Fate Plays Cruel Tricks

Kitagawa Ryo and Karuizawa Kei showed no unusual expression, so Kitagawa Ryomi stretched lazily with relief.

"A new girl recently joined the Theater Troupe, I think her name is Sakura. The old man brought her in and asked me to take a closer look at her."

"If she could be like Hui, my life would be much easier."

Karuizawa Kei knew that the Sakura Airi that Kitagawa Ryo was talking about was nervous, timid, and hesitant. She also knew that Kitagawa Ryo had been secretly taking her to practice these past few nights, with a complimentary evening dessert, in order to make her more cheerful.

Girls who show their vulnerable side are more likely to receive sympathy and help from others.

Karuizawa Kei once defined herself as a parasite under the spell of this statement.

"I'm not as good as Liang makes me out to be."

So Karuizawa Kei just smiled slightly:

"I'm not some genius like Liang. There were two obvious parts in today's performance that I didn't portray well. I can only try harder in my daily work."

After saying that, she stood up and waved to Kitagawa Ryo:

"I need to go back and read the script for the next scene. Bye-bye."

"Yes, I believe in Hui."

Kitagawa Ryo also stood up, his smile as radiant as the stars, naturally reminding Karuizawa Kei of a renowned theater critic's assessment of his debut performance of Hamlet:

"He is the eyes of the court officials, the eloquence of scholars, the sharp sword of soldiers, a beautiful flower admired by the nation, a mirror reflecting the times, a model of human ethics, and the center of global attention."

"This is a line from Hamlet praising Hamlet, but in my opinion, it suits this Actor named Kitagawa Ryo equally well. It was truly a flawless debut."

Karuizawa Kei slowly exhaled, almost forcing herself to suppress the urge to turn to Kitagawa Ryo for comfort and help, and walked back to her room alone.

Before we knew it, it was late at night, and everyone in the dormitory building was fast asleep. A crescent moon hung in the small window, like a brand new scar on the night sky.

The deep night loomed over Karuizawa Kei like a colossal beast. She sat on the edge of the bed, propping her chin up with her hand, continuing to browse her phone. The pale screen reflected a ghastly white light.

In fact, Karuizawa Kei had long anticipated the current situation, as it was no different from what she had encountered before.

At first it was her family background, then her personality, but the essence was the same: everyone felt that she couldn't be with Kitagawa Ryo.

Judging from the results, this statement seems to be correct, because the first time it was Horikita Suzune, and the second time it was Shiina Hiyori, and in the end, the other party did not choose her.

But on the other hand, perhaps it was precisely because of these regrets that she was given this chance to start over.

(When I was in elementary school, I was in the same class as [Karuizawa Kei]. Seriously, everyone hated her lol. After the violent incident, I heard that no middle school wanted to take her in, so she went to act in some terrible plays, lol Chenxi)

(You can tell from his face that he's the kind of problem student, haha Chenxi)

(How can someone with such a bad record still be a theater Actor? Should we all write a complaint letter to the Theater Troupe? Chenxi)

Malice on the internet is the most blatant, because of anonymity and herd mentality, everyone is recklessly expressing their emotions.

Her personal information was leaked a long time ago.

This naturally includes that violent incident.

It happened a long time ago.

That was the first time Karuizawa Kei tried to become a 'protector,' just like the significance of Kitagawa Ryo to her in the past.

Although the consequences were quite severe, Karuizawa Kei always felt that perhaps it was because of her choice that she met Kitagawa Ryo again, joined the Theater Troupe, and remained there to this day.

However, her current situation isn't exactly good either.

Even her parents at home repeatedly asked Karuizawa Kei to give up this job and leave the Theater Troupe.

Even though Karuizawa Kei's memory is different from when she was first bullied at school, their attitude wasn't this intense.

Even so, Karuizawa Kei did not choose to give up again. While rejecting her parents with an almost obsessive attitude, she began to devote herself wholeheartedly to studying drama.

In fact, if it weren't for Kitagawa Ryo's dazzling presence beside her, Karuizawa Kei's performance would have been stunning enough for a beginner.

Even a few days ago, the Theater Troupe director had a private conversation with her. His friend, a director from another Theater Troupe, greatly admired her talent, but felt that the current atmosphere at Chenxi was not suitable for the growth of newcomers. He suggested that if Karuizawa Kei agreed, she could join his Theater Troupe.

