A Mystery That Isn't So Hard to Solve

The girls around her became even more enthusiastic after the topic of romance came up, but they were still a little confused about the content of these popular comments. After all, high school students like them knew almost nothing about the theater world before they met Karuizawa Kei, so they naturally couldn't understand the daily madness of these veteran viewers.

"Hehehehe."

Just then, Kanzaki Ryuji was still barely noticeable despite being the vice class monitor, suddenly laughed. This caused many girls to look at him with surprise, since he had always been known for Taciturn and having a strong personality since the start of the school year. He was usually a quiet person who was not good at expressing himself.

"To be honest, I've been watching plays since I was very young, so I can offer some explanation for this."

As the sole heir to Kanzaki Heavy Industries, Kanzaki Ryuji received a rigorous elite education from his father from a young age, which included not only basic knowledge, physical strength, and combat skills, but also an appreciation for arts such as drama and music.

Seeing the eager looks from the girls around him, Kanzaki Ryuji didn't keep them in suspense and quickly spoke:

"Actually, Kitagawa debuted earlier than Karuizawa, but from Karuizawa's first debut performance, the only male lead she has ever worked with is Kitagawa Ryo."

"Kitagawa is a genius who has almost reached the top in the industry. From the Theater Troupe leader to the director to the Actor and the audience, everyone who has seen his performance has given him the highest praise. Therefore, for a long time, Karuizawa has been criticized for not being able to keep up with Kitagawa Ryo's performance and for needing to be replaced by a female lead with better acting skills."

"But in the end, Kitagawa Ryo publicly stated that he would not replace Karuizawa, and Karuizawa's acting skills improved rapidly. In the end, her amazing performance in Macbeth completely dispelled the audience's doubts about her."

Everyone loves to hear stories with a plot and a romantic twist, and the girls in Class B are no exception. Compared to Karuizawa Kei high school seem much less impressive.

"So, were those two actually there...?"

"Certainly!"

Kanzaki Ryuji suddenly shouted, turning around to take a small notebook out of his bag and opening it to a page:

According to an interview with the director of the [Chenxi] Theater Troupe, Karuizawa and Kitagawa's first performance together should have taken place when they were both twelve years old, during Karuizawa's audition for the Theater Troupe. The play was "The Little Mermaid." This marked the beginning of their relationship. It's a real shame that no video or film recordings were made of this memorable performance.

"Then, their first official debut was in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, which was also their first time playing lovers in a play."

"It's said that Oedipus Rex Horikita Manabu, the Student Council in his third year, was obsessed with this play. I happened to be there at the time. Kitagawa Ryo's portrayal of Oedipus Rex was indeed impressive, but more importantly, Karuizawa played Oedipus Rex's biological mother, a character with very few scenes, who was unexpectedly married to Oedipus Rex by Fate. To be fair, Karuizawa's appearances were limited, but the motherly charm she displayed was unforgettable."

"And she carried this insight into her next performance of Macbeth, which was also the work that changed the impression of Karuizawa for many people, including myself. Lady Macbeth's portrayal of Karuizawa perfectly showcased her deep love for Kitagawa Ryo, oh no, for Macbeth, that beautiful love that even with her hands stained with blood, she was willing to become an accomplice with him..."

"After that, we also co-starred in Hamlet, King Lear, and Youth Taboo Game, among others..."

"So, the two of them must be dating!"

Kanzaki Ryuji conviction and resolute force.

The girls, including Amikura Mako, were stunned by the other party's imposing manner and didn't know what to say for a moment. They asked blankly:

"So, where can we see Megumi and Kitagawa-kun's performance?"

Upon hearing Kanzaki Ryuji casually wrote down a whole string of website addresses on a piece of paper:

"This is currently the most complete and highest-definition collection of video resources available online."

"The extraction and decompression passwords are the same, both are K&K."

"K&K? What does that mean? The Mafia?"

Kanzaki Ryuji nearly choked on his breath, and with a twitching smile, he began to explain:

"It's an abbreviation of the first letters of Kitagawa-san and Karuizawa's names in Romanized form."

"I've hit the wall!"

"The most beautiful couple is right next to me!"

"We're eagerly awaiting more sweet moments!"

"Idiot! We can make our own sweet moments, aren't the celebrities right in front of us?"

