Come and Confess

After all, she had initially thought about whether she would have a chance to bathe with Kitagawa Ryo, but the single dormitories at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School were only so big, and the bathrooms were naturally the same. The shower area was basically only big enough for one person. If there were two people, let alone moving around, it would be difficult to even find a place to put your feet down.

Speaking of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, this is the only thing that's not very friendly to couples. After all, there are no facilities on campus that allow students to stay out overnight. Whether it's an internet cafe or a karaoke bar, staying overnight is not allowed. It's really not as good as the luxury suites I was able to enjoy on the cruise ship last year.

"Should Honami wash first, or should I wash first?"

"I'll go first, since I need to blow-dry my hair after showering."

After finding a fairly plausible reason, Ichinose Honami naturally gained the right to shower first. However, as for why she made this choice, besides drying her hair, there were naturally other considerations as well.

After all, Yukata was never her winning outfit.

Taking advantage of the cool shower, I secretly changed into the new clothes first.

With this plan in mind, Ichinose Honami took her clean underwear and went into the bathroom first, leaving Kitagawa Ryo alone outside.

Although it wasn't the first time Kitagawa Ryo had encountered a girl showering less than five meters behind him, separated only by a door, he still tried to evoke his emotions, both physically and mentally.

This is both a sign of respect for Ichinose Honami and a reflection of his own true feelings.

Sakayanagi Narimori's assessment of him was actually not wrong.

For Kitagawa Ryo, love truly has no right or wrong, nor does it have a first-come-first-served principle. This is not only a posture that needs to be put on the surface, but also a concept that he can never give up on in order to realize that wish.

Even though girls often pay close attention to and even care about the answers in this regard, such as the question Karuizawa Kei asked on the first day of the cruise ship, "Is this your first time?", no matter whose first time it is with, he must treat it as if it were each other's first time, and there must be absolutely no slackness. Today's Valentine's Day celebration is no exception.

For these girls who genuinely like him, this is truly their first experience. The difference between "the only one" and "one of many" remains unchanged, but Kitagawa Ryo is equally willing to give the latter the same unique experience as the former.

Rather, this is one of the most crucial reasons why he was able to smoothly transition this massive and ever-growing battlefield to the present.

There's no way around it; having chosen this inevitably difficult and greedy path, there's no turning back.

However, he did not regret it.

Kitagawa Ryo looked up at the bathroom door, quietly waiting for the heroine to reappear.

After all, liking and redemption are always mutual.

He wasn't Salvation by any single person.

In fact, Kitagawa Ryo never managed to complete the collection of all the CGs and endings in that life simulation game.

If we were to look for a reason...

He would probably give that answer.

Because I want to leave the best possible ending for the life I'm living now, a life that is real and can never be relived.

Chapter 490: Come and Repent

Having taken a thorough shower just two hours earlier, and not sweating much due to the winter weather, Ichinose Honami finished her shower and left the bathroom faster than Kitagawa Ryo had anticipated, taking only about twenty minutes.

The yukata she was wearing had been replaced with Yukata. Ichinose Honami, who had just come out of the bathroom, seemed to be radiating heat all over her body. Her fair skin was slightly flushed, and you could feel a distinct warmth emanating from her from a distance, proving that her body had been thoroughly warmed.

Although she has never taken great care of her hair since childhood, she still possesses an unparalleled charm. Her long, golden-pink hair cascades down her back like a waterfall, still retaining visible moisture, and has the brilliant colors of a rainbow after the rain.

Her clear blue eyes were also shimmering with water, and her moist lips gleamed with a glossy sheen, as clear as glaze.

To be honest, ever since I first saw Ichinose Honami's face in the second simulation of Karuizawa Kei's story, Kitagawa Ryo has become increasingly curious about what kind of expression this girl displayed in her past, which he could only glimpse through words and his imagination.

After all, judging from appearances alone, he found it hard to believe that such a girl would actually show that empty, desperate look in her eyes, because anyone's first impression of Ichinose Honami should be optimistic, gentle, and many other positive adjectives.

"Ryo, go take a shower... the water should still be warm."

"Wait a minute, our ANHS student dorm rooms have always only had showers, right? Lines like this, meant for a bathtub scene, are a bit much."

"Indeed, but now that you mention it's cold, I'm starting to miss my bathtub at home, especially in winter like this. A warm bath would be so comforting."

Ichinose Honami nodded in agreement, then naturally took another set of pajamas from the closet in the room:

"Look, I've already prepared the clothes for drying."

"Thank you so much for being so thoughtful."

"No, actually I was thinking of going to the closet in advance to get your underwear and panties for you."

"... I feel like once I get back, I need to immediately check my closet to make sure nothing is missing."

