Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Self-Test

August 7th, 5:45 PM.

Around the pool area...

"Good job on the exam, everyone. I sincerely commend you for your efforts." Kouenji flipped his hair before taking a sip of his drink. He arrogantly snorted with a smile.

"Kouenji, you bastard! You ditched us outta nowhere!" yelled Sudou.

"We could've bagged in 30 more points!" followed Yamauchi.

"Well, wasn't it unfortunate? I was of poor health, so there was no option left for me other than an untimely retirement."

"Poor health? Look at you and your damned speedo! I bet you've been lazing around in this ship while we were bustin' our asses on the island!" scolded Ike.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Kouenji continued laughing as if he heard nothing. "Well then, I shall head back and relax for today. You might want to go night swimming while the residue of my perfect body is still in the pool."

And with that, Kouenji boldly walked off the pool area while being followed by a bellhop. 

"S-Sir, please don't walk inside the hallways like that!"

This poor bellhop had been warning him to dry off before treading the hallways.

"Hey, Kouenji, get back here!" Sudou angrily called out to him.

"A-At least give us some tips on the good places!" yelled Miyamoto, who had other priorities.

Most Class B students were also at the scene. They did nothing but smile bitterly while thinking; "It's Kouenji being Kouenji again...".

Sitting on a nearby table were Sakura, Hasebe, and Miyake.

"Look at Ken raging at Kouenji with the idiots," sighed Miyake.

"Oh, let him be, Miyacchi. He's one of them, after all." Hasebe chuckled with a side glance.

Sakura quietly listened as she took a sip of her drink.

"Well, idiots aside, where do you guys wanna go for dinner? We'll just tell Ken when he gets here and we can also invite Kiyotaka if he's down to go," asked Miyake.

"Ooh, I wanna go to that French restaurant! We really wanted to try that, right, Airi?"

"Mn, it's quite fancy and the food looks delicious," Sakura answered while chewing the tapioca pearls. She looked like a little squirrel munching on acorns.

"Alright, let's go later then." Miyake nodded in agreement.

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August 7th, 7:10 PM.

It seems like we'll meet around 8:00 PM for dinner... Well, I still have some time. Why don't I make my way to the 8th deck and check things out?

After asking the receptionist, I made my way to his room and knocked.

It didn't take two seconds before Yamada Albert opened the door for me. He stood guard while staring at me.

"It's fine. I'm just here for a visit," I said in English.

"Let him in, Albert. It's not a bad time for kings to have a chat." Ryuuen's voice echoed throughout the suite.

Albert gently opened the door all the way and stood back. I sat on the sofa that was near the main bed.

"How are you feeling, Ryuuen?"

"Keh, that's what I should be asking you. You smashed your damn head open."

"The risk on that is much easier to manipulate than actual self-poisoning. Two small pieces of those holly berries can easily kill you."

Ryuuen scoffed in amusement.

"So you really figured everything out. How the hell did you even notice it? I was careful enough to mix them up together."

"Well, I guess my acting wasn't for nothing. You totally thought I was stupid when it came to berries. I mean, I wasn't that knowledgeable without a friend's help, so I guess your assumption was fair."

"I failed to bait you into putting my name in, and now your class is right behind Class A. They certainly feel your presence on their backs."

"Do you want to stop now? You can't defeat me, Ryuuen. All I want is to get my class to the top. After that, I strive to live a peaceful high school life. It would be nice if you could just keep your warmongering away from me."

"We think alike, Ayanokouji. You have a grasp on my personality, as well as on how I think. You know that I won't stop until I destroy you myself. I may have interpreted the results of the exam as a draw, but our individual battle resulted in my defeat." Ryuuen replied with his usual smirk. "You've beaten me twice. I can admit that. But we're just getting started."

I sighed.

"It was futile, huh...? To be honest, my goal was to ask you about your deal with Katsuragi. You lent them points, right?"

"Well, if you got this deep into figuring out my plan, I guess getting a whiff of that deal isn't too surprising. But you're kidding yourself if you think I'll tell you."

"I don't know how you see Class A, Ryuuen. If you're allying with the Sakayanagi faction to collapse Katsuragi's faction, then do as you please. But remember, we also have a contract. If I choose to attack Class A myself, you'll have no choice but to cooperate."

"You don't have to keep reminding me. My memory isn't shit."

I stood up and walked towards the door. Ryuuen's voice rang inside my ears as he spoke with a snicker.

"Remember, Ayanokouji... Even kings have weaknesses." That sinister smile never fails to make me ever so slightly narrow my eyes.

At that moment, I knew that I'd succeeded in setting up the stage to completely crush Ryuuen Kakeru.

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August 7th, 11:30 PM.

I stared at the darkness while smelling the cold breeze. Around that time, footsteps could be heard coming from behind me.

We were at the ship's stern. The possibility of someone else roaming around this area was nil.

"Good job on the exam, Ayanokouji." Our homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae, praised me with her usual tone. Despite that, I could feel the sincerity behind her words.

"It's nothing. This school has a really interesting program, so you can say that I had a fresh experience."

"Yeah, I don't know if you can find another high school that does things like this. Maybe in fiction."

I didn't turn around to look at her. I continued staring at the night view of the sea and the waters we were leaving behind as the ship propelled itself forward.

"Is that everything that you wanted to tell me?" I asked.

"No." Chabashira-sensei leaned her arms on the railing as I did. She gazed through the black scene in front with a sigh. "You've put yourself forward. Did you change plans?"

"I see... That's a valid concern." I tilted my head a bit before replying. "I've decided to lead Class B from the front. After some thought, I've concluded that we can reach Class A the fastest if I do so. Besides, the circumstances are giving me all the chances I can get. It's better to take them now."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Chabashira-sensei nod.

"Alright. I've noted your words, Ayanokouji. Given your abilities, I don't know if you're feeling stressed or pressured about all this. But as your teacher, I want you to enjoy a fun summer vacation." Chabashira-sensei walked away with those parting words. "You should get back soon. It'll be bad if a ship staff or another teacher sees you."

I immediately heard her footsteps follow as if she knew I wouldn't bother giving a reply.

A fun summer vacation, huh? It's been quite tiring to pretend.

Captivated by nature? The view of the ocean felt really nice? Walking along the coastline was an amazing experience?

Those were all false and fabricated thoughts that I wanted... and tried to manifest...

I wasn't captivated by nature. I can feel the ambiance of natural landforms, but that's all there is to it.

I can see an aesthetically pleasing view of the ocean, but that's all there is to it.

They gave me new and refreshing experiences caused by the significant change in the environment. But apart from a spike in curiosity, I don't know what else I was supposed to feel.

I recalled my first experience of seeing the ocean... There wasn't any emotion behind it. I managed to express it with words of positivity, but none of them held true to what I really felt.

I wonder if it's futile... It might be, given the kind of life I was provided ever since I came to. However, giving up would be pointless while I'm here.

Maybe, at some point, I might be able to draw out other emotions that I wasn't able to before.