Classroom Of The Elite 2nd Year - Full Volume
Chapter 3: THE DOUBLE QUESTION

"...are you kidding me?" Horikita called out to me with a blaming tone.

"Unfortunately it is true that Kouenji suddenly acted and ended the test in his group" I replied to him.

"Are you stupid? why don't you stop him and rampage there? It's your responsibility as his roommate"

"That's impossible, there's no point in crying like spilled milk right now"

The rough plan that Kouenji used to end the exam in his group had spread among the students and caused the class to become a scene. That's why at yesterday's talk, Horikita just wanted to meet me. It seemed like he was still not convinced as he shook his head from one side to the other.

"I'll scold her next time I meet her. I want to avoid such an event again the future"

“You should know if it is of no use, such words will not reach him, you will be dragged by his steps.for the time being, concentrate on our own group" I said in response. Since she was my roommate, maybe I would be blamed for not stopping her in time, so I decided to change the subject.

"That's right.my group is full of troublesome enemies, but I won't lose to them" His attitude was as strong as before, and I guess I should leave this matter to him. In the end, I also had a little trouble from dealing with Ichinose whom Hoshinomiya-sensei sent to spy on me.

“By the way, since you are also a girl, I want to ask you something" I told her.

"Whatchu mean? I was a girl from the beginning, you know" she immediately replied. Because of misunderstanding, she took my words as an insinuation as she looked at me with slightly disappointed eyes.

"No, it's not that, I'm just saying that I want to ask you as a woman" Because it looks like she'll become even more angry if I keep trying to make excuses like that, I immediately jumped to the point.

"I want information about Karuizawa" I told her. Since I was planning to make contact with Karuizawa, I needed information about her. If he made a boy rank in the class, I would definitely be at the bottom.

"So you want to ask me for advice on the Karuizawa issue?" I'm nodding.

"I want to track down my group members, but I feel a bit of a difficulty, I could have faced Sotomura and Yukimura, but Karuizawa was the problem. After the exam on the island was over, you were invited to lunch by Karuizawa, right?"

"You should know that if I have rejected it, I have no interest in Karuizawa-san at all. If you want information about him, why don't you ask Hirata-kun? If it was him, it could definitely help you" That's right, but before the exam started, I had already missed the opportunity to have lunch with Karuizawa and Hirata. Of course Hirata also remembered the incident, so I avoided asking him this time.

"Are you worried that he might be ‘target’ or something?" Horikita suddenly asked me.

"Some, but for now, it's impossible for me to understand Karuizawa's behavior, I'm just curious" I told her.

"It's a waste of time, there's nothing behind his behavior. If you care about him, it's a waste of time"

"Horikita, I don't think it's good to talk about other people"

"Talking about others? Whatchu mean?" he asked me

"Of course so far you've only seen Karuizawa's selfish and annoying side, but you know, she might as well have a good side?”

"Is there a good side? I can't imagine it, isn't he just full of failures?" Of course, at this time as far as cooperation is intertwined I must admit that Horikita is equal or better than him.

"When you first meet someone, your first instinct is to judge them by how they look, right? Whether they're cool or cute or something, then you'll judge them by words to look inside themselves whether they're social creatures or aggressive or passive and sort of” Because of that, you know, Horikita crossed her arms and waited for the next words.

"But it's still an outward appearance, the real mindset won't be immediately noticeable with such a thing. For example Kushida or Ibuki or even me for example, the 'front' personality and the 'back' personality are well divided"

"Did Karuizawa-san also have such a split?"

"It's something most people have, even if they don't realize it. Horikita, you have it too" Because every time she's in front of her sister, she's always showing her true nature and is very fragile.

"I'm still not entirely sure, but I can understand that you'll get to know him better by direct contact" Of course it's easier said than done, though, because if I don't decide to put in the effort, I will never be able to know Karuizawa's true nature.

"And what's the point with Karuizawa-san?" Horikita asked me

"I can't explain it clearly yet, but if I have to say it, it's the 'ability to rule'. He had the initiative and there was no denying that his status in Class D was unshakable" However, in our group (Rabbit), I had never seen that side of him. This is why I was thinking of ascertaining Karuizawa's true nature as quickly as possible.

"Assuming that he has such abilities, what are you going to do? Are you going to bring Karuizawa-san into our group as well?" he asked me.

"I also want to know about it" I told him. While I was wondering for my answer, the man who yesterday came back to us.

"Yo, you two, what are you

dating in the shade?" Ryuuen said that

that phrase. He was not with Ibuki today, but approached us with a creepy smile on his face.

"You're doing enough

wantonly. Even if you corner me

like this, nothing

you get it" Horikita scolded Ryuuen.

"I'm the one who decided that. So, have you decided to try and find that ‘target’?" And again, Ryuuen was sitting on a nearby chair without permission.

"Whatever my plan is, I won't tell you" Horikita said.

"That's a shame, I was thinking of discussing it with you, but it looks like you haven't made any progress with your search yet"

"That's interesting, do you want to say that you know who ‘target’ is right now?" Staring at him with a strange expression, Ryuuen answered him as if she had expected he would ask that from the start.

"I've found out who ‘targetnya’ is, can you trust me if I say that?"

"That's not true, I'm not at a 'friend' club like them, but making friends and gathering information are two very different things" He spoke to Horikita in an attitude that almost resembled a teacher who was disappointed with their student for not getting the right answer.

