I Always Feel Like I'm Supposed to Have an Older Sister

To be honest, before Kitagawa Ryo asked that question, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had never paid attention to his name. After all, in his eyes, a name was just a code to distinguish people from one another. Compared to his name, his surname 'Ayanokoji' was more prominent, at least it played a decisive role when he recruited Miyabi Nagumo.

However, on the other hand, although surnames and given names are essentially determined by the previous generation and are innate, most children still pay more attention to the origin of their given names. After all, the origin of a surname can be perfectly explained with the simple statement, "Because Dad has this surname, so you have this surname too." Given names, on the other hand, are different. Compared to surnames, which are generally unchangeable, given names undoubtedly have a more unique feel and embody the parents' expectations and hopes for their child.

Of course, all of this was a complete false proposition for Ayanokoji Kiyotaka in the past. After all, in the past ten years of his life, there had never been any opportunity for him to innocently pester his parents for the origin of his name like other children. In fact, he only learned that Ayanokoji Atsuomi was his biological father after he made his mark in the White Room. Moreover, the relationship between the two of them was by no means a normal father-son relationship.

There are actually quite a few stories related to names within Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School. As Ayanokoji Kiyotaka knows, Yukimura Teruhiko in Class 1-A has a habit of having his close friends call him 'Keisei' because the name 'Keihiko' was given to him by his mother, but she eventually abandoned his family and left alone. It is precisely because of this that he is somewhat stubborn in wanting to use the name 'Keisei' that his father originally thought of for him.

As for Kitagawa Ryo, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka found the story behind his name when he looked through an interview Kitagawa had given as a theatrical Actor long ago after enrolling in the university. According to Kitagawa Ryo, his and his sister's names both came from the ancient China poem "Autumn Evening" by the Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu, specifically the lines "A light silk fan flutters to catch fireflies" and "The night on the steps is as cool as water."

However, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka did not have such a story to tell others, nor did he feel that such a story existed within himself.

However, he also knew that Kitagawa Ryo was not someone who spoke without reason or was full of lies. Even though the Special Exam was still in progress, this could very well be a smokescreen or a psychological tactic thrown out by the other party. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka chose to continue listening.

Perhaps deep down, he also longs for his name to have a story, long or short, that could make him feel complete.

This is actually a common psychological phenomenon among the test subjects in the White Room. Just like Amasawa Ichika, before learning that she was a test-tube baby, she also fantasized about her original family and relatives, but in the end, when her fantasy was shattered, she chose to completely cut ties with them.

But what Kitagawa Ryo told us was something completely different.

With just one sentence, he extinguished the faint glimmer of hope that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had just managed to ignite in his heart.

"This is the name of a male prostitute that your birth mother liked."

It must be said that even though Ayanokoji Kiyotaka believed his intelligence was impeccable among his peers, Kitagawa Ryo's short but incredibly informative statement still momentarily stunned him.

First, there's the 'birth mother' mentioned in Kitagawa Ryo's words. Actually, after so many years, and with the example of Amasawa Ichika, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka himself had considered whether he might be the child of Ayanokoji Atsuomi through in-vitro fertilization. Even if we take a step back, it's highly likely to be a surrogate or something similar. After all, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka himself couldn't imagine that a purely political creature like Ayanokoji Atsuomi, would fall in love with a woman and marry her and have a child.

In either case, Ayanokoji Atsuomi should have had absolute control over him, as evidenced by the fact that he was sent to the White Room just a few days after his birth. However, he chose to hand over the naming rights to the woman, which made Ayanokoji Kiyotaka feel somewhat complicated.

After all, this shows that Ayanokoji Atsuomi never considered him as his own son for even a single second, or rather, all he wanted was a child whose surname was 'Ayanokoji' and whose given name didn't matter.

However, this was a reality that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had already recognized. What truly stunned him was the latter half of Kitagawa Ryo's words, since the image of a mother, which had never appeared in his life before, was finally sketched out by Kitagawa Ryo at this moment.

