Classroom Of The Elite 2nd Year - Full Volume
Chapter 3
"This talk is pointless, in the end we will swallow each other”
“What do you mean by that, Suzune?"
"What I mean is that he has a point, if you intend to continue this discussion like a strategy meeting, I must assume 'this is reality' and also act accordingly" Horikita said
"As you wish, I'm very curious if you managed to form a cooperative relationship or not, huh?" Ryuuen said that as he randomly boasted hostility towards his enemies while at the same time, boldly expanded the offer of cooperation with them as well. Horikita responded with determination to fight in response to that.
This was certainly a rejection addressed to Ichinose. If he were to betray Class D now, he would be seen as a traitor by all the other classes as well. A person who betrayed his sect for the sake of points. If such a reputation stuck to Ichinose now, he would only drag his own feet for the rest of his life in High School.
"I'm sorry Ryuuen-kun, but there are also people in Class B who are hurt by your actions. Even if for the sake of earning points, I cannot cooperate with you easily”
"I see, that's a pity"
But his face showed that he expected this result from the start and did not look disappointed at all. Ryuuen then stood up to leave the room and passed us. As he left, Ryuuen turned around once more to look at me. Maybe he did it unconsciously, but his gaze touched my face.
"... could it" he whispered and left. Of course I did not react to his words. As Ryuuen shook her head and left, Kushida also spoke up.
"I have to leave right now, my friend called me" Apologizing like that, Kushida quickly left the room after Ryuuen.
"It looks like he can look at us" Ichinose let out a slight sigh.
"It would be troublesome, being targeted by such a person"
"Although he had the dragon kanji in his name, he was only a snake. Once he sets his sights on his prey, he will go to great lengths to devour that prey. But rather than me now, Horikita-san gathered her attention. Right now Ryuuen is very wary of Class A, and she should be aware of the fact that Class B will also be her enemy one day" Ichinose said.
That's right, Class D had just risen from the depths of being drowned after the exam on the island recently. Perhaps this was the result of it, but none of the other classes saw Class D as such a heavy threat.
"It will definitely be fine, Horikita is not the type that crumbles under pressure" I told her.
"Of course"
I did say it, but there was still a chance that Horikita would continue to thrive from the pressure that was placed on her here. This is what I believe. Whether it's now or ten years down the line, if you're going to develop as a person, you generally have to be solved first.
"Horikita-san, Ayanokouji-kun. Since people know about the alliance between our classes so I'll ask just in case, but do you believe in this test, an alliance that transcends classes can really be formed?" Ichinose asked us
"There is no real reason to be hostile here, but asking for cooperation might be a little difficult. The exam itself is prepared so that cooperation between the two classes becomes impossible. That is why absolute and unwavering cooperation between Class B and Class D is a necessity. I don't think such an alliance could form”
"Umm, as expected of Horikita-san, you understand the test perfectly, Ryuuen-kun's proposal was indeed impossible from the start, it's a good move to ally with you" They look happy because their thinking seems to fit perfectly.
"Yes, Ryuuen-kun's strategy will end in failure, no need to worry, the problem is the strategy prepared by Katsuragi-kun, after talking to him himself, what do you think?" Ichinose asks Kanzaki and Horikita about Katsuragi.
"As I told you yesterday, there is no place for other groups to talk to them. He did not respond to us and refused to participate in the discussions. I'm not sure he'll change his stance before the exam ends, are their attitudes the same even if Katsuragi isn't around? " Kanzaki asked Ichinose.
"Yes, there's no hope in my place either. Looks like we have to make a deal in this situation with a different approach" The amount of discussion time left is three. And after that each group must submit their own answers. That's when we had to make a choice. For class or for group? Or maybe just for yourself ?
"I'm going back to my room now"
Since everyone from the group (Naga) had already left the room, Horikita also moved to return to her room. At that moment, Ichinose met Hamaguchi who seemed to have been waiting for him outside. Ichinose glanced at Horikita's back, then turned to look at me.
