Your Name / There Can't Be Two Suns in the Sky; Suzune Is the Only Sun in My Heart

Because Ishizaki Daichi's bed wasn't far from his, Kitagawa Ryo was pretending to take a nap with his eyes closed, could clearly hear the entire conversation. Hearing this, he couldn't help but smile. It's true that in a dormitory of twelve or thirteen people, even if it's not a large communal room, the number of people means that various smells are unavoidable. However, according to Ichinose Honami, the girls were no less tolerant, and their tolerance was even lower than the boys'. They would have big and small arguments about this every few days.

"Sigh, I really want to fall in love... to leave a memory of my youth that I can cherish in the future."

Even though I only missed listening for a short while, the style of conversation between Ishizaki Daichi and Komiya Yogo started to improve dramatically.

As their voices grew louder and louder, the other students who were reviewing their notes or sleeping nearby were also disturbed. However, after hearing what the two were talking about, they didn't seem angry at all, but instead excitedly joined in.

Romance is indeed a perennial hot topic among students of all ages. Kitagawa Ryo even saw Watanabe Norihito, who had just been angrily rebuking his ministers, join in the heated discussion. However, unlike last time, this time the parties involved were not him, but each of them themselves.

Do you think it's better to date a girl in your class or someone from another class?

Faced with Komiya Yogo's question, Watanabe Norihito gave his answer without hesitation:

"Of course, it's better to date a girl in your own class. Not only do you spend more time together every day, but it's also more convenient than dating someone from another class, especially in Special Exam where classes compete against each other. If you're dating a girl from another class, even if you insist on prioritizing the class's interests, getting the other students in your class to believe you is a problem in itself. What's more, there's the possibility that a girlfriend from another class might try to win you over by playing the emotional card and getting you to do something that would betray the class's information."

Although Watanabe Norihito gave a long and well-reasoned explanation, Kitagawa Ryo knew perfectly well that the main reason was that the person he was currently in love with was actually Amikura Mako from his own class, so it was like drawing a target for an arrow that had already been shot.

As expected, as soon as Watanabe Norihito opened his mouth, Ishizaki Daichi immediately expressed his disapproval, shaking his head and retorting:

"Isn't it said that a rabbit doesn't eat the grass near its burrow? Dating a girl in your class might be convenient, but it also means that you two will be constantly watched by the other students in the class. If you can stay in love until graduation, that's fine, but if you break up in the middle, no matter who dumped whom, these unfounded rumors will have a devastating impact on your interpersonal relationships. In the end, you might even feel awkward when you see each other, let alone go through all sorts of difficulties together as classmates and take all kinds of Special Exam."

As someone who was instructed by Kitagawa Ryo to spread the secrets of Class 1-C's internal relationships during the Uninhabited Island Special Exam, Ishizaki Daichi witnessed firsthand last summer how damaging it could be to an individual and even the entire class's social atmosphere if such internal emotional entanglements were exposed. To be honest, Class C still hasn't recovered.

"Besides, love should be passionate and dramatic, right? Don't you yearn for a relationship like those in stories, one that's opposed and questioned by the whole world? That way, no matter the outcome, you'll feel like you were the protagonist of the world for at least that period of time."

Kitagawa Ryo didn't know which book he had seen this passage in, and it was the first time he had ever heard Ishizaki Daichi write such a well-structured little essay. However, he felt that this statement was a bit excessive. After all, the last girl who had staged a huge event against the whole world because of her student-era romance, only to be tormented by the psychological trauma for ten years, was named Chabashira Sae.

"Indeed, if I could, I'd like to date girls from other classes."

Hearing this Komiya Yogo, who was in the same class as Ishizaki Daichi, nodded. Perhaps the implication of the words was a bit too obvious, or perhaps his eyes looked a little unnatural when he said it, because the seasoned veteran Hashimoto Masayoshi immediately noticed something was off and asked him with a frivolous and mischievous grin:

"What? Judging from your expression, you've already fallen for some girl in some class?"

When Hashimoto Masayoshi asked so directly, all the other boys simultaneously turned their gaze to Komiya Yogo's face. However, he didn't flinch or try to brush it off; instead, he nodded earnestly.

"Yes, I hope it works out. I've already planned to confess my feelings to her."

"Wow, you're so unassuming. I didn't expect you to be such a closet pervert. Let me guess, you've definitely set the date for the 14th of next month, Valentine's Day, right?"

Ishizaki Daichi seemed to be hearing about his friend's plan for the first time, and nudged his arm in surprise.

"Tell me, tell me, who did you invite?"

"Let's forget about a specific name; it would be quite embarrassing to be rejected in the end."

