I Even Insulted Myself!

Just as they said, after all, they had the same project as Class 2-A. Compared to the Matoba the other class had rented at a high price, their classroom was obviously not good enough. If they were in the shoes of guests who wanted to watch a stage play or drama performance, they would probably choose to go to the Gymnasium without hesitation.

Of course, if Karuizawa Kei were willing to participate, the situation would be different. But Class 1-B is Class 1-B after all. Although some students might have some doubts, everyone outwardly respects the class president Karuizawa Kei's choice.

Moreover, Karuizawa Kei's mind is not on this at all right now.

"Everyone has worked hard, please get some rest. I'll go out for a bit."

After giving a brief word of encouragement to her students, Karuizawa Kei left the backstage area and walked out of the classroom and school building alone, beginning to wander aimlessly through the unusually bustling and lively campus.

In fact, more than a month after the Sports Festival ended, Karuizawa Kei still often thinks about that obstacle course race.

But it wasn't the scene where she was defeated by Ichinose Honami, or even witnessed her Confessions her feelings to him in public; it was an earlier scene.

That is, the small group that Shiina Hiyori belonged to.

Karuizawa Kei, who had been keeping an eye on her friend and Kitagawa Ryo, certainly saw Hiyori borrow something from him. However, since she was also preparing at the starting line as a competitor for the next round and was quite far away, she couldn't see what it was right away. The only thing she was sure of was that it was a small thing that she could hold in one hand.

Unlike the match she and Ichinose Honami played in, which is still talked about by students even now, not many people remember this unremarkable and unexciting contest. Even Ibuki Mio Shiina Hiyori and Nishino Takeshi, who were in the same class as Shiina Hiyori, did not know what kind of note she drew or what she borrowed from Kitagawa Ryo.

But Karuizawa Kei just couldn't help wanting to know, so much so that she specifically asked the referee in charge of that event after the Sports Festival ended.

Fortunately, the other person seemed equally impressed by the incident, and his final answer to Karuizawa Kei was a beautiful ring.

In this entire world, besides Kitagawa Ryo and Shiina Hiyori, there is only one other person who knows the story of this ring that is related to these two people.

And Karuizawa Kei happens to be that person.

To be honest, Karuizawa Kei has always felt that she has no regrets. She could even write a light novel titled "Reincarnated After Being Bullied and Heartbroken - Now That I'm Reborn, I'll Show My True Skills."

She resolved the bullying issues that haunted her two lives from a young age, becoming a protector for the first time, beyond her three identities as the bullied, the bully, and the parasite being protected. She also reunited and fell in love with the boy destined for her earlier than anyone else, found a career she was interested in, had talent for, and was willing to work hard for, achieving some success. She even truly shared her first time with him...

Without a doubt, Karuizawa Kei is very satisfied with her life so far since her rebirth, and is willing to believe that the rest of her life with him will be even more wonderful.

But it wasn't until she heard Kitagawa Ryo give a ring to Shiina Hiyori that Karuizawa Kei finally noticed the emotions and thoughts buried deep within her heart.

The reason she was able to become friends with Shiina Hiyori without any reservations a few years ago, and to openly share with her the fact that they both liked the same person during the Acupressure Mat Race in the Uninhabited Island Special Exam not long ago, was actually due to that faint sense of superiority and self-awareness that made her feel like she remembered someone else.

Yes, I remember, but you don't.

So back in the theater, when you were an audience member going on stage, you didn't even know the other person's name. You stammered for a long time and could only call them by the name of a character in the play, Hamlet. But the moment the other person appeared, you could burst out with joy from your seat and shout "Liang!"

It was almost like a cruel joke of Fate that the only play the three of them ever performed together was "The Little Mermaid," and the core of this tragic fairy tale can be summed up in just a few words.

I remember, you don't.

Of course, until the start of this Cultural Festival, Karuizawa Kei was not entirely certain whether Shiina Hiyori had truly remembered those things from the past.

