True Education: I Have a Life Simulator

The Ending Between You and Me

"The one you like isn't 'me,' but 'Ichinose Honami,' right?"

I had realized that truth from the very beginning. In fact, it was the foundation of the years of deception I carried out. At first, I merely played the role of the 'younger sister'—the character of "Ichinose Honami"—to provoke Kitagawa Ryo. Should I say my performance was too convincing?

The lifelike imposter even forged the affections of a young girl's innocent crush.

I have never agreed with the White Room's ideology. Humanity doesn't grow stronger by stripping away emotion. Humanity becomes strong because of emotion.

Friendship. Family. Love.

Based on these, I constructed the image of a little sister who needed protection, someone utterly incapable of doing anything alone.

At first, I was as stiff as a novice actress, unable to remember even simple lines. But over time, I got used to having someone who worked hard for me.

I praised him. I encouraged him. I provoked him to push further, to squeeze out more of his potential and talent.

If you want to fool others, you have to fool yourself first.

"Onii-chan..."

Staring at the boy studying intently on the screen, I read Ichinose Honami's letters aloud to someone who couldn't even hear them—copying every bit of emotion into myself.

A girl's love is pure and easily imitated. Flustered upon seeing him. Unable to meet his gaze for more than three seconds. Every movement a signal asking to be protected, to be cherished.

"It's simple, really."

Repeat and reinforce it, again and again. The origin no longer mattered. Kitagawa Ryo and I had built the strongest possible sibling bond.

But it was strange. Even though I could now speak sweet, cloying words that crossed the line of familial affection with perfect naturalness—without needing to rehearse—I still felt no hint of girlish fluttering or nervousness.

After all, this story was filled with lies and falsehoods from start to finish.

It was only after he escaped the White Room—after he broke free from the fantasy I had spun for him—that I realized the horrifying truth.

"Ryo."

For the first time, I didn't call him "onii-chan."

"I think... No, I know."

I was completely certain about the feelings in my heart.

He had gone to Ichinose Honami's side.

That was the reality laid bare before me.

[Tear it all down and start over.]

[I've already dreamed for four years. Might as well continue turning away from reality, covering it up with a fabricated story.]

[This world is the gentlest one for me. I hold him tightly in my arms.]

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For Kitagawa Ryo, there were times he simply wanted to stretch out in a spacious onsen, soaking in the steaming water while enjoying a peaceful moment.

He'd heard some people alternated between hot baths and cold water plunges, followed by a stint in the sauna, and then back into cold water again. Kitagawa never understood such routines. He just liked relaxing in hot springs. Once the heat warmed his body enough that his blood seemed to simmer, he'd return to the changing room, towel off, and head out.

Inside the changing room, the older men always wrapped their towels around their waists, downed a cold bottle of milk in one hand, and placed the other firmly on their hips. Kitagawa gave them a polite nod before leaving.

For most of his life, he had bathed in cramped spaces—no, not bathed, just carried out a cleansing routine, timed and ordered, like any other experimental subject.

After his parents died, he spent nearly six years in the White Room. Only recently had he been brought out by the Sakayanagi family, as their one and only "successful product."

"Did the bath warm you up?"

The curtain at the entrance swayed lightly as Kitagawa stepped out. Sakayanagi Arisu's voice greeted him.

She was gazing at a half-crescent yellow moon in a starless sky. Her body, now flushed from the heat, basked in the occasional breeze.

Her cheeks were red like his, her normally sickly white skin glowing with color. Though her body had entered the stage of puberty, she was still far from that of a mature woman. Her deep violet eyes and surreal silver-white hair made her seem almost unreal—as if she could disappear at any moment, like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole.

She had only soaked for a short time due to her heart condition, yet her eyes still shimmered with moisture, and her lips glistened, petal-like.

"Yeah, thoroughly warmed up. No matter how many times you dip in, an onsen always feels amazing."

Kitagawa nodded. They were currently on a summer vacation before high school began, down in Ibusuki, Kyushu.

"You didn't forget anything, right?"

"Nope, got everything."

After confirming that nothing was left behind, the two walked side by side back toward the hotel.

"This might be the first time we've taken a bath together like this."

Kitagawa remarked as they strolled past blooming hibiscus.

"It is."

Arisu answered, walking beside him as if it were the most natural thing in the world—as if nothing had ever changed.

Though it was their first time.

"The play this afternoon was really interesting."

She was referring to the Shakespearean tragedy Oedipus Rex they watched together at the theater.

"The riddle of the Sphinx—what does it mean?"

She tilted her head, her silver hair swaying in the breeze.

"You mean the one that goes: 'Walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon, and one in the evening'?"

Kitagawa slowed his pace, the evening breeze brushing gently across them.

"Yes. In the play, Oedipus answered 'man.'"

"The Sphinx was a monster—a lion's body with a woman's face. It represents fear and temptation."

"But after Oedipus solved the riddle, the Sphinx threw itself off a cliff and died. Despite devouring countless victims, its own end was abrupt."

