Classroom of the Elite, A Hypocritical Gray Life

I curled my lip and turned my head away.

Getting a girlfriend...

What kind of girl would I choose as a romantic partner?

The survey report stated that boys prioritize appearance above all else when choosing a member of the opposite sex.

So, I would probably choose a girl who is beautiful, virtuous, and gentle, like Ichinose. If I could add the trait of being easily deceived to that, I would look forward to it even more.

Come to think of it, I haven't heard of Ichinose being confessed to again; it must have been covered up very well.

So, what would happen if I confessed to her? Would she accept?

With zero experience, I fantasized about the entirety of a romance novel.

0

"Ding--"

[I want to confirm with you again; you choose the time and place.]--Yoshii Yuzo.

Chapter 12.5: The Daily Life About to End

The third period was Teacher Hoshinomiya's math class. The moment the bell rang, the classroom fell into a deathly silence; I have to say, the discipline in this class is truly impressive.

"Yahallo! As we agreed, we're having a pop quiz today."

I have a love-hate relationship with this teacher; it's hard to explain exactly what kind of emotions I have toward her. Being lively and cute is fine, but conversely, that trait also makes her seem a bit perverted. In short, I don't know how to describe this attitude.

"Since we have an exam at the end of the month, we'll start with a pop quiz to test your baseline. Students who receive the papers, pass them back. If there are extras, distribute them to the back; there shouldn't be any extras."

Because we had been warned in advance, we weren't surprised by this test. I was worried about the consequences of doing poorly, but the homeroom teacher's next sentence completely dispelled my doubts and fears.

"This exam will only serve as a reference for the future and will not be reflected on your report cards. So there is no risk involved, please rest assured, everyone. However, cheating is strictly prohibited, of course. I hope everyone will demonstrate their true ability."

A report card, formally known as an academic performance report, refers to a written notice recording a student's academic grades.

This phrasing is a bit concerning. I don't think the school would conduct tests outside of what is necessary. Although this might be a feature of this school, I am more inclined to believe that the grades will be reflected in other material aspects.

However, since she said that, it means this exam isn't that important, nor is it the "initial test" that Tanimoto mentioned.

This is a test, but also a reminder.

Since that's the case, I'll just test the waters—the overall strength of this class, and the strength of the entire grade. No, the strength of the entire grade still can't be determined.

I looked over the test questions. Four subjects, twenty questions in total, five points each, for a total of one hundred.

Except for the last three questions, the other questions were so simple that they were boring, even two levels lower than the entrance exam.

Ridiculously simple.

However, those last three questions had some absurd tendencies; if you didn't write out complex equations, it would be impossible to reach the answer.

I don't know the average strength of a middle school student, so I'll just aim for the minimum standard mentioned by the outside world for now.

Then, under the supervision of Teacher Hoshinomiya, I struggled with the questions on the paper until the bell rang for the end of class.

3

"Hey, Shiratori, how many points do you have left?"

"Not many. I spent seventy thousand points on a computer earlier, so I only have about five thousand left... How about you?"

"A bit better than you, I have seven thousand points left."

"What about Okabe?"

"I only have two thousand left."

"So, there's basically no difference in our points." Shiratori sighed. "Raku?"

"I don't know, but it should be about the same as you guys."

"Why don't you just take out your phone and check?"

"I don't want to waste the energy on something like that."

"Hey, are your points really about the same as ours? With such a lazy behavioral pattern, can you even spend your points?"

"Please don't question a human's ability to spend money." I retorted casually, while subtly leading the team away from the vending machine.

If we ran into that thing, we might end up staying there for a while.

"Looking at Raku like this now, maybe he's actually crazy when he's alone."

"Oh, that actually seems possible."

Okabe suddenly turned to my side and hooked his arm around my neck.

"Hey."

"Come on, little Raku, tell us, do you have anything you're hiding?"

"He definitely does. Most guys have something, and Raku is surely no exception."

"..."

Most boys have things they treasure... is there some commonality in this regard? Why do I have absolutely no idea?

"Look, Raku is speechless. He must be shy."

"Haha, it's okay, Raku. We're all guys here, it's fine to say it. We definitely won't tell the girls in class; we're a united front, after all."

Ah, what on earth are they talking about?

If I had to talk about things I treasure, I suppose I have listening devices and surveillance cameras.

Ah, is that the commonality we all share? I see.

"I do indeed have some things I treasure."

"See, I told you," Okabe said, tilting his head back confidently. "So don't be fooled by this guy's appearance. It's possible that Raku is the lewdest one in the whole class."

No, I absolutely do not use surveillance cameras and listening devices for things like peeping into the girls' changing rooms!

"No, I haven't done anything like that," I retorted directly.

"What? You haven't?" Okabe looked at me in shock, and the faces of the other two also showed a hint of admiration.

Don't tell me you all have?

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't look at us with that look of disdain! It's not that we're abnormal, it's that you're the one who's abnormal! Why haven't you done that? Is your brain broken?"

"Raku, you gentleman, we truly admire that point."

"No matter how you look at it, the risks of such things are too high, and you'd face moral sanctions."