But another explosive news story this morning confirmed her guess: at the entrance of the cat cafe run by Class 1-A, Kitagawa Ryo was blocked by Shiina Hiyori of Class C, who was holding a ring and seemed to be confessing her feelings.

Karuizawa Kei knew her friend's personality all too well. Like a famous detective who was always sparing with his words and would never utter a superfluous word until he had uncovered the whole truth, Shiina Hiyori would never have done such a thing unless something major had happened that had shaken her to the point of being unable to calm down.

So, where did the emotion that propelled Shiina Hiyori to publicly confess her feelings with a ring come from? It seems there's no other answer.

It's not surprising that Karuizawa Kei is so sensitive about Shiina Hiyori's situation. After all, in both of her Sims, Kitagawa Ryo's final affections seemed to clearly point to her alone, making her seem like a supporting character.

What started as a dialogue between two people eventually turned into a movie for three.

However, what's more complicated than the simulated situation is that she and Shiina Hiyori are no longer just rivals and strangers, but close friends who have known each other since elementary school.

Even though she had made up her mind on the Uninhabited Island to share her relationship with Shiina Hiyori and accept the fact that they both liked the same person, perhaps all of that was based on the fact that she had already monopolized their past memories.

The evidence is hidden on the first day of the cruise vacation after the Uninhabited Island Special Exam. She had deliberately sent Shiina Hiyori away, not wanting her to be involved in her date with Kitagawa Ryo, and then that night she went to ask her that question directly:

"I'm the first one, right?"

This so-called number one, in reality, is only competing with Shiina Hiyori.

In a sense, this can be seen as a question that Karuizawa Kei asked for the sake of the two versions of herself from her previous lives.

If everything goes as usual, these complex emotions and thoughts that Karuizawa Kei had buried deep in her heart from the beginning should never see the light of day again.

But things are different now.

A cool breeze, carrying fallen leaves from the treetops, brushed against Karuizawa Kei's cheek, as if reminding her that it was late autumn again.

This is probably the season that Karuizawa Kei herself dislikes the most, because both of her separations from Kitagawa Ryo occurred in late autumn around this time. One was because of a lie that she only realized in retrospect several years later, and the other was a memory that she could never forget, sealed in that autumn like amber.

"..."

Silently, Karuizawa Kei took out her phone from her pocket and leaned slightly against a large tree by the roadside. She stared at her contacts for a long time before finally dialing Shiina Hiyori...

No, not at all.

Just before pressing the call button on that number, Karuizawa Kei withdrew her finger. After all, her throat was so dry that even speaking was difficult, and her mind was a complete mess, unsure of what to say.

But just as Karuizawa Kei was considering whether to contact Shiina Hiyori via text message, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure in the shadows of a tree opposite her, squinting and raising something in the direction of the sunlight.

Shiina Hiyori sat in the shade, holding two mystery novels she had already read several times.

The first book is Josephine Tey's "The Daughter of Time," with Bacon's old proverb inscribed on the cover. "Truth is the Daughter of Time."

The second book is Keigo Higashino's "Parallel World Love Story".

This was the truth she had discovered, though it didn't truly surface until sixteen years into her life.

Shiina Hiyori was touched that they had known each other for so long, but also annoyed that she was only now finding out that they had known each other for so long.

She remembered reading something like this in a book:

The chance of two people with similar traits meeting is said to be one in two hundred thousand. The chance of getting to know someone is one in two million. The chance of them growing closer is one in twenty million. The chance of becoming friends is one in two hundred million. The chance of becoming best friends is one in two billion. And the chance of becoming soulmates is one in six billion.

Shiina Hiyori has always disliked adding science fiction elements to pure mystery stories, even more so than simple romance.

But to encounter love in the long river of time is perhaps itself a romantic story full of science fiction, let alone the fact that it actually happened to her.