Unfortunately, even just a few words are enough to show that this is not the kind of mother depicted in most books that glorify maternal love.

Kitagawa Ryo continued speaking.

Although he really wanted to write a short piece about "why Ayanokoji Atsuomi deliberately preserved his past as a male escort," seeing that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was unusually showing some emotional fluctuation, Kitagawa Ryo put aside his teasing thoughts and jokes, and told him about Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's background. These were all old stories he had come across in the final simulation after Ayanokoji Atsuomi's complete downfall and the White Room's formal reorganization.

After recounting all the truth he knew, Kitagawa Ryo fell silent again. He didn't ask the line that always appears in similar melodramatic soap opera plots, like "Do you still want to see your birth mother?" because he already knew the answer.

After all, to some extent, he and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka were in the same boat, and when faced with a bunch of relatives who suddenly appeared out of nowhere because of his talent, Kitagawa Ryo never broke down in tears.

Looking back, at least when Ayanokoji Kiyotaka asked Yuki in the White Room as a child, "Why are you laughing?", he still longed to understand the emotional communication between people. It's just that at that time, neither his father nor his mother stood up to respond or answer his question.

Just as the two roommates, one on the bunk and the other on the bunk, fell into a silent understanding, the other members of the Third Group returned from the Student Cafeteria, their hurried footsteps audible from a distance. Sure enough, the dormitory door was soon pushed open from the outside, and Ishizaki Daichi, the first to enter, greeted Kitagawa Ryo was awake.

"Awake, Kitagawa? Hurry up and go to the cafeteria, or it'll be past dinner time and there won't be any food left. This isn't our dorm; if you're really hungry in the middle of the night, you won't find anything to eat."

"Okay, I'll go right away."

Reminded by Ishizaki Daichi, Kitagawa Ryo also looked up at the clock on the wall. The hands had slowly swung to nearly six. Unbeknownst to him, he had been chatting with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka for almost an hour.

"Where's Ayanokoji? Aren't you going?"

After Kitagawa Ryo agreed, Ishizaki Daichi also casually called out to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka:

"You said you weren't hungry a while ago, but you should be hungry now, right?"

"Um."

Seemingly still reeling from Kitagawa Ryo's previously unknown remarks, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka simply nodded in agreement and prepared to climb down the ladder beside the bed. However, he suddenly missed a step on the last two steps, and Kitagawa Ryo on the lower bunk quickly reached out to steady him.

Since it was already late dinner time, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka walked out of the dormitory towards the Student Cafeteria without encountering any other students. This unexpected alone time made Kitagawa Ryo feel a little uncomfortable, after all, his sexual orientation was as straight as could be. It's safe to say that the other guys in the dormitory were right to criticize him; if this awkward Mixed Training Camp continued for another two days, everyone would start to have all sorts of psychological problems.

Although both of them came from White Room, Kitagawa Ryo still felt it was better to sleep in the upper bunk with a sweet and soft beautiful girl. This could be considered a case of appreciating something only after losing it.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was starting to let his thoughts wander, Alice, whose name literally means "Alice," was also standing at the entrance of the Student Cafeteria with mixed feelings when she witnessed the two approaching.

Clearly, after putting on a show that drew attention throughout the school at noon, Sakayanagi Arisu was determined to keep up the good work. She was the first one to rush into the cafeteria as soon as the lunch bell rang. However, after waiting and waiting, and almost finishing her dinner, she still hadn't seen Kitagawa Ryo. When she finally saw him, she was surprised to find Ayanokoji Kiyotaka standing next to her. She didn't know whether she should go up and greet him or not. After all, she had been working with one of them to target the other that morning, and she felt that going over would only make the atmosphere more awkward.

As it turns out, hesitation leads to defeat.

