As I have said last chapter, a poll will be held to determine who will be the three new heroines for the next volume. Don't even think about posting a review with your vote, because it won't be counted. In order to vote, join our Discord server (link below). I'm not gonna say anything about who are the potential heroines for next volume, so you'll have to find out for yourself. Volume 1 is gonna end in 2 more chapters after this, so let's make this count!
Discord link: [discord . gg / 4y5QVPj]
Disclaimer: I don't own Classroom of the Elite but if I did, there will be MAJOR CHANGES.
"Well… here we are. The day of the midterms."
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka took a deep breath as he walked out of his dorm room and closed the door. It was Monday, the start of a new week, and also the day for Class D to have a chance at getting back the points they've lost, and to prove that they weren't the defective class as a lot of people have thought.
He looked at the two doors on either side of his unit and heaved a huge sigh of relief. Kikyo and Suzune wouldn't be walking with him today, as both girls went to school early to meet their respective study groups for a last-minute review, so they had already left.
As a result, he was left all alone for now, not that it was a big thing.
As much as he had gotten used to those girls being with him when it's time to go to school, he liked the peace and quiet more when he's alone. Especially when he rarely had free time these days, as he spent most of it either by studying with Airi and Kei, or getting caught in one of the system's crazy situations.
"I better get going before my daily dose of insanity happens," the young man said in his thoughts. Suzune and Kikyo may not be here, but it doesn't mean that the system would leave him alone just like that.
However, just as he was about to head to the elevator, a new voice suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"A-A-Ayanokouji-kun?!"
A deadpan expression formed on his face almost immediately.
"It was fun while it lasted."
He could still make a break for it and run to the elevator but it was still early in the morning, and Kiyotaka didn't want to waste too much energy. Plus, he was going to take a nap once he's done with the exams. Spending energy unnecessarily will only keep him awake.
Kiyotaka turned around to see one of the people whom he had been tutoring for the past weeks,
Already, a wave of stress hit him. What a way to start off his day, huh? What better way to start the day than to come face-to-face with the girl who hated the idea of being neighbors or living on the same floor with boys?
Knowing this, there's a big chance of this girl running away once she learns that he lived on this floor, or she thinks of him as a pervert and never talks to him again as a result. Either way, it's clear that the system put him in this situation to deal with her and expected that he would be able to handle it all on his own.
Yes, he was the 'Masterpiece' of the White Room, but he wasn't the masterpiece of love gurus!
"Karuizawa," he acknowledged with a nod, not even showing any kind of reaction to the girl's presence.
On the other hand, the blonde girl was completely thrown off-guard upon seeing him here.
A while ago, Kei had stepped out of her dorm with a confident aura all over her. Today was the day of the midterm exams, and she didn't want to show any sign of weakness.
She had been studying for weeks just for this. Yeah, she had never cared for studying before and would rather hang out with friends and have a good time, but this school didn't allow her that privilege. She needed to study not just to pass her exams, but also to reclaim the points they've lost.
Karuizawa had not felt this confident in herself before. Well, maybe because she was never assisted by someone else in her studies until Ayanokouji came into the picture. Not only was he good in, he was apparently a decent teacher as well, capable of explaining lessons easily enough for her and Sakura to understand.
The girl felt confident to the point that she felt that she could get a high score on all of her tests, and she was ready to face the day head-on with a smile…
That is, until she saw Kiyotaka himself in the hallway, about to head to the elevator. Even though his back was turned, she immediately recognized his brown hair and knew it was him.
"W-What are you doing here…?!" she asked as her face began to turn red.
Kiyotaka stared at her for a moment, thinking of what to say, only to realize that there's nothing to think about. Kei saw him while he was still here, and he had a good feeling that if he starts making excuses of any sort, the girl will only get mad at him.
Better take advantage of her shocked state now before her emotions take over.
"I suppose I can't hide it any longer," he shrugged helplessly before gesturing to his door. "I live here, Karuizawa. This is my dorm unit."
"You… live here?" she said in a dumbfounded tone while her eyes widened in disbelief. "W-Why didn't you tell me then?"
The way she asked those questions made it seem like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
They had been studying together for weeks now, and not once did Kiyotaka say anything about where his unit was located. They were friends, so it's only natural for him to reveal where he lived, right?
Hmm, was this the reason why he never walked with her to the dorms after their sessions in the library, even though she was the one who asked him about it every time? During those days, Kiyotaka would either say that he's busy or he's going somewhere and wouldn't be able to retire to his dorm room just yet.
"Because you would have been mad?" he answered rhetorically. "Or have you forgotten how you hated this whole dorm arrangement ever since it began?"
Kei blinked a few times out of confusion. She would have been mad? Why would she be mad? There's nothing wrong with revealing where he lived— ohhhh… that's what he was trying to say.
Realization only struck her just now, and Kei's eyes widened upon remembering her past words regarding the dorms and the chairman's announcement a month ago.
"If you're angry about this, then get it over with. Just keep it in mind that I wasn't the one who wanted to live here."
The young man then waited for a response from her. He expected her to be a little mad at least, giving him a warning about being a pervert, and then letting it go. The worst-case scenario would be receiving a slap from her and then getting angry to the point that she didn't want to see him again. He hoped that it wouldn't come to that point, as it would only lead to more problems for him.
However, despite his expectations, the response she gave him was surprising.
"Uh… I'm not mad," she confessed whilst looking conflicted about something.
"Is that so?" he raised an eyebrow curiously. This was an interesting development, and Kiyotaka wanted to know what led to this change. "What happened to your dislike for boys because they might act on their perverted desires?"
"W-Well, you already proved that you're different, alright?! What, you want me to look at you the same way I see a lot of our idiot and perverted classmates?" she snapped, placing her hands on her hips and then sending him a little frown.
He shook his head. "That would be an unpleasant outcome, seeing as how I'm supposed to be tutoring you and Sakura. Such a situation would make it hard to speak with you, so no."
"Good. Besides, you're not really a pervert like the two idiots… or are you?" she sent him a look of suspicion this time, as if she was trying to find out if Kiyotaka had hidden intentions in mind.
Kiyotaka shrugged. "Whatever I say wouldn't matter because there's no guarantee you'd believe me anyway. The only one who can answer your question is yourself, Karuizawa."
Her look of suspicion disappeared in an instant. "Huh?"
"Ask yourself. Do you think I'm a pervert like some of our classmates?"
That was a question that the girl couldn't answer for a good while, because she thought deeply about what to say. She was also in deep thought, unable to get his question out of her mind after he said it.
Did she think of him as a pervert? Or better yet, what does she think of him? Obviously, they've been on good terms ever since the talk that they had at Keyaki Mall, even though it ended with her being angry with him for the simple reason of talking to her. Sure, she felt grateful towards him when he lent her some points and for helping her study in preparation for the midterms, but were they even friends? Or were they simply acquaintances? There was never really a label for their relationship, now that she thought about it…
Kei felt utterly confused by his question and didn't know how to answer it, causing her to let out a scream of frustration while shaking her head furiously, unaware of the redness that began spreading across her face.
