Classroom of the Elite, I Have a Life Simulator Chapter 50

Her emotions seemed to become slightly transparent, which made Kitagawa Ryo smile:

"You don't have to force yourself to say these things."

"I..."

"Kei wouldn't say these things, because the girl named Karuizawa Kei that I know is a girl who is both weak and strong, and probably makes people feel pitiful and useless. So—you understand, right?"

Kitagawa Ryo continued in as gentle a tone as possible:

"It's okay, I'll be fine, I'll definitely come back, and then I'll always be by your side."

"So, please wait for me at home, Kei. And, let's have dinner together today."

After speaking, Kitagawa Ryo hung up the phone.

Kitagawa Ryo knew all of Karuizawa Kei's weaknesses and schemes, but he wouldn't deny her for it.

However, that being said—he didn't intend to give up at all.

Kitagawa Ryo simply hoped from the bottom of his heart that Karuizawa Kei could find her own happiness, and if possible, by his side.

[I hope you can get it, I hope you can hold it tight, I hope you will never let go.]

[I hope you realize: The Little Prince didn't fall in love with the rose because she was a unique existence on his planet, but because he fell in love with her, he felt that the rose was unique.]

Kitagawa Ryo closed the door. He was going to create an opportunity for Emi Eura to completely leave Karuizawa Kei's life.

It was today.

Chapter 19: Parasite

Karuizawa Kei somewhat flusteredly pushed open the door. The phone in her hand still echoed with the hollow electronic sound of the other party hanging up. She hastily changed her shoes, her movements so large that they even startled "Hotaru" next to her. Hotaru looked up, a little dazed, at her not-yet-familiar female pooper scooper.

Why did Kitagawa Ryo suddenly want to meet Emi Eura alone?

Karuizawa Kei locked the door while putting away her phone and hurried downstairs. When she received this call from Kitagawa Ryo, an ominous premonition arose in her heart. Kitagawa Ryo rarely made decisions on his own, bypassing her, and the person involved was Karuizawa Kei herself.

Her intuition told her that she absolutely could not let these two meet alone. Karuizawa Kei understood Kitagawa Ryo. He must have his own plans for leaving Emi Eura among the many bullies. Legally speaking, Emi Eura had not caused any substantial harm to Karuizawa Kei. Moreover, she was a minor, so no matter Kitagawa Ryo's family background, he couldn't directly retaliate.

School bullying is a form of existence that wanders between morality and law. Whether it's "cold violence" mainly characterized by isolation or actual "violent acts," legal authorities often face troublesome issues such as the victim being too young, the degree of intentional harm being insufficient, and the number of accomplices. In addition, schools will try their best to cover up for their reputation. Therefore, after existing for so many years, school bullying has not only not improved but has intensified, even showing a trend of becoming younger.

A knife suddenly appeared in Karuizawa Kei's mind. As time passed, that knife had gradually taken shape in Karuizawa Kei's consciousness, its blade flashing with sharp light, and then it brushed away blood.

She didn't know where Kitagawa Ryo and Emi Eura would meet. Karuizawa Kei decided to go to the hotel first to see if she could find Mr. Izaki. She had known this old man, whom Kitagawa Ryo called grandfather, since she was a child. If she could find Izaki, he might know Kitagawa Ryo's whereabouts.

Just as Karuizawa Kei ran to the hotel entrance, panting, and walked towards the elevator, a somewhat familiar voice suddenly came from the sofa in the hotel lobby. The person seemed to have been waiting for Karuizawa Kei there for a long time. The evidence was the half-finished hot drink in front of them and their calm tone:

"Karuizawa Kei... right?"

Horikita Suzune looked up from her book. Her voice was like a spell that pinned Karuizawa Kei to the spot, unable to move an inch:

"Going upstairs now will only be a wasted effort. Since he chose to tell you about his actions, it means he has a clear plan and the confidence not to have you interfere."

"Let's sit down and talk. We probably have about two hours before he finishes his business."

Horikita Suzune's tone was firm and carried an undeniable authority:

"Who are you?"

Karuizawa Kei knew the other person's identity, but she still pretended to be foolish, asking knowingly.

"Horikita Suzune."

Horikita Suzune stated her name plainly, without any prefixes or suffixes.

"Why should I listen to you?"

Karuizawa Kei was still persistent. The moment she saw Horikita Suzune, she would naturally think of the word "engagement." It turned into a strange anger, like a straight steel bar propping up her body, from her feet to her head, making her entire body instantly tense. Her neck and waist were stiff, and even her steps were frozen. She walked stiffly in front of Horikita Suzune.

"I think this is also what Kitagawa would want to see."

Horikita Suzune was not intimidated by Karuizawa Kei's aura at all. The two looked at each other sharply. After Kitagawa Ryo's name appeared, it was as if something sharper cut through the air. It sliced through Karuizawa Kei's vocal cords, making her voice sound even more muffled:

"Are you very familiar with him? Only met for a day or two?"

