Classroom of the Elite, A Hypocritical Gray Life

This is the only quote from the Black Emperor recorded in historical texts. Based on this alone, one can discern his loyalty and sense of honor. Later, the common folk even coined the saying: "In the northern frontier, there is a king named Duanmu who can stabilize a chaotic world. In the Central Plains, there is an emperor named Wenren who can bring prosperity to a new era."

Yet, it was a man such as this who committed an act that defied everyone's expectations.

Two years after the Black Emperor was granted the title of Marquis of Zhenbei, high-ranking court officials joined forces with dozens of small neighboring countries to launch a political coup, usurping the imperial power. Emperor Wenren was also captured due to inadequate defenses.

Because everyone feared the Black Emperor's return from the north, they kept a tight grip on Emperor Wenren's life, never daring to execute him on the spot. During the coup, Emperor Wenren sent messengers multiple times to summon Duanmu for protection, yet Duanmu, who held a million troops in his hands, remained unmoved, not even replying to a single letter.

That is correct; upon hearing the news, the Black Emperor not only failed to mobilize his troops, he did not utter a single word.

Even when Emperor Wenren was executed and the rebels established a new dynasty, he did nothing at all.

However, just as people were lamenting Duanmu's cold-blooded ruthlessness and his self-proclamation as emperor in the north, the news of Emperor Wenren's death caused him such unbearable agony that he took his own life, proving his loyalty of over a dozen years.

No one knows why he did not send his troops to rescue Emperor Wenren, nor does anyone understand what kind of change had occurred within his heart.

It was precisely because of this incident that he was dubbed by the world as the—Black Emperor.

Ah, after reviewing this story once more, I am even more certain of my own mistake.

The reason is that the boy before me possesses none of the loyalty that the "Black Emperor" had for "Emperor Wenren."

[At the very least, you must get him to cooperate with that girl named Ichinose in your class; only then can you suppress the absolute existence of Class D.]

Recalling his warning, I must do this. Only by forcing the boy to act can I truly eliminate the hidden danger and ensure the final victory.

"Do you think you are absolutely safe right now?"

The boy said this to me with an expressionless face, which caused me to feel fear and despair for him from the bottom of my heart. From the moment I faced the boy, my internal defenses had been completely shattered by him.

Disguises or the like were worthless in his eyes.

Even though his threat was so pale and powerless, I still felt as if I had been thrown into an abyss.

I will likely lose my freedom entirely from here on out, falling into his clutches to be toyed with.

But there is no other way; I can only pretend to be strong.

The die has been cast and cannot be retrieved. I can only grit my teeth and tremble, hoping that he will change just as that high-ranking official said he would.

Chapter 46: The Other Side of the Sea is Never Freedom

A city is impossible to understand, and its composition is also very strange.

If it says it cannot do without you, it doesn't necessarily lack your presence; but if you grow tired of the fast-paced life, the city will inevitably lack a bit of human warmth.

However, as time accumulates, people will inevitably grow weary of city life.

The steel jungle all day long, the deceit in the workplace, looking at the heavy traffic and the neon lights of the streets—what rises in one's heart is not comfort, but an increasingly suffocating sense of confusion and hesitation. Competition constantly amplifies the anxiety that people are accustomed to in the city.

Over time, people grow tired of city life and yearn for the sea, away from the hustle and bustle. The scent of the free sea breeze breaks free from the busyness to a great extent, allowing the tense state of mind to be released to the greatest degree.

The sound of the tide, the rising waves, settling at the boundary between the sea and dreams.

This is why the sea is always so yearning.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! This place is truly amazing—! This scent of freedom, roar, roar, roar!"

"Keep it down, Okabe! Pay at least some attention to your image, your image!"

"At a time like this, who cares about image? I thought going to a southern island for vacation was just a rumor. I didn't expect it to actually be true. Oh, oh, the sea breeze is truly so comfortable!"

"Roar, roar, roar, I'm done being human, JOJO!"

Facing the completely crazed Okabe, Shiratori chose to give up on treatment entirely, only able to sigh slightly behind his back before joining us in admiring the magnificent scenery of the sea. If it were any other day, we would likely have been unable to tolerate Okabe's noise, but only at this moment was everyone so immersed in the happiness of relaxation that they couldn't extricate themselves.