"If you don't mind, will you accompany me for a moment?" Ichinose asked me
"Sure, no problem"
Right now not only Ichinose but also the other two students from Class B are with me so it feels a little claustrophobic. Then after parting ways with Kanzaki and arriving on the deck, we were suddenly greeted by a student figure who had already switched to a pleasant mood.
"Horikita-san may have already said that, but I still believe we can all work together and there is still room for cooperation" Ichinose finally told me.
"Space for cooperation?"
"Yes, Class A suddenly took such a stance and I was surprised, yet there was still room for cooperation. That's why we need to show everything, isn't it?"
"Everything?"
"At the end of the day, in this exam it is mainly about finding ‘target’. So that means all we have to do is find out as much as possible about ‘target’ to minimize those possibilities, which is why I will tell you... I'm not ‘target’, but I'll find it and I'll take our 'group' to victory" Ichinose clearly said as he looked deep into my eyes. And adding this,
"If you still doubt that I'm ‘target’ and I'm just hiding, even if you ask me, then my response to that is simple ... I did everything I could for Class B" Those words pierced me with a mysterious aura that I was unable to comprehend.
After observing Ichinose's behavior so far, there was only one thing he needed to question. If he really wanted to ask for my cooperation here right now and wanted to earn my full trust, he should have gone a step further. That is, showing me the contents of his phone to make sure that he is not “target".
But Ichinose showed no signs of doing so, I was not even aware of any signs that he was trying to get his phone out. So should I respond bluntly to her statement from a mentally ill woman? Or as a story that still has a hidden side to this? That was the reason behind the mysterious aura. It might be a wise decision to be honest and accept his offer here now.
"... does that make no sense?" Ichinose anxiously asked me after receiving only silence from me.
"No, sorry, it's not an unreasonable thing. I'm just surprised if you're gonna be honest with me. Normally, one would not attempt to bring the entire 'group' into victory if they really were ‘target’ "
"Everything I've said so far, what I want to do is for my class to win fairly and honestly. I was just thinking of finding ‘target’ to see if they had the same thoughts. Ah, Ayanokouji-kun doesn't have to answer if you feel unnecessary. I just want you to know how I feel. I think it would be easier if we were in the same position"
"Although a perfect cooperative relationship is impossible, it is still a good idea to maintain a good relationship. If I don't answer honestly here, this relationship will probably fall apart."
"No, no, no" He tried to stop me and answered her in a panic, but this was not something I should hide here.
What Ichinose said was undoubtedly true, the price he got from betraying me here was small. There was no point in deceiving a Class D who had already sunk to the bottom and could barely climb back up at this moment.
Of course, I can't say for sure that he's 100% as honest as how someone can't afford to be 100% sure that they won't crash into an asteroid and die. But I think I can be honest with him here, too.
"I'm not ‘target’, not Yukimura either, I can be sure about Yukimura, but I don't know with Karuizawa and Sotomura, and personally, I agree with you Ichinose. I don't mind"
I heard from Yukimura, that both Sotomura and Karuizawa seemed to be "targets", but I had better leave an uncertain statement of this conversation. I still can't say that they're not "targets" with confidence. Judging from his attitude and behavior, what Yukimura told me was definitely true. Yukimura is not ‘target’
"Pardon me, I seem to have forced you to speak" Ichinose then lowered his head in front of me as if struck by guilt. But no need to apologize. Because one day, it was 'me' who should have apologized to him for what I was going to do.
"Hamaguchi-kun, can you come here for a moment?"
"What's up, Ichinose-san?"
As Hamaguchi approached, Ichinose began informing him of the current situation. After listening to him, he looked surprised that Ichinose had managed to establish a cooperative relationship with Class D. I think Ichinose's own personality has been able to get approval from the class.
"If he confirms it too, there is no reason for me to reject him, nor am I ‘target’. It's okay to trust me" Hamaguchi told me. And given his relationship with Ichinose, his trust was also quite high. There is little merit in lying here as it could damage his relationship with Horikita if caught.
"So you haven't checked your class yet" If someone like Ichinose were burned by popularity, he was able to get information from his class even without using a terror like Ryuuen.
