Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Self-Test

The Dragon Group members from Class B decided to have dinner together in a nice sushi restaurant.

"Ahh~! That was something, wasn't it?" commented Kikyou.

"Yeah. I'm glad Horikita-san was there with us. It gave me a feeling of reassurance," said Hirata.

"We're still far from winning. Since the exam just started, I'm sure their real plans are yet to be revealed," she replied.

So far, Katsuragi's "Garrison" plan had remained solid. Ryuuen's "Siege" plan is still in its early stage, but it's unclear how or what he'll do to progress things. Meanwhile, Ichinose had only revealed her defensive trump card with us as their partner. Class C's real plan to tackle this exam is still a mystery.

"It's good that you're being vigilant, but man I'm starving," I said, rubbing my stomach.

"If it wasn't for our agreement, I would've scolded you by now. That said, it's quite refreshing to see an uncooperative Ayanokouji Kiyotaka." Horikita raised an eyebrow.

"Shut up. This was my original plan, anyway. Once we reach Class A, don't expect me to help with leading the class ever again. It's too much stress."

Hirata looked at me with a curious expression. My decision to permanently step down was known only to Kikyou and Horikita, so his reaction makes sense.

"You've mentioned that to me before, too. If you're really serious, then I wonder how the class would take it," pondered Kikyou.

"Ayanokouji-kun, this is the first time I've heard of this. Would you mind explaining?" asked Hirata.

"Ah, I meant exactly what I said. Once we reach Class A, my plan is to permanently demote myself from leader to follower. Wait, no... It would be ideal to demote myself all the way down to the status of bystander..." I replied as I went off to my own fantasy world of living a dégagé life.

"So you're planning to hand over your leadership to Horikita-san just like last time?"

"I've been thinking about that, too. But I don't think Horikita can lead the class as she is now." I said while glancing at her. "I'm sure you know the reason, yes?"

"I'm aware of my own shortcomings. First of all, the victory in the first special exam was all thanks to Ayanokouji-kun's efforts. He was also the main reason why Ike-kun and Yamauchi-kun were saved from being sanctioned by the school. And of course, there's the purchase for the explanation of the S-System back in April." Horikita faced us with a sigh. "On the other hand, I've only been involved as one of the tutors. It was also thanks to the three of you that our classmates did not perceive my cold personality as hostile and undesirable. But since I'm not good with socializing, I can barely call any of them a friend."

"I guess giving Horikita a one-week trial was a good start. My decision back then also made it clear to them that she was my second-in-command. However, after I've gone off to my relaxing student life, what would happen if the other classes make a sudden comeback?"

"I see... You've been the 'leader' in everyone's mind this whole time. If Horikita-san takes the reins and fails to produce the same result, it wouldn't be good for her position." Hirata contemplated with a serious expression.

Kikyou and Horikita's nonchalant reactions about my "retirement" helped a lot in how Hirata took it. And besides, seeing how he's just going along with us, it seems like Hirata respects my decision enough to not make an objection.

"I'm still confident in leading the class, but I doubt I'd do a better job," sighed Horikita.

It seems like I was successful in toning down her pride. Horikita Suzune has come to terms with the fact that there can be someone above her. To be honest, I thought about the possibility of her confidence getting shattered in the process, but Horikita was just as levelheaded as I imagined her to be.

"For that reason, I'm assigning you to be her co-leader, Hirata."

Hirata didn't seem at all surprised.

"Haha, I kind of expected that, to be honest," he laughed bitterly.

If they start failing in my absence, Hirata will be in charge of damage control. If he shares the leader status with Horikita, she wouldn't take the full brunt of our classmates' criticism.

"I'm not too fond of the fact that we're quite literally making measures for my future failures, but I guess it will be inevitable at some point, especially since we won't be getting much help from Ayanokouji-kun," Horikita sighed vexingly.

"Then do your best to make sure you won't fail. I don't want the class to start rebelling against you and demand I come back. That would be a pain to deal with," I shrugged. "Don't worry. I won't do anything detrimental to the class. But, the two of you will be the next official leaders after we get promoted to Class A. I don't know when that will happen, but I want the two of you to be ready."

"I'll make sure that we'll be Class A by the time this exam ends," said Horikita.

