Classroom of the Elite: Legacy

V.3-Ch.3.1 (The Rivals)

Furukawa

The Uninhabited Island; Class D's Base Camp

In the night, as I sat down underneath a tree, I stared at the center of the bonfire in front of me, extinguished with smoke going into the air. A few hours ago, Matsubara-sensei came and did the night roll call for our entire class. Everyone was present, so no Points were deducted. Once that was over, everyone had ended the day and gone off to sleep in their tents.

Rather than sleep with them, I decided to stay outside and keep a watch over the area we claimed. During the day, there were chances for spies and passing students to watch and listen to us. At night however, those chances were higher. This was a time where everyone was resting, and spies would no doubt use this opportunity to scout the enemy classes and gather information.

*crackle*

Camping...it's been many years since the last time I've camped.

Years ago...

*crackle*

I was sitting down on the ground, laying my back against a log, staring into the light of the bonfire in front of me. Alongside me were two other kids who were the same age as I was. One of them was my friend, Naomi.

"Ah...so warm~...!" she said, placing her hands near the fire and smiling.

"Don't get near the fire. It'll burn you," I said.

"I know~..." Naomi scooted and came next to me. "The fire. It's beautiful, isn't it, Hide-kun?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it is."

Naomi smiled, then looked up at the starry night sky and sighed. "This place...it's so peaceful and quiet. I feel so calm and relaxed when I'm out here. I feel like I can do anything! I wish I could stay outside forever, but I know we have to go back there."

"Yeah, we do," I said.

Naomi looked down and turned. "Hey, what do you think about this?"

She was asking the other kid who was with us, who was a boy. He was often quiet and smart, and he was someone we knew and was close to. At the moment, he had his eyes closed and was quietly meditating, but opened them upon hearing Naomi.

"I think I enjoy it more at the building, but being outside isn't such a bad thing either," he answered.

"I see...he he. I'm glad you think the same too..." Naomi had let out a smile, one that was brighter and bigger than before. Her face was a little pink, and she seemed quite happy. "Ah...I wish this moment could last forever..." The boy and I nodded, agreeing with her.

This moment with the two of them...a memory to be cherished...

Present day...

*zip*

I heard the sound of a tent's door opening and turned to see Kasai coming out from one of the tents with a flashlight in hand.

"Hey, Furukawa-san," he whispered, greeting me.

I greeted him back with a nod. "What are you doing at this time?" I asked.

"Oh, I just got up to use the bathroom real quick. Are you doing okay out here?" I nodded. "I see. I didn't ask you this before, but was there a reason why you stayed out here? I know you're keeping guard of our base camp, but you can't do this all night. You'd need rest. Surely, it's better to sleep in a tent than outside, right?"

"It's not that I don't dislike sleeping in a tent," I replied. "I'm not much of a sleeper. Even back at the high school, I only slept for a few hours every day."

"You can't sleep well?" he asked.

"...You could say that." There was a sudden breeze and the smoke wafted through the darkness, leaving a faint scent of the bonfire.

"I see..." Kasai turned around in the other direction. "Well, I'll be heading off now. If this is the last time we see each other, good night." I nodded, then Kasai walked away and left.

I turned my attention back to the bonfire and resumed to stare at it. As the smoke drifted away, I looked down and started to close my eyes.

*rustle*

Upon hearing the noise, I opened them and looked around me. The sound appeared to be some sort of rustle, almost like something or someone moving through shrubbery. I gazed into the woods around our camp, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. It was all dark.

*rustle*

Again, I heard the noise. To make sure I wasn't noticed, I stayed completely still where I was, carefully looking around my surroundings. Like before, I saw nothing but darkness and the trees, bushes, and leaves. However, as I looked around with my eyes, that's when I noticed something out of place.

Far away in the distance, I saw a silhouette almost resembling a human figure. I stared at it, making sure not to leave it out of my sight. It didn't move. It stood there and did nothing. Perhaps I was imagining it. To make sure, I stood up and quietly walked towards it, continuing to stare at it.

As I moved closer, the silhouette of the figure suddenly moved and disappeared into the darkness. Seeing this, I rushed towards it.

Near the tree where it once stood, at the ground, there I saw footprints that were created recently. Following it with my eyes, I looked further ahead and saw a trail. Footprints came in our direction and headed back in the opposite direction. Someone was here.

From behind me, I saw light and heard footsteps coming closer. "Furukawa-san?" I turned.

"Kasai."

"Ah, you frightened me a little. Here I thought you disappeared. What are you doing here...?" His eyes looked down to the footprints on the ground. "Wait, is that...?"

I nodded. "A student came by earlier. I couldn't see who they were, but I saw them running away from this spot. It's safe to assume that they were a spy."

"They were watching us? I suppose it makes sense for them to do it at this time," said Kasai. "If they were here, could they have been looking for our leader?"

"That was most likely their second objective. At this time, mostly everyone is sleeping, so finding the leader would be near impossible. Their first objective was to locate our class' base camp."

"I see. Whoever they are, they know where we are now. Which means we'll have to be more careful from now on. Otherwise, we may lose Points." I nodded, agreeing with him

"I'll continue to keep watch for the night. There's a chance they may come back or someone else will."

"You haven't slept at all though. It's best for me to take your place to keep watch," he suggested.

"No. I'm fine with the way I am," I said, staring back at him with my dark-gray eyes, now pitch-black in the night.

"A-Alright...if you say so..."

Leaving the footprints behind me, I headed my way back to the tree where I sat. "Go back and rest for tomorrow. We'll deal with this in the daytime."