"Aaaggghhh, we're just wasting time! Let's get to class already!" the girl cried as she walked towards him.
"Sure, why not?" he replied.
Actually, this was even better. He doesn't want to stand around here until class starts of course, especially on the day of the midterm exams. He had no idea what made Karuizawa scream out of nowhere, but it's clear that his question before that made her think deeply.
As the two prepared to leave and head for the elevator together, they were stopped in their tracks by a new voice, one that they recognized right away for the shy and meek tone that it had.
"A-Ayanokouji-kun…?"
Both students turned around, and were met by the sight of Sakura Airi standing not too far away from them, with a red face that could rival the color of her hair and shaking nervously to the point it looked like she was about to faint at any second.
Kiyotaka wasn't surprised anymore by this turn of events and simply sighed to himself. After Kei saw him exiting his room, he was already certain that his morning won't be over without the daily dose of craziness that the system provided him. The only thing he could do now was accept his situation and deal with it accordingly, to the best that he can.
"S-Sakura-san?"
"Good morning, Sakura."
In contrast to the tone of surprise that Karuizawa used, the young man was completely monotone in his delivery, as if he was saying, "I'm tired of this shit."
"Y-Y-You also live here…?" the girl stuttered.
"That's correct."
"O-O-O-Oh, i-i-i-is that s-s-so? U-Uhm… I-I-I-I d-d-didn't know t-that…"
"Of course you didn't know. It's not like I've been telling everyone about it. What about you? You also live here, yet you never said anything when our classmates spoke up about who lived on this floor," he pointed out, making the redhead widen her eyes in alarm.
Karuizawa was ready to scold Ayanokouji for unnecessarily pushing her friend into a corner she had no way out of, only to realize that he actually made a good point. When she and some of the girls complained about the new co-ed arrangements for the student dorms, they also found out which of them lived on the 4th floor but Sakura never said anything.
This was also the first time that she saw her friend on this floor, which was why she was surprised at seeing Sakura here.
"I-I-I w-wanted to say something too… but… i-it was just so e-embarrassing…" said Airi, turning away as she was too embarrassed to even look at Kiyotaka.
Kei shrugged, unsurprised that that was the reason why she didn't say anything. Plus, knowing what Airi is like, it would actually be more surprising if she even raised her hand that time.
"That's completely understandable. Horikita didn't say anything as well," Kiyotaka explained. "Furthermore, could you imagine how the rest of the boys would react if they found out that I live on a floor filled with girls?"
The first thought that immediately came to the girls' minds was that a lot of the boys would be jealous of him, particularly Yamauchi and Ike. Those two have always been desperate perverts and it's quite obvious how they would react in that possible scenario.
They might even go as far as to 'persuade' Ayanokouji to take pictures of the girls for 'research', something that would have been disastrous if it happened…
"The only ones who know of my situation are Kushida and Horikita, since we were walking to the dorms together when the announcement was made," he added.
Both Kei and Airi were taken aback at that revelation. It looks like they weren't the first to know about Kiyotaka's living arrangements, and they were even more shocked that neither one of those girls mentioned anything about it or had a reaction of some kind.
"Wait, those two already know?! And they don't have a problem with it?" the blonde girl said in pure disbelief.
"If anything, I'm the one who's not fine with living on a floor that's only inhabited by girls," he shrugged.
Oh, he could still remember that day… the day when his superpower first altered reality when it fulfilled Kushida's desire to be neighbors with him. Seeing first-hand what the system could do honestly scared him and while he was slowly getting used to the ridiculousness, it was still mind-boggling that the idea of breaking the natural flow of things was something he could do or rather, what his superpower could do.
"Let's go already. I'm sure neither of you two wouldn't want to be late today, would you?" he asked.
The two girls snapped out of their little trance and nodded, before following him to the elevator. Thankfully, nobody else was around to see them, so they were able to get inside without any more interruptions.
While they were inside the elevator, a sudden thought struck Kei and it was something that worried her. Kiyotaka was one thing, but what if there was another guy who lived on the 4th floor? Or worse, what if it was someone with malicious intentions?
"Wait… is there another guy living here? Other than you?" she asked in a worried tone.
"As far as I know, no one else."
Kei blinked a few times, before she looked at him with a dumbfounded look. "Wait, you're telling me that you're the only boy who lives here?"
Strangely, Kiyotaka looked unaffected by that fact, as though he was used to it at this point. "That's exactly what I'm telling you."
"Huh…" she breathed out. While she still disliked the idea of the co-ed dorm arrangements, Kei wasn't as hostile to it as she was back then, now that she was reassured that no one with malicious intentions lived on the same floor as her. "This might not be as bad as I thought… if Ayanokouji-kun's the only guy who lives here."
"If you're still worried about my presence, I understand. However, I can assure you that I have no ulterior motives in mind. I'm not planning to peek on anyone around here, nor am I thinking of perverted thoughts," he told them while letting out a sigh of indignation. "Seriously, I'd rather sleep than do something else."
"Uh… I… I don't believe Ayanokouji-kun is like that…" Airi spoke, shaking her head in disagreement which got Kiyotaka's attention.
On the surface, it may not sound like a big deal coming from Airi but because of the… 'incident' that happened between them a month ago, it was definitely one. Thankfully, neither of them brought up that issue again and moved on from it, but it still meant a lot that the girl didn't think of him as a pervert after that. It was only an accident, after all, and no one was truly at fault… although Airi should really be careful about where she's going in the future.
"I-I may not be that close to you, but…" Kei spoke up this time, causing the young man to turn towards her. "...so far, you've shown no sign that I shouldn't trust you, so… I'll believe you."
"I'm glad that the two of you trust me," he nodded in satisfaction. Kiyotaka was fortunate that these two weren't hard to convince. He had thought at first that they would be the harder ones to convince that he had no ill intentions in mind. "In return, can I trust you both that you won't tell anyone about me living on this floor? If someone finds out on their own, I'll deal with them myself but as much as possible, don't say a word to anyone."
Airi didn't say anything, but she nodded her head to show that she understood. Plus, it wasn't like she interacted with other people much, so she had no one to tell.
"Sounds fair," Kei shrugged. There's no way she would tell their classmates that a boy lived on the same floor as her, though it would be nice to inform some girls about it, particularly those who lived there as well like Maya and Chiaki.
Kiyotaka felt relieved now that this issue had been resolved rather easily.
Still, it was only the start of the day, and the system already decided to throw him in the middle of a sticky situation in the form of Karuizawa and Sakura finding out that he lived on the 4th floor. From this, it was already obvious that this day won't end without his sanity being put to the test yet again.
That's why it's a good thing that he would be able to take a little nap after the exams.
Suzune chose to go school earlier than usual for some last-minute studying with her group, as well as to ensure that they wouldn't be helpless when the exams begin. For that, she didn't walk with Kiyotaka all the way to their classroom as she always did, but that's fine. It was only one day and it's not like she needed to walk with him as if it was a requirement.
