Classroom of the Elite: Portrayal

Chapter 16: Travel the seas

What a beautiful sight.

The grand cruise ship, a floating marvel, glided through the azure waters, cutting through the waves with an effortless grace. The sun dipped low on the horizon, casting a warm golden glow across the expansive deck. As I stood at the railing, the gentle sea breeze tousled my hair, and the rhythmic hum of the ship's engines resonated beneath my feet.

Despite the cruise being a wonderland I could also see the downside to all of this. I couldn't help but notice that not only Class D was eyeing it seemed that Class B joined in the fun with that as well.

I was definitely popular but for bad reasons. I knew that Ichinose was definitely not the one who made everyone turn against me in Class B, she had too much of a pure soul to do so.

It must have been Ryuji. Despite us being childhood friends we never saw eye to eye. Probably because he was always jealous that he could never meet my skills in terms of everything.

I wouldn't be surprised to go as far as to say that Ryuji had a grudge against me.

I mean who wouldn't have one against me?

Well, it wasn't the entire Class B, more so half of them. Some were still cheery about it. It was more so the Ichinose half.

I could tell where this was going.

Before we reached the Island, I wanted to talk to a couple of people. It was a necessity that I did, as it would shape the outcome of this exam.

And with her in my sight, she was the first person that I would interact with on this cruise.

"Didn't think you would want to meet up with me Chiaki." I smiled leaning against the rail.

"I wasn't either. . ." She muttered. "What do you want?"

I let out a slight chuckle, "Straight to it." I paused for a moment, letting the cold air wash over me. "I just want to know how you're doing that's all."

"I'm doing fine." Chiaki did their best to give me a cold shoulder.

She was attempting to put up a front which was really amusing to see. She was trying so desperately to dislike me but I knew she didn't have it in her to do so.

To her, I was just Hiro. Her best friend.

"I meant your class."

"Class D is doing fine." She shot back.

"That's good to hear," I sighed. "Your class needs to be at its best if they want to even stand a chance."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because I still care," I answered honestly.

Chiaki let out a cheeky smile, "So you still have a soft spot for your enemies." She teased.

I rolled my eyes at my attempts in trying to make this conversation more lighthearted.

"Besides I know you're not the real enemy." She patted me on the shoulder.

"What makes you think that?"

"A friend of ours both told me." She left the conversation with a smile on her face.

"Ichinose,"  I muttered

My Secretary.

She's one of the most perceptive individuals that I have met at this school. She was just slightly below Arisu in terms of perceptive abilities. But that still made her all the amazing. Hey, maybe I was giving her too much credit.

The more we got to know each other, the more I felt my guard was being let down by her. It's something that never happened to me.

So why was it happening now?