Classroom of the Elite, I Have a Life Simulator 11

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

The first round ended quickly; Kitagawa Ryo played rock, and Ichinose Honami played scissors.

"As expected, Honami, you still like to play scissors in the first round just like when we were kids."

Kitagawa Ryo wore a triumphant expression. Even though it was just a simple game, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the process.

"Aren't you afraid that I might have changed my habits, Ryo?"

"I played rock with the firm determination to believe in you, Honami."

Kitagawa Ryo placed his right hand behind his back again and spoke to Ichinose Honami with a smile.

"Next round, I'm going to play scissors again."

Ichinose Honami cast her gaze toward the eager Kitagawa Ryo and announced this in a lighthearted tone.

"You said just now that you believed in me, right?"

Rock, paper, scissors is not purely a game of luck; it allows for psychological maneuvering before the actual throw. If someone declares what they are going to play beforehand, it evolves into a game of suspicion and denial.

However, Ichinose Honami didn't seem to be considering any of that; she simply said to Kitagawa Ryo:

"It doesn't matter where we go, as long as you make the decision, Ryo. Let's just get this over with."

After saying this, Ichinose Honami stared at Kitagawa Ryo's face, but he just offered his usual light chuckle:

"Mm, I understand."

What on earth is he thinking?

Will he really believe my words and act according to what I said?

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

"Rock, paper, scissors."

Kitagawa Ryo threw his fist without a moment's hesitation, but he was met with Ichinose Honami's paper.

"So Honami can lie now, too."

Kitagawa Ryo wasn't surprised in the slightest, nor did he seem angry.

As I thought, he knew I was deceiving him and still chose to act exactly as I had said.

"Saying 'believe in me' is a trick commonly used by liars. If you hear those three words, you should be suspicious first."

Ichinose Honami pretended not to care as she pulled her hand back behind her back:

"In the future, please be careful of liars who say they believe in you, Ryo..."

"Are you an actress, Honami?"

"What?"

"Because you performed very well just now. Your poker face was spot on. People who can deceive others with such peace of mind are either liars or actors."

Kitagawa Ryo gave Ichinose Honami a mischievous wink:

"Besides, the better an actor's performance, the deeper they deceive the audience, and they end up getting even more praise for it."

I felt a dull ache in my heart, and my throat felt a bit dry.

"This is the last round."

Ichinose Honami interrupted Kitagawa Ryo as if deliberately avoiding the topic.

"But an audience won't be fooled twice by the same performance. I'm actually quite good at seeing through lies."

Making his declaration with full confidence, Kitagawa Ryo acted as if victory was already within his grasp.

"And yet you were just fooled..."

Ichinose Honami sighed and prepared to start the third round of the game.

Just as the two were about to throw their hands, Kitagawa Ryo suddenly spoke:

"Honami."

"Hm?"

"This time, I'm still going with rock."

There was no time to think; the next second, the throw arrived.

In that final moment, even Ichinose Honami couldn't grasp what she was thinking.

"It looks like Honami won."

The scene unfolding before them was Ichinose Honami's paper against Kitagawa Ryo's rock.

"Why are you making such a surprised face? It seems you really do trust me, Honami."

"Even though you've learned how to lie, Honami, you're also quite simply prone to being deceived."

Despite losing the game, Kitagawa Ryo didn't look discouraged in the slightest. He stood up, brushed off his knees, and asked in a relaxed manner:

"Where to next?"

"Let's go to the temple."

Honami Ichinose only snapped back to reality when she heard Kitagawa Ryo's question; until that moment, she had been staring blankly at her right hand, which she had spread out like a piece of cloth.

Even though the plan was proceeding smoothly, she felt not a shred of joy in her heart. It was like a hollow, silent abyss, where no emotion could find an echo.

"Are you interested in the temple too, Honami? I heard you can draw fortune slips there, and they're supposed to be quite accurate."

Biting her lip hard, desperately suppressing the wave of nausea rising from her stomach, Honami Ichinose forced herself to answer calmly:

"I suppose so. It's getting late, too; we might still make it in time for the vegetarian meal they serve to the public."

"Do you want to hold hands?"

Hearing Honami Ichinose's words, Kitagawa Ryo smiled happily, much like a child who had scored a hundred on a test and reached out for a candy from their parents with complete confidence:

"Of course I do."

Unlike when they held hands at the park entrance earlier, Kitagawa Ryo could feel that her hand had grown much colder:

"Your hand is a bit cold, Honami."

"It's probably because I was holding an ice cream earlier."

"I hope we can go watch the fireworks display this year just like we used to."

"Why bring that up all of a sudden?"

"Because the time is almost here, isn't it? Aren't there plenty of shops selling yukata around here?"

Kitagawa Ryo seemed to notice her hand trembling slightly from anxiety:

"I will definitely be back from abroad before the fireworks display starts next year."

"Although it might be a bit difficult, if I can manage it sooner, I'll try my best to return by your birthday. It's July 20th, right? I've already prepared a gift for you this year."

Kitagawa Ryo rarely made promises, so this was one of the few times Honami Ichinose had seen him planning and sketching out the future with such longing.

