You Will Succeed

However, due to the pitiful exchange rate of ten to one, even though Ichinose Honami has painstakingly accumulated more than two million Private Points, after exchanging them, she will only have more than two hundred thousand yen left.

In Japan, the average monthly salary for most university graduates is around 200,000 yen. Considering this, this behavior can be described as completely counterproductive.

That's why, for the upcoming Summer Special Exam, Ichinose Honami is particularly focused on the reward regarding the redemption amount.

Compared to the original 10 to 1 ratio, the 1 to 1 ratio is basically a benefit that ANHS School is giving to its graduates.

If possible, Ichinose Honami would certainly like to take advantage of this Summer Special Exam to accumulate several million yen in one go, and then earn a similar number of Private Points during her more than one year of study at ANHS, so that she can receive a generous start-up fund upon graduation and better plan for the future.

From this perspective, she should probably choose those with extremely high potential, such as the freelance careers chosen by Shiina Hiyori and Kitagawa Ryo, or she could do what she did last year and use information asymmetry to make a fortune with a small investment. Ryuen Kakeru is following this path because whether it's a part-time job or an internship, the potential is actually quite predictable.

Compared to the more direct aspects of money and salary, these two things mainly allow students to get a head start on experiencing the atmosphere and work experience of the industry they aspire to work in. They are undoubtedly valuable, but for Ichinose Honami at this moment, they seem somewhat useless.

However, after struggling and agonizing for a whole day, in the final list of job preferences submitted to the school, Ichinose Honami honestly followed her pre-planned strategy and chose the banking-related field, which she had initially intended to pursue.

Japan's banking industry is highly developed. Apart from the central bank and state-owned banks, most other private banks, large and small, are controlled by major conglomerates. As a major national educational project, Tokyo Advanced Educational High School's chairman, Shigemori Sakayanagi, has good relationships with many parties. Therefore, this special entrance exam offers students a wide range of choices, mostly from several large banks with high salaries, good benefits, and great development potential.

However, Ichinose Honami's decision to intern at the bank wasn't to become some kind of high-achieving, elite white-collar worker. Just like this career path was something she had decided on almost a year ago, it was something she had planned long ago.

Among the four simulated heroines, Ichinose Honami is actually the last one to decide her future direction. But frankly speaking, there are only two people who actually need to make the decision: her and Karuizawa Kei. After all, Sakayanagi Arisu will definitely need to take over the Sakayanagi Family's businesses, including Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, while Horikita Suzune is rushing headlong into the culinary arts.

Upon closer examination, each of their considerations for the future is inextricably linked to their consideration for Kitagawa Ryo. After all, their Fate are already deeply intertwined. Rather than scrambling to make a decision when the time comes, it's better to start thinking about and working towards it during high school.

However, since Kitagawa Ryo has always adhered to the principle of non-interference and only support, the path to the future has been left to each of them to figure out themselves. After all, reality is not a fairy tale, and the story will not end with "and they lived happily ever after." In a sense, where they place themselves in each other's future determines where the other will place them in each other's future.

Sakayanagi Arisu could be said to have had no choice but to choose herself. Firstly, she was indeed the only daughter in the Sakayanagi Family, and secondly, for a long time, she stubbornly believed that only the Sakayanagi Family background could make her and Kitagawa Ryo the most natural couple, since it was the most suitable match.

Horikita Suzune, on the other hand, was simply drawn into a deep pit called cooking by Kitagawa Ryo. The days the two of them spent running a dessert shop together in the simulation had such a profound impact on her that she specifically chose a related industry for this Summer Special Exam. Could it be that she found her true passion?

The reason I put Horikita Suzune and Sakayanagi Arisu together is that Ichinose Honami is well aware that the other's family background is actually different from her and Karuizawa Kei's ordinary families. Although there may be a big difference between Horikita Suzune and Sakayanagi Arisu, there is still a clear difference compared to her and Karuizawa Kei.

As female protagonists who have also experienced multiple stages of life, Ichinose Honami and Karuizawa Kei undoubtedly noticed this from the beginning. However, compared to the latter, who had made it clear before entering school that she would pursue a career as a professional theater Actor, Ichinose Honami thought about this a lot more.

After all, unlike Karuizawa Kei, she hadn't already made a long and successful career path. Instead, she had wasted a considerable amount of time due to her own anxieties and indecisiveness.

Ichinose Honami isn't someone with an absolute insistence or even a kind of mental fastidiousness that prevents her from relying on any existing resources and who thinks about starting everything from scratch. After all, she has tried this kind of hard work countless times in her past life.

