Ayanokōji's POV
"You just had to stick us in the worst possible class, didn't you?"
By pure coincidence, I had ran into Lelouch on the way to school.
"I didn't really have a choice," I replied to his exasperated words.
"Besides, is it really that bad? There are some talented people in Class E."
Lelouch narrowed his eyes.
"Even the talented ones are held down by some stupid personality defect."
He was no doubt referring to students like Horikita and Kōenji.
Is what you would think if you were just an average person listening to this conversation. These two are, of course, the two with the strongest personalities, so of course they stand out as clear examples.
However, if you analyse things a little deeper, you come to see that it's not just them. There are also students like Hirata - on the surface, he seems like a good-natured honour student with both academics and sporting skill. However, underneath all that, there is his mindset of trying to be everyone's ally, an idealistic notion that eventually will do nothing but harm those he truly cares about.
Sometimes, it is necessary to pick a side.
"Maybe I'll have to set them all straight," the amethyst-eyed boy smirked.
Certainly, it would be a good idea for the unorganised Class E to be lead by a competent Class B student like Lelouch.
That's what I would've thought if not for the sudden appearance of a new presence, anyway.
"I'm not sure that you'd be accepted as their leader, though," I commented.
"Huh? What are you trying to say? That I'm a bad ruler?"
Despite me implying nothing of the sort, Lelouch jumped to the worst possible interpretation of my words immediately.
It was unusual behaviour for someone like him. However, I'd gotten the sense that Lelouch's perception of me had changed somehow recently.
"No, that's not what I mean."
"Then what?"
"Especially in an environment like this, people will tend to follow those that set an example themselves. To put it bluntly, Lelouch is weak when it comes to physical ability. Most students are unlikely to accept you easily when it comes to leading the class in an athletics competition."
If you were seeking advice on something like fashion or makeup, you would be much more inclined to listen to a girl than a boy. Similarly, if you were looking for advice on how to exercise effectively, you would listen to a Kururugi, not a Lelouch.
"Yeah, I get it. I'm not physically strong," he sighed.
"Why don't you aim to get stronger, like Sora?" I asked him.
"It's just pointless, isn't it? So much effort in return for nothing."
Lelouch's cynical perspective seeped into every aspect of his life.
If there wasn't a direct reason to do something, Lelouch wouldn't do it.
"Does the nature of this school, and the powerful people in it, not drive you to want to become stronger?"
"No," he answered immediately. "I mean, look at the current situation. Us in Class B are currently dominating the first year, even without me putting in any effort at all. I don't need to be athletic for us to win."
There was nothing driving Lelouch to improve. Perhaps, though, if there were a personal enemy that Lelouch himself couldn't overcome, that could spark some ambition within him.
"We're here," Lelouch said.
Indeed, we had arrived swiftly at the Class E classroom, which was about half-full.
Seeing no reason to hesitate, Lelouch shrugged, and strolled nonchalantly through the door as if he owned the place.
Normally, you'd expect someone to have at least a few reservations about strolling into a foreign class like this.
"Ayanokōji-kun, Lelouch-kun, welcome," Hirata greeted our arrivals with a warm smile.
"Thank you, Hirata," I said.
Lelouch simply gave him a nod.
I'm sure that Lelouch didn't really care about these kind of formalities. However...
My gaze fell on the group of girls who stared at Hirata with what appeared to be undying affection.
Getting on the bad side of this group could spell doom for one's social life, I thought.
Unexpectedly, a key figure of that very group raised their hand and called out to me.
"Hey, Ayanokōji-kun! Come sit here!" Karuizawa patted the seat of the desk on the other side to her than Hirata.
During the aftermath of the shipboard exam, I had become acquainted with Karuizawa, and after helping solve her problem, you could even call us friends.
I glanced over at Kushida. For the sake of appearances, not much expression had taken form on her face. However, I didn't miss the small pout that she sent toward me as I sat down next to Karuizawa.
It seemed like the seat reserved for Lelouch was at the back of the classroom, next to Horikita.
He tried to talk to her, but as I expected, Horikita shot him down coldly, and pulled out a book from her bag.
Lelouch sagged, and then made eye contact with me. Unfortunately, it seemed like I wasn't able to fully hide my amusement, as he shot me a scowl.
"Eh? Do you know Ayanokōji-kun well, Kei-chan?"
Another girl questioned Karuizawa with a suspicious look on her face. "Aren't you meant to be going out with Hirata-kun? Don't tell me you're two-timing."
"Huh?" Karuizawa's face flushed. Whether it was with anger or embarrassment, I couldn't tell.
"It's nothing like that! I'm just friends with Ayanokōji-kun, that's all!" Karuizawa smacked her friend in annoyance, garnering some giggles from the other girls around us.
"Hey, sorry for my friend's behaviour, Ayanokōji-kun," Karuizawa apologised while shooting a glare at the girl sat behind her.
"It's fine."
A few seconds of silence passed. I realised a little too late that a response that short was probably too awkward, but it would make matters even worse if I tried to add to it now.
