Classroom of the Elite: Free Will

V4: Chapter 5 - Of Favours and Alliances

Akabane Karma POV

At the end it was unnecessary for us to show our messages.

That was good thing, though. I had changed the SIM cards as a precaution, but I was certain Nao would see through it. She might have gone as far as to call me and would have realized that my SIM card was in Ichinose's phone.

After Kiyotaka sent me the names of Class D's VIPs this morning I had found out the VIP pattern. With six names it was kind of obvious. This allowed me to know that Class A had lie with two of their three VIPs. I had no idea whether or not Nao had changed the SIM cards but that didn't matter since I knew who Class A's VIPs were.

What bothered me was the provocation. I was unable to interpret it in any other way. To reveal the groups their VIPs were in just like that.

Kiyotaka and Mikoto had mostly been bystanders during all the discussion. On Class D and C the only ones who talked, with the exception of some comments, were Horikita and Ryuuen.

Well, the next meeting was at 20:00 so I would continue with my plan from there. The provocation wasn't anything, it's not like anyone would turn traitor when the uncertainty was still present. Right now, I had the advantage. No one but me knew the pattern, I was sure of that, hence, I knew who all the VIPs were.

In my class, not even Shinobu or Ichinose knew more than one VIP.

"Ehm... Karma-kun? Misaka-san sent you a message," Ichinose's voice interrupted my thoughts.

We had just left the meeting room, and everyone had parted ways. We were the first to leave since I had to receive an update on each group and discuss the next step with Ryuji. Even if Ichinose and Shinobu were very competent and appeared to be my right hand, I valued Ryuji's opinion much more.

I took the phone and replied to Mikoto asking what she wanted. She immediately responded that she wanted to meet me at the stairs now.

This was weird. Considering the state our relationship was in, Mikoto wouldn't just talk to me like this. No, she wouldn't talk to me at all unless strictly necessary.

"Go ahead," I told Ichinose and Shinobu as they entered the elevator. "I have something to take care of."

They nodded and I went over the stairs.

Since everyone took the elevators of the ship to move between floors, the stairs were completely deserted. I quickly glanced upstairs to see if Mikoto was there and not finding her, went downstairs instead. I saw her standing on the area between floors. Leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

"So, what do you need, Mikoto? Did Ryuuen send you to ask for something?" I asked leaning on the armrest in front of her.

"It's time to return the favour, Karma," Mikoto replied not raising her head to look at me.

My amused grin quickly faded. Was she really doing this now? For a petty school exam?

"Are you sure you want to do that?"

Her gaze met my eyes and I understood that she was being serious about this.

"I thought you would have kept it until later on. That you'd ask for an increase in the army's budget or something of the like," seeing she wasn't going to respond I spoke again. "What do you want?"

"You're going to follow my directives the duration of the exam."

"Huh?"