Classroom of the Elite: Free Will

V10: Chapter 13 - Class A vs Class C

Sakayanagi Arisu POV

"Class A and Class C representatives, please move over to the other side," said Mashima-sensei.

As per his instructions, Chikujoin-san and I went over to the other side of the wall, Chabashira-sensei and Chie-sensei followed after us. The teachers had then been put in charge of classes other than their own.

"We begin in five minutes, so please take this time to prepare yourselves, yes?" Hoshinomiya-sensei announced, before heading over to have a final talk with Chabashira-sensei.

To my regret, Chikujoin-san and I had a little bit of time before the exam started. Just the two of us.

"Aren't you excited, Arisu-chan?!" Chikujoin-san inquired gleefully.

A nervous tremor ran down my spine. Excitement? Not a chance. Chikujoin-san's gleeful question hung in the air, thick with a syrupy sweetness that I found utterly nauseating. I forced a smile, pasting it on my face like a cheap mask which I had no doubt she could see through.

"Thrilled," I choked out, my voice tight with barely contained dislike. "Can't wait to test my skills against... someone of your calibre."

The last part came out dripping with sarcasm, each word laced with venom. Chikujoin-san, however, remained unfazed. A playful glint entered her eyes, as though my thinly veiled hostility was merely another source of amusement.

"Oh, but Arisu-chan," she cooed, tilting her head in a mock show of concern, "don't tell me you're already feeling defeated? Surely the mighty Class A doesn't crumble under a little pressure, do they?"

I clenched my hands against my cane. The pressure was suffocating, the silence amplified by the ticking of the unseen clock.

Suddenly, a mischievous grin spread across Chikujoin-san's face. She leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

"I have a proposition for you, Arisu-chan," she said, her eyes sparkling with malicious intent. "How about we make this competition a little more... interesting?"

I narrowed my eyes, suspicion warring with a spark of morbid curiosity. "What kind of interesting?"

Chikujoin-san's grin widened, revealing a glimpse of sharp teeth. "Let's just say," she purred, "that the stakes of this exam could be raised. Consider it... a wager."

The air crackled with unspoken tension. I knew there was a trap in Chikujoin-san's offer, a twisted game she was being invited to play. But the prospect of besting Chikujoin-san on her own terms, of seeing her smug facade crumble, was a temptation too delicious to resist.

"I'm listening," I declared, my voice hardening with resolve. "Tell me your little game."

Triple Jump

Required Participants: 4 Persons.

Allotted Time: 3 jumps each participant.

Rules: Standard Triple Jump rules apply.

Commander: The commander may invalidate the jump of an adversary in each round.

So, the first event was of their choosing. Triple Jump, something we would have won without a doubt if Mutoh-san was available. Unfortunately, after her fall, she couldn't participate and had to focus on her recovery.

Unsurprisingly, Chikujoin-san chose Kinoshita-san and Yajima-san among her four. I had to wonder, though; if I sent Kito-kun in, Chikujoin-san would nullify his three jumps, which meant, I needed a second blade that could defeat both her aces too. I decided to send Kamuro Masumi-san in too.