Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Resurgent

Vol. 7.5: Chapter 2 - A Growth Worth Cultivating

December 24th, Saturday.

After my talk with Ryuuen, I went back to the dorm and lazed around inside my room. It's been more than a week since I took a break from reading light novels, and the classical literature I'd been consuming felt refreshing.

Just before it was time for lunch, my phone finally rang.

"Hello?"

"Ayanokouji-kun, can you come here right now?" Horikita asked in a calm voice. 

"Yeah, I'll be there in a bit."

"Alright, I'll see you later."

She was the other person I was supposed to meet. With all the stuff with Kikyou having been over, it was finally time for Horikita to get some explanation.

It was around 11:30 AM when I pressed the doorbell to Horikita's room. When I got to her floor, a few girls said hi to me, curious as to why I was there. I usually visit the rooms of my female friends without any issues, but the date today really made the difference. It was Christmas Eve, and my presence in a girl's room sparked some speculations. Of course, I answered them honestly and said that Horikita just wanted to talk. For good measure, I even mentioned our upcoming demotion to Class C, giving them the impression that it'll be two class figureheads just talking about class matters. This was especially true for Ichinose's classmates who knew a little bit about our class dynamics.

"Please come in," she said right after opening the door.

Horikita wore a purple cotton blouse coupled with fleece leggings made to warm her up during this season. As I observed her physical appearance, a nice smell wafted right into my nose. I was escorted to the dining area and was met with two servings of gyūdon with zosui on the side.

"I took the liberty of serving yakimeshi under the meat instead of white rice. Is that okay?"

"Of course. Thanks for this, Horikita."

"It's no problem. We can have our conversation over the meal."

It was yesterday when we agreed to talk. Since this was the time we set, Horikita kindly offered to cook lunch for me. Of course, I humbly accepted. Horikita's cooking was great, after all. Someday she'd make an amazing wife— err, at least that's what I think.

"Thanks for the meal," the both of us said.

I dug in and was immediately swept by the nice meaty flavors of the beef. At the same time, I narrated what happened on the 22nd as much as I could. I told her everything— from how I manipulated Ryuuen to target Kikyou to how I fought him and all of his accomplices as well as her brother's involvement. Then, I relayed the information he'd given me on the student council. I even told her a little bit about my meeting with Ryuuen earlier in the day. Of course, I couldn't tell her every single detail, but that wasn't necessary.

"Unbelievable... All of that... was planned from the start? And you knew you'd win even with their numbers?"

"I'm pretty confident in my fighting abilities. Though I can't deny that I might've gotten pretty lucky."

"What part of it was luck? They had numbers and weapons. You had nothing but yourself. I don't think even Sudou-kun could take on Yamada Albert even if he's alone, but you took him down while fighting nine other students."

"Well..."

"Sigh... It's whatever. I'm just glad that you and Kushida-san are okay."

"We have to thank you as well. Your help in clearing Kikyou's name was crucial."