She was indeed too hasty this morning. After all, no famous detective would be so eager to reveal the truth of a case before all the people involved have arrived.

No, back then she wasn't a famous detective at all; she was just a girl wanting to share her overwhelming emotions with her lover. Besides, there's no need for detectives in reality—didn't she already know that on the Uninhabited Island?

Shiina Hiyori felt her mind was in a mess, with all sorts of thoughts swirling around, as if she were slightly tipsy from being warmed by the sun.

The gemstone on the ring sparkled there.

They were together before, and they are together now.

The truth is indeed the Daughter of Time.

But in the face of love, it seems nothing is so remarkable.

Chapter 344: I even insulted myself!

Sakayanagi Arisu was tilting her head slightly to look at the screen projecting the leaderboard. After Ishigami Kyo returned and went through the questions again, the first place position became a tie between him and Yuki, because both of them had achieved impeccable full marks. In other words, under the current OAA academic assessment system of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, both of them would undoubtedly receive an A+ rating.

However, this was to be expected. Unlike the other junior high school students who watched the two names from the outside and occasionally exclaimed in amazement, Sakayanagi Arisu quite clear about the background of these two and their purpose in coming to the school to participate in the Cultural Festival of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School this year.

As the girl who was close to Kitagawa Ryo, whose family background was second only to Kiryuin Fuka, Sakayanagi Arisu had received some information about it from her father beforehand. Although the current title of Chairman Sakayanagi now includes "former," Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School is ultimately a property of the Sakayanagi Family. After all, Tsukishiro himself has been quite sensible in keeping the title of "acting director," knowing that he will eventually have to return the position.

If Ichinose Honami is the overall commander of Class 1-A at this year's Cultural Festival, then Sakayanagi Arisu is Kitagawa Ryo's acting commander behind the scenes. Her job is basically to keep an eye out for any noteworthy new student candidates while he's out with girls at the Cultural Festival Sakayanagi Arisu happens to be quite interested in this aspect, since Kitagawa Ryo's selection process before the start of the school year was a perfect success.

Not only did he bring a group of star players to his Class A, but he also quietly planted a spy Hirata Yosuke, a hidden bomb, Kushida Kikyo, and Koenji Rokusuke, whom he had persuaded to drop out of school at the beginning of the semester and who had seriously messed up the class. The addition of the homeroom teacher swap was a stroke of genius. It can be said that a large part of the reason why Class A has fallen to its current state was foreshadowed by the silent showdown between Kitagawa Ryo and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka before the start of the semester.

That is why Sakayanagi Arisu herself is quite interested in this second round of personnel selection.

Of course, it would be even more perfect if Kitagawa Ryo dumped this mess on her for reasons other than accompanying someone else to Cultural Festival.

Thinking of this, Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't help but recall how the other person had smugly raised their chin at her an hour earlier.

That was a look and posture completely different from her past.

If Sakayanagi Arisu were to create a mental image of her rival, with whom she had been locked in a virtual battle for over a decade, she would likely choose the scene from when she first encountered her in the White Room. At that time, Yuki was sitting on the bed wearing a pristine white blouse, her lower body wrapped in an equally white blanket. The light streaming down from the ceiling was bright and warm, and the girl sitting there, rubbing her eyes as if she had just woken up, looked like a soft newborn baby.

Of course, after completing this portrait, Sakayanagi Arisu would definitely have to write Kitagawa Ryo's name next to that bed. Firstly, Yuki really did sleep there back then, and even after so many years, she could still clearly remember the two pillows nestled side by side there.

Secondly, in Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes, Yuki, in a sense, did indeed grow up in the Kitagawa Ryo. If the real Yuki developed a serious mental illness and was forced to be hospitalized for treatment because of the White Room institution itself, then the simulated Yuki was more like a strong rejection and discomfort reaction after being forcibly separated from Kitagawa Ryo. The source of the problem was Kitagawa Ryo himself; otherwise, Yuki's father would not have made that request that still makes her feel lingering fear.