Compared to the gazes of the others, I couldn't help but look at the sea again.

At a glance, it was calm and tranquil; looking into the distance, one could not see the boundary of the sea, and turning around, one couldn't even observe the port of Tokyo Bay.

A luxury cruise ship was drifting on the sea surface as if without a destination.

"The scenery here is really super great."

After Classmate Shiranami finished organizing her luggage, she came to the deck area where our class was located with a group of girls and praised the sea before her from the bottom of her heart.

We are currently on a luxury cruise ship arranged for us by the school. The nearby guide boards were posted with easy-to-understand maps of the ship's interior.

The ship is divided into nine floors and a roof, consisting of five floors above ground and four floors underground.

The first floor is a lounge or a floor used for banquets, while the roof is equipped with a swimming pool, a cafe, and so on. The third to fifth floors are floors with guest rooms. The third floor is for boys, and the fourth floor is for girls. Including the teachers, boys and girls are clearly separated. Similar to the rules for boys and girls in the dormitory, there are no special movement restrictions between genders, but one must not go out around twelve o'clock at night. If one had to say what the difference is from the dormitory, it would probably be the number of people in a single room.

By the way, other floors, such as the first to third basement levels, have various entertainment facilities like movies or stages. The fourth basement level, located at the very bottom of the cruise ship, seems to have machine rooms such as the power distribution room. Regarding the fourth basement level, it should be said that it is a place completely unrelated to students, and it is also the place where unexpected incidents are most likely to occur...

Just as Teacher Hoshinomiya mentioned earlier, after passing the final exams safely, the school prepared a two-week luxury trip for us.

A luxury cruise ship tour.

In this school with national backing and strength, there is absolutely no need to pay for this trip. Even the various facilities on the ship are free to use.

Whether it is a first-class famous restaurant, a theater, a high-end SPA, etc., all are the same.

For this kind of extremely luxurious trip, in the first week, we are supposed to enjoy the summer to the fullest in the homestays built on the southern islands, and in the following week, we will stay on the cruise ship.

Today is also the beginning of this trip, and everything is beautiful and well-arranged. It's just that the departure time in the morning was too early—taking a bus to Tokyo Bay at five o'clock. At this time, one is sleepy, and the sky is just barely brightening.

Precisely because of this, I concluded that this trip would be full of twists and turns; from the very beginning, waking up was a hellish experience.

However, fortunately, the breakfast on the cruise ship is worthy of the price.

"Isn't Honami hanging out with Raku?" Shiranami Chihiro suddenly leaned in close to me, her tone casual.

"No... that kind of thing isn't exactly common even on a normal day, why would you say that?"

"Aren't Raku and Honami very close?"

"Even so, it hasn't reached the point where we have to be together at every moment. People would think we're weird."

"Eh~ it hasn't reached that point? Even though you two have been going on private dates during the school term?"

Private dates?

"I don't think I've ever done anything like that..." At the very least, I was certain I hadn't initiated any dates. "It's probably just some rumor that gave you the wrong idea, Shiranami."

"But I saw it with my own eyes."

"...When?" I tilted my head to show my confusion.

"Haha, Raku is just trying to hide his relationship with Honami, aren't you?" Shiranami covered her mouth and let out a casual laugh.

Watching the smile hidden behind her hand, I felt as if a faint, dark aura was radiating from her.

How terrifying! I must really be overstressed these past few days.

"...No, I have absolutely no memory of us going on private dates. If you don't mind, could you tell me about the experience where you supposedly saw us?" I thought for a moment before rejecting her claim.

"Hmm, sure." She nodded, her eyes shifting to the upper left and then to the upper right. "It was around July, I think. That day, Honami asked us for leave, saying she had something to take care of. We were a bit puzzled, but no one thought much of it because Honami is always so busy."

"After dinner, I suddenly remembered I'd left something in the classroom, so I went back. On my way back to the dorms, I accidentally bumped into Honami and Raku chatting on a wooden bench by the street. Afterward, you two even headed toward Keyaki Mall together. Honami looked especially happy... are you saying that didn't happen?"

Is it really okay to pass off the fact that you were stalking us as an accident?

"That did happen, but it wasn't a date. I had lost something that day, and while I was looking for it, I happened to run into Ichinose, who was out for a walk."