But Karuizawa Kei flatly declined the invitation.

This was indeed a well-intentioned invitation, because the existence of Kitagawa Ryo made Karuizawa Kei the reason for the fans' criticism of her. In other people's eyes, it would be a good result for both of them for Karuizawa Kei to perform separately from him.

But the person she actually liked was Kitagawa Ryo himself.

The more dazzling he was, the more proud she became, which is why Karuizawa Kei would actively search for comments related to Kitagawa Ryo.

She typed the following in her phone's notes:

"The young couple on the train were neither good-looking. She held his hand, smiling and flirting, but he was listless and even felt embarrassed to be loved in public by a woman he wasn't particularly proud of."

In fact, this statement is essentially two-way; switching genders wouldn't be a problem at all. In fact, the scenario after switching genders would be more common.

Therefore Karuizawa Kei personally believe that it is always more fulfilling to fall in love with an outstanding person than with an ordinary one.

Because the former only requires changing oneself, while the latter requires changing others, and changing oneself is certainly simpler than changing others.

Thus, Karuizawa Kei now only has one thing left to do:

To become a girl he can be proud of.

Karuizawa Kei pulled the blanket up, and Monty covered her head with it as well.

For a time, she desperately wanted him to see every single change in her feelings.

She could hang up the phone without restraint like a rogue because of a single displeased word, and then look forward to him calling back; she could be taken to try on all sorts of dresses, and if she frowned even slightly, she could immediately change into another one; she would even pull her hair aside to show him the smallest wound, like a never-ending game of taking from Kitagawa Ryo.

Karuizawa Kei bit the blanket and swore fiercely in her heart:

She absolutely can do it; she can stand by his side.

Then, openly and honestly, she showed Kitagawa Ryo the search history that she had deleted, down to the next few lines.

But for now, please allow her to cry for a little while.

A little while.

Chenxi @ Morning Glow Theater Troupe:

"Thank you all for your support of this Macbeth production. If you have anything to say, please Twitter with the hashtag Chenxi. Looking forward to your comments!"

(This is absolutely the best Macbeth performance I've seen in recent years. Thank you [Ryo] and [Karuizawa Kei], and everyone in the Theater Troupe for this wonderful performance. Chenxi)

([Karuizawa Kei]'s progress this year can only be described as leaps and bounds, as if she suddenly had an epiphany. Although the script also played a part, judging from the early scenes between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, [Karuizawa Kei]'s acting felt even more impressive than [Ryou]. Chenxi)

(No wonder [Liang] kept saying she was really looking forward to this performance, [Karuizawa Kei] has really improved a lot recently Chenxi)

(I used to be a complete hater of [Karuizawa Kei], but after this performance I've temporarily become a fan. I hope that her future collaborations with [Ryo] can maintain this level of quality. Chenxi)

"Liang, come and look at this."

Karuizawa Kei smiled and handed the phone to Kitagawa Ryo.

"They're searching themselves again, and why are they adding my name...?"

Kitagawa Ryo took the phone, glanced at it, and casually spoke.

"Because some of the comments were really interesting."

Karuizawa Kei pouted and took the phone back.

(Does anyone else think that [Karuizawa Kei] and [Ryo] have amazing chemistry? After watching the whole performance of Macbeth, I just felt like these two were so real. Chenxi)

(Now that you mention it, it seems that no matter how big the controversy was before, Chenxi never changed her actress. [Karuizawa Kei] has always been [Ryo's] go-to leading lady. Chenxi)

(I'll just use a tag like www# Chenxi #K&K)

(Such fast hashtags, such fast CP shippers, by the way, what does K&K mean? #K&K)

(The first letter of their names in Romanized form is K, I feel like I'm shipping them again lol #K&K)

(Speaking of the widely publicized Karuizawa Kei violence incident, it seems she was protecting a classmate who was being bullied. Here are clarifications from the parties involved and the homeroom teacher [link] Chenxi)

(Supporting justice and debunking rumors, I'm directly forwarding this post with the hashtag Chenxi)

Okay, stop scrolling through Twitter for now.

Kitagawa Ryo suddenly clapped his hands, and the lights in the room went out immediately.

The Theater Troupe staff, who had been prepared in advance, rushed in. With a soft thud, ribbons and gold confetti burst in the air. Amidst the noisy blessings, Kitagawa Ryo accepted the cake with candles and placed it in front of Karuizawa Kei.

