Classroom of the Elite: Free Will

V10: Chapter 7 - Swift

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka POV

No matter how bad the atmosphere was, though, time continued to move forward. Once class ended for the day, our second-class discussion was at hand. To be more precise, it was actually the third if I included the one I hadn't attended, I supposed.

It was also the third day since the exam had started. It was about time we got things moving.

Once again, Yousuke stood up and immediately left the classroom after class. Mii-chan looked torn. She quickly stood up, as if something had roused her. But her legs didn't budge, and she didn't take a single step. Yousuke's rejection from this morning was likely playing on repeat in her mind.

Her legs buckled, and she sat back down.

"That's for the best..." Suzune muttered quietly, her cruel yet kind words just barely reaching my ears.

It was best not to get involved with Yousuke right now. Suzune and the other students understood that was the safest bet. Occasionally, some jealous boys would complain about Yousuke, but such complaints had been few and far between of late. Weren't those complainers the sort to despise a guy because he'd fallen from grace, I wondered? Or was it precisely because this was Yousuke that they couldn't speak ill of him?

"Hey, Mii-chan, do you want to walk back to the dorms with me after today's discussion?" asked Airi, having foreseen the issues that might arise with Mii-chan's mental state.

"She's pretty reliable at times like this, isn't she?"

"Guess so."

Ever since Kushida's downfall, Chiaki, Kei and Airi had shared the role of the friend always ready to lend an ear and be a friend and help others. I suppose it was good that Airi had found such a place in the class even if it annoyed Haruka every now and then. Mii-chan accepted with a gentle nod.

"Well, then I suppose I will be going myself," Kouenji said.

Sure enough, he had no intention of participating. Kouenji left the classroom right after Yousuke did, moving proudly, as if to say he'd already been endorsed by Suzune and received her seal of approval. Ultimately, it seemed there would be thirty-seven people present for this discussion.

Suzune watched Kouenji as he left, then rose to take her place behind the podium. Chabashira left the classroom, giving her a sidelong glance.

"Now, then, I hope you've all come up with things you're good at," said Suzune.

"Please wait a minute. There's something I'd like to bring to your attention before we start," said Yukimura, the first to raise his hand.

"What is it, Yukimura-kun?" asked Suzune.

"I'm worried about people eavesdropping on our class discussion."

Even with the door closed, our voices would be audible to someone sticking around in the hallway outside.

"I suppose you're right. It seems we can't even have a proper discussion in this school, can we?" said Suzune.

"Shouldn't we come up with some countermeasures? For example, we could have someone stand watch or something. Honestly, I think it's bad for us to openly discuss the exam without taking some steps first," replied Yukimura.

"Yes, you're exactly right," said Horikita, nodding her head. She must have understood this herself already. "But I don't think having someone stand watch would be an effective countermeasure."

"...Why?"

I glanced at Kushida for a moment before sighing and resting my head on my hand. Neither Karma nor Ichinose would send someone to eavesdrop, but I wasn't going to tell them that. It wasn't my problem. So, as they continued their conversation, I looked out the window. It looked so calm outside.