In Kikyo's case, as much as she wanted to continue plotting on how she would expel Suzune, she could always think about it some other time. Right now, that bitch was still useful and plotting against her would be a dumb move. Kikyo may not look like it, but she wanted to help her class too, even if it meant working with the two perverts whom she hated with every fiber of her being… which is why she also orchestrated a last-minute study session like Suzune. And for that, she chose not to walk with Kiyotaka to school because she had to get there earlier than usual.
However, both girls were unprepared for what they would see once Kiyotaka arrived.
They were on opposite sides of the room, surrounded by the students whom they were tutoring. Nobody else was there yet, because there was still about an hour left before their first period. The two were in the middle of explaining something to their classmates when they heard three voices from the door.
"For the final time, I can handle myself, okay?! What do you think I studied for?"
"It was only a question out of concern."
"You've asked me that three times in the past five minutes!"
"Never hurts to be sure."
"Uhm… I-I think you should stop shouting K-Karuizawa-san. We're finally here…"
"Tell that to this guy here, Sakura-san. He's worrying over nothing."
"I-I-I don't think Ayanokouji-kun is wrong… h-he's only worried that something might go wrong."
"Oh, you too? Look, I agree that nothing's wrong about being worried, but you're being paranoid instead. I can handle this. What, don't you have even the slightest bit of faith in me?"
"That's not what I'm trying to show."
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had arrived at the classroom, and he wasn't alone. The two girls whom he was supposedly tutoring were with him, and they were all talking with each other while ignoring everyone else inside the room, as if they were left in their own world.
The sight of the three students arriving together didn't exactly sit well with two girls in particular.
The students in her group all had their attention directed towards the three newcomers, so they weren't able to notice the look that Suzune had. She was frowning and a little pout had formed on her face, expressing her growing displeasure and annoyance at seeing Kiyotaka with two other girls.
"This is unacceptable," she thought to herself. She was almost tempted to march over to where he was, drag Kiyotaka back with her and keep him by her side until class starts, but she kept herself where she was. There's no need to act brashly out of nowhere.
But still, it felt wrong to see Sakura and Karuizawa in a position that belonged to her! It's always her who walked with him in the morning! It's been that way for the better part of two months now!
Meanwhile, Kikyo looked like she was about to explode at any moment, not even caring if her classmates saw her dropping her mask. Fortunately for her, no one could see her look of rage because they too were staring at Kiyotaka, Kei, and Airi.
"I shouldn't have gone to school early!" Kikyo shouted in her mind. She was gripping her pen tightly to the point that it could break into two at any second. Also, it appeared that she was wrong. Those two were interested in Kiyotaka too! She should have expected it since he had been spending time with them for a few weeks now.
Ugh, the love rivals just keep on increasing. First, it was Horikita, then it was followed by Ichinose, and now Karuizawa and Sakura! Who's next?! Matsushita? Shinohara? Sato? Every girl in class?!
Kikyo scoffed. She had no idea how at the moment, but she'll get his full attention again… even if she had to run over every single one of these girls to do it.
It wasn't just the girls, by the way. Two boys in particular were shaking in their seats out of rage and jealousy at seeing Kiyotaka with. It's almost like those two were his backup plan in case Horikita and Kushida weren't there.
"Ayanokouji, you lucky bastard! Not just Horikita and Kushida-chan, but you're also going to claim those two for yourself?! You're an enemy of all men!" cried Yamauchi as he started crying, because he could never have what Ayanokouji had.
"At least save some for us, damn it!" Ike added, only to shout in pain when someone smacked him on the back of his head.
"Don't make them uncomfortable, idiot!" Shinohara scolded him.
Forgetting his jealousy towards Ayanokouji for now, Ike gave the blue-haired girl a deep scowl. He had been putting up with this woman for long enough, and he was tired of being her punching bag!
"Stop telling me what to do, ugly!"
"I'll stop when you learn some common sense!"
"You could never understand how I feel!"
The two neighbors were unaware of how they were moving closer to one another because they were too preoccupied with insulting the other with various names. Their banter had even caught the attention of some of their classmates, who all sweat-dropped as they were quite used to seeing such a thing at this point.
"Dumbass!"
"Witch!"
"Pervert!"
"Hag!"
It was only after those two last insults that they finally realized how close they were to each other's faces, making them widen their eyes and blush at the same time. They stared at each other for a few moments, as if they were hypnotized by what they're seeing. Both teens snapped out of their trance quickly and separated from each other with burning red faces and their hearts beating faster than usual.
As a result, Ike was completely silent and couldn't continue his little crusade against Ayanokouji, which left Yamauchi as the only one who complained about the 'enemy of all men'.
Unfortunately for him, Kiyotaka wasn't even paying attention to anything that came out of his mouth. The young man knew that giving Yamauchi attention would only make things worse because it would prove his words to be true. So, by doing the opposite and ignoring the pervert, it would show that all he's saying is simply propaganda to make him look bad.
However, unlike him who can keep a straight face even in the direst of situations, both Airi and Kei were immediately affected by those remarks and blushed in embarrassment. Thankfully, the girls in Kushida's group have quickly dealt with Yamauchi by hitting him in the head with their notebooks repeatedly, shutting him up for good.
Despite that, the pervert's words had already taken effect. Kiyotaka decided to calm the two girls down before something bad could happen, like forgetting everything they've learned for the past weeks. Also, it's best to do it now when there aren't that many students in the classroom yet.
['To Protect Her Smile' has been Activated!]
He faced them both with a serious look that meant all-business. "Do you feel nervous about the exams today?" he asked.
The young man easily got their attention, though they still felt embarrassed because of Yamauchi's remarks. The embarrassment went double for Airi, because… well, because Kiyotaka had already claimed something of hers… the claim to be the first one to see her bare chest, that is.
"A-A-A-A little b-bit…" the redhead stuttered while turning away.
Kei was able to regain her bearings better than Airi, even though she was unable to get rid of the blush on her face. She wondered if Kiyotaka was even affected by Yamauchi's words, but the fact that he's not talking about it only shows that he truly doesn't have those kinds of thoughts in mind.
"N-Not really. I think I have a good chance of getting a really good score in everything," she said with a confident smile.
"You two will do great," he reassured them. "Don't overthink it when you get stuck on a question. If you do, you'll only end up forgetting what might be the correct answer. Stay calm and think about it carefully before you answer."
"Easy enough to do," Kei smirked and gave him a thumbs-up in response..
"I-I understand," Airi was able to give him a nod in spite of her flustered state at the moment.
"Good luck."
With that, the three students went to their respective desks. As soon as he sat down, Kiyotaka wasted no time and quickly buried his head into his arms for a little nap, knowing that he only had about half an hour of peace before the midterm examination began.
By the time the first bell rang, every student in Class D was already there, waiting for Chabashira-sensei to arrive. Some continued to do some last-minute reviewing, some felt incredibly nervous about the exam, while some were talking amongst each other as though they had nothing to worry about… oh, and there was also Koenji who was as confident and nonchalant as ever.
Once Chabashira entered the room, everyone stopped talking immediately and straightened themselves in their seats. They didn't want to anger their teacher right off the bat, especially now when it's so early in the morning and on the day of the midterms, no less.
