How Did I Get an Unexpected Bonus? / A Meeting of the Century (Not Really)

In room 408, Kitagawa Ryo's room, Amasawa Ichika and Sakayanagi Arisu, who weren't participating in the match or watching the game today, were chatting idly, one sitting on the sofa and the other half-lying on the bed.

"Hotaru came to school today!"

"Yes, Chiaki also saw it over in the auditorium."

"Aren't you planning to meet her?"

Like Horikita Suzune, Sakayanagi Arisu only established a close relationship with Kitagawa Ryo after Hotaru went abroad, so she had almost no real connection with her and simply knew that Kitagawa Ryo had such a younger sister.

"... I'm still thinking about what you told me about her."

"What, don't you trust my judgment?"

Upon hearing this, Amasawa Ichika also sprang up from the bed, looking at Sakayanagi Arisu with some displeasure:

"I deliberately didn't tell Yuki this exclusive secret information; I told you, Arisu, first. Besides, why would I try to fool you with something like this? If Ryo knew I was making up stories about his sister like this, he might give me a piece of his mind."

As if afraid that Sakayanagi Arisu wouldn't believe him, Amasawa Ichika confidently used himself as an example:

"And Arisu, as you know, I'm a master of this kind of disguise. It's about preemptively occupying the ecological niche of a seemingly harmless younger sister, then subtly stirring up trouble and increasing her favorability while observing from the sidelines. I already smelled something similar in her, and we even have the same eye color."

"What do you mean by 'stealing the younger sister's ecological niche'? She's a legitimate, close relative... but I think she isn't anymore?"

"No, that's not it."

Amasawa Ichika nodded vigorously, then continued her analysis with great conviction:

"Ryo has already told me about what happened between you and Yuki that day. Actually, I wanted to answer back then by asking when you'd take me... Ugh, Arisu, you've been treated so badly here. You definitely need to find a way to get a little revenge for such a humiliating defeat. Don't worry, I always know exactly how to handle things, and it's basically just a matter of going with the flow. Just do as I say, and I guarantee Yuki will get to experience the same treatment you had that day."

Seeing that Sakayanagi Arisu looked interested, Amasawa Ichika pressed her advantage and added:

"Although I'm not in the Drama Club right now, I still know everything that's going on there. Yuki's sister is definitely acting strangely. She and Ryo are probably playing a couple in the auditorium right now. We just need to help her break the ice. And we don't even need to show up ourselves, Hotaru can do it. Besides, her own thoughts... hmm, who knows?"

"It's still hard to imagine how the White Room managed to train Ichika."

"Ryo also said something similar, so can I interpret it as a compliment?"

"Think what you want."

Sakayanagi Arisu picked up her phone again and looked at a not-so-clear photo that Matsushita Chiaki had sent her. She zoomed in on the figure in the photo, and even though it was just a blurry pixel, she could still see the girl's cuteness and liveliness. She even had a more outstanding figure than her, and you couldn't tell that she was two years younger than her.

What are you going to do?

"Of course, I'll take the initiative to go find Liang's good sister and have a chat first!"

"But then again, she probably called me 'brother,' 'good brother,' and similar terms more often in the past year than I did?"

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Chapter 48: What an unexpected bonus!

Through real-time reports from Matsushita Chiaki, who, like Sakayanagi Arisu instructions and had not joined any clubs, Sakayanagi Arisu and Amasawa Ichika quickly confirmed that the other's next destination was the Student Council, and thus preemptively created a 'chance encounter' at the club building.

"You must be Sakayanagi- senpai and Amasawa- senpai. I'm my brother's sister... Hmm, is that too general a description? I'm Ryo's sister, Hotaru. Thank you both so much for the birthday presents you gave me last year, I loved them both."

Seeing two familiar figures walk past her, Ying quickly stepped forward and took the initiative to introduce herself.

"Oh, so it's you! Hui just messaged me about you enrolling in school. Let me see... and sure enough, your pupil color is exactly the same as mine."

Although it was a pre-planned encounter, this was indeed the first time that Amasawa Ichika had seen Hotaru in person so closely in real life. Previously, when she went out with the Drama Club, she had only seen her from afar a few times, and this was the first time they had spoken.

After getting close enough to examine her closely for a while, Amasawa Ichika understood even more why Kitagawa Ryo was so drawn to her role-playing. After all, her eye color was indeed strikingly similar to that of the girl in front of her, both being a beautiful, clear, fluorescent yellow-green crystal.

