Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Self-Test

2nd Day, 3:27 PM.

"I think... I will go first, after all." Kokoro-chan's voice echoed throughout the tent's interior.

"Are you sure about this, Kokoro-chan?" asked Ryuuko-chan.

"Of course. I've always wanted to confess my feelings for Ayanokouji-kun since last month. I just haven't mustered up enough courage to do so."

"You're not forcing yourself, are you?" Kayoko-chan asked with concern. "I mean, we're just the same. I also decided to confess to him back then, right?"

"I'll be okay, Kayoko-chan. I like Ayanokouji-kun... I'm sure it'll be sad if he rejects me, but I want him to know how I feel. I'm ready to get hurt."

Kokoro-chan is amazing. She was usually one of the shy ones, but she even beat the girls in Karuizawa-san's group in terms of having a spine.

"You don't need to be so negative, Kokoro-chan. Nothing is set in stone, so you still have a chance."

That's what I say, but I almost know for certain that Kiyotaka-kun will reject her. With the grueling battle ahead, I'm sure he won't let anyone in his or my friend group get caught in the crossfire.

This island exam puts everything into perspective. If future class competitions are this complicated and large-scale, being in a relationship with someone might prove to be a mistake... This is especially true for Kiyotaka-kun, who's against the entirety of Class A and Class D's Ryuuen-kun.

Well, even if he does accept her confession and Kokoro-chan becomes his girlfriend, I'm sure Kiyotaka-kun will find a way to protect her while leading the class.

It'll be alright since it's him... I'll remain as his friend so I'll be alright, as well... That's right. I'll be alright...

"I mean, we all like him, to some degree. I'm sure Kikyou-chan's the same. She just doesn't want to admit it." Kayano-chan teased me with a grin.

"I-I've never denied anything, you know? I do like Kiyotaka-kun, but we only see each other as friends," I replied. "I've already said that before."

"We're not talking about that kind of like. We're talking about dating and flirting and stuff like that," she said.

"I want to go on a date with Ayanokouji-kun at least once." Ryuuko-chan daydreamed with a sigh.

"It'll be boring, you know? Kiyotaka-kun's not the type of guy who's good at that," I said.

"Hoh? Have you gone out with him before, Kikyou-chan?" Kayoko-chan asked with a smirk.

"Uh... A bunch of times, I guess."

And gasps of surprise ensued. Naturally, they all reacted in that way.

"And you never told us? Kikyou-chan, how shrewd~." Kayano-chan said sarcastically as she tugged my arm.

"A-As expected of Kikyou-chan... Uhm, how did they go...?" asked Mii-chan.

"It's normal and fun, I guess. But even if Kiyotaka-kun says he had fun, too... It doesn't really show in his face."

"Oh, yeah... We haven't really seen him smile genuinely, like how Hirata-kun does."

I initially thought that Hirata-kun was one of those fake guys, but he doesn't give off the same vibe as them. As a friend, I never thought someone like him could exist. I thought it was impossible for a guy like him to not have even a shred of ego.

But as a class, I think it's a good thing as long as we have Kiyotaka-kun. After all, if a guy like Hirata-kun leads us, we'll never get a leg up on any class. It's similar to Class C and Ichinose-san, but at least she has Kanzaki-kun on her side.

And of course, I'm sure he's hiding something under that perfect princely face of his. It's simply impossible for his extreme altruism to be natural... Or else, he'd be broken by now.

"You haven't seen him smile, Kikyou-chan? I thought he'd show that side of him to you, at least," asked Ryuuko-chan.

"No, unfortunately." I smiled bitterly.

All of them were naturally surprised.

Is Kiyotaka-kun even capable of smiling like that, though? I mean, obviously, he should be able to physically do it. We've seen him smile bitterly a lot. Maybe it's just a matter of events.

"So even Kikyou-chan hasn't seen him smile yet..." muttered Mii-chan.

"I wonder if Sakura-san and Hasebe-san already made him smile like that?" mused Kokoro-chan.

"If that's true, then they're really lucky..."

"Ayanokouji-kun's smile..." Now it was Mii-chan who was daydreaming.

Like Kokoro-chan, Mii-chan is the same type of shy girl who isn't confident about confessing. She's been vocal about being inexperienced when it comes to love. Well, Mii-chan's personality reflects that a lot already. She developed her feelings for Kiyotaka-kun on the first day of school, after all. If he hadn't confronted Chabashira-sensei in such a cool manner, Mii-chan might've fallen for Hirata-kun instead.

"Alright, I've made up my mind. I'll confess my feelings to Ayanokouji-kun tomorrow." Kokoro-chan clenched her fists with determination.

"We'll be rooting for you, Kokoro-chan, the bravest girl of Class B!" cheered Ryuuko-chan.

