Classroom of the Elite, A Hypocritical Gray Life

"Fine, then I'll reluctantly accompany you."

"I happen to be a little interested in the island as well, so let's go together... Will you be coming along, Shiranami?"

"Yes, I am quite interested in the natural scenery."

Her voice sounded a bit dissatisfied, but I didn't pay any mind to that emotion.

I took the liberty of leading everyone to the VIP area on the deck, gazing out at the scenery of the island as I pleased.

The surrounding crowd was a bit dense, but since my helpers were doing a good job of shielding me from the press of the crowd, I was able to focus on the situation on the island.

Soon, I discovered some things that shouldn't have been there.

They appeared to be three-dimensional installations equipped with electronic screens.

Has it already begun?

Chapter 47: Romantic Whims

"Is it just my imagination? Why does it seem like you've been getting close to Shiranami lately?"

Just as I was trying to figure out what those machines were for, Shiratori sidled up to my side and whispered softly in my ear, using a voice only I could hear.

"Tell me, you aren't trying to two-time, are you?"

"Two-timing or whatever—"

"What, Raku! What did you just say? I knew it! No wonder you've been so intimate with Shiranami lately, so you're trying to two-time!"

Before I could finish my sentence, Okabe reacted immediately and exclaimed loudly. I glanced surreptitiously at our surroundings, and only after confirming that no one had noticed us did I heave a sigh of relief. Incidentally, Shiranami Chihiro had returned to the group of girls at some point.

"Raku, men should be single-minded. You already have Class Representative Ichinose, so don't go setting your sights on other girls. Besides, I don't think you have the capital to be a playboy, so if you don't want to die, it's not too late to turn back now," Takashima warned me from the side in a very serious tone.

"I, for one, would like to request that you put an end to those uninteresting thoughts. As for the idea of being a playboy who two-times, I haven't done it in the past, I'm not doing it now, and I certainly won't in the future. Also, I've explained this many times: the relationship between Ichinose and me isn't what you imagine; we're just classmates who sit in front of and behind each other."

"Are you trying to deny the intimacy you show each other on a daily basis?"

"What is that even supposed to mean? If it's just chatting, Ichinose does that with Kanzaki and Shibata too, doesn't she?"

"Could it be that you're jealous?"

"I get it, he's flustered."

"..."

Sometimes I really want to crack open their skulls to see what exactly is inside.

"I see, so that's how it is. Everything is clear now."

"...What exactly have you figured out?"

"Because Raku saw Ichinose getting close to other boys, he got jealous and decided to get close to Shiranami to make Ichinose jealous in return. That way, he could force Ichinose to take action and solidify his own position. This kind of 'playing hard to get' is simply brilliant."

"..."

"See, I was right. Raku is completely speechless."

Your imaginations really are something else...

"Right? I told you. Hey, do you think if I wrote a novel about romance, it would be a huge hit?" Seeing me lose my words, Okabe crossed his arms and began to boast.

"Forget it, you probably wouldn't even write as well as Raku. At least he has some interaction with girls. Tell me, how much experience do you have interacting with girls?" Faced with Okabe's smugness, Takashima mocked him directly.

"Hey! No personal attacks allowed!"

"Besides, you haven't even read that many romantic storylines, yet you want to write one?"

"Damn it, are you looking down on me? I've read more romantic plots than you have hairs on your body!"

"Are those even normal romantic scenarios? They're all just isekai transmigrations, aren't they?"

"Bastard, are you looking down on isekai transmigrations?"

"Heh, give it a rest—"

"..."

Ah, they've started arguing.

Having become the fuse for this quarrel, I decided not to participate in the battle, nor did I even intend to break up the fight. I leaned silently against the railing, listening to the fury they were venting at each other. Kanzaki also came to my side and joined the spectators.

"Aren't you going to stop them?"

"This kind of bickering between them isn't the first or second time it's happened; there's really no need... But speaking of which, you really do seem to be spending a lot of time with Shiranami lately. Aside from getting a girlfriend, do you have some other objective?"

"How come you've started getting interested in this kind of thing too?"

"Human curiosity toward the unknown is irresistible. I just hadn't shown it before. But as it stands, I don't see anything that would make you interested."

"..."

"So, tell me, what is really going on?"

Faced with Kanzaki's question, I could only offer a wry smile.

"The truth is, I don't even understand what's going on myself. In any case, I haven't been deliberately approaching her. On the contrary, Shiranami is always the one asking me about Ichinose, and they're all things that wouldn't matter even if she asked them to her face."

"In other words, it's always Shiranami taking the initiative to find you, is that it?"

"Yeah."

"...Although it's a bit hard to believe, could it be that Shiranami has a crush on you?"

"I beg to differ. I don't believe I've displayed any particular traits that would attract girls."

"Perhaps it's precisely your laziness that led to this by some twist of fate."

"Then just how poor must Shiranami's taste be?"

"If you changed that, you might become more popular."

"That's not going to happen."

"It's true, you know. At least, that's what the anonymous comments on the rankings say."

Rankings, rankings again. The last time they were mentioned was before the first swimming class. I ended up joining the group chat back then, but I never figured out where to actually view these rankings. What kind of rankings are they talking about now?

"Looking at your face, don't tell me you don't know? Things like the boys' looks ranking or the gloomy ranking."

"I've never heard of them..."

"These things should be pretty common. You must have experienced them in elementary and middle school, right?"

"I can understand the boys' looks ranking, but what on earth is that gloomy ranking?"