"My brother has told me a lot about Senior Amasawa, but this is the first time I've seen a girl in real life with the same eye color as me."

As Amasawa Ichika was observing Hotaru, Hotaru was also curiously observing him. She could keenly sense a kind of kindred spirit in Hotaru, which came not only from their similar eye color but also from certain deeper aspects of their personalities.

"I really like the harmonica that Sakayanagi- senpai gave me, but I still haven't practiced enough to be able to play a whole song on it."

As if worried that Sakayanagi Arisu might feel neglected, Hotaru took the initiative to start a conversation with her. Her every smile and gesture was quite generous and natural. At first glance, Sakayanagi Arisu was somewhat like Karuizawa Kei, exuding a natural sense of confidence that emanated from her body and mind.

"At the time, I didn't know exactly what Ying liked, so I chose the harmonica, which I was also practicing at the time. It would be great if she liked it."

Perhaps due to some preconceived notions she had gained from Amasawa Ichika, Sakayanagi Arisu politely exchanged pleasantries while subtly observing Hotaru's expressions and actions.

If we only consider looks, the other party and Ryo are undoubtedly siblings, as they are both among the highest-rated in this category. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes apparent that there are significant differences in details such as eye color, hair color, and eyebrows, making them completely different from the likes of Yuki and Tsubaki Sakurako, who are obviously biological sisters.

However, putting aside appearances, what Sakayanagi Arisu was most curious about about Hotaru was naturally her experiences, which were quite similar to her own in some ways.

As someone who experienced it firsthand, Sakayanagi Arisu clearly understands that physical ailments and defects will inevitably have a subtle impact on a person's mental state. This is another key reason why she did not directly doubt the authenticity of Amasawa Ichika's words at the beginning.

While the concept of brotherly love is rare, it seems quite reasonable from the other person's perspective. After all, the two are no longer even related by blood; they've simply become accustomed to this way of getting along and their respective identities over the past decade or so, which is why they haven't changed how they address each other.

"Are you planning to go check out the Student Council activity room on the top floor of the club building?"

"Yes, I heard that Horikita-senpai and Yuki-nee are taking exams over there. I'd like to go and meet them."

Unlike how Horikita Suzune and the others by their surname plus "senpai" (senior), Hotaru used a more affectionate name plus "older sister" (older sister) when addressing Yuki. After all, Yuki had indeed spent a lot of time getting to know Hotaru during the half year before she enrolled in school; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to show up at her house on Christmas Day.

Of course, besides that, another reason why Hotaru was willing to give the other person the same treatment as Ichinose Honami older sister, was naturally the kindness of being taught by her this month.

If Karuizawa Kei was the one who, on a psychological level, clearly and simply outlined all of Kitagawa Ryo's minefields and prohibitions for her, then Yuki was the mentor who, on a physiological level, equally clearly and simply revealed to her all the difficulties on a path she had never encountered before. She deserves our utmost respect.

"Alright, then we'll take you in. Arisu the vice president of the Student Council; it might be difficult to get in without her."

"Yes, thank you for your help, seniors."

The three of them took the elevator to the Student Council office on the top floor. It was much quieter here than the auditorium. After all, no one wanted to watch this kind of competition, and there were no judges. The final result was decided online by the school. Among the Student Council members, none of the third-year seniors came. Before they arrived, only Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was on the second-year side.

"... she is?"

"I'm a student here at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School participating in a club exchange activity. This is my temporary badge; I'm in charge of taking photos."

Although Amasawa Ichika had just said that he could ask Sakayanagi Arisu, who was the vice president, to help solve the problem, Hotaru was clearly still concerned about whether this would have any negative impact or rumors on Sakayanagi Arisu. Therefore, she took the initiative to reveal her identity at this moment.

"The identification is fine, but there's no need for the photographer to come to the Student Council. There are a lot of confidential documents here that are not usually open to ANHS, let alone for photography."

"They're just here to take a look, they won't be taking pictures. Ayanokoji, don't meddle. Arisu and I are here keeping watch."

Amasawa Ichika didn't tolerate Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. After all, this was exactly what she did when she transferred from the Drama Club to the Student Council. She casually retorted a couple of times before continuing to ask questions as if nothing had happened:

"Have your followers and Suzune already gone in to take the exam?"

"They just went in two minutes ago, so it should have already started."

"Sigh, we're a little late, what a pity. How about Hotaru comes back after their Special Exam is over? Shall we go look around somewhere else for now?"

