Classroom of the Elite, I Have a Life Simulator

"When you witness school bullying, you have already lost the ability to walk away."

"Because, to the victim, the bystander—the so-called third party—is actually no different from the perpetrator."

"They are one and the same."

This was a conversation Kitagawa Ryo once had with Ichinose Honami. Dealing with school bullying had always been one of the issues they focused on directly as student council presidents. Unlike Ichinose Honami's more gentle approach, Kitagawa Ryo, who held sufficient control over his own school, handled things more decisively.

In the incident where Hirata Yosuke's friend was bullied, if Kitagawa Ryo hadn't arrived at the scene just in time to save the victim who was about to jump off the building, the outcome—regardless of whether the person was severely injured or dead—would have effectively ruined both his life and Hirata Yosuke's. This memory, painful for both of them, might one day be spoken of casually by those bystanders and perpetrators at some future gathering, dinner, or chat, treated as nothing more than a topic of conversation.

They would forget the victim's name, but Kitagawa Ryo hoped they would remember it, just as deeply as the victim remembered them.

Through this incident, Kitagawa Ryo forcibly curbed the bullying at his school, and it was precisely during this process that he truly understood the essence of school bullying.

Perhaps it was because he had been exposed to it so much that Kitagawa Ryo noticed her during the intermission.

Kitagawa Ryo lowered his eyes to look at the girl who was stunned by his response. She had a high-tier, cute appearance, a somewhat timid personality, and an aura radiating from her entire being that felt... strangely prone to attracting abuse.

"Hey, no way."

"How could he agree..."

"He just wants to find a bitch to play with, right?"

The girls behind started whispering. They couldn't believe that their impromptu prank had ended this way. Comments mixed with confusion, resentment, and even jealousy reached the girl's ears, causing her face to turn even paler.

"What is your name?"

Having unilaterally accepted the girl's confession, Kitagawa Ryo held her somewhat cold hand, using a grip that felt as if he were trying to transfer his own warmth to her. His dark pupils seemed to burn with fire at that moment, or perhaps it was the reflection of the lingering sunset in the sky, mirrored in the girl's sea-blue eyes.

"Ka... Karuizawa Kei."

"Alright, then I'll call you Kei, and you can call me Ryo."

Kitagawa Ryo took the opportunity to put his arm around Karuizawa Kei's shoulder, pulling her toward him. He took two steps forward to shield her behind him, then smiled at the group of girls and spoke:

"You must be Kei's friends. Since Kei and I go to different schools, I'll likely need you all to look after her in the future."

Before the leader of the group could speak, another girl rushed in front of Kitagawa Ryo, stammering:

"Yes, I'm Kei's best friend! Well, as for looking after her, we always take great care of Kei. Senior Kitagawa, can I add your Instagram?"

Seeing someone else take the initiative to strike up a conversation, the other girls behind didn't care about the veins bulging on their leader's forehead or her murderous glare. They swarmed around Kitagawa Ryo, one saying she had sat next to Karuizawa for two years, another claiming to be a close friend from her club. The noisy, overlapping chatter left Karuizawa Kei looking somewhat dazed; she could only pinch the hem of her bright yellow skirt, biting her lip as if wanting to step forward but lacking the courage.

"Senior Kitagawa is truly popular."

Standing to the side, Hirata Yosuke clicked his tongue in admiration. Although he was a rare handsome guy himself, whenever he was with Kitagawa Ryo, he seemed a bit plain by comparison.

"Is, is his name Kitagawa Ryo?"

Karuizawa Kei asked Hirata Yosuke cautiously, her gaze unable to help but steal glances at Kitagawa Ryo, who was still handling the girls.

"Yes."

Hirata Yosuke spoke carefully. He studied Karuizawa Kei for a moment, then leaned in close and whispered:

"Are you... being bullied by them?"

"..."

Karuizawa Kei was startled by Hirata Yosuke's words. She instinctively shook her head, then gave an almost imperceptible nod, and finally explained with a forced smile:

"It, it's not really like that."

She knew very well that even though the sunny boy sweating in front of her seemed kind and approachable, they had no connection and went to different schools. Even if she let him know her situation, he would be powerless to change it. Since that was the case, there was no need to say anything.

Moreover, over the past two years, she had gradually become accustomed to the fact that she was being bullied. The first time, she might have resisted, but resistance didn't lead to an improvement in the situation; it only brought heavier blows. Thus, she became numb. Even if fresh, bright red blood flowed from her body, it didn't matter, as if it didn't belong to her at all.

Karuizawa Kei shifted her gaze back to the boy who was still maneuvering through the crowd. Throughout her past life, she had compressed herself into an existence as small as possible. At first, she imagined herself as a dog sniffing others' scents, thinking that as long as she wagged her tail, stuck out her tongue, and acted cute, she wouldn't be hit. But people still found her annoying. Even though she had learned to echo others and giggle foolishly, keeping apologies and "I'm sorry" on her lips, they still said she was baring her teeth and grinning at them.