"It seems you only know about the conventional rankings. Our school's official website has a lot of unconventional ones, like the most popular ranking, the person you most want to kill ranking, the most punchable face ranking..."

"Wait, that's way too terrifying."

"It's just people venting their frustrations; nothing worth paying attention to. Also, you seem to be quite famous on the boards."

"You mean the most punchable and the one people want to kill?"

"Not quite that far. Let me think... you're number one on the harmless ranking."

"Of course, I'm only talking about the first-year rankings, but you're also third in the entire grade. Rumor has it you only missed the top spot because the timing wasn't right."

Although I should be honored to receive the top award of first place, why is it that I don't feel happy at all when Kanzaki mentions this...

"You're fourth in the looks ranking and seventh in the gloomy ranking."

"Where exactly do you see these rankings? And why do you know about these things so clearly?"

"They're on the school's official website under the student section. As for why I know so much... I can only say I've roughly kept an eye on the data of a few acquaintances."

"But these are just tools to kill time in one's leisure; their authenticity is highly controversial. For instance, with the looks ranking, you can improve your score by making a good impression."

"...Which malicious student or teacher would even post this content on the school's portal?"

"True, you only ever avoid unnecessary trouble. I imagine being on these lists must be very annoying for you."

"I suppose it's fine. At least since I enrolled, no one has come looking for trouble."

[We are about to dock at the island owned by this school. Students, please change into your gym clothes in thirty minutes, and after confirming your designated bags and luggage, bring your mobile phones and gather on the deck. Please leave all other personal items in your rooms. Since you can still go to the restroom for the time being, please take care of your needs now.]

The sudden broadcast interrupted the conversation between Kanzaki and me. At that moment, the cruise ship finished its task of circling the island and headed straight toward it.

"Oh, oh, oh! It looks like it's starting!"

"I can't wait."

Okabe and his group also stopped their bickering and gathered around us.

Then, we returned to our rooms together to change clothes and prepare the necessary items.

Because of the horseplay, I became the first person in our group to finish changing into my gym clothes.

By the way, 'our group' refers to our room. Due to capacity limits, we were assigned to four-person rooms. The members of my room are Okabe, Takashima, and Shiratori. As for Kanzaki, he was dragged away by Shibata and the others halfway there.

After changing, I went straight to the deck to wait for the ship to arrive at the island. As the island drew closer, the number of people around me began to increase.

Then, I caught sight of Ichinose.

I wanted to go over and say hello, but I noticed she looked a bit dazed, her hair slightly messy as if she had just woken up, and her cheeks were flushed.

After confirming a series of phenomena, I realized one thing. I glanced at the distance to the island, then quickly walked back into the cabin.

Chapter 48: Ka-32 Helicopter

The American success guru Dale Carnegie once said: "Fifteen percent of a person's success in their career is due to their professional technical skills, while the remaining eighty-five percent depends on interpersonal relationships and social skills. Soft and hard are relative. Professional technical skill is a hard skill, while the social skill of handling interpersonal relationships is a soft skill."

In other words, success is a habit, the result of countless trials and tribulations.

However, they found this theory ridiculous, and the reason for that was quite clear.

Success is not a habit, but a realistic transcendence of one's own abilities.

If one's ability is powerful enough—powerful enough that they have no need for interpersonal relationships—then success itself is merely a virtual data estimation.

In other words, when there is no light in the darkness, you will never know what darkness is.

On one hand to prove it, and on the other for themselves, they ignored the opposition of the masses and executed that so-called 'inhumane' plan.

And because of that, the current me exists.

1

"Now then, please disembark in order, starting with Class A students. Additionally, mobile phones are prohibited on the island. Everyone, hand them over to your homeroom teacher; the phones will be kept at the teachers' base during this time. Disembark!"

Under the command of the teacher holding a megaphone, we walked down the stairs of the cruise ship in order.

Although we were able to spend our days out at sea during summer vacation, this scorching Natsuhi showed us no mercy. On the deck of the ship docked at the shore, we had no way to escape the direct sunlight.

Fine beads of sweat soon covered my entire body like a suit of armor.

We waited for the order to disembark while enduring the sweltering heat.

Thanks to being in Class B, I couldn't even imagine if I would have been pierced through by the heat had I been in Class D.

Even if only for a moment, I missed the cool air inside the cabin.

"You're way too fast, Raku. It was just the time it took to change clothes, and when I turned around, you were gone. Couldn't you have waited for us?"

"You guys weren't just changing clothes. If I had stayed any longer, who knows if your messing around would have dragged me into it."

"Do you have a problem with being dragged into it? This is exactly why I say you're boring."

"And even if you find it troublesome, you can't just leave us behind to go enjoy the minshuku... eh, haha, oh, Class Representative Ichinose is here too."

Because the heat of the argument was too intense, Okabe's shout attracted Ichinose, who was not far behind me.

"Yes, I came out immediately after hearing the broadcast... Is everyone not ready yet?"

"Ah, the others are still packing their things. After all, it's the seaside, so they have to bring swimsuits and such. They should be quick."

"Now that you mention it, I hadn't considered swimming at all."

"Since it's a minshuku, they surely sell them there, right?"

"Hmm, I suppose that's the only option."

"What is this? If you were here to accompany Class Representative Ichinose, you should have just said so earlier." While Ichinose's attention was still on the flowing crowd of Class A, Okabe nudged my shoulder and whispered in my ear.

"Actually, I just wanted to get off the ship early and find a shady spot to escape the heat..."