"Hey, everyone, why don't you introduce yourselves to Ayanokōji-kun? I'm sure there's a lot of unfamiliar faces for him," Hirata came to the rescue, apparently sensing the decaying atmosphere.
"Ah, right!" The girl who had spoken before exclaimed. "Hey, I'm Satō Maya! I hope we get along~!"
This girl, 'Satō', gave an energetic introduction.
The next person contrasted Satō's enthusiasm with a more laid-back and mature vibe. Her name was Matsushita, and she seemed like the big sister of the group.
Next up was a girl called Shinohara. There was nothing particularly notable about her; she was average in every way.
Lastly, there was a girl called Mori. She seemed to be the most peripheral member of Karuizawa's clique, quite the opposite of central figures like Satō and Karuizawa herself.
"Aren't you going to give us an introduction too?" Matsushita asked me with an inquisitive look.
"Ah, right," I said. "I'm sure you all know by now, but my name is Ayanokōji Kiyotaka. If I had to name a few interests, I'd say I'm into music and books. I'm in your care."
That introduction was much better than my spectacular fail at the very start of the school year. Thankfully, there weren't a whole lot of people there to witness it, but I still carried the memory with me, using it as a reminder of how not to talk to other people.
The girls seemed to like my introduction, as they gave me warm, welcoming smiles.
"I expected you to be less... pleasant," Satō said.
Huh? Was I being insulted?
She seemed to read my thoughts, as she corrected herself moments later.
"Ah, no, I meant more like, Ayanokōji-kun has a certain reputation, you know? Everyone says you're cold and calculating."
I see. Rumours about me had certainly spread quite a lot, then. I suppose it was only natural, given the select amount of times the other students had actually seen me.
"Yeah, I heard Ayanokōji-kun was raised by wolves, and ate his first human when he was just three years old!"
Uh, I-I. What?
"Calm down, guys, I'm sure Ayanokōji-kun is quite normal when you get to know him," Hirata smiled.
Hirata was right. I was no different to anybody else, really. There was nothing special about me at all.
"Good morning," Chabashira-sensei strode elegantly into the classroom.
"This morning, you have a full period to use as you wish. The has allocated you this time in order to help you get to know your new classmates, and to plan for the sports festival event," she said, wasting no time at all.
It was nice of the school to give us this time to get familiar with our new surroundings.
"The only thing I have to distribute are your timetables for the next month."
A large quantity of students sighed upon seeing the contents of the class' schedules.
"Oi, Sensei, how am I going to survive two physical education classes in one day?!" Ike complained loudly.
Some other students, though, such as Sudō, roared with excitement.
"Yeah! You can just watch me, I'll show you how it's done!" Sudō flexed the muscles in his arm.
Despite his unpopular position in the social hierarchy, Sudō's physique was still extremely impressive, and garnered a few looks of admiration and jealousy.
"That's all. Please make sure to make good use of this time," Chabashira gave those parting words of advice, and left the classroom.
Just before closing the door, though, I was sure she sent a glance at me.
Murmurs of varying degrees of excitement started up around the room, however, they were shut down just as quick.
"Hey, listen," Lelouch stood up at his desk. "I think we all know that this class will be lost without someone competent taking the reins. It's best if I take the lead from here."
A multitude of eyes widened. I supposed that, even though most had probably expected a certain shift to take place as a result of Class B's encroachment, they probably hadn't expected it to be this blunt.
Discussion sparked within each group of the class immediately, including the one I was sat at.
"Hah? Who does this guy think he is? Is he always like this, Ayanokōji-kun?" Karuizawa asked me.
"Uh, well, there's no denying that Lelouch possesses strong leadership abilities. He's probably just confident in himself," I replied with a vague answer.
"Even if he is, he still could've worded himself more politely," Shinohara scowled.
"Yeah, I bet Hirata-kun wouldn't have said it like that!" Mori agreed.
Hirata just gave an awkward smile. He didn't appear too pleased to have been dragged into conflict like this.
Lelouch seemed to sense the general disagreement coursing through the room, as he walked over to the teacher's podium.
"Seriously, do you think you can do better on your own? Or is it just that you've already given up all hope of reaching Class A?" Lelouch scoffed. "How pathetic."
Most of the students looked down, unable to muster the strength to argue back against a Class B student like Lelouch.
Being assigned to Class B at the start of the year immediately gave us a certain amount of influence. However, the domineering personalities of those students is what really served to create this effect - Lelouch's presence was like that of an emperor, commanding subservience and rendering the class unable to refute.
However, he wasn't the only individual like this in the room.
"That's not the case," a voice came from the far corner of the room.
A familiar red-haired boy with mismatched eyes stood up. Unlike most who found themselves crumbling under Lelouch's piercing gaze, he took it right on.
"Akashi-kun?"
A number of students uttered in admiration. To the people of this class, who Lelouch was looking down on, Akashi must seem like a powerful representative of their thoughts and ideas.
"The students of this class haven't given up hopes of reaching Class A," Akashi told Lelouch, as he walked up and joined him at the front of the room. "They simply don't believe that you are suitable to lead."
A vein popped on Lelouch's forehead. This remark seemed to have struck a nerve.
"What did you say? No, who even are you?!" Lelouch demanded an explanation.
