Classroom of the Elite, I Have a Life Simulator

Amidst the chattering group of girls, Karuizawa Kei echoed their questions with a touch of unnatural stiffness, trying her best to appear composed. She gripped the phone she had just hung up, while the circle of girls she had summoned—those who had once bullied her—now served as her most solid protective net.

She would never accept the outcome of breaking up with you, even if she had to build a mountain of lies upon lies.

Karuizawa Kei took a deep breath; dressed in a blue yukata, she carried the scent of roses today—the perfume you had gifted her.

Ichinose Honami heard the cold electronic voice for the thirteenth time: "The number you have dialed is powered off, please try again later." With every repetition, the force with which she gripped the object in her hand increased, until the veins stood out clearly against her snow-white wrists.

Ichinose Honami was a person of exceptional talent. Unlike you, she had grasped the true nature of Karuizawa Kei much earlier. She knew clearly that Karuizawa Kei would never let go of you, the lifeline she had worked so hard to secure. After you listened to her past and accepted her weaknesses, she had transformed into a... parasite that could not be shaken off.

After the fourteenth failed call, Ichinose Honami tossed her phone directly into the nearby grass. She was fifty meters away from Karuizawa Kei, and she could clearly see the circle of girls surrounding her. This expected outcome made her sneer.

As the time drew closer, her heart grew more tranquil. While Ichinose Honami waited in this grove, a deep and quiet weariness welled up within her, as if she no longer clung to anything, as if nothing mattered anymore. In this moment, she finally didn't have to worry about her family, her classmates, or others. This oblivion brought her a long-lost sense of peace—a peace as deep as the abyss.

Even though yesterday she had regretted wanting to return to previous points in time—whether it was burying Hotaru, the two of you hiking, or even the first time she visited you in the hospital—the current Ichinose Honami no longer dwelled on those possibilities, for she was already immersed in this reality.

She saw the figure of the boy walking toward this spot, holding two Candy Apples. As he approached Karuizawa Kei, he was visibly startled.

Sure enough, he hadn't expected that Karuizawa Kei would still try to exploit his kindness at the very end, feigning pity to drag out that hypocritical relationship a little longer. If he were truly that perceptive about emotions, he wouldn't have wasted so much time on her.

Ichinose Honami opened the greeting card in her hand. This birthday card hadn't been consumed by the fire in the burning building as you had imagined; it had been dropped in the hallway and picked up by Ichinose Honami afterward.

"I hope you can trust your own heart to make a judgment. I hope you can care more about yourself. If a situation arises where you must sacrifice yourself to save others, do not hesitate to abandon yourself. You are not a truly omnipotent angel, nor are you a prisoner born with original sin."

She... still couldn't seem to do it.

Just like now, she only wanted to abandon herself once more for your sake, for the sake of the person she loved, to solve the problem of Karuizawa Kei once and for all.

Ichinose Honami closed her right hand around the knife and walked silently toward the spot.

The moment you saw the girls surrounding Karuizawa Kei, you understood her self-righteous trick, but the first emotion that welled up in your heart wasn't the anger of betrayal, but an inexplicable sorrow.

Perhaps you shouldn't have agreed to her confession back then; perhaps you shouldn't have accepted her past; perhaps...

A strange atmosphere permeated the air, and in this setting, the scent of roses carried a hint of decay.

You took a step forward.

Another figure approached Karuizawa Kei faster than you. Her shadow fell before you, and the right hand of that shadow glinted with a cold light.

The blade struck toward Karuizawa Kei's chest like an arrow released from a bowstring.

You lunged forward instinctively; the speed of this moment felt incredible even to yourself.

A cold sensation accompanied the pain. You felt your strength draining from your body, ignoring your will, as if every bone in you had shattered. The ends of your optic nerves felt as if they were being severed, and the information entering your pupils grew increasingly sparse. Before long, darkness finally descended.

The last thing reflected in your field of vision was the grand fireworks blooming in the sky.

Day 14: On the night of the fireworks festival, you blocked the blade Ichinose Honami aimed at Karuizawa Kei. Under the sorrowful and shocked gazes of both, you died.

This simulation lasted for fourteen days. You may choose one talent to retain, which will be automatically used in the following simulation.

Congratulations to the player for reaching the ending: Phantom Dream.

Phantom Dream: You failed to save anyone, but the good news is: you don't have to witness a crueler future with your own eyes. Like a phantom dream, rest in peace.

Chapter 23: The Third Simulation

Congratulations to the player for achieving the achievement "First Clear," obtaining one Talent Refresh Card (Purple).

Talent Refresh Card (Purple): Can refresh any talent; the new talent is guaranteed to be of purple quality.

Congratulations to the player for achieving the achievement "I Want It All," obtaining one permanent talent slot.

I Want It All: Triggered three or more story CGs in a single simulation.