Karuizawa Kei admitted that the moment she faced Horikita Suzune alone, her whole body immediately bristled like a hedgehog, as if her previous nightmare had suddenly appeared before her eyes. She was both fearful and hateful, yet she observed Horikita Suzune with a hint of curiosity.

"So, you're that kind of person?"

Horikita Suzune merely glanced at her indifferently. This response made Karuizawa Kei even more guilty. Her spirit deflated instantly, like a balloon that had been inflated high and then pricked, letting out its air. However, a balloon could still fly in the wind for a while before becoming a tattered piece of cloth falling to the ground, but Karuizawa Kei could only sit down somewhat weakly:

"You... Miss Horikita... Classmate Horikita..."

Karuizawa Kei changed her address several times. What she always hated were girls who exuded an innate aura. They just stood there as if they could suffocate others, completely different beings from herself. Moreover, the other party had an even more troublesome identity.

She had already confirmed that she could not be independent of Kitagawa Ryo. Therefore, she had also considered the possibility of Kitagawa Ryo leaving her one day, but those were just hypothetical scenarios. It was impossible for someone to suddenly appear and take Kitagawa Ryo away. But now Karuizawa Kei realized that the person who could make this possible had jumped out of her hypothetical scenario and had grown into a monstrous giant.

This feeling made Karuizawa Kei almost suffocate, but now she had to endure it.

Karuizawa Kei secretly observed Horikita Suzune from the corner of her eye. Complementing her dignified demeanor were a pair of purplish-red pupils. Her beautiful long black hair cascaded over her shoulders to her waist. One side was tied with a hair tie into a thin braid. In terms of appearance alone, she was definitely top-tier.

"In the hour before meeting you, I actually did a psychological self-portrait sketch of you."

Horikita Suzune spoke first, taking the lead in the conversation:

"I'm quite curious why he wanted me to establish contact with you, and even asked me to befriend you."

"Because based on the character image of you that I've extracted from Kitagawa's words in this past hour, Karuizawa Kei..."

Horikita Suzune sighed, placed the copy of Crime and Punishment she was holding onto the table, and looked straight into Karuizawa Kei's eyes as she spoke:

"You are a girl who, fundamentally, possesses no discernible value."

"That is why I found it so baffling that Kitagawa would hold a different attitude toward you. It was only later that I realized it was simply because you happened to be by his side during the period when he needed a friend the most."

Horikita Suzune nodded:

"It was a matter of pure coincidence."

"Aside from the memories accumulated over time, there is nothing else about you that warrants Kitagawa's devotion."

Karuizawa Kei offered a weak, cold sneer. She watched as the girl sitting across from her effortlessly dismissed her past with Kitagawa Ryo in just a few sentences. What terrified her, however, was that she couldn't find a single reason to refute it. Karuizawa Kei's brain raced frantically; her heart felt like a water pump, sending the blood in her body rushing backward. She was left almost completely speechless, choked by her own emotions.

She didn't know Horikita Suzune's purpose in saying these things, nor did she understand the current relationship between Kitagawa Ryo and Horikita Suzune. After all, ever since she fled the restaurant that day, she had been waiting for an explanation from Kitagawa Ryo. She hadn't expected that before he could even open his mouth, the other party would have already come to confront her.

"What right do you have to define me so arbitrarily? How long have you even known me? Ten minutes?"

Karuizawa Kei answered with a question, acting like a cornered beast putting up a desperate struggle.

"...Then why don't you refute it?"

Horikita Suzune picked up the hot drink in front of her and took another sip. Her waiting here for Karuizawa Kei was indeed a whim; after all, Kitagawa Ryo's remarks that morning had suddenly piqued her interest in Karuizawa Kei. Since foxes want to become roses, she naturally wanted to see the rose capable of taming Kitagawa Ryo.

"I just feel that Karuizawa Kei—that is, you—doesn't seem like a rose."

Horikita Suzune set her cup down, her sharp gaze piercing straight into Karuizawa Kei's soul:

"No matter how temperamental a rose may be, she is, at the very least, a being loyal only to The Little Prince."

"Karuizawa Kei."

Horikita Suzune's voice was as cold and gleaming as the blade of a guillotine:

"If—and I mean if—"

"Kitagawa hadn't returned at that time, but three years later, or five years later? What would you have become by then?"

Horikita Suzune leaned in, observing Karuizawa Kei's trembling as she calmly described her hypothesis:

"You would have been bullied throughout all three years of middle school. If what Kitagawa said is true—that you are both fragile and strong—then you probably wouldn't have chosen to end your own life."

"You would have chosen to start over in high school, just like you planned when you entered middle school."

"You would have pulled yourself together, glued your shattered self back into one piece, and then sealed away the memories of the past."

"How does one avoid being bullied by others? You would have been deeply troubled by this question, but past experience would have already taught you that you cannot survive alone without the protection of others. After all, you were under Kitagawa Ryo's protection in elementary school, and once he left in middle school, you were bullied again."

Horikita Suzune proceeded with her hypothesis, step by step:

"So, you would inevitably seek the protection of others, just as you once sought Kitagawa's. But not everyone is like Kitagawa, who would protect you just by you standing there. So, what would you do?"