Kanzaki Ryuji wiped the sweat from his brow, listening to the girls in his class suddenly spouting insider knowledge, and realized that things had developed beyond his expectations.

"Okay, I got it. This weekend, right? Okay."

Just then, Karuizawa Kei, having finished her phone call, finally returned to her class.

She sensed that everyone was looking at her differently, and Ms. Karuizawa Kei was very perceptive, keenly noticed this detail.

"Hui, want to go swimsuit shopping this weekend? I saw a style that's absolutely perfect for Hui the other day, I guarantee we'll snag it... cough cough, and win first place in the speed race at next swimming class."

Amikura Mako was full of enthusiasm and ready to protect her best friend's relationship, but then she remembered the class competition mechanism of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School. If she were to reveal at this time that the class president of Class B was dating a student from Class D, it would undoubtedly be detrimental to their relationship. Therefore, she quickly changed her mind.

"Sorry, Mako Jiang, I have plans with someone else this weekend."

"Is that Kitagawa-kun from Class D?"

Kanzaki Ryuji looked quite excited.

"Um, it's Horikita from Class D."

Karuizawa Kei, her honey-colored hair swaying gently with the movement.

I dreamt again of the scenes I spent with Kitagawa Ryo.

Because of its rich content and the fact that each segment is worth savoring, Sakayanagi Arisu feels that her sleep quality has improved significantly in the past few days.

Slowly open your eyes, quietly exhale warm breath.

The setting sun outside the window gradually began to sink, casting its last rays of light.

This is a corner of the library; it seems Sakayanagi Arisu accidentally took a short nap here just now.

[... I long to have him.]

Like a girl in love.

"Classmate Sakayanagi is asleep again, but she looks like she's sleeping soundly."

The girl sitting opposite her, named Matsushita Chiaki, put down her book.

After being caught in the act of deliberately hiding her talents and blending into the crowd on the first day of school, Matsushita Chiaki kept a close eye on Sakayanagi Arisu, or rather, she was caught by the other party.

"It's Chiaki."

Sakayanagi Arisu was still savoring the emotions from her dream when she slowly stretched and blinked at Matsushita Chiaki.

She suddenly remembered that the person in her dream seemed to have done something extraordinary, so she asked her with a smile:

"Little Chiaki".

"What is it?"

"What do you think of Ryo and me?"

"Is that Kitagawa from our class?"

Matsushita Chiaki couldn't understand why Sakayanagi Arisu had suddenly asked her this question. After thinking for a while, she finally shared her opinion:

"I believe you and Kitagawa are Leader can guide Class D forward."

"It's not about that."

Sakayanagi Arisu lazily shook her head, closed the book in her hand, and pushed it in front of Matsushita Chiaki.

It was only then that Matsushita Chiaki realized that the Sakayanagi Arisu was such a thin children's book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Why does a crow resemble a writing desk? Does Xiao Chiaki know the answer to this riddle?

"I remember it was [I like you], because the feeling of liking someone, like the answer to this riddle, has no logic or basis."

"That's not necessarily true."

Sakayanagi Arisu deliberately dragged out the sound, but it only made her sound cuter:

How can liking someone be without reason or basis?

There's always a reason why you like someone; if there isn't, it's because you haven't realized it yet.

Matsushita Chiaki probably understood what Sakayanagi Arisu meant. This was the first time she had seen Sakayanagi Arisu show such an attitude, because in the past, she had always presented an image of being all-knowing and all-powerful, as if she had everything under control.

However, she felt that Sakayanagi Arisu more approachable and friendly now.

"So, Classmate Sakayanagi has fallen for Kitagawa-san?"

"Certainly."

Sakayanagi Arisu readily admitted it, then turned to Matsushita Chiaki and asked again:

"What do you think of Ryo and me, Xiao Chiaki?"

She looks like a child who's asking questions and trying to find the answers to something.

"..."

Matsushita Chiaki still couldn't answer; in fact, she still couldn't figure out why Sakayanagi Arisu had asked her that question.

Is it simply a matter of wanting a positive review?

Just like those meaningless things I said in the past to fit in?

That was clearly a hallucinogenic effect, like the false sense of satisfaction produced when you desperately drink cold water when you're hungry.

