Horikita Suzune's Escape Route and the Popular Idol Shizuku

"So you resort to violence when you can't win an argument?"

"Your brother was right. You don't have what it takes to reach Class 1-A."

"Let go of me."

Horikita Suzune's wrist was held fast. She couldn't move.

"A necessary precaution. How do I know you won't attack me again?"

"But if you want to reach Class 1-A, you need to put that arrogant pride of yours aside."

Horikita Suzune had always walked alone.

She disdained dealing with classmates, thought the weak weren't worth associating with, and had almost no friends. She always believed she could solve every problem herself.

Since childhood, she had admired her brother, Horikita Manabu, to an extreme degree. She had made him her one and only standard and was desperate to earn his approval.

Her own abilities had earned her excellent grades throughout junior high and high school, and she ranked near the top in athletics, too. But at this school, she was powerless.

She couldn't understand why she could never win her brother's approval, so she had pinned all her hopes on Class 1-A.

Instead, she had been assigned to Class 1-D. She couldn't accept it at all.

At this school, where ability was everything, being assigned to Class 1-D meant she was undeniably defective, part of the very bottom tier.

"No. That's not true."

Past memories flashed through Horikita Suzune's mind, but she still couldn't accept being in Class 1-D. She left the cafeteria on unsteady legs.

In the dim corridor, Horikita Suzune leaned against the cold wall, her shoulders still trembling slightly.

Her aloof pride wouldn't let her show weakness there. Continuing the confrontation would only expose her flaws.

To her, this wasn't admitting defeat. She simply didn't have enough confidence to continue the clash right now.

Meanwhile, Tatsuya Sakuya stood on the other side.

Huh?

So this is Horikita Suzune's escape route?

I don't think I said much. Wasn't it all stuff her brother had said before?

She probably can't accept that Class 1-D's points have dropped to zero.

That was what Tatsuya Sakuya thought.

Wait. This wasn't the plan.

Tatsuya Sakuya's plan:

[

Tatsuya Sakuya: "But if you want to reach Class 1-A, you need to put that arrogant pride of yours aside."

Horikita Suzune: "Then what should I do?"

Tatsuya Sakuya: "Vote for me in tomorrow's class committee election. I have a way to improve our chances of passing the midterms."

Horikita Suzune: "Oh, I see. No problem. You have my vote."

Tatsuya Sakuya: "I was also going to nominate you for the committee. I have a lot of faith in your academic ability. A study group led by you would be very effective."

]

The plan had looked wonderful. Reality was cruel. It had failed at the first step.

She wouldn't vote for someone else tomorrow just to get back at me, would she?

Or does she already have a perfect plan?

No, no. She has no friends at all. One vote from her won't change the outcome.

The advantage is mine.

After all, he still had the actual midterm exam questions up his sleeve.

Tatsuya Sakuya fell into thought.

For the students of Class 1-D, those questions would be help arriving just when they needed it most.

Tatsuya Sakuya finished the last bite of his Shin Ramyun and left the cafeteria.

It was completely dark outside. A damp night breeze brushed his face.

As he passed the wooden boardwalk by the lake, a faint, flickering light beneath a cherry tree in the distance caught his eye.

By the dim yellow glow of a streetlamp, he made out a familiar figure.

Airi Sakura stood by the wooden railing with a camera hanging from her neck and nonprescription glasses on her face.

She rose onto her toes and aimed the camera at the ripples carrying the streetlamp's reflection. She adjusted the focus a little clumsily, then pressed the shutter.

Click.

The flash went off, but from her pursed lips and faintly furrowed brow, she didn't seem pleased with the photo.

"Your aperture was too wide, and your shutter speed didn't keep up. A long exposure at night can easily come out blurry."

Tatsuya Sakuya's voice came from behind her.

"Eek?!"

Airi Sakura shuddered in fright. Instinctively clutching the camera to her chest, she spun around like a startled deer.

Only when she saw that it was Tatsuya Sakuya did she breathe a sudden sigh of relief. She visibly relaxed.

"S-Shiba..."

Airi Sakura fidgeted with her fingers and said quietly:

"W-what are you doing here...?"

"I finished dinner and was taking a walk back to the dorms. I happened to pass by."

Tatsuya Sakuya stopped half a step away from her, his gaze falling on the camera at her chest.

"Taking night photos?"

"Mm..."

Airi Sakura nodded. She looked down and fiddled with the camera's screen, her expression troubled.

"I wanted to take a picture with the streetlamp and its reflection on the lake... but I can't seem to get the angle or lighting right."

She cautiously looked up and summoned the courage to ask softly:

"Um... Shiba, if it's not too much trouble, c-could you take one for me?"

"No problem."

Tatsuya Sakuya took the camera from her.

Airi Sakura hurried over to a bench by the lake. She awkwardly straightened her glasses and placed both hands neatly on her knees.

