My Wives Of Simulation

Chapter 62: The Darkhearted Yuki Suou

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"Shinomiya, I remember your Class 5 is in the same direction as Elric's Class 3. Why didn't I see him?"

Because Toyogasaki Academy has a large number of students and many majors, there are over ten specialized fields and hundreds of classes just in the first year.

Don't think ten majors are few. At an elite academy like Toyogasaki, only top-tier subjects are offered, and these are the kinds of programs that immediately attract offers from major corporations upon graduation.

Majors like computer science, architecture, economics, and even niche fields such as advanced veterinary care for livestock are renowned for their rigorous education.

Each major has over ten classes, and it's naturally impossible to accommodate all the freshmen in the same building. As a result, students are often spread across different sections of the campus.

Knowing that Kaguya's Class 5 was next to Elric's Class 3, Yuki and Chika, both from Class 20, came from the opposite direction.

"Elric?"

Hearing Yuki mention Elric's name, Kaguya looked at her with mild surprise. "Do you know Elric?"

Although both were members of the student council, Kaguya hadn't interacted much with Yuki. Apart from recognizing her as one of Chika's friends and knowing the Suou family's reputation in political circles, Kaguya didn't have a deep impression of her.

Yuki was popular among students and carried herself with an elegant demeanor befitting her noble background, but Kaguya didn't expect her to know Elric personally.

"Yes, we were good friends in junior high school," Yuki answered with a natural smile, but Kaguya sensed she might not be telling the whole story.

"Suzune, why aren't you saying anything? Don't you miss Elric?" Yuki suddenly turned to another girl, someone Kaguya didn't particularly like.

"Miss him? Why would I miss him?"

The girl in question, Horikita Suzune, had also entered Toyogasaki with top scores, tying Kaguya as one of the highest-ranked students.

With her sharp features and cool demeanor, Suzune carried an aura of quiet confidence. Even Kaguya, who took pride in her own appearance, had to admit Suzune's looks were striking and appealing to most.

But it wasn't just Suzune's appearance that bothered Kaguya. Her aloof nature and unwillingness to engage in teamwork made her someone Kaguya found difficult to get along with. Though they had only exchanged a few words in the student council group chat, Kaguya had already decided she disliked people like Suzune.

Now, seeing Yuki directly address Suzune about Elric, Kaguya's curiosity grew.

"Oh, didn't Chika tell you? Elric, Suzune, and I were all in the same class during junior high school," Yuki said, her tone light, though Kaguya felt something in it she couldn't quite place.

"And let me tell you, Elric's academic performance was extraordinary. Over those three years, Suzune and I never managed to surpass him even once."

Yuki's smile remained polite as she spoke, but there was something about her expression that made Kaguya uneasy. Her words were calm, yet Kaguya couldn't shake the impression that Yuki was enjoying herself a little too much as she recounted their past.

Shaking her head, Kaguya dismissed the thought as paranoia. Surely, a well-mannered girl like Yuki couldn't harbor any ill intent. Still, the revelation that Yuki and Suzune had been in the same class as Elric during junior high surprised her. Elric had never mentioned it before.

"Hey, Shinomiya-san, don't tell me you didn't know? I thought you were aware," Yuki said, tilting her head slightly, her tone light, but Kaguya noticed a shift in her expression.

This time, there was something unsettling about Yuki's demeanor—almost as if she were provoking Kaguya, subtly testing her reaction.

"I saw that you and Elric were in the same class in high school, Shinomiya-san, and I assumed you two were very familiar with each other. Sorry, it seems I was mistaken."

Yuki bowed slightly to express her apology. On the surface, her words sounded polite, yet when taken together, they carried an unmistakable undercurrent that left Kaguya feeling uneasy.

[Here it comes again... this feeling...]

[Confirmed. This girl... is provoking me.]

Kaguya stared at Yuki, observing the faint trace of a smirk in her otherwise composed demeanor. Taking a deep breath, just as she was about to respond, someone else interrupted.

"Oh no, it's my fault! It's my fault that I didn't tell Kaguya that Yuki already knew Elric!"

Patting her chest dramatically, Chika, ever the peacemaker, jumped into the conversation, trying to defuse the brewing tension.

"Are you familiar with Elric?"

Kaguya ignored Chika's attempt at damage control entirely, focusing her gaze on Yuki. She didn't need Chika's explanation to connect the dots.

She could already guess Chika's motives.

Kaguya's interactions with Elric had always been tinged with subtle affection—something Chika, as her close friend, had undoubtedly noticed.

Since Chika hadn't mentioned that Yuki knew Elric, there could only be one plausible explanation.

[Yuki Suou... She also knows Elric and probably likes him.]

It all made sense to Kaguya now. Chika, being a mutual friend of both her and Yuki, must have kept this detail hidden out of kindness, unwilling to cause friction between them.

"I don't know him. I just want to surpass that guy," Suzune's cold voice suddenly cut through the tension.

Her words exuded her trademark indifference, but there was a glint of resolve in her eyes. To her, Elric wasn't someone to befriend or admire—he was a rival.

For Suzune, excellence was not optional; it was a requirement. As the heir of the Horikita family, she had been raised with rigid discipline, waking at six every morning and adhering to a strict routine that left no room for error.

Even illness wasn't an excuse. She would force herself to attend school no matter how sick she felt, only seeking treatment after finishing her classes. And once recovered, she'd intensify her training to ensure her body wouldn't fail her again.

This tireless dedication shaped Suzune into the top-tier individual she was today—confident, self-reliant, and unwilling to trust anyone.

If she had to name her closest relationships, it would be Yuki and Chika. Even then, they weren't truly friends in her eyes, just equals she occasionally acknowledged.

Of course, she still believed she could surpass them. Yuki might have good grades, but her penchant for anime and lack of discipline weakened her standing. Meanwhile, Chika, though charismatic and socially adept, fell short academically.

The only reason Suzune even associated with the two was because their families were all involved in politics.

But Elric was a completely different story.

'The strongest competitor I've ever faced, Elric… No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't beat him—not even once.'

Ever since middle school, Suzune had faced the undeniable reality of her own limits. She prided herself on being the best, yet Elric—a fellow junior high student of the same age—consistently outperformed her.

Academics, sports, extracurricular knowledge—it didn't matter. Elric excelled in all areas.

What infuriated her even more was overhearing Yuki and Chika chat with him so effortlessly. Elric wasn't just academically gifted; he had unique insights into politics, literature, and even anime, which fascinated her peers.

To Suzune, his ability to converse so naturally about both intellectual topics and casual hobbies made him even more frustrating.

At first, Suzune's sole focus was to surpass Elric. But as time passed, she realized her goal had shifted.

It wasn't about surpassing him anymore—it was about catching up to him.