Classroom of the Elite, I Have a Life Simulator

At such a close distance, the eyes of Emi Eura held not a single trace of tears.

They were so withered that it was impossible to imagine she had just lost a loved one.

"People always avoid talking about life and death, yet in the face of it, they tell me I should be sad."

Emi Eura crouched down and whispered:

"It's always been like this. I don't understand those things. I should understand them, and everyone else seems to know them, but I still don't. I've studied so much knowledge just to understand, yet no matter how hard I try, I still don't get it... why people want to live."

Her mother felt pity for a daughter like this, for her father was a gambler who had accrued a mountain of debt, and upon returning home, he would only resort to physical abuse. Thus, she and her daughter had never known a stable home environment, let alone any form of proper upbringing.

Emi Eura, who always wore a smile in front of others and never took off that mask, used this behavior—the act of using a mask to conceal her true self—to hide the fact that she was different from everyone else.

But in front of her mother, Emi Eura would occasionally become talkative, sometimes even asking questions with great intensity.

This was the wail emitted by Emi Eura as she rubbed against the world; she was like a broken gear, jammed and struggling to turn.

Noticing this made her mother feel sorrow.

She felt it was a tragic thing.

However, she still loved her daughter.

So—

"I bullied a lower-grade girl with my classmates today."

One day, Emi Eura put down her schoolbag and threw herself into the arms of her mother, who was wearing an apron, as if she were a good child recounting her daily school life.

She tilted her head back and smiled:

"I don't know why, but I felt so happy, especially when I saw her apologizing to us while enduring the pain."

"It was so funny."

Emi Eura stroked the obvious bruise on her mother's arm:

"Mom."

"Yes?"

"Am I doing the right thing?"

"If you feel happy, Emi, then it is right."

Her mother hugged her daughter and bent down, stroking her hair:

"It's fine. If there really is such a thing as retribution in this world..."

"It should be your father who dies first, then me, and only then, you."

[The next day: In the afternoon, you gave Hotaru to Karuizawa Kei. In fact, Hotaru was a cat you had been raising for half a year while in the United Kingdom. When you first arrived alone in a foreign land, Mr. Izaki brought this white cat back for you, fearing you would be lonely.]

[You naturally grew fond of Hotaru. Over half a year of companionship, you and the kitten had become close; one could even say that Hotaru helped you through a very difficult time. Perhaps that is why you chose to give her to Karuizawa Kei. You hoped that Hotaru could provide the same comfort to her that she once gave you, helping her through the time you would be away—or rather, letting her take your place.]

["I think this should be a cat that Ryo and I raise together."

Karuizawa Kei lifted Hotaru's little paw, using the cat's head to cover her own face so that her expression was unclear. Her hand, along with Hotaru's paw, danced cutely before Kitagawa Ryo's eyes:

"Don't you think?"]

[When you came back to your senses, you saw this slightly childish gesture from Karuizawa Kei. Her face suddenly peeked out from beside the cat's head:

"Meow meow meow?"]

[You burst into a laugh, and Karuizawa Kei pouted with a look of dissatisfaction, holding Hotaru's paw to rub against your face.]

[In this peaceful and comfortable atmosphere, you didn't even bring up the matter of Emi Eura. You watched Karuizawa Kei, who seemed to have moved past the shadows of that school bullying, as she frolicked and played with Hotaru like a lively little bird.]

[The two of you played from afternoon until evening, both tacitly avoiding any mention of unnecessary people or matters. Perhaps at first, you were just forcing yourselves to forget everything else to focus on the present, but later, you seemed to have truly forgotten everything, with only each other in your eyes.]

[Around seven in the evening, the two of you wandered into a DIY cake shop.]

Because pets were not allowed in the kitchen, you and Karuizawa Kei left Hotaru at the front desk. Hotaru could only sprawl on the front desk sofa, looking resentfully at the owner who had abandoned her without hesitation, while being petted by one child after another, as if she had suddenly become the shop's mascot.

[Having already walked into the kitchen with Karuizawa Kei, you naturally couldn't see any of this. Although DIY stands for "Do It Yourself," the shop wouldn't just stand by and watch customers with no culinary experience make a mess. A staff member immediately came over to ask if you needed basic assistance, as making a cake was not as easy as it looked.]

