Classroom of the Elite, I Have a Life Simulator

"I heard from a senior I know in the basketball team that Wakata and her boyfriend had several fights after that day, and then they stopped seeing each other. When I asked about it yesterday, the guy already said he'd dumped Wakata."

"Eh? Didn't they say before that Wakata and her boyfriend were really close?"

"She probably went to him to ask him to stand up for her, right? It's just a pity that the guy probably didn't dare to do anything once he heard Kei's name."

Another girl added with a giggle. Their casual, natural tone made Karuizawa Kei feel a bit dazed. The matter that had kept her on edge for several days was, in the mouths of her classmates, as mundane as discussing what to have for breakfast.

"Kei, you don't have to worry so much. I heard that ever since Wakata broke up with her boyfriend, the girls in her class have started bullying her too."

Emi Eura leaned into Karuizawa Kei's ear and said:

"And they're even rougher than we are."

She winked at Karuizawa Kei:

"Could it be that Kei is sympathizing with Wakata?"

Karuizawa Kei hurriedly shook her head to deny it:

"I was just asking, um, just asking."

Ever since she realized that the other girl might clearly know about her past, Karuizawa Kei had become somewhat afraid of Emi Eura. Unlike other girls who only caught snippets of rumors, Emi Eura had very likely seen the miserable scenes of her past firsthand.

Thinking of this fact, Karuizawa Kei could only add:

"Who told her to bully Yuko?"

Emi Eura smiled upon hearing this. She stood beside Karuizawa Kei and echoed:

"So Kei doesn't need to worry. You were clearly doing the right thing by protecting a classmate."

United Kingdom, London and West Yorkshire, British Library.

One of the most prestigious libraries in the United Kingdom, it has a history of nearly three hundred years and a collection of over 150 million books. Almost every tourist visiting for the first time is struck by its magnificent exterior and exquisite interior. Compared to its function as a library, it feels more like a historical and cultural landmark. Just sitting here for a while and flipping through a book at random allows one to deeply feel the traces of history.

[Even if I could read one book a day, I wouldn't be able to finish all the books here in a lifetime, two lifetimes, or even ten lifetimes.]

When Shiina Hiyori first came here, this thought almost subconsciously popped into her mind. Her father had to move to the United Kingdom for work last year, and she and her mother moved from Japan to the United Kingdom a year later once her father had settled down. For Shiina Hiyori, who loves to read, she had set her sights on this place on the very first day she arrived in the city.

After asking her father to get her a reader's card for the St. Pancras Reading Room, Shiina Hiyori spent her holidays here just as she had wished. Although the British Library receives over four thousand visitors every day, compared to the majority of people who just come to check in and look around, Shiina Hiyori, who stays for the entire day every time she comes, quickly became a familiar face to the staff.

Of course, this might also have to do with the girl's unique appearance and personality.

"Name: Shiina Hiyori, reader's card verified."

The staff member was routinely checking the many readers queuing to enter the reading room. Upon seeing a familiar name, they would take a moment to exchange a few words:

"There will be a display of Shakespeare's manuscripts in the third exhibition hall today."

"Ah, thank you for the reminder."

The silver-haired, purple-eyed girl looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old, exuding a peculiar, airy temperament. She thanked the staff member very politely.

"Name: Kitagawa Ryo, reader's card verified."

The boy behind her took back his returned reader's card. He seemed to have heard their conversation and stepped forward, speaking softly:

"Is there anything good in the third exhibition hall today? It won't be another case of them trying to fool tourists with a bunch of low-quality manuscripts like last time, right?"

The staff member seemed quite familiar with him as well, grinning as they replied:

"Why don't you go see for yourself? Besides, if the Sherlock Holmes fans heard you looking down on the Conan Doyle manuscripts displayed last time, they'd rush over and beat you up."

"Tch."

Kitagawa Ryo clicked his tongue helplessly:

"Are you talking about the display that had a flashy sign outside, but once you got in, over ninety percent were actually just translated manuscripts from various countries? It successfully wasted two hours of my time. I would have been better off finishing the books by Lawrence Block."

"Cough, cough, just go in and see for yourself this time."

The staff member couldn't be bothered to continue and waved a hand to signal him not to block the people behind him.

Kitagawa Ryo sighed. Since the other party had said so, even if he had been fooled last time, he had to go see it this time just for the sake of the "Shakespeare" name.

"Um, excuse me?"

