Classroom of the Elite - Seven Years After

Deception

Asato wandered over to our camp at around 7PM. This was a large distinction from the 5PM time that had been stated by Okane, so I had to assume that she got lost on the way. As expected, our camp took her in after seeing the bruise on her cheek with all other parties who disagreed being drowned out by the loud voices of Tetsuya and her girls group. It seemed that Okane had decided to use force, but our class probably would have taken her in regardless.

I was currently watching the fire from afar once again, but considering how hot it was during the day I wasn't as cold as last time. If anything I preferred the chill in order to recover from the excruciating heat that persisted up until the evening. Mikuri approached me, eyeing Asato discreetly.

"It seems that what you said ended up being correct."

I sighed. "Well of course it would be, otherwise there would have been no point in the conversation they were having in the first place, even if someone was listening."

"Yeah..." Mikuri said, but there appeared to be more on her mind. I didn't want to pry, so when she departed without another word I ignored it. I wondered for a moment what her opinion of myself was in her mind, but seconds later I realized it didn't matter anyways. Mikuri was probably the type who would continue to interact with someone in a caring way even if she hated them profusely, she had too much goodwill. Actually scratch that, I couldn't see Mikuri hating anyone no matter what they did.

—

The next day passed uneventfully. It had rained the night prior, making the dirt damp, but it still ended up being a blazing hot day full of humidity. I was consistently on my guard from Asato, but she didn't seem interested in talking to me in the first place. It was almost as if she had never come there as a spy, she was blending right into the crowd.

I went on a foraging mission with Kurosawa, much to my dismay, but he seemed surprisingly more normal than usual and didn't make any strange comments. It was really hot, but at least we got some respite from the sun under the dense forest. Perhaps it was due to the unfamiliar environment that he ended up being quieter, but whatever the cause was I was glad he was being quiet.

"Hey, you're not mad at me right Nakanishi?" he asked without any ill intentions. I suppose I spoke too soon.

I sighed while turning my head to glare at his figure trailing behind me. I wasn't really mad at him, more so irritated as always, but I didn't know why he would ask such a question in the first place when we weren't even friends. Perhaps he judged my silence as holding some sort of unknown grudge, but really I just didn't want to talk to him. "I've never been angry at you, I just find you to be a constant disturbance to the peace. Now that you're acting normal, your presence is bugging me significantly less."

"Normal? Oh, yeah." He seemed to be looking for the energy to continue on with his usual persona, but gave up after finding nothing. He put his hands in his pockets and kicked a rock on the ground.

After a while of trekking together in silence, I decided to speak for once. "You know, if you acted like this all the time you would probably have more people to talk to."

He snorted. "What makes you think that I want people to talk to? You seem to feel pretty similarly towards things as me." He moved over to my side after having stayed behind me for a while.

"I can recognize the look of someone who is desperately craving social interaction. It's a bit pathetic in my opinion, but I can understand that not everyone's goals fit with my own."

Kurosawa smirked at my statement, but unlike the purposefully menacing ones he usually adheres to, this one felt more playful. "That sounds like someone who has personal experience with the feeling."