Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Solace

SS.29 - Kushida Kikyou: For My Own Sake

December 18th, Saturday.

"Now then, welcome everyone! This should be our second sleepover as a group, right?" I asked with a smile.

"Yes! I had lots of fun last time. I'm really looking forward to this, Kikyou-chan!" said Mii-chan.

We talked a lot back then. I totally pushed myself to the brink even though I wanted to sleep already. But... to be fair, I had a lot of fun too.

"It would've been great if Kayoko-chan and Kayano-chan were here," Kokoro-chan said with a melancholic expression.

Kayoko-chan likes to hang out with Karuizawa-san's group nowadays, and Kayano-chan has been getting along really well with Yokoyama-san's group lately. They still hang out with us from time to time though.

"Now, now. It can't be helped if they're not available. And besides, the purpose of this sleepover is to cheer Ryuuko-chan up!" I gestured my hands like a host presenting a guest. Just as I did, Ryuuko-chan came out of the bathroom.

"Geez, you're exaggerating, Kikyou," she pouted while wiping her wet hair.

"Eh...? Did something happen, Ryuuko-san?"

"Are you okay?"

Our adorable friends suddenly looked concerned. Ryuuko-chan has been a very kind and reliable big sister to them... and to be honest, to me too.

"I'm okay. Thanks for worrying," she answered with a gentle smile. "It's nothing big, really. I already told Kikyou about it, and I wanted to tell you two as well. So I thought; "Why not during a sleepover?", right?"

"So... What happened?"

The two of them intently listened in anticipation.

"Well... I confessed my feelings to Kiyotaka-kun."

"Ehhh!"

"Kyah~!"

"C-Calm down. Kikyou said you'd have to cheer me up, right? That obviously meant I got rejected," she explained.

"O-Oh, sorry, Ryuuko-san..."

"There's nothing to apologize to, Kokoro. Now we're on the same boat," Ryuuko-chan winked as if to lighten the mood, reassuring Kokoro-chan.

"You're so brave, Ryuuko-chan. I feel like I can confess my feelings too!" said Mii-chan. "But if Ayanokouji-kun rejects even you, I'm sure I'll get rejected too..."

"Ahaha, I'm not really sure what it is, but it's probably because Kiyotaka-kun doesn't want to be in a relationship right now." Ryuuko-chan poked her chin as she pondered. "That, or maybe he already likes someone."

The three of them suddenly turned to me.

"W-What...?" I asked in a panic.

"If there's any girl that Kiyotaka-kun would want to date, it could only be you, Kikyou."

"I agree. I'm jealous, but at the same time, Kikyou-chan and Ayanokouji-kun feel like they're meant for each other," said Mii-chan. "And I feel like Kikyou-chan won't get rejected if she confesses.

"Confess? There's nothing to confess!" I replied with a slightly raised voice. They can interpret my flustered expression however they want, but I needed to react like this to keep the conversation going.

"I don't tend to assume other people's feelings, but as your close friend, I think you really like Kiyotaka-kun."

"I mean... I do like him, but... I'm not sure if it's romantic."

This is very tricky-- mixing lies with truth.

"You're really not sure? Everyone can see how differently you act around him. Isn't that the main reason why a lot of people thought you two were dating?"