[In fact, a year ago, you had already planned to make a cake for Karuizawa Kei yourself one day. It didn't have to be for a birthday; the surprise was what mattered most. Because of this, you had made various failed attempts at home back then. Although Mr. Izaki ended up eating them all with tears in his eyes, you still had some confidence in your cake-making skills.]

[Karuizawa Kei had basically never touched this area, so you divided the work, letting her assist you. The shop's ingredients were quite abundant; after glancing at the fridge and cupboards, you decided to make a mousse cake.]

[You cracked four eggs and separated the yolks from the whites. You had practiced this single move for half a year. Recalling the clumsiness of throwing eggshells into the bowl and the yolks into the trash, you now seemed exceptionally composed. Karuizawa Kei, misled by your practiced movements, tried to crack an egg herself, only to end up with egg whites all over her hands, forcing her to run off to wash up in a fluster.]

[You set aside the appropriate amounts of cake flour, cornstarch, sugar, milk, corn oil, and black sesame paste. You started with the cake base, mixing the sugar into the yolks until uniform, then pouring in the milk and black sesame paste before sifting in the flour and cornstarch.]

[You handed the bowl to Karuizawa Kei to stir, then began processing the egg whites. After whipping them into a rich foam, you added a few drops of lemon juice and half the sugar. Once it reached a white, delicate foam, you added the remaining sugar, mixed it well, and folded the whites into Karuizawa Kei's yolk mixture.]

[It must be said that this stirring motion was, in a sense, similar to what boys might imagine when shaking test tubes in a lab; it had a magical stress-relieving quality. As Karuizawa Kei stirred, she kept her eyes on you as you licked your finger to gauge the sweetness, a strange atmosphere of the two of you cooking together suddenly forming in her heart.]

["Ryo, I'm done!"]

[Thinking this, Karuizawa Kei, wearing gloves, placed the large bowl in front of you. She was wearing a pink apron, and as she leaned over to watch you study the oven, she had an inexplicably strong "girlfriend vibe."]

[However, you were busy calculating the time and didn't notice this. You took the ingredients and preheated the oven to 135 degrees for thirty minutes. To prevent the bottom of the pan from getting too hot, you placed another tray underneath the one holding the cake batter.]

[While waiting for it to bake, you freed up your hands to start working on the mousse layer of the cake.]

Mix the cream with the cheese, add a little sugar and chocolate sauce. After stirring evenly, it should normally call for a splash of rum, but considering you're still minors, you skipped that step and poured in the milk directly.

While having Karuizawa Kei fetch the mousse mold sheets, you mix in the fresh cream whipped to seventy percent stiffness again, take the finished cake base from the oven, peel off the oil paper to cool it down, then put it in the fridge to chill.

After a short wait, finally pour the mousse liquid into the mousse mold sheets, place it on the cake base, and send it into the fridge to freeze for half an hour.]

["When did Ryo learn how to do this?"

During the wait, Karuizawa Kei took off her apron and gloves, leaned against your side, and asked curiously.

"About a year ago, I guess, though it's probably just barely edible."

"No way, Ryo's movements earlier were really skilled. Just from watching the process, the taste shouldn't be bad."

Karuizawa Kei quickly pressed her right index finger against your lips:

"If it really doesn't taste good, I... I'll still try my best to finish it."

"It's not that bad, I've practiced before at least."

Figuring the time was about right, you stood up, grabbed a hundred grams of light cream at random, whipped it to stiff peaks, loaded it into a piping bag, then stuffed it in the fridge to chill for later.]

["What pattern does Kei want?"

You closed the fridge door and turned back to ask.

"Or maybe write a line of blessing or something?"

"But the space isn't that big, probably only room for a few words."

"Oh oh..."

Karuizawa Kei hadn't expected this kind of service; she tapped her lips, hesitating as she pondered:

"Heart shape might feel too cliché? Stars? Paper cranes?"

She muttered to herself, rejecting each idea as she voiced it, leaving you chuckling with hands on hips as you waited for Karuizawa Kei's answer.]

["Draw a rose."

In the end, that's what Karuizawa Kei said. She seemed to have spotted the cover of a certain book on the nearby bookshelf, which inspired her decision.

"As you wish."

You took out the completed mousse cake, gently lifted the mousse mold sheet, then deftly piped a rose with cream in that small space.