"Then tell me her class, okay? Which class is she in?"

"Um..."

After hesitating for a moment, Komiya Yogo finally relaxed slightly and looked in the direction of Yukimura Teruhiko:

"She's a girl from Class A."

"From our class?"

Yukimura Teruhiko hadn't really participated in the discussion, was also somewhat surprised to hear this. Since the Maezono Chiyo incident had only been going on for less than two months, their Class A was still a bit PTSD about this kind of cross-class romance. For a moment, they instinctively began to scrutinize Komiya Yogo, as if they were afraid that this was another scheme orchestrated by Ryuen Kakeru, the Leader of Class D.

"Hey, there's no need to look at me like that. Has Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School recently introduced a new rule that forbids students from dating members of other classes?"

After being stared at so intently for a Class A by Yukimura Teruhiko, Miyake Akito, and Yamada Albert, Komiya Yogo started to feel the pressure and waved his hands repeatedly, feeling like he was being targeted.

"It's nothing. I just agree with Watanabe's opinion on this matter. I feel it's better to date a girl in your class. I didn't mean to target you, Komiya."

Seemingly realizing that his gaze was too aggressive, Yukimura Teruhiko adjusted his glasses, only to be immediately countered by Ishizaki Daichi with a question:

"So, how would you, Yukimura, refute my opinions from earlier?"

"Forehead..."

For Yukimura Teruhiko, a model student who has always believed that "women only interfere with my studies," this question was indeed a bit beyond his level. He stammered for a long time but couldn't seem to come up with a proper answer. In the end, it was Miyake Akito stepped in to smooth things over and get him out of the predicament.

"Actually, I think that since everyone agrees that cross-class relationships and intra-class relationships both have their advantages and disadvantages, why not consider upward compatibility? Some members of our Archery Club are dating upperclassmen."

"Upper-year female students? It's true that you can avoid conflicts between classes, but you still encounter all-grade-wide exam battles like now. It feels like a temporary solution, not a permanent one. Besides, they'll always graduate before you. A relationship that always ends in separation just doesn't feel very exciting."

As Miyake Akito's speech opened up new ideas and new avenues, the other boys also began to speak enthusiastically one after another:

"Besides, everyone knows what's going on in the second year. I've heard that almost all the pretty girls there have had ambiguous relationships with the Student Council President Nagumo. You all saw that this morning, right? If it weren't for that, why would they risk all sorts of trouble to help? They're all acting like madmen."

"And don't even mention the third graders; they only have two months left before graduating from this school."

"Now that you mention it, I suddenly realize that in just two months, we'll be second-year students."

After Hashimoto Masayoshi uttered this inexplicable remark, many boys' eyes lit up again, as if a new world had been opened up, and they all shouted out a certain word in unison:

"There are even female students here!"

"Yes, the lovely female freshmen are about to enroll!"

"I've been fantasizing about someone sweetly calling me 'senior' for the past year!"

After instantly abandoning their senior female classmates, the boys unhesitatingly threw themselves into the arms of their junior female classmates, and began to fantasize about what it would be like in April.

"I'll definitely sign up for my club's recruitment event then, and show the younger girls what an outstanding senior I am."

"The naive newbies who just enrolled definitely couldn't adapt to ANHS's twisted rules. So, I had to treat them gently as a mature, experienced person. Selling answers for the Midterm Exam —here I come!"

Just as the boys were having a lively discussion, Kitagawa Ryo suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from the direction of his upper bunk. It was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who hadn't said much until now.

"... This is not allowed."

As the only Student Council member present, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka still had enough persuasive power at this point.

"Once we graduate from our third year, the school will probably reveal some additional rules to us second-year students. Simply put, at least until the end of the first month, we seniors cannot easily disclose any information related to Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School; we can only wait for them to discover it themselves."

At this point, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka unconsciously recalled the scene from last year's Cultural Festival.

Unlike any previous Cultural Festival, last year's ANHS Cultural Festival relaxed restrictions on the number of visitors. As a result, a large number of freshmen who will be enrolled here next year experienced a day trip to ANHS in advance. They learned about the four classes (A, B, C, and D) and even Private Points and Class Points. If they had paid close attention during that day, they should have been able to discover some clues, which will closely affect the scoring situation for the First Year next year in the first month.

After making that remark that immediately bored the boys in the Third Group, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka lay back down on his bed, but before doing so, he discreetly glanced at Kitagawa Ryo, who was sleeping in the bunk below him.

As I said before, we need to strengthen the class's competitiveness, but we can't let Kitagawa Ryo fall behind in his studies.