Permanent Talent Slot: The player's initial talent count increases by one; you can now draw six initial talents.

Congratulations to the player for achieving the achievement "Double Girlfriends," obtaining one Talent Upgrade Card.

Double Girlfriends: Gained the favor of two important female characters in a single simulation.

Talent Upgrade Card: Can increase the quality of a selected talent by one tier. Gold talents cannot be upgraded. Applicable to initial and solidified talents.

Congratulations to the player for achieving the achievement "Regret," obtaining one Temporary Talent Card.

Regret: Reached a Bad End for the first time.

Temporary Talent Card: Can be used at any time during a simulation. After use, the player is guaranteed to obtain a talent beneficial to the current situation; quality is random.

Chapter 1 completion goal: Find Ichinose Honami's life turning point and correct it. Completed. Final comprehensive score: 69 points.

Congratulations to the player for completing the first chapter. Drawing corresponding score-tier rewards for the player.

Congratulations to the player for obtaining the reward item: Blessing of Ichinose Honami.

Blessing of Ichinose Honami: When drawing initial talents, you will never obtain white-tier talents.

Current highest score: 69 points.

There are three remaining simulation attempts for the first chapter. The player may choose to simulate the first chapter again, or choose to end the first chapter with a comprehensive score of 69. The remaining three simulations will be defaulted as completed at the 69-point score tier, and rewards will be issued.

"Is it... over?"

Tapping the screen mechanically, Ryo remained immersed in the lingering echoes of the second simulation for a long time. The lifelike characters and sincere emotions in the second simulation held a greater appeal to him than the rewards he had just obtained, so much so that even when the screen had automatically returned to the game's starting page, he was still thinking about the girl in Ichinose Honami's story.

Originally, Kitagawa Ryo thought that since he had drawn the gold-tier talent "A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold," which could be considered a foundation for maxed-out favorability, the progress of his second simulation should have been much smoother. However, he hadn't expected that the ending of the second simulation would still be a tragedy. Although the game ultimately judged that he had cleared the first chapter and completed the task of changing Ichinose Honami's past, the final system score of only 69 points made it clear that he hadn't fully cleared it.

On the game's initial interface, the title of the second chapter was already lit up; it had become unlocked after he cleared the first chapter.

"Karuizawa Kei's Autumn Lie."

"Is she the protagonist of the second chapter?"

Kitagawa Ryo frowned slightly. Unlike the situation with Ichinose Honami, he wasn't very familiar with the character Karuizawa Kei yet. However, judging from the second simulation, what this girl encountered and faced was even worse than the first chapter's protagonist, Ichinose Honami, and her personality was also more twisted.

His eyes felt a bit sore, so Kitagawa Ryo simply put down his phone, closed his eyes, and recalled the entire process of the second simulation from beginning to end.

False Love, She and Her Cat, Actor, and finally Fireworks Are Cold—he could feel Ichinose Honami's struggle and entanglement between the lines, as well as the knife she ultimately thrust for him. Thinking of this, Kitagawa Ryo felt a bit relieved that the simulation had ended there. He couldn't imagine what kind of ending he would face if he had personally assassinated his childhood friend Ichinose Honami, and he didn't want to imagine it either.

She deserved a better ending.

Kitagawa Ryo splashed some cold water on his face, reopened the game, and without hesitation, chose the first chapter:

[Ichinose Honami's Summer Time Rendering.]

"Then let this summer come again."

"If I'm going to retain talents, the only ones with real value from last time are the gold-tier 'A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold,' the purple-tier 'Tokyo Handsome Guy,' and the blue-tier 'Protector of Flowers.' Actually, thinking back now, 'Tokyo Handsome Guy' and 'Protector of Flowers' were also the hidden causes of the bad ending in the second simulation. Because my personal charm was too high, it attracted Karuizawa Kei. If I didn't have 'Protector of Flowers,' maybe I wouldn't have been in time to block that knife, although it would have been a bad ending even if I didn't block it."

"The importance of 'A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold' lies not only in it being a gold-tier talent, but also in the fact that it can raise Ichinose Honami's favorability to a high level right from the start. So, if I'm going to retain one, this is the best choice."

Sitting back at the table, Kitagawa Ryo quickly thought through his decision.

[You have chosen to retain "A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold" (Gold-tier talent)]

[A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold (Gold): You are very lucky. You and the heroine of this chapter are childhood sweethearts who grew up together. Your youth contains both you and her. Your lives are intertwined and will not be separated. At any time, you will not leave the other person behind, even if at times you are unexpectedly stubborn, shameless, or meddlesome. (That is the person who, day after day, from childhood to maturity, accompanied you through campus, through rumors, and through the passing years.)]

"It feels... slightly ironic."

[This talent has been solidified. Do you wish to start the third simulation?]

