Classroom of the Elite: Free Will

V1: Chapter 3 - Swimming Class

Tomori Nao POV

"Good morning, Nao-san."

"Morning," I greeted back to Sakayanagi.

"Do you have what I asked for?"

Instead of responding, I just handed the papers to her. It'd been one week since the beginning of the school year, and I had spent most of my time going around campus looking for security cameras. Yesterday I had completed my hunt and drawn a map of the school with all the security cameras of the schools marked on it. I had also made a list and differentiated the ones inside classrooms and hallways from the ones outside.

Obviously, I kept a copy for myself. This was tiring, well, not tiring. But it was tedious. I barely had any time to go out with any of the girls I met because of all the work.

Doing all of this, I had drawn several conclusions of my own that I wouldn't tell Sakayanagi about. I needed to know if she was as sharp as she pretended.

A good thing that happened two days ago was Sakayanagi successfully blackmailing one of my classmates: Kamuro Masumi.

I didn't think much of her, but she could at least take some of my work. I also had no idea what Sakayanagi had used to blackmail her.

By now, most of my classmates had already taken side either for Sakayanagi or Katsuragi. There were still some indecisive, but they would join one side or the other eventually.

After comparing our classes, Karma, Mikoto, Kiyotaka and I had arrived at the conclusion that the ABCD order was something related to excellence or merit of some kind. We had also reached a consensus that the first of each month was the more important date since it was the day the allowance were given.

As of now, I had already evaluated all my classmates, and there was one that had particularly caught my attention: Hashimoto Masayoshi. He was one of those who hadn't joined any faction. Yet, contrary to some that were just indecisive, or to Kamuro who didn't give a damn and joined the Sakayanagi faction because of blackmailing. No, he looked like he was studying each one of the factions. He had made friends in both of them, and none of the students in my class were hostile to him. I could tell he would be a fine ally, and I was sure both Katsuragi and Sakayanagi could tell as well. In fact, Katsuragi had already tried to convince him to join his faction more than once, but Hashimoto's answers were always vague. Not refusing it but neither accepting.

Naturally, I notified all of this to the others, so they keep wary of him. Even if I was certain Karma would try to use him. He had already joined the student council and his intervention at the club fair was the talk of the students for several days.

I sighed internally. I don't know what was worse the fact that he joined the council or the fact that they had made him the treasurer.

Morning classes were pretty dull. It's actually annoying when people speak to you about things that you already know like you didn't understand any of it. I just hope I didn't space out too much.

I had lunch with Sakayanagi and we talked about the school system.

Even if I couldn't go out with other classmates, my conversations with her were always entertaining. She knew I was smart, although not how smart. So, I would always try to take information out of her and vice-versa. Sometimes she would ask about my relationship with Karma and Mikoto. I always kept my answers as vague as possible trying not to give her any useful information but giving her enough to keep her satisfied.

I enjoyed those discussions. It reminded me to the psychological wars I had with her, back in that place.

Hm? Did I really just think of her? How curious, ever since that day I've tried to hate her, but each time I think of her is with affection. The memories I have with the six of us are the best I have. It was actually the only good thing I got from that place. Each time I try to hate her the only thing I can tell myself is that, even if she abandoned us, how could I hate her for taking the opportunity to leave that place. I did exactly the same by accepting Matsuo-sensei's proposal to come here.