A Sister-in-Law Is Half of Her Brother-in-Law's... (4.5k)

"Anyway, it'll be Hosen who comes to test my skills. I'm not going against Sister Xue, so I'll just let him try first."

"It sounds like they've already given up."

"No way, it all depends on the situation. Even if I lost a few times before, I've won back Arisu now, so it should be about the same, right?"

"His tone was so hesitant."

"After all, she's that Yuki-neechan. Actually, the pressure she puts on me is about the same as Ayanokoji's. Haven't I heard things like before that among the Fourth Generation, only Yuki can keep up with Ayanokoji's pace?"

Amasawa Ichika shook her head, reminiscing about the days in the White Room:

"Sometimes I think, if it had been Yuki who played against Arisu back then, the outcome would have been different. It's just that Arisu saw us, the Fifth Generation, and I happened to be there."

At this point, Amasawa Ichika hummed twice more, clearly unconvinced:

"But -- if I could have spent every day and night with Ryo back then, I feel like beating Arisu wouldn't have been a problem."

"Hey, is my effect really that obvious? That's a bit too idealistic."

"Hmm... I think so myself, but on the other hand, it might be because we have fewer and fewer opportunities to meet that our potential is being better stimulated? It seems that Xue-neechan and I were originally the observation subjects in the control group, so we were specially arranged for one of us to spend time with Liang during the day and the other with Liang at night."

"Is this the kind of topic that Ichika can talk about so easily?"

"Because I am Ichika --Liang just praised me, didn't she?"

Without any psychological burden, Amasawa Ichika spoke candidly about the Harlow's Monkey Experiment that changed the lives of three people. She quickly took the initiative to ask another question:

"However, in the end, my relationship with Sister Xue, the control group, did show completely different personalities and growth paths. It feels like the difference between the coolness we see, touch, and feel during the day and at night?"

"What do you mean by 'seeing, touching, and feeling me'...?"

"It's just the literal meaning: contact, movement, play, conversation... aren't these all the interactions between people? Especially in an environment like White Room, or is it that Ryo is different when she shows me during the day and when she shows Xue-neechan at night?"

With the question raised to this point, Kitagawa Ryo roughly understood that Amasawa Ichika really wanted to help him trace the origins of the snow issue, and of course, also learn more about his past. This subtle, almost imperceptible, intention was actually quite endearing.

"In interpersonal relationships, it's impossible to treat two different people with exactly the same attitude. After all, everyone has a different personality and a different way of speaking and acting. If we apply this to Ichika and Yuki, their names really do reflect their different styles."

"So Ryo thinks Yuki's emotions are more introverted?"

"No... that's not right."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded subconsciously at first, but quickly realized that he had overlooked a problem, namely the special background of that simulation, namely the White Room, an environment that had never been truly experienced in any previous simulation.

Although Ichinose Honami's third simulation added the fact that he came from the White Room to his personal identity, it was still a purely text-based simulation at that time. Kitagawa Ryo, the person involved, did not actually go to the White Room in person.

That is why, when he entered the final simulation, he inevitably brought with him some of his established thinking habits.

Just like the question Amasawa Ichika asked him at this very moment.

Is Xue really an introverted girl?

After experiencing the chapter simulations of three girls— Ichinose Honami, Karuizawa Kei, and Sakayanagi Arisu — Kitagawa Ryo naturally felt that Yuki's personality was actually similar to Suzune's, just as the seasons they corresponded to should both be winter.

Even so, compared to Yuki, Suzune is more straightforward and will speak her mind directly. She even joked for a long time that this was the so-called Suzune characteristic.

The reason Kitagawa Ryo had this idea was mainly because during the nights he and Yuki spent together, their conversations revolved around many ordinary, even mundane, topics.

Each other's names, daytime classes, lunch...

These are all everyday topics that seem perfectly ordinary to most people. The conversations are uneventful, with no arguments or disagreements. Sometimes, all you can hear is Xue on the upper bunk making soft "oh," "I see," or "hmm" sounds before they both fall asleep.

But in White Room, this is the biggest anomaly.

