"Wait a moment."
Kitagawa Ryo's voice stopped Horikita Suzune, who had already taken half a step out of the room. She paused without turning around, as if waiting for his next instruction.
"Why did you suddenly bring me this? Is this a bribe or something?"
"Although, this is the first time I've seen someone use a bento to bribe a judge."
There was a teasing tone in Ryo's voice. Even with her back turned, Horikita could imagine the playful smile on his face.
Seeing that she remained motionless, Ryo casually opened the bento box.
"Looks pretty good. But can you tell me what this dish is?"
"I don't think I've ever seen it before."
Horikita pursed her lips, then reluctantly turned around and muttered, "Tom Yum Goong."
"Never heard of it," Ryo replied with a chuckle before taking a spoonful.
"But the taste's not bad."
"I cook for myself at home sometimes. Mind telling me how to make this?"
"You can find recipes online. Just follow the list of ingredients and the steps, and it turns out fine."
Leaning against the door, Horikita stayed put. She neither entered nor left.
"It's nothing worth praising."
In fact, until her conversation with Sakura Airi, Horikita had never thought of cooking as a skill to be proud of—especially since she'd never shared her food with others before.
As Ryo ate, he observed her.
For Horikita, taste wasn't the priority—functionality was. She approached everything with a strong sense of purpose. If something seemed meaningless to her, she wouldn't do it. And since she herself defined what counted as "meaningful," and her perspective was so narrow, she often acted in ways others found difficult to understand.
Take this dish, for example.
Tom Yum Goong is undeniably delicious, but it's also known for its strong flavors and specific ingredients—shrimp being the main one. For people allergic to seafood or with sensitive stomachs, it can trigger bad reactions.
Choosing a dish like this—known for its health benefits for women—without knowing anything about the other person's dietary restrictions was exactly Horikita's style.
He might as well tease her a little.
Horikita had been watching Ryo eat happily, and just as she was about to mention her wish to join the drama club as a logistics member, he suddenly dropped his spoon.
"What's wrong?"
"What ingredients did you use in this dish?"
Ryo furrowed his brows, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead.
"Shrimp," Horikita quickly responded and hurried over.
"Don't tell me you're allergic to seafood."
"I've never been able to eat it. Damn."
Clutching his stomach, Ryo grimaced.
"I-I'll take you to the infirmary?"
Even Horikita started to panic. If her cooking had caused a serious problem, there was no way the drama club would ever accept her.
"I only had a couple bites. I just need to rest."
He spoke weakly, lying back in his chair and gasping for air.
"I'm sorry. I really didn't know you had an allergy."
Horikita felt lost. She made Tom Yum Goong for herself sometimes and hadn't thought it could be a problem.
"Do you want warm water? A hot towel? I think there's none here, though..."
Her narrow view and disregard for others' feelings were showing again—especially when it involved her brother, Horikita Manabu. Even after enrolling at Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, these traits remained, maybe even worsened.
Ryo said nothing, then suddenly sat up like nothing had happened.
"I'm fine."
Horikita froze. At first, anger surged from being deceived, but it quickly turned into relief. The mix of emotions left her speechless.
"If I'm not wrong, you want to join the drama club through a logistics role, right?"
Ryo stirred the contents of the bento with his spoon.
"I'm not allergic to seafood, but you can't assume others in the club are the same."
"Of course. I'll investigate next time."
"I don't believe you."
He rejected her outright.
"I'm not denying your cooking skills, but logistics also includes preparing costumes, props, stage setup, coordinating lighting and background music. None of these can be done alone."
"So how am I supposed to trust someone with no friends to handle all that?"
"Trust that she'll get along with everyone both on and off the stage overnight?"
"Are you going to say none of that matters and you can manage everything on your own?"
He stared her down, like he was dismantling her years of rigid beliefs.
"Your brother, Horikita Manabu, joined the student council at Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School."
"Strange, isn't it? If someone can do everything alone, why join a club—especially the student council, which requires connections with the entire school?"
"I wonder what he'd think, seeing his sister struggling just to join a drama club."
"If you stay this stubborn, there's no reason for me to bring you to the cultural festival. After all, you've only ever disappointed your brother."
Maybe this was the first time he'd said something so harsh to Horikita Suzune. And sure, he had no right to interfere with someone else's life, but...
Ryo glanced at her complicatedly—head bowed, fists clenched.
Then the door opened again.
"Ryo, have you eaten lunch yet? I brought you a portion."
Ichinose Honami walked in, holding a bento box. She immediately noticed the awkward silence between the two.
"Horikita-san's here too? Uh, did something happen?"
She asked cautiously. She'd met Horikita once at the start of the semester.
"It's nothing. Let's eat."
Ryo closed Horikita's bento lid. Ichinose didn't press further and set her own box in front of him.
"Would you like some too, Horikita-san?"
Ichinose had no ill feelings toward her. They simply weren't close, so she offered politely.
"I brought my own."
Horikita reopened her bento—Ryo had barely touched it anyway.
