Classroom of the Elite, A Hypocritical Gray Life

I found the crowded heat and the sticky sensation of sweat all over my body unbearable, but out of consideration for my sleep, I kept my posture and did not move.

Until—I was defeated by the urge to use the restroom and took action to leave the tent.

I gently pushed aside the clothes covering me and groped toward the tent's zipper.

"Click-clack—"

I constantly reminded myself in my heart not to wake everyone from their deep sleep, as they were already exhausted from the day's labor. I left the tent on tiptoe, taking the opportunity to flap the tent's fabric to help the night breeze carry away the heat inside.

Phew, it really is cooler at night. I should catch my breath and hurry back to rest; if I don't have any energy tomorrow, there are many things I won't be able to get done.

It was difficult to see the true appearance of the outside world in the dark of night; the only things I could feel for certain were the steady, rhythmic breathing sounds of everyone else.

"Rustle, rustle—"

The sound of leaves and branches being stepped on reached my ears, but I paid it no mind. I figured it was probably just the night breeze blowing through, so I didn't worry about it, yet I never expected this to be a warning of the immense fright I was about to receive.

I carefully shuffled forward one small step at a time in front of the tent, bending down to search for the lantern.

My eyes hadn't yet adjusted to the dark environment, and I couldn't see what was under my feet at all. If I tried to find the portable toilet in this condition, I would definitely end up bumping into things.

"Ah, found it..."

No, no, I need to be quieter.

I picked up the lantern and turned the knob slightly, successfully adjusting it to the lowest brightness. After I could see the surrounding environment clearly, I looked for the location of the portable toilet, but I couldn't find the toilet; instead, I discovered a pitch-black figure.

Could it be a ghost?

After this thought crossed my mind, my body instantly stiffened. I, who had been somewhat groggy, immediately woke up. I retreated a step in fear and rubbed my eyes with my hand, but when I opened them again, the black shadow had vanished.

"It must have just been my eyes playing tricks on me..." I muttered to myself, trying to bolster my own courage.

The toilet should be in this direction...

After easing the fear in my heart, I slowly walked toward the portable toilet.

Although it was called a portable toilet, it was actually no worse than a home restroom in practice, and it could even be flushed. However, it was somewhat difficult to set up, requiring a larger, relatively flat piece of ground for installation.

Because of this, the locations where it could be installed were very limited, and we had to consider many factors regarding this, as it weighed over a hundred kilograms, making it very troublesome to move if we weren't satisfied with the spot.

"Rustle, rustle—"

What... was that sound...

I heard a noise that didn't come from my own footsteps, and my body froze immediately. Yet, the sound did not stop.

"Rustle, rustle—"

It seemed to be coming from behind me.

I struggled to swallow a mouthful of saliva and nervously turned around to look behind me.

I saw nothing else, only the faint green light emitted by the screens of the equipment.

C-could it really be a ghost...

Just at that moment, the sound suddenly stopped, and I fearfully raised the lantern to chest level.

I maintained that posture just like that.

"..."

Still, nothing appeared.

"It was probably just because I was too sleepy," I comforted myself in my heart, then took a deep breath and redirected my focus toward the location of the portable toilet.

As soon as I leveled my gaze, a human face suddenly appeared right in front of me.

"Waaaaahhhhhhh!"

1

"Waaaaahhh—"

"Shh—" I tightly covered Ichinose's mouth while using my other hand to press down on her body as she struggled incessantly.

I don't know why, but when Ichinose saw me, she wore a look of terror as if she had run into a ghost, so frightened that she even let the lantern slip from her hands and fall to the ground.

For an ordinary person, anyone met in the middle of the night must surely have had the same idea of using the restroom. However, the situation Ichinose was displaying couldn't prove that at all.

I tried to use methods to calm Ichinose's emotions, but her body had unilaterally judged the current situation as a crisis, and her strength in struggling was being excessively amplified by adrenaline.

Why did a simple chance encounter have to turn into this?

Forced by necessity, I could only speak up to stop her.

"Don't be afraid, it's me."

"&#%¥"

"..."

Shouldn't she have been stunned or calmed down the moment she heard my voice? Why was she still struggling and making... uh, alien sounds?

"It's Raku," I explained to Ichinose once more.

This time she seemed to have heard my words, but the strange language she emitted forced me to doubt the authenticity of my judgment.

"&%%#￥Mmph~"

"...Sorry, Ichinose, just calm down for a second. Everyone is still sleeping." I whispered into her ear while keeping my head low.

Finally, Ichinose calmed down.

"Mm..."

I gently patted Ichinose's back while releasing her mouth, and she immediately began to gasp for air. I bent down to pick up the lantern that had fallen to the ground, casting a faint light over our faces.

Ichinose wore a look of lingering fear, her heart pounding against her chest like a trapped rabbit, its rhythm visible to the naked eye, while tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

It felt like I had bullied her until she broke.

"..."

Faced with this result, I felt a deep sense of guilt from the bottom of my heart.

2

"Sorry, I didn't think this would scare you..."

"Actually, it didn't really scare me, I was just startled for a moment."

Even though your whole body was trembling just a second ago, I'm impressed you can say that so bravely...

I supported Ichinose and led her to the rest area we had set up that afternoon.

"Are you okay?"

"I need a moment to catch my breath..." Ichinose patted her chest and took a few deep breaths. "Everyone... they weren't woken up by me, were they?"

"I didn't hear any movement, so I don't think so."

"That's good... Raku, did you come out to use the restroom?"

"Yeah, I had just come out of the restroom when I saw Ichinose standing there with a lantern, not moving at all. I thought you were sleepwalking."

"I don't move much when I sleep, at most I just roll over."

"Then what were you doing standing there?"

"It's all Raku's fault for making so many little noises while walking. I thought I'd run into a ghost..." As she finished, Ichinose's voice grew quieter, thin as a spiderweb in a door crack.

"...Is Ichinose afraid of ghosts?"

Whether it's humans or lower animals, fear of the unknown, the novel, or uncontrollable things and phenomena is an instinctive defense signal—a psychological mechanism for survival.

Normal defense is necessary, but when a defensive behavior like fear severely affects one's normal life, it becomes a psychological issue.

I was once forced to endure a great deal of unpleasant experiences in order to overcome this.

Being lied to about having candy, only for it to turn out to be a 'surprise' in the end.

"N-no..." Ichinose stubbornly turned her head away, refusing to admit it. After stealing a glance at me, she changed her tune: "Maybe just a little bit..."

"Isn't everyone right next to us? Are you still scared with so many people around?"

"Even so, I'm still scared. Being asleep and being awake are two different things... Isn't that how it's written in novels? When the protagonist is 'attacked,' everyone else is fast asleep..."

"...At least that won't happen here. If you really run into any trouble, just wake everyone up, Ichinose. We'll help you right away."

"Everyone needs their rest too. If I woke them up just for something like this, that would be too selfish."

"Then just wake me up, Ichinose. I'm slacking off every day anyway, so I have plenty of time to rest."

"...Wouldn't that be a bother for you, Raku?"

"If this bit of trouble can buy you peace of mind, I think it's worth it. If you were to fall ill, I'm afraid the rest of the class wouldn't be able to keep their spirits up."

"...Does that mean I can always bother you from now on, Raku?"

"..."

No, it's too early to say that. You can only do that if it's necessary. I have to confirm the truth of a certain matter before I can give an answer.

"That's not what I meant. Even if you keep bothering me with small things, I still have a temper. But if it's something major and I'm able to do it, I'll try to help."

"That's enough. If I really run into a problem, I'll come to Raku for help. But does Raku really have a temper? I've never seen you show any anger; helplessness and annoyance are common enough, though..."

Really? Then I must be a failure. I thought my facial expressions were quite rich.

"Everyone has a temper. I used to cry and make a scene for half a day over a piece of candy."

"Crying for half a day over a piece of candy... I can't imagine Raku doing something like that at all."

"That's just how it was. Back then... I would always cry over the smallest things."

I recalled my experiences at two or three years old; back then, it seemed like I cried five or six times a day.

"Let's end the small talk here. It's getting late, so you should go back to sleep, Ichinose. We have to get up early for the cornfield tomorrow."

"Yeah, I just wanted to get some air outside. The tent is just too stuffy. I'll go back and rest right away."

I nodded. "Then I'll leave the lantern to you. I'm going back to sleep."

"Wait—"

"Is there something else?"

"Um, could you please not tell anyone about what just happened? It's just that I'm afraid of ghosts and things like that..."

"Don't worry, I won't say a word. If you're that concerned, I'll try my best to forget that you're afraid of ghosts."

"It would be better if you remembered, Raku."

"Hm?"

"No, um, I mean, I meant the promise we just made," Ichinose added in a panic.

"I can't make any guarantees, but I'll do my best."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

After our little nighttime interlude ended, I returned to my sleeping spot.

A promise... at least when it comes to the words I speak myself, I don't want them to become lies.

Chapter 63: Retribution Sooner or Later

Despite the minor detour, we still woke up on time at six o'clock. Since it was summer, the light was already quite bright at this hour, and the temperature that had settled overnight began to climb back up.

Ichinose organized a group to follow Kanzaki to the cornfield to harvest the corn, while the rest remained responsible for the busy work of maintaining the camp and preparing food.

"Takashima, how is your body holding up?"

"I'm full of energy, alright? This well water is perfectly safe to drink, no issues at all. I haven't felt the slightest urge to have diarrhea even now."

"Doesn't that mean we don't have to worry about the water supply anymore!"

"Yeah, and food is on its way, too. Once this exam is over, our class points might even go up by two hundred."

"At this rate, we won't be far from Class A."

"It's not that dramatic yet. There's no way Class A is just going to stand still."