"I try to let my classmates do individual actions, that kind of thing, there are people who just want points for themselves. Anyway , not that I can decide ‘target’ among them of my own accord" Ichinose said.
"Maybe it's hard, but I'll check what's left. If they answer honestly, I will let Ayanokouji-kun know about it as well"
"I'm so grateful, but that doesn't mean I'll tell you everything about Class D. We still can't say that we've had a positive relationship in the past and there's still no guarantee that what you just told me is the truth" I told Ichinose.
"Alright, as long as Ayanokouji-kun himself cooperates with me, I will be satisfied with that"
And with this, the three of us discussed the exam from a neutral point of view and suddenly working together in a group (rabbit) became a possibility. I, Ichinose, Hamaguchi and Yukimura. The four of us are certainly not ‘target’. I'm sure at least Yukimura noticed his behavior and attitude.
With this left ten people besides us. "Targets" were undoubtedly hiding among the ten of them. After all, this would definitely be a more difficult task than finding a leader during the exam on the island. That's why it's a test.
"Targets" will also feel pressure on themselves and as long as they avoid open action, they can hide themselves. It felt unfair from the start but the school did make sure to keep up with the exams.
"So, how can you find ‘ target’? Even if we ask directly, I doubt they will answer honestly. Not that they could be persuaded by words like the three of us" Hamaguchi told us.
"The whole point of this exam is to do something about it, right?" To be exact, this is a high-quality test. To digest information from someone desperately trying to hide it. Now with Ichinose's move, a change of situation like this was bound to happen.
***
If there is someone who is able to read minds, finding "targets" will not be an easy task. Everyone is born a liar and most are used to lying. If someone who has never lied in his life existed, existence itself would be a lie. For humans, lies are an inseparable part of ourselves. At the very least, among the people gathered in this room, one of them was a "target".
There is still time until the discussion begins, however, the reason I came early like the last time was to observe the behavior of everyone in the group and the first people who came to discuss that night were the girls from Class C. They entered happily while chatting with each other. After seeing me, they immediately lowered their voices in a disgusted manner and quickly distanced themselves from me.
Next was Yukimura who entered the room with a sharp face. While greeting her at a glance, she immediately sat down near me. It seems like he is no different than he usually is. Then the next one to appear was the Class A group. Machida and Takemoto, then Morishige. As usual, since they had decided to remain silent, they decided to sit at the end of the room. Close to where Class C girls sit.
"Hei Machida-kun, today, after this is done, do you want to come play with us? The three of us planned to have some fun after this, but have yet to find someone."
"Entahlah .." Machida replied to them.
Generally Machida did not participate in the discussion, but his 'presence' was still very strong. Excluding Ichinose and Ibuki, it seemed like all the other girls in the group were attracted to him. Not that I'm jealous of him, but I might be a little jealous of him.
Half of Class C had already given up on finding a "target" or perhaps this was still part of their plan, but with those words they had already invited Machida to play with them. Is this the way men and women deepen their relationships? It seemed Machida was also satisfied with that as she looked delighted while considering their invitation.
Then Sotomura and Karuizawa entered the room. But rather than being together, it looked like they had come in the room simultaneously, because Karuizawa had an unhappy expression on her face. As soon as they entered the room, he quickly made a distance between them and moved to the back of the room.
"Hey, that's my chair" Although it came longer, Karuizawa said that to the Class C girls while glaring at them even though they came early. After seeing the other girls teasing Machida blatantly, it seemed Karuizawa became even more angry at them.
"I don't know what you're talking about, but what's your seat? Just find another place for you to sit" Manabe told Karuizawa.
"I said it was my chair. Go" he replied.
"Huh? Can't you see I'm talking to Machida-kun right now? We will play tonight" Manabe told Karuizawa.
"Machida-kun, please tell her you want me to sit next to you" Looking a little embarrassed, Machida looks worried about who she should choose. But Karuizawa immediately understood the situation and quickly entered between Manabe and Machida and held Machida's hand.
Splice....