"Good morning, everyone," the woman spoke as she took notice of the students who were present. "I see that nobody's absent today, huh? Good. At least you're taking this seriously."
"Of course we would take this seriously, Chabashira-sensei. Our life in this school is on the line, and everyone has been working hard in order to study everything that's included in the exams," Hirata spoke up, earning a nod from almost everyone in the room.
"Your optimism is commendable, but it's your abilities that will truly tell if you're worthy of remaining in this school," Chabashira smirked. "Now, your midterms will be the foundation of your academics. Your finals will take place in July. I implore everyone to do their best in order to pass because the school will be rewarding you with a nice vacation in the summer break if you do."
"A vacation?"
The idea of a vacation during their summer break immediately caught every student's attention, but they didn't react to it yet. They might only be hearing things and their teacher would definitely be mad if they assume things.
"On a beautiful island in the middle of the sea. The school will cover the expenses, of course, but as I said, you must first pass your final exams before you can even think of going there."
And with that confirmation, excitement began to fill everyone as they felt motivated to do even better. How could they not feel motivated? They were just promised a vacation if they passed their finals. While the girls simply thought about a fun vacation on an island, the boys were a little different.
It wasn't a surprise that a lot of the boys' minds instantly went to thoughts of their female classmates in their swimsuits. They may have been denied that chance during their swimming classes, but an island vacation was completely different! No one in their right mind would wear the school uniform during an island trip. They'll surely get to see babes in bikinis for the entirety of their vacation!
Even Kiyotaka wasn't safe from those thoughts despite his attempts to block it out. His mind fed him images of possibly seeing Suzune, Kikyo, Chiaki, Kei, and Airi in their swimsuits and who knows? He might even get to see Honami, Arisu, and Hiyori as well. And as much as he wanted to bury his head into the ground like an ostrich in order to forget these thoughts, the young man didn't exactly dislike the idea of seeing his heroines in bikinis.
Yep, this eroge system was changing him…
"Let's do our best, everyone!" Ike shouted at his classmates as he threw his fist into the air.
"YEAH!"
Led by Ike's enthusiasm, albeit misguided, it seemed as if the class morale had a drastic increase in a matter of moments. If they weren't motivated to do their best in the exams before, then they were definitely going to aim for a high score in all of their subjects now.
After telling her class to be quiet. Sae distributed the test papers for the first subject, which was Social Studies. As soon as they received their papers, each student went right to work with newfound resolve.
Kiyotaka scanned the exam paper after receiving his, and didn't really see anything that was remotely challenging in it. In fact, he could answer the test in less than ten minutes, give or take. The only concern he had with it is the issue of how many points he should aim for.
"Time to finish these in record time so I can sleep," he thought. "A high score but lower than a perfect one should be good. Horikita might complain that I'm holding back in that instance, but I'll tell her that it's at least better than a failing grade."
And so, after he was done with the exam, Kiyotaka was able to take a nap just like he wanted to. He did the same the next ones, ignoring the weird looks he was getting from his classmates because of how fast he had been answering each test. Some of them were even wondering if he was actually taking it seriously, but no one blurted out a word about his strange attitude.
After finishing the first three exams, the students were allowed to take a thirty-minute break, causing a lot of them to let out deep breaths that they have been holding in out of nervousness. While it was true that they were motivated to get high grades in their academic performance, it didn't stop them from feeling doubtful of their abilities and if they were really capable of doing such a thing.
"Nothing's gonna stop me from going on that dream vacation. I swear I'll pass my exams, no matter what!" Kanji said to no one in particular, as he attempted to motivate himself with the prize of being able to go on a luxury vacation with girls who are going to be wearing bathing suits instead of their usual uniforms.
"Because you can't wait to see girls in their swimsuits," Satsuki spoke from behind him, causing the boy to jump in surprise as he turned around to see his blue-haired archenemy who also happened to be his neighbor.
"Shut up already!" he snapped at her, which only made the girl laugh at his misfortune. "I can do what I want during that vacation and you can't stop me, Ugly!"
"Well, I can guarantee you that none of the girls are gonna be ogling someone like you."
"Why are you even here? Go back to your friends already!"
"Because it feels nice to crush your dreams," she winked and stuck out her tongue at him in a mocking manner. "Oh, and before you even think about the vacation, you should think about passing this exam first."
Ike could only growl as Shinohara walked away smugly, feeling angry at that ugly witch who seemed to love raining on his parade any chance she could get, and at himself for thinking that she looked cute when she flashed him that mocking expression.
Urgh, why did his weakness have to be girls too…?
"I feel like I can get a perfect score in all of my exams at this point! Just watch!" Yamauchi bragged to the rest of the boys, who all shared the same sentiment.
"What about you, Sudo? Did you have trouble? You remember the bet we made, right?" Ike turned his attention to his red-haired classmate this time, in a desperate attempt to get Shinohara out of his mind. "If I get the higher score, you have to walk around this room like a dog and bark like one!"
"Heh," Ken smirked. He looked confident and showed no sign of nervousness throughout the three exams that they've taken so far, only looking lost a few times when he got stuck on a few questions. "Instead of being arrogant, I'd be worried if I were you. Better yet, read those magazines of yours while you still can since you're gonna have to burn them soon."
"Hah? I'm not worried at all. I'm going to pass so I can go on that vacation and see the girls in swimsuits! And I'm going to beat you in these exams!" Kanji shouted. Oh, he was going to beat Sudo, he'll make sure of it!
The red-haired teen shrugged. "Whatever you say…"
Meanwhile, Kiyotaka decided to check on the two girls whom he had tutored for the past weeks. Kei was sitting in front of Airi's desk and the two seemed like they were engaged in an interesting conversation, since the redhead was willingly talking to the other without looking nervous or shy.
Speaking of which, it was quite an interesting development between these two. Even though they were very different from one another, Karuizawa still befriended Sakura regardless and it was because of this that their study sessions weren't as much of a hassle as he had thought. Whenever Sakura would get stuck on a topic, he would help her and if Karuizawa understood it as well, she would lend a hand too.
Being different from each other completely, yet becoming friends in spite of it… sounds like something that Horikita and Kushida could learn from these two.
"Woah, you're already awake from your little nap?" asked Kei as she saw him approaching them.
Kiyotaka nodded. "How are you two holding up?"
Kei shrugged, leaning back against her chair. She didn't look bothered by the exams at all, despite feeling a little nervous earlier when it started. "I'm doing fine. I thought the exams would be harder, but the questions were pretty easy to handle."
He turned his attention towards Airi next. "What about you, Sakura?"
"I… h-had some trouble remembering a few lessons at first… but I made sure to answer all of the questions," she spoke, reverting back to her shy demeanor. "Although… I-I-I don't know if it'll be enough for me to pass the exams…"
"The more you think like that, the more it will bother you on the remaining exams."
Airi nodded furiously. "I know… b-but… I can't shake off the feeling that I made a lot of mistakes…"
How could she not feel worried? Up until now, she had always received low grades in school and the mere fact that she even got to high school was a miracle. Airi doubted that a few weeks of studying can suddenly change years of getting the same outcome in her exams.
