Classroom of the Elite: Checkmate

Chapter 23 - Forfeit

My eyes shot open in surprise as his angered voice echoed through the empty corridor.

I glanced at the president, whose complexion was similar to my own. It had to be known that this was one of the few times his expression had visibly changed from his handsome resting face into a surprised one. He wouldn't usually show such a feedback to unforeseen actions or discussions, but listen and process everything that was going on.

But this... this was a first.

The heated argument inside the faculty office continued, but it was almost impossible to hear anything due to the thick walls and hushed voices inside. It was barely possible to understand a few angered words that escaped Nagumo-kun's mouth, but it was hopeless to piece their meaning together without the proper context.

"How did he do that?"

Horikita-san's trembling voice was colored in astonishment, while the receiver of said question, the insolent second year Kouhai, only smirked in response. I was about to reprimand her for not answering the president's question when a loud slap disrupted my focus.

Nagumo-kun must have hit the table, or a similar wooden object, with a considerable amount of force for such an echo to reach outside the room. His fury of being expelled in such weird circumstances was warranted, however.

What kind of ridiculous situation was this?

"Whoever could you mean, Manabu-senpai~?"

How dare she be this insolent?!

Note to myself: teach her a lesson before graduation.

"Stop with the jokes, Kiryuin. You know as well as I do that such an event is unprecedented. How did he manage to attack Nagumo, the student council's vice president, without even being on the school premises?"

I glanced at Horikita-san with widened eyes, unable to believe my ears.

The face of my handsome classmate was covered in genuine confusion as he posed this question to the girl in front of us. Horikita-san, the person I followed, the one I admired and cherished more than anyone else, was unable to process the current situation.

His stern demeanor was replaced by interest, intrigue and wonder.

Wait, someone expelled Nagumo from outside the school?!

Only after recovering from the shock that Horikita-san's behavior had sent through my spine did I realize what an impossible remark he had uttered. Such an act was inconceivable, even for someone as smart and resourceful as him.

I was about to inquire further when the insolent Kouhai's phone vibrated.

She took it out and glanced at the Caller-ID before a sneer surfaced on her face. Nothing but contempt and ridicule reflected in her eyes while she looked at the vibrating device in her palm until the pulses stopped.

"That damn bitch! Why isn't she picking up? Fuck!"

A loud crash rang through the hallway as something heavy smashed into the ground and broke apart. There weren't many objects like this in the faculty offices, which narrowed the potential victim down to vases, flowerpots or printers.

If my eyes could physically open any wider, they would have done so by now.

Even though Nagumo-kun could be considered Horikita-san's enemy, he was a highly capable and rather calm student. He had never reacted this severely when something important in the student council didn't go his way.

"That was fun. Let's set him on silent again..."

I might not have liked this contemptuous female Kouhai, but Horikita-san had assured me that she was one of the most capable students in the current roster. Nagumo-kun seemed short on points and wanted to borrow some from her. It would only make sense that he tried to nullify his expulsion, but gathering twenty million points wasn't easy. He should have had quite a few saved up, but apparently not enough to protect his position at the school without outside help.