"If you're that confident, then I guess there's nothing to worry about." I nodded before facing Kikyou. "I'm expecting you and Karuizawa to support them in the future, Kikyou."

"Leave it to us!" Kikyou nodded enthusiastically.

Since the opportunity has presented itself, Hirata finally asked the other important question.

"By the way, Ayanokouji-kun, I was a bit curious about what Ryuuen-kun said earlier."

"It's about the recordings, right?"

I got straight to the point. There's no use in keeping things under the rug.

"If it's something that you don't want to talk about, then please don't force yourself to answer."

Horikita was on high alert. She was probably preparing to back me up if I ever got into a tough spot. Meanwhile, Kikyou stayed silent and waited for the conversation to progress.

"It's fine. Ryuuen was just talking about the case with Ike and Yamauchi. At first, Horikita and I decided to hide it from you. After all, it was out of respect for Ryuuen and our negotiation. However, it seems like he was under the impression that both you and Kikyou knew about the details."

"Yes, so there should be no harm for the two of you to know the idea behind it, at least," added Horikita.

"Oh, I see... So the reason you told me before was just a cover-up then?"

"I had Horikita admit defeat to Ryuuen." Really, what a silly excuse.

"Yeah, pretty much," I replied with a shrug. "Long story short. I used a cassette recorder to forge some evidence against Ryuuen. I'll spare you the details, but through Sotomura's help, I was also able to fool Ryuuen into thinking that I used phones instead of recorders."

"I believe you've mentioned to me before that Kushida-san knows about the recorder," said Horikita.

"Yeah. You've seen it before, right, Kikyou?" I asked.

"Mn. It's that small one, right?" Kikyou replied with a quick nod.

"Yeah, I bought some new films for it. Anyway, as much as possible, I don't want you to mention that device to Ryuuen. Hiding it gives us a considerable advantage until he finds out about it himself."

"I see. So that was the reason why Ryuuen-kun and his classmates withdrew from the case..." said Hirata.

He and Kikyou nodded in agreement.

That should be good enough for now. I used the cassette recorder to cover up the existence of those audio bugs. And since both were covert devices used for espionage, there were no immediate dangers to my lie.

Like me, Horikita must've been mentally sighing in relief. It's not an easy task to deceive smart people like Kikyou and Hirata. If even one detail felt off, my statement would completely fall apart. That's also why I decided to "spare them the details", which should already cast some doubt in their minds.

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1st Day, 9:45 PM.

The four of us ate merrily and split up afterward. Ayanokouji-kun and I arrived inside the room and found Yukimura-kun on his phone. At the other end of the room, Kouenji-kun was nonchalantly doing some push-ups.

"Ah, Hirata, Ayanokouji, you two are finally here. I wanted to talk about the exam. Can I have some of your time?" asked Yukimura-kun.

"Of course, Yukimura-kun," I replied.

"Sure," followed Ayanokouji-kun.

He relayed the events regarding the second group discussion for the Rabbit Group to us.

"I don't know if she did that on purpose, but Karuizawa just made their hate for her skyrocket because of it."

"I mean, I'd be mad too if someone stepped on my foot and just ran off without a sincere apology," Ayanokouji-kun replied.

"Hirata, aren't you going to do anything about Karuizawa's actions? She was also flirting with some Class A dude, you know?" said Yukimura-kun.

"I'll be sure to talk to her about it. I want to hear Karuizawa-san's side before making a judgment," I replied, looking like I was mulling over it.

Karuizawa-san was a smart girl. She knows that my stance will always be neutral. It's the reason why she's been so reserved during the discussions. I also understood that Karuizawa-san solicited protection from Machida-kun; the Class A boy that she used to fend off Manabe-san and her friends. That aside, I was more concerned about resolving the bullying issue.

"Well, Karuizawa's issue aside, did you really not find any clues about the VIPs' assignment?" Ayanokouji-kun asked.

"No, unfortunately. Class A shut themselves off from the rest of the group. And apart from me, Hamaguchi was the only guy that proactively tried to progress the discussions," he replied. "I guess that works in our favor since Karuizawa and Kushida are the VIPs for our respective groups, but unless we figure out that mystery pattern, all of this will end in a stalemate."