So now, she defined herself as something even smaller and more insignificant—a parasite that couldn't survive on its own.

She saw Kitagawa Ryo waving at her, so Karuizawa Kei walked toward him like a puppet. The gazes focused on her were as scorching as spotlights, until a hand brushed across the bridge of her nose. An index finger, bringing a light breeze, swept past Karuizawa Kei's brow and eyes. This skin-to-skin contact made Karuizawa Kei instinctively close her eyes. It took her a while to realize it wasn't a malicious slap.

Sometimes, physical contact between people doesn't bring a stinging pain. Karuizawa Kei could feel her small palm being enveloped by a stronger, larger hand. The surrounding clamor faded away; she could only see Kitagawa Ryo's lips moving, seemingly saying something.

Deep down, she told herself that she was just being rescued by a kind senior from another school whom she didn't know, and that she was ultimately just playing a guest role on a stage—there would always be a time to go backstage and remove her makeup. But for now, she couldn't help but crave the warmth transmitted through their joined palms, like the little match girl in the fairy tale, lighting one match after another in the freezing cold, imagining beauty in the faint glow.

It wasn't until she was dizzily led out of the stadium by Kitagawa Ryo that Karuizawa Kei finally snapped back to reality. Blushing, she stammered and pulled her hand away:

"Um..."

She was momentarily at a loss for words. Wanting to thank him, she looked up slightly and happened to meet his smiling black eyes:

"Are you hungry? Do you want to go get something to eat nearby? There's a pretty good ramen shop on the next street."

"How about it? Karuizawa-san."

"Ah... oh, okay."

The sudden change in how he addressed her left Karuizawa Kei feeling a bit disappointed, but she quickly adjusted her mindset. With a hint of nervousness and a sliver of anticipation, she asked in a low voice:

"Is it just the two of us?"

Perhaps because her voice was too quiet, Kitagawa Ryo didn't seem to hear her. He scanned the surroundings and called out to a girl on the right who seemed to be operating her phone:

"Honami, over here!"

"Two orders of Set A, firm noodles, slightly spicy, extra vinegar, no cilantro, light broth."

"Swap the cold drink in one of them for miso soup, with kelp and tofu."

"Karuizawa-san, go ahead and order whatever you'd like."

Ichinose Honami folded the menu in her hand and passed it to Karuizawa Kei with a beaming smile. Stunned by Ichinose's practiced ordering, Karuizawa Kei felt a bit dazed and simply ordered a recommended set without even looking at the specific contents.

"Um, Ichinose-san."

She spoke with hesitation. During their brief interaction just now, Karuizawa Kei had already realized that the girl sitting beside her—as dazzling and vibrant as a rainbow—was Kitagawa Ryo's childhood friend. Moreover, seeing their intimate rapport, Karuizawa Kei, who had long been accustomed to reading people's faces, could guess that their relationship might be even closer than that.

"No need to be so formal, just call me Honami."

Taking a small sip of the cold drink that had arrived first, Ichinose Honami flashed a harmless, brilliant smile at Karuizawa Kei.

"Hey, hey, I wanted a cold drink too."

On the other side of the table, Kitagawa Ryo sighed, sounding a bit disgruntled as he looked at the steaming bowl of miso soup in front of him.

"You can't have cold drinks right after intense exercise. What if you get a stomachache?"

Ichinose Honami's bright eyes sparkled like stars as she reached out to push the bowl of soup toward him.

Watching their interaction, Karuizawa Kei suddenly felt like an outsider. To prevent Ichinose from noticing anything amiss, she quickly lowered her head and pretended to drink her beverage.

The iced plum juice didn't seem to have any flavor as she drank it, and before she knew it, Karuizawa Kei had downed more than half the glass in one go.

"Does Kei like plum juice that much? This place does make it quite well, though."

Ichinose Honami tilted her head to look at the now half-empty glass and asked with a hint of surprise.

"It's alright, it is quite good."

Karuizawa Kei nodded awkwardly.

"I heard that after the match ended, Kei confessed to Ryo?"

The next moment, the question posed by Ichinose made Karuizawa Kei tighten her grip on the cold glass.

"Ha, I suppose so."

Lowering her head, she observed Ichinose Honami's expression out of the corner of her eye. Despite having just finished her drink, Karuizawa Kei's throat felt incredibly parched, and the few short words felt like they were being forced out.

"Ryo has always been the type girls like, right? He's handsome, good at his studies, kind to others, and plays soccer well, too."

"That sounds a bit strange coming from you, Honami."

"Come on, I'm genuinely complimenting you."