[Ding—Life Restart Simulator has started.]

[Please name your character.]

[Player chooses to name him Kitagawa Ryo.]

[Naming complete.]

[The third simulation of the first chapter will now begin.]

[Chapter: Ichinose Honami's Summer Time Rendering]

[Six talents have been drawn for the player, as follows:]

[Unforgettable (Gold): You possess an extremely mysterious past. You can no longer remember much, as if the memories of the past were plucked out of thin air. (Drawing this talent unlocks the hidden endings 'Oedipus Rex' and 'Salvation'.)]

[Oedipus Rex: Fate will always catch up to your footsteps until it reaches the future it has chosen for you.]

[Salvation: Then let's make a promise here to walk a long way together in the future.]

"...I remember this talent appeared during the first simulation, but back then it was called Piercing Heart and Carved Bones, a purple-tier talent, and it didn't appear in the simulation."

Flipping through his previous notes, Kitagawa Ryo found the earlier description.

"Looking at these two endings, one seems to be a happy ending and the other a bad ending."

[Love Expert (Purple): You have an extremely nuanced grasp of female psychology. You easily gain their favor. (This talent has certain negative effects.)]

"This note about negative effects is exactly the same as 'Tokyo Handsome Guy' from last time."

Kitagawa Ryo sighed softly. If the subsequent talents weren't particularly disappointing, he was already prepared to swap this one out.

[Dream Weaver (Purple): You are skilled at weaving dreams and possess the ability to peek into and slightly influence the dreams of others. (Codename: Paprika)]

"Superpowers? What does Paprika mean?"

Kitagawa Ryo frowned and went online to look up relevant information.

"Paprika, an animated film by Japanese director Satoshi Kon. It tells the story of the near future where, in order to treat the increasing and worsening mental illnesses of modern humans, the Psychiatric Medical Research Institute in Tokyo developed a machine that can reflect the dreams of others. With the help of the micro-DC, dreams are presented on a monitor, making it easier to find the crux of a person's anxiety. The heroine, as a doctor, enters the dreams of others through the instrument to perform psychiatric treatment. Her name in the dream is Paprika."

"Interesting."

[Pooper Scooper (Blue): You own a well-behaved, clever pet cat that understands human nature. (It's just a cat, but perhaps you could call it 'Hotaru'?)]

"...Is there a possibility that the heroine of the first chapter isn't Ichinose Honami, but this cat?"

As soon as this talent appeared, Kitagawa Ryo thought speechlessly of the little thing that had bewitched him in the first simulation, causing him to spend every day at home petting the cat. A white cat also named "Hotaru" had appeared in the second simulation. He didn't expect to roll this talent again for the third time.

[Combat Mastery (Green): You have mastered a certain level of combat techniques. (Just a certain level, nothing more.)]

"Better than nothing."

[Close Friend (Green): You have a close friend of the same age (male).]

"If it were a female, I would definitely refresh this..."

[Solidified talent "Modest Assets"]

[Modest Assets (Blue): You own an 80-square-meter property and savings of five million yen. (The property is located in Tokyo.)]

[Solidified talent "A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold"]

[Affected by the initial talent 'Unforgettable', the talent 'A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold' has changed into 'Childhood Sweetheart from Heaven', talent quality remains unchanged.]

[Childhood Sweetheart from Heaven (Gold): You and the heroine of this story formed a deep friendship in your childhood before you vanished from her life. People always unconsciously beautify the past, weaving fervent memories and earnest visions into the most perfect phantom. You are the Christ in her heart; to this day, she is still waiting for you, still keeping the promise. (You are the cinnabar mole between her brows, not the mosquito blood on her palm; you are the white moonlight in her heart, not the grain of rice on her lips.)]

[Do you wish to use the Talent Refresh Card (Purple)?]

[Please select the talent you wish to refresh.]

"Pure love players don't need Love Expert."

[Talent "Love Expert (Purple)" has been refreshed.]

[Unwavering Perseverance (Purple): Strive, work hard, and never give up. (This is the cornerstone leading to success.)]

"Hmm, this is acceptable."

Ryo nodded and continued using the items.

[Do you wish to use the Talent Upgrade Card?]

[Please select the talent you wish to upgrade.]

[Talent "Dream Weaver (Purple)" has been upgraded to "Zhimeng (Gold)".]

[Zhimeng (Gold): You have been in contact with the world of dreams from an early age, possessing the ability to peek into, weave, and construct multiple dreamscapes. (Everyone has the right to sleep peacefully in their dreams.)]

"I feel... a bit expectant now."

[Talent selection complete.]

[Zhimeng (Gold), Childhood Sweetheart from Heaven (Gold), Unforgettable (Gold)]

[Unwavering Perseverance (Purple)]

[Pooper Scooper (Blue)]

[Combat Mastery (Green), Close Friend (Green)]