Arisu seemed genuinely interested.

"I think it means, 'Once man understands himself, he can overcome fear and temptation.'"

Kitagawa offered his interpretation.

"Ancient Greek drama often glorifies human will and bravery."

"But in the end, Oedipus still fulfilled the oracle. No matter how hard he struggled, he killed his father and married his mother."

Arisu cut in sharply.

"Even if people understand themselves, it may all be futile. That's why Oedipus blinds himself and chooses exile."

"Sometimes, not seeing the truth, not understanding reality—might be the real happiness."

A smile curved her lips. As Kitagawa looked at her in confusion, Arisu tucked some wind-blown hair behind her ear, took two steps forward, and turned to face him, leaning in slightly.

"Isn't that right, onii-chan?"

Kitagawa inhaled sharply, scratching his cheek in embarrassment.

"Didn't we agree to drop that nickname?"

"You're lying."

Arisu stepped closer. Though shorter, she somehow radiated a dominant presence.

Her violet eyes glimmered with amusement as her right hand slipped under his shirt, resting over his heart.

"Your heartbeat sped up."

"If you think my heart's racing because I'm lying and not because of your hand, that's a bit biased, isn't it?"

Unsatisfied with his answer, Arisu pushed him back two steps.

"You're wearing that expression and still trying to brush me off? If you want to do that, start by brushing yourself off first."

Her hand ruffled his messy black hair. Then she tiptoed, shifting her weight forward and pressed him against the railing.

Their posture was intimate, but luckily no other tourists were around.

"If that's the case, then don't say anything. If you're going to act, act with meaning. If not, stay still."

Kitagawa tried to wriggle free, but her words pinned him in place.

"I see..."

His heart wasn't just beating faster—it was thundering at max speed. It felt like it would leap out of his throat.

"You want me to call you 'onii-chan.'"

Only now did Kitagawa realize her bizarre obsession.

On one hand, she was like a fragile, obedient little sister.

On the other, she was a godlike being who controlled his thoughts and actions.

That was the definition he gave her.

Oedipus' fate was tragedy sealed by divine will.

His fate was sealed by Sakayanagi Arisu.

He couldn't leave.

"Yeah, I want Arisu to stay with me forever."

Just seeing her was enough. Her eyes and smile had completely captured him.

"Onii-chan, I'm right here."

"Yeah."

"So you don't need to go anywhere."

"Yeah. I'll always be with you, Arisu."

He kept telling himself again and again that he was living in happiness.

"You actually fulfilled my wish and completely crushed that Ayanokouji from the White Room."

Arisu placed a hand on his head.

"Here's your reward. First up—"

She dragged out her words playfully, like a kindergarten teacher.

"Head pat and snuggle."

"You forgot the second part."

Kitagawa beat her to the answer. He leaned into her embrace, drunk on the warmth.

"You smell like other people."

Arisu brushed her nose against his.

"Only my scent matters."

"Next is—"

"A hug."

Kitagawa wrapped his arms around her delicate shoulders, almost melting into her body like a child hugging their most beloved toy.

He felt a strange sense of fulfillment—as if offering himself up to a goddess.

In every memory he had over the past six years, Arisu had been there. Every meticulous future plan featured her.

Their fates had long since intertwined—like a thorn embedded in the heart.

"What's the last one?"

Sweet words still whispered in his ear.

"A kiss."

His lips brushed hers, and then he kissed her.

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On the final day of their vacation, Kitagawa Ryo and Sakayanagi Arisu climbed the seaside lighthouse together. The white-haired girl set her cane aside and leaned against the railing like a statue, silently gazing out over the vast ocean and harbor.

"If the distance is far enough," Kitagawa said as he looked toward the horizon where sea and sky became one, "even parallel lines that never intersect appear to overlap to the naked eye."

"But no matter how far they extend, the distance between them never actually shortens."

He frowned as he stared at the deep blue sea. Something tugged at the strings of his memory.

"What's wrong?"

Sakayanagi turned to face him, her deep violet eyes—a color Kitagawa had grown so familiar with over the years—now seemed ever so slightly... off.

"It's nothing."

He pushed away the strange feeling in his chest as Sakayanagi's left hand wrapped gently around his right.

Her delicate hand fit so easily into his palm. It felt as if the slightest pressure might break it—like newly fallen snow that could melt away at the lightest touch.

"There won't be a worst-case scenario... right, Arisu?"

"...Mhm."

She softly scratched the center of his palm with her pinky.

"In another month, we'll enter the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School together, right?"

"Chairman Sakayanagi already told me."

"Mhm."

Then, a mischievous smile crept across her face.

"I heard the school has full lockdown management. Three whole years."

She took a step back, spreading her arms like a bird ready to soar—as if trying to declare something grand.

"I'm really looking forward to it, Ryo."

Here, there were no outsiders. A world expanded only after someone else had been completely erased—that was the true happy ending.

Sakayanagi Arisu affirmed this with quiet certainty.