After classes ended, Horikita asked for my company regarding our encounter with Ryuuen a couple of days ago. The two of us were the only ones left in the classroom now.
"Did Ryuuen contact you already?"
"No, he hasn't. But I'm sure he will, soon. Nii-san wouldn't be leading his class this time, so he shouldn't be that busy."
"I guess so."
The two of us were staring out of the window. The orange sky was starting to darken.
"Say, Ayanokouji-kun..."
"Yeah?"
"Kushida-san hates me because I know about her true nature and it makes her feel like I'm above her. I can understand where she's coming from, but you're the same case... So why does she consider you as an ally?"
I can feel Horikita's genuine confusion. She faced me with a serious stare, so I could only respond in earnest.
"To put it simply, I made Kikyou accept that I'll always be above her."
Horikita's eyes trembled slightly before she mustered up her composure.
"I see... I don't think there's anything I can do to achieve that."
"No, there isn't."
Right now, the two of them can coexist while living in different worlds. But in this school, where classes don't change each year, the two of them are bound to interact closely someday. Whether the current peace crumbles in the future is up to the two of them.
If Kikyou was against me, then I wouldn't mind giving Horikita a hand in containing her. But since she wasn't, Horikita would have to deal with a potential threat on her own.
"Kushida-san may be an asset, but I will take action if she tries to betray the class. I hope you won't give her any special treatment."
"If you want to expel her for defecting from the class, then do so. Back then, I promised to protect her from you because I needed her to quickly advance to Class A. But I've already done that. It would be a shame if our class collapses, but I won't move for you nor move against you."
Of course, on the off chance that Horikita wanted to expel Kikyou for no reason, then I'd take Kikyou's side.
"You've really embraced your observer role, haven't you?"
"I think you got it wrong. I've been the observer-type from a young age. I just thought I'd change things up a bit in high school."
"Why not continue changing things up until you graduate?"
"We've been friends for a long time now. You already know the answer to that."
"Because you dislike trouble, huh?" she sighed. "I guess you never change no matter what your position is."
I don't think I need to change, nor do I have the ability to do so. And even if I wanted to, it wouldn't be easy.
"I don't think Ryuuen-kun will make contact with us today, so I'll be going ahead now. I need to submit a report to Chabashira-sensei. Thanks for accompanying me, Ayanokouji-kun."
"It's fine. I'll see you tomorrow, Horikita."
She nodded in response before exiting the classroom.
"They should be here soon..." I muttered.
The wait didn't even take ten minutes before the sliding door opened once more.
"Come with me," a familiar voice of a girl said.
I silently turned around and followed suit. I guess it's finally time.
Author's Notes:
I wanted to make a reflective monologue with Kiyotaka describing himself as "the ordinary, curious boy that wants to live a normal life and the wretched creation of an ambitious monster". Those are the two opposing sides of Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. However, it is yet to be known whether he's aware of this. After all, the normal Kiyotaka is really just a curious high school boy who wants to know more about the outside world. But the moment something threatens his peace, his White Room personality manifests simultaneously, and will do everything to dismantle his enemies.
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Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Solace
FanfictionNOTICE: Please read "Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Self-Test" before reading this. Picking up on where Self-Test left off, Kiyotaka and his classmates finally reached Class A. However, because of this, Kiyotaka decided to permanently step down a...