A Classroom of the Elite: I Have a Life Simulator
Author: Yingning
Synopsis:
[Life Restart Simulator]
[Entering chapter "Ichinose Honami's Summer Time Rendering"]
[Five talents randomly selected: A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold, Tokyo Handsome Guy, Protector of Flowers, Scion of a Prestigious Family, Attracted to Younger Women]
[Simulation begins]
[Day 14: On the night of the Fireworks Festival, you blocked the blade Ichinose Honami had thrust at Karuizawa Kei. Under their horrified, grief-stricken gazes, you died.]
[This simulation has ended. Choose one talent to retain and carry over to your next simulation.]
[Ending achieved: Bystander—Human joys and sorrows are not shared. We often overlook many of the causes, and see only the effects.]
[Ending achieved: Symbiosis—The strongest bond in the world is that of accomplices.]
[Ending achieved: Salvation—Then let's make this our promise: from now on, we'll walk a long way together.]
On the day he truly crossed into another world, Kitagawa Ryo arrived at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School. Looking at the string of golden talents he had acquired, he scratched his head and said:
"Uh, but I've already unlocked every CG and cleared every ending."
Ichinose Honami's Summer Time Rendering
Chapter 1: Ichinose Honami's Summer Time Rendering
[Life Restart Simulator]
[Each time you begin a life simulation, five talents will be selected at random. Talents come in five grades: white, green, blue, purple, and gold. After each simulation, the player may choose one talent to lock in and retain for the next simulation.]
[Please note: You may run each chapter's simulation no more than five times. If you fail all five simulations, the game is over.]
[After successfully clearing a chapter, the player permanently gains all talents held upon completion and may use them in the next chapter's simulation.]
[Clear every chapter to receive a Mysterious Prize.]
[Have fun.]
[Ding—the Life Restart Simulator is now active.]
[Please name your character.]
[The player has chosen a random name.]
[Name assigned.]
[The first simulation of the first chapter is about to begin.]
[Chapter: Ichinose Honami's Summer Time Rendering]
[Five talents have been selected for the player:]
[Piercing Heart and Carved Bones (Purple): You have a mysterious past. (Very likely to affect the chapter's ending.)]
[Pooper Scooper (Blue): You have a clever, well-behaved pet cat. (It's just a cat.)]
[Modest Assets (Blue): You own an eighty-square-meter apartment and have five million yen in savings. (The apartment is in Tokyo.)]
[Affinity (Green): You were born with an exceptional ability to put people at ease, making it easier to earn their trust. (Works on both men and women.)]
[Taciturn (White): You're poor at communicating, and over time, you've become a person of few words. (This makes it harder for you to form closer relationships.)]
[Talent selection complete.]
[First chapter objective: Find the turning point in Ichinose Honami's life and correct it.]
"Oh, this is kind of interesting."
In a dim room, the boy tapped the [Start] button.
Sixteen-year-old Ryo yawned softly. His mother had left after divorcing his father when he was twelve, and two years later, his father had abandoned him too. After that, he erased his original surname and kept only a single-character name. He barely made enough to get by writing web novels, and lately, he'd become hooked on the Life Restart Simulator series.
The real-life version, the xianxia version, the magic version, the otherworld version...
He'd tried every kind of Life Restart Simulator without exception. Part of it was that he genuinely liked these highly random text-based games. But another part was that he truly hoped he might get the chance to start his life over someday.
"This version of Life Restart Simulator feels more like a mystery-solving and romance game."
"In that case..."
[Simulation begins]
As the background music changed, the text on the screen began to appear in real time.
[Day 1: It was July 9. Tokyo was sweltering in the early days of July. Following the directions on your phone, you stood at a street corner and headed toward your new apartment. Everything here felt novel. During summer vacation, you saw plenty of couples your age dating on the streets. Advertisements played on massive screens mounted on the sides of the surrounding buildings. The white cat on your shoulder patted your cheek with its paw, signaling that the light had turned green.]
"Ah, I wish I could have a cat. Though I can barely afford to feed myself right now..."
[You had forgotten most of your past. At sixteen, you had come to Tokyo to inherit your family's estate: an eighty-square-meter apartment. You also had five million yen in your bank account. Those were the only two things you could rely on to survive in this international metropolis.]
[Your apartment was on the third floor of a building. When you arrived, the movers were already waiting downstairs. Since it was noon and you didn't want to disturb the neighbors, you decided to introduce yourself in advance and knocked on the door opposite yours.]