"If I were to speak to my true feelings..."

"I've always felt that Horikita- san and Kitagawa-san are more like a couple."

In fact, when Matsushita Chiaki opened her mouth, she was prepared to be glared at by Sakayanagi Arisu, but what she saw in the end was Sakayanagi Arisu's gentle smile.

That's why we need Xiao Chiaki.

She reached out her hand to Matsushita Chiaki. At first, Sakayanagi Arisu only regarded Matsushita Chiaki as one of her own legs, which was disabled.

But things are different now; Sakayanagi Arisu has recovered her health.

"Come and help me."

[As the best wingman]

Sakayanagi Arisu added this to herself.

Chapter 128: A Not-So-Difficult-to-Solve Riddle

"Well then, that concludes today's work. Thank you all for your hard work."

In the Student Council Office of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, Secretary Tachibana Akane closed the documents in her hand, stood up, and stood slightly behind Student Council Horikita Manabu, who was sitting in the main seat, and bowed to the Student Council members who had just finished their daily affairs.

Due to the unique system of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, the Student Council, which is in charge of all student affairs, naturally enjoys a high status and even has the ability to interfere with some Special Exam and even school policies. In addition, the Student Council is always the first to know about all kinds of first-hand information and other information circulating on campus.

This is one of the reasons why Kitagawa Ryo insisted on placing Horikita Suzune in the Student Council.

There weren't many Student Council members to begin with, and they all left in no time, leaving only Horikita Suzune, who was left behind for duty today.

Horikita Suzune carefully sealed and stamped all the files and award records submitted by the Drama Club after returning to school. After standing up, she took the folder and walked to the filing cabinet in the corner, preparing to put it into its designated place according to the time sequence.

"Suzune is still so meticulous in her work."

Tachibana Akane, who had somehow appeared behind Horikita Suzune, struck up a conversation with a smile.

She has been a member of the Student Council for almost two months and has become more familiar with handling various affairs. Since her biological brother, Horikita Manabu, is the Student Council President, Horikita Suzune is naturally categorized as belonging to the Horikita faction.

Perhaps because she knew she couldn't win her over, even the usually smiling Vice President Miyabi Nagumo hadn't paid much attention to her. Naturally, the remaining members of the Student Council who followed Miyabi Nagumo followed suit. If there was anyone in the Student Council besides Horikita Manabu who had any goodwill towards Horikita Suzune, it was the secretary in front of her Tachibana Akane.

"Because the report submitted by Liang and his team was far too long, making it very troublesome to check."

"Is Senior Tachibana going to stay and keep me company on duty?"

Horikita Suzune was aware of the relationship between Tachibana Akane and her older brother Horikita Manabu, and could also see the affection Akane held for her brother, so her words were more intimate.

"If that's what Suzune wants, it's not impossible."

Tachibana Akane responded with a smile, her two buns swaying slightly.

However, she then shifted her gaze to the stack of folders in Horikita Suzune's hand and asked with considerable interest:

"I remember your Class D's Drama Club won another award this time? ANHS has never produced such an award-winning machine since its founding. Even the famous Basketball Club and Soccer Club don't win awards 100% of the time."

"The Soccer Club is doing a bit better. Vice President Nagumo won the Summer Tournament once last year when he was the club president. The Basketball Club seems to have gone two years without any results. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been so bold as to use First Year students as key players this year. They just wanted to give them more drive."

Unlike Horikita Suzune, who has only been in the Student Council for a short time, Tachibana Akane, who has been in the Student Council for more than two years, is extremely familiar with the situation of the entire school and her professional skills are impeccable.

"What do you mean by 'our Class D'? There are more students in the Drama Club than just Class D."

Horikita Suzune stuffed the folder she was holding into the space she had found and chatted casually with Tachibana Akane.

"Aren't most of the people in the Drama Club students from your Class D? And everyone knows that the Drama Club president, Kitagawa Ryo, was a child prodigy Actor in the past, and I think he was a multiple-time winner of the Best Actor Award... right?"

Tachibana Akane's tone was full of envy. After all, if students perform well in club activities, they can not only get Private Points as a reward from the school, but also earn more valuable Class Points for their class.

"Then you're wrong, Senior Ju. The Best Actor Drama Grand Prix didn't go to Liang."