Houtarou Oreki Classroom of the Elite

On the large 1.8-meter bed, Houtarou's consciousness quickly drifted away as the dream world opened before him.

In his dream, he saw a silver-haired girl wearing a black beret. Instead of her school uniform, she wore casual clothes, looking remarkably cute.

Arisu? But wasn't she supposed to be absent from the island event?

No — this was a dream. A Precognitive Dream. Could this be a glimpse of the future?

Houtarou watched the scene unfold from an omniscient perspective.

In the dream, he was away from home while his wife and children remained there.

They were in the yard — his wife reading the newspaper while their two children played with toys sent by their Aunt Eru (Chitanda).

"Mom — there's an expensive car outside! The driver looks scary — she doesn't smile, has a stern face, and she's a purple-haired big sister with hair clips in her bangs. She looks like she gets angry easily."

The children had noticed the car at the entrance, where the driver had stepped out to inquire if this was Houtarou's residence.

These children, whom Oreki had seen in previous dreams, were Suzune's five-year-old twin daughters, Rinrin and Nene.

Their mother was none other than Lawyer Suzune.

"From your description, I believe I know who it is. That would be our schoolmate Masumi Kamuro." Suzune said, setting down her newspaper as she stood.

A tall woman in a chauffeur's uniform stood outside the yard.

"For you to appear here... could it be—" Suzune's brows furrowed slightly.

Everyone who graduated from Nurturing High School knew that Masumi had been Arisu's support at school, and after graduation, became the diminutive woman's loyal attendant.

"Are you looking for me?" A delicate voice called out.

As Masumi opened the car door, a petite white-haired woman emerged.

Though small in stature and still relying on a cane, her frail form seemed to sparkle in the gentle sunlight.

A decade had passed, yet Arisu remained unchanged — a natural beauty.

"Ah, Sakayanagi—" Suzune, recognizing her former classmate, remarked, "You haven't changed at all."

"Well... I couldn't grow any taller after entering high school." Arisu responded with an endearing expression.

"Please, come in and have a seat." Suzune's response showed how much more understanding she'd become over the past decade.

In the past, she might have said: What are you doing here? Who are you looking for? Houtarou isn't home, so you can leave.

"I was thinking the same thing." Arisu said, "However, I didn't come alone. Alice!"

She called out a new name.

Then the other car door opened from inside, and a little girl with golden hair stepped out.

She wasn't very tall — even smaller than the little woman — appearing to be around ten years old. Her features resembled a miniature version of Arisu.

And this was...

"This is my daughter, Alice." Arisu said.

The girl called Alice suddenly stepped forward and hugged Suzune.

"So this is Horikita mama? Unlike what mama said, you're not scary at all~"

"Eh? Hey! What kind of things have you been saying!" Suzune protested, "My only children are Rinrin and Nene — I couldn't possibly have any connection to you. And... Sakayanagi, is this how you describe me to your child?"

She seemed somewhat angry.

"Well... Horikita-san was quite stubborn at first, always wearing a stern expression, making people think she was like Kamuro-san." Arisu said while holding her cane, "This is my daughter, full name Alice Sakayanagi. Because her father ran away, I had no choice but to use my surname."

She said this with a smile.

"Ah—"

To say such things with a smile — which meant her life hadn't been going well.

Suzune invited Arisu and Alice to have tea in the yard.

"About your husband—" Being a lawyer, Suzune could help with things like lawsuits.

"That's a sad story." Arisu said, "Though I don't hate him — I still really like him even now. Besides, Alice inherited her father's excellent genes very well."

Inherited her father's genes? Suzune pondered what Alice had inherited.

Thinking this, she then heard Arisu continue.

"By the way, is Oreki-kun not home?"

"He's not here right now." Suzune suddenly felt somewhat unstable.

Everyone knew that Arisu and Houtarou had once dated quite publicly — and then quickly broke up.

However, Suzune looked again at the golden-haired Alice playing with her two daughters with the toys sent by Dr. Chitanda.

She was blonde. Arisu had silver hair, while Houtarou had black hair. Silver hair and black hair couldn't produce a blonde child.

Moreover, the real winner now was her.

Suzune felt more confident.

"By the way, how old is Alice?" She asked.

Perhaps because they rarely kept in touch with former classmates after graduation, they now felt surprisingly close despite not being particularly close in school. They found themselves reminiscing about old times together.

"10 years old." Arisu said.

Suzune nodded.

That would have been from when Arisu was in her second year, before she withdrew mid-semester. Meeting again like this after so long stirred up emotions.

Their conversation flowed naturally, all previous hostility forgotten, as Suzune even shared some of her specialty dishes.

When their reunion came to an end, she accompanied them to the door where Masumi, the driver, was waiting.

Suzune turned to her daughters.

"Say goodbye to big sister Alice."

The two five-year-olds waved goodbye to the blonde girl they'd been playing with.

Alice responded with perfect manners.

"Goodbye, Rinrin, Nene. And goodbye, Horikita mama."

"I told you not to call me that!"

But Suzune couldn't stay angry — Arisu had already rolled up the car window as they drove away smoothly.

In the car, Arisu gently scolded her daughter.

"Alice, next time don't dye your hair blonde on a whim." She said.

But her daughter was adamant.

"Eh? Really? But blonde looks so nice — all sparkly and eye-catching. Black is just too plain."

These words made Arisu cross her arms.

Neither she nor Houtarou liked drawing attention — who had their daughter taken after?

"Madam, Miss, Mr. Oreki has already reserved a private room at the Jōzankei Hot Springs." Masumi said, adjusting the rearview mirror.

"Mm." Arisu nodded, then turned to her daughter, "Well... since we're going to the hot springs later, Alice, remember to wrap yourself in a towel when bathing."

She smoothed her daughter's freshly dyed golden hair as she spoke.

Through the years, she'd had many chances to grow out her hair, but she kept it just past her shoulders — longer hair symbolized growth, but she preferred her childlike appearance.

She knew her mischievous husband Houtarou liked it that way too.

"Eh... but I want to sit on daddy's lap. The towel gets all wet and heavy — it's uncomfortable."

"No no, that's mama's spot. You'll need to return to your room first. Twenty — no, ten minutes, and then you need to get up."

"It's always like this!"

And here the dream ended.

⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟

Suddenly, Houtarou jolted awake.

The dream had left him completely shocked.

⍟⍟⍟

T/N: If you want more chapters like this, check out my Patreon! Take a look at my other translations too, you might like them!

For just $1 you can access all the extra content, and descriptive images, costs only $2!

That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)

https://www.patreon.com/mrblackwing