Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Self-Test

At the reception desk, Horikita and I received our room keycards, along with a handbook about the dorm rules for each of us. In addition to the basic things that we needed to know about our daily routines, there were also dates and times for garbage disposal, a notice to avoid making excessive noise, and notes about not wasting water or electricity.

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"Amazing. I thought the school would deduct the cost from our points, but that doesn't seem to be the case at all," I muttered, with Horikita reading her own handbook beside me.

"They don't place any restrictions, even with gas usage," continued Horikita.

The two of us entered the elevator. According to my research, being stuck in an elevator will most likely lead to a big conversational disaster, but I didn't want silence between us. I'd like to keep talking while I can still think of something.

"My room is on the 4th floor. How about you?" I asked, pressing the number 4 button.

"It's on the 13th floor," she replied.

This school implemented co-ed dormitories, but of course, the rules stated that unsuitable romantic relationships were strictly forbidden. Well, that much is obvious...

After we reached the 4th floor, I turned to ask Horikita.

"Do you not want to check out your room before we talk? Once you enter mine, it'll be the first-ever room that you've entered in the dormitories," I joked. She criticized me before about the way I delivered my jokes. I'm prepared for the worst on this one.

"Do you think about things like those, Ayanokouji-kun? I'm not someone who dwells on something so trivial and sentimental. Besides, I ought to talk to you as soon as possible." Horikita coldly responded.

"I was joking, my bad." I scanned my keycard to unlock Room 401.

It seems like wanting to talk to me didn't mean Horikita wanted to make friends. I expected that much, but it's still a downer, to say the least.

Now that I think about it, Horikita didn't even mind that she was going inside the room of a guy. She might think I'm harmless, but that's not enough reassurance for the difference in our body size should I do something dangerous. Of course, I'm not planning to do anything, but I didn't even realize the implications of our situation until now. Given my initial evaluation of her, Horikita doesn't seem like an airhead. In fact, it's the opposite. 

I see. She knows martial arts— or at least, that's the guess I'm willing to bet on.

Halting my line of thought, the two of us finally entered. My room was twelve to thirteen square meters big.

"Let's talk while eating," I said, putting my bag on top of the bed.

I picked up the vacuum electric water heater and filled it up. After Horikita put away her school bag gently on the floor, she took out the cheap lunch set she brought from the convenience store and put it on the dining table.

"You can go ahead and eat first."

"Alright," she replied, accepting my suggestion.

I sat across Horikita and now we were face-to-face with each other. Looking at her again, she really was beautiful. If she was more outgoing and friendly, she could easily stand beside the likes of Kushida in terms of popularity.

"First off, what did you want to talk about?" I started.

She swallowed her food gracefully before answering.

"I want to know what kind of person you are. According to Chabashira-sensei, being placed in Class D means that you're a defective product of some sort. I personally don't agree with that. I pride myself as an exemplary student. They must have made a mistake. I assume that you feel the same?" she elaborated.

"Hmm... I didn't think my placement in Class D was a mistake or anything, even after Chabashira-sensei told us everything. My entrance exam scores were below average, after all," I said, looking at the water heater.

Oh, it's done.

"How many points did you score?" She asked after swallowing another bite of her food.

Huh? Does she expect me to answer that? The exam results were never revealed.

"Fifty across the board," I answered, pouring the hot water into my cup ramen. "Well, at least that's what I think. Maybe I'll ask Chabashira-sensei for confirmation."

"You actually answered..." she said, vexingly shaking her head. "Alright. If I assume that what you're saying is true, then you would've been smart enough to manipulate your own scores."

"I answered your question jokingly. There's no way for me to know what my scores really were."

"I guess that makes sense," she shrugged.

"And even I did, there's no such thing as me manipulating my answers. I might be sure about 60 questions for each subject, and I just deliberately secured 50 on a whim. But since the exam is worth 100 points, wouldn't that make me an average, if not a below-average student?"

"That's true, but did you really find the exam difficult?" she asked without delay.

If she's set on thinking that I'm a smart student, then there's no reason to make myself seem unintelligent in front of her. Doing that might become detrimental in the near future.

"Well, not really. The exam was easy enough for me, so I tried scoring all-fifties and see how it goes." Before she could ask why, I decided to deflect the question back to her. "How about you? You don't seem like someone who took the entrance exam lightly."

I opened it up and the smoke carried a nice aroma. I wonder what this would taste like. I'm kind of excited.

"Of course. I'm sure I scored well on the entrance exam... but they still put me in Class D. They must've made a mistake... Unless—" she gasped, finally catching on.

"Do you finally get it?" I asked. "I'm sure some of our classmates are dissatisfied because they think they scored well, too. However, Chabashira-sensei insisted that the sorting of students wasn't wrong in the least."

"They didn't just base it on the entrance exam itself, did they?" she muttered.

I nodded, slurping my first serving of cup ramen. Delicious.