Sakayanagi Arisu hesitated for a moment, but her destined rival Amasawa Ichika, had already overtaken her. After completing the meeting between the outstanding representatives of the Fourth Generation and Fifth Generation generations inside the White Room... actually, she just nodded to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, and then quickly grabbed Kitagawa Ryo by the arm and pulled him to her table, where Horikita Suzune was sitting next to her.

As for Amasawa Ichika officially joining Horikita Suzune's camp, Sakayanagi Arisu didn't really think much of it. After all, she herself was competing for the position of class Leader in order to have a fair fight with Kitagawa Ryo. In other words, it was bound to happen that she would face off against Kitagawa Ryo. Even for that reason alone, Amasawa Ichika would never have joined her side. The two of them had completely opposite ideas, and she was never someone who could be won over from the beginning.

"Wait, let me go get some food first."

After being half-pulled and half-dragged by Amasawa Ichika, Kitagawa Ryo pointed helplessly to the food serving window.

"No need—I'll get Liang a serving."

As if afraid that Kitagawa Ryo would run away on the spot, Amasawa Ichika patted his shoulder again to signal him to sit still, then gave Horikita Suzune a wink, and quickly headed straight for the dining window.

"Has Suzune and Ichika become ally now?"

"It's a temporary partnership, but with Amasawa's help, it will at least significantly increase my class's chances of winning the election."

As the one who has been wholeheartedly considering this Special Exam and class election from beginning to end, Kitagawa Ryo, who hasn't even realized that Horikita Suzune had already been subjected to two separate rounds of criticism from Sakayanagi Arisu and Amasawa Ichika last night, started speaking with a speech that would make Horikita Manabu faint. Ichika has already set the stage for you, so why are you still talking about the exam?

"Right now, Arisu and I can still be considered evenly matched."

"Yes, I understand everything about the ring. Suzune's counterattack this time was brilliant, and her on-the-spot response and damage control were also very impressive. The information released at the last minute this morning was the game-killing move."

Kitagawa Ryo was quite impressed with Horikita Suzune's performance in this Special Exam so far. After all, he himself hadn't revealed his true abilities to her, but Suzune was still able to make various good responses to different situations even when Sakayanagi Arisu had taken the initiative. She could indeed be considered to have fought to a draw with Sakayanagi Arisu.

"Then... I heard about what happened at noon."

After concisely discussing the morning's exam content, Horikita Suzune finally belatedly remembered the 'real business'. However, she was indeed the kind of person with a conservative personality. Even in mock exams, she could endure for several years before choosing to cross half the globe on Christmas Eve to Confessions to Kitagawa Ryo. She was the type who wanted to do something big but lacked the ability. A kiss with Kitagawa Ryo in a shopping mall, or having Kitagawa Ryo pick her up from the Student Council and share an umbrella when it rained, was already her limit. After all, people need some material they've seen to imagine things. Her mock exams ended with that snowy night confession. What followed was completely 'insufficient material for imagination'. Rings, engagements, and the like were high-end things she had never even considered.

After all, in Horikita Suzune's plan, many things should have been done step by step after graduating from high school or even becoming an adult. Who knew that the version would change so quickly? After Karuizawa Kei took the lead in sounding the horn of victory, Horikita Suzune felt that she was about to fall behind the new version of the game. In her Sims, the only one who could be considered a threat or variable was Sakayanagi Arisu, and even that was locked in by her blood relationship.

... Why is it Sakayanagi Arisu again?

After noticing that Horikita Suzune's gaze suddenly sharpened and glanced in Arisu's direction again, Kitagawa Ryo couldn't help but chuckle as he reached out and took Suzune's hands from the table. Once her gaze returned to his face, he looked into her pupils and reiterated their promise from that day.

"After this Special Exam, the Student Council will likely experience turmoil, and positions may change."

"But like I said when I was on the Uninhabited Island."

This time it won't be the same as before, where neither side takes sides.

"I will support Suzune in becoming the new Student Council President."

