April 2015
"W-what... what's going on?" I was utterly confused as I looked at the people and things around me.
But when I tilted my head slightly and saw the girl on the other side of the bus aisle, I was even more unsettled.
"Horikita Suzune? Nani?"
As if I couldn't believe it, I took another look—indeed, I examined her carefully.
Yep, confirmed. This really was Horikita Suzune, which meant I'd been transported to the world of Classroom of the Elite.
Once I'd calmed down a little, memories came flooding into my mind. They belonged to the body's original owner, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
Even though I knew the plot of Classroom of the Elite and how capable its characters were, I still couldn't believe the sheer volume of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's knowledge or how effortlessly he could fight.
You're telling me a high school student who's just started school could have all that? Each field, taken on its own, represented the lifetime's work of an ordinary person—or even someone with a bit of talent.
About a minute later, I finally pulled myself out of that vast sea of memories.
Just then, a woman dressed in office attire was criticizing the blond boy across from her.
When she realized she couldn't persuade Koenji, she turned to us and asked, "Could someone give up their seat for this elderly lady? Please, everyone."
Everyone fell silent.
Several dozen seconds later, I stood up and motioned for the elderly woman to take my seat.
"Thank you, dear. You're such a good boy," the old woman said gratefully as she sat down.
I went and stood beside the woman, and she nodded to me, gratitude in her eyes.
At the same time, I felt another gaze fall on me. It was Kushida.
She'd probably been about to stand and give up her seat, but I'd beaten her to it. Heh, I'd taken the chance to do a good deed, but I'd probably also made a good first impression on Kushida.
After that, nothing else happened. On the way to Kodo Ikusei, I discreetly looked around and saw that most of the people on the bus were familiar faces.
There were people like Horikita Suzune, Kushida Kikyo, Ken Sudō...
A while later, the bus braked and arrived at Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School. Since I'd been standing, I was the first to get off.
As I walked toward the school gates, I took in Japan's top high school. What a grand, extravagant place, I thought.
"Hey, wait up."
A cool voice called out, and then Horikita Suzune came up beside me.
I knew why she was here, but I still asked politely, "Is something the matter?"
"You looked at me twice on the bus. What was that about? I especially felt your piercing gaze the second time."
Horikita Suzune had originally planned to call it a creepy gaze, but after seeing me give up my seat for the elderly woman, she'd decided I probably wasn't a pervert.
"You're Horikita Suzune, right?"
"H-how do you know that?" For a moment, Horikita Suzune thought I was another pervert who'd followed her or something.
"Haha, don't worry. I went to the junior high right next to yours, so I know who you are."
"Did you go to Tokyo Riei Junior High School? It is quite close to my junior high."
Horikita thought it over, then realized something didn't add up. "But I didn't have many friends in junior high, and I wasn't very noticeable. You shouldn't have known who I was."
At that, Horikita's gaze seemed to grow sharp again.
I gave a wry smile and put on an expression as if I were about to explain the truth. "Actually, I know you because of your older brother, Horikita Manabu. I really admire him."
Hearing that, Horikita Suzune looked as if she understood.
"Um, can we talk while we walk? We should get to class first, and we have the opening ceremony later," I suggested.
Horikita Suzune nodded and fell into step beside me.
"Actually, I came to this school because I found out that your older brother, Horikita Manabu, went here too."
When I said that, Horikita's usually calm face showed clear surprise.
Rather, Horikita Suzune felt it was too much of a coincidence, since she'd come to this school for the same reason I had.
As we chatted, we arrived together in front of the classroom marked Class 1-D.
Horikita Suzune and I both looked incredulous, though of course I was faking it.
"You're in Class D too?" It was hard to miss the surprise in Horikita Suzune's voice.
"Yeah. Horikita, you're so capable. I look forward to working with you."
When we reached our respective seats, I pretended not to know where Horikita Suzune sat. After sitting down, I turned my head toward the window.