After letting out a somewhat regretful sigh, Amasawa Ichika turned to Ying and made a new suggestion.

"Yes, yes, I can do either."

"Then Arisu and I will escort you downstairs, so that someone won't accuse us of leaking school secrets again. If we stay any longer, the Student Council will probably blame you for even finding a piece of paper missing tomorrow."

Ignoring Amasawa Ichika's sarcastic remarks, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka closed his eyes again as if taking a short nap, but suddenly remembered an anecdote about Kitagawa Ryo that Tsukishiro had once told him. He unconsciously opened one eye slightly and watched Hotaru's departing figure for a while.

If possible, he certainly wouldn't mind selling himself for a good price as well, as long as he could fulfill his long-cherished wish, just like he did to Kiryuin Fuka and her elders at the three-way meeting in the second year a couple of months ago. But unfortunately, the girl in front of him was not within that range.

If we only consider their identities, even if the other party doesn't have the slightest right to inherit the large conglomerate with the same surname as her, her relationship with Kitagawa Ryo alone would be enough for him to recommend himself again, just like before. However, Katsuragi Kohei was in the same class, had also told Ayanokoji Kiyotaka something a long time ago, introducing him to the relationship between the brother and sister.

It is precisely for this reason that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka is even more convinced that if he really tries to use the other party as a breakthrough, it will only cause the relatively friendly relationship he has built with Kitagawa Ryo to completely collapse.

Putting aside the multitude of thoughts that had suddenly arisen because of the arrival of this uninvited guest, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka looked again at the tightly locked door in front of him.

The four First Year students and Horikita Suzune, who is acting as an outside helper, have officially begun this Special Exam inside.

If he wasn't mistaken, this was the prelude to this Summer Large-Scale Special Exam.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was well aware that his efforts over the past few months had not been entirely in vain, but since Tsukishiro had already stepped down and left, opportunities like the two-way talks for second-year End-of-Year Special Exam, which gave him time to connect with people he wanted to reach out to, were becoming increasingly rare.

Hopefully, this Special Exam will go as he wishes.

He only has one chance, so if he encounters a perfect opportunity, he must act even if he is not fully prepared.

After all, there is no preparation in this world that can guarantee a 100% success rate; plans can't keep up with changes, and that's the reason why.

For Ayanokoji Kiyotaka himself, the change began with the Summer Special Exam last year.

So, it would be good if this year's Summer Special Exam could come to a close.

But until the real result arrives, he doesn't know whether it will be a perfect ending, an abrupt comma, a meaningful ellipsis, or an exclamation mark and a question mark.

As they rode the elevator down, Amasawa Ichika again took the initiative to ask Ying:

"Hotaru seems to be particularly close to Yuki?"

"Yes, Sister Xue used to come to our house to play a lot, and every time she came she would help me clean the room where my brother used to live. After all, my brother was studying at ANHS School and couldn't come out to visit me often, so Sister Xue would often take the initiative to talk to me and play with me. She's like an older sister to me."

Is she the only one?

"Hmm... what do you mean?"

"Because Yuki has a younger sister, right? She's Tsubaki from the Drama Club. Hotaru should have met her before she came. I thought Yuki would introduce her to you."

"Hmm, no, I didn't see that today. I met Sister Xue's younger sister for the first time in the auditorium, but they really do look alike."

"After all, they are biological sisters, but how should I put it, the relationship between the two is rather delicate, which is probably why she hasn't taken the initiative to introduce her younger sister to Hotaru."

"What's wrong? Between the two of them?"

"Although I'm not entirely sure myself, to put it simply, it feels like there are some things between the two of them that are difficult for sisters to talk about, like the kind of trope often found in light novels, such as two sisters falling in love with the same boy."

Hearing Amasawa Ichika give such an example, Hotaru's little face showed a knowing look. After all, she was quite familiar with this kind of thing, because she had a more ready example right next to her: the sisters Ichinose Honami and Ichinose Maki, who grew up with her since childhood.

When she was a child, she never realized it. But when Hotaru returned from abroad at the end of last year and reunited with her old friend Ichinose Maki, she found that Maki had become someone who couldn't stop talking about Kitagawa Ryo. Combined with the scenes she had seen in her memories, Hotaru was almost certain that something was wrong.

On the other hand, she herself felt that her brother seemed to have suddenly gained a lot of charm over the past year, radiating a strong attraction to kittens like catnip.

