No Lewd Content in This Chapter

Sakayanagi Arisu has been a walking contradiction since birth.

On the one hand, she firmly believes that she is the most outstanding genius born from the combination of the best parents and the best genes. However, this gene has given her both blessings and flaws, which she must acknowledge, confront, and be constantly reminded of.

"You are a child with congenital heart disease."

Now, the two memories imposed on Sakayanagi Arisu have created new conflicts with her present self.

Because they rejected her.

Therefore, the only thing that Sakayanagi Arisu could resonate with from her memories was the grandeur within it.

'My own' feelings for Kitagawa Ryo.

This affection, combined with the fact that the other person had actually cured her heart disease in reality, weighed heavily on Sakayanagi Arisu's heart like layers of sedimentary rock.

To be honest, the real Sakayanagi Arisu is undoubtedly closer to the Sakayanagi Arisu during the first simulation. The glimpse she gave Ayanokoji Kiyotaka in the White Room back then could stay with her for seven or eight years, let alone Kitagawa Ryo and everything about her.

Sakayanagi Arisu believes from the bottom of her heart that this scene is more artistic than those world-famous art museums and exhibits; it is such a magnificent, sweet, and ardently beloved thing.

Horikita Suzune, looking at Sakayanagi Arisu's expression, felt a strange sense of irritation, and her fingers unconsciously began to play with the ends of her long, drooping hair.

She had previously worried that Sakayanagi Arisu might be upset about missing the Summer Special Exam with Kitagawa Ryo, but when the other girl actually confirmed that she could participate, she felt a little uneasy.

Horikita Suzune could clearly sense that, compared to herself, Sakayanagi Arisu was currently displaying something more intense, as if it had been suppressed for a long time.

Even disregarding that memory, she had known Kitagawa Ryo for three years. The memory in her dream added a sense of destiny, like a long-awaited reunion, to the time they spent together, but it was still undeniably fresh.

Thinking about this, Horikita Suzune suddenly had a guess:

Did those girls who knew Kitagawa Ryo even before her have similar experiences?

After realizing that this was very likely true, even Horikita Suzune herself felt a kind of absurd astonishment, and even couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

Only then did Horikita Suzune realize the weight of Kitagawa Ryo's words about "everyone." The anxiety she had felt earlier suddenly grew stronger. She stood up and poured herself another cup of tea. Perhaps because the tea had gone cold, she drank the whole cup in one gulp.

After all, if you really want to look into her heart, she's just a traditional girl.

Rather than the so-called "love grows over time," I long for the moment when I instinctively fall in love with someone.

Because it sounded like a beautiful and naive fairy tale, Horikita Suzune never dared to talk to anyone about it; she wasn't usually the type to discuss romance with others.

Horikita Suzune had relived her dream about Kitagawa Ryo countless times, and finally found the moment that had made her heart flutter back then:

She sat quietly in the kitchen of the dessert shop called [Hotaru], watching Kitagawa Ryo methodically baking various desserts. The air was filled with a sweet and warm aroma, and she heard all sorts of sounds: spreading cream, frying butter, opening and closing the oven...

Like a piece forcibly peeled off from the long river of time and space, a place so quiet that there is not a sound of human voices, where you can think of anything or nothing at all.

For a long time, Horikita Suzune thought she would like the scene because of the relaxed, almost sluggish atmosphere.

But now she has finally unearthed that deep-seated thought from the bottom of her heart.

Perhaps it's for a simpler reason:

She was simply enjoying her time with Kitagawa Ryo, just the two of them.

The Drama Club is a magical organization that's essentially a slacker whose goal is to get out of school, but it always manages to win awards.

Even though she had seen through this long ago, Miyabi Nagumo, the Student Council vice president who had a conflict with Kitagawa Ryo, could not disband the club.

With sufficient members and existing club honors, the other club fully meets the club regulations of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, and might even win a top ten club award at the end of the year.

Even so, Miyabi Nagumo kept a close eye on the Drama Club's movements, hoping to find some leverage against them.

"Vice President, this is the application submitted by the Drama Club this morning. As before, they want to participate in a drama competition outside of school."

Student Council Secretary Tonokawa approached and handed the paper document to Miyabi Nagumo.

"Hmm... this time it's the city center?"

Miyabi Nagumo glanced at it and found it strange. You see, in the past, when the Drama Club applied to participate in competitions outside the school, they would go as far as they could, with a mocking look on their faces that said, "I'm just going on a trip, so what if you try to catch me?" But this time, the destination was only within Tokyo.

