Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Solace

Sneaking around was pathetic, so the choice of just fearlessly walking in like it's nobody's business posed itself as a great option. 

No, that's too much, even for me. If only I were as cool as Hirata or Kikuchi, then it wouldn't be too much of a problem.

I waited until I could use the elevator alone, all the way to the 13th floor. After successfully making my way to Horikita's door, I immediately rang the bell. In this situation, Horikita should've been waiting by her door to receive me, but no one answered.

I slowly started to open the door myself, only to find it unlocked.

"Horikita...?"

I've been in her room once, and since Horikita wasn't in the kitchen or hallway, it meant that she was behind this door— the door to her bedroom. Looking around, it didn't seem like the place was decorated any more than last time, just like my own room.

"You're alone, right?" As expected, I heard her voice inside the bedroom area.

"You're being way too loud," I said.

"It's okay. Even if someone came in right now, I'd bonk them with my right hand," she replied.

What in the world does that even mean? I cautiously entered Horikita's bedroom for the first time, and my heart raced unnecessarily. She had her back to me, so I couldn't really see her face. At first glance, nothing seemed particularly strange.

"Okay, I'm here. What's the problem?" I asked while staring at her get-up.

Horikita wore a pastel pink, sleeved semi-wrap dress with white hems and mini-ribbons. If I were to give any comments, she looked very cute in that outfit.

"Once you see, you'll understand."

Horikita slowly turned around to face me. Two different emotions instantly took over my body— confusion and second-hand embarrassment.

"I see. So that's it, huh?"

"That's it, yes."

I stared at her right hand, which was completely stuck inside a water bottle. It was unbecoming of Class A's dignified leader.

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"Hmm... How do I put this? This isn't like you. Were you playing around?"

"Don't be dumb," she glared.

"This is like when you stick your head between something but can't take it out as a result." Coupled with my silly miming, Horikita's eyebrows furrowed as she swung her arm at me. 

"H-Hey, I'm kidding."

"Well, it wasn't funny."

"That's because you're the one getting teased."

"Are you going to help me, or not?" Horikita pulled her arm back, ready to launch a strike against me.

"Okay, okay, chill." I want to etch this adorable image of Horikita in my mind. "How did this happen, anyway?"

"I was trying to wash my hands."

"You could've transferred the water to a bowl and washed your hands there. That's what I did with the last of my water supply, at least."

"I've obviously thought of that, but my sink was already clean and I didn't want to wait until tomorrow to wash the bowl itself. I never thought this would happen as a result." Horikita sighed in frustration. "This night is quite filled with misfortune."

Based on the plastic waste that I noticed inside her kitchen trash can, she probably had some take-out for dinner. That way, she wouldn't have to use any kitchenware. It certainly fits her personality to get bothered by unwashed dishes. And I guess sticking her hands inside the bottle itself would be the absolute best way to wash without wasting water.

Meanwhile, the mess in my sink was already set in stone the moment I decided to cook some fried rice. An extra bowl to wash wouldn't really matter. That's how I unknowingly avoided this disaster. 

"I see. That doesn't look too comfortable." I grabbed Horikita's right hand— well, not her right hand, but the water bottle. "Alright, let's get this over with."

Seeing me act, Horikita pulled in the opposite direction. However, she'd been struggling with this for hours. Due to her exhaustion, her entire framework was dragged towards me instead.

*Thud*

I reflexively held Horikita's body as her face got buried in my chest.

"You should put a little more strength into it. You're going to stay stuck, you know?" I said.

"I know that. I'm just a little bit tired." Horikita slowly pulled herself away from my embrace. "I'll pull harder and stay firm."

After I nodded, the two of us tried the same thing once more. Horikita pulled her hand as I tried to take the bottle away. She endured the pain that showed in her face, but in the end, she remained stuck.

"Doing it like this doesn't seem to be working. You're just getting hurt."

"I suppose..." Horikita appeared to have resigned herself to being trapped.

"There's no other option. We have to use soap and water to get your hand out of there."

"I have soap, but the last of my water ran out a while ago."

That's right. According to the additional details from the announcement, the outage will end around 12:00 AM at best. And even then, that's still almost three hours from now. With the both of us running out of water, the only option left was the supply from the toilet, but Horikita probably wouldn't like that.

"I'll head to the cafeteria, alright?"

Hearing my gentle tone, Horikita nodded her head in embarrassment. Her facial expression looked apologetic.

"Mn... Sorry about this," she said.

