Classroom of the Elite: Free Will

V9: Chapter 5 - Cold

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka POV

It was the morning of the third day since the supplementary exam had been announced. The vote would be held on Saturday, the day after tomorrow.

Far too soon, one of our friends would be expelled from school.

I took my morning shower and then brushed my teeth while drying my hair off with a towel. My plan was to take things slower than usual, lingering in my room as long as possible without actually being late to class.

This kind of morning had become something of a morning routine... You really get used to things with time really. Before I even realised it, I'd spent an entire year in this dorm.

"It doesn't feel like time is passing the way it used to," I said to myself.

How you perceive the passage of time depends on whether or not you're having fun. When I first encountered that concept, long ago, I honestly didn't understand it at all. Before I started high school, the passage of time felt rigid. Not a single second was out of place.

But now, things felt different. Obviously, the days were still passing at the same speed that they had been in years past. And yet, the thought that I'd be graduating in just two years made me feel like time really had gone by in a flash. It was odd.

I decided to focus on getting ready for now. I was out of time to laze about, so I finished getting dressed and headed over to take the elevator to the lobby. It was generally packed full of students on their way to school in the morning, making it slow to respond, but given how close I was cutting it, it shouldn't be too busy now.

The elevator came down from the upper floors. Yousuke was the only one inside.

"Oh, good morning, Kiyotaka-kun," he said.

"This is a rare sight, Yousuke. You're cutting it pretty close today too, huh?"

He was an honour student, so he almost always made it to class with plenty of time to spare. It was pretty unusual for him to be leaving the dormitory late, let alone at the last possible minute, like this.

I remembered my call with Kei yesterday where she asked me to have a talk with Yousuke.

"Well, I had really planned on leaving earlier, but..." said Yousuke, a bitter smile on his face, looking somewhat conflicted.

That was vague.

"But?"

As we made it to the lobby and got off the elevator, I saw Kei waiting, phone in her hand.

"Good morning, Kei," Yousuke greeted.

She looked up and noticed Yousuke approaching her. She saw as well, but after I shook my head slightly, her attention went back to Yousuke.

"I wanted to apologise once again for yesterday," Yousuke began. "I promise to make it up to you once this is over—"

As Yousuke engaged in conversation with his girlfriend, I decided to go ahead on my own. I could very well find some other time to have a chat with him, anyway.

This exam was difficult to discuss in class. There was a bad feeling hanging in the air in the classroom when I arrived, and it felt like everyone was on pins and needles.

"Morning, Kiyopon."

"Morning."

Haruka and I exchanged greetings as I got to my seat. The students who were already in class seemed listless. Clearly, all the secrecy regarding their criticism votes was getting in the way of maintaining normal relationships, and it would probably continue to be like this until the special exam ended. In fact, it would probably continue to be like this even after the exam ended, especially if things didn't go exactly as expected.