After chatting casually with Ichinose Honami for a while, feeling relaxed and cheerful, Kitagawa Ryo took the pajamas offered to him and prepared to go into the bathroom to take a shower.

However, as if suddenly remembering something, Kitagawa Ryo stopped before opening the bathroom door and Ichinose Honami:

"It's definitely better to take this off first. It's best not to wear rings while showering, not only because they might get washed off your hand and fall down the drain, but also because many shampoos and shower gels contain ingredients that can damage the ring."

"Well, then Ryo should take it off for now. After all, it's a gift from Hiyori to Ryo, so it naturally needs to be taken good care of."

Ichinose Honami reached out and took the ring from Kitagawa Ryo, who had taken it off and was handing it to her. Then, as if urging him on, Kitagawa Ryo pushed him by the back and led him into the bathroom.

"Wash it thoroughly."

"Okay."

After confirming that the sound of the shower water had resumed, Ichinose Honami sat back down on the sofa, her gaze unconsciously falling on the ring lying in her palm.

In a fleeting moment, she suddenly understood Sakayanagi Arisu's feelings over a long period of time.

Of course, knowing something doesn't mean understanding it.

Regardless of the circumstances, Ichinose Honami would not accept the other party's approach of ultimately shifting all the pressure back onto Kitagawa Ryo, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

However, it must be said that Sakayanagi Arisu an extreme aspect, which is something she knew a long time ago. If you think about it carefully, one of the reasons why she is still so nostalgic about her second life is that dream and reality overlapped, and in the blink of an eye, she didn't know where she was or whether what she saw and heard was real. Moreover, that time was basically trouble caused by Sakayanagi Arisu.

Even if Ichinose Honami were to admit that she did indeed yearn for such a token that symbolized so much in the eyes of the public, she would only try to obtain it through a gentler means.

In this respect, Ichinose Honami is now more like a perfectionist than before, but this so-called 'perfectionism' only applies to her relationship with Kitagawa Ryo.

She hopes that all the memories they have now, all the time they've spent together, are the most beautiful of all.

This requires a variety of planning methods.

Ichinose Honami likes the word "planning".

She felt that this was one of the words that couples should use most frequently.

Planning doesn't mean being rigid and boring.

After all, what we call a surprise is nothing more than a plan that one person keeps from another.

Just like the Valentine's Day celebration that Kitagawa Ryo threw for her today.

... Just like the clothes she's about to change Kitagawa Ryo into.

"This time, the smell should be completely gone."

Kitagawa Ryo checked one last time, just to make sure the perfume scent Karuizawa Kei had mischievously left on him had completely dissipated, before nodding, wiping the fogged bathroom mirror, fixing his hair in front of the mirror, and finally picking up his change of clothes to leave the bathroom.

Speaking of which, compared to his first time with Karuizawa Kei and Amasawa Ichika, the atmosphere and clothing of the two of them today were practically normal, or rather, incredibly ordinary. After all, the former had given him a bunny girl attack, and the latter had inexplicably demonstrated what it meant to put a condom on with your mouth. But perhaps high school romances should really be like his and Honami's...

Until he pushed the bathroom door open again, Kitagawa Ryo's mind was still filled with these simple and honest thoughts.

But clearly, Ichinose Honami doesn't think so.

"So why is it a nun's habit?"

"Hmm, maybe it's because the Vatican is now keeping up with the times and even launching anime-style mascots?"

"... That's really true."

In short, after subconsciously complaining, Kitagawa Ryoya looked again at Ichinose Honami who took advantage of him to take a shower and changed his clothes again.

It turns out that even the most austere clothes will only make a girl with a great figure look innocent and alluring. Actually, the reverse is also true, but I felt that continuing to talk about it would hurt Arisu's feelings, so I decided to leave it at that.

"Actually, I just think this outfit suits me pretty well."

Ichinose Honami spoke, she lightly patted her thigh, causing the nun's veil to sway gently with her movements.

"Does Ryo want to come here and repent?"

"So we've already reached the role-playing part that I wasn't aware of?"

"There's nothing I can do about it. When Liang wrote me my birthday greeting, she was all about being a prisoner of original sin and a holy angel."

"Then I'll lie down."

"This way, please--"

Since the magnanimous nun had already shown him tolerance, Kitagawa Ryo naturally responded to the divine decree without hesitation. He rolled over and put his head on the pillow. When he opened his eyes again, his vision was completely filled with the cross-shaped chest ornament that was raised high. He immediately felt a sense of satisfaction and awe, as if he had arrived in a heavenly kingdom on earth.