"Tom Yum Goong, huh? Pretty complicated to make, but it's said to be good for the skin and digestion."
Ichinose glanced over curiously as she busily laid out several exquisite dishes on Ryo's desk.
Since they attended the same school, she often shared meals with him. Today, they had planned to meet here instead of the cafeteria.
"The lamb soup was simmered for hours. Since you don't share the same taste as Maki or my mom, I made a special version—without cilantro, since I know you hate it."
Typically, lamb soup includes cilantro to cover the gamey taste, but Ichinose always remembered that Ryo couldn't stand it—even when ordering ramen.
Horikita took a deep breath. Cilantro was also a key ingredient in Tom Yum Goong. Her bowl was full of it.
In front of Ryo, Ichinose always appeared like a gentle older sister. Her voice, usually bright and energetic, now flowed soft and sweet like water. Her beautiful face was glowing with a smile, eyes shining like stars.
"Ichinose-san is the vice president of the student council, right?"
Horikita looked up and asked.
Still smiling at Ryo, Ichinose nodded without looking away.
"Yes. Is something troubling you, Horikita-san? Since you just transferred, if there's anything you need help with, you can come to the council."
"The student council... handles that too?"
"Mm-hmm. As long as it concerns students, we're here to help."
Horikita nodded and silently continued eating.
She had never interacted with people much, let alone joined any club or council. But Ryo had said her brother joined the student council.
That truth still echoed in her heart.
She ate in silence, cleaned up her bento, and left—without saying another word.
"I thought she'd ask to join the student council."
"Hm? Why?"
"Imitation."
"She keeps telling herself, 'This is the kind of sister my brother wants.' Whether it's appearance, personality, or grades, everything is modeled after him."
Stretching after finishing the meal, Ryo half-closed his eyes.
"So it surprised me she didn't give up halfway."
"I don't really get it."
Ichinose was happy Ryo had eaten everything. That small sense of satisfaction made her eyes shine brighter.
"I'll head back now."
Lunch break wasn't long, so she quickly packed up and stood.
"Take care."
Ryo waved lazily from his lounge chair.
"You're so lazy."
She huffed, then added:
"Don't just lie there after eating."
"Can't lie down after eating, can't sit, can't stand, can't run. Basically, you can't do anything after eating."
He grabbed a book and covered his face.
"Might as well sleep."
"Just don't oversleep."
Shaking her head, Ichinose softly closed the door behind her.
As she stepped outside, she spotted Horikita curled up alone in a corner.
"Horikita-san?"
Slightly surprised, Ichinose still walked over. As vice president, she'd heard rumors about Horikita being isolated in class.
"Do you need help with anything?"
Horikita looked up and met her kind gaze.
"...I'd like to ask a few questions. May I?"
"If I can answer, of course."
Ichinose crouched down beside her.
"President Kitagawa's food preferences—any allergies or dislikes I should know about?"
Horikita rubbed her eyes and asked shyly.
It was the first time she'd ever asked about someone else's dietary habits.
"Hmm... He's not into spicy food, prefers sour-sweet flavors, okay with scallions but hates cilantro."
Ichinose answered honestly, even if she didn't know why Horikita asked.
"Doesn't eat raw garlic, but garlic paste is okay. Likes noodles al dente..."
She listed everything so thoroughly that Horikita was stunned.
There really are girls who remember such detailed preferences.
"But why are you asking, Horikita-san?"
"Because... I want to join the drama club through a logistics position."
She hesitated before answering truthfully.
"Logistics, huh? I used to do that—for a theater troupe, actually. Ryo was the one who recommended it to me."
Ichinose recalled her own experience.
"Cooking's just a small part. Though being skilled is a plus."
"But the real challenge is handling props, costumes, coordinating with the cast—requires tons of communication."
She openly shared her insights.
"Ryo always said a successful play isn't just about the actors. Every staff member deserves praise."
"Even in a one-man show, the actor can't just go on stage naked in the dark, right?"
"Mm."
Horikita nodded slowly. In the distance, a golden sun rose peacefully between city buildings.
"Thank you very much."
-------------------------------------
[Horikita Suzune's emotional state has changed. Her life trajectory has shifted.]
[Unlock condition achieved.]
Kitagawa Ryo suddenly opened his eyes wide from the lounge chair.
What was that?
Ever since his reincarnation, the "Life Restart Simulator" had remained completely dormant. But now, for the first time, it reacted.
On the blue main screen, the previously grayed-out and inaccessible "Chapter: Horikita Suzune's Winter Fantasy" had turned bright and selectable.
"The simulator...?"
Ryo quickly calmed himself after a brief moment of panic. He pulled a small knife from the drawer and sliced his palm.
What he feared most was that everything around him was still part of some so-called simulation. If all of this were false...
The pain felt extremely real. Ryo clenched his hand tightly as blood dripped onto the desk.
[Simulate possible future developments through brief textual descriptions.]
Yet, Ryo remained motionless, refraining from acting rashly.
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