True Education: I Have a Life Simulator

[Player has used a Temporary Talent Card. Based on the current simulation situation, relevant talents are being drawn for the player:]

[You have obtained the talent "Grand Master (Gold)"]

[Grand Master: You have reached the level of an International Grandmaster in the field of chess (only in chess)]

"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka."

"Oh, so he's that man's son, huh? Looks like he really is obsessed with this twisted form of education. Even threw his own biological son into a program with a 100% failure rate without hesitation."

"And he ended up becoming the only successful case of that batch? Come on, with his background, doesn't it all seem a bit rigged?"

Kitagawa Ryo sat leisurely on a spacious sofa, flipping through the documents in his hand while making casual remarks.

"You didn't use to talk this much."

Sakayanagi Arisu narrowed her eyes and smiled. Though her words sounded like a complaint, she clearly enjoyed the current atmosphere. Of course, it would be even better if the woman sitting beside Kitagawa Ryo weren't there.

"All thanks to you guys for sending me into the White Room. Trying to prove human limits through the power of emotion... I still don't get why you were so fixated on that idea, Sakayanagi."

"Honestly, at the time I just wanted to use a counterexample to disprove the White Room's ideology. If it bothers you, I can apologize."

Sakayanagi Arisu gave a slight bow. Her formal etiquette was flawless.

"...No need. In the end, we're just using each other anyway."

Kitagawa Ryo continued leafing through the stack of papers in his hand.

"If you really feel sorry, then stop calling me 'Ryo.'"

He looked up, his tone still lazy as ever, but Sakayanagi could see in his eyes that he was serious.

"Just like how I call you 'Sakayanagi', you can call me 'Kitagawa.'"

"...Is that so?"

Sakayanagi let out a small sigh, as if she had something more to say. But Ichinose Honami beat her to it, tapping a part of the document and speaking up enthusiastically:

"Ryo, look here."

"Hm? Here?"

Watching Kitagawa Ryo's attention shift entirely to Ichinose Honami, Sakayanagi quietly shook her head. She felt a tinge of regret for ever planting the image of Ichinose Honami into Kitagawa Ryo's mind. As she watched his side profile deep in thought, she absentmindedly fiddled with her fingernails.

"The 'Ultimate Masterpiece,' huh?"

"Technically, I should be a fourth-generation White Room student just like Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. But I was an unofficial member at the time, and neither my entry age nor training duration could compare to his."

Kitagawa Ryo glanced through the papers, letting out a sigh.

"On paper alone, I guess he could completely overpower me."

"All jokes aside, the White Room is truly a 'learning hell.' Unlike me, I've been a jobless drifter for two years now."

"If you could bring out the strength you had when you defeated me two years ago, I don't think you'd lose to Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, at least not in chess."

Sakayanagi Arisu seemed a little annoyed by Kitagawa's attitude and tapped her cane lightly against the table.

"I saw Ayanokouji Kiyotaka once in the White Room. His chess skills were already on par with mine back then. By that standard, someone who could defeat me should have no reason to fear him."

Kitagawa just shrugged and turned to Ichinose Honami.

"Honami, what do you think of my chess skills?"

"Hmm."

Ichinose pondered for a moment before finding a suitable description:

"Like an amateur hobbyist?"

"Pretty much!"

Kitagawa clapped the documents shut, clearly agreeing with her assessment.

"Seriously?"

Sakayanagi glanced at the two of them, unsure if they were joking. After a moment of thought, she asked with surprise:

"Wait, does that mean... in my dream back then, you were..."

"Yeah."

Kitagawa raised an eyebrow slightly. After he rejected the use of "Ryo," Sakayanagi hadn't switched to "Kitagawa" either, instead just using "you" to refer to him. He couldn't quite figure out what she was thinking.

"I probably simulated around a thousand chess matches with you in your dreams, until I understood all your habits, preferred tactics, and how you'd respond in various situations before I dared to challenge you."

"But if that were the case, I should've remembered something."

"Just overlaying another dream with nothing in it can erase the one beneath. Like how your dream influenced mine in the beginning. Just dreams within dreams."

"Then..."

Kitagawa seemed to already know what Sakayanagi was going to say. He pointed to his head and sighed.

"First, there's only one night left before my match with Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. Without knowing his exact location, I can't lock onto his dream, let alone simulate against him in advance."

"Second, my ability isn't unlimited. The price I paid for it was quite steep, and aside from spending my nights building dreamscapes for you these past two years, I haven't really used it."

At this point, Kitagawa glanced at his girlfriend. Ichinose Honami was clinging to his arm with her usual bright smile, which gave him an odd chill down his spine.

"Ahem... Dream-building with my girlfriend in various ways probably doesn't count."

Brushing off the awkwardness, Kitagawa continued:

"Actually, there is still one way. According to the agreed rules, tomorrow's match will only have Ayanokouji and me present at the venue. The Sakayanagi family and the White Room will watch remotely through their equipment, ensuring fairness."

"But that still leaves room for action. Right at the start of the match, I can pull Ayanokouji Kiyotaka into a dream."

"You can pull someone who's awake into a dream?"

Ichinose frowned.

"I thought your ability only worked when the target is asleep."

