A Liquid Inspiration
Summary: (A re-telling of Classroom of the Elite sparked by a certain conversation between Masterpiece and Professor.)
One day, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka receives a surprising invitation from his father, Ayanokouji Atsuomi, to join him for a drink. It was unusual for Kiyotaka, who normally wouldn't be summoned by his father without a hidden agenda.
That's why even the emotionless Kiyotaka was surprised when his father began to open up about his own experiences with love and relationships.
For the emotionally distant "masterpiece," this conversation is a rare moment of connection with his father, and it sparked a curiosity within him to explore the world of human relationships, to be more specific: romance and intimacy.
It was that spark that pushed Kiyotaka to demand something from his father:
"Father, teach me everything about human relationships."
This then begins a ripple that changes how Ayanokouji Kiyotaka would approach the world in the foreseeable future.
Do check out this fic on Wattpad. It has the same title and content, but we do have illustrations there to increase immersion for the fic. Thanks, and here's the chapter!
Vol 1. Chapter 3 - Shattering the Illusion of Paradise
Ayanokōji Kiyotaka
"KYAAAAAAA!"
As I was finishing up in the shower, I heard a loud feminine shriek and let out an exasperated sigh at the scene I was preparing to walk into.
Last night, after we bought necessities from the convenience store, Yuki demanded to stay the night in my room, and since she looked like she was going to cry if I said no, I had no choice but to humor her. Anyways, it's not like anything would happen between us since I prided myself in my ability to control myself.
And yes, I still slept in my bed. I saw no reason to sleep on the couch because it was my room to begin with. I'd rather not feel back pain because I chose to sleep on the couch. Besides, I'd be dumb to say no to basically cuddling with a beautiful girl.
I quickly wrapped a towel around myself and headed toward the source of the scream. As I emerged from the bathroom, Yuki immediately turned her head in my direction.
She was currently hugging her knees... a rather adorable sight if you ask me.
That said, upon examining the rest of my room, I could clearly see that there were no spiders or cockroaches in my room, so I found myself confused about why she screamed.
"Kiyotaka... why am I in your... bed?" Yuki asked but had a slight pause to her question as her eyes trailed my body, which caused them to widen slightly in perhaps surprise or realization. I really couldn't tell with Yuki sometimes.
Also, that's a rather confusing question, Yuki. You demanded to sleep in my room last night. Why are you surprised?
"Wait... don't you remember?" I asked.
Yuki's gaze lingered on my body for a couple of seconds before she spoke again. "Does this mean...I... we..."
Suddenly tears cascaded from Yuki's eyes, catching me off-guard.
Why was she crying?
Yuki then looked up at me, tears still flowing from her eyes. "I... Sorry... I didn't expect..." She still wasn't able to finish up her sentence, but she did finally wipe the tears from her face.
After wiping her tears, Yuki sent me a happy smile, one of the best smiles I've ever gotten from her.
I'm really... really confused.
What was she thinking about? I have a feeling that her ever-so-active mind conjured an unlikely scenario and believed it to be fact.
Wait...
I think I now know what Yuki was imagining.
"I don't know what you're thinking about Yuki, but if my guess was right, I can confidently say that nothing of the sort happened," I replied.
My intuition tells me that Yuki thought we did the deed last night, given:
[1] She woke up in my room, and the realization stunned the newly awake Yuki. Since our thoughts tend to be a little hazy for a few minutes after waking up, she probably hasn't recalled that she decided on sleeping in my room just yet, and was more concerned about why she woke up in an unfamiliar room.
[2] Now that she had learned she was in my room, she was now thinking about what must be the reason why she was in my room... and upon seeing me come out of the shower with nothing but a towel, it led her to make a rather troublesome assumption that I had just cleaned up from whatever debauchery she assumed we did last night.
Or... she could possibly just be pulling a rib on me, but I doubt that's the case. She must have genuinely believed her theory, given she still hasn't gotten the chance to rationalize her situation.
What a pain.
I grabbed Yuki by the shoulder and looked her straight in the eye. "I didn't do anything, so there's really no reason for you to cry, Yuki," I reiterated.
Yuki looked at me with wide eyes. "R-Really?" She asked.
"Indeed. There's no reason for me to lie, after all," I replied.
Yuki tilted her head to the left and blinked her eyes a couple of times. "So... nothing happened, right?"
"Right."
Yuki straightened up her posture and stared at me blankly for a few seconds. "You're useless," she said.
I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Excuse me?"
"You had a really beautiful woman sleeping in your room last night... and you did nothing! I'm so disappointed in you, Kiyotaka!"
"Isn't that what a decent person should have done?" I rhetorically asked.
"I was just joking, geez! We're still too young to be having sex anyways... but if you reaaaally want to..." Yuki wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, which kind of annoyed me.
So I flicked her on the forehead.
"How did you even get so perverted, Yuki?" I asked in exasperation.
"You're talking to me wearing nothing but a towel. It's your fault I'm having these impure thoughts," She fired back.
No, Yuki. You're just stepping into the doors of degeneracy.
I sighed, knowing it was pointless to argue with her when she was in this mood. "Let's just forget about it and get ready for school, okay?"
Yuki nodded, still grinning mischievously. "Sure thing, Kiyotaka. But don't think I'll let you off the hook that easily."
I rolled my eyes and walked over to my closet to grab my uniform, except for my blazer. I glanced at Yuki, and as predicted, she looked as if she was expecting me to change in front of her.
Not happening.
So I went back into the bathroom, changed, and got out.
After examining myself in the mirror and finding my look satisfactory, I turned my head to Yuki, who was still on my bed. "How did you even forget that you practically demanded to sleep in my room?" I asked.
