An Unexpected Crossover Arrives / In the End, I Chose True Love (4k5)

"Since this life is Suzune's perfect ending, doesn't that mean that Arisu, whom we're seeing now, will also end up as a loser? I think she might have a thing for Ryo."

"It depends on how you define 'loser dog.' Besides, I don't think Arisu that kind of feeling for Ryo here, because they're actually siblings."

As the story unfolded, Horikita Suzune finally addressed the issue of her background that she hadn't explained at the beginning. Then, she frowned slightly and carefully began to speak:

"Moreover, their initial purpose in wanting him to return was actually for a possible heart transplant surgery in the future."

Actually, Horikita Suzune hadn't thought of this at first; she only realized it after re-examining the whole situation from the perspective of Bystander.

Upon hearing this, Amasawa Ichika, who had just been saying, "Boring, I want to see rivers of blood," fell silent. After all, she was always a very sensible person. It was fine for her to make a few jeers when she knew the ending was happy, but when it came to something serious like this, she became well-behaved again.

"Well, I'd like to say something."

Watching from the side, Hotaru, who hadn't appeared before, now materialized on Horikita Suzune's shoulder:

"Actually, my brother did have that thought back then. If Suzune didn't meet his expectations, he would probably think, 'Then I'll go save someone else,' and do that, making the winter he spent with Suzune a Phantom Dream that would feel unreal many years later."

"Fortunately, Suzune did not disappoint my brother and me, and the ANHS Cultural Festival that you went to together became a crucial turning point."

As she spoke, the kitten affectionately rubbed against Horikita Suzune's cheek again:

"By the way, even though he has lived so many lives and participated in many Cultural Festival, this is the first time my brother has participated in the ANHS Cultural Festival with someone else. That person is Suzune."

Her favorite reason for liking Suzune was certainly not just because the other person was nice to her.

More importantly, it was one of the rare romantic comedies in Kitagawa Ryo's life, where he didn't suffer at all from beginning to end.

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

PS2: The simulation of Suzune was originally planned twice in the outline. The first time was a bad ending, but I cut it later. However, looking back, the Suzune created in this way is actually more in line with my preferences.

PS3: In the "if" side story, there will be a chapter about the bad ending, where Suzune couldn't change things, and Ryo directly transplanted his heart to Arisu, resulting in a storyline where both of them have a lifelong regret.

Chapter 3: An Unexpected Collaboration Arrives

As it turns out, even in the Student Council of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, the actions of one president and another vice president could not be completely hidden from the other vice president. It can be said that after Yuki returned to school and successfully ran for vice president, Sakayanagi Arisu had already set her sights on her. Therefore, even though the trio did not leak any information, their plan was quickly obtained by Sakayanagi Arisu.

As for Horikita Suzune and the others' little tricks, Sakayanagi Arisu's response was also straightforward. After all, if you can form a small group, so can I. After thinking for a while, she decisively approached Ichinose Honami.

As someone who had noticed Ichinose Honami transferred classes, Sakayanagi Arisu gained a deep understanding and appreciation of Ichinose Honami's inner self after having a complete confrontation with her during last year's Sports Festival.

This is not simply an affirmation of Ichinose Honami's abilities. For Sakayanagi Arisu, what she actually recognizes more is the gravity that Honami exhibited at that time, which is essentially the same as hers. It can only be said that black holes probably have mutual attraction. After all, in terms of the weight of their life simulation experiences, the two of them can indeed sit at the same table.

That's why, when thinking about forming small groups, Sakayanagi Arisu immediately considered Ichinose Honami an awkward situation between her and Shiina Hiyori because of the ring incident during the Mixed Training Camp Special Exam earlier this year, which almost led to a falling out with Karuizawa Kei as well.

Moreover, Karuizawa Kei, Shiina Hiyori, and Sakura Airi were originally the earliest and closest group of girls in their circle.