Karuizawa Kei knew very well that the other girl was still carefully avoiding the root of the issue. Just as Ichinose Honami herself had said, it wasn't rare for Kitagawa Ryo to receive confessions, but the problem today was that Kitagawa Ryo had actually accepted hers.

"Don't overthink it. Accepting your confession on the field was just because I felt it was the best course of action under those circumstances. Karuizawa-san doesn't need to feel any psychological burden, nor do you need to take on any responsibilities as a girlfriend."

Seeming to see through Karuizawa Kei's concerns, Kitagawa Ryo looked directly at her again, his words sincere.

"Once the buzz dies down in a couple of days, you can just announce that you dumped me."

In middle school relationships, whoever dumps the other first usually holds the advantage in public opinion, and Kitagawa Ryo had noted this when he added his comment.

"Won't that affect your reputation, Senpai?"

Karuizawa Kei timidly raised her head.

"I don't really have a reputation to speak of. Besides, I'm going abroad after this summer break, and I probably won't be back for about a year."

Kitagawa Ryo dismissed her worries nonchalantly. Seeing Ichinose Honami's stunned expression, he quickly explained:

"My family is sending me to a boarding school in the United States for a year. I only just got the news today."

"...Oh, I see. That's a good thing."

Driven by some unknown impulse, when Karuizawa Kei saw the look of disappointment on Ichinose Honami's face, a strange sense of pleasure welled up inside her.

Just then, the ramen the three of them had ordered was served, and Kitagawa Ryo dropped the subject. Having played a full match today, he was truly exhausted, and after a brief polite gesture, he quickly began to eat.

After wolfing down a large bowl of ramen, Kitagawa Ryo finally set his chopsticks down in satisfaction. Seeing the progress of the two girls across from him, he helplessly took his phone out of his pocket to kill time.

"Are you and Karuizawa together now, Senpai?"

"You accepted that confession on the field on purpose, didn't you? I saw it."

"What's so good about someone like Karuizawa? Why don't you consider me instead, Senpai?"

As soon as he opened his social media app, a flood of messages made Kitagawa Ryo feel a bit dizzy. However, leaving them on read would be awkward, so he rubbed his chin and came up with a good idea.

"Kei, look up for a second."

Karuizawa Kei, who had been quietly eating her ramen in small bites, was startled. Because she hadn't looked at the menu, the ramen in this set was so spicy it was almost unbearable. She had already finished her plum juice and was too embarrassed to ask for more, so she had been making do, leaving her lips bright red and fine beads of sweat on her forehead.

Hearing Kitagawa Ryo's voice, Karuizawa Kei had no idea what was happening. The moment she looked up, she saw Kitagawa Ryo pushing over a giant fruit smoothie. It was a couple's size, enough for two people, and the basis for Karuizawa Kei's conclusion was the two straws intertwined in the shape of a heart.

"Ah, thank you."

The very next second, as Karuizawa Kei subconsciously sipped the smoothie to soothe the burning sensation in her throat, her eyes widened.

At the other end of the gaze, Kitagawa Ryo pressed his lips against the straw.

His right hand, holding his phone, stretched forward. Under the brilliant flash, Karuizawa Kei heard Kitagawa Ryo's whisper, which seemed to wind its way along the heart shape formed by the straws, traveling straight to her lips and then reaching into the chambers of her heart:

"Couple... cheese!"

"Eating ramen with my girlfriend."

Taking the photo, editing the text, and uploading it to social media were all done in one fluid motion.

Only after finishing all this did Kitagawa Ryo put his phone away with a sigh of relief. He smiled at Karuizawa Kei with a touch of embarrassment and pushed the fruit smoothie further toward her:

"Sorry about that. Breaking up the same day we started dating would be too abrupt, and those classmates of yours are a hassle. This should keep things quiet for a while."

Karuizawa Kei stared, dumbfounded, as her phone chimed incessantly with a barrage of notifications. She gulped down a large mouthful of fruit, only for it to get stuck in her throat, leaving her making muffled, choking sounds. Ichinose Honami, sitting nearby, rushed over to pat her back and help her breathe, and it took quite a while for her to recover.

"Um, I don't mind it, actually."

If anything, she was quite satisfied.

Karuizawa Kei looked timidly at Ichinose Honami, who was gently handing her a tissue:

"As for Ichinose-san..."

"I told you, you can call me Honami."

Ichinose Honami waved her hand generously, then turned to Kitagawa Ryo with a playful jab:

"Anyway, since Ryo chose to do this, he must have his reasons. Besides, it's just for show, after all."

She lowered her head to wipe the corner of her mouth with a tissue, and when she looked back up, she wore her usual radiant smile:

"And it's not like I'm Ryo's girlfriend..."

Ichinose Honami paused noticeably, then suddenly looked straight at Kitagawa Ryo, her tone half-teasing and half-serious:

"Right?"