Classroom of the Elite: Reaction

Act 1: X - Bad Omen

I rarely dream, and even when I do, I usually forget everything about it in a matter of seconds. This time, however, the memory took a long time to escape my mind, probably because of how long it felt.

I found myself standing in a white corridor leading up to a large room. I didn't want to go toward that room. Turning around, I noticed the corridor expanding infinitely, almost like the dream was telling me I had no choice but to move forward.

No matter how much I disliked something, I would never allow those instincts to affect me. However, right then, I felt an emotion I hadn't felt in a very long time. I found I couldn't move my legs, as if I was frozen in place. My body didn't listen to me no matter how hard I tried, and I ended up staying there for what felt like hours, feeling the soft, white cloak float against my arms and waist. My body was stiff and my muscles were contracted, a state I had come to experience almost omnipresently up until a year ago.

I was overcome with emptiness, a complete lack of presence from either side. I had never felt lonely before, but I had always felt disingenuous with myself, like I was lying to myself by feeling nothing. What I felt wasn't fear, but sadness.

I was four when I felt like this for the last time. Why was this emotion reappearing now to haunt me? A subconscious, involuntary feeling of unfair, unavoidable disscontempt, this is what lead me to become devoid of emotion, to become cold.

I didn't hate the feeling. I actually found it rather refreshing. It was an emotion I was uncontrollably experiencing, but that didn't mean I couldn't remain clear-minded. In the end, I waited patiently for a few more hours, silently hoping I hadn't fallen into a waking coma.

Finally, the dream came to an end, and I felt my consciousness flow back into my body. The feeling progressively spread through every limb and muscle, until I regained the sight of my closed eyelids. Opening them slowly, I felt myself go back to life, as my vision blurred white. Colours and outlines slowly started forming, showing me the beautiful, dreamlike sight of a pair of lips approaching my face.

Those lips look... crackled?

Hey, hey, hey! What the heck is Yamauchi doing?!?

I felt my eyes widen slightly as I instinctively shifted my body in a desperate attempt to evade the lethal attack being sent my way. Managing to narrowly avoid it, I propelled my body to the side, rolling off the bed and onto the ground to regain my balance. I swiftly crouched up into an escapade position, so that I could both assess the situation and flee accordingly.

Silence ensued, as the people that had gathered around my sleeping self were staring at me in momentary shock. I also noticed Sudou holding Yamauchi by the shoulders, as if trying to pull him away from me. The second that passed felt like a matter of minutes, until everyone's expressions changed. Laughter immediately erupted within the crowd, as the rest were still looking at me in surprise.

This situation was more bizarre than I had expected. Respectfully, what happened?!

Hirata approached me and held me by the shoulders, looking at me in worry. I couldn't take his shock seriously, though, as the roaring laughter in the background was kind of ruining the moment.

"Ayanokouji! Are you okay?!", he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine.", I answered, trying to appease his heart. "Please explain to me what I just woke up to."

Looking back towards where I was mere moments ago, Yamauchi looked unfathomably flustered, like he didn't actually mean to bring his lips towards mine. Meanwhile, everyone around him was either looking at me in worry and shock, or were laughing to the point of falling to the ground.