When Horikita Suzune reached her seat, she noticed I was sitting to her left. But when she saw me looking out the window, she didn't disturb me and sat down on her own.
Before long, the bell rang to announce the start of school. The homeroom teacher walked into the classroom, and everyone returned to their seats.
I looked over Sae. She wore business attire and had her hair tied up in a high ponytail, just like in the original story. She looked around thirty, perhaps a little younger. I smiled discreetly. Women her age had a certain allure.
She surveyed the class, then began speaking. "I'm your homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae. I'll be with you for the next three years."
"I teach history and literature. I won't necessarily be teaching those subjects to our class, but you can come to me with any questions about them."
"I assume you've all read the information and materials about the school before enrolling, so I'll keep this brief."
"Our school upholds the principle of merit above all else. If you have ability, you'll rise to the top. If you don't, you'll remain at the bottom forever. Right now, we're at the bottom, but I hope you'll pick yourselves up and strive to reach Class A."
"Next, I'll hand out your student IDs. Each one has 100,000 points on it, and another 100,000 points will be added at the start of every month. At this school, there's nothing you can't buy with points. And if there is, you simply don't have enough."
"You'll all be here for these three years. You won't be able to see your families or go outside. At the same time, this is a good opportunity to grow. It's all up to you to make the most of it."
"All right, that's enough. In an hour, head to the gymnasium for the opening ceremony. I'll meet you there."
"That's all." After handing out the student IDs, Chabashira left the classroom.
"Whoa, we get a hundred thousand yen every month? Is this a dream? If it is, I hope I never wake up," a boy said.
I glanced over. It was Kanji Ike, making a racket.
I silently resolved not to get involved with Kanji Ike or Haruki Yamauchi from this class. Those two were the worst of the worst.
Not only were they useless, they were both ruled by their hormones. If they were as amazing as Ayanokoji, they could go and break a Tyrannosaurus for all I cared.
When it felt like enough time had passed, Hirata Yosuke stood up and smiled warmly at the class. "We have another hour. Why don't we use the time to introduce ourselves? It'll help us become friends sooner. What do you think?"
"If nobody objects, I'll start." He glanced around, apparently deciding that no one was against it.
"My name is Hirata Yosuke. Back in junior high, people usually called me Yosuke, so I'd like you all to call me by my first name. I'm interested in all kinds of sports, but I especially like soccer. I plan to play soccer at this school, too. I look forward to getting along with you."
Yep, that was a textbook self-introduction. There was nothing to criticize; you could even call it perfect.
But hey, you're stealing the spotlight a little too much. If I hadn't ended up in Ayanokoji's body, that'd be one thing, but now I had no reason to let Ayanokoji be overshadowed.
With that thought, I stood up, radiating confidence.
The entire class looked at me. I wasn't nervous. I nodded to everyone and began my introduction.
"Hi, everyone. My name is Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. Like Hirata, I'm interested in most sports and have tried quite a few. I'm also fairly confident in my studies, so if anyone has trouble understanding something, feel free to ask me later. Oh, and I'm pretty good at cooking, too. That's all. I'll leave time for the next person."
When I finished, the people around me applauded. Hirata smiled and clapped, too. Maybe he thought I'd been supporting him, or maybe he felt I really was quite capable.
After I sat down, I immediately felt someone looking at me from the right. I turned and smiled. "What's up?"
Horikita Suzune looked a little puzzled. "I thought you were a rather introverted person. I didn't expect you to be so outgoing. And you seem much more capable than you let on."
"Haha, I'm doing all right. Mainly, I'm trying to live up to Horikita Manabu. He's had an influence on me, too."
When I mentioned Horikita Manabu, Horikita seemed to think for a moment before saying, "I hope you won't tell people that I'm his younger sister. It would be a real problem for me."
I nodded and gave her a reassuring look.
A few more people introduced themselves after that, including Kanji Ike, Haruki Yamauchi, and Inogashira Kokoro. Fewer than ten people, myself included, had introduced themselves so far.
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