Chapter 428: I always felt like I should have an older sister

"Student Council? It shouldn't be the time for the annual president election yet... No, with President Nagumo in this situation, it seems possible that what Ryo said is true. And Mizowaki and Secretary Tonokawa, according to the Student Council's internal rules, Student Council members who are role models for the students will receive additional punishment."

At first Horikita Suzune didn't understand Kitagawa Ryo's meaning, but she quickly figured out what was going on. Her purplish-red eyes blinked twice, and her gaze unconsciously swept over Kitagawa Ryo's face before moving to her hands, which were on the table and being gently held by him. She felt her whole demeanor soften and brighten instantly.

"Good."

She was no longer the stubborn and obstinate person she used to be, who would obsessively dwell on things without realizing it. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to trick Kitagawa Ryo into making that promise on the Uninhabited Island Kitagawa Ryo. Moreover, her biggest rival for Student Council President was Sakayanagi Arisu, and this feeling of being favored made Horikita Suzune feel slightly tipsy and lightheaded.

Actually, after she resolved her inner conflict and completely demystified her brother Horikita Manabu, Horikita Suzune's obsession with the Student Council President position had long since faded. To be honest, she joined the Student Council more to use the platform to train and prove her abilities. After Sakayanagi Arisu, who had been slacking off in the Student Council for years, she had been working diligently from the very first day Student Council, never refusing any overtime. Apart from being criticized for always giving the green light to Drama Club applications, Horikita Suzune's abilities in the Student Council were definitely recognized.

However, Sakayanagi Arisu managed to squeeze into the Student Council in a subtle way, almost like an outsider joining the group. Especially with the help of the president, Nagumo, whom she desperately wanted to curry favor with, Sakayanagi Arisu, who had basically done very little in the Student Council, eventually surpassed Horikita Suzune and became her equal. Even though Horikita Suzune knew that this was not Sakayanagi Arisu's original intention, she still felt somewhat uncomfortable. She was almost about to say, "But I just don't understand, we're both doing Student Council work, so why is it that the one who does more always suffers more grievances?"

From this perspective, if Miyabi Nagumo is forced to step down because of the wild boar incident, it would actually be good news for Horikita Suzune. In the election of the Student Council President of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, the opinion of the former president carries considerable weight. Miyabi Nagumo's rise to power was partly due to Horikita Manabu's integrity; he didn't openly oppose her despite acknowledging her abilities, even if he didn't agree with her ideals. After all, if he had been determined to support Kiriyama Ikuto, the power transition within the previous Student Council would likely have dragged on for quite some time.

If Horikita Suzune could seize this opportunity to become the Student Council President as First Year student, it would also help her overcome her current disadvantage in the competition for class Leader. After all, according to past traditions, both Horikita Manabu from the year before last and Miyabi Nagumo from the year before last were undoubtedly the absolute Leader in their respective classes.

"The election of the Student Council President is a voting process. Traditionally, only second- and third-year students could participate, but if it's brought forward this time, First Year students will most likely be included in the voting pool as well. In addition, the opinions of Student Council members will also be considered as the final selection criterion."

As a member of the Student Council, Horikita Suzune was naturally familiar with the election rules for the Student Council President over the years. After explaining it in a deductive manner, she gave Kitagawa Ryo a bright smile:

"Then I'll need Liang to help this completely social person garner a few more votes."

"Good."

After successfully diverting Horikita Suzune's attention by talking about the Student Council, Kitagawa Ryo glanced at Amasawa Ichika, who had already prepared his dinner but was just standing a short distance away, smiling as he chatted with Horikita Suzune. Only then did Amasawa Ichika start walking again and bring his dinner over.

"I just heard that Ryo is planning to help Horikita run for the next Student Council President. If he succeeds, is Horikita planning to give Ryo a vice president position for fun too?"

