her childhood before they started airing, utterly devoid of interest.

No matter how many times I check the time, the hour hand on the clock won't suddenly jump from five o'clock to a more distant future. Although I had already called Liang in advance, it would probably take some time for her to arrive.

Unlike Shiina Hiyori Kitagawa Ryo, who was sent abroad to study by her family, and Ryo Kitagawa, who gave up theater after earning enough money, Karuizawa Kei is still firmly on the path of theater.

She knew very well that sticking to Kitagawa Ryo wouldn't win her any more favor. Karuizawa Kei was well aware that Kitagawa Ryo wasn't a guy who could be easily pursued, and that spending more time improving herself was the right choice.

Of course, this does not mean that she completely cut off contact with Kitagawa Ryo. Karuizawa Kei skillfully kept their relationship within the scope of friendship, subtly leaving her mark on Kitagawa Ryo's life.

Until the day when things naturally fall into place.

Karuizawa Kei neatly placed her suitcase within her chest's field of vision, took out a photo from a pocket inside her jacket. Incidentally, this lightweight jacket had four pockets, containing her wallet, bank cards, ID card, and other items—a little trick she had learned from Kitagawa Ryo.

"Even though it's only been a month since we last saw each other, I still miss her a lot."

Her slender fingers gently brushed over the photo, a picture taken two years ago when she and Kitagawa Ryo were rehearsing.

Even though she took many more photos with Kitagawa Ryo later, this one remained the most important one that the girl treasured and kept.

"You're back? You probably don't have any plans to perform for the next few months."

A familiar voice came from behind, Karuizawa Kei hurriedly put the group photo away again.

"You just arrived?"

Although she said that, she didn't complain at all. Karuizawa Kei turned around, and Kitagawa Ryo was indeed already standing there.

Kitagawa Ryo seemed much more cheerful after retiring from the theater world. Seeing Karuizawa Kei looking at him, he raised an eyebrow and smiled:

"We arrived quickly enough; school matters caused some delays."

After Kitagawa Ryo finished speaking, he took Karuizawa Kei's luggage. At first, he thought that Karuizawa Kei's interest in drama was just a passing fad, but in fact, of the original trio, only she has persisted to this day.

Karuizawa Kei wasn't a particularly outstanding genius, but with the help of Kitagawa Ryo's fame and her own efforts, she managed to establish herself in the Theater Troupe. After Kitagawa Ryo decided to leave last month, Karuizawa Kei was the first in the Theater Troupe to agree, and even helped him persuade the other members of the Theater Troupe.

Compared to the initial impression of Karuizawa Kei made a very good impression on Kitagawa Ryo, even making him wonder if he had flapped his butterfly wings too hard, directly allowing Karuizawa Kei to avoid the school bullying that would affect her personality development.

Having undergone two years of stage experience, Karuizawa Kei's every move was graceful, and her posture was poised and elegant. She walked up to Kitagawa Ryo with her hands behind her back, leaning slightly forward.

"How is it? Has it changed a lot?"

"It's only been a month, it can't be that serious."

"Girls in this age group change every single day."

Feeling the gaze of Karuizawa Kei beside him, Kitagawa Ryo could only shift his gaze to her and scrutinize her carefully for a while:

You've grown taller.

But in the end, all that came out were these simple words.

Although I've only been separated from Karuizawa Kei for a month, the images that come to mind are from two years ago.

Compared to that time, Karuizawa Kei has indeed changed in every way. Compared to the slender, unremarkable child in my memory, who had nothing special about her except her face, she is undoubtedly more like... a girl.

Her long, smooth, and glossy honey-colored hair was simply draped behind her, reaching her waist. A few strands of hair fluttered in front of her eyes in the breeze. Her features had matured, and her figure had begun to slender. Moreover, she seemed somewhat dissatisfied with what Kitagawa Ryo had just said, and her azure eyes revealed a hint of the unique emotions of a young woman.

Unbeknownst to her, Karuizawa Kei is growing up in a completely different direction from what she remembers.

However, Kitagawa Ryo didn't think it was a bad thing. Just like how he learned that Ichinose Honami was trying to improve her family's financial situation through her own efforts in the past two years, Kitagawa Ryo also found her some odd jobs such as logistics in the Theater Troupe.

Ichinose Honami would no longer be so desperate as to resort to theft, and Karuizawa Kei would no longer be bullied at school. In fact, if Karuizawa Kei were to return to school now, she might even have fans in her class asking for autographs.

"Actually, I plan to focus on my studies after coming back this time."

Karuizawa Kei also brought up this topic:

"The subsequent performances were all within the city, so my family wanted me to resume my studies first, since they were counting on me to get into a good high school and a good university."

At this point, Karuizawa Kei sighed softly. In fact, the reason for her family's opposition this time was Kitagawa Ryo's actions, but she didn't say it out loud.

"Because it's a bit late, it's impossible for me to go to the same middle school as Ryo, but maybe we can go to high school together."

After a brief moment of discouragement, Karuizawa Kei rallied again:

"Have you heard of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School? I've heard it's a high school that claims to have a 99.9% success rate in fulfilling students' future academic and employment aspirations. It only admits 160 students each year, but its annual expenditures are enormous. You can always see reports on TV criticizing it for consuming too many social resources."

Karuizawa Kei still hoped that Kitagawa Ryo could enter Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School with her, since their relationship would likely be closer under that completely closed school management model that adhered to the principle of 'Classroom of the Elite Studio'.

Even today, Karuizawa Kei still dreams of the star-filled night sky on the Uninhabited Island.

"Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School? I heard the admission process is quite strict. It would be great to get in."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded. If two years ago he only considered Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School as an option, now he had a reason to go there.

"Okay, then we'll go to this high school together."

Nodding excitedly, Karuizawa Kei's steps even quickened.

As Kitagawa Ryo helped Karuizawa Kei carry her luggage to the taxi that had come to pick her up, he also gave her some instructions:

"Be careful on the road. Spend more time with your parents when you go home; you haven't been back for a year."

"I understand."

Watching the taxi drive away and disappear from sight, Kitagawa Ryo slowly turned back and walked towards his home, his hands tucked back into his sleeves.

Although he had just told Karuizawa Kei to spend more time with his parents, in truth, he was the least qualified person to say that.

After leaving the Kitagawa Family, he had almost no contact with them. If the previous two years of traveling around the country and even the world with the Theater Troupe were not too lonely, Kitagawa Ryo did experience the taste of loneliness after saving enough money to send Hotaru abroad for treatment.

He considered himself to be someone who was good at living alone, and at that time he didn't really care about living alone in a basement.

Finding a bus stop, Kitagawa Ryo casually leaned against a nearby pillar, casting his gaze upon the bustling city before him.

When he first traveled through time, he set two goals for himself: