Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Self-Test

Vol. 4: Chapter 10.1 - The Final Conclave

August 14th, Final Day of the Zodiac Test.

We were scheduled to disembark tomorrow morning, so the bustling crowd of students reverberated throughout the large halls. Since a luxurious summer vacation on a fancy cruise ship felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most students, they wanted to make the best out of the experience.

"Everyone's awfully relaxed, huh?"

"Must be nice for the ones who're already finished with the exam. They practically have nothing to worry about apart from the results."

"What do you think, Ayanokouji?"

In an open-air restaurant on the 9th Deck, I was currently hanging out with Sugawara and Ueno, two male classmates of mine.

"I can't say... Horikita's doing all the work this time around, after all," I replied.

"Hmm, I guess that's true. I'm also down to believe that a pattern exists for the VIPs. So if Horikita-san really manages to find that pattern, Class B would win by an overwhelming margin," said Sugawara.

Ueno only chuckled in response.

"I can only imagine Horikita-san's face when she read the messages on the class group chat last night," he said.

"Ayanokouji, do you think she felt flustered?" asked Sugawara.

"Probably," I shrugged.

Horikita's leadership on the current exam was a hot topic last night. Since only a handful of students were aware of it, the news came off as a surprise for most of our classmates. Thanks to Kikyou and the others' help, we managed to amplify the fact that Horikita was doing most of the work while I stayed on the sidelines. Of course, there were some jokes about me slacking off, but I didn't really mind. It was the truth, anyway-- kind of.

"Horikita's doing really well, especially with Hirata and Kikyou's help. I don't think the class needs to worry about anything," I said.

"Yeah. Once Horikita-san finds the answer, we'll be there to follow up."

"The class has made that clear last night. We're right behind her-- she just needs to tell us what to do."

I'm glad her position in class was slowly getting cemented in place.

Our casual talks continued until the other guys from our class joined in.

It didn't take long before lunchtime arrived. This time, I made plans with my groupmates. The three of us were pleasantly surprised because Horikita was the one who invited us.

"Ah, Kiyotaka-kun!"

"Hey there, Ayanokouji-kun."

Kikyou and Hirata greeted me with their usual smiles. Meanwhile, Horikita did nothing but stare at me with her classic neutral expression. It seems like I was still the last one to get here even though I arrived 10 minutes before our designated meeting time...

That said, we immediately started to discuss the matters at hand.

"First of all, I would like to know how your progress is going, Horikita."

"Yes," she nodded. "My progress is steady, all thanks to you getting Minamikata-san's name back on the first day. However, I'm sure all of the people who got an additional name are stuck on the same stage."

"Horikita-san is right. We've been brainstorming about the last variable together since yesterday. Until now, we still can't figure out the qualifications to become a VIP," followed Kikyou.