Yuki smiled sheepishly. "It's the first night we spent here, so I guess I was just startled to wake up in an unfamiliar room. You know... adjustment and all, and I haven't rationalized things just yet," she justified.
"I see... but now that you've woken up, I think it's time for you to finally get in your room and take a shower," I said.
Yuki glared at me. "Are you telling me that I stink?!" She exclaimed in indignation.
"No, but you still haven't gone into your dorm room ever since we got here, so you might as well do it now," I replied.
Glancing at the wall clock, it was still 6:00 AM, so there was still plenty of time for Yuki to get ready.
"To think your first command in the morning after sleeping with a woman would be to kick her out of your room. You're so cruel, Kiyotaka!" Yuki said in mock sadness.
That's not going to work on me, Yuki.
"Just go in your dorm room, take a bath, change, and after that, you can go back here. You still have time," I replied in an attempt to end the discussion.
Somehow, I must have made a mistake because Yuki gained a gleam in her eye. "You seem desperate to send me away for like half an hour, Kiyotaka. Is there... something you wanted to do in private?" She asked suggestively.
This girl...
"That's too much effort. I could just ask you to use your mouth. That'd be more efficient," I replied in a blank tone.
"KI-KIYOTAKA! WHA-WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING?!" She exclaimed in surprise.
I glanced at the startled Yuki for a couple of seconds before I picked up my phone that was lying on the desk. "Ah, you won't? I'll just ask Chiaki then," I replied in an attempt to tease her further. I even waved my phone around to add to the dramatics.
To think I'd be capable of teasing people to this extent... I've definitely changed.
I didn't know how it was possible, but Yuki's face was so red it looked like it was about to explode. "Th-there's no need for that! I can do it just fi...fine. Ta...take it out now!"
"I was just kidding. Don't get too worked up. You should know better than try to get me flustered," I replied.
"How could you even say things like that with a straight face? You're reaaaally mean, Kiyotaka!" Yuki complained.
"Now, go away. I'll be making breakfast now, so we can eat when you get back here," I replied dismissively before walking in the direction of the refrigerator and the pantry to check what I could cook from the ingredients that Yuki and I bought yesterday from the convenience store.
Yuki growled at me and sent me a glare. "I will not forget this, Kiyotaka!"
"I know, I know," I replied nonchalantly while scanning the shallots we purchased. I'm actually impressed because there were no defective products in the store. All the meat and the vegetables were of good quality, so you could just pick things up at random, and you won't end up disappointed.
"You're being rude, you know? Hmph. You better be giving me additional servings for later! You owe me that much from your words earlier," Yuki demanded before she exited the room.
I shook my head in amusement. Yuki and Sakurako definitely are sisters. The younger Tsubaki would also demand for more food, in this case, lollipops, if I did or said something wrong and offered food as a peace token.
That said, despite how wild my morning had turned, I admit that I was incredibly amused at the things that had happened.
I suppose I could get used to mornings with Yuki.
3.1
After having breakfast with Yuki, we called Chiaki over to my dorm room and began talking about how our respective days had gone.
And as expected, she was upset at Yuki for one-upping her and demanded that it'd be her turn to sleep in my dorm room later tonight.
Surprisingly enough, Yuki actually agreed to Chiaki's proposal, but there must be some conditions to it, given they huddled for about five minutes.
Those two, alongside Tsubasa... are really strange. How does their relationship even work?
Also... why don't I have a choice in this matter? Of course, I'll say yes, but it would feel nice if they asked me for my permission.
That's not too much to ask, right?
"Kiyotaka-kun, I haven't raised this yesterday, but... do you think our classmates would even be able to act like how you predicted them to act?"
As I heard Chiaki ask her question, I put the teacup that I was holding on the table and faced the brown-haired woman.
"Of course. Once the reality of their unfortunate situation sinks in, they would act frantic, panicked, and even enraged... but they would realize that they have just been gifted the chance to prove the school wrong. I haven't gotten a proper read on Class D, but a lot of them are simple-minded, so I know our plan would work," I reassured Chiaki.
"Don't worry too much about it, Chiaki-chan. Even if those idiots couldn't grasp the situation, Kiyotaka is more than capable of handling things... and if needed, we can remove those that are completely useless," Yuki added.
Chiaki sighed. "You both really function in a different realm. I don't think I have it in me to make such cutthroat strategies, you know?"
"Do you not like that about us?" I asked.
Chiaki shook her head. "No, it's not like that, Kiyotaka-kun. You're both important to me, even if Yuki-chan would fit in better in an insane asylum than a high school," Chiaki took a dig at Yuki, who didn't even care... or at least looked like she didn't as she had a pleased look on her face that remained undisturbed.
"That may be true, but Yuki seems a lot calmer these days," I replied.
"Because going to this school with you meant that I had one less woman to worry about. Fufu, it's just a matter of time until Chiaki-chan drops out from the race too. It's not the first time she quit on something," Yuki said confidently.
"Ara, ara? That's too far in the past, Yuki-chan. My love for Kiyotaka-kun is something I won't willingly let go of. Or have you actually regressed from your treatment and become even more delusional?" Chiaki replied in a calm voice that did not even hide the malice behind her words.
"If I actually regressed from my treatment, I would have wrung your neck by being too close to Kiyotaka, you miserable stalker," Yuki responded.
This is seriously getting out of hand... but I don't feel like stopping it just yet.
"Wring my neck? Just as what you could expect from a girl who doesn't even fit in modern society. Ara ara, perhaps it would be better to lock you up now before you become a problem," Chiaki replied.
I sighed at their exchange. "If you're going to insult each other, don't make it too personal. The two of you are friends, aren't you?"
The two girls then turn their heads to me.
"Chiaki, you were the first person to push me to reconnect with Yuki because you empathized with what she had to experience. Yuki, you also helped out Chiaki move past one of her insecurities. While bantering is good once in a while, don't let it go out of hand. Love isn't worth ruining a friendship over, or at least that's what the internet says," I said to the two, who looked down in shame upon digesting my words.
Seeing as they both remained silent, I spoke once again. "Apologize to each other, and then once you have made up, we can go to class together. I'm not walking with either of you if you don't."
Sometimes, I have to step my foot down because these girls can get out of hand with their words.
Looking at the wall clock, I saw that it was still 7:30 AM. That means there's still plenty of time for us, given homeroom starts at 8:30 AM.
"Talk things over, alright? I'll be waiting for the two of you outside until 7:45."
15 minutes should be more than enough for them to talk, so with that decided, I took my blazer from the closet, wore it, and exited the room.
Sometimes, I feel like it'd be for the best if I dated one of them already. But on the other hand, despite the seemingly obvious practicality of doing so, I don't want to do it.
Because romance just isn't a priority for me at the moment.
My focus will remain on defying my supposed fate of being my father's pawn and to continue growing as a human that I would be proud of.
3.2
Third Person POV
Chiaki and Yuki were left alone in Kiyotaka's room after the brown-haired boy laid down an ultimatum to the two. For a few moments, the girls remained muted until both of their faces reddened almost at the same time.
"Chiaki-chan?" Yuki asked.
"Yes?" Chiaki replied.
"That... that was so hot! You agree, right? Kiyotaka taking charge and putting us both in our places without that much effort... and the way he spoke... KYAAAA!" Yuki screamed, blushing profusely as she once again revisited the scene from a couple of minutes ago.
Chiaki's eyes sparkled. "I agree! That's probably hotter than when I saw him straight out of the gym, sweaty and tired."
"Wait... you saw him in that state? Mou~! I'm so jealous, Chiaki-chan! But I got you beat... because guess what..." Yuki had a grin on her face as she paused in between her words.
"What?"
"I saw him earlier wearing nothing but a towel," Yuki smugly declared.
Chiaki remained silent for a few seconds before she pouted. "Fine, it's my defeat! But I will also get my chance tomorrow, so don't be too smug about it!"
'And maybe I would sneak into the shower and suggest that we shower together. I'll see for myself if Eiichiro's joke of Kiyotaka-kun being the 'Pride of Japan' was true. Yes, that's what I'll be doing. Great plan, Chiaki!' Chiaki thought to herself, slowly being devoured by the sinful temptation of degenerate thoughts.
"Don't even attempt to try anything aside from admiring his body, Chiaki-chan!" Yuki warned.
"Are you a mind reader or something?" Chiaki asked.
Yuki shook her head. "No, but your face definitely showed that you had really perverted thoughts going on!"
Chiaki giggled. "Please, that's just normal. I love Kiyotaka-kun, so it's normal for me to imagine us being intimate. Don't act like you're any different, Ms. "I want Kiyotaka to choke me and tie me up." You definitely take the depravity cake, Yuki-chan," Chiaki retorted in a cheeky tone.
Yuki's face flustered upon hearing her words. "How did you even know about that?!"
"It's not my fault you talk when you're sleeping, Yuki-chan."
The two girls continued talking for a few more minutes as if forgetting the reason why Kiyotaka left them by themselves.
But as the conversation began to wind down, Yuki suddenly remembered something important. "Wait... why did Kiyotaka leave us here again?" Yuki asked.
"He wants us to apologize to each other and make up... I mean, we did say some fucked up things about each other," Chiaki sheepishly replied.
"We got really carried away, didn't we?" Yuki rhetorically asked.
"Yeah... I apologize for what I said earlier, Yuki-chan. It's just that... sometimes, being in love makes me say horrible things that I wouldn't normally say. I don't mean to insult you for what you had to get through, you know?" Chiaki said in an apologetic tone, taking in Yuki's hands by her palms.
Yuki smiled at Chiaki. "Don't worry about it, Chiaki-chan. I mean... I could totally relate to that. But... I do hope that you won't keep reminding me about it. While it's true... it's really really annoying to listen to," she replied.
Chiaki giggled. "Would you actually wring my neck if I did so?" She teased.
Yuki rolled her eyes. "I'd do something much worse, so keep your eyes open, stalker Chiaki-chan."
"Hey, you didn't apologize to me yet!" Chiaki pointed a finger at Yuki and pouted.
Yuki giggled. "Fufu, does a loser like you even deserve my apology?"
Chiaki pinched Yuki's cheeks in annoyance. "We won't be able to walk with Kiyotaka-kun unless you do! Although, you better mean it, Yuki-chan!"
Yuki removed Chiaki's hand from her cheeks and smiled at the brown-haired girl. "Just kidding! I'm sorry for saying pretty harsh things about you too, Chiaki-chan," Yuki replied.
Chiaki smiled at Yuki and captured the taller girl in a hug.
'I'm only doing this for Kiyotaka's sake... but if you fuck up, I will make you regret it, Chiaki-chan. I do not care if you're one of my closest friends... I will make sure you will suffer... and you will never expect it!' Yuki thought as she returned Chiaki's hug.
Despite being deemed stable enough to go into formal education, the monsters of Yuki's past continue to manifest themselves in her person in certain ways.
While she does indeed see people like Chiaki and Tsubasa as genuine friends, she wouldn't hesitate to act out once she believes either of them was actively standing in her way to get something she felt she deserved...
Kiyotaka's love.