Perhaps suddenly realizing that the girl beside him hadn't responded, Kitagawa Ryo scratched his head in embarrassment:

"I think I got a bit carried away, talking about things so far off."

As he said this, Kitagawa Ryo looked cautiously at Honami Ichinose, who was walking beside him with her head down, seemingly texting someone. Her long hair fell forward, obscuring her face and making it impossible to read her expression.

"...It's fine, I'm looking forward to it too."

"It's been a long time since I've received a birthday gift from you, anyway."

Honami Ichinose put her phone away, reached up to tuck her hair behind her ears, and immediately flashed that same brilliant smile she always wore.

"But I won't accept anything too expensive."

"I couldn't afford anything too expensive even if I wanted to."

Kitagawa Ryo recalled that the gifts he had given her in the past—umbrellas, alarm clocks, mugs—were all incredibly practical but certainly not very expensive. He asked tentatively:

"Do small accessories like hair clips count as too expensive?"

"My mom would nag me about those. She never wants me to receive things from you that are conspicuous enough to wear out."

Honami Ichinose let out a long sigh. Through the gaps in the tree branches ahead, the golden eaves of the temple were already visible.

"The guidebook says the vegetarian meal is served from 11:30 to 13:00, limited to one thousand servings. It's already 12:30, and I don't know if we'll make it in time."

After estimating the remaining distance, Kitagawa Ryo spoke with some trepidation. After all, they had already pinned their lunch plans on this place; if they missed it, they would be stuck gnawing on the sandwiches they had brought along.

"We'll make it. Let's hurry."

Honami Ichinose cast her gaze toward the distant temple, and she could almost hear the tolling of a great bell in her ears.

Struggling to suppress her emotions, she looked at Kitagawa Ryo, who was watching her with a puzzled expression. Honami Ichinose smoothed back her hair, which had been ruffled by the wind, stopped in her tracks, and turned to face him. Leaning forward slightly, she said every word clearly:

"Trust me."

"Wow, the promotional pictures were so exquisite, but the taste is just too mediocre. It perfectly matches the price of being provided for free."

Having just emerged from the somewhat crowded tourist cafeteria and breathing in the fresh air of the trees, Kei Karuizawa couldn't help but complain.

"I feel like the flavor is indeed a bit too bland."

Maki Ichinose, who was busy searching for the cat they had temporarily left in the courtyard, chimed in casually.

"Hotaru!"

Spotting a lazy white presence crouching on a tree, Maki Ichinose trotted to the base of the tree and called out.

Hearing the call of its servant, the white cat leaped down and quickly returned to Maki Ichinose's arms.

"Not only is the name the same, but it feels like it looks just like her, too."

Although she had heard Kitagawa Ryo talk a few days ago about the white cat named "Hotaru" that he and Honami Ichinose had raised together, and she knew that the one in Maki Ichinose's arms was just a cat bought later that resembled the original, Kei Karuizawa still couldn't help but remark on it.

She reached out to pet the white cat's head, but after receiving a look of slight disdain, she pulled her hand back sheepishly.

"What time is it now?"

"It's almost one o'clock."

Hearing Ichinose Maki's question, Karuizawa Kei pulled out her phone to take a look:

"Let's head to the summit after a short rest, otherwise I feel like we won't make it back down in time."

"Mm, let's sit here and wait a little longer."

Having decided on their itinerary, Ichinose Maki and Karuizawa Kei found a stone bench under a tree, chatting casually while digesting the food they had just eaten, though the conversation gradually drifted toward Kitagawa Ryo.

"Has Kitagawa-senpai lived across from your house since you were little?"

"Yeah, so when we later heard that my brother's family was actually a fairly wealthy, prominent clan, both my sister and I were quite surprised. Because when he was a kid, you couldn't tell at all that he was from a rich family; he would often run off to play in all sorts of woods and sandpits, and he only ever bought the cheapest popsicles."

"My brother was always with my sister from elementary school until they entered middle school, and only then did he start to become different from the other boys. Even though my sister is also excellent, I always feel like she can't quite hold her head up in front of him."

Ichinose Maki counted on her fingers as she commented on Kitagawa Ryo:

"He's a year older than my sister, so he entered middle school a step ahead of her and became the student council president a step ahead of her. He's handsome by nature and plays soccer well, too. I heard that when he was about to graduate from his third year of middle school, he would receive over a dozen love letters every single morning."

"Kitagawa-senpai is indeed a very excellent person, and his personality is great too; he gives off a sense of security."

Karuizawa Kei nodded in agreement. Although she had only built a fake lover relationship with Kitagawa Ryo for these few days, it was enough for her to realize that having a boyfriend like him was truly something to be proud of. Even today, she would still often recall the scene where Kitagawa Ryo held her shoulders and accepted her confession in front of everyone.

"A great personality, huh..."

Ichinose Maki stroked the white cat in her arms and spoke with some hesitation:

"I won't deny that, but sometimes my brother does things that don't match his appearance."

"And it's always because of my sister."

Ichinose Maki suddenly pointed an accusatory finger, sounding indignant:

"My sister is such an idiot!"

"Eh?"

Startled by the sudden volume of the small girl beside her, Karuizawa Kei let out a puzzled sound.