Playing House (Continued)

Kitagawa Ryo smiled and looked at the strand of hair in Horikita Suzune's hand, saying:

"If you're in such a hurry to cut this long hair, it only means that even now, Suzune hasn't grown at all."

Horikita Suzune's past life was like that of a machine with a pre-programmed schedule—simple, innocent, without any confusion or need for thought.

Life, in essence, has no inherent meaning; it's like an isolated island floating on the sea.

That's why many talented people always want to tie their lives together with those of others.

Promises, friendship, revenge, curses, or Fate.

Anything is fine.

I find meaning in my life through these connections with others.

Kitagawa Ryo could clearly sense that now that the illusion built by Horikita Manabu had crumbled, Horikita Suzune had fallen into her most chaotic and disoriented state.

He now needs to set a new goal for Horikita Suzune.

The mission objective is to free Horikita Suzune from the shadow of Horikita Manabu, but unlike Karuizawa Kei, the mission does not require Horikita Suzune to be independent.

Therefore...

Let someone else fill Horikita Manabu's position.

This is the easiest way to pass the level.

But...

This is not the outcome Kitagawa Ryo wanted to see. If it were, Horikita Suzune would simply be moving from one person's shadow to another's.

"Of course, if Suzune truly believes that her current thoughts represent her true will, I can immediately help you contact your familiar teacher, Tony."

Kitagawa Ryo whistled, a playful smile on his face.

"I just don't know if Suzune is currently acting out of anger and resentment, or if she genuinely feels that short hair suits her better?"

"... I have no idea."

Horikita Suzune paused, looking at herself in the mirror.

She was almost familiar with this long-haired look; Horikita Suzune could hardly recall what she looked like with short hair before.

"Then let's wait a little longer, until Suzune figures it out herself."

Kitagawa Ryo waved his hand:

"Tonight's classes are canceled for now. Get some rest."

"Oh."

Horikita Suzune stroked the strand of hair that had been cut off in her hand.

To some extent, hair is also a symbol of memory; they even share common characteristics:

It's slow to keep, but quick to discard, so quick that it makes you feel like the time it holds is fake.

"So, are you an idiot?"

Kitagawa Ryo placed the cup of hot water he had brought on the bedside table, propped his head up with his hand, and looked at the little figure tightly covered by the blanket on the bed, his tone revealing helplessness.

"Although I knew you definitely couldn't sleep last night, you still remembered that you hadn't finished your duties as an executive committee member, and then you even got up to work on the design drawings at your desk until you fell asleep from exhaustion and caught a cold."

"It's really unexpected that something like this would happen to Horikita Suzune."

"..."

Whether it was because she was genuinely weak or because she couldn't retort, Horikita Suzune, who usually loved to argue with Kitagawa Ryo, finally quieted down. Her somewhat dull black hair was scattered on the side of the pillow, and she closed her eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

If it were the old Horikita Suzune, she would definitely have insisted on attending class despite her illness without hesitation, after all, she was known for never being late, never leaving early, and never being absent.

However, Kitagawa Ryo asked the teacher for leave for her.

He had initially thought Horikita Suzune would try to hold on a little longer, but to his surprise, she simply lay back down on the bed.

I feel like I'm becoming more and more like a child.

However, it's not entirely incomprehensible. After all, having something you've persisted in for years suddenly negated feels like the sky has fallen.

It's also related to the fact that Horikita Suzune has been going through a lot of trouble with herself these past few weeks.

It just happened to erupt at some point.

So, how much work is left?

Kitagawa Ryo handed the thermometer to Horikita Suzune so she could take her own temperature, and casually asked a question.

He still appreciated this aspect of Horikita Suzune. Just like how she repeatedly failed and tried again when she was the Leader Class D in the last simulation, once she was in the corresponding position, regardless of whether she could do it well, Horikita Suzune's attitude was at least not a problem.

"There's still... half of it unfinished, just a bunch of random suggestions left there."

The sore throat caused by the fever made Horikita Suzune's voice lose its usual crispness, instead sounding somewhat muffled.

Her long eyelashes fluttered a few times, and finally she opened her eyes, her purplish-red pupils filled with confusion.

You should get some rest.

Kitagawa Ryo glanced at Horikita Suzune, then pulled the blanket up a little higher:

Would you like some water?

"This is the seventh cup already, I don't want to drink anymore."

Seemingly not wanting to lie there any longer, Horikita Suzune struggled for a moment and then sat up, leaning against the headboard.

"What? You're finding it hard to adjust to having more free time?"

"If you want to get better quickly, take your medicine now."

Upon hearing Kitagawa Ryo's words, Horikita Suzune swiftly retreated to her bed and wrapped herself up like a dumpling.

"Is it hard to eat?"

Smelling the powder in the bowl, Kitagawa Ryo was a little puzzled. After all, Hotaru had always been very obedient when taking medicine since she was a child and had never complained about it.

"Come out and take your medicine. Good medicine tastes bitter, but it's good for you."

Motionless.

"..."

Kitagawa Ryo shook his head and walked to Horikita Suzune's desk, where the laptop screen was still lit up, displaying a half-finished graphic design.