Just as he turned around and intended to follow the flow of tourists toward the third exhibition hall, he was unexpectedly stopped by a girl who seemed to have been waiting for a while.

"Er, hello."

Although Kitagawa Ryo didn't understand what the girl meant, out of politeness, he still responded to her greeting.

"Is there something you need?"

"Well, I remember... your name is Kitagawa Ryo, Kitagawa-kun, right? It's not easy to run into someone here at the British Library."

Kitagawa Ryo roughly understood what she meant; it was nothing more than the subconscious sense of closeness one feels when meeting a fellow countryman on the distant European continent.

"Oh, I remember you come here quite often too, you are called..."

He tried to recall his impression of the girl. Although fragments of seeing her reading here popped into his mind, it was slightly difficult to call her by name directly like she had done.

"My name is Shiina Hiyori."

Seeming to notice Kitagawa Ryo's awkwardness, Shiina Hiyori introduced herself with a quiet smile.

"Are you also planning to go see the exhibition in the third gallery?"

"I'm just interested in the Shakespeare manuscripts; I hope it won't be a waste of my time like last time."

Kitagawa Ryo responded while continuing to walk.

"Judging by what you just said, Kitagawa-kun, are you quite interested in mystery novels?"

"Even if one isn't a mystery fan, they should have heard the name Conan Doyle. After all, Sherlock Holmes is a top-tier IP globally."

"But you mentioned Lawrence Block just now. If you were only a casual mystery fan who had read Sherlock Holmes, Father Brown, or Poirot, you wouldn't typically bring up his works."

"Oh, I do quite like his hardboiled mysteries, such as Eight Million Ways to Die."

"Is that so?"

Shiina Hiyori quickened her pace until she was walking side-by-side with Kitagawa Ryo:

"I think Dorothy L. Sayers' works are also quite good. As a rare female mystery writer, although she isn't as famous as Agatha Christie, her representative work, Lord Peter Wimsey, is actually an excellent mystery series. Plus, the British Library has a complete collection of her mystery works."

"Hmm, that's true."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded. It was the first time he had met a peer who could talk endlessly about mystery novels, let alone one who was such a beautiful girl.

However, seeing that they were about to enter the third gallery where loud talking was prohibited, Kitagawa Ryo didn't intend to continue the conversation and walked into the gallery quietly.

In his eyes, this was just a chance encounter with a girl.

Until—

"Kitagawa-kun, you haven't had lunch yet, have you? If it's alright with you, would you like to eat together?"

After spending two hours viewing the Shakespeare manuscript exhibition in the third gallery, Kitagawa Ryo walked out the door feeling satisfied, only to run into Shiina Hiyori, who seemed to have been waiting outside for a little while.

"...?"

Kitagawa Ryo looked at the girl in front of him, who was squinting her eyes and smiling as if she were very happy, and for a moment, he couldn't tell what she was thinking.

Could it be that the culture in the United Kingdom was so open that people could go out for a meal on the very first day they met as strangers?

No, that wasn't right; neither of them were British.

"Because I really hope to chat with you about novels, Kitagawa-kun."

Shiina Hiyori looked at the puzzled Kitagawa Ryo and explained with a smile:

"Book friends, just book friends."

She extended her fair right hand and waved it in front of Kitagawa Ryo:

"Is that okay?"

Kitagawa Ryo was a very perceptive person. He stared into her purple pupils, which were completely devoid of impurities or ulterior motives. Seeming to notice his gaze, Shiina Hiyori deliberately opened her eyes a little wider, capturing Kitagawa Ryo's entire reflection within them.

"Alright."

He truly couldn't find a hint of romantic ambiguity. Shiina Hiyori, a girl he had met just today, really seemed to just want to talk about novels with him, and Kitagawa Ryo couldn't find any reason to refuse.

"I remember you mentioned earlier that you really like Lawrence Block's Eight Million Ways to Die."

The two found a random restaurant by the roadside. Shiina Hiyori seemed to be visiting this place for the first time, so she followed Kitagawa Ryo's lead and ordered the same set meal.

"Yeah, Lawrence likes writing about prostitutes, and this book is no exception. Compared to typical mystery novels, his books have a bit more human touch."

Once Kitagawa Ryo had figured things out, he relaxed and focused on chatting with Shiina Hiyori about novels.

"Do you know what kind of things are in this city? Do you know what's in this goddamn urban jungle's filth? There are eight million ways to die (the population of New York at the time was eight million)."

"That line is considered quite a classic in the book."