"You would discard your so-called dignity—after all, if you're being bullied, that doesn't exist anyway."

"Perhaps you would use your body to seduce someone? After all, you do look like a cute girl."

"If you happened to run into a boy who could both tolerate your past and protect you, wouldn't you cling to him without dignity, giving him your all? You would certainly attach yourself to him like a parasite without hesitation. And perhaps, because of what happened with Kitagawa, you would try even harder to bind yourself to this new person? Because you'd be afraid they would leave you and abandon you just like Kitagawa Ryo did, wouldn't you?"

Horikita Suzune looked at Karuizawa Kei, who was now covering her face and unable to speak, with a gaze that was both pitying and uncomprehending:

"And then, if you obtained that person's protection, you would naturally have to raise your own status to further protect yourself."

"In fact, you've already done something similar before. Whether it was your intention or not, when you became the core of the girls under the protection of Kitagawa's rumors, you must have felt a tiny bit of pathetic security in your heart."

"To consolidate your status, there are only two paths: elevating yourself or suppressing others."

Horikita Suzune picked up the copy of Crime and Punishment from the desk again. For the first time, she lowered her voice, the question as thin and sharp as a cold dagger:

"Will you become the new bully?"

At this moment, Karuizawa Kei was practically begging Horikita Suzune to stop, to stop shaking out those dark parts of her soul, especially when the other girl was even taking them out to sort them and expose them to the sunlight.

Karuizawa Kei looked at Horikita Suzune, who sat there drinking her hot beverage unhurriedly. Despite having said so many hurtful things, she showed no sign of guilt or reflection. She seemed to be merely stating an objective fact, watching the development of the situation quietly like a spectator.

"Does Karuizawa-san know what a parasite is?"

Horikita Suzune asked as she flipped through the book, as if it were a casual remark, but she quickly answered her own question:

"Parasites don't actually just parasitize a single organism. They have intermediate hosts and definitive hosts. For example, some parasites first live in fish, then enter a human body through the fish meat, and finally complete their life cycle within."

"Sometimes, the host doesn't even know if they are an intermediate host or a definitive host."

"Perhaps there are those who are self-deceived, thinking it doesn't matter if they transfer their own nutrients to the parasite, but perhaps the other party never considered them a definitive host at all—just an intermediate host to be used as a stepping stone."

Horikita Suzune closed the book and said:

"If I have made Karuizawa-san feel uncomfortable... I am merely stating facts."

Horikita Suzune looked at Karuizawa Kei's back; the girl was hunched over in a posture of agony. Was she crying behind her hands?

[Actually, most parasites are invertebrates...]

Perhaps not wanting to strike Karuizawa Kei again, Horikita Suzune rarely refrained from speaking the final sentence aloud.

"...You, what do you know?"

Karuizawa Kei's voice sounded as if it were laced with blood.

She slowly raised her eyes, looking up at Horikita Suzune's upright posture. Even while sitting, her back remained perfectly straight.

That was the version of herself that Karuizawa Kei dreamed of:

A powerful, arrogant, heroic version of herself.

Chapter 20: How to Disguise Yourself as a Red Rose

Emi Eura often fantasized about using the knife in her hand to slice open the abdomen of the woman named Karuizawa Kei. She habitually chose a spot where a scar wouldn't be too conspicuous; she knew full well that if she left a scar on Karuizawa Kei's face, while it might drive her to the brink of collapse in the short term, it would also greatly increase the likelihood of the other party giving up on herself entirely.

A hidden yet deep scar—the kind that would plunge the victim back into terror the moment they touched or even caught sight of it—was best.

Being able to make the other party realize the fact that she was a miserable victim of bullying was equivalent to branding her with a red-hot iron.

It was just a pity that the current situation no longer allowed for such actions.

Emi Eura looked emotionlessly at the object before her that had made a "squelch" sound as liquid splashed out; it rolled to the windowsill, revealing its true form in the sunlight.

It was a man's face, sliced vertically.

It had already been severed from the neck.

The half of the face that had been shorn off rolled at her feet.

Its "inner" side faced upward.

It was a hue Emi Eura had never seen before, a rather rare cross-section.

The shredded and crushed brain emitted an eerie luster, and the deformed skull, which could not be completely severed, was mixed with the blood overflowing within it, along with other viscous fluids.

Emi Eura glanced at her mother, who was curled up in the corner of the room, too terrified to speak, and unhurriedly washed her face at the kitchen sink. Only after a brief moment of numbness did she realize that the splashed blood was flowing down her face to her chest, then crawling down like a snake, as if sparks were splashing in the darkness.

After washing the blood off her face, Emi Eura casually took off the apron she had been wearing. Blood-red spots spread bit by bit across the slightly yellowed, pale blue apron, and she crumpled it into a ball and tossed it aside.

Then, Emi Eura began to carefully examine the knife in her hand, using her other hand to pick at the bone fragments on the edge of the blade—bone fragments that were soaked in blood and shimmering with a red light. Her movements were very slow, yet also very meticulous.

"I killed him."