"I'm starting to get motivated about confessing now. Kokoro-chan's courage is inspiring," said Kayoko-chan.

"Do your best, Kokoro-chan," followed Mii-chan.

"If you become his girlfriend, allow me to have swimming matches with him sometimes~!" Kayano-chan hugged her with a smile.

Every girl inside this tent feels something romantic for Kiyotaka-kun. I'm sure it's the same with the other girls. It was only natural. It's Kiyotaka-kun, after all. That's also why they're okay with being friendly rivals with each other. Every Class B girl is aware that Kiyotaka-kun is just that popular inside the class.

And of course, that group chat, too...

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3rd Day, 6:45 AM.

After a few minutes, Kokoro-chan returned to us while running. She approached us before slightly slowing down to embrace me.

I see... So Kiyotaka-kun rejected her, after all...

"It's alright, Kokoro-chan... It's alright." I stroked her hair gently as she buried her little sniffles in my chest.

Even though I'm someone who's almost completely desensitized to empathy, it still pains me a bit to see her like this. Unlike my disgusting fake female friends back in middle school, I couldn't find it in me to internally mock a genuinely nice girl like Kokoro-chan.

Our group comforted her until she was fine. It's not apparent, but she was a strong girl. I'm sure she'll get over him with time.

If I confessed my feelings to Kiyotaka-kun, I wonder how I would react when he rejected me...? I'm sure all of us were thinking about the same thing after seeing Kokoro-chan in this state.

After some time had passed, Kokoro-chan decided to tell us what happened. Long story short, Kiyotaka-kun rejected her because he didn't feel like getting into a relationship. I know it's a bit of a lie. On two separate occasions, Kiyotaka had told me that he was willing to go out with me.

One possible conclusion is that Kiyotaka-kun had developed feelings for me, but as much as I wanted that to happen, I doubt it. It's probably my role in the class that he's taken into account. Kiyotaka-kun might've deemed me capable enough to be involved in future class battles, unlike someone innocent like Kokoro-chan.

"It'll be alright, Kokoro-chan. I'm sure you'll find other guys," said Kayano-chan.

"I'll be okay..." Kokoro-chan smiled bitterly. "I know it's weird, but I think I still like Ayanokouji-kun."

"I don't think it's strange at all, you know? Even if Ayanokouji-kun rejects me, too, I don't think I'll stop having a crush on him anytime soon." Kayoko-chan shrugged with an understanding smile.

I guess it's a natural reaction. If your feelings for someone are strong, one rejection won't douse that fire. Of course, the other way around is also true. I've rejected a bunch of guys before and it's baffling how some of them instantly hated me. It's really disgusting, to be honest. I even rejected them nicely.

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4th Day, 8:10 AM.

"And that's done..." Kiyotaka-kun muttered upon reinvoking our right of exclusive possession.

"Kiyotaka-kun," I called.

I don't know what's wrong with me. I followed him here to say goodbye but...

"Kikyou?" He turned around with a slightly surprised expression.

"You'll... be gone for the whole day, right?"

"Yep... After I retake the spots, I'll be spending my time exploring the area around Class C and Class A's base camps."

"Mn," I nodded while approaching him. "You'll be having lunch with Ichinose-san's class then?"

My face is getting hot. This was a now-or-never moment...

"Oh... I wasn't really planning on doing so, but that should be a good idea. And besides, having another meeting with Ichinose might bring us more vital information, especially since they're Class A's neighbor in some way."

"I see..." I reflexively bit my lip. I wanted to do it, but... but... "Um, be careful out there..."

Hahh~... In the end, I couldn't do it...

"Yeah. I'll be back later, Kikyou. I'll be counting on you guys to keep things going around here."

I felt the pressure of having many girls like the same person that I do. I wanted to get ahead of them. I wanted to be the special one... That's why I wanted to kiss him... I wanted to kiss Kiyotaka-kun...

I don't know if I'm going to regret letting go of this chance, but right now, I feel relieved. I felt like I refused to do something that might hurt me in the long run...

As Kiyotaka-kun's figure slowly faded from my vision, I thought about our current relationship. I tried to make him conscious of me by indirectly expressing my feelings, but I'm sure Kiyotaka-kun's already aware of that. Unlike most guys, he's not someone that I can manipulate. On the other hand, it would be all too easy for him to manipulate me instead. That's just how smart he is.

I've been trying to gauge his true feelings for me, implying that there's something underneath what he's showing. It's not just my way of life that's been preventing me from fully committing to my feelings for him, albeit it's the biggest factor. It's also the fact we don't fully trust each other, or at least not yet.

I like Kiyotaka-kun— I know that... But I can't let my feelings cloud my judgment.