Because no one cares about such things, just as Yuki herself was the only child among the Fourth Generation the White Room who could laugh, she was also the only child willing to chat with Kitagawa Ryo about these things, listen to them, and then awkwardly express her own thoughts.

"... I think I'm starting to get a clue."

Thinking of this, Kitagawa Ryo pressed his temples again, feeling that his previously chaotic thoughts were finally sorted out. Amasawa Ichika's words had indeed helped him to reorganize his memories and examine his relationship with Yuki from another perspective.

"Hmm, Liang, take your time to think it over. Actually, there's no rule in this world that says you have to completely understand each other's thoughts to be together. Countless couples just muddle through for a long time or even a lifetime without really understanding each other. But if Liang is willing to do it, I will definitely support her."

Amasawa Ichika hugged Kitagawa Ryo's shoulders from behind, her tone suddenly softening as she leaned her head close to his ear:

"I've always thought that Liang is the most amazing one."

"It's the same even in White Room."

After all, if she and Yuki had both suffered immense mental trauma, then Kitagawa Ryo, who was standing before her now, had suffered physical and psychological trauma that most people could hardly bear. Yet, he was still willing to face each of them in this way, and even took the initiative to assume the role of a counselor.

"Yes, thank you, Ichika."

Feeling much refreshed, Kitagawa Ryo patted Amasawa Ichika's hand that was hanging over his chest, then looked up and saw the homeroom teacher of Class 1-D slowly walking out of the classroom with a teacup in hand.

"It should be over soon."

"Hey? Isn't that homeroom teacher, Mr. Sima?"

"Well, he was originally scheduled to teach the First Year, but because he wasn't qualified enough, it's normal that he was relegated to being the homeroom teacher for Class D."

Kitagawa Ryo subtly raised his chin and greeted Sima Kexian, who was passing by a little further away. Then, he gave an explanation to Kitagawa Ryo Amasawa Ichika.

The supervising teacher who often went out of school with their Drama Club to participate in competitions was actually someone specially arranged for him by the Kitagawa Family at his request. Anyway, Kitagawa Ryo himself felt that in Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, the role of teachers or homeroom teachers was sometimes far greater than that of individual students.

Just as Amasawa Ichika subconsciously wanted to walk towards Class D, Kitagawa Ryo reached out and pulled her back, indicating that she should wait and see.

Sure enough, less than a minute after their homeroom teacher, Sima Kexian, left the classroom, a considerable commotion erupted inside. Soon after, several students rushed out in a panic, seemingly saying something to Sima Kexian in the hallway, before pulling him back into the classroom.

"Look, you can go now."

With that, Kitagawa Ryo quietly led Amasawa Ichika back to the classroom door of Class 1-D, peeking through the small gap that Sima Kexian had deliberately left open to see what was happening inside.

In fact, Kitagawa Ryo had already sensed something during the opening ceremony that morning, or rather, it was a message that Yuki herself had deliberately conveyed to him.

As we all know, Class 1-D is bad in different ways every year, and the overall atmosphere of this year's Class 1-D is quite similar to that of the previous year's Class C.

If it weren't for Yuki's unexpected intervention and choice to join Class D, this Class 1-D would most likely have followed Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's initial plan, with Hosen Kazuomi relying on violence to maintain initial integration.

But things are different now.

Just like Sima Kexian, the homeroom teacher, who had no intention of stopping the fight within Class C, Sakagami Kazuma, who was pulled back into the classroom by a few frightened students from Class D, also did not reprimand them. He even took the initiative to signal the students watching the commotion to use their desks, chairs, and backpacks to block the indoor surveillance cameras, and calmly watched the fight that took place on the first day of school, where the two sides seemed to be vastly different.

Without a doubt, Hosen Kazuomi's appearance is quite intimidating. Although it is often said that he has a grudge against Ryuen Kakeru, this freshman's appearance is actually closer to that of Yamada Albert. Not to mention a girl like Yuki, even most boys would look weak and frail standing in front of him.