However, Sakayanagi Arisu also had to admit that it was this experience, which was like a thorn piercing into their intertwined Fate, that allowed Yuki to occupy a very special place in Kitagawa Ryo's heart. So much so that, despite having the innate advantage of Marriage Contract, Yuki's relationship with Ryo couldn't truly advance to the most crucial step even after more than a decade.

She has always been a girl with an extraordinary competitive spirit, especially in areas unrelated to physical abilities, but she suffered setbacks in both of Kitagawa Ryo's simulations.

In their first simulation, without anyone else interfering, no matter how hard Sakayanagi Arisu tried, she was unable to find a way to save Kitagawa Ryo before his death. She could only watch helplessly as he grew weaker day by day before her and reached the end of his life.

In contrast, it was as if the Mad Hatter had stopped time in reality, and after countless cycles of reincarnation, he finally found Kitagawa Ryo, who had developed a cure for her congenital heart disease. This stark contrast remains one of Sakayanagi Arisu's most bitter defeats to this day.

Selfless giving is often defined as a form of love, but when the ratio between the two parties is too disproportionate, the relationship may become unsustainable, especially for a girl like Sakayanagi Arisu.

Perhaps that's why she finds it difficult to understand and even accept the relationship between Kitagawa Ryo and Yuki, which Sakayanagi Arisu sees as utterly abnormal.

Because she herself had also gone through the experience of trying to learn how to love someone normally, except that back then she had a physical defect, because her heart could break if it beat too fast, and passionate kissing might stop it, so she could never become a mother's heart.

And the answer that Sakayanagi Arisu gave at that time was actually quite simple:

Since I'm destined to be absent, I might as well not participate at all.

This is the best choice for both of them.

Unlike her own psychological distortion caused by her physical defects, Xue was the patient with the most severe psychological defects from the beginning.

In Sakayanagi Arisu's view, if she was incapable of loving properly, then Yuki was a counterfeit who didn't even know if she was loving properly.

Of course, even Sakayanagi Arisu herself wouldn't realize that the reason she would naturally have such thoughts was essentially the biggest difference between her and the children from the White Room. It was an unbreakable, faint sense of superiority and composure that enveloped her, a fact that could not be concealed even if she spoke softly, politely, or even gently.

Just as Sakayanagi Arisu was pondering these past memories, a rather familiar figure suddenly appeared before her eyes. It was Amasawa Ichika, who had escaped from the dormitory to the campus to avoid being searched by Miyabi Nagumo and President Amasawa.

"Ichika? Weren't you supposed to be on leave and staying in your dorm? What are you doing here?"

Sakayanagi Arisu stepped forward and asked, but after taking two steps closer and catching a glimpse of the coat that was clearly two sizes too big, she unconsciously wrinkled her nose, feeling that the person looked inexplicably familiar.

"I didn't want to either -- but that guy Nagumo brought my biological father to my dorm and blocked my door, so I had no choice but to run away temporarily."

Faced with Sakayanagi Arisu's question, Amasawa Ichika also showed a helpless expression, and as if afraid that others would notice her, she pulled up the hood of her coat again to cover her fiery red hair.

"Nagumo? And your biological father?"

Although Amasawa Ichika's short sentence contained a lot of information, Sakayanagi Arisu had indeed met the other party's biological father in the simulation and knew that this guy was indeed a complete scoundrel who only cared about himself, messed around outside, and left all his illegitimate children to Ayanokoji Atsuomi to deal with. Therefore, she quickly realized what was going on:

"They probably want to force you, Ichika, to drop out of ANHS."

As the daughter of the Chairman Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School and a current Student Council member, Sakayanagi Arisu is undoubtedly quite familiar with the various regulations related to ANHS, and quickly grasped the other party's thoughts:

"At ANHS, unless a student fails to meet the standards in Special Exam, midterm, or Final Exam, or causes any serious incident, the school will not proactively expel the student. Of course, this excludes cases where the student voluntarily withdraws."