"Unfortunately, I have already dipped my hand into this test. Depending on the situation, Class C may be the winner,"

"Th-can't be". No, what he said might be true. Schools always make exams based on very specific criteria.

The midterms are the same, the end is the same and the exams on the island are the same. If you understand the 'rules' behind a test, something is possible to achieve high marks and produce good results. If this is true, the test is no different. If it was Ryuuen, he would have already understood about that fact.

"It's very simple, you just need to find ‘target’ only. Dismantle the structure of the group and analyze it until you find the answer”

"That's true, anyone would have thought of it, but would they answer honestly? Since the school guarantees anonymity, one can remain silent and earn 500,000 points in such a way." Horikita said it to Ryuuen, but Ryuuen replied calmly responding to Horikita's doubts.

"I just have to make sure that it's a situation where they will answer honestly without lying"

"Situations that make them answer truthfully without lies?" Horikita asked him.

"Because I asked everyone's contact, I was able to ask one by one without the school know.”

"Are you crazy? It was banned by the school. If caught, you'll be dropped out" Horikita asked him in shock.

"No problem, I'm standing here right now because that's not a problem, you know what that means?"

it was a rough plan that Ryuuen could use because she had the image of an actual tyrant. If he were to forcefully look at the cell phones of other grade disciples, no doubt, Ryuuen would be reported and expelled, yet Ryuuen dominated Class C. Whatever he did, no one wanted to ignore him.

If there are no complaints, no problem. This means Ryuuen's actions are still within safe limits of the school's rules. It must be Ryuuen's strategy like that. A strategy that forcibly releases all the secrets of Class C. And if it is true, Ryuuen can have an identity of up to three ‘target’. That would be a big clue for him in this exam.

To make it easier to understand, it's more like writing questions and answers on different side panels. Normally you wouldn't know that answer unless you turned the panel over. But if the panel is folded like paper, it is possible to get a little hint of an answer from the other side. Basically, Ryuuen probably already knew the names of all the "targets" in this exam.

"It seems you finally understand the situation"

"... Yeah, but if you already know the answer, shouldn't you send it to school?" Horikita asked him.

"Maybe I just want to play around"

"You don't know when someone else will take the answer, you shouldn't be so careless like that" Horikita said in response. There is no evidence, but I have a feeling that Horikita's assumption is correct. If he already knew the answer, there was no point in delaying it. He should have ended it then and there if he could.

"So, I'm finally at the last stage"

"Ryuuen-kun, by the way can I ask you something? Yesterday when the monkey group exam ended, what did you think of it?" Horikita asked him.

"There's nothing special, I don't care what a weakling does" Ryuuen simply left those words behind as she walked away.

"I don't know how much of what he said was true" Horikita had a confused expression on her face as she stared at the back of Ryuuen who was walking away. And then confidently, I looked down at Horikita's chair and there I found one phone with its recording mode activated.

On the phone, there is a chat. Only one chat was sent. No sound or vibration is activated. And not looking at all the chatter but for a moment, I saw the words "sorry for the yesterday" that had Ryuuen's name on it. Maybe something's wrong with the class? I didn't want to dig any deeper and return to my normal position in my chair. Horikita quickly understood the situation as well, and quickly pulled out her own phone and typed this on me.

"If the phone is indeed his, it's better not to talk carelessly" What he said was indeed true.

"What do you think Ryuuen said is true? What he said about catching ‘target’ from every class.” Horikita looked at me in shock for a moment but then she quickly understood the intent behind my words.

“I want to know. I can't say with 100% certainty, there isn't much time for this exam.

"You're also very proud".

"I'll make you work your way to the bone, we should also find ‘target’ as soon as possible"

"It's easier said than done, there's no way I can do that" I told her.

"I didn't expect much from you either, but I just wanted information about the (Rabbit) group from you" he said. With this kind of talk, I was able to highlight Horikita's talent and my own incompetence. By doing so, suspicion will be diverted from me to a certain degree. After all, Ryuuen did try eavesdropping using her own phone.

"If there's no special hope for me, I'll give it a try" Then without saying anything more, Horikita pressed a button on the elevator and left. Now, should I go back to my room and sleep? Or dating with a strategy for the exam?

There was no doubt about the teacher's assessment yesterday and Ryuuen's own assessment. If we were only pursuing academic skills, Yukimura would have been there with Hirata and Horikita as well. Of course he will not be satisfied with being placed in the group (Rabbit).

Yukimura did avoid using her name directly but she looked at me intently. There's nothing I can do even if you say that. Then I decided to go to my bed and wait until Hirata came back. But Yukimura looked at me with suspicious eyes all the way.

"Ayanokouji, I just want to make sure, but you're not" ‘target’ right?"  Yukimura asked me.

"I'll deny it, but what do you mean by making sure?"

"Of course, in this test 'cooperation' is the key. In other words, if you cooperate, we won't lose" he told me.

"That's right, unfortunately I'm not ‘target’ here"

"That's right, right? You better not try to take points for yourself" Yukimura told me. It seemed like his personal wisdom was to doubt others, it was no wonder how Yukimura responded to me.

"I'm not ‘target’, Can I believe if you're also not ‘target’ Yukkimura?”

"Of course not. Speaking of which Sotomura is also not ‘target’, you know" This is a confirmation between friends, almost like a code word hinting 'don't betray each other'.

spliced......