When Sakayanagi Arisu the appointment, Ichinose Honami naturally accepted. In fact, the two of them had met alone quite a few Matoba before, especially when the former was about to transfer to another class. However, compared to then, the two of them were no longer one showing off her ring like crazy and the other drinking water and showing off her water glass. Therefore, the atmosphere was much more peaceful.

In the recently concluded Summer Special Exam, one of them had a real internship at a major bank for a whole month, while the other had spent some time exploring different universities, the University of Tokyo and Hokkaido University. Both had gained something from their experiences, so when they met, they first exchanged pleasantries and chatted about this topic before getting down to business.

"Arisu mean that Suzune and the others are secretly holding a celebration for Ryo without your knowledge?"

"It wasn't simply something they were keeping from me."

Sakayanagi Arisu corrected Ichinose Honami's question slightly, blinking her beautiful bright purple eyes as she emphasized:

"They kept it from all of us except the three of them, including Honami. To be honest, that's incredibly cunning."

"A little?"

Although it was quite clear that Sakayanagi Arisu was using sophistry, Ichinose Honami thought about it and felt that it didn't seem to make a problem:

"So Arisu want to do? To cause some minor disruptions like before?"

"Is that how I appear in Honami's mind? I was just thinking about whether I could participate, since it is indeed a rare opportunity, Honami probably wants to participate too, right?"

"I don't deny that, but to be honest, the Valentine's Day celebration Liang prepared for me has basically replicated all our memories. Even if I were to think of some new tricks to do something to him now, it seems like I don't have any ideas for the time being."

After pondering for a moment Sakayanagi Arisu asked curiously about Ichinose Honami's remarks, which had a Versailles-like quality in many ways:

"But I remember that Honami and Liang should have had more than one period of intersection in their lives. Judging from Liang's personality, the incident on Valentine's Day was most likely the accident that Honami had mentioned before. After all, Liang always likes to address these kinds of issues directly, or to cover up the past with new and beautiful memories."

When Sakayanagi Arisu probed her with this question, Ichinose Honami didn't give an answer immediately. After all, aside from the fact that her own third Sim was indeed quite difficult to describe, she still remembered that in her last memory Sakayanagi Arisu, who was sitting opposite her at this moment, had a lot of screen time, and her attitude towards Ryo was quite ambiguous.

It can only be said that when she was still immersed in her experience of the second simulation, Sakayanagi Arisu's affair didn't even come close. But now that Kitagawa Ryo had properly erased all the scars from the second simulation, being suddenly asked about the third simulation by Sakayanagi Arisu herself made Ichinose Honami feel a little complicated. Therefore, she cleared her throat deliberately before carefully choosing her words to answer:

"That situation was quite special... how should I put it?"

Halfway through her speech, Ichinose Honami suddenly realized something else.

Wait a minute, if we only look at the final result, that incident definitely counted as her successfully defending against Sakayanagi Arisu.

What's with the swagger of a "loser"?

Therefore, as they were talking, Ichinose Honami immediately changed the subject:

"It just doesn't feel very friendly to Arisu."

"I?"

Upon hearing what Ichinose Honami said, Sakayanagi Arisu was momentarily taken aback, but immediately understood what the other person meant.

"Looks like I'm in the same situation as Hui back then?"

Although Ichinose Honami has not explicitly stated what Karuizawa Kei did so far, her mysterious attention to Karuizawa Kei and her avoidance of Sakayanagi Arisu over a long period of time are still evident. Moreover, as someone who has experienced the simulation herself, she can understand what the other party means after a little thought.

"Pretty much. So, knowing this, would Arisu still want to know? Anyway, Megumi has never asked me to find out what she did in that timeline."

Ichinose Honami had originally intended to discourage Sakayanagi Arisu from saying this, but unexpectedly, the other party showed great interest in her words and nodded enthusiastically in agreement:

"Of course, after all, it's about my own life. And even if I really lose miserably like Honami said, I should still have some interaction with Ryo. After all, if we had no contact at all, there wouldn't be such a thing. Just for that reason alone, it's worth my time to find out more about it."

