January 1st, Saturday.
"Thank you so much, guys! No one has ever done this for me!"
"Hideo-kun, you're breaking character," Wataru said gently.
"It's no big deal, man. You've taught me tons of cool stuff these past couple of months," Ken grinned. "I thought you guys were lame nerds, but I was wrong."
"I'm glad you've turned over a new leaf, Ken-dono."
"Yeah, you guys are just nerds. I think that's pretty cool."
"Haha, we'll take it." Wataru didn't take offense, accepting Ken's words with a smile.
"Sorry about this idiot. Here you go, Professor." Akito handed over his gift.
Consequently, Ken got pissed after being called an idiot, so the two of them started arguing like usual. I'm glad Keisei was there to break up the fight.
"This is for you, Professor." I took out the gift-wrapped birthday present we had for him.
"Ahh, thank you, Kiyotaka-dono. May I open this?"
"Sure."
Professor was delighted upon seeing what was inside.
"Holy crap! T-This is the game I was waiting for! I thought you said there'd be a week of delay before it gets shipped to the campus, Wataru!"
"This is our surprise to you. I asked Kiyotaka-kun to buy the game."
"We got the complete edition with all the side stories and hidden heroines. I'm sure you'll have a great time with it," I said.
"G-Guys... I can't thank you enough!"
"It's not that big of a deal, Hideo-kun. You could've bought it yourself even if we didn't gift it to you."
"Hahaha, it's not like we could easily get our hands on limited edition stuff in this place. This was more than enough. Thanks, Wataru-dono, Kiyotaka-dono."
After playing some games like usual, our group decided to disperse.
Akito and Ken teased Keisei after looking so overwhelmed with the number of unfamiliar stuff in Professor's room, but we all appreciated his effort to hang out with us. He got along well with Wataru which wasn't surprising. Wataru was among the handful of smart students in our class and he acted as Keisei's assistant during our tutoring sessions. The two of them easily get on the same page as long as Keisei doesn't get caught up in Wataru's otaku tangents.
"It really is the new year, huh?" Akito sighed while holding on to his scarf.
"The new semester will start on the 10th, which means our break will end soon," said Keisei.
"Hey, Kiyotaka. Do you think our class can bounce back after everything that happened?" Ken asked while looking at his phone.
The class points and our new ranks were displayed on the screen.
Class A - 1168 cl (promoted from Class B)
Class B - 890 cl (promoted from Class C)
Class C - 712 cl (demoted from Class A)
Class D - 441 cl (no changes)
"We're only in our first year. I don't think there's anything to worry about right now," I replied.
"Let's be realistic, Kiyotaka. I've been closely involved with Horikita since she took on your role. She's fantastic, and I don't think I could do a better job than her... but she's not as effective as you." Keisei gazed down.
"I'm not as bummed out about it though," Akito shrugged. "I don't know if Horikita-san would ever be as good as Kiyotaka, but that doesn't mean our class can't win. We have our fair share of troublemakers like Ken, but we could probably turn things around during Special Exams."
"Hah, what do you mean by troublemaker?! I'm doing my best too, you know?! Tell that to Yamauchi and the others!" Ken protested. "Still, I agree that as long as the school doesn't hammer us with academic tests, I think our class has a good chance. You have me for sports, after all."
"Haha, how reassuring... But I won't lose when it comes to academic tests either," Keisei smiled competitively.
After all the time we've been here, it's become obvious that the lines between the worse and better classes are starting to blur. Sakayanagi and Ichinose's classes were academically superior, but our class is slowly catching up. A lot of students are also beginning to hone their individual skills, ready to show them off when the situation calls for it.
This school was nothing ordinary. It doesn't judge a student simply by their ability to memorize what's written in textbooks or how well they do in sports. All things considered, the competition between each class could only get more heated, and the answer to who is the best is something that only our future selves would know.
Beside a row of well-kept plant life, I received a call from my friend.
"Hello, Eita?"
"Ah, Kiyotaka. The talk was a success."
"I see. You can do whatever you want from now on. I'll adjust accordingly."
"Wow, I'm starting to feel like the real deal. I might mess stuff up though. Are you sure about this?"
"I wouldn't have asked you to do this if I wasn't confident in your abilities."
"I'll trust you then. How hard can this be?"
"Yeah, I'm sure you'll be fine. We have a bunch of reliable people watching our backs."
Eita's timing was impeccable. Hirata would've been a decent candidate, but his role as Horikita's support needs focus. That's why Eita's decision to step up was a godsend.
Everything is in place now. I'll just have to wait and see how the pieces will move.
"Sounds reassuring. Kiriyama-senpai seemed completely convinced too."
"Great. Good luck on fighting Nagumo alongside him."
"I'll see what I can do as the guy behind the curtains."
Horikita and Hirata stood under the spotlight for everyone to see. And now, I asked Eita to be the person lurking in the back.
What about me? Wasn't that supposed to be my role?
Not anymore.
This time, I'm the one underneath the stage.
Author's Notes:
This is the last chapter of Volume 7.5.
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Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Resurgent
FanfictionNOTICE: Please read "Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Solace" before reading this. With the imminent arrival of Christmas and the days following it, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka continues with his life as a normal student- or at least, that's what he was hopi...
