Classroom of the Elite, A Hypocritical Gray Life

"This is for the sake of the class, Okabe. We need to toughen up!"

Strange, isn't it? Why would I cry over someone else's game console when I have one of my own?

I had the fortune of touching that game, though I had absolutely no concept of such things before then. While the mode was novel and the content rich, I still didn't find it appealing.

I couldn't understand it at all...

[Student Raku from Class 1-B, please come to the teachers' office immediately. Your homeroom teacher has something to discuss with you.]

[The broadcast is playing again...]

Just as I was preparing to delve into deep thought, my name suddenly blared from the speaker installed in the corner of the classroom. I looked toward the corner in surprise, though I knew I wouldn't see anything of note, I did it anyway.

"Teacher Hoshinomiya is looking for you... Did Raku do something out of line?"

I was quite curious about that myself.

"I don't think Raku is capable of doing anything out of line." Kanzaki spoke up for me from the side, though no matter how I looked at it, this sounded like he was mocking me.

"That's true... Could it be because of this recent quiz?"

I was being treated as harmless, but at the very least, I was still a gecko.

"I remember Raku's score was sixty. While that only ranks in the lower tier, we clearly did even worse."

"We were just playing too hard this past month. We can get our grades back up with a little cramming."

"Fine, fine. Okabe just didn't show his full potential. But we are discussing Raku's problem right now."

"..."

"I don't feel like any reason fits quite right."

"In any case, I should head over first, or the consequences might be even more severe."

Seeing that the four of them couldn't reach any effective conclusion, I had to take emergency action before the situation escalated.

"Mm, take care."

"Come back alive, Raku."

What is with that expression of sending off a comrade about to die? Are you cursing me?!

I tried my best to suppress the urge to retort and dodged the oppressive gazes of the students.

Following that, a psychological game unfolded between the crocodile waiting to hunt in the lake and the deer coming to lick the water.

It's so lively; is there some kind of event being held inside?

To avoid losing face in front of the teachers, I chose to knock as a precursor. The heavy "thump-thump" sound was shocking even to me. I never thought I would have a day like this.

The conversation inside the office didn't stop, nor did a reply to enter come, so I opened the door on my own.

"Eh, Sae, for what reason did you call him out? Eh, eh, why?"

"Uh, I have absolutely no idea about that..."

"You don't know? You called him out without even stating a reason? That's truly interesting. What is your name?"

"My name is Ayanokoji."

"..."

"Mm, Raku-kun has also arrived. That was fast." While talking to Ayanokoji, Teacher Hoshinomiya noticed me hiding behind the door. At the same time, Ayanokoji cast his gaze toward me.

"Didn't you demand that I come immediately over the broadcast?"

"I thought you might dawdle for a while. I heard from Honami that your personality is quite lazy."

"..." No wonder my left eyelid had been twitching for the past few days.

"But the timing of your arrival is just right. Now, Raku-kun, hurry over and take a look." Teacher Hoshinomiya casually grabbed my sleeve and forcibly dragged me in front of Ayanokoji. "Tell me, isn't Ayanokoji-kun super handsome? How about it, isn't he handsome?"

"I'm not very good at aesthetics..."

"Hm? You're a handsome guy yourself, yet you have no evaluation for a fellow male?"

"While I am happy you would praise me like that, I'm sorry, I rarely think about this aspect."

They're both handsome...

My looks shouldn't be considered outstanding, should they? Wait, if Ayanokoji and I were both summoned by our respective homeroom teachers at the same time, could it be that there is some kind of competition between the classes? Are the entry requirements based on being the "visual representative" of the class? No way, could there be such a cliché competition? If so, I need to strongly suggest Kanzaki and Shibata.

"Hm, I know about Raku's situation. That personality of his definitely wouldn't be popular. But Ayanokoji-kun must be very popular, right? Have you made a girlfriend?"

"No... um, because I'm not popular."

Teacher Hoshinomiya leaned in with extreme enthusiasm, wanting to grab Ayanokoji's arm with her slender, beautiful arms. Then, Ayanokoji dodged toward my side. Although his overall demeanor didn't change much, I still read a signal for help in his eyes.

Even if you sent the highest-level distress signal, 'Mayday', there is nothing I can do about this playful and cute teacher.