In his past life as a street thug, Hosen Kazuomi had seen all sorts of young female delinquents, but most of them gave him the impression of being all bark and no bite. The few who were truly fierce relied on reliable men and external weapons, or at the very least, they would grow their nails long and sharp so they could be used as weapons at any time.

But none of these things can be seen on Xue.

With her hair disheveled and her school uniform loosely draped, Xue appeared to possess nothing that could threaten him. Was the other party really going to rely solely on simple fists and physical strength to defeat him...?

It was just a fleeting thought. In the instant that Hosen Kazuomi were distracted, Xue had already taken the initiative to close in and quickly displayed her close-combat skills, which even Amasawa Ichika, one of the best Fifth Generation, knew was inferior to.

To put it bluntly, what the White Room teaches is never the few punches and kicks that street thugs have learned from their daily brawls, nor is it about winning by physical strength, guts, or ruthlessness like in street fights.

Kitagawa Ryo turned slightly to the side, so from his perspective he could only see Yuki's back. But as if sensing his gaze, Yuki seemed to suddenly glance in his direction as well, still with a smile on her face, just like when they met again that morning.

But then, Hosen Kazuomi simultaneously let out muffled groans of pain that they couldn't suppress.

Perhaps from the very beginning, Yuki was not as her name suggested by Kitagawa Ryo as he thought, but it wasn't entirely wrong either, otherwise he wouldn't have held that preconceived notion for so long.

Her personality does indeed have a snowy half, but it also has a completely opposite half, like fire.

The most contradictory combinations are always born in the most distorted environments.

So one half burns the other half, and the other half melts away.

Written request for leave

My daughter went on a blind date, so I'm taking the day off today. Sigh, sigh.

Chapter 5: The sister-in-law is the brother-in-law's half... (4k5)

"Now it should all be over."

After watching this unique showdown, Kitagawa Ryo calmly pulled Amasawa Ichika back to the corner of the corridor, no longer crowding at the classroom door of Class 1-D.

"That Hosen is really unlucky; he just happened to run into the line of fire."

Amasawa Ichika glanced back at Class 1-D classroom with a hint of schadenfreude. Although she couldn't see very clearly through the crack in the door, she could still sense the unusual aura that Xue possessed, an aura that could only be cultivated in White Room, which was something she could inherit from Xue herself.

"Speaking of which, Liang, have you ever seen Xue-jie like this before? Probably not. She always seems very gentle around you, otherwise Liang wouldn't have thought Xue-jie was such an introverted girl."

Faced with the question posed by Amasawa Ichika, Kitagawa Ryo shook his head and denied it:

"I have seen her, but that was after Yuki left the White Room and after Ayanokoji Atsuomi had been arrested."

He remembered it clearly; it was the Matoba when the two of them went to see the researcher Suzukake Tanji in the White Room. After all, if you traced it back to the source, this so-called psychology expert was the one who truly rewrote their Fate, namely the proposer and actual initiator of the human infant Harlow's Monkey Experiment.

It was during that meeting that Kitagawa Ryo encountered Yuki, who was filled with a variety of complex emotions, but in the end, all that remained in her fists was anger. She punched the instigator, who was already mentally unstable at the time, several times.

The snow at that time was undoubtedly more breathtaking than the image we had just seen.

Kitagawa Ryo had thought that everything in the past had ended with those few punches, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.

That was not the end, nor even the beginning of the end; at best, it was the end of the beginning.

The White Room is gone, but what it left behind continues to haunt many people to this day.

"Does Liang think Xue-jie looks strange? Or even scary?"

Amasawa Ichika continued to inquire.

In her own view, Sakayanagi Arisu and Yuki's problems are actually somewhat similar, namely that their personalities, especially in their interactions with Kitagawa Ryo, still retain a kind of sadistic emotion or obsession.

The desire for control, dominance, possession, and the urge to objectify something privately...

They probably can't even explain how many complex emotions were mixed in with it.

However, even within this convergent sadistic desire, there exists a very subtle difference between Sakayanagi Arisu and Yuki: the former's object of sadism includes herself, or rather, it is a kind of emotion that approaches self-harm or even self-destruction.

