Classroom of the Elite: Checkmate

Chapter 3 - Harry's Gambit

"Good morning, Yamauchi!"

"Good morning, Ike!"

For some unknown reason, the two of them were in an extremely good mood. I wasn't sure why, but it couldn't be something important. Glancing at the clock, I noted that they arrived around 10 minutes earlier than they usually were in the morning, which was already plenty surprising.

"I barely slept last night. Today is going to be great!"

"This school is amazing. I can't believe it's already time for our swimming lessons. And when I say swimming, I mean girls. And when I say girls, I mean girls in swimsuits!"

Ohh, that's what they were on about. I had to admit that I was curious as well, but I would never scream my interest from the rooftops like they did. It's no wonder that none of the girls could stand their presence.

The two of them were rather loud, so most of the students that were occupying the classroom heard them. This, of course, included the girls, who were everything but happy after listening to their distinct fantasies, which they lived out in vivid detail.

These two dangerous individuals glanced at me without warning. My entire body shook, and I had a terrible feeling, even though I couldn't explain why. They were like rabid dogs, ready to pounce on the girls.

Then why would they be glancing at me? They were not confusing me with a girl, right? No. Not even Ike and Yamauchi would be this stupid.

"Hey Professor! Come here for a sec!"

The Professor, also known as Sotomura Hideo, trudged towards them. I made my way over as well. Since Sudou wasn't my friend, I could try making friends with them. If I had any alternatives, I would have used them, but desperate times called for desperate measures. I just needed to make at least some kind of progress in the friends' department or else I would be doomed.

"Can you record the girls wearing swimsuits for us?"

Ike asked the Professor, and I already regretted walking over. His voice wasn't lowered, so I was sure the girls heard him yet again. Since I was approaching the three at a rapid pace, I didn't want to turn around and see their disgusted gazes towards us. It wasn't hard to envision Karuizawa and the rest frowning in revulsion. I really couldn't have made my way over to them with worse timing.

"Leave it to me. I'll pretend to be sick to skip the class."

Sotomura, seemingly much smarter than Ike and Yamauchi, softened his voice. He knew that he'd fall from grace if the girls heard about their plan and acted according to these circumstances.

"What are you guys planning?"

Ike and Yamauchi both gawked at me before nodding towards each other with suspicious peeks in between. The Professor watched their exchange with interest, but didn't know what they were on about either, according to his quizzical look.

Should I turn around and go back to my seat? This would be my last chance. Once the three of us talked, I wouldn't have any shot to befriend even one of the girls, except maybe Kushida, who hadn't even talked to me ever since school had started. I was so intent on making friends, however, that I decided that Ike and Yamauchi would be good enough for me.

"The Professor is going to rank the girl's breast sizes. If we are lucky, we are even getting some pictures. Are you interested, Ayanokouji?"

Both of them stared at me with high expectations. Sudou, who just strolled into the room as Ike made his statement, drew back in response to the boy's plan. Even though he had a clear aversion towards his proposal, the delinquent's eyes were glued to my person.