Horikita would definitely have a lot of suitors if her cuteness was always showcased like this. I sneakily went out of her room with that thought in mind. We might've been low on options, but some supply of water was all we needed.

"I'm very sorry. So many students came earlier and now we're all out," said the cafeteria lady.

With dinner time being the critical moment for all of us, the supply of water ran out like a trendy accessory. However, I couldn't give up just yet. I didn't really need a lot. About two drinking glasses' worth would be enough to free someone's hand from a bottle.

"Ahh, Ayanokouji-dono."

"Good evening, Ayanokouji-kun."

I met two familiar faces as I made my way there. It was Professor and Ijuuin.

"Hey, you two. 'Also ran out of water?"

"That is the case, unfortunately," sighed Professor. 

"And it doesn't seem like our misfortune ends there," Ijuuin spoke as he looked at the vending machine.

All the water, tea, and juice were sold out. Not a single product was left for us to get.

"I've never seen a completely sold-out vending machine before," I muttered.

"Indeed. It's something you'd see from myths and legends." Instead of having an exasperated expression, Professor nodded in amusement. "Well then, we'll be on our way to Keyaki Mall. We wouldn't want to borrow water from the likes of Kanji-dono or Haruki-dono."

Despite being who he is, Professor still had some hygienic standards. Even if I wasn't close with those two, I could still notice their lack of care for leaving uncovered water or tea.

Ijuuin just nodded at me with a smile. I wonder if he shared the same sentiment.

"Hey Professor," I called. "Speaking of Ike..."

Of course, he instantly knew what I meant.

"Ahh, you're talking about Project Delta, right? Well, thanks to that whole fiasco during the class meeting, he ceased any form of contact with me about that plan. I'd already finished my part, but he has yet to take the blueprint and the device," he answered.

"I see... That's a relief."

"Yes, indeed. Thinking about it in hindsight, I would probably still get apprehended because of my involvement. I don't really trust Kanji-dono or any of his potential accomplices in terms of keeping their mouths shut. If they get captured by the authorities, there's a high chance of them ratting me out as the technician."

"That's true. It's better to call that plan off for your own safety."

"I mean, after Karuizawa-san burned those two alive, especially Haruki-kun, I doubt any of them would still have the guts to go through with that plan," commented Ijuuin. "However, I don't think their current behavior is set in stone. Even after getting targeted by Ryuuen-kun, didn't they regress back to their original selves after a while? Who's to say that it won't happen again?"

"And unfortunately, those two, along with Soshi-dono and Ryoutarou-dono, had practically become a circle-jerk. Objectively looking at it from my all-seeing eye, they've been influencing each other for the worse," added Professor. 

"I thought those two acted as Ike and Yamauchi's voices of reason?" I asked.

"Well, that's how it was before, but wretched fate made the opposite happen. Kanji-dono and Haruki-dono became their voices of chaos instead." Professor's anime-like delivery didn't make that terrible news any better.

But of course, it's not like I haven't noticed it already. It was really unfortunate given how cooperative Hondou and Miyamoto were back when we tried to save Ike and Yamauchi from trouble. I guess high school boys will be high school boys.

"I'm glad you two aren't following their footsteps," I said.

"That would be quite an insult, Ayanokouji-dono. They're too obsessed with 3D girls who they probably wouldn't even have the chance to get close with. It's better to accept reality and love 2D girls, instead. Isn't that right, Wataru-dono?"

"Mn, I agree. It's less troublesome and less hurtful. Even if you're the embodiment of male popularity in our class, I'm sure you can still relate in some way, Ayanokouji-kun. You've been heavily learning our culture since the start of school, after all."

With the amount of otaku media that I've consumed in the past five months, Ijuuin's words were more than correct. I've delved into anime, manga, games, and even visual novels, but the most I've consumed would be light novels. It probably stemmed from my nature as a bookworm back then— if I could even be considered one.

"You're probably right," I shrugged. "Well then, I'll be going on ahead. I've finished all of your recommendations, so I'll be dropping by to borrow some more next time."

"Why of course. With the amount of knowledge you hold, you're finally ready to play my most treasured masterpiece."

It's probably another ero-visual novel, but given Professor's evaluation, the other aspects should be top-tier.

"See you, Ayanokouji-kun. I'll give you some manga recommendations next time," waved Ijuuin.

I was really thankful for having those two as my friends. It was often depicted in works of fiction that popular males were loathed by otaku like them, but that couldn't be further from the truth. They would become bitter from time to time, but it never reached the scale of envy and hate that guys like Yamauchi or Ike would feel for someone like me or Hirata.