[A girl who seemed about your age opened the door. During your introductions, you learned that her name was Ichinose Honami and that she was in her third year of middle school. Since her mother was at work, only she and her younger sister were home. You understood what she meant and said you'd come by with a housewarming gift that evening, after you'd finished unpacking.]
[Ichinose Honami's easygoing manner left a deep impression on you. You also noticed her younger sister behind her, who looked about two years younger and was very interested in your cat. She kept staring at it, seeming eager to pet it.]
[The talent 'Affinity' took effect. Encouraged by your gaze, the first-year middle school student named Ichinose Maki managed to pet the white cat. Before long, the two of them were happily playing together. You sensed that Ichinose Honami had warmed to you.]
[While the move lasted about half an hour, you chatted with Ichinose Honami. To your surprise, although she was a year younger than you, she showed remarkable warmth and understanding in her choice of words and the way she treated people. Since you weren't good at talking, she took the lead in keeping the conversation going without making things awkward. You acknowledged how impressive she was and also learned that Ichinose Honami was the student council president at her school.]
[That evening, as a new neighbor, you went to visit the Ichinose Family with a housewarming gift. Ichinose's mother looked older than her years. You noticed that the family wasn't particularly well-off. Your relationship with the Ichinose Family had gone from strangers to acquaintances.]
"So we're neighbors, huh?"
"I wonder if this opening is because of the Modest Assets talent, or if the game always puts you right next door to the target."
"I'd better write that down."
Since he'd decided from the start to clear the game, Ryo had prepared pen and paper. He read the text while jotting down the important details.
[Day 2: Your white cat woke you up. After washing up, you realized you still hadn't named your new owner. After a brief moment of thought, you named her 'Hotaru' for her eyes, which shone like fire opals. Once you'd finished breakfast, you gave Hotaru a bath. The cat felt soft and fluffy to the touch, and you enjoyed the pleasure of petting her. Happiness increased by one.]
"Hey, can't you go out and gather some information?"
There was nothing worth writing down in the second day's description. Ryo made a half-hearted complaint about the game's progress, then fast-forwarded to the next day.
[Day 3: You were engrossed in petting the cat.]
[Day 4: You were engrossed in petting the cat.]
After two more days of brief descriptions, Ryo would have thought the protagonist had been bewitched by some catgirl or the like, if not for the note under the Pooper Scooper talent that it was just a cat.
"Get moving, damn it!"
[Day 5: You realized you couldn't stay cooped up at home forever, so you decided to take the cat out for a walk.]
[You ran into Ichinose Maki. She seemed awkwardly unable to remember your name, but she remembered your cat very well. You were forced to accept the strange nickname 'the big brother with the cat.']
[While chatting with Ichinose Maki, you learned that she'd once wanted a cat too, but had sadly given up because her family's circumstances weren't suitable. Now, she wanted a hair clip from a certain style that had been popular last year.]
[The talent 'Taciturn' took effect. Somehow, you realized this was a crucial clue, but because you weren't naturally good at talking, you gave up on asking further questions.]
"Trying out the first simulation to see what happens is fine, right? At least I got one clue."
"From the description, the hair clip seems like an important item."
[Day 6: You read the following news stories on TV:]
["In response to the recent increase in school bullying, experts pointed out that middle school is a sensitive period in adolescents' physical and psychological development. Educators and parents should work together to pay attention to young people's mental health."
"Tokyo Koudo Ikusei High School has faced criticism for using too many public resources. The school held a press conference yesterday to respond."
"The annual Fireworks Festival will be held at the end of this month."]
[You were bored, so you went back to petting the cat.]
"Is this just background information about the game's world?"
[Day 7: You went out at night and ran into Ichinose's mother. You greeted her warmly. Since it was rather late, you asked where she was going.]
[The talent 'Affinity' took effect. She didn't think you meant any harm, so she told you that work had been busy lately and she'd been working overtime at night. You nodded and told her to take care of herself.]
"So how can someone be both exceptionally friendly and taciturn... Is he just a good-natured guy?"
Ryo had a bad habit of talking to himself, one that had lingered for years. Once, he'd even been frowned at for muttering commentary while watching a movie alone. He twirled his pen in his hand. It wasn't as if anyone else was home.
[Day 8: While struggling with the complicated rules for sorting garbage, you got help from Ichinose Honami, who happened to be heading out. She patiently taught you a few useful tips and thanked you for keeping her younger sister occupied with the cat lately.]
