Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Resurgent

Vol. 7.5: Chapter 9 - Thin and Opaque Porcelain Plate

January 1st, Saturday.

"Kei-chan!"

I turned to see Chiaki-chan with her usual stride. I've always been confident about my looks, but seeing her made me realize that some girls are in a league of their own.

"Chiaki-chan, heya~!"

The two of us headed inside a cafe with little to no customers. We had smiles on our faces, but the moment we sat down, I felt like things were about to get somber.

"Everyone already knew... but it still hurt to see it happen, huh?" she said.

"Yeah... We're finally back down to Class C," I replied. "And I'm sure Hondou-kun and the others aren't over with Miyamoto-kun's expulsion. Things will get a lot harder from now on, I guess."

Chiaki-chan made a quiet sigh before looking away.

"But like, isn't it funny that we've become every class in our first year alone? We started as Class D but immediately got promoted to Class B before the ranking system was revealed to the other classes. Then we rose to Class A after the Zodiac Exam." I found myself sighing too. "And now..."

"What do you think, Kei-chan? Would Ayanokouji-kun ever help us again?"

Of course, he would! At least, that's what everyone in our class wanted to hear. 

Everyone recognized Ayanokouji-kun's abilities. He was the smartest, strongest, and most reliable leader we could ever hope to have. Yousuke— Hirata-kun depends on him and Horikita-san learned from him. As long as he was around, our class was untouchable...

But why did he step down? Did we push him too far? Was he sick of everyone leaning on him? 

"I... I'm not sure."

I'm one of his closest friends, and I've seen a glimpse of his true self when he saved me from Manabe-san's group... So why can't I give a concrete answer? Maybe I wasn't as close to him as I thought.

"Sure enough. The same goes for everyone. None of us really know what Ayanokouji-kun is thinking. It would be best if he just really wanted to take it easy for the rest of his high school days..."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you remember what happened during the fourth night of the Deserted Island Exam? Ayanokouji-kun suddenly asked about the price of wanting a seat in another class. Since then, the idea of him leaving us never left my mind."

"Yeah, I do remember. But like, this is Ayanokouji-kun we're talking about. Do you really think he'll abandon us like that?"

I have a feeling... that he could.

"Abandon? It's not like he has any responsibilities towards us, right? We're his friends. And as ironic as it sounds, we're close enough to understand that his relationship with anyone in our class wouldn't be an adequate reason for him to stay."

"Eh? So Chiaki-chan knows about Ayanokouji-kun's true self, too?"

"Ara, I was expecting you to be surprised or confused, but it seems like you've seen the truth yourself."

I see... I guess I wasn't the only one. I'm sure Kushida-san or Horikita-san knows about it too. Of course, that would be the case.

"Then there's no need for me to act ignorant about him," I said. "I also think that our class isn't on his priority list."

"It gets even worse the more you think about it. According to Horikita-san; Ichinose-san and her class want Ayanokouji-kun for themselves. The same goes for Class A's Sakayanagi-san. Horikita-san said that she and Ayanokouji-kun have some sort of connection. It wouldn't be strange for any of them to try and bring him to their side."