Classroom of the Elite: Elite Challenge

Volume 3 Chapter 2

Ryusei Pov

We walked from the beach towards a giant forest. One of the boys looked visibly shaken.

"Is it really okay for us to go in there? We might get really lost. I can't see that at all."

That was precisely why we had the call rule and emergency button installed on our wristwatches. We had to cooperate. If we didn't work together, we'd probably end up panicking and using up our points like they grew on trees.

"Wow, Karuizawa-san. Hirata-kun really is amazing, isn't he? He takes on everything that comes his way, even if he doesn't like it."

Karuizawa: Oh yeah. The other guys are pathetic, so it's fine to leave everything to Hirata-kun, right?

Honestly, hearing these girls compliment Hirata every ten seconds, they already did it all the time in class, but now that we're here and Hirata is the one trying the hardest to make everything better, they can't stop praising him.

I honestly think this exam is going to be a pain, I wouldn't want to have to stay on this island for a week...but doing what I can will at least help with some tasks.

Horikita, who was isolated from the other girls, calmly followed the group from behind. She occasionally acted like she was going to stop, but immediately started walking again. I slowed down a bit until I was walking side by side with her.

Ryusei: Are you in a bad mood?

Horikita: To be honest, I'm depressed. These kinds of things just aren't for me. Life on an island seems primitive, and worst of all, I can't be alone.

It seems that just like me, she's not enjoying this exam...or maybe it's something else.

Ryusei: How do you think you'll do on this test?

Horikita: This test will probably be beyond my academic abilities. I determined that Ike-kun and Sudou-kun would be obstacles, but they took the initiative to go searching. I wasn't able to do anything because I was debating what action to take. If they had started moving faster, they probably would have been able to find something useful.

Ryusei: Yeah, if they had gotten together sooner it could have saved us time, but leaving that aside, are you okay?

I asked her.

Horikita: What do you mean?

Ryusei: It's just that you're walking a little slowly and sluggishly, that's why I'm asking.

Horikita: You don't need to worry, my body is just a little sore, but it's nothing serious.

I just looked at her without answering her.

Horikita: I wonder what the other classes will do. I'm curious about their movements. If Class A and Class B want to get as many points as possible, we need to prepare ourselves as well. We can't let the gap between us grow wider.

Horikita had a serious expression on her face. In this regard, she had extraordinary resolve. Currently, we were separated from the other classes by a wide margin based solely on our academic abilities. For Horikita, who was aiming for Class A, this was a fight she absolutely could not lose.

Ryusei: Reaching the top will be a difficult path.

Horikita: From the way you talk, it seems like you are interested in moving up a class?

She asks me a question about my desire to move up a class.

Ryusei: It doesn't matter to me. It's not like I'm obsessed with moving up a class. If I move up, that's great, but if we stay in D, I won't make as much noise as the others.