Cakes don't have to be eaten only on birthdays; you brought this mousse cake in front of Karuizawa Kei.

The fact that let you breathe a sigh of relief was that this mousse cake you made together tasted decent—in fact, quite good. Though Karuizawa Kei had said earlier she'd eat it even if it was bad, you both definitely hoped it would be sweet.

"Is it good?"

"Ahm, mm? Yeah."

Karuizawa Kei put another small piece of cake in her mouth; the cool, sweet pleasure instantly spread between her lips and teeth, making the girl close her eyes involuntarily, her mouth corners curving up. Facing your teasing question, she blanked out for a moment before reacting.

Gotta say, eating food you made yourself is one of those small but certain joys—a tiny, real, and adorable happiness.

Seeing Karuizawa Kei's smiling little face beaming with joy and her slightly puffed cheeks, you casually forked a piece from in front of you and held it to the girl's mouth.

This feeding motion caught Karuizawa Kei off guard; she just lowered her gaze, her movements a bit shy and hesitant, but in the end she stuck out her tongue and took the cake in one bite.

Watching Karuizawa Kei lick her lips, still seeming not quite satisfied, you didn't think much of it and simply kept feeding her.

In the end, fully two-thirds of this mousse cake was eaten by Karuizawa Kei alone.]

[After finishing, Karuizawa Kei excitedly pulled a thin book with a colorful cover from the nearby bookshelf.

"The Little Prince?"

You leaned in for a look:

"Has Kei read this book before? I highly recommend it."

Karuizawa Kei huffed in retort:

"Of course I've read it."

Her slender, pale fingers brushed over the pages, quickly flipping to chapter nine in the table of contents:

"The Little Prince has a rose too."

Karuizawa Kei seemed to have just noticed this; she read from the passage in the book:

"The Little Prince was about to leave his planet; he was very sad when he left, thinking he'd never come back. The last time he watered the flower and was about to put the glass cover over her, he was on the verge of tears.

'Goodbye,' he said.

The flower didn't answer.

'Goodbye,' he said again.

She said: 'How foolish I was before. Please forgive me. I want you to be happy. I have to tell you that I love you. You never knew that. It was my fault. But it doesn't matter now. Well, I can only wish you happiness. I don't need the glass cover anymore.'"

Karuizawa Kei paused slightly here, as if her nose was getting stuffy; you leaned on her shoulder and read on yourself:

"'But if the wind comes...'

'It's fine. I'm a flower, after all.'"

"What if there are caterpillars and wild beasts?"

"Caterpillars turn into butterflies, which is beautiful. As for the beasts, I'm not afraid of them, because I have claws of my own. I will protect myself well."

She showed the four little thorns on her stem to The Little Prince, her expression so innocent and adorable.

"Don't look so gloomy, it makes one feel terrible. Since you've decided to leave, then go quickly."

The flower did not want The Little Prince to see her crying; what a proud flower she was.

[Karuizawa Kei leaned against your shoulder. She gently closed The Little Prince and pressed her hand into your palm:

"I will be fine from now on."

She whispered into your ear.

"I, I will definitely be fine from now on."

Karuizawa Kei's lips still carried the fragrance of the mousse cake she had just eaten. She was almost about to kiss you, but in the end, she didn't, merely pursing her lips as she pleaded:

"So, so Ryo, please don't go, okay?"]

[Unlocked Story CG: The Little Prince and the Rose]

[The Little Prince and the Rose: "I think I understand now. I think I have been tamed by a flower."]

[Would you like to read this story CG? (This may be helpful for your subsequent game progress)]

Chapter 16: A Chat with Shiina Hiyori

"Hiyori, have you read The Little Prince?"

Kitagawa Ryo clicked on Shiina Hiyori's profile picture on the social app. Her avatar was a white cat—or to be precise, it was Hotaru.

As one of the few friends Kitagawa Ryo had in the United Kingdom, Shiina Hiyori knew the fact that he kept a white cat. She would consistently "like" the cat photos Kitagawa Ryo posted every week. Later, she seemed to like one of them so much that she set that specific cat picture as her avatar.

It was around five in the morning Tokyo time, which meant it was about ten in the evening in London. Based on Kitagawa Ryo's understanding of Shiina Hiyori's daily routine, she should have just finished her bath and be half-propped against her headboard, reading for a while before planning to fall asleep in half an hour.