Classroom of the Elite: Checkmate

Chapter 6 - Evaluation

The students poured into the room before class started. Hirata came later than usual, but his expression changed drastically. He greeted everyone as he strolled into the classroom, whereupon Kushida gave me a proud nod to show off how well her plan had worked out.

I didn't know what they talked about, and I didn't really care. All that mattered was that he was getting better, which would make my future moves easier to execute. Both Karuizawa and Mii-chan seemed more than delighted that their friend was back to his usual self.

Or that's what it seemed like, at least.

A simple talk with Kushida couldn't have filled the void in his heart, which he now possessed due to Yamauchi's expulsion. The more people got expelled, the harder it would be for him to keep going, which meant that I had to minimize my losses as much as possible before taking proper care of him and his mental state. It would be a shame if one of my bishops broke because he wasn't able to handle the pawns' sacrifices. I didn't need him to win since he wasn't a major piece, but controlling him would make this game so much easier.

All the pieces in this class had a role to play, and it was my task to use them to their fullest potential. Since I felt thankful to Hirata, I would try my best to protect him as long as possible. This, however, didn't mean I wouldn't sacrifice him if necessary.

Soon, almost every student was accounted for.

The ice queen on my right kept readying her materials for class in calm silence. She threw a quick glance at me as she noticed my gaze on her. I opened my mouth, but in the end nothing came out of it. She seemed somewhat perplexed and disappointed as she shook her head and sighed as if I was the most pitiful person in existence.

Sudou ran into the classroom around ten seconds before Chabashira-sensei strode in. He had dark circles under his eyes, which was clear evidence that he had slept little last night.

I briefly wondered what might have kept him up after our group split up yesterday, but this train of thought was overshadowed by Chabashira-sensei's long strides towards the teacher's desk. She was mesmerizing, as always, but that cold attitude of hers irked me somewhat and needed some adjusting.

Once again, her figure overlapped with a certain someone who sat beside me.

Without further ado, Chabashira-sensei began homeroom while Sudou grabbed his materials and dumped them on the table before yawning. It had been only two days since Yamauchi had officially left the school, and the first person showed signs of letting go of his newfound careful attitude. This was bound to happen, but Sudou regressed faster than I had anticipated, which wasn't a big problem in the grand scheme of things.

Since Yamauchi was expelled because of his 'misbehavior', the students in our class were a lot more careful with their actions. The survivors felt some sort of imminent threat towards their peaceful life for a time after the incident, which kept the class in check. Their current behavior, excluding Sudou, was comparable to Class B's performance on the second day of school. They might not be listening to the teachers, but at least they made it look like they were.

With time, however, this sentiment would change and the students would slip back to the sort of behavior they felt most comfortable with. My classmates would be more vigilant and might not react as extreme as before in fear of further expulsions, but every single one of them would revert to their selves on the first few days in this school.

With Sudou slipping this soon, the others would notice that his behavior had no immediate negative effects for him and follow his example due to their misconception about this place. Sudou was the first gear that would lead to a chain reaction which would send the whole class back to the beginning of April.