Classroom of the Elite: What is Love?

A True Dilemma

A/N Who is your favorite ship? Let me know in the comments!!

Assemblies aren't something I am too fond of. The normal course of events goes as follows: Staff gets on stage, self-righteous speeches ensue, and in the end, no one gains any value from it. That's not to say the information isn't valuable, but it's by far an inefficient way of conveying information. It seemed Horikita agreed as well, annoyance written on her face.

"What are you looking at? If you don't stop, I will enact punishment unlike anything you have ever seen."

"Is that so...?"

"Still...I can't remember the last time they called us to the auditorium like this. What do you think this is about Ayanokoji?"

"Beats me. Though, after that recent threat, I find conversing with you to be quite the gamble."

"That problem doesn't concern me." Her black hair swayed as she indignantly withdrew her attention.

The tapping of a microphone echoed off of the expansive walls of the room, alerting everyone in an instant. Standing at the podium was someone familiar... With a slender but mature figure, and brunette hair...Chabashira Sensei?! The gasp escaping Horikita's mouth all but confirmed it. 

"Thank you all for gathering here. As for who I am, some might know me as the current teacher residing over the current class A of the third years. As I'm sure all of you are aware, the holidays are closing in, and with that comes extended periods off of school. However, we wouldn't call you here just for that." She paused for a moment, letting the confused chatter die down once more. "We are going to be hosting a Christmas Festival, and it will be open to the public."

An uproar followed suit, some even having the gall to stand out of their seats in excitement. 

"Each class will be responsible for hosting an event for the visitors of our school. It can be a play, a show, or anything else for that matter. You are also allowed to collaborate with one other class. This will be essential to upholding our image, especially since our lifestyle requires isolation from the outside world. At the end of the day, everyone will be given a ballot and vote on their favorite shows."

The air felt cold, with the atmosphere shifting into a mixture of anxiety and unease, but per normal, our teacher was far from phased. 

"Silence. As for the scoring system, the top 5 classes will be given a positive net gain of class points, and everyone else will lose class points. These values will not be disclosed at this time, but the higher or lower you are, the more it will affect the points gained or lost. So please, do your best." 

Do our best? An interesting way to put it, I guess. By not disclosing the stakes behind this "contest" it forced everyone in a compromising position. How much was on the line? How much was there to be gained? These questions are essential especially when it comes to motivation, but when you take those away, you leave a long list of unknowns. This was surely interesting. 

"Ayanokoji." 

"Yeah?"

"This isn't a normal 'exam' is it?"

"I suppose not..."

***

"Alright everyone, let's sit down and figure this out." 

Standing in the front of our classroom, Horikita had a pencil in between her ear and hair, a marker in her grip, and a very determined look on her face. Very fitting for a class leader. I gave her a subtle thumbs up, but she just sneered in reply. 

"I am looking for ideas so we can make a plan for this upcoming festival. This is open to discussion to any of you."

"H-hey! I have an idea." Ike shouted in enthusiasm, but everyone let out an instinctual groan. "Let's do a cat cafe! We can get all the girls to dress up as maids, and we men can handle the kitchen. Right?!" 

I forgot...he's stupid. 

"T-that's like totally pervy!"

"How does that have anything to with Christmas?!"

Similar rebuttals were slung at him, until even the infamously clueless Ike got the point. Slumping in his seat, he looked completely defeated. 

"Why not a play?" Hanabe asked.

"A play? Hmm..." Horikita twirled the marker in her hand, processing the idea. "I don't think that's a bad suggestion." 

"Um... I think there's more to it than that. If we're competing with other classes, then we need to have something that is appealing to spend our time at." Everyone directed their gaze to me, causing my stomach to roll. I swallowed my anxiety, and continued, "we can't force everyone to attend our play. So, we need to have something that is marketable, and a way to market it."

"That's true. I think a play would still work for that. Does anyone else have any other proposals?"

"Personally, I liked Ike's idea...Ow!" Sugen cried out, our class leader taking the personal liberty to smash his toes into the ground. "I-I mean, never mind." His voice trailed off. Horikita had the class delinquent wrapped around her finger.

Time dragged on and the discussion continued until a play was eventually decided to be the direction Class 3A would take. After hours of debate and back and forth, we were finally released from Horikita's iron grip and allowed to leave.

"Ayanokoji." 

"What is it?"

Horikita narrowed her eyes and pointed directly at me. "Do you have any plans after this?"

***

Somehow, I ended up just across the table from the black haired tsundere drinking coffee. Content with silence, she sipped her cup not saying a word. Eyeing me in expectation, I suspected she intended to make me as uncomfortable as possible, so I would speak first. It would be a lie to say that her tactics weren't working, but I wouldn't be manipulated that easily. What could I say to mess with her?

"It's no surprise you're single. I thought this was a date, but this is the exact opposite."

"After what you did to Kei...Its more than obvious how you feel about romance."

She didn't bite. I let out a sigh and rested my back on the chair. "Maybe..." 

"Speaking of which Ayanokoji," she raised her arm and pointed directly at me. "I am beginning to see you as a threat. You have always been a wild card, but now I wonder if it makes sense to leave you unchecked."

"After all I've done for you?" 

"That's exactly why." She slammed her hands on the table, stood up, and closed in until her face was just inches from my own. "Now that we have reached class A, is defending our honor good enough for you?" 

"I think you overestimate me."

"I'm starting not to think so." 

To say I was taken aback would be an understatement. From the first day I've met her until now, her growth had been night and day, so much so that she's beginning to read into me. Well kind of. "Not good enough Suzune." I raised my head, resting my chin on the tops of my hands. "You aren't ready yet. You still have a lot of growing to do."

"W-what are you-"

"This school is the very definition of mediocrity. You have an almost endless potential but no place to harness it."

"I don't understand what you mean..."

"It's simple. I will not stand in your way." And that much was true. Suzune Horikita would be my perfect tool. More than Kei, more than Chabashira, more than Arisu... I would forge her into the perfect human, one that could give me a taste of defeat. 

"Okay...I'll trust you." I could visibly see the tension leave her body. "If I had to go against you, I don't know what would happen."  Withdrawing, she turned and faced away from me.

"Thank you for earlier. Your advice...it was helpful." She peeked over her shoulder at me, her face flushing. "I'm glad to hear you aren't against me..." Her voice was meek and soft, completely unlike the normal Horikita. 

"Yeah..." As if I would fall for this obvious trap. Unlike most guys, I'm not so easily wooed by a female's charm. But still...not a bad effort class leader.