He seemed to think of something interesting and suddenly chuckled:

"If you convert that to Tokyo, it would probably be six and a half million ways to die."

"Eh, I remember Tokyo's resident population being thirteen million?"

Shiina Hiyori asked, looking a bit surprised.

"Because half of the people die the same way—suicide."

Kitagawa Ryo stirred the hot milk that had been served with a spoon, leaning his face on his hand as he spoke idly:

"People who commit suicide for all sorts of reasons: school bullying, loan sharks, social pressure..."

"Speaking of school bullying, have you read Keigo Higashino's recent mystery work, Kitagawa-kun?"

"Malice?"

Kitagawa Ryo paid attention to this author. He thought for a moment, sipped his milk, and said:

"Unlike typical mystery novels, the bulk of this book describes the culprit's motive. The murderer, who was protected by his best friend through school bullying, actually joined in on the bullying himself. Even after being forgiven, he still killed his friend out of a lifelong jealousy."

"It's a tragedy."

Shiina Hiyori sipped her milk just like him:

"Yes, it's a tragedy."

Karuizawa Kei heard the name Wakata again a month later; Wakata had committed suicide.

[Plot Prologue: A Familiar Face Returns, Read Completed]

Chapter 6: If Kei Can't Do It, I Will

Karuizawa Kei had not stepped out of her house for the entire month of summer vacation following the first semester. She locked herself in her room, turning a deaf ear to the advice and even the scolding of her father and mother. How was she supposed to explain it to them? In any case, according to the rumors spreading through the school, Wakata had jumped to her death out of despair caused by bullying, and the evidence was that Karuizawa Kei had once led classmates to corner Wakata in the woods.

She was branded a murderer almost immediately. Overnight, the name Karuizawa Kei became firmly tied to that of a killer, and what followed was, as expected... revenge?

Karuizawa Kei did not want to call what she was suffering "revenge," because if those students acting under the banner of justice were truly as righteous as they claimed, Wakata would never have been driven to the point of despair and suicide. Even girls from the neighboring class who had actually bullied Wakata could shamelessly come to kick her while she was down, as if doing so could wash away the things they had done themselves.

The horror of school bullying lies in the limitless piling on; as soon as the first person strikes, it brands the victim with a mark of humiliation. It is as if bees are signaling their companions with their scent, causing others to swarm in and commit secondary abuse because they know this person has already been bullied.

They think to themselves that since the person has already been bullied by others, one more time won't make a difference.

Moreover, she appeared to have no one to protect her. The "Kitagawa Ryo" who existed in legends had not appeared even after an entire semester had passed. Not everyone had seen him, so why would they be afraid of someone who only lived in rumors?

On the contrary, bullying someone who is already being bullied becomes a source of peace of mind. They do not feel it is their fault; on one hand, there is the comfort of placing individual actions within group behavior—everyone else is doing it. On the other hand, they can console themselves that they weren't the ones who started it, that the whole matter has nothing to do with them, and that they were just joining in the fun and going along with the atmosphere.

Karuizawa Kei hid herself under her quilt, wrapping it around her head. Even so, she could still feel the cold surging from the depths of her bones, just like when a bucket of ice-cold water was poured over her head. Thinking of this, her teeth couldn't help but chatter from fear.

The terrifying memories of the past overlapped with reality.

Karuizawa Kei recalled the dense clusters of thumbtacks hidden in her indoor shoes, the dead mouse carcass placed in her desk, and the various graffiti filled with Malice drawn in red ink on her textbooks and desk. Overnight, the protective wall she had spent months building vanished as easily as sand swept away by the wind.

"Kei? Are you okay? Actually, everyone was just carried away by their emotions and did some bad things. I'm trying my best to communicate with them, too. After all, you weren't the only one who went to find Wakata back then."

Her phone chimed with a message from Emi Eura. Looking at the glowing screen, Karuizawa Kei realized that today was already August 9th; half of the summer vacation had already passed.

Karuizawa Kei gripped her phone like a drowning person clutching the final straw. She read the text message word by word and let out a sigh of relief. She remembered that in the month before summer vacation began, Emi Eura had indeed not bullied her like the other girls in class. She hurriedly confirmed this fact, engraving it into her mind and giving herself the suggestion that at least she still had one friend.

"Thank you."

She sent her gratitude via text and waited nervously for Emi Eura's reply, a fleeting thought crossing her mind that the other girl might just be playing with her.

"Don't mention it, we're friends after all."