"A walk?"

"That's what she said. We ended up grabbing a meal together, and that was it."

"So, we misunderstood."

"While the word 'we' makes me a bit uneasy, looking at the facts, it was indeed a misunderstanding. At least, our relationship isn't to the extent you're imagining... By the way, are you looking for Ichinose?"

"Yeah, I haven't seen Honami since we boarded the ship. I waited in the cafeteria for a long time and didn't see her, so I thought you, being close to her, might know something."

If you could, please stop emphasizing the relationship between me and Ichinose...

"Even so, you should ask the other girls in the class about Ichinose's whereabouts, not me."

"I heard that once a girl gets a boyfriend, she reports everything to him first. It seems I was wrong about that."

So, are you even listening to me?

"Ichinose and I are just ordinary friends. There is no special relationship."

"I know, I know. I meant that's what I thought before. And honestly, that's fine too..." Shiranami whispered something cryptic in my ear.

What's fine?

Before I could carefully consider the meaning behind her words, she lifted her head again. "Even though you've admitted it yourself, Raku, I still want to ask: is there really nothing between you two? When I confessed that time, Honami asked you for help, right?"

"If there wasn't a special relationship, she wouldn't have consulted you about that, especially since you're a boy."

You really know how to pick the sore spots. I can't believe you have the courage to bring up a failed attempt like that. Even though I won that 'war,' I have absolutely no desire to talk about it.

"You can just consider that incident as me accidentally passing by, Shiranami."

"Accidentally passing by, and then accidentally pinning Honami against the wall?"

"..."

"That was just an accident, yes, an accident."

Well, you probably won't believe that explanation anyway. Nobody would!

Why did you have to bring this up today? The good mood I finally managed to find after seeing the ocean has vanished into thin air.

"Really?"

"Absolutely. If you don't believe me, you can go confirm it with Ichinose."

"We did ask, of course, but Honami's attitude wasn't as firm as yours, Raku. She always had this look like she wanted to admit it but couldn't."

"Why would she have a look like that..."

Since you've already said all that, what else can I possibly explain?

"Hmm... then, setting that aside, do you have feelings for Honami, Raku? Like, do you have any intention of making her your girlfriend or even your wife?"

Isn't this question a bit too advanced for a middle schooler, Shiranami?!

"Uh, I think any guy would have those kinds of thoughts."

"What about for me?"

"...Maybe I do?"

It was a dead-end question no matter how I answered, so I could only give such an ambiguous response.

"I see. That's fine too..."

"I have a feeling you're thinking about something extremely dangerous..."

"Not at all." Facing my suspicion, Shiranami Chihiro responded with a very radiant smile.

If you want to pursue a romance with Ichinose, I won't get in your way. Well, although I really want to say that, I cannot state it as an absolute until the hidden risks are resolved. If you ask why, it is because the power of language is immense, capable of even transcending the existence of actions.

[Attention all students. If you have the time, please gather on the deck. We are about to see the island. You will surely witness a very meaningful sight in a short while.]

Just as I was lost in thought regarding the matters between Ichinose and Shiranami, this 'strange' announcement suddenly played over the cruise ship's speakers. It might not sound out of place at first, but there was really no need for such a thing.

"In that case, I think Ichinose will probably come to the deck. If you want to find her, now is the best time," I said to Shiranami Chihiro.

"Hmm, it's not like I have business with Honami; I was just a little worried since I hadn't seen her."

Then don't go out of your way to strike up a conversation with me; I'm also exhausted after going through a threat...

"Since that's the case, I'll head over to view the island first."

Although I can observe it from this position, I can't make out the details very well, so I still need to get closer to the front.

"I'll go with you."

"Are you really sure it's okay not to look for Ichinose?"

"It's fine. Besides, Honami might be busy with other things and wouldn't want to be disturbed by others."

"...Alright then."

This is indeed a bit strange. Given Ichinose's personality, she should be staying with everyone at a time like this. Her situation is truly concerning.

However, I should resolve the trouble right in front of me first.

"Kanzaki, do you want to go to the front and take a look? Okabe, you too." I turned around and asked the people behind me.

"You guy! To think you'd actually come up with an idea like that?!"

"How rude. Please don't equate personal laziness with a lack of ability, okay? There are some things I simply don't want to do."