"Eh? You two... could it be that you already know each other?" Upon noticing the small movements between Ayanokoji and me, Teacher Hoshinomiya asked with interest.

"We've met in the elevator a few times. Did you call me here because of Ayanokoji?"

"It has nothing to do with him. I called you here for another reason; it just so happens that I ran into Ayanokoji-kun."

"Hoshinomiya?"

A woman in uniform with a high ponytail walked in slowly, casting a cold, indifferent glance at Teacher Hoshinomiya. She then stepped forward and slammed the clipboard in her hand onto Teacher Hoshinomiya's head with a loud thud. The attacked Teacher Hoshinomiya crouched down like a kindergartner, clutching her head and looking completely devastated.

"That hurts, Sae!"

"That is the penalty for pestering my student."

"I wasn't pestering him! I was just entertaining your student while you weren't around, Sae."

"Wouldn't it have been better to just leave him be? What kind of homeroom teacher ignores their own students to pester those from other classes? Alright, Ayanokoji, sorry to keep you waiting. Come with me to the guidance office."

"Hey, isn't it a bit inconvenient here? Sae, you aren't exactly the type of teacher who provides guidance, so do you have some strange motive for calling a student to the office alone?" As she spoke, Teacher Hoshinomiya narrowed her eyes, and for a split second, I saw a viciousness akin to a venomous snake.

"Sae, you wouldn't be planning to overstep your bounds, would you~?"

The homeroom teacher of Class D responded with a cold, detached look, saying, "This is merely an internal dispute within Class D and has nothing to do with other classes."

"What kind of internal dispute? Why not tell me? Maybe I can help."

"It's just a trivial matter."

"I don't mind the trouble—"

"Teacher Hoshinomiya, could I borrow a moment of your time? Regarding the student council... Huh? Why is Raku here too?" Perhaps because the atmosphere in the office was too volatile, no one heard the knock, and the office door opened once more as Ichinose walked in.

"Two students already? Class B is truly troublesome." At this, Ayanokoji's teacher gave a cold, thin smile.

"Sometimes that's a good thing, isn't it? Well, let's leave it at that for now. Goodbye, Ayanokoji-kun. Now, you two, come with me to the other side." After saying this, Teacher Hoshinomiya led us away from the direction of the guidance office.

"Hmm, let's choose this spot." With no one else around, Teacher Hoshinomiya turned around gracefully and looked at me with a beaming smile.

"Alright, let's start by discussing the issue with Raku-kun."

"Uh, would it be better if I stepped away?"

"If possible, I would like Honami to stay and listen. Raku-kun's problem is a bit serious, and as a homeroom teacher, I might not be able to resolve it alone."

"Did Raku-kun do something wrong? Is it really that serious?" Ichinose looked at me with concern. Perhaps because I didn't show much reaction, her expression looked a bit strange.

"Raku-kun, can you let me know what's going on? If you're in trouble, I will definitely help you."

"I don't believe I've done anything out of line..."

"Raku-kun, you don't even know? Teacher Hoshinomiya, what exactly happened?" Having failed to get an answer for so long, Ichinose seemed a bit anxious.

"Don't panic. Raku-kun's situation isn't as serious as it sounds. I only called him here to talk about his grades."

"Grades? Raku-kun scored sixty on this quiz, right? If it's just because of that, Teacher Hoshinomiya, you don't need to worry. I've already planned to organize a study group to help classmates improve their grades. There's no need to pull Raku-kun aside for a lecture." Upon getting the answer, Ichinose immediately stepped in to defend me. I was honored to receive such generous kindness, though Teacher Hoshinomiya's playful smile made me quite uncomfortable.

"Is that all you think, Honami? Why don't you think about it a little longer? Sixty is an extremely special score, at least for Raku-kun."

"A special score... what do you mean by that?"

"Doesn't it seem a bit too logical for a score of sixty, Ichinose? It's exactly sixty percent of the total, the passing rate often cited by the outside world. It's enough to prove that one's knowledge goes beyond mere superficial understanding."

"Even so, there's no need to call Raku-kun out alone. Raku-kun just happened to get that score by chance."

"Have you still not understood after all I've said, Ichinose?"

"Everyone knows that cheetahs are the fastest animals in the world, but they usually lie around lazily. Even when they run, they might be slow, and the same goes for hunting. They rarely show their true speed of over 110 kilometers per hour. Raku-kun is just like a cheetah right now."