In fact, it was actually the opposite. Consuming a lot of those narrative media made Professor and Ijuuin open-minded individuals. It would be wonderful if they could influence Ike and the rest. However, after hearing about their current state, it should be nothing but a pipe dream at this point.

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"It seems like you're empty-handed." 

Horikita, the bottle-armed woman, stared at me.

"And it seems like your hands are still full," I joked.

Horikita instantly swung her blunt weapon at me.

"H-Hey, it's a joke!"

"It was also extremely unnecessary, uncalled for, and of course, unfunny." Horikita sighed before speaking in a renounced and self-deprecating tone. "So, what are we going to do now?"

"We don't have any choice. We could only ask for someone else's water. We could head to Keyaki Mall, but that should be our last resort. It's the most troublesome solution, especially for you."

"I'll never get out of my room in this state... Well, unless there's no other choice." Horikita averted her gaze to the side. "Really, this night is filled with misfortune."

"I could agree with you on that..." I sighed. "But we have the entire class to contact, you know? I'm sure they'd be glad to help."

"No," Horikita's tone immediately turned deep. "I refuse to let them know about my situation."

"Alright, I understand. I'll just lie and say it's for me." 

If push comes to shove, we might even need to contact emergency services.

"For now, let's try getting in touch with Hirata. He's the most reliable person we could ask at this point."

"If you tell him that you're the one who needs it for appearance's sake, then that's fine. I dislike the idea of owing him a debt." Horikita averted her eyes with a conflicted look.

That's fair. As a fellow leader, she's treating Hirata like a business partner. It's a common mindset to want to stay on equal ground at all times. But no matter how dissatisfied she was, we can't really do anything else at this point, unless she was willing to take the risk of going out.

I tried calling Hirata, but no matter how many times the phone rang, no one answered. Even when I tried sending him a message, it still went unread.

"He's not responding at all. Maybe he's asleep."

"I'll take that as both good news and bad news," she replied.

"Should I ask Kikyou then?"

"You're joking, right?"

"She'll gladly help you out, though. Or are you still on bad terms with each other?"

"We're not on bad terms, but there's no reason for us to get along either. Could you please ask another person?" 

"I guess that's fine, too. I'll try asking my friends for now."

"Thanks," she sighed, seemingly fed up with the state of her right hand.

Well, I want to hurry up and return to my room, too. I checked in on the Ayanokouji Group's group chat but it didn't seem active at the moment. I hope at least one of them can give us some.

(21:26) [Hey, do any of you have some extra water? I need some right now, but I ran out a while ago. The cafeteria's all out, as well.]

Not even 20 seconds passed before a reply came in.

(21:26) [I have some!]

(21:26) [Haruka has some.]

Haruka and Akito sent their replies at the exact same time.

(21:26) [Ohh, can I have some?]

(21:26) [Around half a liter will do.]

(21:26) [Of course! You can come to my room and get it.]

(21:26) [Bring your container, okay~!]

(21:27) [Thanks a lot.]

(21:27) [No problem!]

(21:27) [I'll be waiting.]

"Sweet. Haruka's willing to give me some. I'll be right back, okay?"

"Alright, please be careful."

————————————————————————

I got out of the room and walked my way towards the elevator. Thankfully, I made it to my room without any issues and I managed to get my own water bottle.

"Kiyotaka-kun?"

As I got to the tenth floor, a familiar girl entered the elevator.

"Kikyou?"

"Hey, what are you doing here around this time?" she asked innocently.

It didn't really seem like she was trying to tease me given that we're the only ones in here. So, I decided to answer her question honestly.

"I'm on my way to Haruka's room. I'm trying to get some drinking water since the cafeteria ran out," I replied, showing her the empty bottle in my hand.

Well, it was a half-truth given that it's not really for me, and it won't be used for drinking either.

"Oh, I thought so! You see, I'm on my way to Maezono-san's room to bring her some water," she smiled. "Really, what a pain in the ass."

Her angelic expression didn't match her last sentence, but I guess that's just Kikyou being herself. Maezono wasn't really part of her main group, so it makes sense that she harbors some unpleasant feelings underneath her kind actions.

The two of us got off on the 13th floor, but given our destinations, that's also where we decided to separate.

"I'll be going on ahead now. Good night~!"

"Yeah, good night."

I watched her walk away before briefly turning around. When I arrived in front of Haruka's room, the door opened even before I could ring the bell.

