Already the most-followed fic in this archive? Damn, this place really needs more fics. I sure hope I can inspire more people to write fanfics for this series. Anyway, follows are done, faves are all that's left!
Before we start, you may have noticed that Volume 1 is almost done with only one or two chapters left. Only one more heroine route will be unlocked for the volume and the next batch of heroines will come in Volume 2. There will be three new heroines in that volume, and I have already decided on one of them. I will be holding a poll in both Discord and Wattpad on who ya'll want as the two new waifus to be unlocked next. If you want your vote to be heard, you may want to consider joining the Discord server (link below) and wait for my announcement. Reviews won't be counted, lol.
Discord link: [discord . gg / 4y5QVPj]
Disclaimer: I don't own Classroom of the Elite but if I did, there will be MAJOR CHANGES.
"As a reminder to all of you, your midterm exams start in five days. I do hope that you have all learned your lesson about taking exams seriously. The mock exam that I gave you last month may have not been recorded, but it does show that almost all of you are incompetent when it comes to your academics."
Chabashira-sensei stood in front of her class with her usual expression, exhibiting an aura of seriousness that basically told everyone there that she wasn't playing around.
The students of Class D couldn't do anything but listen to her attentively. Not even the class clowns in Ike and Yamauchi seemed like they were planning to mess around.
"Remember, if you fail even one of your exams, you are expelled immediately. There are no make-up exams in this school, and pleading to your teachers for a second chance does not work. You'd do well to remember that."
If her intention was to intimidate her students, then she succeeded. The students who were aware of their own weaknesses in academics felt nervous, because they were reminded once again that one failed subject meant expulsion. Even those who were taking their studies seriously felt the jitters, because this was indeed no ordinary school.
One failed test is all it takes for them to possibly end up on the next bus trip home.
"That is all for today's homeroom. Good luck in your next class."
After bowing her head, the brown-haired teacher left the room. Once she was gone, many students let out a collective sigh of relief that nothing bad happened. While the woman was as serious as she always was, all she did was make a statement.
Chabashira-sensei ended their homeroom early, so they still had a bit of time to themselves before their next class. Already, most of the students brought out either their books or notes and began to study some more.
Even Sudo brought out a stack of papers which was a reviewer of sorts, before walking towards Onodera's desk so they could study together.
There were also students who were either too busy with something else, or they weren't doing anything at all. It's either they were already confident of their abilities to pass the exams, or they were completely hopeless.
Two of these students included a certain duo who were humbled about a week ago by a certain 'Masterpiece'.
"Maaaaaan, I'm gonna die… I need a break from all this studying!"
"Same… if only I had a girlfriend who'd put my head on her lap and give me lots of comfort…"
Ike and Yamauchi had all but collapsed on top of their desks, with defeated looks on their faces. They looked tired beyond belief, even though the day had only just begun.
"Would you two take this seriously? It's not like you've been studying as hard as everyone else. But look at them, they don't even look tired."
Shinohara approached the two with an annoyed look on her face. As much as she hated it, she was stuck with them for several weeks because they were in the same study group. Oh, and she was neighbors with one of the idiots too.
"Listen, ugly. I don't normally study, so I'm not like everyone else here who's a freak of nature." Even though half of his face was practically stuck to his desk, Ike still managed to glare at the girl. "Seriously, how are they not tired after all of that?"
In their defense, they were like this because they had been studying… out of fear of a certain person, of course. It's not like they would actually study on their own.
It didn't excuse their behavior, though. Nearly all of their classmates have been studying for weeks in preparation for their exams, and none of them looked like they were about to collapse out of exhaustion.
"You're hopeless," Shinohara spoke as she pulled out a hanky and wiped the drool that was trailing out of Ike's mouth, something that surprised the boy greatly. It's like this was something that she was so used to seeing by now, and simply wanted to get it over with.
"I didn't ask you to do that, ugly!"
Despite his clear dislike for the blue-haired girl, Satsuki was and still is a young woman who was completely single. It also looked like there wasn't anyone else in their class who had the hots for her. Because of this, Kanji suddenly sprung up in his seat, straightening his position so that it seemed like he was never tired in the first place. A blush began to form on his face out of embarrassment.
"No, but it's not like you will! If you make Kushida-san sad again while we're studying, then I'll make sure to hit you where the sun doesn't shine!"
The girl scowled at him and went back to her seat as if nothing happened, with Ike staring at her dumbfoundedly the entire time.
"Tch… who the hell does she think she is?" he scoffed as he tried to hide the rising color in his cheeks. Unfortunately, embarrassment was easily winning over his attempt in denying what he really felt. "Ugh, why did she have to be my neighbor? I'd take anyone else over her!"
Yamauchi sat up as well, miraculously recovering from exhaustion as if he was an anime character. "Hey, at least you're lucky that you're neighbors with a girl. I'm so jealous, honestly."
"If you were in my position, you wouldn't say that. She's a pain in the ass to deal with… even in studying," grumbled Ike.