As for this feeling, Amasawa Ichika suspects it comes from another timeline that the other person did not experience with her, namely the timeline of life that Sakayanagi Arisu once revealed to Shiina Hiyori.

Its root lies in the learned helplessness of being extremely confident but ultimately failing, and in the psychological gap of having been self-suggested for many years but ultimately being shattered by reality. This has shaped a kind of inferiority complex that Sakayanagi Arisu had never had before and would never admit, which has further extended to the self-abuse and even self-destruction she has witnessed.

While Xue doesn't have that mentality, her problems are no less than that, because the reason she doesn't abuse herself is simple: she also plays a similar role as a masochist.

The victim and the perpetrator are the same person.

To be honest, based on the information at hand and years of observation from Bystander's perspective, Amasawa Ichika really did figure out the psychological problems of her two fellow patients. But knowing is one thing, solving is another.

"I don't think it's a big deal. It's part of the snow. I've never liked any particular part of you, but rather the whole person."

After hearing Kitagawa Ryo's reply, Amasawa Ichika nodded in satisfaction and continued to wait for the snow alongside him.

That's why she helped him.

"From now on, I'm the leader of this class. Anyone who disagrees can come and fight me again, and so can you."

After uttering those words to the students watching and Hosen Kazuomi themselves, Xue turned and left without any hesitation. As she passed her seat, she casually tossed her schoolbag over her shoulder and carried it upside down, which made many girls in Class D's hearts flutter. They suddenly felt that it would be better to have Xue as the class leader than Hosen Kazuomi, at least in terms of looks, she was several levels above them.

After leaving Class 1-D, Yuki immediately spotted Kitagawa Ryo and Amasawa Ichika waiting in the corridor.

To be honest, resolving things through fighting is quite quick. While other First Year classes are probably still in the self-introduction phase, Class D has already finished everything, leaving the entire corridor empty. Naturally, the two standing there are quite conspicuous.

The next instant, Kitagawa Ryo had no choice but to open his arms to make up for the unfinished welcoming ceremony from the morning's opening ceremony, carrying in a certain person who had just been beating up a delinquent in the classroom. The schoolbag that the person casually swung was caught by Amasawa Ichika, who was standing next to him.

"I've finally enrolled here! (Cool)"

Just as Amasawa Ichika complained, Xue was indeed the most gentle and demure girl in front of Kitagawa Ryo most of the time. When she said this, her eyes were also sparkling, and she wrapped her arms tightly around Kitagawa Ryo's waist, as if she wanted to pick him up and spin him around twice.

"Finally, I can see Liang Tiantian together."

While the Drama Club's frequent trips outside the school were already unbearable for most of the other students at ANHS, for Xue, who always stayed off-campus, such opportunities to meet were clearly far from enough. She craved more contact at all times, ideally anytime, anywhere.

"Yes, I've been looking forward to this day for a long time too."

Kitagawa Ryo responded just as sincerely, because as long as Yuki didn't enroll in school, her problem with Sakayanagi Arisu would be put on hold day by day.

"Has Xue been to the dorm yet? How about we go there first to get the key, put our things away, and then we'll go to the Keyaki Mall for lunch?"

As a senior who had already spent a year at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, Kitagawa Ryo skillfully made arrangements for Yuki's first day of school.

"Mmm, I feel cold."

As the other students in Class 1-D began to leave the classroom one after another, it became less appropriate for Yuki to continue clinging to Kitagawa Ryo. After all, she had just intentionally cultivated her persona in the class, and it wouldn't be suitable for someone to suddenly see this side of her.

"Oh, and Ichika, good afternoon. Thank you for coming with Ryo to see me."

"Thank you so much for remembering me, your senior."

Regardless of her previous thoughts, once Amasawa Ichika started talking to Xue, she reverted to her usual style, smilingly reminding her that she was Xue's senior in ANHS.

Anyway, the "little sister" filter she had in front of Xue was completely shattered during last year's Cultural Festival, so she's too lazy to pretend anymore. She's acting all arrogant and smug (just kidding), like a mistress who's taken over.

"Hello, Senior Amasawa?"