"The risks are too high?... That sounds reasonable, but as long as you exercise restraint, there's no problem."

"That's right, as long as you're careful with those things, nothing will go wrong," Takashima nodded in deep agreement.

Restraint? No, are we talking about the same thing?

Are our conversations even on the same wavelength?

"So, where are we actually going?"

To put an end to this conversation before it spiraled further, I changed the subject. Although it was a diversion, I really did want to know our destination. I had completely mapped out the path this group was taking, yet I still didn't know where we were headed.

"Huh? You don't know?"

"I just received a message from Takashima telling me to come down; I don't know anything else."

"We don't have a destination."

"..."

"We just wanted to wander around the school a bit."

"..."

Ah, I shouldn't have come out.

4

[Friday after school, I've booked a KTV room. If any classmates want to come along, remember to let me know.]

Well, it was a message like this that ignited the enthusiasm of the boys in the class. This enthusiasm was very superficial—it was just a look of being very motivated. For example, when a group of boys discusses the topic of girlfriends, they get an impulse and make a vow: "I must find a girlfriend this semester," but in reality, they do nothing, and perhaps they are too afraid to do anything at all.

Right now, our group of boys is caught in this kind of false enthusiasm.

This message was sent by some girl in the class; I can no longer see who it was, as the information has long since been buried by the flood of messages, thrown into the distant starry universe.

"Raku, do you plan on going?"

Ichinose suddenly turned to look at me, and my body jumped subconsciously. However, I quickly suppressed the feeling of being on edge.

"Are you referring to singing at the KTV? I don't know how to sing, and I've never tried it, so I won't make a fool of myself."

"I don't know how either. You can just try it when you get there. We're all classmates, no one will mind."

"I think the probability of it being awkward is much higher."

"It's not like going there means you have to sing. Besides, don't you want to be a bit more popular, Raku?"

"That would only cause my popularity to drop even lower."

"It's better to cast aside such negative thoughts. It's precisely because of that attitude that not many people bother with you, Raku."

"I just find it troublesome."

"...Alright then." Ichinose didn't press the issue, which made me heave a sigh of relief.

At the same time, I glanced at the sign-up list in the class group chat.

Without sufficient benefit, I will not do anything out of the ordinary.

This school is a top-tier high school in Japan that prides itself on its advancement and employment rates, so—this leisurely daily life should be coming to an end soon, right?

I hoped for it in my heart, even longing for this daily life that didn't belong to me to end.

Yes, a daily life like this—I don't deserve it at all.

Chapter 13: May We Be at Peace

May you be at peace.—The Bible, New Testament, Luke 24:36

Sunday.

I should have called today by that name, but it somehow felt inappropriate at this moment. So, I decided to call it the Lord's Day instead.

A week is a unit of time, and it serves as the basis for establishing workdays and rest days. Worship is a religious ritual of the Christian church, and since the church designated Sunday as the day for believers to worship Jesus Christ, it became known as the Lord's Day.

In the universally used weekly calendar, Monday is set as the beginning of the week, and Sunday is the end. However, within the usage of Christians, the Lord's Day is the start of the week. The factors behind this setting are multifaceted, among which the resurrection of their god, Jesus Christ, is particularly important.

Having died to bear all the sins of the world, he thus ushered in a new life. Therefore, the Lord's Day is also called the Day of Resurrection, the beginning of the week.

I was in my dormitory trying every possible way to stall for time, constantly adjusting the tightness of my tie to escape a meeting with an old acquaintance. Yet, as expected, I was too naive; humans truly cannot escape the control of fate. With the feeling of someone walking to their death, I stepped into the elevator.

"Your complexion doesn't look very good. Are you sick?"

"No, I'm just terrified by the coincidence between us."

What kind of serendipity could allow two students from different classes with no connection to meet in the elevator every single morning? Such an event, which defies normal patterns, made me suspicious of his actions.

"I have already made efforts to change that. The proof is... today, both of us are almost late."

"Even the changes in our actions are exactly the same. Could it be that the two of us were originally one entity?" I used all my strength to retort at this ill-fated connection; if possible, please sever the link between him and me.

"I have no intention of becoming one with you. Although I don't have a romantic interest, I can confirm that my sexual orientation is normal. Besides, this is absolutely not some terrifying coincidence; it is just standard human psychology."

"There's no need to explain it so clearly; I don't have any such intentions either." I gave him an unpleasant look.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. This is the name of the young man beside me. He is in the same grade as me, but his class is Class D. I don't know how the particles have been moving over this past month, but no matter what changes I make, I cannot escape the event of meeting Ayanokoji in the morning.

Except for the very first day of school, this "dread" has persisted throughout the entire month of April. At first, I thought he had completely mastered my routine, but later I realized this was all the arrangement of fate. An event with a probability that seemed impossible no matter how you looked at it had simply descended upon me.

I really am unexpectedly "lucky"—

I walked with him toward the classroom, harboring an indescribable feeling, and as usual, we proceeded in silence. Just as I thought that even here I wouldn't feel any change, Ayanokoji suddenly asked me a question.

"I remember the school distributes points on the first of every month, right? Have you received yours, Raku?"