Thinking about it carefully, if we only consider it from the perspective of mammals, this person is the best choice. After all, compared to Honami, they all seem to be eliminated in the harsh natural environment.

Perhaps because he was still thinking about Sakayanagi Arisu and the Tokyo Tower that night, such a strange thought unconsciously popped into Kitagawa Ryo's mind.

"Hmm... So, Ryo, is there anything you want to say to me now?"

"Does suddenly wanting to call Honami some unpleasant nicknames count?"

"Let's forget about the younger generation."

"That must be my older sister."

"I always felt that Liang was a bit older than me, after all, she must have experienced more things, but it doesn't seem like there's a problem if Liang is willing."

Perhaps because she has a younger sister, Ichinose Honami accepted this setting with astonishing speed.

"Actually, I've always felt that I should have an older sister."

"Is this some new way to start a conversation? Like, 'I've seen this girl before'?"

"I don't know, I just have this feeling sometimes, probably because I've been playing the role of Hotaru's older brother for so long."

"It's possible. Actually, I've thought about how nice it would be if there were older peers in my family. Essentially, it's because I've been relied on by others for so long that I want to rely on others. It's quite normal for Ryo to have this kind of illusion, after all, your situation and Hotaru's situation are a bit more special than ours."

"Too."

With Ichinose Honami's gentle and persuasive explanation, Kitagawa Ryo, whose mind was gradually going blank, was too lazy to think any further. He simply adjusted his position on her lap and wrapped his arms around her.

"I think Honami right now is exactly the kind of older sister I want."

"Although it might not be appropriate to bring this up now, if I were in my younger brother's or sister's shoes, I wouldn't actually dislike an older sister who's willing to pay for my whims."

"Of course, it's better not to do those things, just like Honami is now."

Perhaps it was a natural connection to something from her past, but as Kitagawa Ryo lay on Ichinose Honami's lap, he spoke as if he were a nun from the Vatican, recounting an incident that had happened between him and Hotaru in the past.

"Honami, do you still remember our reunion in this life? It was also in winter, and you were standing outside the dessert shop wearing a rabbit costume to attract customers. I went up to you and asked, 'Would you like a hot cocoa?'"

"Yes, I remember."

Even now, Ichinose Honami isn't sure if she genuinely liked hot cocoa or if she developed a special fondness for it simply because of that comment and certain past moments. But whatever the case, she still feels that what she drank that day was the sweetest and most intoxicating drink in the world.

"I also talked to Honami about it back then, because I had done similar work before, so I knew very well how painful it was. Now, what I want to talk to Honami about is what happened back then."

(For details, please see Chapter 2 of the Boy's Abyss series, "Theft and Hot Cocoa")

Although he had long possessed the talent of Eidetic Memory, perhaps due to his mood, Kitagawa Ryo's speech was actually quite disorganized, fragmented, and intricate, yet also very subtle, gentle, and light.

Ichinose Honami listened quietly to all the stories. In fact, Kitagawa Ryo faced almost the same predicament as her, and the risk of theft was even lower for him.

Thinking about this, Ichinose Honami herself felt somewhat conflicted, because no matter how she tried to justify the theft, it was ultimately a decision she made alone.

"Perhaps that's why I can truly like Ryo."

Ultimately, this was the only answer Ichinose Honami could come to.

As she spoke, she suddenly felt exceptionally at ease.

After all, falling in love and spending the rest of your life with someone who has traveled through time and space without even knowing how many lives they've lived is quite a challenging thing. Not only do you have to constantly face the vast amount of memories about the other person that you don't know about, but you also have to worry about whether the person they are showing you now is their true self or just another mask for playing around with life.

But the more I learned about her past from other people, including Kitagawa Ryo himself, the less Ichinose Honami felt about such worries.

Even though Kitagawa Ryo encountered various setbacks and difficulties in each story, the underlying nature of his character remained unchanged, just like the ones she loved.

That's enough, really. After all, we are different this year than we were last year, and so are the people we've fallen for.

The change that preserves the essence of one's soul is called growth.

If we, who are constantly growing, can continue to love another person who is also growing, that is probably one of the luckiest things in the world.

"Actually, I think Honami feels the same way, so I never think Honami is the most unsuccessful reborn person, because you and Hui are different. Everyone has their own path and their own growth. Honami is just a little later, but that's only relatively late."

"So, even though I already said it tonight with fireworks, I still feel the need to repeat it again."

"Honami is a wonderful girl, and I'm so glad to have met you."

"And I have never regretted falling in love with you."

The line between liking and loving is exceptionally clear when it is distinct, and exceptionally blurred when it is ambiguous. But Kitagawa Ryo believes that even with the strictest classification, his feelings for Ichinose Honami have long since crossed the threshold of liking.