"Ah, Kiyopon, you're here~!" she greeted.

She wore a beige-colored cardigan paired with a light-yellow t-shirt peeking from her chest area. She was also wearing black stockings underneath her silky-white pleated skirt. I felt her AC on full blast so this get-up was quite reasonable.

"Hey," I raised my free hand to say hi.

"I was about to go take a peek outside since I thought you got lost. I'm glad that it wasn't the case." Well, I guess I did take some time getting here— a little bit more than one would initially expect.

"My bad if I kept you waiting."

"Pfft, what are you saying? It's all good." Haruka merrily walked back inside. "C'mon in."

Her room wasn't as decorated as Kikyou's room, but not as simple as Horikita's room either. It's the kind of self-serving room that rarely receives any visitors, but can be considered presentable even if a group of guests came in. Of course, being on the same floor as Horikita's room meant that they had the same general layout.

"Alright, give me your bottle. I'll fill it up for you." Coincidentally, the bottle I had could hold around 500 milliliters worth of drinking water. "Here ya go~."

"Thanks a lot. You really saved me."

"Don't worry about it. Miyacchi got some from me, too. And I wouldn't be surprised if even Kencchin comes running here, as well."

"Alright, I'll be going ahead. I owe you one."

"Sure! And you seem to be in a rush. Don't get in an accident and drop all that water, okay?"

"Don't jinx it. I'm getting nervous now."

Fortunately, Haruka's joke became my way out to avoid her initial comment. She giggled as I exited her room.

After confirming that the hallway was empty, I hastily entered Horikita's room. I opened the door to her bedroom only to see her half-asleep. She immediately tried to sit straight as soon as I got in.

"You're back."

"Yeah, and you didn't even notice me. You must be really tired."

Horikita looked as sharp as ever now that I was here, but she looked a bit wobbly earlier.

"I guess so," she replied.

"What if someone got in and saw you in this state?" I teased.

"Stop thinking about worthless things. Now that you've got some water, let's just get this over with."

I know that more than anyone, but I can't help but want to tease her more.

"Well, since you'd probably take extra steps in order to not get stuck like this anymore, why don't we take a commemorative photo-?"

Horikita's glared at me and raised her hand. She seems fixated on bonking me because of that joke. However, she's the type of person who'd never do feints, so I easily caught her strike. I suddenly pulled hard, and the combination of Horikita's surprise and exhaustion resulted in her getting helplessly dragged close to me.

*Click*

"How dare you..."

"You look really exasperated here. It's not my place to tell you this, but you should smile more." I showed her the photo with a smug expression.

Of course, I deleted the photo right in front of Horikita's eyes. Her anger noticeably faded into a pout.

"At least you're aware of it. I don't want to hear that from you, of all people." She shook her head, looking completely done with this entire situation.

Horikita took the water and entered her restroom. After a few minutes, she came out with both water bottles in hand. This time, her right hand was holding onto her water bottle instead of getting held by it. 

"There's still some water left." Horikita returned my bottle back without an issue. 

"Oh, thanks."

She looked at me with firm eyes before speaking. 

"Thank you very much, Ayanokouji-kun. You really saved me this time."

The fact that I didn't have to urge her to say thank you emphasized her growth. I was a little bit surprised— and happy.

"It's no problem." 

We could've dealt with the issue way earlier if she hadn't been so uptight about telling me. I'm sure Horikita was aware of that, as well. But at the same time, I also get it. It's not like her to show weakness to anyone, and that's probably the reason why she came to me for help.

Horikita didn't like the idea of asking for help in general. Luckily, I passed through that barrier and became an exception. Horikita doesn't see me as someone she needs to lead, so the idea of making me see her vulnerable side wasn't as revolting. And it's not like this was the first time I've seen her vulnerable. Things probably started changing between us after I got involved in her sibling squabble.

————————————————————————

Before I could enter my room, I suddenly noticed how light my pockets were...

"I forgot my phone..."

I scampered back to the elevator with an annoyed groan. My ride briefly came to a halt when the gate opened after reaching the 5th floor.

Of all the people I could ride this small elevator with...

Kouenji Rokusuke, a fellow classmate, waltzed inside without a care in the world.

"Elevator boy, top floor."

Are you for real? Well, he doesn't even seem to recognize me given how focused he is on his mirror. I quietly pressed the button and my journey back to Horikita's room finally continued.

"This night really was filled with misfortune..." I thought.