"You don't have to be so stiff. Look at the lens and relax."

Tatsuya Sakuya watched her through the viewfinder and turned the dial slightly, adjusting the ISO and exposure compensation.

Click.

The shutter sounded clearly in the night.

Tatsuya Sakuya checked the shot. In it, the streetlamp bathed the girl in a soft, warm yellow, and her expression looked calm and natural.

He handed her the camera.

"It came out pretty well. Take a look. Though I feel like there's something extra."

"Wow... That's amazing. It looks better than the ones I took."

"Huh? S-something extra?"

"This."

Tatsuya Sakuya raised his hand. His fingertips passed lightly over her bangs and touched the arm of her glasses.

His fingers brushed the skin beside her ear, making Airi Sakura tremble. A blush spread visibly across her fair cheeks.

"S-Shiba..."

Before she could react, Tatsuya Sakuya took off her glasses.

Without the glasses hiding them, her clear, ice-blue eyes shone like glass beneath the streetlamp.

Stripped of her plain, dowdy disguise, the popular idol Shizuku's delicate features looked breathtaking.

"You won't blame me for taking the liberty, will you, Sakura?"

Tatsuya Sakuya took out his phone and snapped a selfie with Airi Sakura.

Airi Sakura instinctively raised a hand to cover her burning cheeks.

"You're not even nearsighted, are you?"

Tatsuya Sakuya handed her glasses back.

Airi Sakura hurriedly put them on, as though the glasses were part of her.

"B-because... without them, I feel like I stand out too much..."

Fair enough.

Shizuku is an online model, after all.

With her looks and figure, she's among the best in the school. Of course she'd draw attention.

Tatsuya Sakuya thought it over.

"Actually, there's another favor I'd like to ask. Could you vote for me in tomorrow's class committee election?"

"C-can I really help?"

Airi Sakura stumbled over the words.

"Of course. Your vote means a lot to me. It's getting late, so let's head back to the dorms together."

Airi Sakura merely lowered her head and followed half a step behind Tatsuya Sakuya, careful to stay close to his side.

First, thank you to the readers who sent free support. I appreciate it.

Yesterday was a day in the validation period, and Tomato gave the book a push and brought in readers.

I'd prepared myself for criticism, but seeing a seven-star review really did make me reflect on my own problems.

It's true that being a new writer isn't a free pass. If my writing is bad, criticize it; if it needs changing, I should change it. But I still hope you'll point out my problems constructively.

I feel that writing fiction is a service industry. At its core, the writer is there to serve the readers.

How does that saying go? The author only needs to think about writing a good novel, while readers have a lot more to think about.

I don't think I'm good at creating vivid scenes or drawing readers in, so I can only do my best to work in a few memes and make things more interactive for readers.

There's also the fact that I changed some things substantially, which upset some readers. I've thought about that, too.

I used to read fantasy stories about leveling up. Then I happened across some fanfiction and found it really interesting.

I was also unhappy with the later plot of Classroom of the Elite by its original author, Syougo Kinugasa. That's why I decided to write a fanfiction of my own.

To me, fanfiction is about making up for regrets and delivering a satisfying power fantasy.

So I have a few questions for you readers. They're things I've been wondering about while writing:

1. With multiple heroines, how should I develop the male lead's relationships with the female characters and handle the harem? Should all the heroines accept that he has a harem by default, or should I approach it some other way?

2. About changing the story: my original intention was to follow the source material's timeline while adding my own developments and even some everyday scenes. Most Classroom of the Elite fanfiction I've read starts in another class and then takes all of Ayanokoji's plotlines. In fact, I'm taking his plotlines too. I still haven't decided how to handle the relationship between the protagonist and Ayanokoji. Should Ayanokoji keep pretending to be ordinary, or should he reveal himself when the White Room enters the story in the upper years? That assumes this book even gets an upper-years arc, of course. People say most Classroom of the Elite fanfiction ends after the first year, either because it gets taken down or because the author can't keep writing it.

3. Are there any interesting everyday plotlines you'd recommend?

4. If you have any concerns, please point them out here. I think fiction needs interaction between readers and the author. If you have good ideas for plotlines or everyday scenes, please share them with me.

I just remembered another saying: write ten thousand words a day, and eloquent scholars will come to argue your case. That's obviously impossible for me. Honestly, even keeping up four thousand words a day is a little difficult.

Finally, I spent yesterday reading and replying to reviews, so I barely wrote anything. Maybe I was out of inspiration, too. I kept agonizing over where the plot should go. And I have to go back to burn paper offerings for the Ghost Festival today, so I'll probably only post this one chapter from my drafts.

I typed all this as it came to mind, so it's normal if it reads like a bit of a ramble.

This really is the end. Thank you again for your support. Anyone who's read this far is a loyal fan. Even though my writing isn't that great, you're still willing to support me. I hope you're happy every day. That's all.