Peeking through the gap in the blankets at Kitagawa Ryo examining her haphazard creation with great interest, Horikita Suzune felt a rare sense of shame. She pulled the blankets back up.

"I think I should take my medication."

Then he lay back down, staring Kitagawa Ryo.

"Just put it on your bedside table."

"Suzune, you can't expect me to coax you, you're not really a child anymore."

Kitagawa Ryo, sitting on a chair to the side, looked at Horikita Suzune, who was looking troubled, and said in a pretentious manner:

"Okay, good girl, drink it down, mmm, great!"

"How can you drink it like this?"

"... Liang, you should just shut up."

Horikita Suzune glared at Kitagawa Ryo, but the gesture lacked any real force due to her weakness.

However, she finished the powder in the bowl in one go. Actually, the thing itself wasn't bitter, it just required a little courage. Kitagawa Ryo had already checked it himself before giving it to Horikita Suzune.

Especially the production date of the medicine, after all, he himself had made mistakes on this issue.

After washing the empty bowl, Kitagawa Ryo picked up another type of white pill that was placed aside. This was the real challenge.

Pills with a pungent odor are, in some ways, more dangerous than powders and capsules.

Even fireflies are hard to coax.

The best proof is that a certain girl who has once again huddled under the covers.

I really don't know how she managed to live alone before.

After thinking for a moment, Kitagawa Ryo remembered how he fed Hotaru these pills in his previous life. He found a few oranges in the kitchen that were originally used for juicing, and with a little manipulation, stuffed the pill into one of the segments of orange.

Although Hotaru complained that doing it this way might reduce the effectiveness of the medicine, Kitagawa Ryo himself really didn't want to see Hotaru force herself to swallow a handful of pills every time, so he tried his best to make the process as easy as possible.

This method was invented around that time.

"Suzune, have some fruit first, you can take your medicine later."

This is how they lured Horikita Suzune out.

"Hmm..."

"Don't chew, swallow it all at once."

Horikita Suzune was startled by Kitagawa Ryo's suddenly serious tone and swallowed the orange segment in her mouth in a hurry.

"Alright, perfect. Suzune, you should continue to rest. I've taken a day off."

Kitagawa Ryo clapped his hands and gave Horikita Suzune a refreshing smile.

After taking the medicine, Horikita Suzune seemed to feel sleepy. She yawned and lay back down.

Kitagawa Ryo adjusted her pillow and tucked in the blankets.

This was the first time Horikita Suzune had experienced being taken care of like this.

I don't dislike it.

Horikita Suzune woke up once during the night because she felt thirsty.

Would you like some water?

Kitagawa Ryo sat next to her.

"Ah... um."

A dazed Horikita Suzune was stunned for a while before she came to her senses. She subconsciously took the water glass that Kitagawa Ryo handed her, drank the whole glass in one gulp, and then continued to sleep soundly.

Seeing that Horikita Suzune had closed her eyes, Kitagawa Ryo went back to the kitchen and brought back a kettle of freshly boiled water. He first poured out a cup to cool, and then took out an empty cup and poured the hot water back and forth between the two cups.

This is a method I discovered while taking care of Ying, which allows hot water to cool down quickly.

It was so quiet you could almost hear the dust motes dancing in the air.

Kitagawa Ryo placed perfectly heated water on the bedside table so that Horikita Suzune could see it as soon as she woke up.

Even if it's just a game of playing the role of a family.

Side Story: Taming and Being Tamed

[Note before reading: This chapter is a supplementary sequel to Karuizawa Kei's first simulation of Horikita Suzune, explaining Horikita Suzune Kitagawa Ryo's motivations and methods in this simulation. Thank you.]

Kitagawa Ryo didn't want to turn on the living room light. He originally planned to use the flashlight on his phone to find his shoes and return to his room as quietly as possible.

"You're back."

But a voice suddenly appeared in the darkness, accompanied by even breathing; she was getting closer.

Kitagawa Ryo instinctively tried to dodge, but the other person was faster than he expected. Warm breath hit his neck, and two hands were already wrapped around his waist.

"Liang was gone for three days and twelve hours this time."

Kitagawa Ryo heard Horikita Suzune's whisper. She tiptoed and gently touched his chin with the tip of her nose. The strange touch reminded Kitagawa Ryo of a cat he had owned many years ago.

In fact, it wasn't until Horikita Suzune agreed to their past Marriage Contract in front of his parents that Kitagawa Ryo finally realized, rather belatedly, her infatuation and obsession with him, even though at that time he had only wanted to use her to stay in Tokyo for a while longer.

After all, at the time, Kitagawa Ryo only thought of Horikita Suzune as a child with a twisted longing and yearning for her older brother. Kitagawa Ryo, who only had Karuizawa Kei in his eyes at the time, never thought about the consequences now.

γγ α π ρα δ' ηη, if you make an oath without permission, disaster will come soon.

For some reason, this oracle from the Delphi Temple came to mind.

Is it Shiina?

Horikita Suzune brought her nose close to Kitagawa Ryo's chin, sniffed, and said:

"It smells like her."