Forget the Past and Look Ahead!

"It's not like we wouldn't stand out if we were just wandering around campus without our uniforms during class time. But we do look better in our regular or casual clothes. Shall I go get it for Suzune?"

"Wow, does Liang mean she's going to go into my room and rummage through my closet?"

"Why does it sound so perverted... Besides, Suzune, didn't you just do something like that to my wardrobe?"

"Actually, I'd really like to wear a light jacket when I go out. After all, it's winter now, so a bigger and thicker one would be fine."

"I guess you can only wear boyfriend shirts in the dorm, right?"

"Didn't you already wear it out during the Ichika Cultural Festival?"

"Then you win."

Seeing Kitagawa Ryo, who had enjoyed a stand-up comedy performance that resembled a couple's comedy routine early in the morning, happily wagged her tail. It can only be said that she had already begun to rank the concept gods in terms of combat power in her mind.

Based on current performance...

Suzune in her romantic teenage form seems more intimidating than both the reborn Karuizawa Kei and the healthy version of Sakayanagi Arisu. She's already on par with Ichinose Honami after she's reconciled with her mother and the past.

This led to the chapter title, originally simulated as "Horikita Suzune's Midwinter Phantom Dream," being changed overnight to "Horikita Suzune's Winter Romance."

This winter is no Phantom Dream, it's simply wonderful!

In the end, Horikita Suzune's outfit for today was still something she decided on her own: the inner layer was her own clothes, and the outermost layer was a subtly different outfit provided by Kitagawa Ryo. However, it still looked good on the outside. After all, pretty people are natural clothes hangers, and compared to the shorter Amasawa Ichika, the taller Horikita Suzune actually looked better in Kitagawa Ryo's jacket.

"As expected, there's hardly anyone here."

Around eight or nine o'clock in the morning, while all the students of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School were already in the school building starting their classes, a pair of truants, resembling street urchins, arrived on the forest paths within the campus to ask for leave (scratch that), skipping class.

It's hard to imagine that, based solely on OAA's overall evaluation and rankings, these two individuals, who should be spending their time in class idly wandering around outside, are among the best of the best in their First Year.

"It would be strange if someone did. It feels like the only people we could run into at this time are faculty and staff. When we passed by just now, didn't that auntie who was trimming the flowerbeds give us several puzzled looks?"

"Really..."

Although she spoke with absolute certainty yesterday, now that she's successfully skipped class and has so much free time, Horikita Suzune is surprisingly at a loss for what to do with her plans.

"How about we go check out the Keyaki Mall?"

"I feel like not many shops are open at this time, but it's alright, I don't have much else to do anyway."

In fact, when most shopkeepers noticed the unusual pair of Kitagawa Ryo and Horikita Suzune at Keyaki Mall, they assumed that the two were there to summarize or wrap up yesterday's celebration on behalf of the Student Council. However, after observing them for a while, they realized that they seemed to be simply shopping.

If I remember correctly, today should be a normal school day, right?

"I remember that too, and they were the only two people shopping in the entire mall. Wouldn't that be considered having the whole place to themselves?"

"... That's really true."

"What are they buying? I'm thinking of opening the shop earlier than planned, since these two are big spenders."

"Uh, it seems like I've just been wandering around aimlessly, and haven't bought a single thing yet."

Kitagawa Ryo and Horikita Suzune were unaware that the shopkeepers on the upper floors had already started chatting about their topic. The two of them were immersed in the mall, which was filled with an atmosphere completely different from usual, experiencing this novel and strange feeling.

Even though it's the same place, the experience can be completely different depending on the time of day, just like how a school visited during the day feels particularly eerie at night.

"Suzune, do you remember the question I asked you last year when we came here to buy swimsuits?"

Kitagawa Ryo turned to Horikita Suzune and asked her, meeting her gaze with a pair of alluring purplish-red eyes that resembled both a fox and a cat.

I asked Suzune why girls tend to enjoy shopping and strolling around.

"Yes, I remember."

Horikita Suzune quickly recalled her original answer:

"I said at the time that shopping gives people a sense of reality. Whether it's a small market or a large shopping mall, the dazzling array of goods and the bustling crowds always give people a sense of the vibrancy of the world, making them clearly feel that they are living in this world."

"And now? Right now, there isn't a single customer in the mall except for us."

In response to Kitagawa Ryo's question, Horikita Suzune simply smiled and asked in return:

"Does Liang remember that before this question, you actually asked me another question, which was how often I go shopping?"

My answer at the time was that I come to the mall to buy daily necessities about every two weeks.

"For me in the past, shopping malls, strolling around, and shopping were just like that."

"After all, that's just other people's entertainment, it has nothing to do with me."

"But Liang belongs to me alone."

"It's my own excitement, prosperity, and revelry."

Chapter 493: Forget the past and look forward!

