Classroom of the Elite Final Year

Volume 1: 4.1

WE WERE IN THE cafeteria for our lunch. The five of us, the members of the Ayanokoji group, sat in the usual seat and finished our lunch while chatting about random things. There were still about 10 minutes left before the lunch period was over. We were about to head back to the classroom when I spoke, "Sorry. You guys go ahead. I just remembered something."

"Okay," Akito replied and the rest agreed as well. However, Haruka was still giving me skeptical looks. She soon gave up and I saw their backs disappear from the cafeteria.

"Now, then." I looked around to find an empty spot where we could talk without disturbance. Luckily, I found one at the right corner. Should I take a free meal set with me? It would give the other party an easy excuse to approach me. But if I were to take the free meal set when I clearly wasn't anywhere near broke, it would warrant suspicion. 

I gave up on the idea and just sat there waiting for her to approach me. Before long, two girls sat before me.

"You are Ayanokoji-senpai from class D, right?" A girl with long blue hair was the first to speak. Paired with a pair of glasses, she looked very innocent and shy. Will Hiyori look the same if she tried glasses? I quickly snapped myself back from those thoughts and answered her.

"Yes. Do you need something?"

"Takahashi-san here wants to talk to you," she pointed towards the brown-haired girl who was sitting directly across from me. Ever since coming, she hasn't broken eye contact with me.

"I want to ask you something. If you listen, I'll show you my gratitude."

"Gratitude?" Since the people were all engrossed in chatting pleasantly with their peers, they weren't paying attention to our talk.

"Do you still have the problems from the midterm test from the first semester of your first year? Or, if not, do you happen to know from your class who does?"

"Do you even understand what you are asking?" I asked.

"It's nothing particularly strange, is it? I didn't think it was against school rules to study using old test questions."

"Why are you asking me?"

"You are in Class D, right? So my chances of success are high if the other party is Class D who is sure to have the lowest of the private points."

"But I am not broke. I have more than enough money to get by."

"Even though, a little bit more points are sure to come in handy, right?"

I see. A fair logic. If she were to ask this of someone from Class A then chances are high they would refuse immediately. Although not by much, her chances increased if she were to ask a student from Class D who is sure to be comparatively low on points. 

"But why me? There are other students from Class D as well." There were students like Ike, Sudou, and others in the cafeteria. If she were to ask of them, they would definitely agree without any qualm and she could have managed to buy the test papers at a lower price. Depending on Ike and the others, she could have even gotten them for free.  

"It's because you were the only one who was alone and thus easy to approach," she paused and continued, "or rather, chose to be alone. No?"

"Chose to be alone? What do you mean, Takahashi-san?" The blue-haired girl asked. "Just moments before we came, he was with his friends. He told them to go ahead and was waiting here for someone. Alone."

"I was just waiting for a friend to show up." She knew I was waiting for her. The two of us had anticipated this meeting. But since there was a third party around, we couldn't be open about all this. Ever since the opening ceremony, I had wanted to talk to her. When I saw her approaching the cafeteria, I immediately knew it was for me and told Airi and the others to leave first.