Classroom of the Elite 2nd Year - Volume 4.5 Chapter 2 Part 2

After this, I spent a bewildering amount of time in my room, not feeling like playing freely, and after dinner at 6:00, it was just before 8:00 PM.

“Shall I go then?”

If I could choose again whether to go or not to go, I would choose “No” without hesitation.

It wasn’t such a welcome invitation, but if I really didn’t want to go, I should have refused without hesitation. This happened because I showed a half-hearted response that I ended up in this situation, so I guess I’ll just have to live with it.

I stood there in front of room 5034, which I had arrived at …… with a renewed determination.

A minute had already passed since I arrived at this place. I tried knocking, but I could hear the occasional girls talking and laughing from inside the room. There is no sign of any boys… for the moment.

I have a bad feeling about this.

I’m not sure why, but I think I’m starting to feel like I’m sweating. I’m sure I’m more nervous than when I faced Tsukishiro in the uninhabited island test.

“Wouldn’t it be wiser to just turn around?”

The devil’s whisper escaped through my throat as a voice.

It would be less damaging if I just apologized and said I forgot. No, but I want to avoid being branded as a person who broke a promise, if possible.

What should I do…?

As if stuck in sleep paralysis, the spell was broken unexpectedly.

“Oh, you’re here!”

It was Kobashi who showed up from the end of the corridor.

Should I say bad timing or not…

In Kobashi’s hand was a large plastic bag, with snacks and bottled juice peeking out from inside.

Once you’ve been spotted, the option of running away naturally disappears.

“I think everyone is already here, so don’t hesitate to come in.”

“Oh, yeah… I was just about to do that.”

I cannot escape from this anymore.

The door that I had felt too heavy to open, Kobashi opened it easily without hesitation.

Is it okay to rely on such a helping hand? I need to prepare my heart a little more….

While I was thinking that, the only door separating me from the guest room was removed.

The first thing that stimulated my senses was not sight, but smell.

It was the smell that first stimulated my senses, not the sight, but the smell of flowers, honey, or something sweet.

Immediately after that, girls after girls and a huge number of eyeballs caught sight of me.

“Ta-da! I brought Ayanokouji-kun with me!”

In a room of four, which is not very spacious, there are a lot of girls sitting around.

What is this world in front of my eyes?

1, 2, 3…… Including Kobashi there are 10 of them here.

This means that half of the girls in Ichinose’s class are here.

And there was not the slightest hint of a boy. I almost feel as if I’ve been betrayed on my own..

“Wait. I don’t like the way you said you brought Nino-chan in~!”

“Is that so? Oh, I brought what you asked for.”

She put the plastic bag on a small table near the bed in the small room.

I don’t know what it is about this fluffy, light-hearted gathering.

It’s definitely a little different from Kei’s group of girls.

The members of the group were girls I had hardly spoken to before, but I remembered their names and faces from OAA.

I was so overwhelmed by the scene that I couldn’t move, and Kobashi tapped me lightly on the back.

“Then, where should Ayanokouji-kun sit? Oh, do you want to sit next to Honami-chan perhaps?”

It’s true that Ichinose was the one who is closest to me out of all of them, even without making it obvious.

I’m sure there was no choice because the room was so small to begin with, but the right to choose didn’t seem to exist from the start.

The only strange thing was that even though there were 10 people in the room, there was enough space for a boy to sit next to Ichinose.

In other words, it was not a coincidence that the space was vacant, but it was most likely predetermined.

I remembered what I had said when Kobashi asked me out during the day and recalled what I had said.

Even if I stand as it is, I’ll just be uncomfortable in the eyes of 10 people.

I quickly excused myself in front of the girls and went next to Ichinose.

“Can I sit down at ……?”

“O-of course.”

I sat next to Ichinose after making a slight refusal, but I’m still receiving the eyes of almost everyone. Rather, seven people, excluding Ichinose, Kobashi, and Himeno, are observing me as if they were judging me.