Yamauchi then remembered that they had yet another study session later in the afternoon, which just made things worse. Fortunately, a bright idea then popped up into his Yama-brain, something that he was certain would work.
"Then why don't we just pretend we're sick today? Kushida-chan's gonna understand if we're feeling weak, right?"
Ike's eyes widened at his friend's suggestion as he thought about that plan of action. He was immediately enamored with that idea upon realizing that it could give them a chance to rest their minds and bodies for whatever time they had left for the day.
"Yamauchi, you're a genius! I'm sure Kushida-chan will be fine if we're gone for a day or two! There's still time before the exams, right?"
"Yeah! Let's talk to her later!"
As the two agreed to set their plan in motion later on, they suddenly felt a chill run down their spines, as if someone was sending out killing intent towards them in the distance.
They slowly turned their heads to the direction of where they felt it, and they could only gulp nervously at seeing Ayanokouji staring at them. He may look like he didn't care on the outside, but they could tell that there was growing anger in his eyes, causing the two friends to instantly regret what they just did.
It's as if his gaze alone was telling them, "Try it. I dare you."
"Uh, on second thought… bad idea! Let's not do that!"
"Y-Y-Yeah, we can still study! A good lunch is all we need to feel better, nothing more!"
Yamauchi and Ike sputtered nervously, and the two heaved a sigh of relief as the death glare sent towards them disappeared. They remained completely quiet from there, as they feared that something bad would happen again if they continued…
Meanwhile, from where he was sitting, Kiyotaka shook his head in slight disappointment. He had thought that the two idiots would have learned their lesson after last week, but it seems that old habits die hard.
"Ayanokouji-kun," he heard a voice call out to him.
"What?"
The young man turned his head to look at Suzune, who rested her elbows on top of her desk and clasped her hands together, before breathing into them.
"Do you believe all of us can pass the midterm exams? I want you to consider everyone in this class in your answer."
He raised an eyebrow at the weird question, but quickly thought of an answer right away.
"I believe so," he answered honestly. "They know the consequences of failing now, and a lot of them have been humbled after losing almost all of the points that we were supposed to receive this month. I'm certain that all of them wouldn't want to know what it feels like to receive no points at all in the next month."
"Do you think that they have the mental capability to pass their exams, though?"
Ah, so that's what this was about. She was worried about everyone's performance at the upcoming midterm exams. It was quite a surprising sight to see her being worried, though. With how calm and composed she is most of the time, one would never be able to tell that she felt worried.
"I understand your worry, but you should have faith in your classmates, Horikita. The human mind has almost no limitations when one exerts a lot of effort in a particular goal. You also underestimate Hirata's skill in uniting the class. Ever since he took over and asked everyone to cooperate in studying, all of them agreed to participate."
"I am not underestimating Hirata-kun," she shook her head. "It's as you said before that. I am indeed a little worried that some of our classmates won't be able to pass our exams, despite all of their efforts put into studying. After all, it's entirely possible for a student to fail their exams even if they have studied hard."
"Your worries will only make everything worse, you know. I think everyone's doing their best to make sure they don't fail, even those two perverts."
Suzune turned to him with a frown. "And how do you expect to remedy my worries when it's possible for it to happen? By praying and hoping for a miracle?"
Kiyotaka was about to answer her, only for a new voice to cut into their conversation.
"Ayanokouji-kun!"
The two turned their heads to see Kikyo skipping over towards them with a big smile on her face. She looked considerably happier than before for some reason, and Kiyotaka knew why…
"Do you want to eat lunch together?" she asked him.
"Is that really a question you should be asking?" he asked her in return. They already eat together for lunch on a regular basis. Inviting each other for lunch was ridiculous at this point.
"N-No, I didn't mean that," Kikyo chuckled in embarrassment. "I meant… do you want to eat lunch with me? Alone, that is."
He raised an eyebrow curiously. Perhaps she wanted to talk about what happened yesterday, but it could also be about something else. "Is there any reason why we shouldn't include Horikita? Do you need to talk to me about something?"
"I'm sure Horikita-san is going to be busy with something, so I figured I should ask you before you think of eating alone or anything."
"She's right, Ayanokouji-kun. You two can have lunch without me," the black-haired girl agreed. "I will be busy during lunch, anyway."
Kiyotaka turned towards Suzune. "Busy with what?"
"Tutoring our classmates who are part of my study group. I've told them that we'll be having an impromptu session later on during lunch to maximize our time. Our exams are next week, so they have to exert more effort in their studies."
"I wonder how you convinced them, Horikita-san. You basically told them to give up their lunchtime in favor of studying," Kikyo sweat-dropped.
"I simply told them that they can eat while we are studying, provided that they stay focused on the topics that we will go over."
"Good luck with that, I suppose…" Kiyotaka muttered, a bit worried for the girl about how that might go down later on. She might snap at one of their classmates for prioritizing their lunch over studies, which would then lead to a major problem and so on.
"Thank you," said Suzune, as she released a sigh of relief. "While I am confident in my abilities, I feel that it would be a challenge to teach our classmates during our lunch break."
Both Kiyotaka and Kikyo were taken aback at her demeanor. Was Suzune actually doubting herself? The girl who saw herself as someone superior over everyone?
"That's a big change from the Horikita that I met at the bus," the young man thought to himself in awe. This also meant that she wouldn't scold anyone about eating food instead of reading their notes. "Are you saying that you can't do it?"
"That's not what I mean. I do understand that our lunch break is intended for eating lunch, and it may hinder our classmates' focus. It may also cause them to complain about our arrangement and lead to conflict, which is something that I wish to avoid as much as possible."
Kiyotaka nodded in understanding. He could definitely understand why she felt that way. If it was up to him, he wouldn't tell Kei or Airi that they will be utilizing their lunch break for studying.
But alas, it was Suzune's group and he wasn't in charge of them and so far, she was doing a good job of being a tutor towards them. That in itself was surprising, because Ken was a part of her group but then again, it's due to Kayano's presence that he's being an obedient student who's willing to give his all in his studies.
"Horikita-san, nothing bad is going to happen if you just talk to our classmates," Kikyo spoke up. "I know you don't really like being friends with everyone, and you don't have to be. Having a normal talk with our classmates is all that you need to do."
Suzune stared at her for a brief moment, before thinking about what her friend just said. There was certainly some merit in her words. It's true that she wasn't fond of the idea of being friends with every single one of her classmates, but it wasn't really a requirement in talking to them.
Furthermore, it's not like she had trouble speaking with other people. She only chooses not to if it's not required of her to do so. She could definitely talk to the students that she's currently helping if something bad happens.
"Perhaps… perhaps you're right, Kushida-san. I'll be sure to follow your words should something happen later on. Thank you."
Suzune bowed her head slightly in thanks, while Kikyo returned it with a bright smile.
"You're welcome, Horikita-san! That's what friends are for, right?"
Kiyotaka just stared at Kikyo after she said those words, wondering if she really meant it or she was just putting up an act. After all, it was not a secret to him anymore that the beige-haired girl bore an intense hatred for Suzune, although he had no idea why.
But maybe… he'll be able to find out later on.
Kiyotaka knew that he shouldn't be surprised by now since he saw this coming but still, it felt a bit weird that Kikyo asked if they could lunch together with no one else around. It felt even weirder now that it actually happened.
They were currently at one of the tables, going through their respective food with no one else around. Fortunately, no one was paying attention to them because everyone else seemed too busy with their food or studying for the upcoming midterms. It's strange, though… nobody seems to notice it when he's eating with girls… probably the work of the system.
And as far as he knew, Kikyo liked sitting with other people, most likely to spread her influence by putting on her best 'angel' act and making everyone believe in her kindness. But here she was, willingly spending lunch with him alone.
"There's gotta be a catch to this," Kiyotaka thought, before turning his attention to his companion. "I'm surprised. Don't you hate Horikita? You seemed happy when you helped her out earlier."
"Don't tell me you were fooled by that," she snapped, dropping her mask as an annoyed expression took over her features. "Ugh, as if I would be happy helping out that bitch. I just wanted her to leave already."
The young man was a bit surprised at her answer, but quickly understood why she said those words. Since he was now aware of who she was under her fake mask, Kushida must have realized that there's no reason for her to continue with the act in front of him. Still, it was bold of her to just switch into her real self while they were here in a public place… did she not care about being caught by other people?
"It's not like you could have made her leave as well. We're seatmates, remember?" He pointed out the flaw in her argument.
Kikyo rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright, can we just move on from that bitch already? I didn't invite you to eat lunch with me just to talk about her the entire time."
"Okay, okay…" Finally, he would get some answers. Whatever this was about, it's surely connected to events of the previous day. Who knows? Kikyo might tell him the reason why she hated Suzune, even though he already knew due to the system. "Why did you want to eat with me then?"
"Do you like Horikita, Ayanokouji-kun?"
"I thought we weren't going to talk about her?" he deadpanned, giving the girl a blank stare as though he was expecting this to be a joke question. However, Kikyo only stared right back at him and patiently waited for an answer from his mouth.
Kiyotaka sighed to himself. The moment Kikyo asked him if he liked Suzune, he already had a feeling on where this conversation would lead to, and it wasn't a good one. From how their 'relationship status' changed after he maxed out her route yesterday, it was quite clear that she had fallen for him even more now.
It's just how dating simulators worked.
And now, Kushida asking him this question only means that she had taken notice of his relationship with Horikita and didn't like it. It's likely that she'll want him to choose between the two of them on who he likes more, and he could only hope that it doesn't reach that point because he doesn't know what to answer her, unless the system provides him with the three choices to choose from.
He needed to be careful from here on out. One wrong answer could likely end up spelling trouble in all capital letters for him…
"Of course I do. She's my friend, so that automatically means I like her," Kiyotaka nodded.