"Are you saying Raku-kun is intentionally hiding his abilities?"

"Yes, perhaps Raku-kun is even stronger than you, Ichinose, who placed first in the entrance exam."

"Raku-kun getting this score might just be a coincidence."

"You won't say that after you see these, Ichinose."

"This is..."

As she spoke, Teacher Hoshinomiya pulled several test papers from a folder and handed them to Ichinose, who was standing beside me. If I snatched them away now and swallowed them whole, would everything be fine?

"In order to provide individualized training for students, I specifically pulled out the report forms from the entrance exam, and I was shocked. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me."

Ichinose looked through all the test papers, her eyes filled with disbelief as she looked at me. Just as she was about to ask a question, Teacher Hoshinomiya responded.

"There are no errors on the test papers."

"Math sixty, Japanese sixty, English sixty, Science sixty, Social Studies sixty..." Ichinose whispered my entrance exam scores one by one. "And this quiz was also sixty..."

"Looking at any one exam, you might think it's a coincidence, but once you put them all together, it's different, isn't it? Heh heh, so, Raku-kun, don't you owe me an explanation?"

100ms

Experimental evidence shows this is the limit of human reaction speed. In fact, among all the humans I have encountered so far, no one has ever exceeded this threshold.

However, animals are different. Because of their absolute predatory lifestyle, they possess transcendent reaction speeds. For a deer that has already sensed a crocodile, escaping should be a very simple matter.

"Getting these scores really is just a coincidence."

"Are you still planning to hide the truth from us? Do you want to be some kind of cool, hidden genius?"

"I never thought of that. I'm already satisfied with being an ordinary student."

"But you can't just brush this off as a coincidence!" Ichinose put down the test papers and gently grabbed my arm, as if to say I wasn't going anywhere until I explained myself.

This already constitutes a threat, doesn't it?

"It really is just a coincidence. As an energy-conservationist, I just wanted to meet the minimum standards for the exams. I simply controlled my scores to hover around that range; getting exactly sixty is just a coincidence. Sometimes it might be fifty-nine, other times sixty-one—in short, it's a coincidence."

"So, Raku, you mean that as long as we reach the minimum passing grade, it doesn't matter if we leave the rest of the questions blank?"

"There aren't any specific requirements regarding that, are there? Teacher Hoshinomiya mentioned that expulsion only applies to those who fall below the passing line, and since the passing line is currently half of the average score, in other words, anything above sixty is perfectly safe."

"It seems Raku-kun doesn't want to do anything unnecessary for the sake of it. This is what they call 'If it's not necessary, don't do it; if it is necessary, keep it simple,' right?"

"I don't know where you heard that from, but please don't say it out loud. It's quite embarrassing."

"But is Raku-kun really not doing it just because it's unnecessary?"

"I don't believe I have any other reason." I rejected the possibility Teacher Hoshinomiya suggested, yet she had no intention of letting it go, turning her focus toward Ichinose.

"Honami should know, right? The reason why a cheetah doesn't use its full strength when running."

"Because the cheetah feels those prey aren't worth it... is that it..."

"That is not what I meant at all."

"Hmm~ Raku-kun is really mean. Teacher doesn't know what to do with you." Teacher Hoshinomiya suddenly clung to Ichinose, hugging her and pretending to have a massive headache.

"This little bad habit isn't good, but I don't have much time to have a heart-to-heart with Raku-kun. Mmm, what a headache... How about Honami helps me discipline Raku-kun?"

"Eh? Me?" Ichinose, already troubled by Teacher Hoshinomiya's behavior, became flustered.

"There's absolutely no problem with Honami doing this. You're so cute, have such a great personality, and are as lively and adorable as a rabbit. You'll definitely be able to chew up a piece of wood like Raku, and besides, haven't you already captured him?"

What kind of strange metaphor is that?

"No, that's not it. Raku-kun and I don't have that kind of relationship. 'Captured' or anything like that..."

"Oh? Is that so? You seem so intimate every day, and other students have told me about it, too."

"Absolutely not! Raku-kun and I are not in that kind of relationship yet!"

"Wow, 'not in that kind of relationship yet,' which means you have thoughts about becoming boyfriend and girlfriend, then?"

"That's not it! Raku-kun, say something!"

"If there's nothing else, I'll be taking my leave now."