[Chapter: Horikita Suzune's Winter Fantasy]
[Third Chapter Goal: Discover Horikita Suzune's personality weaknesses and correct them until she overcomes the shadow of her older brother, Horikita Manabu. Goal achieved. Final comprehensive score: 100 points.]
[Congratulations, player, for clearing Chapter Three. Drawing reward corresponding to the achieved rating tier...]
[Congratulations, player has received: Horikita Suzune's Self]
[Horikita Suzune's Self: Before each simulation, you may select one talent to upgrade to Gold level.]
["Don't stand in front of or behind me. Walk beside me."]
[Current highest score: 100 points]
[Congratulations, player has unlocked achievement "One Life Clear" and received the item: "Talent Extraction Card"]
[One Life Clear: Clear any chapter with a score of 90+ on the first simulation attempt.]
[Talent Extraction Card: Allows the player to solidify knowledge and experience gained in a simulation into a permanent talent.]
[Analyzing player data from this simulation...]
[Available talents for extraction:]
Comprehensive medical knowledge and clinical surgery experience — Extract as Talent: "Physician"
[Physician (Purple): You have mastered modern medical techniques and possess extensive clinical surgical experience. Specialty fields: cardiovascular internal medicine and surgery.]
Complete experience in managing a dessert shop and its industry model — Extract as Talent: "Dessert Heir"
[Dessert Heir (Purple): As the sole heir of a dessert dynasty, you manage 33 stores along with business philosophy and management expertise.]
Advanced romantic and interpersonal strategies — Extract as Talent: "Tokyo Heartthrob"
[Tokyo Heartthrob (Purple): Significantly boosts personal charm. (Talent has minor negative effects)]
[You have selected Option 1]
[Talent "Physician" solidified.]
"Only... one new achievement this time?"
Kitagawa Ryo skimmed the dense text. As the number of simulations increased, many easily triggered achievements had already been unlocked. For example, the achievement [Deeply Rooted Feelings] required simultaneously gaining affection from two major story characters.
He had indeed fulfilled that during this simulation, but rewards were only given the first time an achievement was unlocked. A bit of a shame.
Still, this time's reward was quite unique. Transforming simulation experience into a tangible talent for permanent use was a first.
As for why he picked "Physician," the answer was obvious.
With [Horikita Suzune's Winter Fantasy] cleared, the last of the four chapters finally turned from gray to full color:
[Sakayanagi Arisu's Spring Wish]
As expected, the final chapter's protagonist was Sakayanagi Arisu.
[Player has perfectly cleared this simulation. All talents retained.]
[All talents have been solidified.]
[Current number of solidified talents...]
[Current number of items...]
As his consciousness returned to his body, the first thing Kitagawa Ryo saw upon opening his eyes was a red dress—no, it was a white dress deliberately stained with large patches of blood red.
It took him a second to remember that Karuizawa Kei should have been at theater rehearsal today. This outfit was clearly the classic costume of Lady Macbeth, a co-conspirator who chose to be stained by regicide alongside her husband.
Since Kitagawa Ryo had withdrawn from the troupe, Karuizawa Kei had shifted her path, claiming she couldn't find any male actor who could match her. Word had it the troupe was even starting to write exclusive scripts for her. With Kei's talent, she could easily carry an entire play as the lead.
The long skirt covered her shapely legs down to her ankles.
Ryo tried to sit up but failed to notice that Kei was holding his right hand. The movement caused a slight tremor, alerting her instantly. She turned to him, a few strands of honey-colored hair falling naturally beside her ears.
Beneath the soft bangs were her deep ocean-blue eyes.
"You're awake?"
"How long was I asleep?"
Exhaling a heavy breath, Ryo propped himself up with his arm.
"About three hours."
"Hmm."
He felt a significant lightness throughout his body, every cell brimming with energy. It must be the effect of the newly solidified talent [Herculean Strength].
If he faced Ayanokouji Kiyotaka again now, he could probably gain the upper hand faster than before.