Undoubtedly, Amasawa Ichika's question was somewhat barbed and veiled. After all, although she had temporarily chosen to cooperate with Horikita Suzune, the fundamental starting point for this action was still Kitagawa Ryo. If Kitagawa Ryo actually helped Horikita Suzune win the Student Council President election, and then the latter used the power of the Student Council President to forcibly abolish the Drama Club's activities and recruit Kitagawa Ryo into the Student Council, then she would have gained a small advantage but lost a large one, shooting herself in the foot. Just thinking about this future, Amasawa Ichika was already imagining classic lines like, "President Kitagawa, you don't want the Drama Club's activities to be abolished like this, do you?"

"If that day ever comes, I will definitely amend the relevant school rules in advance. For example, the rule that 'students who join the Student Council are not allowed to participate in other club activities' has been something I've wanted to delete for a long time."

Faced with Amasawa Ichika's probing, Horikita Suzune responded just as appropriately. However, this was also her true feeling. After all, as early as last year, she had already realized the constraints and limitations that the Student Council work imposed on her. Every day, she watched Kitagawa Ryo spend his time after school either slacking off in the Drama Club or drinking tea in the Tea Ceremony Club. Occasionally, he could also play in the Basketball Club or hang out in the cooking club. In every sense, he was much freer than her.

"Okay, but we'll have to wait until you actually become the Student Council President. Nagumo may not be the best person, but at least he managed to create the OAA. Anyway, good luck first."

Seemingly satisfied with Horikita Suzune's answer, Amasawa Ichika also put away her previous subtle hostility and then asked Kitagawa Ryo, who had started eating, with concern:

"Liang, why are you so late to the cafeteria tonight? Did something happen? If you're not feeling well sleeping in the dorm, why don't you come and squeeze in with me?"

Perhaps having grown accustomed to Amasawa Ichika's startling remarks, Kitagawa Ryo felt no particular reaction to her more provocative statement in the latter half, replying rather calmly:

"It's nothing, I was just late because I overslept."

"Is that so? But that seems normal. I also took a good nap in my dorm this afternoon. I did stay up late last night."

Upon hearing this, Amasawa Ichika rubbed her eyes, but although she said that, her tone clearly implied that she wanted to stay up all night longer, which made Horikita Suzune look at her with some surprise.

"Did Amasawa stay up very late last night too?"

"Oh yeah, judging by the time, it's probably already past midnight."

"So late? Did something happen in the dorm again?"

Seeing that the completely unaware Suzune was still earnestly Matoba Amasawa Ichika, Kitagawa Ryo felt a little guilty and quickly interrupted the somewhat strange turn of events, asking the two of them:

"What's the situation with you girls right now? Are you still holding a grudge against me?"

After being exposed by the second-year girls this morning, Kitagawa Ryo has come to understand the true meaning of the saying, "When girls start acting like hooligans, boys have nothing to do with it." Rather than constantly guarding against being pointed at or falsely accused by the top-tier girls, he would rather have a few fights with a dozen or so boys.

Don't worry about the cold; we've already taken care of it for you.

Somewhat to Kitagawa Ryo's surprise, Amasawa Ichika simply waved his hand casually, looking completely at ease.

"The girls' group is in complete chaos right now, it's the same in every grade and every class."

Compared to Amasawa Ichika, who was Amasawa Ichika keeping everyone in suspense and raising her chin, Horikita Suzune was quite rational enough to remember that the mealtime was almost over, so she quickly and quietly explained to Kitagawa Ryo:

"The second-year students were already in chaos because of Nagumo's situation, and this afternoon we spread two more rumors among the First Year."

"First, it points out that Kushida Kikyo is the spy that Class 1-C has been unable to find so far, and she was the one who orchestrated the leak of the Uninhabited Island Special Exam."

"Secondly, the reason why Sakayanagi Arisu went to such lengths to become the Leader of Class 1-A was actually to use the power of the entire class to raise 20 million Private Points for himself and transfer himself to Class B."

After listening to Horikita Suzune's story, Kitagawa Ryo also twitched the corners of his mouth:

"I have to say, you two really figured out journalism."