Kikyo giggled at his response before shaking her head in amusement. "Come on, Ayanokouji-kun. You know that's not what I mean."
"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about, Kushida," he replied, feigning ignorance.
"Do you really think you're fooling anyone, Ayanokouji-kun?" she smirked. "I'm not like Horikita, you know. I've seen the signs that you keep on showing, and you're not subtle at all with them."
"Enlighten me?" the young man asked, continuing to play dumb.
Kikyo felt a little annoyed that he was insisting on acting dense, but she couldn't exactly get him to talk. Plus, she didn't want to make a scene in the cafeteria. However, she quickly figured that it would be more amusing to see Kiyotaka's reaction to being caught red-handed. His expression may not change, but it'll still be funny when he no longer has any excuse to give. And so, she continued on.
"For one, she's the person who you're with literally all the time. I don't think I've seen a day where you two aren't together."
"Isn't it natural for friends to spend time with each other?"
"Aren't we friends too? Is Matsushita-san not your friend? Karuizawa-san? Sakura-san?"
"Why are you bringing them up?"
"I'm just pointing out how you treat Horikita-san better than the rest of us," she shrugged. "From what I've seen, she gets special treatment compared to me or any other girl. It honestly makes me mad."
Kiyotaka knew that he was on thin ice now, after Kikyo practically admitted that she's jealous of Suzune. "Elaborate how exactly I treat her better."
She gave him a deadpan look. "Ayanokouji-kun, don't tell me that you're really dense? You literally do everything that she asks you to do and she treats you better than how she treats other people. I've also seen you tease her from time to time."
Hearing all these things from a third party caused the 'Masterpiece' to think about this more deeply. His mind went back to all the times that he and Suzune were together, as he wondered if he really does follow her every order. Obviously he didn't, but there were also times where he simply gave in to what she wanted. It was already a given that she treated him differently compared to other people, but he wasn't aware of his own actions towards her.
Does he really treat Suzune better than all the other heroines he has met so far?
"From the moment I saw the both of you for the first time, I was surprised that you seemed close because I have never seen Horikita being friendly to other people."
"Those are good points, but I fail to see how—"
"Do you want me to remind you of what you said to us during our first swimming class? I remembered that you were complimenting our—"
"Okay, stop. You don't need to bring that up," he cut her off. Kiyotaka didn't want to relive that embarrassing memory and wished he could forget it. Of course, that was only directed towards the moment when he complimented them. Deep down, as much as he wanted to hide it, he didn't want to forget the sight of those girls wearing the school swimsuits…
Kikyo gave him a smug smile, knowing that she had won.
"I thought you're supposed to help me in situations like this, so why aren't you helping me?" Kiyotaka complained about the system in his mind, as he sighed in defeat. He had run out of excuses, so it's not like he could deny the girl's claims any further.
So much for having a broken superpower, when it can't even help him handle a girl.
"I suppose I am interested in her, but so what? I'm not really planning on asking her out, and Horikita doesn't even look like she's interested in romantic relationships. She's more fixated on her goal to reach Class A."
"There we go," Kikyo smiled in satisfaction. She rested her elbows on the table and cupped her cheeks with both hands in a cute pose. "At the very least, Ayanokouji-kun knows that Horikita-san isn't interested in things like those… because all she cares about is herself."
He raised an eyebrow in confusion. Up until now, Kushida wanted to make him admit that he liked Horikita, only to insult her after all of that by saying she was self-centered? What exactly was she planning?
"What point are you trying to make here, anyway?" he asked.
"Because, Ayanokouji-kun…" the girl smiled eerily. "I want you to choose."
"Choose?"
"Between me and Horikita. Who do you like more?"
Well, it looked like his suspicion was right. Kushida does want him to choose between Horikita and her. A classic scenario that one could find in any anime or dating simulator out there.
Yep, gotta be careful of what he says. This girl is like a ticking time bomb that could go off at any second, especially if he says the wrong thing and end up making her mad.
Kiyotaka groaned internally. What a shame that things had to turn out this way.
"I'm sorry, but if you're expecting an answer from me, then you aren't going to get any."
"Is that so? Is it because you don't like me?" asked Kikyo, her smile becoming strained.
He quickly made up an answer before the girl could blow up in rage. "Don't assume things. If I didn't like you, then I wouldn't have gone as far as to help you befriend Horikita, even though you hate her for some reason."
"Then why can't you—"
"I simply can't choose, so please stop asking me to, Kushida."
"What do you even like about that bitch, anyway? You said it yourself, she's not interested in things like romance," she scoffed.
"Tell that to the system. I'm sure it'll get her to care somehow," he said in his mind. "I believe I've already revealed enough of my secrets to you, Kushida. You haven't even told me why you hate Horikita, you know."
"Tch," she clicked her tongue in annoyance. "What's wrong with my question? I was just asking what you liked about Horikita. It wasn't anything serious. All she's got is that brain of hers and being good at a lot of things. She doesn't care about other people and she thinks that she's the best. That's what pisses me off about her. Of course, you wouldn't know about that since she treats you differently…"
"I know that she's like that," he told her, surprising the girl. "She didn't treat me 'differently' from the start, you know. We didn't start off as friends right off the bat."
