Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Self-Test

6th Day, 10:48 AM.

After getting back to the base camp, I approached Horikita for a not-so-brief conversation.

"Ayanokouji-kun, you've arrived later than usual. Did anything happen on the way?" she asked, sensing that something was up.

"I had some business with Class A. Specifically, Sakayanagi's faction."

Without batting an eye, I instantly went straight to the point.

The five of us; Horikita, Hirata, Karuizawa, Kikyou, and I were all aware of Class A's affairs— albeit without the specifics. That's why she immediately knew what I was talking about.

With a serious expression, Horikita pulled me towards the edge of the campsite.

"What kind of business?" she asked.

"They sold their leader's name to me. Well, more like 'presented' in that regard. I didn't really give them anything in return."

Horikita's eyes momentarily widened in surprise.

"Any chance that it's a trap?"

"The reason why I was out for so long was to confirm whether it was true or not, so no, it's not a trap."

"I see. I doubt such a simple trick would work on you, anyway." Horikita muttered before facing me. "So now... we have Class A's leader on our hands, right?"

"Exactly," I replied simply.

It all happened in that old tower. As a perniciously placed spot, it wasn't really included in their usual rotation. Occupying that place had a very irregular and unpredictable schedule. In other words, it was the perfect spot to prove Hashimoto's claim.

He obviously needed the help of a few other students, but I have to admit, Hashimoto's charisma and social skills were easily among the top. I managed to distract Katsuragi with Hirata's help. With the ruse of "exchanging resources", their leader was successfully distracted. Of course, Hirata didn't know my other agenda, so Katsuragi would gain nothing even with some cold reading. After evading their cautious leader, he effectively manipulated his other classmates for me.

He created the perfect scenario that allowed me to witness Totsuka in the process, and I finally confirmed that he was indeed telling the truth.

"That's... incredible news. Are you planning to tell Hirata-kun and the others?"

One would usually be restless and excited about this, but Horikita stayed calm and collected. I guess choosing Horikita to take on the role of an accomplice was the right call.

"No... I can't involve the others just yet." I shook my head in response. "That said, I have more things to tell you."

And that's when I proceeded to reveal everything to her.

"All of this... I... don't even have the words to..."

"You can analyze how I did things after the exam ends. But for now, I want you to focus on your role."

"..."

Horikita and I proceeded to ask Chabashira-sensei for some clarifications involving the additional rules.

Guessing the leaders' names was a huge gamble. If your answers are right, you'll earn 50 points for each correct name. However, having your class leader exposed would negate all of the provisional points you've earned from spots on top of a 50-point penalty for each class that has guessed correctly.

On a coupled note, guessing the leader's name wrongly would result in the same penalty. The guesser's class would have their provisional points taken away and suffer the 50-point penalty, as well. However, the class that managed to deceive them won't earn the lost points.

In other words, it wasn't just "high-risk-high-return"... it was "all-or-nothing".

"Do you really have to do that, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"I already told you about my two alternative failed attempts. I'm basically left with no other choice now," I shrugged.

"Is that so...?" May it be as a classmate or as a friend, Horikita was worried about me.

"I'll be fine, Horikita," I reassured Horikita, patting her on the shoulders. "I trust you'll play your role well?"

"Yes, I won't let you down," she nodded with a determined expression.

At that moment, we noticed how the sky was slowly darkening.

"The rain might arrive faster than we expected," Horikita muttered while looking at the thick storm clouds forming in the southwest.

"Would you look at that? It's the perfect weather to execute everything." It seems like Lady Luck is smiling at me— if that's how the saying goes.

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6th Day, 11:39 AM.

With the storm at our doorstep, we put in all of our effort to move the base camp right beside the rock tunnel. Using the potential risk of a landslide and river flood, Chabashira-sensei allowed the relocation.

After organizing our luggage inside the tents, we arranged our little facilities inside this pseudo-cave.

It wasn't long before the strong downpour wreaked havoc on the island. The students of Class B listlessly hung around, waiting for this storm to subside.

"Is everything alright, Ayanokouji-kun?"

As I watched the rain wash up the soil, Matsushita sat beside me with a curious look.

"Yeah, of course. How've you been?"

"Hmm, business as usual with Maya and Satsuki, I guess? You know the drill. We just do what we're supposed to do then do what we want to do, afterward." Matsushita shrugged with a sigh.

"Well, isn't that all of our classmates in general?"

"Ahaha, you're right! Although I certainly admire the ones who put in some extra effort like Kushida-san and her group. They've been a huge help to everyone. Hirata-kun's burden was significantly lessened."

"Yep, that sounds like them."

Matsushita chuckled as she drew closer to me.

"I know you have, like, an infinite amount of stamina, but take a break sometimes. You've been running around the island for so long, you know?"

"I appreciate the thought, but I'll be fine. This is the last full day of the test. After we endure a little more tomorrow, we can finally return to the cruise ship and relax."

"Mhm... It just dawned on me that this was originally a competition. I mean, it still is, but nothing really happened. Class A, B, and C just went on and had a normal camping trip."

"That's basically what happened," I smiled bitterly.

Conversations echoed everywhere. Mixed with the loud uneven noises of the rain, I felt calm, strangely enough.

"Do you think we did well on this exam, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"I would like to think so. Everyone was diligent enough to contribute," I replied. "Of course, I can't strictly say that the contributions were equal, but it wasn't so bad that someone else was burdened by another student's negligence."

"Mn... After meeting the students in Class C, I figured that Class B still has a long way to go when it comes to unity. While I think it's normal to have some small arguments here and there, it's probably best if the class is peaceful for at least 90% of the time. Class C certainly has that cohesion."

It's inevitable for people to have differences in opinions. That's why they must strive to exhibit a certain amount of open-mindedness. Only then can cooperation be possible. Class B is a united class as a whole, but we haven't reached the monolithic level of unity that Ichinose's Class C possesses.

One good parallel was the amount of effort that they put into each work. Most students in our class just did the bare minimum, which was enough. But in Ichinose's class, everyone strives to go the extra mile.

"You're right. But I think we'll be fine. As long as everyone does their best to grow, we'll eventually catch up."

That's what I honestly think.

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6th Day, 8:14 PM.

The evening arrived and Chabashira-sensei proceeded with the roll call. Horikita and I were currently talking about our journey earlier.

It was around 3:45 PM. Using our spare clothes, Horikita and I walked out of the shelter and traveled through the rain. Our classmates were naturally worried, but as long as we had each other's back, I didn't think Horikita and I would be in danger.

I guided her towards the spots and adjusted the routes based on how the rain affected the pathways.

At 6:24 PM, the two of us returned, completely soaked. After showering with hot water, we changed back to our jerseys and proceeded with our day.

"Because of the change in our base camp's location, your original route became slightly inconvenient."

"You're right, but I don't think we can adjust the timing this late in the game."

"That's true. Well, it's not really a problem, all things considered."

Unlike my usual method of going solo, I decided to occupy the spots with Horikita this time. Her help will come in handy a bit later.

"We'll head out before midnight. As long as we're prepared, I doubt the plan would go haywire."

"I understand," she nodded.

The final phase of my plan is finally in motion. It's a shame that I didn't obtain that one final piece, or it would've been a completely crushing victory for Class B. Now then, I think it's time for Horikita and me to put on a good show.