Sole Elite Disclosed||Classroom of the Elite

Chapter 08: Abruption

Chapter 08: Abruption (Re-written)
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[Ayanokōji Kiyotaka POV]

「May 2nd︱Evening︱School Complex」

Leaving the library, I hastily distanced myself from the merciless being known as Horikita Suzune. My eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for any sign of Kushida Kikyō's whereabouts. It seemed she wasn't present on campus at the moment, so I continued my quest to find her.

Upon entering the school building, I caught a glimpse of someone resembling Kushida Kikyō from behind. Considering the time, around 6 pm, the only individuals present should have been engaged in club activities.

Given Kushida Kikyō's friendly and sociable nature, it was possible she was waiting for her close friends to finish their club commitments. However, I wanted to confirm this assumption.

Retrieving a pair of indoor shoes from the hallway cubicles, I scanned the area but found no trace of Kushida Kikyō. I wondered if I had lost sight of her until I caught the faint sound of shoes clacking.

Following the sound, I ascended the stairs to the second floor. The footsteps persisted, leading me further up to the third floor. Above lay the rooftop, accessible for lunchtime but typically locked after school hours.

Despite finding the situation peculiar, I continued up the stairs, endeavoring to conceal my presence in case Kushida Kikyō was meeting someone.

Eventually, I halted and positioned myself midway along the staircase leading to the rooftop. I sensed the presence of another person. Quietly, I discreetly peered in the direction of the rooftop door, near the handrail. There stood Kushida Kikyō, fixated on the entrance.

"Of course, what was I thinking?" I thought internally, swiftly taking out my phone. "It's not as if she possesses the ability to pass through doors or something."

"Ahh, so annoying!" Her voice was barely audible, so different from Kushida Kikyō's usual demeanor that I would have questioned it for a month. It seemed her stress had reached its limit, leading to this outburst.

"She's seriously annoying! God, how irritating. It'd be better if she just disappeared... Ugh, I can't stand stuck-up, snobby girls who think they're so cute. Why does she act like a harpy? A rotten girl like her couldn't possibly tutor me."

Kushida Kikyō continued her grumbling, as if reciting a spell or curse to herself. It became apparent that there was a reason why Kushida Kikyō's presence annoyed Horikita Suzune.

"Ah, she's the absolute worst! The worst, the worst, the worst! Horikita, you're so damn annoying!"

While I found myself intrigued by the scene unfolding before me, my curiosity shifted to how the school had seen through Kushida Kikyō's facade in the first place. It would be dishonest to say that she wasn't skilled at concealing her true thoughts or stress, as she had managed to deceive everyone for a month or so.

However, the school recognized who she truly was and accurately placed her in the Class of defectives. Maintaining a facade and being socially adept were valuable and necessary traits, as most people tend to hide their true selves behind such facades. It allowed them to safeguard their deepest personal traits.

In reality, there was only one card to play when it came to honesty, while having multiple cards provided more options. People often struggled to accept the reality where their true selves faced rejection, which led them to constantly reinvent themselves. It was effective, and the world remained indifferent.

Nevertheless, maintaining a facade was incredibly challenging, as it inevitably developed cracks and revealed fragments of the concealed information. Once details about a person began to emerge, they could never be fully concealed again. The moment such a flaw became well-known marked the point when someone was exposed as a defect.