As a female protagonist who, in a sense, should have been sitting at the same table as Karuizawa Kei, having failed almost every one of the two simulations, Sakayanagi Arisu, or rather, the trio from the last simulation's ward riot, actually possessed a rather skillful ability to find sweetness in broken glass and enjoy it. Therefore, Ichinose Honami said those words, instead of discouraging her, Sakayanagi Arisu started urging her on.

"If Honami is willing, let's go find Hotaru now. It'll be a good opportunity for you to reminisce and gather some material, and I can also take a good look at another part of my past that I didn't know about."

Seeing that Sakayanagi Arisu so determined, Ichinose Honami had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

After all, all she has are memories from her own perspective. She doesn't really know the details of Ryo and Sakayanagi Arisu's past. If Hotaru really reveals some fragments about Arisu and Ryo that she doesn't even know, it feels like within a day, given Sakayanagi Arisu's personality, she could tell everyone in their little circle about it.

Actually, aside from the dreamlike atmosphere and blurred lines between reality and illusion created by that mysterious talent, Kitagawa Ryo's life simulation is not difficult to summarize.

Looking back now, that was actually the first time he came into contact with the White Room and actually spent some time inside it.

However, since the equipment Hotaru provided to Kitagawa Ryo at that time could only be presented in the form of text, for Ryo himself, the last simulated White Room was his first real experience of the White Room.

Sakayanagi Arisu's appearance was also completely different from the last simulation. Without Hotaru's guidance and the removal of her physical illness, Sakayanagi Arisu in that timeline was a child with an awkward and even obsessive personality who insisted on proving to her father that she was better than the children educated in the White Room.

However, by a twist of fate, the method she chose to prove it at that time was the same method that Suzukake Tanji in the White Room used on Yuki and Amasawa Ichika during the last simulation. It can only be said that she got an early access experience on the test server.

But Kitagawa Ryo wasn't buying it at all. He smoothly played Sakayanagi Arisu's tricks and then used her to leave the White Room and reunite with his childhood friend Ichinose Honami. He even kindly used his abilities to create a beautiful dream for her, until Sakayanagi Arisu finally woke up from the dream before he decided to confront her and, at her request, represented the Sakayanagi Family in a duel with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

After removing all the filters, this is probably what life experience is really like.

Of course, all of the above is based on a God's-eye view.

Unfortunately, the biggest God's perspective throughout the whole process, or rather God himself, is actually the little cat they are now looking for.

And so, right after Hotaru was rented from Horikita Suzune, she was seamlessly transferred to Ichinose Honami and Sakayanagi Arisu.

The cat, now reduced to a heartless video-on-demand machine, didn't refuse their requests. Instead, it remained silent and began playing replays of its past highlights for them.

Although she provided Kitagawa Ryo with a concise written version back then, it doesn't mean these experiences didn't exist. Besides existing in the mind of Ichinose Honami, the person involved, she also kept a record of them. However, at that time, the little cat was still planning to proceed step by step. Judging from the series of changes that occurred later, it can be considered a prime example of how plans can't keep up with changes.

"Honami and Liang are childhood sweethearts."

"Yeah, basically every single time."

Upon entering, the first thing you see is naturally Ichinose Honami and Kitagawa Ryo's childhood daily life. Sakayanagi Arisu sighed slightly at this, while Hotaru rolled her eyes. After all, theoretically speaking, ever since her brother preserved the talent of keeping his promises from the second simulation, every heroine after that has actually started as a childhood A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold. Sakayanagi Arisu, who was speaking now, was no exception.

As for the root cause, it probably has something to do with Hotaru's own feelings. After all, she is also a half-childhood friend, or rather, a kind of love that grows over time. Compared to the kind of female protagonist who falls from the sky and inexplicably takes away the male protagonist's heart, she definitely prefers the kind of female protagonist who knows the male protagonist well since childhood and with whom she has a thorough understanding.