"There's no problem with the competition; there is indeed a major competition coming up soon."

"Then let's approve the application, but approve a smaller number of leave days, and make the review process stricter when it goes back to school."

"Yes."

Miyabi Nagumo casually tripped up the Drama Club, then sent the message to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

He and the other party had reached a minimum agreement beforehand, since neither of them trusted the other, but they would occasionally share information like today.

Class 1-A had just finished their lesson Ayanokoji Kiyotaka opened his phone and saw a message from Miyabi Nagumo.

Although he also felt that Kitagawa Ryo's actions were somewhat suspicious, what troubled Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was that he did not have enough tools at his disposal to mobilize them.

The plan to meet Kamuro Masumi was ruined by Kitagawa Ryo, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and Katsuragi Kohei, who trusted him, was not a good fit.

"..."

Although he never doubted that he was the strongest in the White Room, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka still felt it was a bit outrageous.

Ayanokoji Atsuomi, that man, actually only managed to find one assistant for him in the White Room.

Moreover, he had already personally sent that guy named Yagami Takuya away.

It seems that the only way to target Kitagawa Ryo and Class D is through the Special Exam during the summer.

Take a cruise to Uninhabited Island overseas for a vacation.

Chabashira Sae's earlier words, which seemed like encouragement for everyone to do well on their Final Exam, actually revealed some of the plot.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka sat alone in his seat, gazing at the blue sky outside the window as he began to formulate his initial plans.

The girls nearby were also discussing this topic, after all, summer was just around the corner.

"I can't wait for our beach vacation! Shall we go buy swimsuits together in a few days?"

The boys nearby subtly perked up their ears and noticed the word "swimsuit".

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka paused slightly, but he was more concerned about the sentence that came before.

[Seaside].

Come to think of it, I've only ever seen him in VR glasses.

A virtual sea.

I'm going to visit relatives in the mountains for the New Year, so I need to take a day off.

I'm going to visit my grandmother and grandfather in the mountains on the second and third days of the Lunar New Year. I won't be back until the evening of the third day, so it's not convenient for me to bring my computer to write.

I'll update again tomorrow night, and then I basically won't be going out to visit relatives for the New Year.

Happy Year of the Rabbit to everyone!

By the way, I recommend a new Classroom of the Elite book by an author in the group, <I Want to Deny Classroom of the Elite!!>. It's a very rare combination of Danganronpa and Classroom of the Elite. If you're interested, you can check it out.

Chapter 125: This chapter contains no explicit content.

"Therefore, I hereby announce that, after unanimous deliberation by the judges, the best work of this year's Drama Grand Prix is the adaptation of 'The Human Chair' by the Morning Glow Theater Troupe."

"At the same time, congratulations to Ms. Karuizawa Kei for winning the Best Actor award at this year's Drama Grand Prix with 83% of the vote for her outstanding performance in 'The Human Chair'! Please welcome the relevant personnel to the stage to accept the award!"

As the host spoke with great enthusiasm, thunderous applause erupted in the magnificent banquet hall. Some of the new Actor, who had just entered the industry, were infected by the enthusiastic atmosphere, and their faces couldn't help but turn slightly red. While clapping vigorously, they imagined that one day they would also receive such an honor and accept the trophy amidst the cheers of the crowd.

Unlike these fledglings, the directors of the various Theater Troupe somewhat surprised, exchanging hushed conversations, some asking, "Where's that child?"

"This scene is practically a one-man show, he doesn't have much screen time," "No wonder," "He's paving the way for his girlfriend," "She really does deserve him," and other such teasing and sarcastic remarks.

However, Karuizawa Kei had no time to pay attention to these whispers. She simply walked calmly to the center of the stage, accepted the trophy from the host, and gave a proper acceptance speech without any nervousness or awkwardness. She even seemed to be somewhat indifferent to the award.

However, this composed attitude earned the approval of many veteran industry professionals. To receive such an award at this age and remain calm in the face of honor and disgrace is, from a mental perspective, quite mature.

It is foreseeable that if the other party persists, they will one day be able to join the ranks of the top people in this industry.

Karuizawa Kei wore a red evening gown, and her honey-colored long hair was not tied into a simple ponytail as usual, but styled into an updo at the hairstylist's suggestion. Combined with the dress design that slightly exposed her shoulders and her slightly mature makeup, Karuizawa Kei, who was outside of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, showed a completely different side of herself in front of Kitagawa Ryo.