"Talk, hurry up and talk!"
After several days without seeing the target appear in the descriptions, Ryo immediately perked up.
[Ichinose Honami asked what school you attended. Since you couldn't remember your past, you scratched your head awkwardly and told her you were unemployed and looking for work. For some reason, you thought Ichinose Honami looked a little envious.]
"A good student is jealous that I don't have to go to class?"
There wasn't much information about Ichinose Honami, so Ryo could only piece together her character from the few descriptions he had.
[Day 9: While wandering around the streets, you ran into Ichinose Honami. She was buying groceries at a department store. You thought she looked very feminine as she chose vegetables in front of the shelves, and your heart skipped a beat.]
"She's way too easy to win over. I don't remember having any weird talent like that."
[While talking with Ichinose Honami, you learned that tomorrow was Ichinose Maki's birthday. You offered to give her a present, but Ichinose Honami politely refused. You sensed that she'd become somewhat obsessive lately.]
"July 9 plus nine days... So her birthday is July 18?"
[Day 10: While bathing Hotaru today, you noticed that the Ichinose Family seemed to be arguing next door. Leaving Hotaru dripping with foam and looking bewildered, you opened the door to see what was going on.]
[The noise was indeed coming from the Ichinose Family's apartment. You considered your current relationship with the family and decided not to knock. You'd ask about it in a couple of days.]
"This should be an important choice. The game's judging it based on my relationship with the Ichinose Family. So far, I've only gotten to know them. That means I'll fail at this crucial point on Day 10..."
"This simulation's probably a bust. Let's see if I can get another couple of useful clues."
His thoughts raced. As an experienced gamer, Ryo had more or less declared this simulation dead.
[Day 11: While taking your cat out, you ran into Ichinose Honami, who was hurrying out. You tactfully asked about what had happened the day before. When you realized she didn't want to talk about it, you dropped the subject. Ichinose Honami asked you to look after her younger sister for the next couple of days. Her mother had been hospitalized due to exhaustion from work, and she might not have time to look after Ichinose Maki. You sensed there might be more to it, but your taciturn nature kept you from asking. You simply nodded and agreed.]
"The argument, followed by a hospital stay... Something must have happened in the Ichinose Family."
[Day 12: Ichinose Maki spent the whole day at your place petting the cat. To reassure her family, you left your front door wide open. While chatting with you, Ichinose Maki complained about her mother. You didn't know what had happened, but you comforted her, saying that her mother had her own difficulties. To your surprise, Ichinose Maki said she had her own troubles too. Just as she was halfway through venting, Ichinose Honami came home. She pulled her somewhat angry younger sister back into their apartment while apologizing to you. You noticed that she seemed dazed and reminded her to get some rest.]
"This is the second time Ichinose Honami's mental state has come up. The first was on Day 9, before her younger sister's birthday. Then the argument broke out on her birthday, and her mother was hospitalized that same day..."
[Day 13: You slept until noon. Yawning, you noticed how bright the sun was and decided to take your futon outside to air. From the balcony, you saw Ichinose Maki skipping out. You asked where she was going, and she said she was going to the hospital to visit her mother.]
[You found it strange. Yesterday, she'd been angrily accusing her mother, but today she was smiling as she went to visit her. Children's moods came and went quickly, but something still felt a little off.]
[You knocked on the Ichinose Family's door, wanting to see if Ichinose Honami was home. No one answered.]
[Three hours later, you were stunned to hear a certain fact stated with absolute certainty.]
[Mission failed. Your life simulation has ended.]
[This simulation lasted thirteen days. You may choose one talent to retain. It will be automatically used in the next simulation.]
[Congratulations on earning the achievement 'First Experience.' You have received one Talent Refresh Card (Green).]
[Talent Refresh Card: Refresh any one talent. The new talent is guaranteed to be Green.]
[Congratulations on achieving the ending: Bystander.]
[Bystander: Human joys and sorrows are not shared. We often overlook many of the causes, and see only the effects.]
[Story CG unlocked: The Guilty]
[The Guilty: When you can't forgive yourself, even the kindness of those around you feels like a heavier set of shackles.]
[Would you like to read this story CG? (It may help with your next steps in the game.)]
Chapter 2: The Guilty (Part 1)
Ichinose Honami never spoke to anyone about her father. It was as though he'd never been part of her life at all, as though he'd left no trace behind.
Before you continue