Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Solace

Vol. 6: Chapter 13.4 - The Harsh Truth

"Yeah, that's right." Akito's chair made a noise after he shifted its position to face Miyamoto. "What? Tryna make us feel guilty for it? You have to remember, Miyamoto, you brought this upon yourself."

"Oh, did I, now? Are you sure about that?"

"Well, if you didn't, then who did?"

Miyamoto glanced at Horikita.

"Say, Horikita-san. You should have an idea of how well we're going to do in this exam thanks to that mock test. You'd told us that we did great-- that we've improved... But do you think it's enough to beat Class B and Class C in this exam?"

It was a genuinely good question. Our classmates were most likely curious about that, as well.

"No, it's not. We're still lagging behind them in academics," Horikita answered without hesitation.

This earned a few murmurs among our classmates.

"So you're saying that we'll lose, right? How much would that cost us? A hundred class points? Since Sakayanagi-san's class will probably take the top, we would've been demoted back to Class B even if I didn't get expelled." 

"You're not wrong," she replied.

"Heh, that's what I thought."

"What are you trying to pull here, Miyamoto-kun...?" asked Matsushita.

*Bam*

Miyamoto slammed his fist against the lockers beside him, making an extremely loud banging noise.

"What am I trying to pull here?! Are you all blind?! Can't you all fucking see?! This class is going downhill!"

His voice reverberated inside the entire classroom.

"That's why I decided to become a traitor! I needed money! If I had enough money, then I could buy a seat in the class that becomes Class A by the end of graduation! If it weren't for this class being shitty, and its leaders not being on the same level as the other leaders, I wouldn't have made that deal with Ryuuen!"

"Soshi..." Even his friends couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"Just so you know, I wanted to save enough money to get you three a seat, too..." Miyamoto smiled melancholically as he looked at Ike and the others. "But that's all for nothing now... Someone got me, and I don't even know who it is..."

Miyamoto turned to me with a condemning look.

"Do you care about this class, Ayanokouji?" he asked.

"Will my answer make any difference?" I replied with a question.

"Keh, you can't even answer me straight. That's already telling of what you feel."

"What I feel, huh?" A small sigh escaped my lips.

I didn't want to continue talking-- there was no need to. And besides, whatever I say would probably result in something troublesome, anyway.

"Tch, you're a fucking weirdo, Ayanokouji. I can't believe this class trusts your bullshit when you don't even care about them."

"Did Ryuuen tell you that?" I asked.

"Well, is he wrong?"

"What do you think? It's strange for you to believe what he said when you're the one who's a member of this class, not him. Are you incapable of making your own judgment?"

"Are you hearing yourself? The fact that I chose to do something on my own-- betraying this class, not following Horikita-san like a sheep, and trying to secure a spot in Class A-- I'm more than capable of making my own judgment!"

I gave Karuizawa a quick glance. I wasn't interested in continuing this conversation. If anyone can help me right now, it was her.

"I see now. So you're blaming Horikita-san and Yousuke-kun for losing to the other leaders, and you're blaming Ayanokouji-kun for stepping down." Karuizawa crossed her arms and gave him a scornful look.

"That's right. You may all think I'm being an absolute prick for all of this, but you'll eventually realize that I'm right. This class will keep on losing and losing. It won't take long before you guys are back in Class D, and more students will be expelled," Miyamoto sneered. "Hahaha, I mean look at us. We were all labeled as defects in the beginning. We were just lucky to have Ayanokouji on our side. Now that he's not doing things like he did before, the difference between us and the other classes is starting to show!"

"And so? Does that make it okay for you to betray the class? Like, the entirety of this mess was your fault, to begin with."

"That's why I kept things hidden in the first place," he shrugged. "I know I'm just reaping what I sowed, but you idiots should open your eyes. This class doesn't deserve to be in Class A."

Even Karuizawa couldn't help but falter after hearing Miyamoto's words.

After I stepped down, he was led to believe that our class would eventually lose its position. The facts were right in front of everyone, and Miyamoto made them face the harsh truth. We lost the sports festival, and we're bound to lose the Paper Shuffle Exam, too. They can't really deny what they can see with their own eyes. They were starting to doubt themselves, and they were starting to doubt Horikita. 

And after doubt... comes distrust.

Author's Notes:

They let Miyamoto cook, so he started spittin'.

Kiyotaka just wants to sleep.