Kitagawa Ryo sat in the front row of the audience and clapped softly.

Tragedy on stage is always wonderful, but when it happens in real life, it just seems absurd and unacceptable.

But the reverse is also true.

What seems absurd and unacceptable in reality can be transformed into a brilliant tragedy that leaves audiences in awe once it's on stage.

Karuizawa Kei certainly has a talent for acting, or rather, she has simply thoroughly digested those two past memories and life experiences.

There is a place where one is humble to the extreme in observing others' expressions, and there is unbridled arrogance. There is being favored, cared for, and protected, and there is being forgotten, abandoned, and deceived.

These past memories and emotions have become the support that has helped Karuizawa Kei get to where she is today, because they are all one person.

"Speaking of which, Liang still doesn't seem to have much energy."

After the awards ceremony, on the way back to her hotel, Karuizawa Kei couldn't help but speak again.

She had removed her makeup and changed out of her long-train dress. Her hair was down again, and she seemed to have no intention of tying it up again. Her smooth hair cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall. The way she suddenly turned around with her hands behind her back while walking ahead looked exceptionally pure and captivating.

"It's really tiring..."

Kitagawa Ryo yawned again, looking quite tired.

Their Drama Club's strategy when going out to compete is usually to close the door and let him go, while everyone else does the talking and he just runs wild and wins awards. Then he goes back to Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School with his good grades and waits for the next time to go out and play.

This is why many people were surprised that he didn't win the Best Actor award at this year's Drama Grand Prix, since in previous years these awards were basically all taken by Kitagawa Ryo.

"I never expected to win Best Film and Best Actor."

"It's all thanks to Hui. And speaking of which, it seems like you were the one who suggested the script for 'The Human Chair' to me—no, it seems like you were the one who revised the script for this play, right?"

Kitagawa Ryo suddenly spoke as if he had just remembered something. The streetlights cast long, thin shadows of the two people ahead of them.

"The Human Chair" was originally a short mystery novel published in 1925 by the Edogawa Ranpo. The inspiration for this theatrical adaptation can be traced back to a discussion between Kitagawa Ryo and Shiina Hiyori about mystery novels (see Chapter 22 of Karuizawa Kei's Second Simulation).

However, he only thought it was interesting at the time and mentioned it to Karuizawa Kei once by chance. He never expected that she would actually try to turn it into a play script.

Then, when Kitagawa Ryo expressed his unwillingness to star in the film due to his post-simulation period of enlightenment, Karuizawa Kei proactively offered this one-woman show.

"Oh, because I just remembered that I revised the script like this once before."

"And to be honest, everyone worked hard to win the grand prize this time."

"I tried my best too!"

"No--"

Karuizawa Kei revealed a subtle, embarrassed expression:

"Ryo is probably the least qualified person to say that..."

"So, has everyone finished reading the script for 'The Human Chair'?"

"I've finished reading it! Karuizawa- sensei!"

Karuizawa Kei looked at Kitagawa Ryo, who was lying on the ground with his hands raised, and forced a dry laugh:

"Uh... if Liang has that much energy, I think we should go and act in Macbeth together."

"After all, the character I played didn't have any lines."

Kitagawa Ryo answered lazily.

"Didn't Liang tell me back then that she wanted as few appearances and as few lines as possible?"

"Oh yeah, I'm going to sleep now."

Kitagawa Ryo neatly tossed the piece of white paper aside, and it rolled several times against the wall before stopping, its back to the two remaining people in the room, appearing completely isolated from the world.

What's wrong with him?

"I don't know why Senior Ryo is like this either."

Faced with Karuizawa Kei's questioning, Amasawa Ichika, who had recently been specially recruited into the Drama Club by Kitagawa Ryo and was participating in a competition outside of school for the first time Amasawa Ichika shook her head.

It's worth mentioning that Kitagawa Ryo only brought her and Karuizawa Kei with her when she went out of school to participate in the competition. Although she said it was to let the newcomers broaden their horizons and learn, Karuizawa Kei always felt that there was something going on.

Although Amasawa Ichika, with her pigtails and innocent smile, looks like a well-behaved child now, Karuizawa Kei feels a little sore just thinking about how the other person carried a huge stack of stage equipment around like the wind when they were moving props together with the Theater Troupe this morning.

"Speaking of which, why does Amasawa call Liang senpai?"

"Because when I was little, I was in the same training institution as Senior Liang. He was a year older than me at the time, but we were both eliminated from there later."