To do whatever it takes to win...
That's the way of the White Room.
3.3
Ayanokōji Kiyotaka
Girls are confusing.
After verbally assaulting each other about 20 or so minutes ago, Chiaki and Yuki seemed to have gotten along again if the loud giggling sounds coming from my room were anything to go by.
I've asked myself this question a lot of times, as well as internet-sensei... but both of us could not answer how girls found it easy to flip the switch whenever they want to.
Or wait... could they be hatching together an evil plan? It wouldn't be unusual for them because I did remember Tsubasa plotting with the two to get me to wear a cat-maid costume that one time.
Suddenly, an intrusive thought entered my mind, that being an image of myself wearing the costume the girls were envisioning me to wear... and if I weren't trained in the White Room, I would have gouged out my eyes, burned them, and then burn them again just to make sure it was burned.
I will not let this monstrous image be manifested. Absolutely not.
I decided to distract myself from my horrible imagination by opening my phone and checking out our group chat. It would seem that Hirata and Wang were already in the classroom while Karuizawa and Sato had just woken up.
How disappointing...
Looking at the time, it was 7:43, so that meant I'd only have to wait two minutes for Chiaki and Yuki to get out of my room and make up. If they don't make up by then, I would just leave by myself.
Fortunately for the two, they made it just in time as they finally left my room by 7:44 AM... and both of them were sporting smiles and giggling together.
Again, extremely strange.
"So, have both of you made amends with each other?" I asked.
"Of course! What do you think of us? Irrational anime girls?" Chiaki smugly replied.
At the rate you're going, I would like to say yes to that question, Chiaki.
"Chiaki-chan had already accepted that I'm the only woman for you, Kiyotaka," Yuki added.
Chiaki pinched Yuki by her cheek. "I never said anything like that!" She protested and then let go of Yuki's cheek.
"I'm simply making a prediction, Chiaki-chan!"
I rolled my eyes at their antics. "Regardless of what either of you says, the choice of who I'll date will be ultimately up to me."
Both girls paid my comment no mind and instead clung to my arms, with Yuki taking my right arm and Chiaki taking the left.
They seemed too happy to even argue back, which was nice—finally, some peace in my rather chaotic life.
After about 15 minutes, the three of us made our way inside the classroom, and seeing as how I practically entered the room alongside two beautiful girls, I immediately got everyone's attention... even Kōenji's.
I heard some grumbling about "damn ikemen bastard," "not Tsubaki-chan," and "that should have been me," but I paid it no mind.
Who cares about what some unimportant characters think?
"You're as popular as ever, Ayanokōji-kun," Hirata chuckled as he made his way to us.
"Coming from you, Harem King?" I rhetorically asked.
"He-hey... I don't have a harem," he protested.
I waved off the other boy's protest. "Whatever you say, Hirata. Whatever you say."
"Karuizawa-san and Sato-san really do like taking their time, don't they?" Chiaki dryly stated, noticing the empty desks of Karuizawa and Sato.
Hirata turned to Chiaki and chuckled. "We still have about 25 minutes before homeroom starts. They'll make it in time," he replied.
Seeing as the conversation steered in another direction, I began scanning the classroom and noted the forming cliques within the class. There was, of course, our group, with Hirata, his harem, Yuki, Chiaki, and myself. But aside from us, it seemed like the beige-haired girl, Kushida, had also formed a group of her own alongside other girls... and somehow, Yuki also found her way into the group as she was talking with Kushida, Onodera, and Inogashira.
Before I headed to my seat, I turned my head to Hirata, who reciprocated the gesture upon noticing me. "You ready for later?" I asked.
Hirata nodded his head. "I am. Let's hope this works, Ayanokōji-kun."
I nodded back at Hirata and finally walked into my seat, where I was met with a curious-looking Horikita, who immediately averted her gaze.
What a pervert.
"It seems like you really can't stop yourself from staring at me, Horikita," I teased.
Horikita's cheeks flushed slightly as she retorted, "Don't flatter yourself, Ayanokōji-kun. I was just wondering what you and Hirata-kun talked about since he had a serious look on his face."
I raised an eyebrow at Horikita's response. From what I could tell from her aura, it was unlike her to be curious about other people's conversations, especially if it didn't concern her.
I leaned back in my seat and shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing too important. Just some plans for later, but since you're so curious about it, am I right to assume you wouldn't be satisfied until I tell you?" I asked.
Horikita nodded her head. "Yes. I'd like it better if I weren't kept in the dark," she replied.
"Well... it's about the plan I was talking about yesterday. We found answers," I replied.
"I thought you were going to tell me about it. How come you didn't tell me anything?" Horikita asked.
Her sense of entitlement really is through the roof, isn't it?
"That's not what I said. I said I'd let you know if I have something you'd be interested in. Would you be interested in a plan that's centered on socialization? Forgive me for assuming things, but you seem like someone who'd prefer to be alone, Horikita," I told the dark-haired girl.
Horikita's expression hardened slightly at my words, but she quickly regained her composure. "I simply value efficiency and productivity over frivolous socialization," she replied coolly.
I chuckled softly at her response. "That's just a convoluted way of saying you're a loner, Horikita," I pointed out.
"That's..." Horikita sighed before turning her head to me. "But I suppose you're right. I wouldn't be interested in taking part in a plan like that," she replied in admittance.
"Wow, you're actually capable of admitting you're wrong, Horikita? Color me surprised," I teased the dark-haired girl, who clearly wasn't happy at being made fun of.
Horikita narrowed her eyes at me. "You're such a nuisance, Ayanokōji-kun," she said.
I simply smiled at Horikita's reaction. "I know I am, but you still can't help but be drawn to me," I replied jokingly.
Horikita scoffed and turned her attention back to her book, clearly dismissing me from the conversation.
A few seconds later, Horikita turned her head in my direction. "You're truly worse than scum, Ayanokōji-kun. You came into the classroom with two women, and you're here trying to make moves on me. I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in a player."
"Who said I was interested in you, Horikita?" I replied.
Horikita pursed her lips and glared at me before turning her attention back to her book, effectively ending the conversation.
And as usual, Ayanokōji Kiyotaka notches another victory.
Or maybe not...
Yuki, that's a really scary glare you got there. Tune it down, woman!
A few moments later, Yuki stopped glaring at me and took out her phone, furiously swiping through the phone.
I could tell what was going to happen in a few moments.
Bzzzt
As expected.
Taking my phone out of my pocket, I saw a text notification from Yuki. Well... since we still had time before homeroom, I suppose I could humor her with a couple of replies.
[8:08:14 Yuki] Are you flirting with her, Kiyotaka?! Why is her face red?
[8:08:29] I wasn't flirting with her. She was embarrassed because I made fun of her.
[8:08: 39 Yuki] Are you telling the truth? What did you say?
[8:08:55] She assumed I was trying to make moves on her, and I told her I wasn't interested in her
[8:09:10 Yuki] Really? You really said that? Okay, you're forgiven. 👍
I sighed in relief and brought my phone back into my pocket. Thankfully, I enrolled in a crash course on "Averting Yuki Explosion," so I was able to successfully placate her.
But it really is none of her business if I end up liking someone that wasn't her. Although, if that does happen, I don't think it'd be Horikita.
As I was lost in thought, the classroom door suddenly slid open, and in walked Chabashira-sensei. The class instantly fell silent as everyone turned their attention to her.
"Good morning, class," Chabashira greeted us, her voice stern and serious.
"Good morning, Sensei," the class chorused in response.
Chabashira glanced around the room, her eyes pausing on each student for a brief moment before moving on. "I have an announcement to make," she said, her tone still serious. "Or rather... some of your classmates have an announcement to make for our homeroom period," Chabashira-sensei had a smirk on her face as she said that, her eyes focusing on Yuki and me.
"Ayanokōji. Tsubaki. You may now take the stage," Chabashira-sensei announced, leading everyone to look at me and then at Yuki.
Horikita turned her head to me, a curious expression etched on her face.
"Ask your questions later, Horikita," I told the girl, who looked like she wanted to say something.
I got up from my seat and made my way to the front of the classroom, stopping as I reached the podium. Yuki followed suit, and since she was seated in front, it didn't take her long to stand by my side.
"Good morning, classmates! I'm sure we are all excited about being part of a school as prestigious as ANHS and the initial benefits that came with it. I mean... getting 100,000 points from the get-go was quite the shock, wasn't it?" Yuki began the discussion, skillfully weaving the conversation in a way that would eventually make it more engaging and easier for us to implant what we wanted to implant in our classmates.
The class affirmed Yuki's sentiment, with some saying they couldn't believe the generosity of the school and they were looking forward to their high school life.
There were also some disappointments who mentioned they had already splurged a third of their points.
How was that even possible?
"But do you guys remember what Kiyotaka and I asked Chabashira-sensei yesterday?" Yuki continued, making the rest of the class remember the suspicions that were raised following Chabashira-sensei's orientation.
"How could we forget! Sensei didn't even answer Ayanokōji-kun's question," a red-haired girl pointed out.
"Yeah! That's really suspicious, right? Sensei was withholding information from us," another classmate stated.
Chabashira-sensei simply stood near the door, not even caring about the complaints the students threw her way.
Seeing as we have relatively succeeded in rousing the class' suspicions, I decided to finally speak. "It's not that Chabashira-sensei was intentionally withholding information from us... but it's more of... Chabashira-sensei was not allowed to divulge any information to us. A senpai said that the same applies to the other teachers."
A lie, of course. But telling people that we heard it from an upperclassman that had experience in the school would add credibility to our words.
Horikita took it as her chance to resolve one of her questions and raised her hand.
"Yes, Horikita?"
"Why was sensei not allowed to divulge any information to us?" She asked.
I fought back the urge to smirk at Horikita's question.
That makes it even easier to control the class.
"We will get to that later, Horikita. Now going back to where we were, teachers weren't allowed to explicitly divulge information to their class, but they were allowed to give clues to their students... which means it was up to the class to figure out what we were supposed to figure out. With that, Yuki, Chiaki, and I coordinated with Hirata, Wang, Karuizawa, Mori, and Sato to gather information around the school... and we figured out a lot of interesting things," I announced.
The rest of the class then turned their eyes to the people I had mentioned, intrigued by what was going to be said to them.
Upon my signal, Hirata stood up and faced the class. He smiled at our classmates before he began speaking. "Do you guys remember what Chabashira-sensei said after Ayanokōji-kun asked to buy the information about how the point system works?"
Yuki's grey-haired seatmate, Yukimura, spoke. "If I remember correctly, sensei said the information could be bought, but private points wouldn't be enough... but why?"
Yukimura's eyes shone in realization as he recited what Chabashira-sensei said.
Good to see there were more than a couple of critical thinkers in class.
"I hypothesized that the reason for that is that there is a secondary currency that works directly with Private Points and tied to the class. For the sake of differentiations, I called it "Class Points" when I shared my theory with Yuki, Hirata, and the others. The reason I couldn't buy the information with mere private points was that it could only be bought using these Class Points," I answered.
"And upon asking a senpai, he confirmed the existence of the class points. It's something that supposedly shows the collective value of each class, but he did not say anything beyond that," Hirata added, perfectly performing his role.
Most of Class D was still confused about what we were saying. I admit... I was a little disappointed. With this much information fed to them, it would be easy to come to a realization.
Why were the teachers only allowed to give hints? Why was there another system that exists to gauge the collective value of each class?
If you had a functioning brain, you'd answer something along the lines of class competition.
For the first month, the classes were going to be tested on how quickly they could establish a functional hierarchical system that would then be able to rally the class together through [1] collecting information and [2] ensuring the class keeps its act together.
The class that did these things the best would have the most class points next month, while those who were a little late on the uptake would suffer penalties.
It's an easy concept.
"Ano... what does that mean, Hirata-kun?" Kushida asked.
"Can I answer that question instead, Kushida-san?" Yuki asked.
Upon Kushida's nod, Yuki began talking. "Remember what Chabashira-sensei mentioned yesterday? About how the amount we would receive reflects the evaluation of our worth?"
"Yeah, Chabashira-sensei did say that!" Kushida affirmed.
"Sensei wasn't lying when she said that us being given 100,000 in the first month was the school's acknowledgment of our efforts in entering the school... but that doesn't mean we'd be getting 100,000 points each month. The points we will receive in the following months will be dependent on how many class points we will have by then. And as Hirata-kun said earlier, these Class Points are the measurement that indicates the collective value of each class'," Yuki announced.
Chabashira-sensei couldn't contain the smirk on her face as Yuki continued on with her explanation.
We definitely were right on the money.
Karuizawa raised her hand.
"Go ahead, Karuizawa," I said to the ponytailed blonde, who stood up from her seat.
"Aside from what you guys had already talked about, there was something odd that we noticed when we ate at the cafeteria yesterday. Did any of you eat at the cafeteria yesterday? There were free meals being served there, and let me tell you guys... it's reeaaaally reaaally disgusting. I don't think you could even taste anything from it," Karuizawa paused, gauging everyone's reaction... just as instructed.
"We also ate at the cafeteria yesterday! Yeah, we saw there was a free lunch set offered... a vegetable lunch set that looked really sticky. What about it, Karuizawa-san?" Kushida asked.
"We saw some upperclassmen picking up the free set, and it was suspicious. I mean... if you have the means or at least can afford to spend a little, would you consider taking the bland vegetable set that looks like it doesn't have any flavor?" Karuizawa spoke in her usual gal tone that made her sound like she was gossiping instead of revealing a school conspiracy.
It worked to perfection.
"No way! I'd buy my favorite food if I had the money. All. The. Time!" Ike exclaimed.
It may be obnoxious, but that's exactly the reaction I was looking for.
"Why would someone even torture themselves like that? I even bought a console yesterday! This school really is the best!" The other idiot, Yamauchi, declared.
Prepare to get your bubble burst, Yamauchi.
"I agree with what Ike said. To add, I think no one in their right mind would willingly eat a blank vegetable lunch set unless they were broke... or vegetarian," I said.
Kushida, who was intently listening in, widened her eyes. "Ayanokōji-kun... are you implying that those people barely had any points? But wasn't yesterday, April 1? That should mean the upperclassmen should have gotten their points, right?"
Seems like Kushida wasn't just a social butterfly. She's also quite competent in terms of analysis.
I nodded my head. "Those upperclassmen purchasing the free lunch set made it easy to tell that they either have zero points or have really low monthly deposits that they needed to be mindful of their spending. This ties to what we were talking about... our Private Points are tied with our Class Points, and if our Class Points get reduced, our Private Points for the next month would also decrease," I replied.
"But for a class to get zero or at least close to it..." Kushida muttered.
"It's concrete proof of what we have been discussing. The values of each class would fluctuate monthly depending on how much the school believes them to be worth. That means there is also a possibility that we would lose points depending on the school's evaluation of us," I replied.
Horikita raised her hand.
I discretely tapped Yuki on her back, a signal that I wanted her to be the one to take the question.
"Yes, Horikita-san?" Yuki asked.
"Were you able to find out how these Class Points would be decreased?"
Yuki nodded. "Kind of. It's said to be decreased if the class exhibits negative behavior like being tardy, being absent, being inattentive during discussions, using your phones, sleeping in class, those type of things... and the school probably monitors the behavior with that," Yuki's hand pointed to a specific location where lays a small camera that almost managed to camouflage itself inside the walls of our classroom.
The students of Class D were surprised at the discovery of a CCTV Camera inside the classroom.
"And if you're looking for a blindspot, it's covered by another camera right there," Yuki's hand then pointed to another camera that, as she said, covers the blind spot of the first camera.
I didn't tell her about that, so Yuki had found that out on her own. She's truly impressive, isn't she?
"Do you have another question, Horikita-san?" Yuki asked the dark-haired girl, who was gearing up to ask Yuki another question.
Horikita nodded her head. "Now that we know how it could be decreased, and quite frankly, it's inevitable for us to lose points, were you also able to find out how these class points could be increased?"
My appraisal of Horikita increased a tiny bit after hearing the questions she was asking. Obviously, it was rooted in personal curiosity, but she had also presented herself to be capable of thinking beyond what's visible, although she currently struggles from not breaking her glass ceiling, so to speak. So while Horikita is close to finding answers, she couldn't have the answers since she doesn't know how to reach them.
Yuki shook her head. "Unfortunately, we haven't found that out just yet. But I am confident that we could live without that knowledge for another month because we don't exactly have any examinations or anything related to that this month," Yuki answered.
"I see. Thank you, Tsubaki-san," Horikita replied to Yuki before sitting back down.
I do have my theory about that.
Since the Classes will soon be embroiled in a competition against each other, there would probably be another type of examination that's different from your normal school written examination, one which would award the winning classes with more class points, which would give them the opportunity to level the playing field, or in the case of leading classes, leave the competition in the dust.
For the sake of brevity, let's call this concept "Battle Exams" or "Special Exams," whichever name sounds better.
That's my theory on how the classes could gain Class Points outside of written examinations.
But I'm not going to throw that theory out just yet.
It would be too much, and I doubt my classmates would be able to keep the information to themselves if they get overloaded by 'juicy' information.
"To think this supposed school of paradise operates on a meritocracy," Chiaki said out of the blue, leading people to look in her direction.
"What do you mean by that, Matsushita-san?" Kushida asked.
"Why were the teachers only allowed to give students hints? And when you think about it, it sounded pretty intentional too. What do you think, Kushida-san?" Matsushita quizzed.
"I... I don't know yet," Kushida admitted.
I coughed to get everyone's attention. "We are supposed to uncover the mysteries surrounding this school and work based on what we have discovered. It is how the school determines if we had any value or if we were worthless," I said.
"That... couldn't be true, right? Why would a school be like that?" Ike asked in denial.
There were some affirming voices that supported Ike.
"And yet evidence had led us to this conclusion, Ike. Do you think Hirata, Chiaki, Yuki, and Karuizawa were wrong?"
"I... no... no, I don't. It's just really hard to believe. Fuck! I spent a lot of points already," Ike lamented and began to mutter about saving points and whatnot.
"That's fine. I doubt you spent 100,000 points in one day, anyways. Just be mindful of your spending habits, and you'll be fine," I replied.
"If not for Ayanokōji-kun's question yesterday, I would have definitely spent a lot on clothes yesterday! Hearing all of this smart talk really made me relieved, you know? I would definitely save money! But don't get me wrong, I'd still buy the things I like hehe, but I'll try to restrain myself!" Sato was talking to her seatmate but intentionally spoke in a louder voice so people could hear what she was saying.
Again, all went according to plan.
Mori was more or less doing the same, chatting with Onodera, Kushida, and Inogashira.
"Now, to close the discussion since we're running out of time... what's the point of all this?" I rhetorically asked.
Audible confusion could be heard from the class as they somehow took it as me asking them questions.
"Class Competition. That's the purpose of this entire mystery. We are here to compete with the other classes, and if we fail, we might end up like the unfortunate upperclassmen Karuizawa had seen yesterday."
"Tha... that's insane! We did not sign up for something like this!" A red-haired boy, Okitani, I believe his name was, exclaimed.
"Karuizawa, were you able to ask the upperclassman what class he belonged to?" I asked, preparing to unleash the final act of this play.
Karuizawa looked conflicted as if she did not want to hurt anyone. The class took notice of the shifts in her behavior and grew worried themselves.
I glanced at Chabashira-sensei, who shook her head with a smirk on her face. She knew exactly what was coming next.
"He said he was in Class 3-D," Karuizawa replied, her head looking down, an indicator of a person having a worrisome realization...
The same realization that had sunk into everyone else.
Regardless of whether you're smart, average, or plain out dumb when something like this is spelled right in your face, you will realize what was actually happening.
Right now, the thoughts implanted in the mind of our classmates was that... we were at risk of suffering the same fate because of a mixture of Karuizawa's conflicted face and the revelation that the broke upperclassman came from Class D, albeit from a different year.
A peculiar reaction made itself known as the fiery redhead Sudo Ken growled and slammed his fist on his desk.
Did he perhaps realize something as well?
"What's the matter, Sudo?" I asked, leading the boy to look in my direction.
"Those fucking arrogant second years taunted me yesterday when I told them I was in Class D... calling me a freaking defective... I was thinking... who the fuck do these assholes think they were?!" Sudo ranted.
What a pleasant surprise.
"FUCK! To think they weren't just messing with me... it pisses me off! I'll show 'em a damn defective!"
If someone like Sudo was able to realize this, then it's safe to say the rest of the class realized the bigger picture as well.
I turned my head to a specific classmate, and upon seeing the smug look on his face, unperturbed by what was being said, I sighed.
Of course, Kōenji didn't care.
The blonde narcissist would probably only say something along the lines of "I don't care if the school put me in Class D because I believe myself to be great."
As I continued scanning the classroom and its occupants, I inwardly smirked as more and more faces were engulfed in horror upon realizing their predicament.
The most prominent reactions came from Ike, Yamauchi, Yukimura, and Horikita.
The first two were worried about their future financial prospects, while the latter two seemed to be angry at the realization they were in Class D... and if Yukimura was a little like Horikita, he probably thought he also deserved to be placed in a higher class.
Two opposing sides of the spectrum, but both equally stunned at the revelation that, funnily enough, was triggered by Sudo's rage.
I will make sure to help you out however I can, Sudo Ken.
I chuckled. "Are you guys seriously losing hope now?"
"OI, WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?"
"Are you making fun of us, Ayanokōji?"
"You're in this shit just like the rest of us!"
Good thing Yuki was squeezing my hand, or I would have attempted to break these defects mentally.
That brings back memories now, doesn't it? After all, I did the same to Yuki to calm her down about a year ago.
"Nothing like that. We're classmates, aren't we? Why would I make fun of everyone's worries?" I rhetorically asked, causing the three who protested to look down in shame.
After hearing some apologies from the same classmates, I spoke once again. "Again, why are you guys losing hope? We currently have an advantage over everyone else in our year. We have information, and we can definitely prepare for what's next. If anything, you guys should be excited. Don't you think it'd be a fun story if the supposed defects from Class D ended up graduating as Class A, the best class of the entire batch?"
I could see the shock on their faces slowly turning into contemplation as they thought over my words.
"Think about it. We have the opportunity to prove everyone wrong. To show that we are not just a class of misfits but a class of fighters who will stop at nothing to achieve our goals," I continued.
As I spoke, I could see the determination slowly building up in their eyes and the feeling of hopelessness slowly fading away.
I would like to thank Eiichiro for supplying me with quality anime to derive inspiring quotes from. It has proven invaluable, even if it's something that's normally out of my alley.
Yuki stepped forward and smiled at everyone. Of course, with how beautiful she was, it immediately achieved its intended effect. "Since we are all classmates, we got each other's backs! We need to work together and make sure we succeed. We may be starting at a disadvantage, but that doesn't mean we can't catch up and surpass the other classes, you know?" She spoke in an encouraging tone.
"That's right! If we all worked together, everything would be possible, right?" Kushida chimed in.
I narrowed my eyes at Kushida, who seemed to be trying to get as much attention as possible. My intuition tells me she's threatened by Yuki's increasing stature in the class and was trying to level the gap by getting attention to herself as well. There's also this thing with Horikita yesterday where Kushida was trying to gauge her reaction to her words.
What a suspicious girl... I hope you won't cause trouble later on.
"So... what do you guys say? Are you all just going to accept your fates... or are you going to fight?" I said, putting the final nail in the coffin.
The classroom fell silent as everyone contemplated their next move. After a few moments of tense silence, Sudo spoke up.
"I'm in. I don't care if we're in Class D. I'll fight my way to the top and prove everyone wrong. No one's goin' to make fun of me!"
What an unexpected hero you're turning out to be, Sudo.
One by one, the students of Class D followed suit, each expressing their determination to succeed and prove their worth. Even Horikita, who had initially been angry at the class placement, nodded in agreement.
Although... I have a feeling she would demand to know why she was placed in Class D.
Not that it's my problem.
"That being said, this information is currently the only advantage we hold over the other classes. Do not leak any of the information that we discussed to your friends from the other classes," I said in warning, and thankfully, the class simply nodded at my words.
Hirata stood up from his seat and looked at the class. "Since we had already talked about class points and how it works, I'd like to ask everyone to be vigilant of how you conduct yourselves in class. This means no napping, no using of phones, no absences and tardiness, and if you can't pay attention to the teacher, at least pretend to do so." Hirata even had the guts to bow at exactly 45 degrees to show everyone his resolve.
He's truly a reliable guy, but he sometimes takes things to the extreme, doesn't he?
Looking at the clock, it was now 8:59, meaning we only had one minute left in the time we bought from Chabashira-sensei.
I looked at sensei, who, upon noticing my look, nodded.
Chabashira-sensei, who, in the midst of the discussion, opted to just listen and absorb what we had talked about, finally spoke. "I am not in any liberty to confirm what Ayanokōji, Tsubaki, and the others had stated, but now that you have found your resolve, you kids better do something about it. Show me what you got, Class D."
As the clock turned to 9:00 AM, Chabashira-sensei left the classroom, leaving students who were still digesting the information we fed them.
This was a plan that wouldn't work if I operated on my own... or even with Yuki by my side. There were just too many unruly characters in Class D that I needed people who could aid me in engineering the atmosphere in the direction that I wanted.
With Hirata, Karuizawa, and to a lesser extent, Sato and Mori aiding Yuki, Chiaki, and me in controlling the mood, we were able to get the point across more effectively.
But if I had to name the most effective piece in this plan, it would have to go to Karuizawa. Her effective acting was one of the lead catalysts for sending the point across.
There was a pleasant surprise in Sudo, who indirectly contributed to my plan with his short-fuse. Letting out the Class D was seen as defective made those who haven't realized things see just how bad their predicament was.
To knock people down and drag them back up... when done correctly, is truly an effective way of cultivating people to be the best versions of themselves.
Now, let's see how this group of defects will adapt to the forthcoming storm.
End of Chapter
A/N: This chapter took a lot for me to write because I was struggling to figure out how Kiyo could effectively enact his strategy and ensure there would be no loose ends. Since I was not using the Chabs armor, where Kiyo would have to convince the class to spend 200 CP, I was thinking of ways for him to get the class to buy into what he was selling them.
The solution... was to use people inclined in socialization and provide them with instructions as to how to control the crowd, when to do it, and what they need to do. I don't know if the Kei part was written well, but my imagination was to present Class D with the realization that Kei must have realized something was terribly wrong with the fact that the senpai they "talked to" was from Class D.
I also gave Sudo a rather significant part in this chapter. Well... he didn't really do much, but his words were effectively the nail in the coffin that was needed to further emphasize the point of Kei's acting.
Mii-chan didn't get a speaking role in this chapter because Kiyo's Classroom plan was not really her thing.
Since Kiyo had more or less a proper understanding of human emotions, he was able to sense that something was off with Kushida. The whole 'looked at Suzune' thing during introductions wasn't probably canon, but I figured it would be something Kushida would do, so I added it in.
We also had a glimpse of Yuki's darkness in this chapter... but a lot of those things would simply remain as thoughts. While Yuki is indeed a yandere of some sort, not all Yandere love interests are insane murderers. Yuki belongs to the opposite spectrum, where she simply wants Kiyo to love her and only her. I mean... if Yuki was murdery and gorey, it would have killed her character, that had mostly been driven by character development.
Also, a little heads-up, I may or may not be able to upload a chapter until April 2 because I will be focusing on my studies since our final examinations are just right around the corner.