Happy birthday, Hui.

Have you decided on your wishes for this year?

Karuizawa Kei slyly opened one eye and blew out the candle with a whoosh:

"It won't work if you say it."

After all, the wish she made wasn't for this year.

It's more enduring.

A lifelong wish.

Chapter 162: Fate Plays a Trick

Everyone was in high spirits, and even the speed at which they cleaned up and washed the dishes after dinner was unconsciously a bit faster. As night fell, Kitagawa Ryo also stepped into the girls' tent for the first time.

Perhaps because she had already visited Shiina Hiyori's tent the night before, Kitagawa Ryo wasn't too nervous. In fact, compared to the slightly private and romantic atmosphere of a single tent, the spacious three-person tent was almost like a small room.

Because they needed to make room for board games, Ichinose Honami and the others tidied up the tent first, putting their luggage and sleeping bags in the corners to make as much space as possible. As for the overly large backpacks, they simply threw them into Kitagawa Ryo's tent and would bring them back after the game.

After tidying up their belongings, the three girls tacitly sat down, leaving the innermost seat for Kitagawa Ryo, creating a sense of ambush from all sides.

The final seating arrangement became: Kitagawa Ryo's left was Horikita Suzune, his right was Sakayanagi Arisu, and opposite him was Ichinose Honami.

"Truth or Dare, everyone's probably played it before, right? Do I even need to explain the rules?"

Ichinose Honami took out colorful cards from the box and asked the other three questions.

"I've only heard of it, this is my first time playing it."

Sakayanagi Arisu propped her chin up and raised her hand slightly in a somewhat lazy manner.

"I also..."

Just as Horikita Suzune was about to speak, Kitagawa Ryo waved his hand first:

"No need to mention Suzune, I'm sure this is your first time playing."

"It's really hard to imagine Horikita playing Truth or Dare Matoba his friends."

Ichinose Honami smiled and echoed, while Horikita Suzune didn't mind the joke, but gave Ichinose Honami a slightly surprised look.

Ichinose Honami tonight seemed different from the past few days; she appeared to be in a strangely elevated state.

"Let me briefly explain the rules again. We'll take turns rolling the dice. The person who rolls the highest number can choose one of the remaining three people. The chosen person will then have to choose between Truth or Dare. However, since we're on Uninhabited Island right now, it might be inconvenient to have too many Dares. We can just draw a new one later."

Ichinose Honami smiled and explained the rules again. At this moment, Horikita Suzune and Sakayanagi Arisu understood a little about where the other's high popularity in the grade came from. Even though they were currently in the position of love rivals, they had to admit Ichinose Honami's charm.

Unlike the smiles of Sakayanagi Arisu and Horikita Suzune, Ichinose Honami's smile undoubtedly embodies the word 'infectious' to the fullest extent.

Seeing Ichinose Honami's bright and warm smile, Kitagawa Ryo couldn't help but think of the time he spent in the White Room during Sakayanagi Arisu's second simulation, and the snow that was somewhat similar to Ichinose Honami.

From this perspective, Ichinose Honami actually possesses all the qualities to be a "Cloth Mother," with a perfect smile and extraordinary Affinity.

Children who have younger siblings tend to mature earlier.

Kitagawa Ryo pondered this while stroking his chin. His own personality was largely shaped by Hotaru, as was that of Ichinose Honami.

Who goes first in the first round?

Ichinose Honami gently shook the dice box; the supplies provided by the school for this Uninhabited Island Special Exam were indeed quite diverse and abundant.

"I'll go first."

Horikita Suzune had never touched anything like this before. She picked up the small box containing two game dice with great interest and shook it. Using two dice was also to minimize the possibility of a tie for the highest score. After shaking it gently for three or four seconds, Horikita Suzune turned it upside down on the ground and uncovered it.

One is five points, and the other is four points, for a total of nine points, which is quite a large number of points.

Then, the remaining three people also rolled their numbers in turn.

Kitagawa Ryo got four points, Ichinose Honami Sakayanagi Arisu rolled an eleven in the last round, with a five and a six.

According to the rules, Sakayanagi Arisu will now designate someone to receive the punishment.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was ready to play truth or dare, Sakayanagi Arisu pointed at Horikita Suzune across from her.

"Hmm? Does that mean you're referring to me?"