Since most of the shops hadn't officially opened yet, Kitagawa Ryo and Horikita Suzune, who only browsed the shops that were already open, quickly walked from the first floor to the fifth floor.

To their surprise, a small shop that they thought had been closed for some time suddenly opened for business. It was the "Investment and Finance Classroom" that the school had opened there before last year's Sports Festival.

Although this little shop has only offered betting twice since it opened, once during the Sports Festival and once during the Final Exam of the second First Year of first year, countless students are already obsessed with it, though it's a love-hate relationship.

After all, there are not many legitimate ways for students to obtain Private Points within the entire Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School. Apart from receiving Class Points each month, performing well in Special Exam, or achieving results in their respective clubs, there are almost no other methods.

It's actually quite contradictory. Theoretically, if Private Points were truly linked to money, many students would definitely earn more Private Points through the three methods mentioned above than ordinary high school students earn by working after school. However, a considerable number of students who live paycheck to paycheck are still very resentful of the school's rule against working, as if this unreasonable rule is the reason they haven't been able to save Private Points and often feel short of money.

From this perspective, ANHS School really should offer courses on consumer values to its students.

However, Acting Chairman Tsukishiro chose to accelerate the process instead of following the trend, and this shop with its so-called "Investment and Finance Classroom" is the best proof of this and the biggest irony.

"Students actually coming at this time?"

The staff member who was busy working on the computer inside the shop seemed startled when Kitagawa Ryo and Horikita Suzune walked in. After muttering something in confusion, they casually greeted them:

"The event won't officially start until noon. We'll notify all students on the forum then. Please leave now."

"Since it's going to be announced to all students at noon, it shouldn't be a problem to let us see it in advance, right?"

Kitagawa Ryo simply smiled and shook his head, then walked over and glanced at the other person's computer screen.

"It's just a Student Council election, right? I'm still the acting Student Council."

"Well... you always have to prepare in advance, after all, I'm just the one doing the work."

The staff member just smiled awkwardly upon hearing this, then continued typing rapidly on the keyboard without looking up, and said:

"Even though you saw it, it's best not to post it on the forum, or I'll get my salary docked, please--"

"Don't worry, but I don't think it's a secret at all. Quite a few people probably guessed it beforehand."

"Knowing is one thing, but actually telling others is another. Alright, alright, I still need to work overtime to finish debugging the last part of the program. You two should go look around somewhere else. Thanks for closing the door behind you."

Seeing that the staff member had politely thanked them first, Kitagawa Ryo pulled Horikita Suzune, who hadn't spoken since the beginning, out and gently closed the door behind them.

"So there really are betting odds for this..."

As soon as she stepped out of the store, Horikita Suzune muttered a somewhat helpless complaint:

"Every time this thing comes out, things that should be simple become complicated. It's like this during the Sports Festival, and it's like this during Class Vote Special Exam."

As the candidate with the biggest advantage in this Student Council election, Horikita Suzune naturally hoped that the election would go smoothly without any trouble. However, she never expected that a high school Student Council election would make her enjoy a replay of Mark Twain's short story "The Running for Governor".

"Forget it, let's not think about these things for now. We're not allowed to think about work at all today, Liang too."

"Well, we'll deal with whatever comes our way."

Although Kitagawa Ryo readily agreed, the images he had just glimpsed from the computer screen kept flashing through his mind.

Those were the base odds set by Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School for the four candidates. Even though these odds would change quickly as Private Points were added, they still reflected the school's initial optimism about these four individuals.

The highest odds are for Katsuragi Kohei.

Then there's Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

Next is Sakayanagi Arisu.

The one with the smallest number, and therefore the most favored, is Horikita Suzune, who is currently patting her cheeks and muttering to herself not to think about these things.

But to be honest, being so highly regarded from the start isn't really good news.

His experience at the Sports Festival serves as a cautionary tale.

"We've finished shopping at the Keyaki Mall —is there anywhere else you'd like to go Suzune?"

"I'd like to go check out the club building, but it's not the Student Council, it's the Drama Club."

After thinking for a moment, Horikita Suzune also locked onto her target.

"The Drama Club's activity room, huh? I feel like Suzune goes there quite a few times, but she always comes as a Student Council member."

Kitagawa Ryo stroked his chin and raised an eyebrow at the other person:

"Actually, I've always thought it would have been great if Suzune had joined the Drama Club from the start instead of the Student Council, since you really do have a background in that area."

"Tch, Ryo makes that sound so easy. Doesn't she realize that if I hadn't joined the Student Council, would your Drama Club have been able to get away from school so smoothly every time? Besides, to survive better in Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, connections with the Student Council are always indispensable. Ryo should understand that better than anyone, or rather, acting Student Council?"

