Classroom of the Elite x Your Throne: Clash of Steel and Deceit

Ch. 3.5 - False Piece

Since Hirata's study group was cancelled today to give way for the weekends, I thought it'd be a good idea for me to explore Keyaki Mall. I didn't do much though. I visited some bookstores and saw what shopping items were currently trending. I heard a few of my female classmates call it window shopping. Naturally, I was curious. It didn't exactly live up to my expectations though, since I didn't particularly find fashion, new technology, and other stuff that are rising in popularity things that suit me.

But, it would be a waste to leave the mall empty-handed. I picked up this book earlier. It's titled Every Day by David Levithan. The genre is completely out of my preference but the premise was intriguing.

Every day, an entity wakes up in a different body, seeing the world through the eyes of countless people and living their life for a day as if it was theirs.

Now, the scenario wasn't exactly the same, but it'd be weird if I didn't strike some similarities with a particular person's current situation.

Anyways, I should get home.

On my way towards the dormitories, I noticed a pair of lifeless souls walking on the streets as if they were casts of Resident Evil.

I was curious, so I called out to them. They are still my friends after all.

"Ike. Yamauchi."

Four listless eyes turned my way. What even happened to these two?

"Oh, Ayanokouji..."

"Is there something wrong? You two look dead."

"Your girlfriend hustled us, Ayanokouji!" Yamauchi threw a bomb.

"Girlfriend?" my body jolted back at the news that I had a girlfriend I didn't even know about. "Who is this girlfriend?"

"No. Sorry, Ayanokouji. Yamauchi is not in a good state at the moment."

"Could you tell me why?"

"Well...Just as Yamauchi said, Horikita hustled us into a deal. Now, we're under a contract where we have to listen to whatever she says for fifteen days."

"Wait, what? Fifteen days? Isn't that a bit too extreme?"

In the first place, taking a deal with Horikita was already enough of a bad idea. Now, after considering the consequences, there's no way anyone in their right mind would fall for such an obvious trap. Only Ike and Yamauchi could fall for this.

"We know she cheated. It's just that we have no idea how."

"Was it a game? What were the rules?"

Ike briefly explained the rules of the card game Horikita made up.

"That doesn't make any sense."

If the details Ike gave me were accurate, Horikita should've never won that game. However, what about the details Ike might've missed? I couldn't help but speculate. The fact that she's on the move already is too interesting.

"Wait, Ike. What if she had an accomplice?"

Ike looked at me like I was a guilty man, "What do you mean? There was no one else there."

"Yeah! There were only three of us there, excluding Chabashira-sensei," Yamauchi added.

Ike's eyes dilated in realization, "Wait, Chabashira-sensei...But, wait. Isn't that illegal?"

"Yeah, it's pretty hard to imagine that Sensei was willing to cheat with Horikita and get you guys in trouble. But, if we're being realistic, there's really no other way."