A Tyrant's Will

Volume 2: Chapter 6.1 - The Class Trial

The day our fate would be decided had finally arrived.

I stepped into the classroom. Students sat in their usual spots, waiting for class to begin. On a normal day, they would be chatting in their cliques, filling the room with idle conversation. Today, though, the air felt heavy. Most were still under the impression that our efforts had amounted to nothing, and that weight had drained the energy from the room. Only the occasional whisper broke the silence.

Hirata wore a troubled expression as he scanned the classroom. He wanted to say something to lift everyone's spirits, but he knew he couldn't. Class D would simply have to wait until it was all over to hear the news.

As the bell rang to signal the end of class, Horikita, Hirata, and I stood up.

"Have you prepared for this, Sudou-kun?"

"Yeah, I'm good. I was born ready."

Sudou closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if mentally preparing himself for what lay ahead. But then, as if something had just occurred to him, he suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Horikita.

"Hey, are we really going to be okay? If there's anything you want to tell me before the trial, just say it. I don't care if you make fun of me or whatever."

"Don't do anything selfish, and keep your mouth shut at all times. Just let me do the talking so you don't drag our already slim chances down even further."

"Ugh, you always act so high and mighty, lady."

Watching them like this, it really did seem like they fought like cats and dogs. But at the very least, Sudou didn't hate Horikita. I wasn't so sure the feeling was mutual, though.

"Do your best, Sudou-kun, Horikita-san!"

Kushida cheered from the corner of the room. Horikita didn't bother responding, but Sudou pumped his fist to show resolve. Hirata, having just finished packing up his things, stepped forward to join us.

"Are you guys ready? Especially you, Horikita-san. We'll need you at your best if we want even a sliver of a chance."

"I'm fine, thank you."

"Excellent. Machida-kun and Hamaguchi-kun have already made their way upstairs," Hirata whispered, keeping his voice low so Sudou wouldn't hear. "Chabashira-sensei told us to meet her in the faculty room, right? We should hurry."

"Agreed. We'll make a bad impression if we're late."

The discussion was scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. It was already 3:50. We couldn't afford to waste any more time. When the four of us reached the faculty room, a teacher spotted us and waved us in.

"Yahoo! Hello, Class D students!"

The homeroom teacher for Class B, Hoshinomiya-sensei, greeted us with her usual happy-go-lucky attitude. "It seems like something rather incredible has happened, hmm?"

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity. I wasn't surprised, given how much she enjoyed sticking her nose into other people's business.

"What are you doing now?" Chabashira-sensei muttered.

"Oh no. I've been found out already, huh?"

Chabashira-sensei glared over at Hoshinomiya-sensei. "Whenever you sneak out, I already know you're up to no good."

Hoshinomiya-sensei gave a cute wink. "So I guess I can't join in, huh?"

"Of course you can't. You know outsiders can't participate."

"Aw, that's too bad. Well, that's alright. The results should be out within the hour." Hoshinomiya-sensei placed a finger on her lips, pretending to ponder deeply.