Well, in this scenario one should stay calm and sit with an indifferent face. And I should try to leave early while I get the timing right.

A cup of tea poured into a clear cup was handed over to me by Kobashi.

When everyone got their drinks, Amikura, who seemed to be the moderator, spoke up.

“In the event that you’ve got any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. Kanpai!”

With these words, everyone raises their cups.

“First of all, thank you, Ayanokouji-kun. First of all, thank you Ayanokouji-kun, you were really helpful at that time.”

After that being said, Shiranami Chihiro who was sitting to the left of Ichinose slightly bowed to me in gratitude.

I’m not sure if I did anything deserving of such an elaborate thank you… For now, I can’t get into the details, so I gave her a small nod.

“Um, Ayanokouji-kun.”

I personally wanted to say that the party was in full swing, but I wanted to lament that only about 10 minutes had passed, when Shiranami looked at me with a serious face.

“What?”

A can of orange juice was clutched in both hands, and she seemed to be trying to say something.

“I’m grateful for the help,” she said. “I appreciate your help, but I haven’t acknowledged it yet, ok?”

“…… What?”

Shiranami just said that without elaborating and gulped the bit of orange juice forcefully down her throat.

“Ah~! I can’t say any more!”

No, no, no, what are you talking about…?

I was left behind, but the people around Shiranami were showering her with words of encouragement and praise for a job well done.

Shiranami is even blushing and everything, but what are they even talking about…? It was hard for me to ask her back in such a circumstance.

At the beginning of the party, Shiranami mentioned me, but after that, the girls started talking about whatever they wanted.

I just stood by and watched like a borrowed cat.

Of course, if I were asked if I felt comfortable, I would immediately say no.

But then again…

I’ve been witnessing the amazing talk of girls who come up with topic after topic.

Regardless of the genre, the topics are as busy as an airplane flying around an airport in Tokyo.

But no matter what the topic, there is one thing in common.

It’s that all the girls think of Ichinose as the center, trust her, and have a delusional degree of faith in her.

I’m not saying that’s a bad thing.

Ichinose Honami is without a doubt the most trustworthy student in the second year.

This is true regardless of whether you are friend or foe.

The criteria for what constitutes trustworthy depends on the person, but trust is something that is built up day by day.

Just as no one would trust a student who had never spoken before if you suddenly told them to trust you.

However, being trustworthy and being delusional are two different things.

Even if Ichinose is a trustworthy person, she can still make wrong choices.

If you continue to trust such a wrong person, you will not get the end results you want.

You will always need students who can tell you when you are wrong in order to correct your mistakes.

“Can I have a word?”

As the girls’ excitement peaked, one of the girls who had only shown the occasional hints of bickering raised her hand.

“What’s wrong, Yuki-chan?”

“Just a headache. I’m sorry, but I’m tired. Can I go back to my room? I’m feeling really dull.”

If it had been a simple comment, I would not have paid attention, but the unexpected tone surprised me.

I was surprised at the unexpected tone of voice, because everyone in Ichinose’s class was basically polite and decent.

She briefly told her the reason for her poor health and expressed her wish to go home. When Ichinose and the girls heard about their friend’s discomfort, they rushed to Yuki Himeno’s side.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not like I’m not a kid…”

Himeno was fed up with her overprotective behavior and stood up.

I didn’t know there was such a type of student in Ichinose’s class. As I recall, Yuki Himeno’s group for the desert island test was all from the same class.

Anyway, there was a change in the atmosphere that we couldn’t leave yet.

If I let this chance pass, I don’t know when I’ll be able to go home again.

I decided to take the plunge and follow Himeno’s lead.

“I think it’s about time I left as well.”

“Oh, you’re already leaving? You could’ve stayed a bit longer, you know.”

“No, I was originally just intended to show my face, and I have plans to meet someone later.”

If I say that I have a plan, Ichinose and others will not hold back strongly.

“Then, see you again, Ayanokouji-kun.”

Ichinose, who was sitting in a cute way and all the other girls in the room sent me off and I left the room.