"Oh, that's correct. Dreams can only form when someone is asleep."

Kitagawa nodded in agreement, but then smirked.

"But of course, I have a way to make Ayanokouji Kiyotaka fall asleep."

"As for the chess match, just trust me."

-------------------------------------

"I didn't expect Sakayanagi-san to ask me out this late at night."

On the night before the match, it was already around midnight. Ichinose Honami gently closed the door behind her and walked toward a side room deep in the hallway.

Sakayanagi Arisu leaned against the doorframe and nodded to her.

"Because there's something I must say to you, about him."

"Is that so?"

Ichinose Honami didn't press for details. She stepped into the room and turned on the light. In front of her was a chessboard with black and white pieces scattered across it. She sat down on the chair nearest to her side.

"I thought you'd refuse to talk with me. After all, I did do some pretty awful things to you in the past. I wouldn't blame you if you hated me."

From the ages of ten to fourteen, Sakayanagi Arisu had communicated with Ichinose Honami while pretending to be Kitagawa Ryo, and at the same time manipulated Kitagawa by impersonating Honami. In a way, she had toyed with both of their lives.

"Yes, what you did was definitely cruel."

Ichinose met her gaze with unwavering eyes.

"I remember it not just for myself, but for Ryo as well."

"Is that so?"

Sakayanagi slowly sat on the chair near the door. Her sickly and delicate appearance might naturally evoke the urge to protect her. She reached out and played with the queen piece on the board.

"Then I'll be waiting for your challenge."

"If he succeeds tomorrow, then in less than a year, we should be meeting again at the Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School."

She reached out and knocked over a standing knight piece.

"If we get the chance to be rivals, let's give it our all."

"Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School..."

Ichinose recalled the scene she had seen in Kitagawa Ryo's dream. Unfortunately, back then, all her attention had been focused on the version of herself who failed despite starting strong. Though some campus incidents were involved later, the details had grown blurry.

Except for the face of one blond-haired man she had called "Nagumo-senpai."

'Ugh, gross...'

She quickly suppressed the nauseous feeling rising in her stomach.

"Why did you really ask me here tonight, Sakayanagi-san?"

"I was just curious... about how he's lived these past two years."

Noticing Honami's sharp glance, Sakayanagi raised a hand in surrender.

"Well, for the past two years, I was fooled by the dream he created for me. I thought I had defeated him and was being looked after by Matsuo Eiichirou. It wasn't until yesterday when I finally woke up that I realized I knew absolutely nothing about what he's gone through."

"And why should I tell you about him?"

Honami didn't hesitate to refuse.

"Isn't your position the strange one? Let's be honest, Ryo's childhood tragedy was pretty much caused by you. Just because you got a childish whim to meddle in someone else's life."

She stared hard at Sakayanagi.

"I honestly don't understand why Ryo would still choose to cooperate with someone like you, even crafting a two-year-long dreamscape just for you."

"How honest of you."

Sakayanagi didn't show the slightest sign of being offended. She folded her arms and rested her chin atop them, praising her:

"Sometimes, honesty is necessary. Dreams built on lies always fade."

After a slight sigh, she finally revealed her true reason for calling Honami here tonight.

"If—and I do mean if—"

Sakayanagi looked directly into Honami's eyes, speaking her thoughts aloud.

"If he does something extreme tomorrow, don't stop him."

"Something extreme?"

Honami frowned slightly.

"...I don't know if it's because of me, but Kitagawa Ryo hasn't fully escaped the White Room's influence yet."

Sakayanagi suddenly smiled. Unlike her usual cryptic smirks, this one carried a trace of bitterness.

"Two years ago, you found him at your doorstep, didn't you?"

"...You already know that."

"Yes, because I was the one who had him left there."

Sakayanagi spoke seriously.

"Otherwise, how could someone who'd lost nearly all their memories just walk out of the White Room?"

She looked up at the ceiling. The shifting light and shadow cast uneven patterns across her face.

"What was I thinking, believing such a crude dream could keep me trapped for over two years..."

"I think I never wanted to wake up. In that dream where I won, Kitagawa Ryo didn't go to Tokyo to see you until he was sixteen."

"So when we finally met in that dream, you had him enter your dream within a dream again?"

Honami recalled that dream she observed, where Kitagawa Ryo was imprisoned by a false version of herself.

"...Maybe I'm more jealous than I realized."

Sakayanagi mumbled something under her breath. Honami didn't catch it.

"What did you say?"

"I said, no matter how I altered the dream, I couldn't stop him from meeting you in the end. Whether it was at fourteen or sixteen, it didn't matter."

"Like you're his destined heroine."

For a moment, Honami had no words to reply. Sakayanagi curled up in her seat, burying her face in the shadows.

"So."

Sakayanagi continued, her tone unchanged.

"If something unexpected happens tomorrow, all you need to do is trust him."

"Of course I trust him."

"Then that's all that matters."

...

"I'll be heading back."

Honami waited a moment longer to confirm Sakayanagi had nothing more to say, then stood up and headed for the door.

"No need to worry about having weird dreams tonight. Good night."

"Good night."

Sakayanagi replied without lifting her head, still seated where she was.