Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Self-Test

Vol. 3: Chapter 1.2 - Atop the Cruiser

A lot of the students were enjoying their time around the ship's bow.

"Shit, Ayanokouji, this is awesome!" Ike, along with Yamauchi and their other friends howled in excitement as they called me.

"It's a great scenery," I commented.

After hanging out with them for a few minutes, I reunited with my friends.

"Wow! This is so great~!" Haruka was also acting like a little kid.

"Let's take a lot of pictures, Haruka-chan," Airi asked all of us to join in for a brief photoshoot with her camera in hand.

"Isn't it great, Ken? You wouldn't have been here if you got expelled," Akito commented with a smirk.

"Heh, it's piece of cake if I get serious. And besides, I got Kiyotaka teaching me. Every exam was a hundred times easier." Ken responded with a snort.

His average in the finals was a lot lower than his midterms, but at least he passed. 

"Oho~? Then why not compete with us again, Kencchin? Those private points from the midterm bet were amazing. It would've been nice to get some from you again. Right, Miyacchi~?" Haruka teased him with a smug expression.

"S-Shut up! We don't need to spend private points on this ship, anyway!" Ken was visibly shaken by that memory.

Because we were first years, we naturally had the lowest number of private points among all students. It would be hard to enjoy our time here if we're required to pay. This might've been the school's way of rewarding us.

I split up with them a few minutes after to check up on my other classmates. It seemed like everyone was having fun. Finally, I got to talk with my quote-unquote best friend, Kushida Kikyou.

"Yo, Kikyou," I greeted.

"Kiyotaka-kun, I was looking for you!" she replied with a smile.

"Yeah, same here. How are you finding this trip so far?" I asked.

"You sound like an employee who's trying to coax me into answering a survey," she chuckled teasingly. "I think it's incredible. I'm really glad I came to this school!"

Curse this monotone voice of mine, I guess. I'm glad I was wearing my school uniform. It would've been bad if people mistook me as a staff or employee.

"Where are your friends?" I asked after a depressed sigh.

"They're all over the place. Kokoro-chan and the others headed back inside the cabin earlier. They said they wanted to check out some of the restaurants."

We ate our breakfast in the lounge before we were able to roam around. It's natural for many students to be curious about the different types of cuisines in the ship after having tasted them.

"I see," I replied, resting my forearms on the railings alongside her.

"Doesn't this give you a romantic vibe?" asked Kikyou.

"I get what you mean."

Somehow, the atmosphere got a lot warmer with her question. My heart started racing...

"I'll ask this again, Kiyotaka-kun... but I'm being serious this time," Kikyou spoke without looking at me, adorning a gentle smile. "Do you want a girlfriend?"

"Why are you asking me now?"

"I just got curious again."

"I see. Well, it would be nice if I get a girlfriend, but I'm not desperately looking for one or anything like that."