"I should be fine now."
Noticing Kei's concerned gaze, Ryo nodded in reassurance.
"Sorry for worrying you and everyone else."
He gave an apologetic smile. Kei released his hand and smiled back.
"It's okay. Besides, it's rare to see you vulnerable like this."
"I don't dislike it when you rely on me, you know."
"In fact, if you ever face trouble again, I hope you'll come to me first."
"Did you walk straight out of a children's advice show or something, Kei?"
Ryo teased as he replied to the flood of texts on his phone. Despite being unreachable for a short time, he had received quite a number of worried messages.
"No, I didn't! I was the dependable one in elementary school, okay? Even girls who got bullied came to me first."
Kei pouted slightly in protest. Despite wearing a bloodstained dress, she looked nothing like the crazed character she portrayed on stage. With Ryo, she was simply herself.
Still, something about him had changed.
As she hugged her knees, observing him answer his texts, Kei noticed the difference.
Something in his aura—or perhaps his essence—had deepened.
She felt more grounded around him now.
In their two years together in the troupe, Kei always sensed a certain aloof fragility in Ryo—like a mist that could vanish with the wind.
That's why she kept him in her sights.
But now, that feeling was gone, and it gave her peace of mind.
"That's the first I've heard of it. You never told me before, Kei."
Finishing the last reply, Ryo put away his phone and glanced at her, a subtle smile in his dark eyes.
"I wasn't lying, Ryo. Back then..."
Kei shifted closer and began telling him about her past, from before they met—back in elementary school.
She remembered once painting herself as a victim of bullying to him. But now, Kei portrayed a very different image.
["The bullied may become bullies, but they can also become protectors."]
This was the item description for [Karuizawa Kei's Self].
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Horikita Suzune looked into the mirror and lowered her head.
Her long hair swayed around her waist.
["Maybe... what I feel for Ryo isn't friendship."]
At first, she couldn't tell whose voice it was. Only afterward did she realize—it was her own. It was Horikita Suzune speaking.
Her heart—or rather, her very soul—shuddered in that moment.
It was a strange, dull ache, like something clawing at her awareness and tearing it apart.
But from deep within her soul, a sense of peace and fulfillment slowly welled up.
Memories of the future, or perhaps another world, echoed in her mind. It was like hearing the pulse of the earth from deep underground, or the rumble of distant thunder rolling through a cerulean sky—low, dark, stifling, heavy, like the sound of permafrost splitting open.
Real, false, or just imagination?
For the fourteen-year-old Horikita Suzune, it was nothing short of a supernatural experience.
She knew the characters in the story. One of them was even named Horikita Suzune, a girl 99% identical to herself.
In personality and behavior, the fourteen-year-old Suzune and the girl in the story were practically the same.
She had seen Horikita Manabu deny her. She had seen her own growth. And...
Whether or not the Suzune she saw was her future self, one thing was certain—this wasn't a prophetic dream or a preview of the future.
Because the male protagonist in the story had only met her a few times. They didn't live under the same roof.
Right now, the most important thing should be passing the final selection to join the drama club and attending the cultural festival at Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School with Ryo—yes, that was it.
—?
She was going to the festival to see her brother... but wouldn't seeing him now only disappoint him?
No, no—thinking like that was wrong. Her brother wanted to see her free from his shadow.
Would she have thought this way without Ryo's appearance?
Wait—since when did she naturally start calling him "Ryo"?
Horikita Suzune was completely lost in confusion.
But one thing she knew for sure: she had probably, maybe, definitely begun to change.
Because she didn't want to disappoint herself. Or her brother.
And...
She didn't want to disappoint Ryo.
Why was that last thought so natural!?
Horikita Suzune covered her face with both hands.
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"Horikita-san, why did you ask me to come out here?"
Kushida Kikyou looked at Horikita Suzune in confusion. Suzune had suddenly texted her to meet up, which was completely out of character—she typically never interacted with others outside of rehearsal and never sent personal messages.
