Keeping Wet and Dry Apart

Seeing that Kobayashi Keiko still seemed not to have grasped the situation, Ichinose Honami added clearly, "..."

"Yes, I want to learn about things like financial management, budget preparation, and tax reporting. I should be taking a finance class."

"No, wait a minute..."

Faced with this junior who was either ambitious or a bit too muddle-headed, even the usually shrewd and charming Kobayashi Keiko hesitated.

"Even students who developed an interest in the banking industry after watching a hit drama like 'Hanzawa Naoki' would probably want to join the finance department where the protagonist works, right? And you're a student at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School."

"To be honest with you, although ANHS Class A graduates do have a 100% employment rate and can freely choose which company to work for, almost all the students from my class and the following classes who came to this bank ended up in similar positions as me, such as publicity and external relations."

"This is both the company's arrangement and our own initiative. After all, students who graduate with Class A status should have some self-awareness. They clearly haven't systematically studied related majors such as finance in university. Going to a place that emphasizes professional knowledge and personal background, I feel like they would be fired by the company after three months."

As she spoke, Kobayashi Keiko recalled the information the school had given her about her junior the day before, and kindly offered another word of advice:

"I remember your family isn't very well-off, Ichinose. Actually, the pay and benefits for our PR and external relations positions are quite good. In addition to a generous annual salary, there are various daily benefits and subsidies, covering everything from housing, vehicles, medical care, and insurance to future childcare. And I really think you're quite suitable for this job, and your future prospects will definitely be better than mine."

"Thank you for your kind offer, senior, but I really want to learn about this area and gain experience, and I hope to work in this field in the future."

Seeing Ichinose Honami's stubborn refusal to back down, Kobayashi Keiko clicked her tongue, leaned closer, and whispered:

"It's not that I'm trying to stop you, senior, but the main reason is that those who do financial statements and tax audits are definitely core figures in the bank. Even if someone like you without connections gets in, you'll basically just be there to take the blame when the finances collapse... Hmm, you're not someone from another bank who was specifically sent here to collect this kind of evidence, are you?"

Ichinose Honami Kobayashi Keiko found Kobayashi Keiko's overly imaginative speculation both amusing and exasperating, and quickly shook her head.

Of course not.

Having said all that, seeing that Ichinose Honami still had no intention of changing her mind, Kobayashi Keiko gave up trying to persuade her further. After all, as a senior, she had already said what she needed to say, and since the other party was determined to go her own way, she could only go along with it.

Anyway, it's normal for high school students of this age to have such unrealistic self-confidence. Besides, this is just a social internship after all. If she insists on being stubborn, let her be stubborn. Maybe she'll face reality after experiencing some setbacks.

"Alright, I'll take you to the finance department to report for duty."

On the way to the finance class, Kobayashi Keiko again gave Ichinose Honami a concerned explanation of the company's badges and their relation to job positions. In a way, she was just like a parent who had just finished their son's driving test and immediately took him to a car dealership to look at all the cars, telling him one by one which brands they couldn't afford to pay for and to avoid them on the road.

"Regular employees like us usually wear round badges in colors like the white one you're wearing and the green one I'm wearing. Middle management positions wear silver and blue badges with square shapes. Finally, senior management wears gold badges in star shapes. If you remember these, that should be enough."

After giving a brief introduction, Kobayashi Keiko added solemnly:

"Of course, the real big shots at the bank are the ones who don't wear badges but walk around these floors without anyone asking them anything and are even surrounded by people. But they won't come here unless there's a reason."

"Thank you, senior. I understand."

Ichinose Honami nodded gratefully upon hearing this, but suddenly thought of Kitagawa Ryo.

According to Kobayashi Keiko, he shouldn't need to wear any badges when he comes back, since the bank is one of his family's businesses.

However, perhaps because Kitagawa Ryo had been talking to her about those short drama scripts for a while, Ichinose Honami subconsciously imagined a whole bunch of classic scenes in her mind, such as a bank receptionist being dismissive, a security guard violently driving them away, only for a senior executive to suddenly appear and shout, "You are the Dragon King (crossed out), Young Master!" and the onlookers gasping in shock. Kitagawa Ryo would then give a wicked smile, and she couldn't help but chuckle to herself.