"There's no other way; the easiest way to confuse the public is to spread these kinds of half-true, half-false rumors that everyone loves."

Amasawa Ichika simply shrugged indifferently. These two rumors were carefully selected by her. The first one was indeed true, but not everyone would necessarily believe it. The second one was indeed false, but people would be more willing to believe it. Moreover, the people involved in both rumors were highly well-known students at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School. Kushida Kikyo Sakayanagi Arisu was a rising star who became famous overnight thanks to the midday sensation. They were indeed internet sensations in every sense of the word.

From this perspective, Amasawa Ichika had just had a wonderful scene with Kitagawa Ryo Sakayanagi Arisu noon. If you say that she became the class Leader just to transfer classes and reunite with Kitagawa Ryo, then everyone really has to believe it. In the end, even if it's just for fun, this is the most popular emotional drama among high school students. It instantly upgraded from a love triangle to a love quadrangle.

Kushida Kikyo was also overwhelmed with questions, but just like Chabashira Sae who was accused of being a spy last time, most of the students in Class C didn't believe it at all. After all, the idea that their homeroom teacher and the executive vice-class president were both spies sounded too absurd. Believing that these two things could happen at the same time was less appealing than believing those ridiculous text messages from scammers claiming to be Oda Nobunaga who Honnō-ji Incident and asking for 5,000 yen to reunite the country by force.

Even so, for Kushida Kikyo, who has a guilty conscience, she still needs to confess her feelings to others one by one, playing the victim while gaining favor, and then find the leaker.

After learning about the girl's current situation from Horikita Suzune and Amasawa Ichika, Kitagawa Ryo breathed a sigh of relief. He actually hoped the situation would be as chaotic as possible, as it would make it easier for him to take advantage of the confusion and escape unscathed from this Special Exam.

However, since Horikita Suzune and Amasawa Ichika were only First Year students, they didn't have a very thorough understanding of the situation in the second year. After thinking for a moment, Kitagawa Ryo decided to repeat the previous tactic of adding rice, and found Asahina Nazuna was still staying there, as if waiting for someone.

Good evening, senior.

Perhaps because the Mixed Training Camp these past few days had been too exhausting, when Kitagawa Ryo sat down opposite Asahina Nazuna with his tray, he could clearly see a hint of weariness in her eyes. Her slightly pale face looked somewhat haggard, and although she managed a smile when she saw him, it still seemed a little forced.

"Hmm, good evening."

"I know what's troubling you right now, senior. Since there's not much time left, I'll keep it brief."

Before Asahina Nazuna could react, Kitagawa Ryo had already cut to the chase and stated his own thoughts:

"If possible, I would like to have you, senior, succeed Nagumo as the new Leader of the second-year students."

"... ah?"

Perhaps because Kitagawa Ryo's speech was so shocking, Asahina Nazuna was already exhausted from the chaos that followed Nagumo's departure from the class, was stunned. Her mouth was slightly open involuntarily, and she didn't even notice the few strands of hair behind her ears falling in front of her eyes as she leaned forward slightly. It took her a while to come back to her senses.

Why me?

When she asked the question, several answers that she had already heard that Asahina Nazuna flashed through her mind. There was never a shortage of opportunists among the second-year students who were always looking for change. She herself had been approached by several girls a few hours earlier.

"Because Asahina Nazuna has a high reputation in all classes," "Because Asahina Nazuna Nagumo," "Because Asahina Nazuna is a student in Class A, and she can still maintain Class A's status after taking over from Nagumo"...

But Kitagawa Ryo didn't say any of those sentences.

"Because I considered myself quite close to the senior student, I was thinking that if she could become Leader among the second-year students..."

At this point, Kitagawa Ryo slightly drawled out the last syllable, rested his chin on his hand, and winked his left eye in a slightly childlike manner at this senior who had given him a rare experience of being treated like an older sister:

"I think I can find some shade under this big tree too."