At first, Hotaru thought it was a change in her own mindset that caused this result, but later she found out that it was not like that at all. It wasn't just Ichinose Honami, who had played with her since childhood and who had cheered for Ichinose Maki with her when they were little, but also the other classmates.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that the reason she was able to infiltrate the Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School team as a photographer was precisely because of this one trick: she confidently patted her chest and told the female leader of the student Student Council that if she was selected, Kitagawa Ryo's autograph and close-up photos would be as many as she wanted.

However, because it sounded so much like betraying her boyfriend, Hotaru was too embarrassed to tell Ichinose Maki and the others the truth. She just secretly lamented to herself, "When did my brother become a heartthrob among middle schoolers? He used to attract middle-aged women as a child Actor."

"So, Senior Amasawa means that she, like Sister Xue, has... uh, those kinds of thoughts about my brother?"

"It's just a guess, but if it's true, it seems like it would be quite troublesome. What do you think, Hotaru?"

"Indeed..."

Ying nodded solemnly upon hearing this.

"Maki and Honami- neechan seem to be like that too."

Sakayanagi Arisu and Amasawa Ichika exchanged a glance at the same time.

... How could there be such an unexpected gain?

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Chapter 49: A Meeting of the Century (Not Really)

Seeing that Sakayanagi Arisu and Amasawa Ichika seemed quite interested in the topic of the Ichinose sisters, Hotaru decided to change her destination and walk with them towards the playground where the Ichinose sisters were.

"Maki and I are the same age, so we've been playing together since elementary school, even before Honami and her brother started playing together. But later, Maki secretly told me that Honami had been inquiring about and following her brother's news for a long time, but she just hadn't taken the initiative to meet him. In the end, she established contact through the channels between Maki and me."

"Actually, at the beginning, Maki and I really hoped that the two of them could get together. After all, Maki felt that her older sister always lived a very tiring life and hoped that someone could take her place as a younger sister and support her as a peer. I also hoped that her older brother, who was always alone and had almost no social life, could make more new friends. So Maki and I tried very hard to bring them together."

"However, there's always been a lukewarm feeling between Honami- neechan and my brother. We're not exactly close, but we're not exactly bad either. That's because Karuizawa- senpai and Shiina- senpai had already entered my brother's life by then, so I didn't care as much at first. But Maki seems to bring it up herself, and she even told my sister things like 'Happiness is something you have to bravely pursue,' but it just didn't work very well."

Unlike Amasawa Ichika, Sakayanagi Arisu, who also experienced that period, nodded in agreement.

Kitagawa Ryo's junior high school years were undoubtedly dominated by one person. At that time, Hotaru had gone abroad for treatment, Shiina Hiyori had gone to study in London, and the relationship between her and Horikita Suzune was not particularly deep. However, as long as you type Kitagawa Ryo's name into the search bar, the first related search result will definitely be Karuizawa Kei.

"Maki's personality is actually different from Honami's. She's not the kind of child who's so immature that she has to get whatever she wants, but she's definitely not the kind of child who's so sensible that she'll never say what she wants. Instead, she's the kind of child who can hide her true thoughts time and time again, but when she reaches a certain breaking point, she'll retaliate by blurting out all her suppressed thoughts at once."

Although she and Ichinose Maki are the same age, Hotaru, after undergoing the magical baptism of another Hotaru's memories, has unconsciously shown a more mature side, and has clearly understood her good friend's thoughts.

At this point, Hotaru, still curious, asked Sakayanagi Arisu and the others:

"Um, do you guys think my brother seems to have a special attraction to middle school students, or younger men?"

"Younger man/older woman?"

Amasawa Ichika tilted her head upon hearing this, but immediately recalled some rumors that had been circulating on the campus forum since the start of the semester:

"I think so. I heard that Ryo caused quite a stir among the First Year students last month. Although he's quite popular among the third-year female students, it's true, as Hotaru said, that he seems to treat younger students very differently."

"Right, right? I only found out when I came back last year. It's like suddenly a bunch of people appeared out of nowhere, wanting to take my place as the little sister. If there were a ranking in class of who most wanted him to be their older brother, he'd probably be the overwhelming number one."

Seeing that her discovery was recognized by others, Hotaru was also a little excited, but she did not analyze the reasons in more depth. Instead, she changed the topic back to the Ichinose sisters.

"Actually, Maki has said things like that before, such as envying me for having a brother like that. But it's not because she dislikes Honami- neechan, but because she feels that Honami-neechan is too hesitant in many things, although I feel the same way myself."