It's true, though. Horikita was rather cold to him at first, and only lightened up when he made the right choice on what to say to her during their first interaction. From there, he had no idea how he did it, but he continued their conversation and even managed to gain her interest. However, it wasn't until that impromptu not-a-date he had with the girl that she truly started treating him differently.
"Then why can't you choose me? I'm way—" Kikyo gritted her teeth in frustration, before a sudden idea struck her mind. "Don't tell me… you actually have your eyes set on someone else this whole time? Which one is it? Sakura? Karuizawa? Matsushita?"
"None of them," he deadpanned, wondering where she even got that idea.
"Is it someone outside of this school then?"
He sighed and shook his head. Kushida was just making things up at this point. "I don't know any other female outside of this school other than Nanase."
It was right after he said those words that Ayanokouji realized he just made a terrible mistake and quickly thought of something to follow up his words. However, he was too late as the name had already registered inside Kushida's mind.
"Who is this 'Nanase'?" she asked him, a dark look looming over her face.
Kiyotaka hoped that his next words could calm her down. "Oh, she's a friend who regularly comes over to my house."
"She comes over to your house?" she glared even harder at him. Unfortunately, it appears that what he said didn't seem to help her calm down at all. If anything, it only made her angrier. "It sounds like you're close with this girl…"
"Where's the system when you need it?" he rolled his eyes internally.
Despite his 'success' with his heroines, he was still a socially awkward teenager who had little to no experience with conversations like this. If only his superpower provided him with the three choices at a time like this, the situation wouldn't spiral out of control and Kushida wouldn't blow up…
"She doesn't come over because of me. It's because her best friend lives in the same house," he sighed.
Kikyo continued to narrow her eyes at him, having a feeling in her gut that there's something that Kiyotaka was hiding from her. She felt that there was more to this 'Nanase' girl than what he's saying.
"Tell me more about this 'Nanase'," she demanded, wanting to know about this new 'rival' as much as she could.
The first thought Kiyotaka had was to refuse her but thought better of it. If he becomes defensive, then the girl's response would definitely be unpleasant, and who knows how the system would take it?
"She's a year younger than me, and she's best friends with the son of the man who took me in."
"And what do you think of her?"
"She's not bad company, that's for sure. The questions she'd ask at every turn can be too much because she gets curious easily, but it didn't really bother me. She also helps out with household chores even though she doesn't live there. And even though I've only known her for about a month, I already see her as someone that I have to look after."
After giving her his answer, Kiyotaka noticed that Kikyo was staring at him in surprise, as realization slowly struck him.
"That wasn't what I had in mind. Why did I say those words?" Kiyotaka asked himself in confusion.
For some reason, he felt that it wasn't the system dictating his actions this time. It's more like he himself had those thoughts in mind the whole time, and he intended to say those words the moment Kikyo asked him that question about Tsubasa.
"Do I really feel that way towards her?" he mused.
Huh. Who knew that his own thought process could interest him like this? Although it may be likely that the system caused him to be this way and it's not really a conscious change.
In other words, Kiyotaka is indeed going insane… kidding.
[You have gained 20 Affection Points with Nanase Tsubasa!]
[You raised Affection Points despite being far away from a designated heroine! You gained +2 in Aura!]
His eyes widened for a quick second after seeing that notification, before putting on his usual expression once again. It didn't stop him from feeling surprised, though, because this was something that never happened before.
"Seriously? Even though we're far apart?" he asked himself as he stared at the notification regarding Nanase.
You know what, he really shouldn't be surprised by the system at this point. Of course it would be capable of increasing Affection Points with his heroines even if they're not nearby. The moment he talked about Nanase, it was already guaranteed that…
"Achoo!" Tsubasa sneezed while she was heading to her classroom. "Was someone talking about me?"
The girl shrugged and continued on walking, as she thought of her senpai whom she had to bid farewell to about two months ago. It definitely felt different whenever she went to Eiichiro's house nowadays because he wasn't there anymore, but it's nothing she couldn't handle.
It was only a temporary goodbye, anyway. It's not like she won't see him again, because she'll be going to the same high school as him after she's done with middle school.
And then, all of a sudden, a smile made its way to her face as she felt a wave of immense joy filling her up.
Tsubasa wondered why she couldn't stop smiling right now, when she was only thinking about Kiyotaka who must be busy at this very moment.
"Senpai…" she mumbled to herself.
Yeah, she definitely felt happy and oddly jealous as well for some reason.
Of course, since she had no idea what jealousy felt like, Tsubasa didn't notice it. All that mattered to the young girl was the growing joy inside of her.
"You seem to think of her as someone more than a friend…" Kikyo grumbled, realizing that there might be someone who's a bigger threat to her than Suzune herself.