While we were talking amongst ourselves, Kouenji-kun started humming. Yukimura-kun, who'd been patient up until that point bolted out of his chair in frustration.

"Kouenji, would you drop the happy-go-lucky act already? We're not asking you to take things seriously, but you need to participate, at the very least. We don't want you to screw things up again like last time." He scolded him with a grave voice.

Kouenji-kun didn't even bother glancing back at him before responding.

"If you're talking about the island fiasco, I couldn't exactly help it. I was in awful shape. I couldn't force myself to do the impossible," he answered, continuing his push-ups.

"No one here is stupid! You just faked being ill to get out!" Yukimura-kun's temper wore thin.

I didn't like what he did, and I'm sure our classmates felt the same way. I was fine with him not contributing at all, but retiring without a proper reason was detrimental to the class.

Kouenji-kun finally halted his nightly workout routine. He stood up and grabbed a towel to wipe his neck.

"My, this test is nothing but troublesome, wouldn't you say?" Ignoring the topic at hand, Kouenji-kun commented on the current Zodiac test.

"Troublesome? You're not even thinking about this test at all!" countered Yukimura-kun.

"Well, there isn't any point in continuing a test that doesn't interest me, is there? Finding a liar is simple."

Kouenji-kun grabbed his phone and started fiddling with it. Only a few seconds passed before all four of us received a notification from the school.

[The test has now ended for the Monkey Group. Those in the Monkey Group are no longer required to participate any further. Please do not disturb the other students.]

"Monkey Group? Hey, that's your group, Kouenji!" shouted Yukimura-kun.

"Of course. And now, I finally have my freedom, once again. Adieu."

Kouenji tossed his phone aside, but Ayanokouji-kun called for his attention before he could make his way to the bathroom.

"Wait, Kouenji."

"You've gotta be kidding... This guy just..." Yukimura-kun shook his head in dismay.

"Hm? Do you have anything to say to me, Ayanokouji?" Kouenji-kun gave him a side glance.

"The name you put in— Do you think you triggered Outcome #3?" he asked.

"Hmph. This so-called 'special exam' is nothing more than a simple quiz for me. I just said so a few seconds ago, did I not? Spotting a liar is child's play," he replied, combing his hair with a fwish.

"Who was it then?"

Yukimura-kun and I were baffled by the sudden change in atmosphere, but we stayed silent. Right now, knowing the VIP's name was vital.

"Why should I tell you?"

As expected, Kouenji-kun won't be making this easy for us.

"Let's make a deal then. If you tell me the name, I won't bother asking you to participate in the next special exam."

As our leader, Ayanokouji-kun had grounds to make that judgment. And besides, we've been doing very well even without Kouenji-kun's help.

"Oh? A measly name in exchange for peace? That is surely tempting." Kouenji-kun grinned while holding his chin, "However, it's not quite tempting enough."

"Of course, that's not the only offer that I have for you."

Ayanokouji-kun slowly walked up to him. He whispered something that only Kouenji-kun could hear.

"Hoh... I see. Very well, boy. You've got yourself a deal." Kouenji-kun snorted lightly as he turned around. "Minamikata Kozue. I believe that was her name."

He slipped inside the bathroom with a hum.

Minamikata-san...? From Class C? Wouldn't that mean...?

"I see. Thanks, Kouenji." Ayanokouji-kun turned to face the two of us. "Alright, it's about time we take a look at our phones, Hirata. I'm sure yours had been vibrating for a while now, too."

He was right. I've received tons of messages during the last minute. Our classmate must've been confused by what just happened.

"Sorry, Yukimura. The two of us will head out for a while," he said. "Hirata, go up to the 4th deck and talk things out with Horikita and the others."

"How about you?"

"I have some other business to attend to," he replied.

The two of us got out of the room, but I asked him one last question before we split up.

"What did you tell Kouenji-kun to make him agree with you?"

The act of whispering meant that it was supposed to be a secret, but I asked, anyway.

"He'd probably want the details to be kept between the two of us, so I won't say anything specific." Ayanokouji-kun slightly turned towards me. "But basically, I gave him an offer he can't refuse."

Ayanokouji-kun wore the same expression that he always had. However, I sensed something different when I saw his eyes... and I felt a bit unsettled.