After all, in a way, the younger sister is a branch of childhood sweethearts.

Incidentally, Director Ying also found the kind of expression of someone who is simply indulging in and getting used to the way they interact with the male protagonist, thus lazily choosing to give up on taking things further, only to have that tacit understanding suddenly broken by another unexpected person, leading them to realize their true feelings only to find it's too late, to be quite delightful.

Of course, in terms of the emotional impact of this performance, Karuizawa Kei's reaction in her own chapter was more orthodox, but Ichinose Honami's performance of "I'll hold it in even if I cry, I'll secretly hide away and let the little pearl fall" and finally taking matters into her own hands and cutting herself was also quite good.

Whenever she thinks about this, Ying feels that it was better that her brother was still just simulating death in words back then. After all, it's always good that her brother didn't have to experience a real death scene. She can just secretly feel sorry for him from God's perspective.

While Hotaru was thinking this, the plot had already moved on to the White Room segment. Just like yesterday's White Room duo's comments on Sakayanagi Arisu, today Sakayanagi Arisu herself also gave a fair assessment of the White Room and her own appearance:

"No matter how many times I look at it, I still feel that there are problems with this facility and the experimental subjects cultivated in it, except for Liang."

Besides Sakayanagi Arisu, Ichinose Honami was also watching intently. After all, this was something she didn't know either. How could she have known that Kitagawa Ryo had gone to the White Room at that time? And Ryo naturally wouldn't have told her about this after he came back. Now was indeed a good opportunity to fill in the gaps in her knowledge.

Then, the two of them simultaneously saw Sakayanagi Arisu, who had begun impersonating Ichinose Honami and relentlessly feeding Kitagawa Ryo a pep talk.

At that moment, Ichinose Honami and Sakayanagi Arisu fell into a silent silence.

They subconsciously felt that it really tasted like sugar, but there was also a slightly strange flavor, like a bit of cow mixed into pure love, but the cow was just a means to an end, and the ultimate goal was still pure love.

Hotaru, who was watching the scene unfold, simply yawned lazily, her firefly-colored eyes sweeping over the two of them.

This kind of "meal replacement literature" is only suitable for children. Once they get a little older, it's impossible to play with it. In fact, it would be a miracle if they could even admit their mistakes back then.

This is the difference between a sausage sandwich and a sausage on a slice of bread.

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

PS2: I recommend a friend's book, <Me, Chat Group Owner, Spoiler Master>.

Chapter 4: In the end, I chose pure love (4k5)

Since returning to Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School after finishing the Summer Special Exam, Kitagawa Ryo hasn't had much to do. He basically plays basketball with Ken Sudō and the others one day, plays video games with Ishizaki Daichi the next, and occasionally visits the Drama Club. He's basically just enjoying his summer vacation.

If there was anything that had bothered him these past few days, it was probably the sudden surge of movie-watching enthusiasm among the girls. Hotaru was being borrowed here one day and asked to go there the next, keeping her incredibly busy. In just two days, she had basically been going around to all the girls' places, except for Megumi, Hiyori, and Airi.

Kitagawa Ryo didn't really think much of the girls splitting into different small groups to watch the movie, but he felt it was necessary to pay attention to the simulation with the most complex relationships and the most contrasting characters.

Thinking of this, Kitagawa Ryo casually sent a message to Karuizawa Kei, subtly hinting at this matter.

In fact, Karuizawa Kei shares a similar stance with him in this regard. After all, compared to Shiina Hiyori's memories of the second simulation, she herself is more concerned about the first one.

In every respect, that time she truly and perfectly displayed all the flaws in her personality. It can't even be called a black history anymore. If Chronicle of Time really existed, Karuizawa Kei would probably be the first to erase that memory. Not to mention that even without her as the female lead, Shiina Hiyori and Horikita Suzune are definitely amazing in every way in terms of their actions.

After a brief chat with Karuizawa Kei about this topic, Kitagawa Ryo also sent a text message to Shiina Hiyori to inquire about it.