After all, his bunkmate was a rare find—a true encyclopedia of romance, having mastered everything the boys had mentioned, including relationships within the same class, relationships across classes, relationships with upperclassmen, and relationships with lowerclassmen.

Chapter 426: Your Name (4k5)

As a legendary observer who is well aware of Kitagawa Ryo's terrifying ways with women, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka could be said to have started planning as early as last year's Cultural Festival. At least he didn't dare to submit a single girl on the list, since the White Room had already lost a Fourth Generation and a Fifth Generation in a short period of time because of this.

Having spent the first ten-odd years of his life in the White Room, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka is well aware that he doesn't actually understand the universal views on love held by girls outside the White Room. However, conversely, he is the one who knows best what the experimental subjects in the White Room should be like.

That's why Kitagawa Ryo was given such a high priority in his eyes. In fact, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka only gradually changed his attitude towards Kitagawa Ryo after witnessing the changes in Amasawa Ichika and Yuki. After all, if you really count the number, the second-year student, Miyabi Nagumo, is the one who truly deserves the title. Among all the second-year students, the only ones who didn't have an ambiguous relationship with him were a minority.

Thinking about Miyabi Nagumo's current situation, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka couldn't help but feel a little helpless. He was also a little surprised that the other party had such a high level of initiative, actually choosing to gamble one more time on her own after the plan had failed, only to be sent to the hospital by a passing wild boar.

Whether Miyabi Nagumo is alright is another matter, since the school's announcement only stated that she suffered minor injuries. The more troublesome issue for Ayanokoji Kiyotaka is that with Miyabi Nagumo's departure, he has lost most of his ability to lead the second-year students.

No matter how much Miyabi Nagumo's reputation has declined during this period, as long as the contract he signed with the other second-year students is still in effect, the news that he has lost most of his large amount of Private Points has not been exposed or confirmed, and his position Student Council President remains secure, then he will still be the nominal and de facto Leader of the second-year students. The vast majority of second-year students will have to obey his orders, just like the Matoba this morning.

In a sense, the overall command mode of the second year is somewhat similar to that of Class 1-D. This command mode, in which one person is in charge of the whole situation, also has obvious drawbacks. When Miyabi Nagumo and Ryuen Kakeru on the Uninhabited Island suddenly leave the scene in a similar way, the fragile balance will be broken instantly, and chaos will follow.

In the past, Mizowaki and Tonokawa, Miyabi Nagumo's two right-hand men, could have taken on this task. After all, during last year's Cultural Festival, when Nagumo became a hands-off leader and stopped managing class affairs, it was the two of them who temporarily filled in.

But the situation is completely different now. After yesterday's wild boar incident, Mizowaki and Tonokawa completely lost Miyabi Nagumo's trust, which means they have lost the power they once held as executive deputies.

To be frank, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka isn't the type of person who can get along well with everyone in a group. Just like how he controlled Class 3-B by establishing a cooperative relationship with Ishikura, the Leader of Class 3-B, his control over the second-year students also required the middleman, Miyabi Nagumo. After all, for the other second-year students, the name Ayanokoji Kiyotaka wasn't very familiar to them, even though he had shown his face as a Student Council member.

Moreover, there are already many variables to consider in the second grade.

For example, Kiriyama Ikuto from Class 2-B.

Theoretically, this was an undercover agent used by Miyabi Nagumo to balance the internal conflicts among the second-year students and to lure out the opposition. However, at this point in time, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka doesn't really think that the other party would still be willing to take on this undercover identity.

If in the past, his arguments with Miyabi Nagumo were indeed about shaping his image in front of other second-year students, then from a certain point onwards, their disputes began to have a more genuine flavor, especially after Miyabi Nagumo forcibly removed him from his position as vice president of the Student Council during the recent winter break, after which their conflict began to visibly sharpen.

It was under these circumstances that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was also unable to determine whether Kiriyama Ikuto would take advantage of Miyabi Nagumo's injury and leave to make the situation real and try to rewrite the entire second-year situation.

After all, the very foundation upon which Miyabi Nagumo ruled the entire second year was the lottery transfer contract. He could also promise to replicate it, or even, learning from past experience, slightly relax the conditions. Then, he could take the opportunity to expose how Miyabi Nagumo had already squandered tens of millions of Private Points —the "public funds of all second-year students"—for his own selfish desires during the Sports Festival and Cultural Festival. This would directly destroy Miyabi Nagumo's foundation in terms of "legitimacy."

As for Miyabi Nagumo's fanbase built on her personal charm, we can only wait and see what kind of scars this wild boar incident will leave on her. After all, modern society, especially in high school, really is an era that values appearance.

In any case Ayanokoji Kiyotaka felt that if Kitagawa Ryo was willing, he could easily build such a base among the First Year, and even the second and third-year students. After all, Kitagawa Ryo was superior to Miyabi Nagumo in terms of appearance, temperament, status, and talent. It was just that the other party did not have this idea.

Moreover, they have indeed demonstrated this ability, easily winning over Kiryuin Fuka, the most unconventional second-year student, Miyabi Nagumo Asahina Nazuna, Masaru's childhood friend, in just a few months, making Ayanokoji Kiyotaka somewhat unsurprised.

While Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was pondering how to handle the unpredictable and confusing situation among the second-year students caused by this sudden incident, Kitagawa Ryo, who slept in the bunk below him, pulled up his blanket, closed his eyes, and pretended to take a nap, also thinking about the aftermath of Miyabi Nagumo's sudden departure.

However, his thinking was more direct: could he take this opportunity to expel Miyabi Nagumo from school?

Although Kitagawa Ryo never considered using his status to recruit Nagumo due to his personality, and was confident and unafraid of the combination of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka Miyabi Nagumo, this Special Exam still taught him a lesson, namely that Miyabi Nagumo's initiative was indeed beyond his imagination.

Putting aside the fact that the other party had acted like a madman at the end, trying to self-destruct with him and being punished by the wild boar, he also obtained some information from Asahina Nazuna at noon today. It was that Miyabi Nagumo had personally suggested in the morning that they should directly target Ichinose Honami and Karuizawa Kei to make a breakthrough.

As the saying goes, it's not the thief you should fear, but the one who has his eye on you. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had finally been subtly influenced by him to break free from the mindset of the White Room, but instead, another mad dog, even more unscrupulous and reckless, appeared. Even for the sake of his future school life, Kitagawa Ryo had to send him out of ANHS as soon as possible.

Three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged second-year students are not lacking in Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School. After all, the second-year system built by Miyabi Nagumo has been ruined by his own hands. His Private Points, which were his absolute guarantee, have been lost in large numbers. In order to curry favor with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, he personally handed over the debt of six million Private Points with Class 1-C. His right-hand men, Mizowaki and Tonokawa, have both betrayed him. Even the students in his class Class 2-A, are dissatisfied because Nagumo has increased his exploitation of them. And his additional reliance on the Student Council President position is also likely to be lost after this Special Exam.

Because Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School will certainly not allow a student who openly disobeys school instructions and disregards his own personal safety to continue holding the highest position among the students.

It's no exaggeration to say that Miyabi Nagumo's dominance in the second year is indeed on the verge of collapse, and this Special Exam is precisely the opportunity to address it.

If we're talking about who can capitalize on the popularity of Miyabi Nagumo's Whale Fall, Kitagawa Ryo thinks it might actually be Kiriyama Ikuto from Class 2-B.

Although Kitagawa Ryo himself felt that the former Student Council vice president, who kept switching between Horikita Manabu Miyabi Nagumo, had a somewhat subtle personality, it could only be said that every cloud has a silver lining. The identity that the other party had been playing as an 'opponent of Miyabi Nagumo's for the past year had indeed become deeply rooted in the hearts of the second-year students. After all, Horikita Manabu himself had been deceived by him for a period of time, and promoting him to Student Council vice president was one of the best endorsements.

Especially the Student Council personnel changes that occurred during the recent winter break. Although Kitagawa Ryo, as someone in the know, was well aware that it was Miyabi Nagumo Kiyotaka's order to split Class A, and that this was done by Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, in the eyes of the vast majority of uninformed people, this was proof that Kiriyama Ikuto was being persecuted again by the Student Council President, Miyabi Nagumo. It can only be said that this has once again raised Kiriyama's status to a much higher level.

If nothing unexpected happens, there are probably quite a few students in the second year who are dissatisfied with Miyabi Nagumo and are already preparing to push Kiriyama Ikuto into that position, to stage a drama of "you have really ruined my life" for him.

Judging from Kiriyama Ikuto's past performance, although his stance has been inconsistent, his attitude towards second-year students is generally acceptable. Compared to Miyabi Nagumo's casualness and selfishness, he is more considerate of the interests of other second-year students. Even after obtaining a ticket to Class A, he still advised Miyabi Nagumo at the Sports Festival not to use his large number of Private Points for personal reasons.

However, from Kitagawa Ryo's personal perspective, he would definitely prefer the second-year students to return to their scattered state rather than Kiriyama Ikuto taking over. Even if they still wanted to maintain this overall unity, the person in charge would preferably be a senior he was familiar with, or to put it more simply, Kiryuin Fuka or Asahina Nazuna.