After all, even Karuizawa Kei can't say that all her achievements to date are due to her own hard work. As Kitagawa Ryo's designated partner, who is now widely recognized in the drama industry, this title itself shows that she enjoyed Kitagawa Ryo's attention from the very beginning. This also applies to her later growth environment and learning conditions. Kitagawa Ryo taught her many things little by little.

But as long as both parties can learn something from each other, there's no such thing as an unhealthy relationship.

Therefore, Ichinose Honami will not resist Kitagawa Ryo himself, his identity, or anything else that these things can bring. What she needs to do is, like Karuizawa Kei, actively utilize some of these resources, and with her own efforts, pave her own future path while also ensuring that they can find the most suitable position and identity for each other in the future.

As mentioned earlier, many of Japan's private banks are subsidiaries of various conglomerates. To operate or take over a large conglomerate, relevant talent is always essential. Naturally, the best people to use are those who are closest to you, most trusted, and also competent.

This is the position that Ichinose Honami is aiming for.

Karuizawa Kei had already shown her through her own experience that while they could certainly talk about love with Kitagawa Ryo, it was impossible for them to only talk about love forever.

The time spent at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School will only occupy a mere three years in their lives, which is not much longer than the long rest of their lives.

They will all graduate and enter the workforce, so they can no longer maintain the same mindset and behavior as students. Even the deepest feelings cannot withstand the vicious cycle of one person moving forward while the other remains stuck in the same place.

With that thought in mind, Ichinose Honami turned off her phone screen, no longer looking at the more than two million Private Points balance displayed on it.

The screen, now completely black, reflected her expression—the look of someone who had finally made a decision and convinced herself, just like before her complete confrontation with her mother last year.

Looking back now, she realized that she had fallen into the same mental trap as she had back then. These millions of Private Points were equivalent to a five-figure hair clip back then. However, this time Ichinose Honami didn't reach out to satisfy some long-suppressed feelings from the past or to make it seem like she could solve her current problem once and for all.

Even if she does choose to gravitate towards Kitagawa Ryo or Ryuen Kakeru in this Special Exam, are those millions of Private Points and millions of yen she can take with her when she graduates from ANHS of Education really that important?

She had clearly distinguished between Private Points and Japanese yen in the past, and used them to accomplish many impossible things and achieve many impossible wishes. However, she never expected that when the two were truly equated, she would still fall into hesitation.

If that were all, she would never be able to achieve her goal, because at that point she would be dealing not with Private Points, but with real money.

No, that won't work.

Ichinose Honami hugged the pillow in her arms tightly, biting her lips until they were almost white, while also giving herself little hints and encouragement.

She is now Liang's lover.

In the future, she will be his wife.

But another identity is still needed.

Finance, secretarial, housekeeper...

It doesn't matter what you call me.

In areas outside of romantic relationships, she also needs to be someone very, very important to him.

P. S.: Thank you for reading and subscribing.

Chapter 69: You Will Succeed

On the last night before the Summer Special Exam began, Kitagawa Ryo did not stay in his own room, nor did he go to the other girls' rooms. Instead, he went to room 401, which was on the same floor as his Dormitory 408 room 408.

This is Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's dormitory room.

It's been almost half a year since I first came here before the Special Exam for the Cultural Festival last year. When I came to Kitagawa Ryo Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's dormitory again, I could easily notice that the room's layout was a bit different. If the previous style was simple to the point of being plain, then now it clearly had a more homely feel, like a few faint but clearly visible strokes of color on a pure white sheet of paper.

"Here, take this."

Without any intention of exchanging pleasantries, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who had proactively invited Kitagawa Ryo to come over that evening, handed him something as soon as he entered the room.

Kitagawa Ryo looked down and saw that it was a very common sketchbook, the kind that could be easily bought at the school's convenience store.

Turning the pages, you can see various patterns and designs drawn with crayons, but most of the pages are blank, and many of the drawings are meaningless, like a child's random scribbles. In no time, Kitagawa Ryo casually flipped through the entire thin sketchbook.

"After this Summer Special Exam, no matter what the result is, I probably won't have the chance to go back to Tokyo High School."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka didn't ask Kitagawa Ryo about his thoughts on the sketchbook. Instead, he sat down, took one of the two glasses of water that had been poured and placed on the coffee table, and placed it in front of himself, gesturing with his eyes for Kitagawa Ryo to sit opposite him.

"The only personal item in this room that I care about is this sketchbook in your hand, so I hope you can keep it safe for me."

"Okay, I'll keep it for you for now, but you'll have to ask for it back someday, since there are still many blank pages."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded and sat down opposite Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, tucking his sketchbook under his folded arm. He reached for another glass of water, took a small sip to moisten his throat, and then continued to ask:

"But have you really thought it all through?"

"Um."

