Classroom of the Elite: Free Will

V10: Chapter 9 - Events

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka POV

It was Monday morning—the day our opponent's ten events would be announced. What kinds of events and rules would Class D come up with? And what kind of involvement would the commander have?

While on my way to school, I just so happened to bump into Suzune's brother and Tachibana. It didn't seem like they were waiting for me. If anything, it really seemed to just be a coincidence this time.

Tachibana didn't really say anything in particular, but quietly took a step back. Perhaps that was a show of consideration, saying that she wouldn't get in the way of our conversation when the two of us started talking. Her responses to situations were quick and polite. I was sure she'd been a constant source of support for Suzune's brother while they were on the student council.

"Is the special exam proceeding well?" he asked.

I really had to hand it to him. He seemed to already have an understanding of the situation, without requiring any explanation from me.

"I thought that's what I should be asking you. Are you going to be able to graduate from Class A?" I asked.

"Don't know. I suppose that depends on the results we see next week."

I couldn't tell if he was totally okay, or if he was worried.

"Well, I can say your little sister really has been giving it her best effort. It seems you've had more of an effect on her than I thought," I told him.

"That so?"

Suzune was incredibly full of energy right now. It was almost like she'd found and downed some magic elixir. In Yousuke's absence, she had taken the lead and brought the class together. And now, she was actively spending each day polishing our strategies so that we could win all ten events.

"Shouldn't the third-years normally be on vacation around this time?" I asked.

"That's right. I was surprised to find that out, too, after I enrolled here. This is the time of year when most high schools would already be on vacation, yes. But of course, the third-years are making favourable progress toward proceeding onto higher education or gaining employment. Things are in motion. You're just not aware of it."

From the sounds of it, the third-years had quite a lot to deal with between the special exams.

"Wait. People are going on to higher education and finding jobs even though it hasn't been decided whether or not you're graduating from Class A?" I asked.

"You'll understand eventually," he replied, leaving it at that. He didn't give me an in-depth answer.

I supposed some things just couldn't be revealed to the current students. From the sound of it, we'd have to wait until just before graduation to find out if being a Class A student was even worth it.

"If there's anything you'd like to ask me about, feel free to do so. If it's within the scope of things I can answer, I will."

"It seems the scope of what you can tell me about is pretty narrow, though."

When he heard my somewhat sarcastic remark, the corners of his mouth curved upward into a slight smile.

"Well, you might be right about that. Think of it as the ties of obligation that come from being the former student council president," he answered.

I supposed that he couldn't just casually talk about issues that affected the entire school.

"Well, now that I've bumped into you, this is a good opportunity. There's something I've been wondering about for a while now."