Ayanokouji transfers from class - beginning of the third year - COTE

Between Truth and Rejection

Part Two: Between Truth and Rejection

Speaker: Horikita

Silence fell. Even the buzzing in my ears couldn't reach me; it was a completely silent world.

I slowly turned my head toward Ayanokouji's seat. His weak presence had rendered him almost nonexistent, sending a chill through my heart. His seat was empty.

"I know this may surprise you, but Ayanokouji Kiyotaka has transferred to Class D, paying a special fee of 20 million points. Starting today, Kiyotaka is a student in the c..."

"Sensei, there must be a mistake! Why would Kiyotaka transfer? This doesn’t make sense. Maybe he can—" The first to stand and interrupt Shashibara-sensei, unusually, was Hirata, astonished and confused.

"No, Ayanokouji himself came to the faculty office yesterday and submitted a transfer request to Class D. There is no mistake." Shashibara-sensei spoke firmly, confirming the information.

Chaos erupted in the classroom, whispers turned into raised murmurs, and questions and astonishments echoed among the students like an infection. Voices rose in the corners of the room as everyone tried to understand what had happened.

Using my tablet, I searched the list of students in Class D. Ayanokouji's name appeared clearly on the list. I sighed deeply, trying to comprehend the incomprehensible. I could never figure out what he was thinking; he always maintained that mysterious aura around him. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t penetrate the wall of his silence or discern what was on his mind.

"Why is Ayanokouji changing classes?" Aiki was the first to voice the question aloud in the room. It was a question everyone had in mind.

"Did he really pay twenty million points?! Where did he get all those points?!" Shinohara asked another question, her face reflecting deep astonishment.

"Did Ayanokouji really have all those points?!" Mizuno wondered quietly, as if trying to grasp the situation.

"Does Kei know about this?" Sato spoke with anxiety and sadness, her eyes on the verge of tears.

"Maybe Class D made him an attractive offer and paid to bring him in, but what does Class D gain from bringing Ayanokouji?" Yukimura pondered, visibly shaking.

Theories and speculations began to spread like wildfire. The answers remained elusive, and no one knew the truth. The chaos intensified, questions multiplied, as everyone struggled to understand what was happening.

"Shut up, let’s just ask him ourselves."

The person who shifted the conversation was Sudo Ken, who had been listening silently until then. He stood up, his towering height of 186 cm immediately capturing the entire class's attention. The words themselves were entirely reasonable, but the fact that they came from Sudo surprised everyone.

"Yeah, we shouldn’t rush to conclusions. The quickest way to get answers is to ask him directly," Hirata agreed with Sudo's remark.

"Ayanokouji didn’t even tell us; he transferred without saying anything," Yukimura spoke with evident anger in his voice, countering Sudo and Hirata’s words. His face was taut with frustration, and his eyes reflected confusion and shock.

The fact that he specifically used Ayanokouji's last name to address him showed Yukimura's displeasure.

"Did Class D really pay twenty million points to bring Ayanokouji here?" asked Mi Yu Wang curiously.

"I don’t think so. Class Eishinoushi spent twenty million points at once to save their members from expulsion during the voting test, so it’s hard for them to gather twenty million points that quickly," Mizuno replied, rejecting the idea.

"True, gathering twenty million points is a tough task even for the whole class, so how could Ayanokouji have gathered them alone? It’s impossible in two years," Shinohara added in support of Mizuno.

"So, are you saying that Ayanokouji willingly transferred to the lowest class? But why? If the opposite were true, it would make more sense," Yukimura spoke with clear amazement and inquiry in his voice.

"Haha, maybe Ayanokouji was deceived; maybe Eishinoushi told him they’d date him or something," Aiki said with a sarcastic smile on his face in an attempt to lighten the current gloomy atmosphere.

But it seemed to have the opposite effect, as Yukimura's face tightened further.

With the tension rising in the classroom, I took a deep breath and lifted my head, trying to escape the sea of unanswered questions, but my body refused to obey me. Amidst my self-resistance, laughter erupted in the class.

"Hahaha, you’re all really naive. Let me ask you a question: what do you know about Ayanokouji-boy?" Kuenji said with arrogance and disdain, gazing coldly and mockingly at everyone. His eyes sparkled defiantly, as if he was enjoying the sight of his classmates' confusion.