Kei turned to her friend and placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "He's right, Sakura-san. The more you worry, the more it will take control of you. Come on, we worked hard for several weeks just to prepare for this day. Let's not waste all those hours we spent reading at the library and listening to this guy rambling!"
Kiyotaka raised an eyebrow at the little insult that was directed towards him. "Did she really have to say that about me?" he sighed.
The red-haired girl thought about her friend's words for a few moments, taking every word that she said deeply and telling it to herself over and over. It's not like Karuizawa was wrong. Things might not change that quickly, but it was still her decision to study with her friend and Kiyotaka. She chose to study at the library, in hopes of doing better in her grades and so that she doesn't become the deadweight in their class.
It didn't take long before a look of realization took over her face.
"Y-Yes… you're right, Karuizawa-san…!"
Kei gave her a big grin and patted her on the back. "That's the spirit!"
Kiyotaka blinked a few times. Well, that was one way to lift Airi's spirits up. It's not what he had expected, but it looked like some words of encouragement from Kei was all that she needed to stop worrying about her possible results.
Not long after, their thirty-minute break had ended and the new exam papers were distributed. Again, Kiyotaka was quick to answer everything on the paper before going for another nap. He did this again for their last exam and before they knew it, the last bell had rung which signified the end of their exams.
As the students in the first row collected the papers, Sae flashed a smirk at everyone. She had been watching her students ever since they began and she noticed that they were all more serious than usual. "You all seem confident about your answers. I hope you can carry that confidence with you when the results come out. Dismissed."
After she walked out, the students of Class D wasted no time and began to celebrate the end of their midterm examination.
"Hell yeah! We're finally done!"
"Why don't we go shopping afterwards?"
"I'll pass. We're still running low on points, remember?"
"Oh, right. Well, this sucks! We should be celebrating now that we're done!"
"Then why don't we move the celebrations when we actually pass the exams? It'll just be a waste if we celebrate this early and it turns out that we failed."
"Don't say that! Now I'm getting worried!"
"Who cares? We can still celebrate a little bit!"
"Yeah, we can still eat somewhere that's not expensive."
From there, a lot of the students began inviting their respective tutors for some food as thanks. Hirata, Wang, and Yukimura accepted since they were feeling hungry themselves. Horikita and Kushida were asked out as well by the people whom they've helped, but both declined the offer. It's obvious why Horikita declined, but it was a bit strange for Kushida since she always hangs out with everyone…
In Kiyotaka's case, there's nothing more appealing to him right now than to go home to his dorm and be with Bed-chan, but seeing his classmates' interactions was making him think otherwise.
He turned his attention towards Kei and Airi, who were already packing up and getting ready to leave. It's clear that they won't be inviting him to eat with them somewhere and while he had no problem with that, it felt wrong that they were just going to leave without doing anything else.
In contrast to everyone else who wanted to treat their tutors as a sign of thanks, Kiyotaka felt that it should be him who invites them. It makes sense, because those two have been working really hard for the past weeks and they actually put up with him, despite his own thoughts about being a bad teacher to the both of them.
He had no idea if the system was making him think like this, but it honestly mattered little at this point. Plus, they could consider this an apology for making them uncomfortable earlier this morning, since he did give them quite a shock when they found out that he lived on the same floor as them.
Despite a feeling in his gut that he would somehow regret this decision later on, Kiyotaka grabbed his bag and approached the two girls.
"Sakura. Karuizawa. Do you two want to go out for some ice cream?"
Both girls were caught off guard when Kiyotaka approached them out of nowhere, and they were even more surprised when he asked them if they wanted to eat ice cream with him in a nonchalant manner.
"I-Ice cream?" asked Airi, wondering if she heard him right.
"I heard there was a new ice cream parlor that opened at the mall last weekend and I thought of checking it out eventually. I have nothing else to do so I thought of heading there, but I figured that I should invite you both as well."
Kei stared at him in surprise "U-Uh… thanks for the offer, Ayanokouji-kun, but no. I'd rather not spend any more points until we get our allowance…"
"You won't have to spend points. It'll be my treat," he shook his head. "Consider it as your reward for doing your best in the midterms."
The girl widened her eyes. She definitely wasn't expecting this to happen. "W-Well, if you're going to be the one who pays for the food, then I'd be an idiot not to go!" Kei quickly hid her surprise behind a wall of happiness, before she sent him a little frown. "You better not be joking, Ayanokouji-kun."
"I'm not," he told her.
"I-I-I can spare some points too…!" cried the redhead, which immediately earned Kiyotaka's attention. "I-I don't really spend much points, and… i-i-it wouldn't be right if only Ayanokouji-kun pays for us…"
"You don't need to, Sakura. As I said, consider it a reward for your hard work." He shook his head and chuckled, which was a move that shocked both girls, as they had never heard him chuckle before, let alone change his expression. "Although with that answer, I guess you want ice cream too, Sakura?"
"I-I do… but… we don't even know if we passed… so w-w-wouldn't it be a waste to celebrate now?" she asked.
"That doesn't matter. What matters is that you did your best and that is all the reason I need." Both girls blushed as Kiyotaka flashed a little smile at them, almost to the point that they looked hypnotized by it. "Plus, I have a good feeling about your results."
[You have gained 5 Affection Points with Karuizawa Kei!]
[You have gained 5 Affection Points with Sakura Airi!]
"So, any other questions you want to ask? Or if you have something important to do, I won't force you to come with me."
The two couldn't get anything out of their mouths at the moment, so they could only shake their heads dumbly.
"Then let's go."
Before he could lead the way out of the classroom though, a cold yet familiar voice kept him where he was.
"Hold it right there."
Kiyotaka didn't even need to turn around to know who just spoke, because he was completely sure that it was his black-haired neighbor who was behind him. Therefore, he wasn't surprised to see Suzune but it was a bit weird to see Kikyo standing beside her. She should have left by now to hang out with her friends, right?
"Am I hearing this right?" Suzune gave him a cold glare, one that would have made him kneel and beg for forgiveness if he was an ordinary person. "You're inviting Karuizawa-san and Sakura-san to eat ice cream, but not us? I never knew that friends treat each other like this."
The young man could only stare blankly at her. That's what she's angry about? Just because he didn't invite her? He didn't want to say anything, but Kiyotaka was certain that it was a shallow reason to be mad at him. It's almost like she was only using it as an excuse to be angry, even. And if Suzune wanted to come along, she could have just said so!
"You're not being a good friend, Ayanokouji-kun!" Kikyo frowned at him before puffing her cheeks in a cute pout. However, that was only what her mask looked like to him. Underneath it, she was just about ready to grab him by the shirt and shake him over and over for not thinking of her when he invited Kei and Airi to eat ice cream with him. "Why didn't you ask me if I wanted to come along?"
Oh, so Kikyo was jealous. Even though she was saying something different, he could already tell that her words only masked what she really felt inside. Well, hopefully, he could resolve this before things get worse, otherwise there will be bloodshed…
"Why am I suddenly the bad guy in this situation?" he sighed to himself. "How was I supposed to know that you wanted to come? I thought you would be busy with your other friends, Kushida. And I was pretty sure that you were heading back to the dorms, Horikita."