"Well, of course I do. She's my kouhai. Naturally, I have to look after her because it's my duty as her senpai," he said as if it was the most obvious answer in the world, only for him to realize what he did. "I did it again… where did that come from? Am I doing that unconsciously?"
Just as Kikyo was about to ask him another question, the voices of some other students from a nearby table caught their attention because it looked like it involved their class…
"Hey, could you guys be Class D students, by chance?"
A group of boys gathered around the table where Horikita and her study group were seated. Almost immediately, Sudo didn't like their presence but hid his growing anger behind a simple frown.
"So what? Do you have a problem with that?"
"No, no, there's no problem. I'm Yamawaki, from Class C. Nice to meet you," The student named Yamawaki chuckled. "I have to say, I'm glad that they separate the classes in this school by ability. That way I don't have to study with losers like you."
"The hell you say?" Sudo's anger flared. He was just about to stand up only for Onodera to grab him by his shoulder and keep him in his seat.
"Don't get mad. I only told the truth. I wonder… if we happened to fight, how many points would you lose? Oh wait, you guys have so little points left, don't you? In that case, you'd be left with nothing."
The red-haired teen glared at him for a moment, before clicking his tongue in annoyance. "Tch. You're not worth it."
While Onodera smiled proudly at his moment of maturity, his other classmates were surprised that he didn't lash out in anger which would have been his expected reaction. However, this was good because if he picked a fight with these students, then there would surely be consequences.
"Really? Sounds to me that you're just scared," Yamawaki taunted.
It wasn't Sudo who spoke next, but rather Horikita.
"You're right. We don't know how many points we'll lose if that happens. Sudo-kun may even be expelled as a worst-case scenario. I don't particularly mind that you're bad-mouthing us, but you're in Class C, correct? I don't think there's something that you should be bragging about," she said.
Yamawaki continued to flash a mocking smile. "There were just errors of calculation in placing Class C and A. But you guys in D are on a completely different level."
"That's quite an inconsistent standard of measurement. The way I see it, everyone outside of Class A is lumped together, including you."
Yamawaki stopped laughing and now glared at Horikita.
"You know, for a defective student, you're pretty sassy, aren't you? Did you think you could say whatever you like just because you have a cute face?"
Suzune took a sip from her cup of tea. "Thank you for your desperate and irrelevant statement. I was never concerned about my appearance much, but after being praised by you, I must say I feel rather uncomfortable."
"Tch!" Yamawaki wasted no time and stomped over towards their table. Sudo was ready to stand up and defend his classmates should something happen, but Yamawaki's classmates quickly pulled him back before something could happen.
"Hey, you're letting them get to you. If we're the ones who start fighting, then word will get around and we'll be the ones in trouble."
Yamawaki contemplated his actions for a moment, before he stopped in what he was about to do. Instead, he went back to mocking the students of Class D.
"You do know that you'll be expelled if you fail the next test, right? I'm looking forward to seeing how many of you get kicked out," he grinned smugly.
Suzune looked as disinterested as ever. "Unfortunately for you, no one from Class D will be expelled. Before you worry about us, though, perhaps you should worry about your own class. You are clearly wasting your time here."
"Hahaha! Us, fail? Don't joke around," one of the other Class C students joined in on the fun.
"We're not studying just to avoid failing. We're studying so we can improve our test scores. Don't lump us together with failures like you," Yamawaki added.
"Says the guy who'd rather run his mouth than open a book," Ken snickered.
Yamawaki grimaced, as he didn't take kindly to that insult. "Why don't you put your money where your mouth is? I bet you can't even get a passing grade in the exams! Let's have a bet with our points, unless you're too scared about getting a failing grade!"
The red-haired student from Class D only rolled his eyes and went back to eating his lunch. Now he understood why Kayano stopped him from picking a fight with these guys. "You're pathetic."
Not only Yamawaki, but the rest of his classmates from Class C all felt insulted from that and in that moment, they momentarily forgot all about keeping their composure so that they don't cause trouble and draw attention towards them. In that moment, all that mattered to them was making the red-haired punk from Class D pay for what he said and remind him that he was the defect around here…
"Okay, that's enough. Stop right there!"
…until the voice of a female student shouted at them, stopping Yamawaki and his classmates in their tracks.
"What? This doesn't involve you. Stay out of it," he said, turning to face the girl who just showed up.
Ichinose Honami tilted her head curiously. "Doesn't involve me? Me and my classmates were having lunch at the next table and you were being loud, so it does involve me. And now I see that you have something else in mind. If you want to get violent, might I suggest that you do so outside?"
In response to the blonde beauty's not-so-subtle threat, Yamawaki and his classmates took a few steps back.
"Besides, aren't you provoking him into fighting you? If this continues, I'd have to report it to the school. Do you want that?"
"S-Sorry. We don't want that, Ichinose," Yamawaki said as his classmates all nodded furiously.
