True Education: I Have a Life Simulator

Horikita Suzune found herself uncharacteristically distracted, unable to focus on the book in her hands. She was seated in her usual spot at a familiar family restaurant, eating her usual meal. Normally, such familiarity brought people a sense of calm, but all Suzune could feel after this morning's call with her brother was a creeping discomfort. Her book had remained on the same page for over twenty minutes.

She quietly slid Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, which she had just started today, back into her bag. Reading in this state of mind was pointless. After neatly tucking the book away, she glanced at the clock on the wall.

It was precisely eleven o'clock. According to her brother Manabu, someone would be meeting her today between eleven and twelve. Since she didn't want to invite anyone into her home, she had chosen her second-most familiar place: this family restaurant.

Truthfully, with her current cooking skills, she could have easily made a meal at home. But she still came here daily—not just to save time and energy, but because she and Manabu used to dine here occasionally. That had been a long time ago. He had left for the UK two years ago, and they hadn't seen each other since.

Suzune had tried to follow in her brother's footsteps, but somewhere along the way, he told her to stop. When she came to her senses again, he was already far ahead, out of reach. Lacking the courage to forge her own path, she simply continued following his footprints.

Top grades, athletic excellence, perfect attendance from elementary school to now—even when sick, she forced herself to go to school. For Horikita Suzune, nothing was more important than studying hard, getting into a good high school, and then a good university.

She had incredible self-control and discipline, pushing herself relentlessly toward Manabu's ideal. Like a perfectly tuned machine, she never tired. She believed she could do anything on her own, and so never bothered with social interaction. She had seen too many team projects collapse due to incompetence and blame-shifting. Cooperation, in her view, was inefficient.

She didn't think eating, commuting, or going home alone was lonely. After all, Manabu had been like that too. Following his model, she naturally concluded that her current way of life was correct.

But that tidy system began to unravel this morning.

First, she learned that her brother had made a friend named Kitagawa Ryo.

Second, she learned that this Kitagawa Ryo was her supposed fiancé.

The double shock nearly shattered everything Suzune had believed in for the past decade. She thought she didn't need friends because Manabu didn't either. But suddenly, he had one—and that friend was also her betrothed.

Her hand paused mid-motion, fork suspended in the air. Then, like a robot on autopilot, she resumed chewing.

She had never needed friends, nor imagined she could ever have one. Naturally, she couldn't accept the idea of a fiancé. Yet, because this was someone her brother trusted, Suzune couldn't help but feel a faint curiosity about this Kitagawa Ryo.

Her meal finished, she checked the time again—11:45. If noon was the meeting deadline, he had about fifteen minutes left. Suzune wiped her hands and mouth, then pulled Crime and Punishment from her bag again.

The 19th-century Russian novel told the story of a man who, driven by poverty, killed a loan shark and her innocent sister. After agonizing over his guilt, he eventually turned himself in, persuaded by a devout Christian woman. The novel, as its title suggested, was divided into two parts: the crime and the punishment. Suzune had only read the first few sections, where the protagonist commits the murder with an axe. The graphic detail made her feel uneasy so soon after lunch.

Today, Suzune felt more emotionally sensitive than usual. Realizing this, she glanced at the wall clock again.

11:55. She frowned. If Kitagawa Ryo showed up late to their first meeting, her opinion of him would drop significantly.

In the final five minutes, she fixed her gaze on the restaurant entrance, watching each customer enter.

11:56. An old man entered with a child.

11:57. A girl her age walked in, her honey-colored hair leaving a strong impression.

11:58. No one entered.

11:59. A boy walked in and locked eyes with her almost immediately.

Kitagawa Ryo approached her table and sat down without hesitation.

"Hello, I'm Kitagawa Ryo. It's nice to meet you."

He nodded slightly as he introduced himself. His features were striking, especially his eyes, which gleamed like black gemstones. With just a glance, Suzune felt inexplicably drawn in.

"I'm Horikita Suzune," she responded stiffly. Realizing her tone was brusque, she quickly added, "Hello, it's nice to meet you."

Kitagawa studied her, noticing how oddly nervous she seemed. From afar yesterday, her black straight hair and stoic expression had exuded a commanding presence.

After their introductions, silence fell over them like a blanket. It was the kind of awkward quiet found on blind dates. Kitagawa glanced at the book on the table and searched for a topic.

"Do you often read long foreign novels like this?"

"What do you think about our engagement?"

They spoke simultaneously.

From a nearby table came a loud clatter—someone had just sliced their knife hard into a plate.