Reality isn't a light novel or a short drama; rather, being overly cautious is the norm for office workers. Such an absurd plot shouldn't happen under any circumstances.

Of course, she herself never intended to engage in any kind of "pretending to be weak while actually being strong" drama, like something out of a female-oriented novel. Rather, it's more accurate to say that Liang's family should have already noticed her from the moment she started her internship at the bank.

Even if it's just out of respect for Liang, she's unlikely to suffer any workplace bullying here, instead becoming the heroine in a story waiting for a hero to rescue her.

So now all I need to do is focus on my studies and work diligently.

Over the next month.

However, this wasn't about proving his worth to his so-called relatives, whom he didn't really care about, but rather about genuinely striving for the future he wanted to achieve and becoming the person he wanted to be.

She and Karuizawa Kei Megumi were on the same starting line from the beginning, but it took her so many years to understand this truth. For a long time, what she struggled with was probably this word "late".

But now it seems that compared to the rest of my life, it's not too late.

In reality, the distance between her and Kitagawa Ryo was never far; what truly made her feel distant was the future, which only instilled unease and fear.

If you continue to hold this mindset, even the closest relationships will drift apart over time, while the future that once seemed like it would never come will actually arrive.

Just as when people start to regret and blame their past selves, it actually means that the future has become the present, and then the process repeats itself.

However, she has already broken this cycle.

The summers of the past will no longer replay in their minds, but many more summers like this one await them.

Meanwhile, Karuizawa Kei, whom Ichinose Honami had just been thinking about, had truly returned to her loyal Theater Troupe. After all, following Kitagawa Ryo's announcement that he was retiring from the theater stage and would no longer engage in related work, she was the only remaining star in the Theater Troupe.

Therefore, Karuizawa Kei current situation is more like a job search after being laid off than a social internship, naturally received a novice's comeback system similar to Kitagawa Ryo's, which seems to only be available in the Mahayana stage. After casually glancing at the phased tasks, which seemed easier to complete than usual, Karuizawa Kei turned off her phone again.

Anyway, the Theater Troupe provided food and lodging, and even the cooks in the backstage area remembered her preferences. Her personal room backstage had also been well preserved, so she wasn't really interested in those ten or twenty thousand yen.

After all, just as Kitagawa Ryo thought, the school's Summer Special Exam was aimed at those ANHS students whose future was uncertain. Those students who could live well even after leaving school would have to make things difficult for themselves if they wanted to take this Special Exam.

Like Kitagawa Ryo and Horikita Suzune, who are currently challenging the live-action short drama category, Karuizawa Kei has also set a goal for herself: to use this month to independently win a grand prize in a related competition without Kitagawa Ryo's involvement.

After all, in the Drama Club of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, the only person she could actually practice acting with was Kitagawa Ryo. Tsubaki Sakurako, who joined this year through recruitment, could barely be considered half a person, but she spent most of the time leading and teaching her. Now that she had finally returned to a professional Theater Troupe with a full complement of members, the practice progressed much more smoothly. After getting to know each other a little, they began rehearsing the play for the competition.

When you're engrossed in something, time flies by. Before you know it, it's dusk on the first day. After finishing rehearsal, Karuizawa Kei had dinner and originally planned to call Kitagawa Ryo, but after thinking about it, she decided not to do so for the time being. Instead, she leisurely started taking a stroll through the streets of Tokyo.

Just as Ichinose Honami knew that her internship for this Summer Special Exam was at Theater Troupe, Karuizawa Kei also knew that Honami had gone to Chukyo Bank for an internship, and with a little thought, she could easily guess what the other was thinking.

Upon closer examination, their current choices are indeed intricately linked to their past life simulations. The former, who has always been adept at pretense and acting, and capable of portraying herself as a tragic heroine, has now truly become Actor. The latter, whose awkward personality was shaped by the most basic and unpretentious economic hardship from childhood, and whose life was Ichinose Honami completely shattered by a money-related gift issue, has now chosen the banking industry, where she handles large sums of money every moment.

Everything seems to have changed, yet everything seems to remain the same.