"——"
Suzune didn't speak. Instead, she showed her the screen of her phone. It was a personal blog page. Even a quick glance revealed a flood of vile insults and hateful comments.
However, the blog hadn't been updated in a long time.
"This is... what's going on?"
Kushida immediately recognized the page. It was a secret account she had created long ago to vent her frustrations. She used it to post things she couldn't say publicly, maintaining her perfect, angelic image on the surface.
But ever since she'd joined the drama club, she found new ways to release stress. In fact, it had been so long since she last logged into the anonymous account that she had nearly forgotten it existed.
That didn't change the fact that exposure of this account would be disastrous.
Kushida knew full well—humans love nothing more than to build someone up just to tear them down. The moment even a tiny blemish appeared on her perfect image, people would swarm like vultures.
"This used to be your account, didn't it?"
Suzune's words came after observing Kushida's reaction. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief—it confirmed something from the memories she had inherited.
In those memories, this very account's exposure had caused an uproar not just within their class, but across the entire grade. Kushida, in a downward spiral, had retaliated by revealing everyone's secrets, plunging the class into chaos. A full-blown disaster.
Suzune remembered this well because she had once worked with Kushida on the cultural festival's planning committee. Despite everything, her impression of Kushida back then hadn't been bad.
"So, what do you plan to do with this? Threaten me?"
Kushida gave up pretending and faced the situation head-on, sarcasm dripping from her voice.
"If it were anyone else, I might be scared. But you, Horikita-san, are the one exception."
"No one will believe you."
A girl with no social ties, ignored or even disliked by her peers, trying to expose the beloved angel of the class? Even with proof, her chances were slim.
"No, it's not a threat. I never intended to use this against you."
Suzune shook her head. Once again, she was reminded of the importance of social networks—just as Ryo had told her. You don't have to like them, but you need to understand them.
"I won't expose it. But I hope you'll stop your petty games against me and let me participate fairly in the final audition."
With the memories she'd inherited, Suzune had already begun to change. She now easily noticed Kushida's subtle sabotage.
She didn't know if her past self had been indifferent or just oblivious, but the current situation was different.
She didn't have the power to expose Kushida completely, but she could definitely put an end to the games.
Kushida, as expected, nodded in agreement.
"If that's all you want, I'll agree."
After all, Horikita Suzune's reputation was at rock bottom.
Having achieved her goal, Suzune turned and left without hesitation. With the Kushida problem handled, all that remained was the final audition—and the cultural festival ahead.
If her memories were accurate, Class 1-A, where her brother was, would be targeted by other classes during the festival.
She remembered their performance choice: the musical Cats.
"They're short a lead actor and a pianist."
Suzune suddenly recalled her conversation with Ryo at the start of the term. He'd mentioned Cats too.
Rubbing her temples, Suzune headed toward the drama club president's office—the one she had already visited once.
If she couldn't avoid Ryo, she might as well go see him.
-------------------------------------
"Come in."
Kitagawa Ryo was still lounging in the club president's office, flipping through a mystery novel and slacking off. He didn't even bother to lift his head when he heard the knock.
The person who entered didn't say a word, simply walked straight up to Ryo's desk.
"Ryo... kun, may I bother you for a moment?"
Horikita Suzune planted both of her arms firmly on the desk. The wind drifting in through the window tousled her hair. Her tone carried the weight of a confrontation—but what she said next nearly made Ryo chuckle aloud:
"How's my hairstyle today?"
"It's beautiful."
Ryo closed the book in his hands and replied with a smile.
"You remembered, after all."
"Of course."
The boy slouched lazily back into his chair.
[Super Detective]
The golden-colored talent gleamed brightly in his sea of consciousness. Of course he knew. He had long known that both Ichinose Honami and Karuizawa Kei carried the memories of their respective simulations.
He had spent years confirming each of their feelings.
That was why Kitagawa Ryo didn't want to miss a single one of them.
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