"Think about it clearly. Chabashira-sensei sprinkled hints about the true nature of this school. She repeatedly stressed our doomed futures if we graduate in Class D. It makes sense from a futuristic standpoint since the workforce wouldn't readily accept a flawed graduate. That's probably why the statistics on this school's advancement rate were so high, focusing the sample size only on Class A students," I explained before slurping my noodles.

"What could possibly be my flaw...?" Horikita wondered with a pained expression.

"I only met you today, so I can't really say... But if I had to guess, maybe it's because of your demeanor?" This was a risky route to take. As much as possible, I'd like to avoid offending any of my classmates.

"What do you mean?" She glared at me.

"Well, I personally admire your calm and cool demeanor, but you give off the impression of someone who prefers to be alone." Even without my knowledge of human psychology, I think it's still the impression she would give me.

"I prefer to be alone," she replied sternly.

I hit the mark, huh?

"Well, if you look at it from the perspective of a company owner, they wouldn't want to employ someone who can't work with others now, would they?" I explained before sipping some of the soup.

"That's- That shouldn't be the case..." She tried to defend herself, but it slowly made sense to her. She ate another spoonful as she frowned.

"You wouldn't be so naive to think that you're the most intelligent student on the campus, right? If a number of Class A students, who are just as smart and capable, can work effectively with others, there's no doubt that they would be chosen over you." With that, I grabbed the cup with both of my hands and consumed the remaining soup.

Thanks for the meal.

Around that time, Horikita also finished her meal.

"Is that really the case...?" She still seemed to deny what I said. Well, I don't have any evidence for my claim. She's free to believe them or not.

"Are you against the idea of making friends?" I got up, putting away my mess in the sink.

"Frankly, yes. As I said, I prefer to be alone," she replied instantly.

"But you do want to advance to Class A, right?" I asked, looking her directly in the eyes.

"Of course. Now that I have some knowledge about this school's true nature, that will be my main goal," answered Horikita.

Sigh... As she is now, Horikita's nothing but a double-edged sword.

"I see." I crossed my arms before continuing. "Then forgive me for my harsh words, but I think you might want to refrain from acting stuck-up, lest you become a liability to the class."

At this point, she needed to hear it. In the future, I don't want to work extra by stopping unnecessary, childish arguments driven by pride.

"T-That's... I'll think about it... As you said earlier, the solidarity of the class will be the most important thing in this school..." She really seemed to take my words seriously.

That's a good thing. Horikita should be an academically competent student. That's what her confidence in her entrance exam results tells me. If that confidence isn't unfounded, then she might become a useful person for Class D's advancement in the future.

More importantly, Horikita didn't bark back at me even as I said some provocative things. It goes to show how she doesn't see me as someone below her.

After an awkward moment of silence, I decided to ask Horikita if she had any more questions for me.

"Anything else?" Given her tense reaction, I might have sounded a little bit too sudden. Horikita was still thinking about what I just said.

"Do you really plan on advancing to Class A?" Horikita asked hesitantly.

"Haven't I made that clear already?" I answered back with a question while tilting my head.

"You questioned me before I could ask why you slacked off on your exam. What was your reason for that?"

I'm impressed by her perception, but unfortunately, I don't want to talk about my past.

I came to this school to start again— No... In this school, I can begin entirely anew. I wouldn't let my origins get in the way of my high school life.

"I'm not obliged to answer that, am I?" I narrowed my eyes a little bit.

Given her sharpness, making up a lie would be too risky. However, telling her some truths about me would yield the same risk.

"Isn't that a bit hypocritical? I thought you prioritized the class's solidarity. How can we trust you if you're keeping secrets?" asked Horikita.

"Then, are you alright with laying everything bare to me? What are your true objectives? Why do you want to advance to Class A? What motivates you? Will you tell me everything about your past?" 

"That's not necessary now, is it?" Horikita bit her lip.

"Exactly. I'm not looking for a friendly relationship with the class here. I'll help them advance, but that doesn't mean they need to know everything about me. And besides, we've just met today. Why don't we get to know each other a little better first before sharing personal stuff?" I said.

To be honest, that was a half-lie. I wanted some friends, but focusing on that would be a bad move. I'll take my time in exploring that area.

Horikita only stared at me with a curious glare. Another brief moment of silence ensued. This time, Horikita was the one who broke the ice.

"Sigh... I suppose I'll go now. This has been a fruitful conversation, Ayanokouji-kun." Horikita didn't sound sarcastic at all. That's a relief.

"Alright. See you tomorrow." With that, Horikita walked out of my room and left.

When I finished cleaning after myself, I surrendered my body to the bed.

"What a day..." I muttered.

I like this school. I chose it for one fundamental reason. People were not allowed to contact students without permission, even if they were friends or immediate family. I greatly appreciated that.

I was free. Isn't freedom simply the best? I almost didn't want to graduate. For me, passing or failing didn't really matter. I simply wanted to test myself.

At first, I was just thinking about taking the backseat, not drawing attention to myself. However, this school turned out to be pretty interesting. 

I wonder how far I can reach while utilizing the abilities given to me by "that man".

My body felt far from tired, and excitement still overwhelms my mind. This new life of mine... I'll enjoy it to the fullest.