Perhaps sensing the concern in Kitagawa Ryo's tone, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's expression softened slightly, as he tilted his head back to look at the pure white ceiling above him.

"I should thank you and Tsukishiro for this. No, Tsukishiro only started paying attention to me because of the changes you brought about. So you were the one who led me to this ending in the first place."

"Looking back now, the reason I hadn't resisted Ayanokoji Atsuomi before was simply because he was an unknown opponent to me. He knew everything about me up to this point, but I knew nothing about his past, so I never really thought about taking action."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka has always been a very self-aware person. Even though it has been called the Masterpiece of the White Room from beginning to end, he has never been arrogant about this title because he is well aware of his own shortcomings.

Even setting aside lessons on personality and interpersonal skills that the White Room never taught, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka knew that he wasn't a genius who was born with innate knowledge and could quickly master everything new. Instead, he was the type who improved his proficiency through repeated practice and learning, thanks to his exceptional learning ability.

Therefore, he would not deny that it was precisely this learning model that cultivated in him a way of thinking that involved careful planning before taking action, and this was also the source of his ambiguous attitude towards Ayanokoji Atsuomi.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka certainly wanted to end his predetermined Fate, and he also considered rebelling against his father, with whom he had only a blood relationship but no affection. However, his habitual way of thinking caused him to get stuck at the very first step.

It was precisely because of this that, over this long period of time, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka gradually and somewhat pessimistically accepted his Fate. When he first enrolled in Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, all he wanted was to spend the next three years of his life here, outside the White Room, and then return to the White Room after graduation.

But Kitagawa Ryo and later Tsukishiro decisively unveiled all the mysteries surrounding Ayanokoji Atsuomi, revealing to him the true nature of the controller of this White Room after all the halos had been stripped away.

In Kitagawa Ryo's own view, it was quite remarkable that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was able to develop a sense of rebellion against Ayanokoji Atsuomi in the White Room environment without any external interference.

After all, he himself had genuinely experienced the education in the White Room for several years. As a testing ground for various large-scale social psychological experiments, the biggest characteristic of the test subjects in the White Room was that no matter how much their bodies and minds were trained, they could not develop the consciousness or idea of resisting the White Room in their hearts. This was because it was a concept that was rooted in them from the beginning, from infancy, and existed like a steel imprint on their minds.

Although Yuki and Amasawa Ichika, both girls from the White Room, don't possess this ability, it's because of Kitagawa Ryo's influence. Kitagawa Ryo entered the White Room carrying multiple life memories and a wealth of talent.

Compared to them, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who has been almost completely unaffected by the outside world in the real timeline, was able to generate such thoughts on his own, which is the key reason why Kitagawa Ryo ultimately chose to help him.

After all, if Ayanokoji Kiyotaka himself had no intention of saving himself, then there was no need for him to meddle in other people's business.

For Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Kitagawa Ryo's role was not only reflected in his complete disclosure of all the information about Ayanokoji Atsuomi, the controller of the White Room (his past world), transforming him from a completely powerful controller who could destroy his world with a single word into an ordinary human being who had been a male escort and had to grovel before others, but also in the fact that he genuinely learned from him what was missing in the White Room.

All I can say is that if this were a film set for some kind of girl band, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka would be leaning on the railing and shouting, "I want to be human!"

"But things are different now. I didn't expect this Summer Special Exam to be held directly in Tokyo."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka himself knew that this was not the best time, because his preparations were not entirely thorough or foolproof.

Unlike the courses he studied in the White Room, this time there was no room for error; it was a do-or-die situation.

Kitagawa Ryo didn't say anything about needing his help at this time. After all, in some ways he was more eye-catching than Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. Moreover, once he got involved, things would develop in an even more unpredictable direction. So all he had to do was keep the sketchbook that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had given him safe and wait for news.

If the other party succeeds, then it will be a token for the two to meet again in the future.

If Ayanokoji Kiyotaka fails, then this will be his keepsake.

Do you have any specific ideas? If you can tell me, please do.

"Yes, Tsukishiro and a few other people will provide me with some assistance, and as for the school, I've also managed to trick Nagumo and Kiriyama into going."

"Is that why they've been so well-behaved lately?"

Kitagawa Ryo smiled upon hearing this, after all, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's way of manipulating the two of them was quite simple, still relying on the so-called information gap.

"What did you do about Ishigami's words?"

"He's honest. After all, he had no other choice. All he wanted from beginning to end was Ayanokoji Atsuomi's political resources and legacy. What he can give, I can give too. Besides, he never intended to give it to Ishigami."