Perhaps it was because she was strolling through the streets of Tokyo again after so long that Karuizawa Kei couldn't help but feel a sense of loss and nostalgia.

While the real ages of these female protagonists who have gone through life simulations cannot be simply added together with their real-life ages from the numerous simulations, those real experiences have indeed left a mark on their hearts. Especially after returning to a familiar work environment, Karuizawa Kei almost forgot that she is still a high school student.

After taking a leisurely stroll for about half an hour, Karuizawa Kei found a park bench by the roadside and sat down. While lazily leaning back to rest, she once again took out her phone and opened the campus forum.

This Special Exam still allowed students to use the campus forum, and since it was the end of the first day of work, a quick browse revealed numerous posts sharing their thoughts and experiences from their part-time jobs, internships, or auditing classes that day.

Currently, the most comfortable group is undoubtedly the third-year students who have chosen to audit classes at the university. After all, they have absolutely no pressure to survive, as the ANHS provides subsidies for accommodation and meals. Therefore, the posts are all casual snapshots of various campus scenes.

The posts from the other group of third-year and second-year students who went to the company for internships were quite chaotic. After all, most of them went to different companies, and the corresponding treatment, work atmosphere and tasks were naturally different. Therefore, the complaints, dissatisfaction and grievances were quite diverse. However, since the novelty of the first day had not yet worn off, it seemed that most students were still in a relatively stable mood and did not make any jokes like "I want to go back to school".

First Year... Some First Year are still working as soldiers at this time.

It can only be said that because the Special Exam for First Year this time was simply a matter of who earned and saved the most, the school specifically negotiated with the various shops where students worked. The regulations originally intended to limit the working hours of minors were artificially relaxed, which led many First Year who took the exam to start working on the very first day of the exam. It seems they were eager to become three-shift workers, delivering newspapers in the morning, working as waiters at noon, and collecting money at the convenience store in the evening.

After browsing through the various posts on the campus forum, Karuizawa Kei estimated that it was about time, so she opened her contacts again, but this time she still didn't call Kitagawa Ryo.

"Hello, is this Hiyori?"

"... I am here."

"What's going on? Why does your voice sound so much weak all of a sudden?"

"This is what happens when creators can't write anything... It's really hard for readers to become authors after all."

Karuizawa Kei felt a sense of helplessness, as if she could hear the rustling sound of crumpled paper on the other end of the phone.

"If you can't write anything, go for a walk to clear your head. Are you free tonight? I mean, it's time to put our plan into action... Besides, you were the one who encouraged me to do this ridiculous plan, so how come I'm the one nagging you now?"

"Heh, the fact that Megumi brought it up now means you're not against it at all. If I become the second Hayasaka Yab, it will definitely be Megumi's fault."

"... Alright, alright, so are you coming out or not?"

"Come out."

"Okay, see you later. I'll send you the address."

After sharing her location in real time, Karuizawa Kei put her phone away again and took a long breath.

The sun was about to set.

But for a metropolis like Tokyo...

It might be even more lively at night than during the day.

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

Chapter 74: Dry and Wet Separation

Although Horikita Suzune arrived full of confidence, making bold statements about starting filming immediately that afternoon, it was actually impossible. After all, Kitagawa Ryo himself, who was the director, cinematographer, lead actor, and screenwriter, hadn't finished his script yet. His past lives, present lives, and nine simulated life experiences provided him with ample material. However, whether a self-media work could become a hit depended on considering current events and making localized improvements.

Just like how Chinese online novels and Japan light novels are completely different, and how Chinese people sometimes don't get the jokes in Japanese humor, Kitagawa Ryo is quite cautious since he intends to actually make something and not just dabble in it.

So for almost the entire afternoon, Kitagawa Ryo and Horikita Suzune were scrolling through the day's trending topics on Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube, while also making sweeping revisions to their various short drama scripts. By the time they came to their senses, it was already evening.

If they were at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, they would probably be visiting the fresh food supermarket at Keyaki Mall by now. But considering they haven't even found a place to stay yet, they decided against it.

If things really came to that, the two of them could have simply laid out a rug or slept on a sofa in the studio, but they weren't really that destitute yet, and there was no washing area there. So after thinking it over, Kitagawa Ryo and Horikita Suzune decided to go out for a meal and then find a hotel or something similar to stay in.