Suzune and her group stared at Honami, all all having varied reactions to the girl's sudden appearance. While a lot of them knew who she was (even though not personally), Suzune herself didn't know who the girl was and wondered if she was here for another reason other than to make these nuisances go away.
"Come on, let's go. It's not a good idea to be here with Ichinose around."
"Yeah."
With those last words, Yamawaki and his group walked away, leaving Honami with the rest of the Class D students.
"Thanks for getting rid of them, Ichinose-san!" said Nishimura. "They were getting really annoying!"
Honami turned to her and smiled warmly. "It's not a problem! I was getting annoyed by how loud they were too."
"Sent them running with their tails behind them too, Ichinose-san!" Onodera added while pumping her fist in the air.
Sudo turned to her in surprise. He didn't know who this new girl was and he had never seen her in their classroom before, so she must be from another class. He didn't think Onodera would know about her, though.
"You know her?"
"I'm surprised you don't!" Kayano sent him a dumbfounded look, surprised that her friend didn't know who the blonde girl was. "Ichinose-san is one of the most popular students in our year. Almost everyone in our class knows her."
Ken raised an eyebrow, feeling skeptical. "Really? This is literally the first time I've heard of her, though."
"That's because basketball is the only thing on your mind 24/7. Seriously, if I wasn't here, then I don't know how you could handle studying with everyone," Kayano snickered.
The red-haired teen frowned. "Oi. Basketball's not the only thing on my mind, you know."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Basketball and swimming," she winked.
"Very funny…" Ken rolled his eyes, but there was also a hint of a smile on his face.
While everyone else in her study group greeted the blonde girl who came unexpectedly and helped them to get rid of the Class C students who tried to antagonize them, Suzune only stared at her. It's as if she was trying to get a first impression on the girl based on appearance alone.
"Your name is Ichinose?" Suzune finally spoke after closely observing the blonde student.
Honami turned her attention towards the black-haired girl and smiled. "That's me!"
"What class are you from?"
"Oh, I'm from Class B."
"Class B? Interesting," Suzune was surprised that a student from Class B would go as far as to help their class with a few idiots, although she did say that she felt annoyed by them as well.
The leader of Class B then donned a look of realization, as she looked at the whole group with wide eyes. "Wait, you guys are all in Class D, right?"
"We are. Why do you ask?"
"Then that means you're classmates with Ayanokouji-kun!"
Suzune raised an eyebrow curiously. As far as she knew, Kiyotaka wasn't the type of person to go out and befriend other people, especially someone from another class. And yet, this Ichinose Honami seems to know him. Was he actually forming connections with other people now?
"How do you know Ayanokouji-kun?"
"We met a few weeks ago," she casually revealed before walking past them in search of Kiyotaka. It didn't take her long to see him at another table nearby and as soon as she did, Honami waved her arm in greeting. "Hey, Ayanokouji-kun. It's been a while."
"Indeed it has," he responded with a nod as Honami walked over to where he was.
On the outside, he looked perfectly calm. On the inside, Kiyotaka was just about ready to leave and hide himself in his room for the rest of the day.
As if things weren't bad enough.
He was already dealing with Kushida and her jealousy towards a certain black-haired classmate of theirs, and now here comes another problem in the form of Ichinose. No, he didn't have a problem with the girl herself. It's because her presence will inevitably lead to more problems, because Kushida will no doubt be jealous of her too.
Honami took a step closer towards him. "Have you studied for the midterm exams? They're happening next week and I'm a bit nervous about them, honestly…"
"I'm actually helping two of my classmates with their studying. So you could say we're studying together."
"Oh, you're acting as a tutor to them?"
He nodded, earning another smile from Honami.
"That's amazing. You must be really good at academics, then!" she praised him, causing Kiyotaka to feel a bit awkward.
"Not really. I don't even know if my teaching methods are effective," he averted his gaze to the side while rubbing the back of his neck.
"You're being too hard on yourself. I'm sure that whoever you're teaching, they're learning lots of things from you!"
And then, out of nowhere, a smirk formed on his face as he shifted his gaze back to the blonde beauty. "Well, maybe if you keep on encouraging me like this, I could succeed."
"You don't need me to succeed, silly. Just be confident in yourself," she reassured him. "And even if I did try to encourage you, it'll only be during lunch breaks or whenever we meet since we're not classmates."
His smirk widened. "Then maybe you can come to my room sometime. You can 'encourage' me as much as you want when we're alone."
The girl's eyes widened, and a blush started forming on her face. At first glance, it may seem that Ichinose Honami was someone who's oblivious to romance, but that was far from the truth. Honami was well aware of things like romance and love, it's just that she hasn't experienced it before.
And from her own understanding of 'love', what Kiyotaka did just now was a clear attempt at flirting.
"W-What…?"
It was only after Honami said that in a flustered tone that Kiyotaka realized what he said. What he had done a while ago when he talked about Nanase, he did it yet again.
[You have gained 10 Affection Points with Ichinose Honami!]
"I did it again. I'm definitely doing it unconsciously," he sighed in exasperation.
