Classroom of the Elite: Free Will

SS28: Akabane Karma - Chairman, Chairman

I entered the room.

On the desk was sitting a middle-aged man who seemed focused on the papers he was reading. He didn't seem to notice me.

Instead of announcing my presence, I approached, until I stood in front of the man at the other side of the desk.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked, hands in my pockets as I moved my head to the side.

He raised his head to look at me and smiled.

"Ah, Akabane-kun," he stood up and offered me his hand. "A pleasure to finally meet you."

I narrowed my eyes, puzzled by this welcoming attitude. I was supposed to meet the chairman, this was the chairman's office, not the principal's. And I knew the chairman was Sakayanagi's father, there was no way this guy in front of me was the father of that little girl. Still, I shook his hand.

"I'm sorry. I thought I'd be meeting the chairman," I decided to voice my confusion.

He applied a bit more strength to his handshake and I did the same.

"The chairman is... indisposed, as of now," he said agreeably. "I'll be taking over as acting director in the meantime."

"Is that so?"

His smile grew as he applied even more strength. "It is. My name is Tsukishiro." Despite myself, my face contorted a bit as he crushed my hand. "Now, please, take a seat. We have a few things to discuss."

He let go and I crumbled on the chair as I massaged my hand. I didn't take my eyes off him, though.

Who the hell is this guy?

Calmly, he sat once again. "You must have a lot of questions, right now."

"...That's an understatement," I said after a brief hesitation.

I had a few theories and many questions.

I kept them all to myself, though. Whether he was whom I thought he was or not didn't matter. Saying the wrong thing would be... unavailing.

"I understand that..." he began as he opened one of the drawers of his desk. "...you've been having fun, ever since you entered this school."

He looked at me as if expecting an answer.

"You could say that, yes."

"Nevertheless," he took an envelope from the drawer. "Some of your actions have been quite reckless... irresponsible, thoughtless—"

"I don't see why you would say that," I spat. "You just arrived, did you not? You know nothing."

What I said was just ridiculous, even more so if he was connected to that place. So, my words seemed like those of a petulant child.

"Oh, I know quite a lot about you, and what you've been up to." He threw the envelope on the desk, right in front of me. I looked at the envelope for a second, then back at him. He wanted me to open it.

Slowly, I reached for it, and took its contents out. Inside, there were two simple papers.

My breath accelerated and my hands clenched strongly around the papers and the envelope tearing them both. I glared at the acting director; an amused smile was present on his face.

"Doubt, anger, despair, you must feel as if you could scream, right now. Am I right?"

A thousand thoughts rushed through my mind, a thousand possibilities on what would happen, what to do. It had been weird enough for the chairman himself to want to see me. Now, though, I just felt like Damocles' sword hung above me and moving even an inch would seal my fate.