True Education: I Have a Life Simulator

"At around 5 PM on July 20th, a fire broke out on the fourth floor of a 14-story apartment in Nakano Ward. Fortunately, the unit had been vacant for a year, so there were few flammable materials. Firefighters arrived quickly and extinguished the fire using high-pressure hoses and fire suppression grenades. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. One person sustained minor injuries and has been taken to the hospital for treatment."

Karuizawa Kei turned off the television with the remote. She had been sitting on the couch motionless for over thirty minutes. If not for this slight movement, one might've mistaken her for a statue placed in a temple. But unlike serene, clay-carved bodhisattvas, her gaze toward the person across from her was colder and more malicious than that of a demon. This chill between her and Ichinose Honami was like a wall dividing them.

"Why were you lighting candles in an empty apartment he doesn't even live in anymore?"

Kei's words struck like an axe. Sparks of memory lit up with a crackle—fragments of distant and recent memories burst forth, and the image of the boy bursting through the door, and the paper cranes burning in the fire, collided in Honami's mind.

"What business is it of yours?"

Honami snapped back, her anger inexplicably mirroring Kei's. She stared Kei down with a grin and repeated herself:

"What does it have to do with you?"

Her tone sharpened and her demeanor returned to that of a student council president—poised and commanding.

Kei had always feared this type of presence. Girls with such leadership were capable of shaping class opinion. During her two years in middle school, Kei had suffered because of them. So when Honami's expression turned cold, Kei involuntarily hesitated.

"Still the same."

Honami shook her head, disappointed. After Kitagawa Ryo was injured again in the fire she caused and was hospitalized, the matriarch of the Kitagawa family had flown back from overseas early that morning. As a result, both Kei and Honami were unceremoniously kicked out by the irate mother.

"No contact. No replies."

Now it was Honami guarding the phone. She stared at the unread messages and missed calls. A strange pain bloomed in her chest—like watching someone sink into the ocean, unable to do anything.

Honami realized her earlier words had been too harsh and considered apologizing. But before she could speak, her phone lit up. Both girls leaned in—only to see it was Honami's mother calling.

Still sick, her mother's voice came through gently:

"The landlord contacted me. Those apartments were Kitagawa property, so the compensation is something we need to discuss with them directly… You know your mother and the Kitagawa family don't get along. We don't have extra money now. Honami, please ask him to be considerate. For the sake of our years as neighbors."

"Okay. I'll talk to Ryo."

Honami sniffled slightly, her voice nasally despite trying to sound composed.

"That's good. But you shouldn't have gone there in the first place. We're lucky the place was empty. If the fire had spread—to our house or the neighbors below—that's criminal. What would people think of the Ichinose family? What would they think of you, Honami?"

Her mother sighed with relief and began her usual lecture.

"Mom, please rest. I have things to do."

For the first time, Honami felt irritated by her mother's words. She ended the call.

"If only you'd responded like that earlier."

Kei had clearly heard everything. Her voice was laced with sarcasm.

She wanted to keep pressing, to rip Honami open. But Honami didn't say another word. She sat motionless, eyes shut tight, before tears began to fall.

Although Kei found Honami difficult to accept, watching her sob made Kei's own tears fall without realizing. As if sadness was contagious, despite stemming from different reasons.

Yet, amidst this empathy, Kei felt a strange pleasure. Watching Honami suffer brought her some measure of twisted comfort. The more Honami hurt, the better Kei felt. Emotions, when intense enough, can radiate—this Kei now understood.

Compelled by instinct, Kei approached Honami and accepted her into her arms, resting her head on Honami's shoulder. The roles flipped—Kei became the comforter, the superior, while Honami was the one seeking shelter.

Honami clung to Kei. She didn't care who was holding her. All she wanted now was to cry—loudly, freely. Though she had cried the day before, she now feared how easily tears came. It felt like each tear was sealing away her ability to smile again.

"If Ichinose-san had just made up her mind sooner—whether to say yes or no—it wouldn't have ended like this."

Kei whispered at her ear, pretending to console but instead twisting the blade. Honami sobbed even harder, prompting Kei to wonder: Did she do this on purpose?

Then, Kei felt as though her thoughts and body were splitting. Her mouth moved without her control, as if it had become a separate being—still cutting deeper.