"Irrelevant. You are supposed to ask me regardless of whatever answer I might give you," she stubbornly replied.
"Okay?" He was confused at where this sudden entitlement came from, but quickly dismissed the thought. After all, their 'relationship status' changed a week ago so they weren't just simple friends now. At the very least, she's not as unpredictable and unstable as Kikyo…
"I wasn't going to hang out with any of them because I'm feeling tired after all those exams. I wouldn't mind going out to buy ice cream, though!" the beige-haired girl chuckled nervously.
Yep. He could definitely sense the malice even from a mile away, and Kikyo was actually doing a horrible job of keeping it hidden. She was just lucky that Suzune had her attention directed to him, while Kei and Airi were too clueless to notice the time bomb that is Kushida Kikyo.
Kiyotaka sighed in defeat. He could already feel the migraines coming. "Okay, you two can tag along. But I'm not paying for either of you. I only have enough to buy something for myself, Sakura, and Karuizawa."
In truth, he still had a sizable amount of points in his account, but he didn't want to take any chances. There's a big chance that if he didn't say he wouldn't pay for them, then Kikyo and Suzune would surely demand him to give them the same treatment as Kei and Airi… and such an event would have spelled disaster for his expenses.
Suzune nodded. "That will not be a problem. I can pay for myself. Now let us be off."
And with that, the girl led the way and left the room, leaving her companions confused. Did she even know where she was going? Where was the shop located? How to get there?
All of a sudden, Kikyo moved from her place and quickly caught up to Suzune, standing right in front of her which blocked the other girl's path and kept her from going anywhere else.
"Uh, Horikita-san? Do you even know where the ice cream parlor is?" she asked.
Suzune only had a calm look on her face as she gave her response. "I simply passed by it while I was heading to class earlier this morning, as I needed to buy a few things from the department store. If I'm correct, the one that Ayanokouji-kun is talking about is on the second floor of the mall, right outside the massage parlor."
…that was a lie.
She saw an advertisement for the shop while talking to the members of her study group through their group chat a few days ago. And since she knew that Kiyotaka had a strange fondness for ice cream, she looked for it during the weekend and marked the place's location in her memory.
"Oh, it's that one! I can't believe it's finally up… I thought it wouldn't open for at least one more week!" Kikyo exclaimed as she realized what shop Kiyotaka was referring to. She passed by it once or twice while hanging out with her other classmates at the mall. "Is that the one you were talking about, Ayanokouji-kun?"
All he could do was nod in response, feeling surprised himself that Suzune actually knew the ice cream parlor that he had in mind, when it only opened recently. Was it really by chance that she walked past the place?
Ah, whatever. It doesn't matter. At least Horikita knew where to go, otherwise she would have looked stupid for leading the way.
"We better get going," he told the two other girls behind him, who have been quiet this whole time.
Both Kei and Airi nodded, before they followed him out of the classroom. It didn't take them long to catch up to Suzune and Kikyo and as the group of five students walked through the hallway, Kiyotaka let out a sigh of indignation. He was just fortunate that the hallway was completely empty, so there was no one around to see him falling victim to yet another one of the system's schemes to make his life an overcomplicated rollercoaster.
"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" he asked himself, wondering how exactly did it all go wrong for him….
"I regret this… so much."
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka only had a blank look on his face as he and his female classmates walked through the mall in search of the brand-new ice cream parlor that opened recently. See, his face wouldn't give off the impression that he's done with life if it wasn't for Suzune and Kikyo.
What were those doing?
Well, both girls were holding on to each of his wrists. Now, while this was a pretty normal occurrence for him since they do this every time they head to school in the morning, he tolerated it because it was early in the day and there weren't many people around yet during this time.
Right now, though?
They were literally in a public place where people could see them, and it's during the time of the day where it was filled with many people. In conclusion, these two girls were unknowingly causing a scene, but he doubted that they even cared in the slightest.
Honestly, the only saving grace was that their arms weren't linked with his as if he was in a relationship with the two of them, which would make things infinitely worse. The last thing he wanted was for someone to spread a rumor around the school about him being a shameless playboy who's out to seduce every girl around here.
Of course, this was only a mere scratch on the surface, though… because it wasn't just the three of them. There were two other girls who were following closely behind them and through the corner of his eye, he was able to get a good look at their expressions.
Airi was the same as always, too shy to even think of doing anything else. Although every few seconds, she would glance at his hand for some reason, and then look away with a blush on her face. On the other hand, Kei's eyes darted solely towards Suzune's hand that was holding on to his wrist.
He couldn't tell what was on her mind right now, but it's clear that it wasn't filled with happy thoughts.
"Karuizawa-san," said Horikita, speaking for the first time since the group left their classroom. "Would you mind enlightening me a bit? How did you find the examination? Was it easy? Challenging?"
"Why do you want to find out?" asked Karuizawa as she tried, but failed to hide the growing jealousy in her tone. It didn't help that she was sending a little glare at how Horikita and Kushida were grabbing his arms as if it didn't mean anything.
"Karuizawa's not bothering to hide how jealous she is, huh?" Kiyotaka thought as he easily noticed the passive-aggressive tone that she used.
On the other hand, Suzune was oblivious to the strange edge in her tone. "As a tutor like Ayanokouji-kun, I wish to know if you were able to handle the exams with any sort of difficulty."
"It was fine, I guess. I didn't really have a hard time," she replied, still keeping her attention towards the other girl's hand and where it was placed.
Suzune nodded in acknowledgement. "What about you, Sakura-san?" she asked, turning her attention to the redhead who jumped in surprise at being called.
"Uhm… u-uh… i-i-it was… uhm… i-i-it was o-okay, I… I guess…"
Kiyotaka was surprised that Airi answered right away, even though she was stuttering the whole time. He initially thought that he would have to make the save for her and answer Suzune's question in her stead, but it looked like there was no need for him to do so.
"I see. Thank you for your answer," Suzune gave a satisfied nod despite Airi's near-incoherent words.
Okay, it seems like nothing bad is going to happen on Suzune's end, so Kiyotaka shifted his attention to the other girl.
What met him was the sight of Kikyo giving him an eerie smile, one that looked cute and innocent on the outside, but actually translated to anger and annoyance on the inside. It's no question that this girl could explode at any moment due to jealousy. He was only lucky that they were in a public place so Kikyo can't reveal herself.
"These four girls being in the same place with me at the same time is definitely bad news…" he said to himself. "Best to get this over with as soon as possible. Buy ice cream, give it to the two girls behind me, then leave the place and head back to the dorms."
As soon as they reached the ice cream shop, he separated from the two girls who were grabbing on to him before asking Kei and Airi what flavor they would like. The blonde gyaru chose rocky road as her flavor, while the redhead opted for the green tea option. With that, he stood at the back of the line at the counter and waited for his turn, with Suzune and Kikyo right behind him.
After buying three cups of the frozen treat, Kiyotaka chose to wait for his two other classmates to be done claiming their orders before walking out. He had chosen the mint chocolate chip option for himself, Kikyo chose the butterscotch flavor, while Suzune went with cookies and cream.
Kei and Airi waved to them. She and her red-haired friend were standing just outside of the spa/massage parlor, seemingly observing what was going on inside. The trio of students
"Here you go," he handed Karuizawa her cup of ice cream from the plastic bag that he was carrying.
"Thanks. I really appreciate this," the blonde flashed him a cute smile but before she touched the cup, she raised an eyebrow at him. "It's your treat, just to be sure?"
"I already paid for it," he assured her. With that, Kei smiled at him again before taking the cup and digging in. He then turned towards Airi next, "This is a reward for your efforts, Sakura. Keep it up."
The girl kept her head low in order to hide her flustered look, but nodded nonetheless. Upon taking her cup of ice cream, Airi felt the need to verbally thank Kiyotaka for doing something like this, even though she personally felt that she didn't deserve it. However, she couldn't get herself to open her mouth and say something, and she hated herself for it.
With his little quest done, Kiyotaka was able to heave a sigh of relief as he began to eat his own share. That didn't take longer than what he feared, and now the only thing left for him to do was to get home to his room and retire for the day. He was also very fortunate that nothing bad happened that involved his heroines, even though he could literally feel the jealousy that emanated from Kikyo and Kei…
"Let's head back already. There's nothing else for us to do here," he told his female classmates who all nodded in agreement. "Okay, that's done. Now to get home to—"
"Fufufu, I never thought it would take this long for us to meet again… even though we only live across one another~"
It was only through sheer force of will that Kiyotaka didn't throw his ice cream to the floor out of frustration. Well, that and he didn't want to waste a perfectly good ice cream cup that he bought with his own points.
"...if I run away now, I can make it to my dorm and lock the door until the next day arrives…" he thought to himself as he felt the growing desire to make a run for it, but his legs refused to move.
He and his heroines turned around to see who it was, and Kiyotaka wasn't surprised to find a certain lilac-haired student grabbing a walking stick standing in front of them.
Sakayanagi Arisu had her usual smug expression as she focused her gaze solely towards the 'Masterpiece'.
"It's nice to meet you again, Ayanokouji-kun. You know, after our first meeting, I was afraid that we would never get to meet again."
His classmates looked at both him and this new girl repeatedly, taking in the fact that they knew each other. No, it's not even that… it felt like this girl knew him on a deeper level, and it was something that bothered Horikita, Kushida, and Karuizawa. Just who was this anyway?
"I'm not the one who disappeared for weeks," he retorted in his mind. Kiyotaka wondered what happened to this girl that caused her to disappear off the face of the Earth for about two months, but she may have just been avoiding him. After all, he did kind of humiliate her when they first met, but now it seems like she's fine. "Likewise, Sakayanagi."
"Ayanokouji-kun, do you know her?" Not wasting time, Suzune asked the biggest question that was haunting her, Kikyo, and Kei's minds.
"You could say that."
The black-haired girl sent him a scowl for that completely vague answer that he gave, but he wasn't even paying attention to her. Because of that, she didn't try to get his attention any further and simply went for the other person in their little group who might have an idea on who the other student was.
"Kushida-san, who is this?" Suzune asked her friend who was also staring at the newcomer.
Kikyo showed no expression on the outside, but she definitely felt suspicious and distrustful of this girl. She may actually be a bigger threat than anyone in their class, including Suzune herself. "She's Sakayanagi Arisu, the rumored leader of Class A," she said.
"Class A's leader? And Ayanokouji-kun knows her?" Suzune was surprised at this new knowledge. Perhaps Kiyotaka was learning more on how to be sociable around other people if he knew the leader of another class. "You sound like you already know her, yet you did not tell me?"
Kikyo shook her head. "I've only heard of her thanks to some students talking about Class A. I've never met her personally until now."
The girl took a little glance at Sakayanagi in an attempt to gain an impression of her. At first glance, Sakayanagi was someone who radiated superiority, someone like her but completely different. While she demonstrates her talent at almost any subject with ease, Sakayanagi felt like someone who mostly relies on their mind in order to be cunning and to plan several steps ahead, kind of like a professional chess player.
"You said that she is the rumored leader of her class? What does that mean? You are not sure that she is?"
"It's confusing. From what I've heard, there are some Class A students who treat her as their leader. There are also some who believe that the right person for that position is a guy named 'Katsuragi'. That's all I know, Horikita-san."
"A battle for power within their class? Interesting."
Back with Kiyotaka and his 'childhood friend', the young man decided to get this over with as soon as possible. While he didn't feel completely drained yet, he will definitely feel that way soon enough now that Arisu was here. He was sure that the Class A student wasn't here to make amends or anything and to make matters worse, his four other heroines were still here and he was certain that they wouldn't be going anywhere…
"What are you doing here?" he asked in his usual apathetic tone.
"Hm, what a rude question out of nowhere. I simply thought of buying something to eat and I saw this place. The midterm exams have just ended too, have they not? What better way to celebrate an accomplishment?" she smirked.
"Then why aren't you inside the shop yet?"
"Can't I say hello to an old friend first?"
"You already did," he said flatly.
Arisu giggled. "Hoh? What's with this change of attitude, Ayanokouji-kun? This wasn't how you acted towards me when we met. What happened to that tone you used on me when we met during our first day here?"
Oh, how he was so tempted to use that same tone on Arisu right now to silence her, but he couldn't do anything right now with the other girls around… which means that Arisu was saying these things because she knew that he won't be able to do anything to stop her, lest he risk the others seeing him act like a playboy that's out to seduce everyone around him.
Truth be told, he could just do it regardless of the consequences, but he didn't feel like dealing with four other girls who were all interested in him. He needed the comfort of his home and Bed-chan more than ever.
"Ayanokouji-kun, what the hell is she talking about?"
Oh, dear… the questions have begun and the first of many came from Karuizawa. What's worse is that the others turned their attention to him and expected an answer as well. If he doesn't give the blonde girl what she wants, it'll only trigger a chain reaction from the others and they'll start demanding him for one!
"I have no idea," he replied, pretending to look dumb.
"Oh, I wasn't aware that you were accompanied by your classmates. My apologies for not noticing," said Arisu, looking away from Kiyotaka for the first time and shifting her attention to his classmates instead.
Kei didn't take kindly to what she said, thinking of it as an insult that meant she and her classmates weren't even worth looking at.. "The hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked, narrowing her eyes in growing anger.
Arisu remained calm, her smug look not wavering. "I mean nothing by it. I simply had my attention on Ayanokouji-kun the entire time that I wasn't able to notice any of you."
Kei continued to narrow her eyes, but backed down for now. She turned towards her friend instead who had remained quiet up until now, as she had no idea what to do at the moment. Her ice cream had already melted completely, because she hasn't touched it ever since Arisu made her presence known.
"Sakura-san," the blonde called out, snapping her out of her little trance. "You're good at reading people, right? What do you think about her? I honestly don't trust her…"
Doing what was asked of her, Airi observed the Class A student closely, taking note of the girl's demeanor and aura. "U-Uhm… I don't know what she's planning, but… she's not here just to talk to Ayanokouji-kun… I think…" she muttered
"Then that means she's here to show off…"
"I-I don't know… it could be for another reason too…"
While Kei and Airi were in a conversation of their own regarding the lilac-haired girl from Class A, Suzune decided to satisfy her own curiosity regarding the 'rumored leader' of the top class in their year. Whether or not Arisu would answer her questions was a different story, though.
"How do you know Ayanokouji-kun?" she asked.
Arisu decided to humor her for a bit. "Hmm, I suppose you could say we are… connected, in a way."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Kikyo, tilting her head in confusion.
"That is all that I will be telling you," the lilac-haired girl chuckled. "If you wish to know more, you will have to ask him instead of me."
"Why?" Suzune frowned slightly. Now she was certain that there's something going on between Kiyotaka and this girl, although she had no clue what as of now. "Are you hiding something from us, Sakayanagi-san?"
"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Before you ask him, however, do bear in mind that Ayanokouji-kun doesn't like being asked personal questions such as this. Expect to be turned down if you try to ask him."
Suzune wasn't surprised that Kiyotaka was like that. At first, he didn't want to admit that he scored 50s in his entrance exams, but eventually told her the truth. Now that she thought about it, he had every right to refuse to answer any of her questions, but he still did. She could try and ask him about Sakayanagi Arisu, but the girl had a feeling that he would flat-out refuse to tell her anything.
"If that's the case, then why not just tell us? Or is your relationship with him something that cannot be disclosed?" she continued.
"Where's the fun in simply giving you the answer?" Arisu smirked. "You don't have to worry, though. It's not like we're making some kind of impossible deal behind your backs. We're not planning anything that's going to shock you in the future."
Suzune raised an eyebrow at her. "You do realize that your words are only making you more suspicious in our eyes, correct?"
Arisu chuckled in amusement. "Then, by all means, ask Ayanokouji-kun what you wish to know."
Growing tired and annoyed of this new girl, Kikyo decided to just go on ahead and ask Kiyotaka what's the deal with this girl who didn't even look like she was a high school student. Seriously, give this girl a little push, and then she wouldn't be able to get up because of how fragile she looked.
"Ayanokou—" Kikyo immediately cut herself short when she noticed that the man in question wasn't even with them. "Wait, where did he go?"
Right away, the focus of the whole conversation switched from finding out more about this mysterious girl to Kiyotaka suddenly vanishing from sight. All of them turned their heads in every direction in search of a young man with brown and wearing the school uniform, but Kiyotaka was nowhere to be found.
How the hell did he even do that without any of them noticing? It was like he disappeared along with the wind, kind of similar to a ninja or something…
"What a jerk. He really left us behind without even saying anything," Kei pouted. Now she's having thoughts of punching him on the shoulder the next time she sees him… yeah, that sounds like a fitting payback for ditching them while they were still here.
"I-I-I'm sure h-he has a good explanation why he left so suddenly…" Airi chuckled nervously, although she too felt saddened that Kiyotaka left them without a care in the world.
"Oh, my… how interesting~" Arisu chuckled, looking unbothered by his sudden disappearance and actually felt amused more than anything else. "He didn't even leave without saying goodbye… well, since he is gone, there is no reason for me to continue this conversation. Until the next time we meet, Class D."
After giving them a nonchalant wave, Sakayanagi turned around and was ready to head into the ice cream shop, before being stopped in her tracks before she could leave.
"Wait," Suzune called out. "Before you leave, I want to ask you something."
The lilac-haired girl shook her head and continued on her way regardless. "As I have said, I have no intention of giving you the answer you seek, Horikita Suzune-san."
"You said that Ayanokouji-kun had a change of attitude compared to when you first met, which happened to be on the first day of school. What did you mean by that? Was he acting different that time?"
Arisu immediately realized that it was a completely different question from what she asked him earlier and after hearing everything that came out of Suzune's head, it made the girl remember what happened during that night. She only brought it up earlier, albeit in a subtle manner, in order to catch Kiyotaka off guard. But now… it was all coming back to her.
Yes, not even the smartest mind in Class A could deny that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka completely broke through her facade and made her feel weak. She would have submitted to him if he made any further move on her but for some reason, he didn't and left her alone afterwards. That didn't mean that the damage hadn't been done, though.
In fact, his words haunted her for several days to the point that her father, the chairman himself, had to check on her because his daughter didn't attend her classes for three days straight. Apparently, Arisu locked herself in her room that night and barely came out. Due to her absences, Class A ended up losing more points than what they're originally supposed to end up with.
It was also because of her steamy encounter with the 'Masterpiece' that she avoided any possible contact she might have with Kiyotaka for two months, as it would have been hard and awkward for her to be near him… not after the myriad of feelings that he caused her to experience when he cornered against the wall.
Even now, when it has already been two months since that encounter, Arisu still felt a little nervous about facing him and to make things worse, she had to recall that embarrassing memory of her being cornered against a wall. Thankfully, she was able to pull through and didn't embarrass herself in any way.
Arisu thought about how to answer Horikita. Of course, she could just refuse to answer again, but that would most likely end up in her defeat. If these girls fail to ask her, then they will ask Ayanokouji instead and there's a big chance that he will tell the story to them in a way that will humiliate her for sure! There's no doubt that he will do such a thing to get back at her for today…
The girl quickly thought of something that's vague and will end up in her favor. "Hmm… let's just say that I wasn't able to get any sleep the whole night after we met," she smirked and looked back for a moment to face the Class D girls.
As Sakayanagi began to walk away, Horikita and the rest of the girls could only stare at her retreating figure with confusion evident on their faces.
"That makes absolutely no sense," Kei commented, making no move to hide her confusion. "She didn't get any sleep after meeting him? What, she couldn't get him out of his mind that day?"
Airi nodded in agreement, feeling confused too.
Kikyo was in the same boat. The first thought that came to her mind was that Sakayanagi is also interested in Kiyotaka as well, but it wouldn't make sense. From the start, she could tell that the relationship between them was more of a rivalry than romance. The other thing that caught her attention was that Sakayanagi said that his attitude had changed from the first time they met… but what kind of 'change' was it?
Because of this, she turned her attention to the person who might have a clue on what Arisu just told them.
"I wonder what she meant by that… do you have any idea, Horikita-san?"
"Not at all…"
Suzune drew a blank as she thought of possible answers, but they did get a response from her at least… even though it was something that they didn't understand. Of course, they could ask Kiyotaka what his 'friend' from Class A about what she meant, but Suzune felt pissed with him at the moment.
Oh, he's definitely getting a smack from her for leaving them out of nowhere, and she could tell that she's not the only one who's angry with him.
One thing was for sure, though.
The next time that she meets Sakayanagi Arisu, it would be on opposite sides of a battlefield.
MINASAN, YONDE KURETE ARIGATŌ! AISHITEMAAAAASUUUUU! *starts playing air guitar*
-Lance