Simulated Ending: The Usurper's Farewell

[Simulation Ended]

[Simulation Ending: The Tamperer's Farewell]

[Simulation Commentary: You opened Pandora's box yourself, yet you could not accept the arrangement. In the end, you were best friends, yet the people with the greatest divide between them.]

[Simulation Rating: C]

[Talent Points Awarded: 10]

The moment her consciousness returned to her body, Ichinose Honami bolted upright in bed, cold sweat soaking through her pajamas.

Her talent points had now reached thirty-five, yet Ichinose Honami lay on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling as the long, suffocating simulated life she had just experienced continued to churn in her mind.

She had drawn a talent called "Communication Induction." In the simulation, she used this talent to plant verbal suggestions, hoping Wu Qiao would help her dismantle the massive influence Nagumo Miyabi held over the student council.

Although it was very strange during the process, Wu Qiao often said things that left her baffled, such as "I liked Ichinose Honami before we even met," or even insane remarks like, "In my memory, Ayanokoji Kiyoha should be a boy."

Immediately after...

The good news was that the problem with Nagumo Miyabi was indeed successfully resolved.

The bad news was that in the process, Wu Qiao displayed a form of mental hypnosis that was nothing short of eerie and hair-raising.

People are prone to dependency; once they get a taste of the benefits of a shortcut, it is hard to turn back. After Wu Qiao discovered that mental hypnosis was incredibly effective, he became unstoppable, directly hypnotizing all his enemies into obedient puppets.

Whether it was Nagumo Miyabi, Director Tsukishiro, or juniors like Nanase Tsubasa and Amasawa Ichika, all of them were reduced to silent pieces on his chessboard.

Because of this, the Ichinose Honami in the simulation fell into a whirlpool of painful self-reproach. She tried countless times to stop Wu Qiao, but it was to no avail.

Eventually, even seeing Wu Qiao's face made Ichinose Honami uncontrollably afraid. She began to frantically doubt whether the friendship, reliance, and even the heart-fluttering feelings she had for him were merely illusions induced by his hypnosis.

In the end, Wu Qiao voluntarily chose to drop out and leave.

"Honami, you don't need to make that face." Wu Qiao stood against the light, his face still wearing that inscrutable, faint smile. "I'm just going to a place where I don't need to wear a mask."

"You ruined them, and you ruined me!" Ichinose Honami's voice trembled, tears streaming down her face. "You knew I didn't want this outcome... Why did you become like this?"

"Because this is what you wanted," Wu Qiao said softly, his tone tinged with a trace of sorrow. "You were the one who hoped Nagumo Miyabi would disappear; you were the one who hoped all obstacles would be cleared. I simply... satisfied the deepest desire in your heart. Honami, we are the same."

"No! We are not the same!" Ichinose Honami screamed hysterically. "I never wanted to strip anyone of their free will!"

Wu Qiao was silent for a moment, then sighed softly. "Perhaps. But once Pandora's box is opened, it can never be closed again. Goodbye, my best friend."

However, Wu Qiao's departure did not help the Ichinose Honami in the simulation recover.

During the days she led her class to Class A, those who had been hypnotized gradually returned to normal, but Ichinose Honami herself remained unchanged.

This clarity only made her collapse further, because it told her clearly that she was the root cause of everything—it was she who had personally induced Wu Qiao to become a demon who wantonly tampered with the minds of others.

In the end, Ichinose Honami actually applied for a class transfer on the eve of graduation, abandoning the Class A graduation qualification that was within her reach, as if only through this self-punishment could she slightly alleviate her inner guilt.

When it was time to leave, Wu Qiao met her at the school gate for a final farewell.

It was a season of falling cherry blossoms, and the school gate was bustling with people.

Ichinose Honami dragged her suitcase, preparing to leave the school that had hosted her countless nightmares. Wu Qiao stood under a tree not far away, watching her quietly.

"Are you leaving?" Wu Qiao asked, his voice as calm as stagnant water.

"Yes." Ichinose Honami didn't look at him, only keeping her head down and staring at her toes. "I gave up my Class A status. It's the only atonement I can make."

"Is it worth it?"

"To me, it is." Ichinose Honami looked up, her eyes filled with a shattered kind of resolve. "Wu, I hope that in the future... you won't use that power again, even if it's for your own sake."

Wu Qiao looked at her, and after a long while, a faint smile curled at the corners of his lips. "I wish you a bright future, Ichinose. May you no longer see me in your dreams."