It wasn't that Kitagawa Ryo was single-mindedly trying to support the two of them; rather, from a standpoint perspective, both Kiryuin Fuka and Asahina Nazuna theoretically shared the same stance as Kiriyama Ikuto, since they were openly part of the faction opposing Miyabi Nagumo.

The news that Asahina Nazuna Miyabi Nagumo had completely fallen out was known to all the second-year students. Kiryuin Fuka was even more well-known, after all, she hadn't signed the agreement for over a year, and she had also done something big at the Sports Festival, so she had been tested on all levels.

If Kitagawa Ryo had to choose between the two, he would actually lean more towards Asahina Nazuna. While Kiryuin Fuka's abilities are undeniable, her lone-wolf behavior over the past two years has left her without enough influence in her class or grade. In terms of popularity, she is not as well-liked as Asahina Nazuna, who is gentle and kind and has friends in every class in the second year.

In fact, Miyabi Nagumo's sudden change will not only alter the grade situation that has been maintained for more than a year, but will also have a sudden and drastic impact on the overall direction of the Student Council.

Regardless of whether Miyabi Nagumo will be targeted for expulsion during this period, her position Student Council President will certainly not be able to continue. This indicates that the current Student Council will enter an unprecedented phase of early election for a new Student Council President.

According to the usual practice of electing the Student Council President in order of grade, the four First Year students who have the opportunity to run this time are Sakayanagi Arisu and Horikita Suzune from Class 1-A, and Katsuragi Kohei and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka from Class 1-C.

"... Everything just happened to come together at once."

The thought that the competition between Sakayanagi Arisu and Horikita Suzune for the Student Council President would erupt so soon, and that it was brought forward to this point, gave Kitagawa Ryo a bit of a headache. After all, unlike this time when he clearly stated that he would not help either side, he had been tricked by Suzune into promising to help her participate in the Student Council President election during the Uninhabited Island Special Exam last summer. At that time, he thought it would be at least a year or more later. However, he did not expect that plans could not keep up with changes, and this showdown would most likely take place earlier than expected.

Perhaps because he was indeed a little tired in the morning, or perhaps because he didn't want to think about it anymore, Kitagawa Ryo, who had only been dozing off, actually fell asleep while thinking about it. When he opened his eyes again, the clock on the wall was pointing to five o'clock in the afternoon. The entire dormitory was quiet and empty, which made Kitagawa Ryo feel a little dazed.

"Are they awake? They've all gone to the restaurant for lunch."

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was a little confused, an explanation suddenly came from the direction of the upper bunk. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning a little over towards the lower bunk.

Why didn't you go?

Kitagawa Ryo yawned lazily, rubbed his neck, and sat up from the bed, casually asking Ayanokoji Kiyotaka this question.

Not very hungry.

"Really? Actually, I'm not that hungry."

He stretched his limbs forcefully on the bed. Although he knew that the other party was probably actually monitoring his actions, Kitagawa Ryo was too lazy to point it out. He propped up his pillow against the bed and started chatting idly with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

Once again, chatting with the test subjects in the White Room across the bunk, Kitagawa Ryo couldn't help but feel a bit emotional. After all, of all his simulation experiences, the days in the White Room were always one of the most unforgettable periods of his life, both physically and psychologically.

The formation of any child's personality is closely related to the environment in which they are born and raised. In fact, it was only after the final simulation that he finally began to understand some of the essence of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. After all, changes in relationships are never one-sided. The principle that it takes two to tango applies to interpersonal relationships as well. The improvement in his relationship with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was essentially due to a change in their mutual understanding of each other.

In fact, ever since Ayanokoji Kiyotaka changed his attitude towards him, Kitagawa Ryo had been able to sense that the other party was deliberately observing him, but he always felt that it was somewhat insufficient to simply try to learn or understand something from others.

It's no exaggeration to say that Kitagawa Ryo even felt that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka understood him better than he understood himself.

As the White Room's Masterpiece, he was actually unaware of the plan and the origins of the facility.

As Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, he only knew his father but not his mother, and had never experienced a moment of family affection.

Kitagawa Ryo suddenly remembered a question about his name that the girl who slept in the bunk above him had asked him a long time ago.

"Hey, Ayanokoji."

Do you want to know why you have this name?

Chapter 427: There Can Only Be One Sun in the Sky, and in My Heart There Is Only One Sun Suzune

"My name?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka seemed taken aback by Kitagawa Ryo's sudden mention of the topic, and momentarily lost in thought, instinctively asking the same question in return.