"However, if a student's parents want their child to be forcibly expelled, that's a different situation. Generally, the school will intervene at this point to conduct a three-way meeting between the student, parents, and the school, trying to integrate the opinions of all parties and handle the matter properly. The final decision rests with the school."

At this point, Sakayanagi Arisu paused, then thoughtfully began to speak:

"Your father was sent to ANHS at this time, probably so that he could be the one to propose the expulsion and drag the situation into a three-way negotiation. If the school is willing to side with the parents, no matter Ichika firm your attitude is, it won't make a difference, because it has already become a two-to-one vote."

"And since they're so confident in carrying out this plan... it seems Acting Chairman Tsukishiro has already been taken down?"

After listening to Sakayanagi Arisu's explanation, Amasawa Ichika Amasawa's expression darkened considerably, and she slumped down, complaining dejectedly:

"No way... all she did was betray the White Room a little, right? Besides, Ryo is part of the White Room, so it doesn't count as betrayal, hmm, how about that reason?"

"You can still crack a joke at a time like this, so it seems you're not in such a hurry."

"Of course, although this plan sounds perfect, Arisu should know the character of my so-called father. We can break through from him."

Seeing that Sakayanagi Arisu wasn't falling for the trick at all, Amasawa Ichika also withdrew her previous expression and smiled again.

"By the way, do you know where Liang is? We really need him to solve this problem—"

With a rather playful trailing tone, Amasawa Ichika winked at Sakayanagi Arisu again, which only made Arisu feel inexplicably irritated.

Of course, it can't be said that it was somewhat inexplicable, because as soon as Amasawa Ichika finished saying that she would solve the problem from her biological father's side, Sakayanagi Arisu had already seen through the whole picture of the other party's plan, and even finally recognized that the upper body of the girl in front of her was wearing Kitagawa Ryo's own clothes.

Of course, she had no idea that this was an accident caused by some idiot who had forgotten about it and ran far away before realizing it, and she had already prejudged it as evidence that Amasawa Ichika had prepared.

What kind of person is President Amasawa? He's a womanizer, irresponsible, and a scumbag who had children with other women after getting married.

But aside from these personal scandals, he is also the president of a large company, an upper-class figure who can casually invest hundreds of millions of yen in the White Room Project without batting an eye, and a businessman who prioritizes profit.

Ultimately, his willingness to sponsor Ayanokoji Atsuomi was also a form of investment and exchange of benefits.

Therefore, Amasawa Ichika was indeed an insignificant IVF baby to him, just one of the many children he had sent into the White Room over the years, and a stranger whose name he didn't even know and whose face he had never seen once in more than a decade.

However, if she could be associated with Kitagawa Ryo in some way, the value attributed to Amasawa Ichika would suddenly increase dramatically.

This can be clearly seen from the scene of the White Room being rebuilt in the simulation and the scene after Ayanokoji Atsuomi's suicide. At that time, Amasawa Ichika and Kitagawa Ryo were just classmates with a relatively close relationship, and he was already eager to use this relationship to try his luck.

Although the White Room has not been destroyed and Ayanokoji Atsuomi is still alive and well as an important figure in the Naoe Faction, President Amasawa will definitely not be able to refuse Amasawa Ichika, a potential stock who he had never seen before but now has great appreciation potential.

After all, even if he agreed to Ayanokoji Atsuomi's request, all he would get in return would be a trivial favor. But if he glossed over the matter, he might receive a much greater reward in the future, with the cost being almost zero.

As long as Amasawa Ichika's surname remains Amasawa, Kitagawa Ryo's surname remains Kitagawa.

Moreover, the relationship between the two of them has progressed much faster than during the simulation, and the clothes that Amasawa Ichika is wearing now are silent evidence of this.

"Ryo should still be at the Gymnasium, but are you really planning to go now? Snow is still here, you know?"