Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Solace

Vol. 7: Chapter 4.2 - Personal Connection

"Wow~... Sensei let Ayanokouji-kun go back just like that. Lucky him," Mori-san muttered enviously while looking at Ayanokouji-kun.

"Shut it, Ueno! You can barely finish a lap with your lazy ass! Now go out there and run before I give you a failing mark!" Higashiyama-sensei yelled at Ueno-kun as Ayanokouji-kun turned to leave.

So he was exempted from the class, huh?

"Start running your laps! I'll observe and grade your running form to see some progress. However, your speeds will also be graded. I don't care about your elegance if you're a slowpoke!"

"Let's go, Horikita-san?"

"Alright," I replied.

And so, our class ran laps. Some finished early while most were required to do more.

"I'm finally done~!"

Mori-san jogged in my direction while waving her arms.

Some athletic students like Hirata-kun and Sudou-kun kept running to keep their friends company.

"Sensei, was my performance good enough?" Kikuchi-kun asked.

"Oh, Kikuchi. You ran hard, huh? Nice form, nice speed. Good, good!"

"Then... can I go back to the classroom early? I kind of pushed myself today, so I was wondering if I could go ahead and rest before the next subject."

"Hahaha, sure, sure! Great job today as well, Kikuchi! I see you've improved both your academics and athletics. As a teacher, I don't mind giving you some preferential treatment for your efforts!"

Preferential treatment? So openly? Is that even allowed...?

"Haha... Thanks, Sensei." Kikuchi-kun scratched his head with an innocent smile as he walked out of the gymnasium.

It was obvious that Kikuchi-kun had other plans-- at least to me, it was.

He waved at Onizuka-kun and his other friends who were still running like their lives depended on it.

"Do you think everything is going to be alright?" Mori-san asked keeping her eyes on Kikuchi-kun's figure.

"What do you mean?"

Her question was sudden, but somehow, I wasn't surprised.

"Eita told me... that it was probably Ayanokouji-kun who saved me."

"I see... Kikuchi-kun figured it out too, huh?"

"You knew about it too, Horikita-san?"

"It's not that I knew but... Well, I didn't think such a convenient coincidence would happen all of a sudden."

Ayanokouji-kun didn't seem interested in the exam, but I'm sure he kept things in check behind the scenes. There's no way he didn't see the enemy's attempts to sully his reputation coming from a mile away, so it wouldn't be farfetched if he anticipated the expulsions either.

"Yeah, I thought I was just lucky."

Ayanokouji-kun wouldn't save Mori-san without a proper reason. Only if we can properly hold on to those 300 class points for at least 18 months would spending 20 million private points be justified. And knowing Ayanokouji-kun, I don't think he's worried about points, anyway.

So the reason why Mori-san was saved... 

No... If my hunch is right, then you were just lucky, Mori-san.

Before I could continue that train of thought, I decided to ask a different but relevant question.

"Is Kikuchi-kun going to confront him?"