Unlike Yagami Takuya, the Fifth Generation of the White Room who wanted to prove to Ayanokoji Atsuomi that his abilities were greater than Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's, Ishigami Kyo is not a loyal follower who has been brainwashed for years. Instead, he has a very flexible stance, just like Tsukishiro, after all, his family originally came from a trading company.

So don't be fooled by his claims of always supporting Ayanokoji Atsuomi's ideals. In fact, if you ask Ayanokoji Atsuomi himself, he probably doesn't even know what his own ideals are. The White Room project, which has lasted for more than a decade, was initially a task assigned to him by the Naoe Faction. In the end, his truest ideal is simply, "I want to improve too much."

Alright, now Ishigami Kyo wants to improve too.

"Well then, I wish you success."

Kitagawa Ryo didn't press for more details, since even if he knew, it wouldn't be of much use. Besides, it was highly likely that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka himself hadn't even finished designing the entire plan yet, since he couldn't control Ayanokoji Atsuomi's actions. He would likely have to act according to circumstances and adapt to the situation.

"The past year and a half at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School has been a more fulfilling time than the previous ten years or so spent in White Room."

Since both of them knew that tonight's conversation might very well be their last, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka unusually revealed a little of his inner thoughts.

"No matter what the final outcome is, I have no regrets."

"My past life, name, and identity may not have been my own, but this feeling I have now, and the things I want to do now, all come from the bottom of my heart. That's enough, that's all."

You will succeed.

Perhaps feeling that all he could offer now was verbal encouragement and acknowledgment, Kitagawa Ryo hesitated for a moment before choosing to tell Ayanokoji Kiyotaka a half-truth:

"I know you've always been curious about why I know so much about the White Room and Ayanokoji Atsuomi. Even if Yuki and Ichika are close to me, they wouldn't tell me everything that happened inside the White Room, as if I had experienced it all myself."

"But actually, there's nothing wrong with saying it that way. Just consider it a parallel world setting, and think of me as Doctor Strange. I did experience the White Room once, and I did see Ayanokoji you won and what your ending was."

"So, you will succeed."

Upon hearing Kitagawa Ryo's sudden words, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was slightly taken aback, but quickly nodded, his lips curving into a slight smile, as he gazed into Kitagawa Ryo's eyes.

Okay, I believe you.

July 4th marked the first day of the Summer Special Exam.

At seven o'clock in the morning, students who had packed their luggage walked out of their dormitories and headed to the square in front of the school gate to gather. Dozens of school buses were already waiting there. After all, although ANHS has the prefix of Tokyo, it is still quite a distance from Tokyo, so they had to take a bus there first.

However, this time the school did not divide the students to board the bus according to class and grade. Instead, students with similar work and internship locations were assigned to the same bus and the school directly took them to the corresponding areas for resettlement.

After passing through the school staff's security check and stuffing his suitcase into the bus's storage space, Kitagawa Ryo also boarded his bus with a small bag on his back.

Their bus seemed to be heading to Shibuya Ward and the surrounding area in Tokyo, a place known for its trendy pop culture and youth gatherings. As soon as Kitagawa Ryo boarded the bus, he caught sight of several familiar figures.

After thinking for a moment, Kitagawa Ryo walked straight to an empty seat in the last row of the bus. He'd barely sat down and closed his eyes for a couple of minutes when the faces next to him and in front of him changed. Then he felt a light tap on his arm. Opening his eyes, he saw Asahina Nazuna, who had been sitting in front of him, turn around and kneel on her seat, offering him a bottle of room-temperature cocoa.

Here, would you like some cool drinks?

"Thank you, senior."

Kitagawa Ryo reached for the drink. It was already July, and many of the students around him were already chugging cold drinks early in the morning. But he didn't have that habit, Asahina Nazuna knew that too, so she specifically bought a room-temperature drink.

"Liang was right last time, we really did run into each other. It seems our workplaces are quite close?"

"Yeah, they should all be in the Shibuya after all."

After briefly glancing around the nearly full bus, I noticed that apart from Sakura Airi, who was pretending to sleep and not participating in the conversation, and Horikita Suzune, who had arrived a couple of steps late and was forced to sit a little further in, the rest of the passengers were all familiar second-year students. I didn't see First Year or third-year students.

"Almost half of our grade are in those two cars over there, heading to Bunkyo Ward, since University of Tokyo is there."

Seeing Kitagawa Ryo looking out the window at the other buses, Asahina Nazuna offered a helpless explanation before raising her own bottle of drink:

"Drink up. This is the last thing you can get with your Private Points for the next month, so you have to finish it before you get off the bus."

However, perhaps because of the promise Kitagawa Ryo had made to her, Asahina Nazuna's tone no longer carried the bitterness of a few days ago. After cheerfully Kitagawa Ryo, she gulped down her entire drink in one go.

"Come on--"