Classroom of the Elite: Stalemate

Vol.1 : Chapter 2.4-Ascendence

The day after Kiyotaka's encounter with the senpais.

The bell rang, and my classmates started slowly heading to the door with the intention of having a nice lunch with their friends.

While they continued their shenanigans, I redirected my view to my seatmate, Suzune Horikita. As I observed, I found myself focused on the book she was currently reading: "Alter Self Test," the name of the book stated.

"New book, I assume?"

With Horikita averting her attention from the book to me, she simply shrugged her shoulders and replied.

"Yeah, I only started reading it yesterday. Fascinating story. I like the way the author decorates the situations in which the characters interact."

"Quite an interesting statement from you. I might even assume this book is now one of your favorites. It's a rare thing for you to praise something so openly."

On this, she just rolled her eyes.

"You're stating it like I never praise anything..."

"Actually, you don't."

I quickly restricted that loud mouth of mine as I already saw Horikita's newfound best friend.

"Good that you understand when you need to stop."

With this, she smirked and put her compass back in her pocket.

"In any case, I assume you're ready for the end of the day?"

A simple nod.

"Of course, we'll have to do much today, so the quality of our preparation will directly influence how we start."

"Indeed. By the way, mind going for lunch now?"

On this, Horikita instantly perked up, as it basically means I want to discuss something important without no one having a chance to hear us.

"Sure thing, Ayanokoji-kun. Let's go then. We don't have much time."

Afterward, we swiftly gathered all the necessities and made our way to our usual lunch spot.

Entering the rooftop, we settled on the floor, opening our bentos.

"I still can't believe you noticed there are no cameras here on the fourth day of school. How did you manage this without anyone noticing?"

"Well, it's pretty obvious no one spotted me scouting, as the school encourages us to familiarize ourselves with the grounds."

While Horikita was visibly puzzled by my statement, she composed herself and began to ponder aloud.

"Are you suggesting that the number of cameras here contrasts with places where they have none?"

"Right on the money, Horikita. But that's not all. What's the main point of this?"

As I've observed, the most effective way for Horikita to use her deduction abilities is by dropping hints now and then. This way, she can gather the necessary pieces of the riddle and piece the picture together.

"Are you saying that, while the school forbids violence and illegal schemes..."

"When they can't see them, it's not their business."

I concluded Horikita's thoughts, content with the outcome of our little game.

"So that's what you were getting at when you mentioned that observation skills are crucial for the class leader in this school."

"Indeed, while you can be intelligent, competent in social skills, as well as physical abilities, without being observant, you can't do much here, especially when your opponents possess this skill."