Classroom of the Elite: Free Will

V10: Chapter 4 - You Need to Talk

Ichinose Honami POV

When I arrived at my dorm room, Karma-kun was already outside waiting for me. He was wearing jeans and a simple black shirt, so no uniform, which meant he didn't go to the student council room after I left the classroom. I wanted to believe he had been at Keyaki Mall with some of our classmates or maybe some friends of his, but hoping for that was like hoping for snow in summer. The fact that he had agreed to go bowling with us on the weekend was already a feat. So, in all likelihood, he had been procrastinating in his room.

"So?" he raised an eyebrow. "We're up against Class B?"

I arrived at his side and opened the door to my room with a sigh. "Seriously? That's the first thing you say?"

"What? We met like an hour ago."

Once inside, I offered some coffee or tea, but he refused. It was obvious he only cared for information on how the meeting with the other commanders had gone. So, he headed to the living room while I made myself some tea. After it was ready, I entered the living room and sat in front of Karma-kun who looked at me expectantly.

I took a sip of my tea and then recounted everything that had happened and what were my duties as commander.

"Hmm..." he mused in a contemplative manner. "So, we can go to the multi-purpose room if we want to?"

"The commanders can."

He brushed it off with a wave of his hand. "Details. The room can be visited, that's what matters."

"I assume we'll pay a visit then."

Seriously? That's all he got from my speech?

"No, I'll go alone... Thank you for trusting me, though."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you chose Class B—"

"Somehow, I have a feeling that would have been the result regardless. Chikujoin-san and Sakayanagi-san seemed very pleased."

"Sakayanagi and Magane's wishes would've meant little if you had chosen a class other than B."

"Maybe so..." I shrugged as I finished my tea and put it aside, I had drunk most of it during my little explanation after all. "In any case, I wish to know more about your plan, Karma-kun."

"What about it?" he cocked his head to the side, looking confused.

"Well, what are you really going to do? I can see how most of the events and the rules you added would be advantageous to us, but some of it concerns me... especially the rules of the boxing match."

If the class accepted Karma-kun's list of events, nineteen students would participate—if for some reason our five events were selected. Some rules were quite normal while others were funny, but those of the boxing match, the aikido event and the kendo event concerned me.

This exam was a war where the commanders would survey everything, but our capacity of action would be limited. Limited by my classmates' abilities and limited by the rules of the events. Even an unparalleled strategist like Sun Tzu wouldn't stand a chance of winning if he led an army of children against an army of full-grown adults. Though the commanders' ability to get involved in the events was key, there were some fundamental things I needed to know before we went into this fight.

I understood my classmate's potential, maybe even more so than Karma-kun. While he had planned, schemed, and devised strategies, I had dedicated time to know my classmates. Who did they like and dislike? What were they good at and what did they struggle with? I couldn't find the path to victory unless I understood how to group my classmates together. And among those I understood the best, was Karma-kun.