Classroom of the Elite: Free Will

V10.5: Chapter 5 - Meetings

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka POV

Accompanied by Nao, I headed over to the gymnasium. Before long, the thank-you party would be over, and the third-year students would come pouring out. All I needed to do was wait. The first- and second-year students gathered here seemed to be getting more and more nervous as the time drew near.

Some of the third-year students would be leaving school today, immediately after the graduation ceremony ended. Some of the students here might have something that they wanted to say that they hadn't been able to share before today. How many people were here in total, I wondered? As far as I could tell, there were nearly a hundred.

This included a familiar figure some distance away from the rest of the group.

"So, you've come after all, huh," I said, greeting Suzune as she stood amongst the other students waiting in the area.

She responded with a glare.

"...What? Is it bad that I'm here?" she snapped.

"No, it's not bad. In fact, I'm honestly a little impressed."

"Impressed? I don't understand what you're trying to say."

"I was just thinking that if you were still the person you used to be, you probably wouldn't have come," I told her.

Suzune seemed somewhat put off by my compliment. "Is that so? ... I'm just me, though. Hello, Tomori-san."

"Good day, Horikita-san," Nao replied with a smile. "Kiyotaka is right, you know? It's good that you're here. I'm sure your brother will appreciate."

The thank-you party in the gym must have ended, because the doors finally opened. It seemed the graduation ceremony was now officially over. This moment in time was officially the last chance for graduates and the current students to interact with one another. After being dismissed, the third-year students came pouring out of the gym. Many of them were aglow, but some of them weren't smiling, perhaps because of the sadness of leaving school, or because they hadn't been able to graduate from Class A.

If it were the latter, however, then it was weird that the majority of students didn't seem to be depressed. After just a brief glance, it looked like the faces of the students not in Class A did contain a hint of joy.

"What do you think?" I asked, seeking Horikita's opinion on the matter.

"I think that even if you didn't get a shortcut to making your dreams come true, you can still forge a path for yourself. Generally speaking, if you have the ability to get into higher education or land a job, then you can make those dreams a reality even without special privileges," said Suzune.

The path of life continued on, never stopping. Suzune was saying that many students, now facing this reality, had decided to forge ahead on the path they'd set out on, hm? If so, it wasn't surprising that they held their heads high during this big moment in their lives.

"Yeah... Class A is overrated," Nao commented casually, causing Suzune to raise an eyebrow at her.

Of course, Nao would consider the final reward of one hundred percent acceptance rate something petty to fight over. After all, any university or company could consider that graduating from one of the most prestigious high schools in the country was a remarkable achievement in its own right.

"What a curious thing to say for a Class A student."

"Consider it proves the validity of my statement then," Nao nodded to herself, her gaze locked in the students leaving the gym.