"You know, he planned that date for days. The mountaintop had a whole ceremony ready. Those 'construction workers' were just waiting crew."

The impact was so sharp that even Kei was startled by herself. She felt like an actor who had gone off-script and received applause so loud she didn't know what to do next.

She had lit the fuse on a firework—unsure what spectacle would follow. But still, her mouth kept moving.

"I wonder how you felt when he said I was his girlfriend on the phone?"

Kei felt insane, but recalling herself biting her lip in the hospital while watching Ryo and Honami interact, she felt justified. She laughed bitterly.

"You're the type who never gives up, right, Ichinose-san?"

"But maybe it's time you did. He's almost done waiting."

"To destroy someone, emotional damage is far more effective than physical harm. You constantly yield to others but end up hurting Ryo again and again."

"...Stop."

Honami begged faintly.

Kei shook her head.

"No. I have to say this. You can't keep running. One day, everything you've hidden will be unearthed. Let me be the villain—it's what you made me."

Misery clamped around Honami, spreading inside and piercing her to the bone.

"He always just wanted you to believe in yourself. If it's not truly your decision—accepting or rejecting him—then it means nothing. Just more evasion."

Kei's words sliced deeper than any knife. Negative emotions spilled out like pus.

"You've never once said what you really think. That's why you act like this."

"...I know."

"I've known all along."

She had lied to him over and over—while telling everyone else the truth.

"Wouldn't it have been better to realize this sooner?"

"...Please stop."

Her courage, her resolution, her hope—wilting away.

Biting her lip, Honami held back the feelings clawing their way up.

"You knew a year ago, didn't you? You knew it was hopeless, yet you hoped anyway. You tortured yourself with that."

"I..."

She wanted to protest, to say she gave up when she learned the truth. But her voice caught.

Maybe Kei was right—even now, Honami held onto a shred of hope.

Was that cruel?

"If he confesses to you again at the fireworks festival, would you accept?"

No.

The answer in her heart was clear, but her lips couldn't say it.

She reached for that fragile thread of possibility.

"He... he wouldn't. He understands me."

Excuses. Struggles. Pleas.

Kei shattered her last defenses.

"It's all about priorities."

Cruelty whispered from behind. Honami wanted to cover her ears, but reality doesn't stop.

"If you'd put him first—or yourself first—this wouldn't have happened."

Her breathing was bitter and heavy.

Kei's tone flattened, like a judge delivering a death sentence.

"Someone who can't love themselves or others doesn't deserve to be in love."

Merciless.

"I like to think that we had it all… We drew a map to a better place…"

Kei's ringtone cut through the air. It was Ryo. His caller ID showed a photo of the two of them sharing a drink at a ramen shop.

"Hey! What took so long to pick up?"

Kei turned on speakerphone.

"Ryo! When did you wake up? Are you okay? Are your injuries serious?"

The sharp Kei was now stuttering.

"Hey, I'm fine. Just inhaled some smoke. The fire wasn't that big—once the blanket burned, it mostly died out."

Ryo's lively tone made his words more believable.

"Anyway, I finally convinced my mom to let me out for the fireworks festival tomorrow. How are your preparations?"

His voice lowered:

"Honami isn't near you, right?"

"...No."

"Good. I'll call her later. I just found out the paper crane she gave me years ago—each one had the same line inside: 'I like you.' Haha, such a tsundere."

"Yeah, I'm ready as planned."

There was a pause.

Then, Ryo chuckled:

"Actually, I called to say—there's no need to prepare. My confession plan is canceled."

"What?"

"My mom's taking me overseas. I've delayed it by a day, but I leave the morning after the festival."

"Confessing right before I leave—there's no point in that."

"Until I can give her happiness, my confession will have to wait. We're always waiting anyway."

"So."

"So?"

"So, Karuizawa Kei's role as an actress ends here. It wasn't long, but thanks for everything."

"Don't say that. You helped me more."

"Then let's go to the fireworks tomorrow. As a farewell date."

"Breaking up under fireworks—it sounds... cruel."

Ichinose Honami saw Kei smiling through almost-tears.

"Then let's treat it like a date. Just us. One last time."

[CG Event: Fleeting Fireworks – End of Chapter.]