My Wives Of Simulation

Chapter 64: Childhood Marriage Partner—— Kashiwazaki Sena

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After receiving the news that the student council was going to hold a meeting, Kashiwazaki Sena hurried toward the student council room as quickly as possible.

As the only daughter of Kashiwazaki Tenma, the chairman of the Kashiwazaki Group, Sena inherited her father's intelligence and her mother's beauty.

She had blonde hair and blue eyes (her mother was Western), a figure far more developed than her peers, and a stunning appearance. Even her academic performance was among the best. She was a versatile athlete and had been the object of countless adults' pampering since childhood, which fostered her proud personality.

When she spoke, her noble upbringing often unconsciously showed in her tone. However, despite her many accomplishments and charms, Sena had no friends—not even one—from childhood to adulthood.

Finally, she was admitted to the university and joined the student council. After all, she was a high-achieving student with excellent grades and athletic abilities, unlike a certain idiot from the Suzuki family.

"Are you... Elric?"

Being unfamiliar with the other members of the student council, Sena was the only girl who did not know Elric. Having attended an all-girls school previously, her interactions with boys were limited.

However, this did not mean she had never heard of Elric. As the only male first-year student council member and the top scorer in the entire university, it was impossible not to notice him.

Naturally, she remembered Elric. The moment she saw him, she recognized the boy before her as the very same Elric.

"Do you know me?"

As Sena stood before him, a memory surfaced in Elric's mind. She resembled a heroine from My Friends Are Few, a girl characterized by her natural naivety and lack of common sense but remarkable sensitivity in certain situations.

Nodding, Elric was about to tell Elric she had taken the wrong path, but another memory emerged, one from his early childhood.

It was a time when his mother was still alive, and she had taken him to visit his father's friend's home. There, he had met a little girl—the daughter of his father's friend.

"Ah, hello…"

At the time, as a slightly older child, he managed to make the little girl, who was only a few years old, laugh heartily. Elric remembered how reluctant the little girl had been to let him leave. She had clung to his hand and cried, "No!"

"Hahaha, Rune, look at your son! He knows how to charm little girls even at such a young age—and with my daughter, no less!"

"How about it? Want to become in-laws?"

The girl's father, who lived in a luxurious villa yet dressed like a down-and-out writer, had a carefree air about him.

"Alright, if you don't mind, Tenma, it wouldn't be bad for these two kids to end up together someday. But you know me..."

Smiling, Elric's father patted his friend on the shoulder dismissively. After all, they were just children.

"Did you hear that, girl? If you don't want this boy to leave, you'll have to be his wife someday... Hahaha!"

Speaking generously to his daughter, Tenma didn't seem to mind the playful suggestion.

"Wife? Married?"

Back then, the little girl hadn't fully understood what marriage meant. She only knew she didn't want to let go of Elric's hand.

"This is for you, as a gift," young Elric had said.

"When we grow up and meet again, if you still remember me, I'll marry you."

Elric casually handed the hairpin his mother had given him to the little girl. He simply wanted to stop her from pestering him. Speaking offhandedly, he left the house alongside his father and mother without looking back.

Now, as he reflected, Elric realized that Sena bore a striking resemblance to that little girl from years ago, so…

It's really her…

His gaze fell on the butterfly-shaped hairpin in Sena's hair. Although it had faded and looked worn with age, she still wore it. This confirmed his suspicion—Sena was the same girl from his childhood.

So, Dad's friend was Tenma? The Kashiwazaki family—one of the five major chaebols. How did my father have a connection like that? And why didn't I see him at the funeral?

Did their relationship sour over time?

The Memory Hall had its advantages, but also its flaws. If Elric didn't actively recall specific memories, they remained buried, only surfacing when deliberately triggered. After all, if memories intruded constantly, it would drive anyone insane.

As he pondered why his father's relationship with Tenma had changed, no further memories emerged. Instead, ten unrelated fragments caught his attention. However, this wasn't the moment to delve into them, as Sena's stunned expression brought him back to the present.

"Sena…? Sena?"

"Ah… Have we met before?"

The moment she saw Elric, Sena felt a stark difference between seeing someone in a photograph and meeting them in person. Something about him stirred a sense of familiarity, as if she had forgotten something important.

Unconsciously, her fingers touched her hairpin. Though unsure why, she instinctively felt she had met Elric somewhere before.

"Student Sena, I know I'm handsome, but your way of striking up a conversation is a bit old-fashioned," Elric quipped with a smile.

Despite the situation, Elric remained uncertain about his father's past relationship with Tenma. He resolved to investigate personally rather than rely on the recorder's ability, which was on a weekly cooldown and better reserved for critical moments.

As for the promise he had made to Sena when they were children, it seemed pointless to bring it up now. He doubted she cared about it anymore.

"Ah… Sorry, but I really feel like I've met Student Elric before," Sena replied, her voice tinged with confusion.

Elric's lighthearted response dissolved the awkwardness between them. Yet, deep down, Sena felt she had overlooked something significant. Her thoughts, however, were interrupted as Elric informed her she had taken the wrong road.

"Wrong road? But the classmates I asked clearly said the student council was this way," she replied defensively.

Having only been at the school for a week, Sena had never visited the student council room. She had asked several female classmates for directions and was certain she had followed them correctly.

Elric, seeing her expression, immediately understood what she was thinking.

"You probably don't have any friends," he said bluntly.

Sena was momentarily speechless. After a pause, she looked at Elricwith curiosity and asked, "How did you know, Student Elric?"

"Although Toyogasaki University is very large, the roads here are not complicated. If you know the correct direction, most people won't get lost.

"Sena, it's understandable that it's your first time heading to the student council room and you don't know the way. But you had to rely on asking several classmates you encountered along the road. From that alone, it's clear you don't have any acquaintances here."

After a brief pause, Elric continued, "Of course, it's possible your friends might not know the way either. But the fact that the classmates you asked gave you the wrong directions makes me think those people were girls."

"Well... yes."

Her voice was subdued, and Sena lowered her head slightly. Deep down, she already understood this, because she wasn't naïve.

Due to her appearance and excellent grades, many girls were jealous of her. When she attended an all-girls school, the others would mock her behind her back, often calling her "arrogant" or "pretentious."

She had hoped that transferring to a new University would improve her situation and finally allow her to make friends. However, after just one week, reality had proven her hopes were misplaced.

Even here, no girls wanted to befriend her.

As for the boys…

The memory of their lecherous stares flashed through her mind, and Sena firmly rejected the idea of interacting with them. To her, those lustful gazes were unbearable.

Unable to meet Elric's eyes, she looked like a small, cornered squirrel who had made a mistake. She shrank inward, as if trying to retreat into an imaginary shell to protect her fragile heart.