If only there was a nearby wall he could bang his head into repeatedly. Never mind if he dies as a result. As a matter of fact, he was very tempted to stand up from the table and do it himself.
Then again, even if he dies from killing himself, the system might alter reality to make it seem that it never happened, or it just revives him. Either way, he had a good feeling that even death won't save him from this whole game that's surely nothing more than entertainment for whatever deity up there that gave him this broken superpower.
Turning his attention back to Ichinose, he quickly noticed that she was left with a flustered look, prompting him to speak up before things spiral out of control even further. "I'm only joking," he quickly said before things could turn south.
Those words were enough to calm her down at least, but it didn't make her forget what he said before that, so her face retained its red hue for now.
"S-Sure…" the girl muttered while looking away. She took a few deep breaths afterwards in an effort to calm her heart that began pounding madly in her chest. "Calm down, calm down, it was only a joke…"
"Uhm, excuse me. You're kind of interrupting us?"
A sweet voice then caught Ichinose's attention, making her turn towards the other person who was sitting with Ayanokouji at the same table.
"Oh! I didn't know you were having a talk. My apologies," she said in an alarmed tone, before turning towards Kiyotaka with a forced smile on her face. "I-I'll see you next time then, Ayanokouji-kun!"
With that, the blonde beauty walked away and hurried back to her table with her fellow Class B students, leaving Ayanokouji and Kushida all alone again. The young man was quick to send a knowing look at his classmate, because it was clear that she did that on purpose.
Speaking of which, Kushida had a cute smile on her face but on the inside, she was fuming. She had no problems with Ichinose before, but this girl was definitely on her shit-list now. How dare she walk up to their table and interrupt her little lunch date with Ayanokouji-kun?! And to make matters worse, Ichinose ignored her presence at first and didn't notice her until she said something!
And now there was a big chance of her becoming yet another rival… this makes things even harder than before. Suzune was already a big threat because she was closer to Kiyotaka than her, and if Honami gets added to the mix… oh, boy.
She could only hope that the same doesn't happen for Matsushita, Karuizawa, and Sakura. As far as she was concerned, those three were only on friendly terms with Ayanokouji. None of them showed any signs of romantic affection… Matsushita liked to tease and have a good laugh, Karuizawa stated many times that she had no intention of being in a relationship, and Sakura was simply too shy to even think of romance.
"You did not have to do that, you know?" said Kiyotaka, snapping the girl out of her thoughts.
Kikyo threw him an annoyed look. "If I didn't, she wouldn't have left."
"That was still rude of you."
"Would you have preferred it if I told her to get lost and never show her face again?" she asked, switching to her mask for a brief moment.
Kiyotaka couldn't answer for a few seconds, as he contemplated that possible scenario in his mind. In the end, he couldn't help but sigh. That would have indeed yielded the worse outcome and to be fair, Honami didn't notice Kikyo even from the start.
He shrugged. "Fair enough. Is that all you wanted to talk about?"
Kikyo smirked. "Oh, we're not done yet, Ayanokouji-kun. Did you forget already? We were talking about that 'Nanase' girl when we were suddenly interrupted by those Class C idiots. Now that they're gone, I want to talk more about her."
"I've already told you everything. There's really nothing more about her other than she's best friends with the boy who I lived with. She visited him whenever she had time, not me."
"Really? But from the answer you gave me earlier about what you think of her, there's definitely something more to your relationship. I remember how you said that you already see her as someone you have to protect. It sounds… romantic, if you ask me," she egged on while secretly enjoying how he was denying her claims.
Kiyotaka shook his head stubbornly. "Forget what I said. I simply got carried away when I thought about her. Perhaps it's just because I haven't seen her in months."
"Ah, but doesn't that prove that she's more to you than just a kouhai?" Kikyo giggled.
The young man sighed as another wave of stress hit him.
She's not going to stop, is she?
And to think that this won't be the last of the stress for today, because he will be having another study session at the library later on with Karuizawa and Sakura. On the bright side, it'll only be for two hours, so he could get an early rest today… as long as the system doesn't decide to fuck him over, that is.
Anyway, the midterm exams were next week, and time was running out.
Kiyotaka wasn't worried about it, of course. He could get a perfect score if he wanted to, no matter what the questions on the tests were. Instead, his full concern was directed to Kei and Airi.
Yes, they have shown improvement over the past weeks, but all of their studying won't matter anymore when the exams begin. It'll all depend on how much they learned and retained in their minds after weeks of reading books and understanding lessons. Kei had a good chance of doing well, but he couldn't say the same for Airi. Then again, there's a chance that she might defy expectations and achieve good results in her exams.
As long as they get a passing mark in all their subjects, then it would be worth it. He hoped that it wouldn't have to come to failing even one, as it meant expulsion. The worst part was that it would happen to one of his heroines…
Oh, well. Guess he'll find out in a few days.
MINASAN, YONDE KURETE ARIGATŌ! AISHITEMAAAAASUUUUU! *starts playing air guitar*
-Lance