Although the results of this Summer Special Exam haven't come out yet, among the students he knows, Shiina Hiyori's score in this Special Exam is probably near the bottom. After all, even after a month of dedicated writing (in fact, not that dedicated), the quality of her short story debut is still quite questionable. In the editor's words, it looks more like a manuscript that should be submitted to a website like 'Let's Become a Light Novelist'.

It can only be said that switching between the roles of reader and author is never an easy thing. As a mystery novel fan, Shiina Hiyori's reading volume is absolutely terrifying, but now that she is actually picking up a pen to create her own work, she seems hesitant and restrained. She doesn't want to write the old clichés that she used to scoff at, and she can't find any groundbreaking new tricks to design for a while. In a sense, she is a case of being all talk and no action.

That's why, after the Special Exam ended and the students returned to school, Shiina Hiyori locked herself in her room and continued creating, oblivious to everything else.

After waiting a few minutes, the status of the message he sent didn't change from unread to read, so he guessed that Hiyori had silenced her phone again.

Since there was nothing else to do, and feeling that things couldn't continue like this, Kitagawa Ryo got up, tidied himself up a bit, and then left his room, taking the elevator to Shiina Hiyori's dormitory room. He knocked on the door several times, a little forcefully.

About two minutes later, Kitagawa Ryo heard a voice from inside ask from afar, "Who is it?" He casually replied, "It's me." Then he heard a rustling sound, Shiina Hiyori and sticking up, opened the door for him in her slippers.

It was already noon, but Shiina Hiyori and probably wouldn't go out today. However, she seemed to be a little sweaty because she was feeling irritable, and the cuffs and pant legs were rolled up quite a bit, revealing a section of her pale arms and ankles.

"It's getting chilly. Where did you put your shoes...? Sorry, things have been a bit messy here the last couple of days."

After finally managing to pull out her indoor shoes from the shoe cabinet in the entryway, Shiina Hiyori also picked up a few crumpled pieces of paper scattered on the floor and put them in the nearby trash can. Then she went to the kitchen to pour Kitagawa Ryo a glass of water, and then skillfully sat back down at her desk, staring blankly at the blank manuscript paper in front of her.

"Since Ryo's here today, could you help me come up with an idea...?"

Having probably run out of good ideas, after two minutes, a somewhat dejected Shiina Hiyori spun around in the rocking chair again, then faced Kitagawa Ryo, who was propping up half his face, and said this to him.

"Instead of coming up with ideas, I think what Hiyori should do right now is go out and have some fun with her friends. If that's not possible, going to see Hotaru's screening with Suzune and the others would be a good idea too."

"Screenings... I've heard Hui mention them before, but what I'm writing isn't a youth romance novel, so I can't find material there."

"It seems like all Hiyori can think about Hiyori now is finding material."

"After all, this Special Exam was quite a setback for me. But speaking of my past life, there's actually a question I've never asked Ryo. Could this be considered the truth-revealing chapter?"

"What's the problem?"

Why did Liang choose to drop out of school so decisively back then?

Faced with Shiina Hiyori's question, Kitagawa Ryo had already laid everything bare, saw no need to hide anything any longer and answered directly and frankly:

"It was simply because at that time I felt there was no need to stay. After all, it wasn't a story that actually happened in real life, so even though I knew that leaving without saying goodbye would hurt Hiyori and Megumi, I still chose to do it."

Then, Kitagawa Ryo gave another example:

"It's like knowing that a game has save and load mechanics, so you can confidently follow your heart and choose a game with a predetermined bad ending. Knowing that you have a way to undo your mistakes, people sometimes don't think things through completely at every step."

"I see... I understand."

It was unclear which specific sentence from Kitagawa Ryo's explanation had struck a chord with Shiina Hiyori. She thoughtfully swayed back and forth in her rocking chair for a while, chin in hand, before suddenly speaking to Kitagawa Ryo: