I have a life simulator.

But this kind of life came to an abrupt end after she entered junior high school. As her social circle expanded, Kikyo Kushida gradually encountered people who surpassed her in various fields.

There is absolutely no way to defeat someone you can't beat.

Kitagawa Ryo is a prime example, because he was the most suffocating person among all the peers that Kushida Kikyo had ever met. While she was still basking in the praise from her parents and friends, he had already left his mark on a stage she had never imagined, a stage so grand that this gap was like a chasm.

It was after meeting Kitagawa Ryo that Kushida Kikyo longed for the respect and envy of others, hoping that her name could appear as frequently in other people's conversations as Kitagawa's, in a posture of looking up to him.

Driven by this desire, Kikyo Kushida found her own answer: to gain more trust than anyone else and to seek a sense of superiority by being more popular than anyone else.

Suppressing one's true feelings, putting on a fake smile, and showing the same gentleness to everyone.

She reached out to a guy whose mere sight would ruin her mood, and she also reached out to an unattractive girl who annoyed her.

Of course, in order to further expand her influence and to get on Kitagawa Ryo's good side, she cunningly chose to join the school's drama club when she was in junior high school.

Trust is an irreplaceable treasure.

In this process, Kikyo Kushida gradually realized this. A steady stream of people trusted her, and under the influence of this trust, they easily revealed their secrets to her, including but not limited to the person the most popular boy in the class liked, the unexpected troubles of the smartest person in the class, and everything from major secrets about the body to some trivial secrets.

She thoroughly enjoys this act of spying on other people's privacy, and the moment she learns their secrets, she even experiences a thrilling sensation, like an electric current running through her skin.

The more perfect a student seems, the more she wants to uncover their secrets.

Driven by this bloodthirsty curiosity, Kikyo Kushida wished she could transform into an insect and burrow into everyone's veins in order to uncover deeper and darker secrets.

The same was true after she entered Tokyo Advanced Educational Middle School. As a little angel with a good reputation throughout the entire grade and even the upper grades, Kikyo Kushida easily mastered a lot of secrets. Like a dragon guarding a treasure trove, she gained satisfaction and fell asleep peacefully every night by counting these secrets.

But today, Sakura Airi's performance and the discussions among her classmates reminded Kushida Kikyo of that long-lost feeling of inferiority from being ignored. The students in Class A were certainly not so emotionally unintelligent as to compare the two performances, but the more they were ignored, the more irritated Kushida Kikyo became.

Inferiority complex always kills in the dead of night.

So, Kikyo Kushida couldn't fall asleep that night. She quietly got up and left the tent without waking anyone else. She walked out of Class A's camp in the thick darkness and entered the forest.

Once she felt she had moved far enough away, Kikyo Kushida kicked a nearby tree in frustration. The recoil pain didn't even make her flinch; she just muttered to herself:

"Ugh—this is so annoying."

If the other students in Class A heard this, they probably wouldn't recognize that the deep voice came from Kikyo Kushida.

"This is so annoying, it's infuriating! Why don't you just die already...?"

Kikyo Kushida muttered curses under her breath, as if reciting a curse incantation.

"What former idol? She thinks she's cute and just poses like that. Anyway, she's probably just a slut who's been sexually harassed a million times. Why can't the trash in Class D just stay there and rot?"

"Ugh—this is terrible...this is absolutely terrible, absolutely terrible, absolutely terrible! That woman Sakura is so annoying...she's so incredibly annoying!"

Just as Kikyo Kushida was venting her negative emotions without restraint, another cautious, slightly puzzled voice suddenly came from behind her:

"Kushida-san?"

"...What are you doing?"

Startled to be seen in this state by others, Kikyo Kushida quickly turned around and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the person's face.

Standing there is Yosuke Hirata.

As fellow students in Class 1-A, Kikyo Kushida knew each other's character very well. Just like the character she played, Yosuke Hirata's position in the class was actually similar to hers, or even a male version of Kikyo Kushida.

They had equally excellent academic and athletic achievements, were equally gentle and kind in their dealings with others, and had equally extraordinary looks. Moreover, in Kushida Kikyo's eyes, Hirata Yosuke was not the same as her when she wore a mask; he was a kind-hearted person at heart.

It's better to have your hidden secrets discovered by someone like that than by someone like Yahiko Totsuka.

With these feelings in mind, Kikyo Kushida forced a smile:

"I'm in a bad mood today, and my behavior was a little excessive."

"Could you please pretend you didn't see that, Hirata-san?"

Pretending to be troubled, Kikyo Kushida scratched her cheek and clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture.

"Everyone has bad days. I didn't see anything today."

Just as Kikyo Kushida had predicted, Yosuke Hirata paused for a moment before revealing his usual gentle smile:

"It's already late, Kushida-san, you should go back and rest as soon as possible."

Kikyo Kushida trusted Hirata Yosuke's excellent character after spending a semester with him, and nodded before saying:

"I'll go back now."

Having her innermost thoughts exposed, Kikyo Kushida naturally didn't want to stay any longer. She subconsciously wiped her face with her hand and, following Hirata Yosuke's lead, prepared to leave.

But after Kushida Kikyo turned around and took a few steps, she suddenly thought of a question. She came to the forest late at night because she was in a bad mood and wanted to vent. Why was Hirata Yosuke here so late?

There are simple toilets in the camp, so even if she needed to get up at night, she wouldn't have to come to a place like this. There must be some secret she doesn't know about.

secret.

The word sent a shiver down Kushida Kikyo's spine. She suddenly realized that although Hirata Yosuke was a generally kind person, she had ultimately given him leverage over her today. In this situation, if she could obtain one of his secrets...

Compared to simple trust, Kikyo Kushida undoubtedly hopes to uncover a secret of Yosuke Hirata, not only because of her long-standing voyeuristic desires, but also because she wants to use it as a threat or a safeguard.

Kikyo Kushida, who quickly regained her senses, did not immediately turn around to question Yosuke Hirata about why he was there that night. She continued walking towards the camp, but at the same time, she kept an eye on Yosuke Hirata's movements.

Under the cover of darkness, Kikyo Kushida easily turned back and hid behind a tree, observing the blurry figure of Yosuke Hirata from afar. He seemed to think she was already far away, and turned around to continue walking deeper into the forest.

This undoubtedly confirmed Kikyo Kushida's suspicions: Hirata Yosuke was definitely hiding something. What was he going to do? Or was he going to see someone?

With this in mind, Kikyo Kushida followed Yosuke Hirata step by step, watching as he seemed to meet with another person.

To avoid being discovered, Kikyo Kushida hid among the trees. Although she tried to get as close as possible, the night was too dark and the wind too loud. No matter how wide she opened her eyes or how hard she listened, she could not see the other person's face clearly, nor could she see the content of their conversation.

Despite feeling like she was standing at the entrance to a huge secret, she couldn't hear clearly. For a moment, Kikyo Kushida felt a surge of turbulent emotions coursing through her body, and the increasingly intense emotions made her almost restless.

If we could see the mysterious person's face, we might be able to figure out the specifics, but getting too close would also be dangerous.

If we get any closer from our current position, the two people over there might be able to see us.

Kikyo Kushida took a deep breath to calm her anxious emotions before finally choosing to slowly and indirectly approach.

While keeping a close eye on the movements on that side, Kikyo Kushida concealed her presence and quietly began to move.

In short, after creating some distance, we started to maneuver around the area.

Just as Kikyo Kushida was making this plan, her right shoulder was suddenly grabbed from behind, where there should have been no one. Kikyo Kushida was so frightened that she almost screamed, but someone's hand immediately covered her mouth, so she had to forcefully hold it back and turn around with her fear in her eyes.

"—!"

This unexpected event left Kikyo Kushida's mind in a state of confusion.

It was only then that Kikyo Kushida realized that the person binding her from behind was Ichika Amasawa from Class 1-D. Because the other person was so aloof, even Kikyo Kushida, who was a social butterfly, had not spoken to her more than a few times. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this was their first meeting.

Without any intention to communicate, Amasawa Ichika almost forcibly pulled Kushida Kikyo away from Hirata Yosuke. Kushida Kikyo, who always thought she was in good physical condition, had almost no chance to resist. The other party's strength was so great that Kushida Kikyo almost thought he was a strong adult man.

What horrified Kikyo Kushida even more was...

The beautiful, fluorescent green eyes of the other person at this moment reflected utter coldness and madness.

Chapter 177: The Real Carnivorous Girl

In that instant, when she met Amasawa Ichika's almost beast-like, crazed gaze, Kushida Kikyo felt the blood in her veins freeze, her body trembled instinctively, and her nerves repeatedly sent her warnings to run away, as if she had encountered something extraordinary.

Driven by this terrifying emotion, Kikyo Kushida tried to pry open Ichika Amasawa's arms to regain control of her body, but this action seemed to provoke him as well. Almost without hesitation, Kikyo Kushida felt a heavy slap on her left cheek.

The sudden, sharp pain made Kikyo Kushida's pupils widen in disbelief. If her mouth hadn't been covered, she would have screamed out loud. This was beyond her common sense. The school had clearly stipulated from the beginning that violence against others was not allowed during this exam, otherwise, there would be severe punishment or even expulsion.

But Tianze Yixia simply and decisively slapped her.

At the same time, the other party's cold expression also revealed another fact: if she tried to resist again like before, Tianze Yixia would not mind giving her another blow.

Forced to behave, Kikyo Kushida could only watch as Yosuke Hirata and another blurry figure quickly disappeared from her sight. She was taken hostage by Ichika Amasawa and carried to the other side of the forest before being put down like a burden.

Having finally regained control of her body, Kikyo Kushida gasped for breath and posed a rapid question to Ichika Amasawa in front of her:

"Amasawa Ichika from Class D—why are you here?... Was that mysterious person you met with from Class D?"

Even ignoring the pain on her face, Kikyo Kushida felt as if she had discovered a huge secret. Although Ichika Amasawa did not answer, seeing his indifferent expression, she became more and more certain of her guess.

Kikyo Kushida, who had met Ryo Kitagawa, Honami Ichinose, and Suzune Horikita during middle school, never underestimated Class D from the beginning. Touching her still-burning left cheek, she said:

"The person who met with Hirata was Kitagawa Ryo—right?"

As Kikyo Kushida spoke, she felt that everything that had happened since the start of the school year and the strange things in the class had all come together. No one would have thought that Yosuke Hirata, whose reputation in Class A was second only to Kohei Katsuragi, would be the traitor who colluded with other classes, and from Class D no less.

Just as Kikyo Kushida suddenly realized what was happening, Ichika Amasawa, who had heard the name Ryo Kitagawa, also reacted. He walked step by step to Kikyo Kushida and raised his right hand once again.

Kikyo Kushida, who had just been slapped, immediately assumed a defensive stance, but was easily breached by Ichika Amasawa in the next instant.

Snapped!

This time, the other side of his face was slapped hard.

Her wrist, which was used to defend herself, was firmly held in place. Kikyo Kushida couldn't keep up with her opponent's speed at all. She only felt a blur before her eyes, and then intense pain was transmitted to her brain through her nerves.

Immediately afterwards, he was tripped by the other party, and Amasawa Ichika used his knee to press against Kushida Kikyo's abdomen, ruthlessly slamming her to the ground amidst her muffled groan.

"Do you know what you're doing?"

Being straddled by someone, even if it was a girl, still made Kikyo Kushida feel incredibly humiliated. She even abandoned her usual composure and shouted angrily:

"I will report this to the school—and have you expelled!"

"You talk too much nonsense."

At this moment, Amazusa Ichika finally spoke her first words so far. She leaned down, almost touching Kushida Kikyo's face. This action caused her ponytails and bangs to fall naturally on both sides, and her bright red hair and fluorescent eyes, which held strong emotions, shone almost like stars.

"However, I find it more comfortable to hear such revealing remarks. But please don't be too loud—it seems like it's just the two of us right now, and the deserted island is indeed quite large, but who knows if other people might suddenly appear."

Amasawa Ichika's tone carried a mocking gentleness as she spoke, gently stroking Kushida Kikyo's cheek. This harmless gesture sent chills down Kushida Kikyo's spine. As if gathering courage, Kushida Kikyo gritted her teeth and rebuked her:

“…You filthy woman, stop!”

If one only knows the outward appearance of Kikyo Kushida, such a statement alone is surprising enough, because in the entire past semester, even when facing Kanji Ike and Haruki Yamauchi, who had not yet been expelled, Kikyo Kushida had never spoken so harshly.

Faced with Kikyo Kushida's curses, Ichika Amasawa was not angry at all. Instead, he laughed, though it was more like a forced smile.

"Yes, yes, this is how Kushida-kun should be."

"Nothing has changed at all, except I wonder if it's still the same as a few years ago, where people create a separate account on social media specifically to vent their frustrations—to insult their 'friends'?"

As soon as Amasawa Ichika said these words, Kushida Kikyo's eyes widened, and her pupils instantly shrank to the size of pinpoints. She never expected that Amasawa Ichika, with whom she had no prior interaction, could reveal her middle school secret so easily.

The last person to obtain this secret from who-knows-where was Horikita Suzune, but that was two years ago. At that time, Horikita Suzune used this secret to reach an agreement with her, and she would no longer target Horikita Suzune when it came to joining the club.

However, since the two had almost no further contact afterward, and Kikyo Kushida also abandoned that social media account, the matter was left unresolved.

“I’m not like Horikita. If Kushida-san really wants me to drop out of school, then before I drop out, your middle school days will definitely be all over the school.”

"Are you kidding..."

Kikyo Kushida took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down:

"No one will believe what someone like you is saying. It's just the nonsense of someone who's about to drop out of school."

"I might indeed be a little unqualified."

Tianze Yixia also responded quickly:

"What about Hirata?"

Hirata Yosuke, a student in Class 1-A, is practically at the top of the social circle, on par with Kushida Kikyo. If he were to testify, the girls who were already jealous of Kushida Kikyo would probably tear off her perfect mask in one fell swoop.

Kikyo Kushida fell silent, while Ichika Amasawa, who had maintained control from beginning to end, spoke up as if amused:

"You like to know other people's secrets to gain a sense of superiority. This personality trait also makes you hate it when others take advantage of you. You can't forgive people who know your secrets. Kushida is a very easy person to understand."

"But if that's the case, I think Kushida and I are not compatible. You like to collect other people's secrets and treasure them as treasures or use them as weapons, but I don't have any such secrets at all."

As Amasawa Ichika spoke, he increased the force of his grip. Kushida Kikyo felt a dull pain in her abdomen, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't break free from his hold.

"Look, like this, if we really had to settle this with force, I'd be stronger than Kushida. If I had to pick a weakness, I'd say Ryo is my weakness... but trying to do anything to Ryo would be much harder than defeating him."

Catching the name Kitagawa Ryo again in the other person's words, Kikyo Kushida forced a smile and provocatively said:

"Huh? What's this... Do you like him?"

"of course."

Tianze Yixia answered without hesitation, playfully winking her left eye:

"But that's not exactly a secret."

"Liking someone is a secret for some people, and a feeling for others."

"But for me, it's a fact."