Lying in bed, Ichinose Honami felt incredibly conflicted. Her chest felt as if it were pressed by a giant boulder; she felt a sense of helplessness, wanting to help but being unable to, and unable to bear it when Wu Qiao took matters into his own hands.

Facts proved that Wu Qiao was indeed a bug-level existence. Originally, the other party just wanted to read books peacefully and be a bystander outside the fray.

Now it seemed that such "peace" was actually the optimal solution, but this school simply didn't have such a stable environment.

So, how should she face the real Wu Qiao?

She didn't want him to turn dark and insane because of her induction, nor did she want him to do something as extreme as trampling on others' personalities to protect her.

However, with her current abilities, she couldn't protect him at all; even protecting herself seemed a bit difficult.

The only thing Ichinose Honami could be glad about now was that in reality, Wu Qiao had not been induced by her to become that way.

Everything she had just experienced was merely a simulation.

She took a deep breath, climbed out of bed, and walked to the window to push it open. The cool night breeze blew in, helping her heated brain calm down a little.

Regardless, she could not sit and wait for death.

Today was Tuesday. The morning sun was as bright as ever, but Ichinose Honami made the unprecedented decision to skip morning practice. She arrived at the classroom early, all alone, and sat by the window. Looking at the empty desks and chairs, her mood was as tangled as a mess of hemp.

She felt as if every simulation dealt a blow of varying intensity to her soul. This time, Wu Qiao had become a demon of mental manipulation, and that sense of helplessness and guilt still lingered on her nerve endings.

Even with an optimistic personality like Ichinose Honami's, she wanted to point at the school and curse it right now. Why couldn't they just let people study and graduate in peace? Did they have to force everyone to scheme against and hurt each other?

Next time, she must find a way to clear the mines in the next simulation. She would treat the next one as a trial-and-error run...

She slumped over her desk, burying her face in her arms, trying to shake the chaotic thoughts from her mind.

However, Ichinose Honami had made up her mind to avoid Wu Qiao for the entire day. She feared that seeing his face would remind her of that suffocating ending in the simulation; she needed time alone to think and sort out what she should do next.

Time slipped by until noon, and as students in the classroom gradually left for lunch, Ichinose Honami sat staring blankly at her textbook. A sudden, noisy commotion echoed at the entrance of Class B, shattering the midday tranquility.

Or rather... the disturbance was coming from the direction of Class A.

Ichinose Honami looked up, puzzled, to see a crowd already gathered at the door of Class A. Many students were craning their necks, their faces filled with the excitement of onlookers eager for drama, while others wore expressions of panic.

What happened? Her heart skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding washed over her. She grabbed a passing classmate from Class B to ask about the situation.

The student was panting, their face pale with terror as they said, "It's a disaster! A student from Class D was sent to the infirmary—it looks like Kito Hayato from Class A pushed him down the stairs! I heard he was hurt pretty badly; they've already taken him away on a stretcher!"

Ichinose Honami's heart tightened, and she hurriedly asked, "What is the name of that Class D student?"

The classmate thought for a moment before saying uncertainly, "Something like... Wu Qiao? Oh, right, I think you know him, Ichinose-san."

BOOM—!

The moment she heard that name, Ichinose Honami's brain completely shut down, as if a thunderbolt had exploded in her ears.

Wu Qiao?! Pushed down the stairs by Kito Hayato?!

The floodgates of her memory burst open, and the information from her previous simulation surged in like a tide. Although she didn't know exactly how it had happened in reality, this segment had indeed been in the simulation data! While the details might have differed, the core event was an exact match.

"How could this happen..." Ichinose Honami's face turned deathly pale, and her hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

Because Ichinose Honami was unaware of Wu Qiao's plan, she took all of this as her own fault.

In her eyes, if she hadn't been wallowing in the negative emotions brought on by the simulation, fretting over gains and losses, she should have been able to notice the problem and perhaps even prevented this incident from occurring.

I knew it... I knew something was going to happen today... She gripped the edge of her desk so hard her knuckles turned white, overwhelmed by a crushing sense of regret and self-reproach. I could have stopped this, but I was hiding here, wallowing in self-pity, and I forgot such vital information!

Looking at the noisy crowd at the entrance of Class A, Ichinose Honami gritted her teeth and stood up abruptly. Regardless of what lay behind this, there was one thing she had to confirm right now.

How was Wu Qiao doing?