Classroom of the Elite Final Year

Volume 1: 5.2

"What's wrong, Horikita?"

In class, I noticed that Horikita was glancing at me time and again. If it was just once then I would have passed it off as mere coincidence. But she had glanced at me more than ten times (not that I kept the count). Thinking that something was up, I walked up to her and asked her directly.

Upon noticing that I was beside her, she panicked. Was there any need for her to panic when I am around? She was averting her gaze, deep in thought about something.

"Oye, Horikita. Do you want something from me?" I asked her again which startled her.

She looked at me, her eyes wavering and she didn't make contact with me.

She then took out her notebook, tore off a small piece of paper, and wrote something. She gave that piece of paper to me and spoke in an unexpectedly low voice, "A-Aanokoji-kun, come to this place during the lunch period. As fast as possible." 

Then without saying anything, she got up from her seat and left the class. 

"What's wrong with Suzune?" After she left, Sudou came up to me. "I don't know."

"What's that?" He pointed at the paper I was holding.

"She just told me to come to the place written on the paper during lunch period."

"Heeh?" He looked at the paper but didn't ask me to show it.

"Aren't you worried that she might confess my love to me?" I tried to tease him a bit.

"Nah. Nah." He immediately waved his hand in denial. "That's not gonna happen. You've already got a girlfriend. And besides, she looked worried about somethin'." He gazed at her seat with worry in his eyes.

"If anything happens tell me 'kay Ayanokoji." 

"Got it."

I put the paper inside the pocket and went to my seat. Horikita came shortly before homeroom began and had returned to her usual self by then.

During lunch, I told Keisei that I had some urgent business to attend to and left the class.

"Room no. 587..." I came upon the room before long and stood outside the door. I checked my watch and fiddled with it. Then I checked the time. Only 5 minutes had gone after the lunch break started. I had already done what I needed to do. Now I just had to kill time until she came.

I knocked twice and entered the room.

On one side, Horikita was seated and on the other side were two students from the first year: Ichinose Hasumi and Miyazaki Iki.

"Take a seat Ayanokoji-kun." Horikita said and I sat between the two parties with Horikita on the right.

"Where is Yokoyama-san?" Horikita asked.

"She should be here soon," Miyazaki replied while keeping his eyes fixed on me.

"Let's not waste time and start the hearing already." Horikita straightened her posture. 

"This morning I received a complaint that yesterday Ichinose Hasumi was assaulted by third-year Class D student Ayanokoji Kiyotaka." She said looking at both parties in turn. I looked at Hasumi. She had her face cast down and Miyazaki spoke in her protection, "Don't you look at her with your disgusting eyes!" 

I spoke nothing and turned to look at Horikita. She continued, "We have received evidence pointing towards their statement. You had gone shopping with Ichinose Hasumi yesterday after school. Is that true?" She asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"You went to her room offering to help her carry her belongings. Is that true?"