Kitagawa Ryo could only shake his head helplessly, and as he and Horikita Suzune headed towards the club building, he casually remarked:

"Anyway, I think that even if Suzune really intends to change some school rules after becoming Student Council, it's best not to bring it up during the election campaign."

"Liang is referring to the rule that Student Council members can't join other clubs, right? Actually, I was being a bit idealistic about that. After all, from the other students' perspective, they certainly wouldn't want to see someone acting as both referee and player."

At this point, Horikita Suzune herself also felt somewhat disappointed:

"But I always want to try out other club activities."

For most high school students in Japan, clubs have always been as important as studying. However, Horikita Suzune herself did not feel this way because of this. She simply felt that the Student Council was too inconvenient for experiencing youth or dating.

The girls in the Drama Club can rehearse freely with Kitagawa Ryo after school, and they can even go out of school to compete every now and then. Shiina Hiyori in the Tea Ceremony Club has almost turned Kitagawa Ryo into an unofficial member. Even in the Basketball Club, you can see Kitagawa Ryo playing a couple of games with Ken Sudō and others. But all that's left for her is to pick up and drop off at work.

If Kitagawa Ryo hadn't suddenly become the acting Student Council during this period, the two probably wouldn't have seen each other much in the Student Council offices over the past year. They were practically just tools for stamping and approving the Drama Club's applications to participate in competitions outside of school.

"Actually, it's not that you can't experience youth while in the Student Council. It's mainly a matter of the styles of the past two Student Council. Our Valentine's Day celebration yesterday was a huge success, wasn't it? We should organize more similar events in the future."

"Of course, Suzune don't go there to volunteer anymore."

"It sounds like something embarrassing is coming out of Liang's mouth."

"Because I really feel it's a dark history of mine, and I guess only Suzune could do something like that."

"Oh, we're here, we've arrived, the key--"

As they walked and talked, the two soon arrived at the door of the Drama Club's activity room. They unlocked the door with their key and went inside.

The first thing you see when you enter is the familiar trophy display case. As one of the witnesses who watched it grow from scratch to its current size, I've seen it many times, but I'm still slightly awestruck every time I see it.

The Drama Club's ability to frequently participate in competitions and silence gossip is largely due to this display case filled with honors. After all, the ANHS School administration isn't stupid; if they couldn't produce results, even if Horikita Suzune stamped her seals countless times, she still wouldn't be able to get the Drama Club's applications approved every time.

Although they were recently outmaneuvered by students from other clubs who used hypothetical scenarios and ignored the facts, since the other clubs now claim that the Drama Club is using competitions as practice, they are sure to win many awards if their club has so many opportunities to participate in competitions.

Horikita Suzune could only respond with a "heh."

"If it weren't for what happened a few years ago, would Liang have considered pursuing a career in theater?"

Looking at the trophy bases engraved with various award names, Horikita Suzune subconsciously asked the question.

After all, before she met Kitagawa Ryo in real life, she had already heard about Kitagawa Ryo as a theatrical Actor from Horikita Manabu, so this identity of Kitagawa Ryo was actually more of a preconceived notion.

Kitagawa Ryo, of course, knew that the incident Horikita Suzune mentioned a few years ago referred to being approached by a zaibatsu (financial conglomerate) to claim kinship. Although this incident was ultimately due to Suzune's own influence, since her talent was manifested in reality because of her one-time completion of the game.

But if, as they say, that didn't happen...

"I don't think so."

He ultimately gave a negative answer.

This was clearly an answer that took Horikita Suzune somewhat by surprise.

"Actually, for me, theater isn't something I'm truly passionate about, something I'd dedicate my life to. Although it might sound like Versailles, I might actually actually hate it."

After all, before his transmigration and rebirth, he was always a talentless actor, even giving up simulation games. The direct reason why he was knocked into this world by a classic alternate-world truck in a daze was that 'Thespian prowess' that was full of irony to him.

After being reborn, all he wanted to do was use this manifested talent to earn basic living security for himself and Ying, as well as cover the costs of their subsequent treatment.

Of course, Kitagawa Ryo does not deny that he was very happy during his time in the Theater Troupe, but that happiness was not actually brought to him by the stage and acting. Rather, it was brought to him by the troupe leader and other colleagues who always took care of him, by Karuizawa Kei who chose to challenge herself in the industry in order to get closer to him, by Ichinose Honami who never dared to make any changes and only dared to accompany him in a superficial way, and by Sakura Airi who was forced by her parents to enter the Theater Troupe to learn acting but was actually more suited to being an idol, and who ultimately succeeded with his help.

Those heartwarming experiences form a very important part of Kitagawa Ryo is today.

After entering Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, forming Drama Club and acting were merely convenient means for him to leave school.

From this perspective alone, Kitagawa Ryo could probably say, "I've never felt happy acting."

"Perhaps they used up all their enthusiasm for this a long time ago."