Since they had eaten at a family-run restaurant for lunch, the two decided to try something different for dinner. They found an affordable ramen shop and each ordered a bowl of tonkotsu ramen, spending another 2,000 yen. Horikita Suzune now had about 16,000 yen in cash.

If we don't consider the next month, this amount of money is enough for two people to stay in a business hotel, but in the spirit of saving money, it's definitely more suitable to stay in a budget hotel or a smaller capsule hotel.

Moreover, the advantages of being a couple become apparent at this point. After all, they are already so familiar with each other that they know each other's strengths and weaknesses perfectly. There's no need for the contrived plot of "Oh, sorry, there's only one room left" like in a romantic comedy. Kitagawa Ryo directly and openly said at the front desk:

"Get a room."

"King bed or twin beds?"

"Two large beds."

"OK."

Under the thoughtful gaze of the receptionist, Kitagawa Ryo calmly accepted the room key, then had Horikita Suzune pay the room fee and deposit before the two of them took their luggage and went to their room in the elevator.

"Why is Liang offering two single rooms with double beds? The price seems a bit overpriced."

As Horikita Suzune spoke, she counted the bills and change in her small wallet. She was truly adept at budgeting, and her child would never go hungry in any way.

Kitagawa Ryo did not answer this directly, but instead gave a few vague words:

"Separate wet and dry products."

Horikita Suzune didn't understand what it meant at first, but after dragging her suitcase into the room and seeing the two large beds, she suddenly realized what it meant, her pretty face slightly flushed as she looked away.

"If we use this standard afterward, the expenses will have to be recalculated..."

Although Kitagawa Ryo really wanted to complain that it wasn't necessary to book a room like this every night, he thought about it and realized that he wasn't at the age where he needed to hide in the bathroom yet. He could only say that the intensity of the cruise ship last year hadn't pushed him to his true limit, so he felt that it should be fine.

After all, with the blessing of numerous talents and his persistent training since his rebirth, he could easily defeat not just Horikita Suzune, but even if there were several more of them...

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was giving himself this mental preparation, his phone, which was in his pocket, suddenly vibrated. It was a call invitation from Karuizawa Kei.

No...

I was just thinking about it in my head.

Are you really going to give me a series of tests?

"Hui's phone call."

After reporting to Horikita Suzune, who was taking clothes and personal belongings out of her suitcase, Kitagawa Ryo answered the phone. As soon as he put it to his ear, he heard Karuizawa Kei's familiar, clear voice:

"Hey, hey, hey, Liang, are you off work yet? Have you eaten?"

"I'm off work, though you could say I didn't work at all. I've eaten dinner. Where's Hui?"

"Me too. Everyone in the Theater Troupe hasn't changed much, and they've all asked me about you. Come back and visit when you have time."

"Of course. Please give my regards to the commander and the others. I'll definitely go back to visit them when I have time."

"Uh-huh."

After a brief, everyday greeting, Karuizawa Kei changed the subject:

"By the way, where does Ryo live now? Is she alone?"

"Ah, I'm currently staying at a hotel in Shibuya, but I'm not alone."

Kitagawa Ryo glanced at Horikita Suzune, who had already begun inspecting the bathroom facilities and disposable toiletries, and added:

"I'm with Suzune now."

"Suzune-- "

I had a feeling that Karuizawa Kei on the other end of the phone was intentionally drawing out the last syllable of her voice, but she quickly returned to normal.

"Send me the exact address. I'm nearby too. I'll come find you and Suzune later. Oh, Hiyori's with me too."

After hearing what sounded like a phone being handed over and a muffled rustling sound of someone saying "You say a few words," Shiina Hiyori's distinctively sweet voice, as soft and gentle as cotton candy, came from the other end of the phone:

"Hello--Liang, can you hear me?"

"I can hear you, Hiyori."

Perhaps because the other person brought the phone a little closer to their mouth, Shiina Hiyori's voice became even closer, as if she could feel the girl's breath almost touching hers...

Oh, so it was Kitagawa Ryo who had already finished looking in the bathroom and came out to find Horikita Suzune still on the phone, and she really came over: