Classroom of the Elite:SS Collection

Shrouded in Mystery (Ryuen Kakeru)

"Nice to meet you, sir. I am the Student Council President, Nagu-"

When he tried to introduce himself to the guest who was going to take over the podium, the man didn't even look at him and just silently went to the podium.

The look on his face was something akin to shock.

No one would have ever thought that the Student Council President of the most prestigious school in all of Japan would be ignored in such a manner.

Everyone was shocked. But I was amused.

This man ignored the student council president like he was nothing more than an ordinary student.

Placing both his hand on the podium he looked at us.

No. That's wrong. He was looking at us like we were less than filth.

I would have tried to give my peace of mind to anyone looking down on me but I couldn't do so in front of this man.

He carried himself with a dignified aura. His eyes were like a blade and he had a sharp gleam in his eyes that didn't fade even once this whole time.

Just his presence on the stage was enough for the students to send chills over their spines.

A heavy silence settled on the gymnasium.

"Kiyotaka."

He spoke. Even his voice carried that sense of superiority and authority.

Kiyotaka?

I think I have heard that name somewhere.

I tried to brainstorm.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka!

At that moment, I realized how eerily similar they both looked.

I turned around to see where Ayanokoji was.

Both were staring down at each other not even winking once.

I could almost imagine sparks flying in the air.

"Drop out of this school right now. Don't make me wait any longer."

Huh?

Did he just say him to drop out of this school?

I don't know who he is but he is no ordinary person.

Yes, he is no ordinary person. He had come to this government-run school where involvement with the outside world is not allowed both from inside and outside the school. 

Not to mention, he declared one of the students to drop out of the school, in front of the whole school body, without an ounce of hesitation. 

It was as if he had absolute authority over anything and everything.

And the way he said it implied that it was an order which he can't refuse.

"Oh my, oh my. Why don't we take this lovely father-son talk to somewhere else, Ayanokoji-sensei."

While other students were struggling even to move their bodies and were holding their breaths, a single feminine voice echoed throughout the gymnasium.

It belonged to none other than, Class A's leader, Sakayanagi Arisu.

"But I never thought I would get to meet you here, Ayanokoji-sensei. It's an honor."

Saying that she bowed, almost too elegantly.

Sakayanagi was a prideful woman and I had never imagined that she would bow her head to someone like this.

Does that mean that the man was someone even Sakayanagi dared to go against?

"You're Sakayanagi's daughter, right?"

"I am honored you remembered me."

She said while her smile was still on her face.

All of the students were marvelling the bold performance of Sakayangi while my mind was pre-occupied with something more important.

Ayanokoji-sensei?

Father-son talk?

That means that Ayanokoji is that man's son.

By the way, she is talking to the man, it seems she knows him. That means when I had thought that she knew Ayanokoji, I was right.

But what kind of relationship did she have with Ayanokoji?

But more importantly, there was another question that was bugging me.

Why was he trying to force his own son to drop out of this school?

Just at that moment, a certain exchange flashed in my memory.

"Class D will continue to grow even if I 'm not here."

He had said that once to me.

I couldn't imagine someone trying to expel him at that time.

Does that mean, ever since coming to this school, he was always at the risk of getting expelled?

He was fighting in the shadows against those who were trying to expel him?

While I was thinking that, the man started walking out of the gymnasium.

Sakayanagi and Ayanokoji followed suit.

After they were gone, all the students released the breath they were holding in.

But I was still holding mine.

For the first time in life, I had acknowledged someone.

He was the only person that interested me.

I was interested in someone else's life for the first time.

I wanted to know what kind of life he had lived up to now to become a monster of that level.

But the more I tried to get closer the more complicated it became.

The more I tried to unravel the truth behind his monstrous ability, the more complicated it became.

With every step I took towards uncovering his truth, the darker the darkness surrounding him grew. It seemed to threaten darkness itself.

Throughout my life, I had never met someone as shrouded in mystery as him.