"Akashi Seijūrō. All you need to know is that I'm more competent than you are."
These were bold words of challenge. Only a particular kind of person could say this kind of thing straight to someone's face.
"You are? Don't make me laugh. Have you seen the state of your class? You're the lowest of the bunch! If you really were so competent, I don't think you'd be in this situation, do you?" Lelouch fired back.
However, he didn't seem to cause Akashi the same kind of irritation that he had managed to cause to him. Rather, Akashi simply let out a laugh.
"Indeed, this class is currently the lowest ranked out of all of them. However, this situation is nothing to worry about. It was intentional."
"Intentional? Who on earth would intentionally be bad?!"
"If I had exercised my abilities since the start, perhaps Class E could've saved a few class points to start with. However, we would almost certainly have less now than we currently do."
Akashi's logic was incomprehensible to a majority of the students in the room. Only Kōenji seemed to fully understand. Horikita observed the interaction closely, with an unreadable expression on her face.
"How'd you come to that conclusion?"
"It's simple. If I had done something, my existence would've quickly been noted. If that happened, then the perception of Class E would also shift. The results that were previously achieved would be impossible."
After Akashi's explanation, Lelouch went silent for a moment, simply narrowing his eyes.
"I see. Class E wouldn't be viewed as harmless, as it was back then, and the other classes wouldn't have been as careless when dealing with them. The points gained during the uninhabited island exam could only have been gained this way," Lelouch murmured to himself, coming to such a conclusion.
"That's right."
"However, even if you say such things, it still doesn't convince me. Why should I believe in the power of an unproven Class E student?"
"I see. Ordinarily, it would make sense to simply ask for the class' general consensus," Akashi directed his gaze to the rest of the class. "However, in the spirit of fairness, we will hold a direct competition for the role of 'leader', and I will crush you myself. Do you object?"
To simply ask the class wouldn't prove anything in regard to the actual abilities of the two proposed candidates.
Come, and I will show you my superiority. This was the kind of challenge that Akashi issued to Lelouch.
"Of course not. I'll take you on. However, it had better be a fair competition," Lelouch said.
"Naturally," Akashi replied. "I have the perfect test of leadership in mind."
The glint in Akashi's eyes was unmistakeable. He didn't doubt his own victory one bit. He acted not on the hope, but on the assumption that he would win.
Akashi led the class outside, stopping off by the gymnasium to pick up a few pieces of equipment along the way. Eventually, we arrived on one of the schools outside fields. There was a 400-meter track running around the perimeter, but Akashi seemingly intended to make use of the space in the middle of the field instead.
He handed a stack of cones to Horikita. "Suzune, mark out an area with these. Around the size of a typical swimming pool."
A typical swimming pool was 25 meters long, and somewhere in the region of 10 meters in width, depending on the number of lanes available. Horikita nodded, and set out on marking this kind of area.
"What are we doing here, Akashi?" Sudō asked, voicing the confusion that most students seemed to share.
"Lelouch and I will directly compete to prove the most competent student to lead the class for the next month," Akashi told him.
"I don't like the look of this," Lelouch eyed Horikita as she started placing down cones. "It looks like a test of athleticism. You know I'm not very good at that, right?"
"Relax, I've already considered that. We're going to simulate a mock battle."
A mock battle? It certainly sounded interesting, but carried an ominous feeling with it. Some of the more withdrawn student looked a little worried.
"The boys will split into two teams of nine. Lelouch and I will act as the commanders of each side."
With the start of the explanation, the students divided into boys and girls.
"If you step outside the boundary of the area, or fall to the ground, then you are eliminated. Once one of the teams is fully eliminated, the battle is over."
So that's how it is, huh? It really did sound like a battle of sorts. The rules were simple for everyone to understand, while also allowing a large room for different tactics to be employed.
A number of students still looked a little concerned, though.
"Hey, Akashi-kun, isn't this a little dangerous? Someone could get hurt," Kushida said meekly.
"There's no need to worry, Kikyō," he reassured her. "Striking your opponent is not allowed. You may only use your strength and wrestling ability to bring your enemy to ground, or push them out of bounds. This way, nobody should get injured."
If there were no explicit attacks involved, then the chances of somebody sustaining an injury were lowered significantly.
"To ensure that the contest relies on the competence of the commanders, I expect every person to obey the orders of their leaders. Is that clear?"
"Yes," everybody nodded in unison.
Wow. Despite not taking the spotlight for very long, it seemed like Akashi had already developed a strong position of authority within the class. Colour me impressed.
"Also, if a commander is eliminated, they are no longer allowed to issue any instructions to their team."
If the leader is killed in battle, then the entire army suffers. The contest was also designed to simulate this as closely as possible.
Akashi glanced over to his soon-to-be opponent. "What do you think?"
"It's... perfect," Lelouch grinned.
This kind of contest was suited perfectly to Lelouch's abilities. I doubted that this was a coincidence - Akashi had likely understood this beforehand, and constructed the nature of the battle to play towards Lelouch's strengths. This way, there would be no doubt about the fairness of the contest. Akashi was essentially declaring that he could beat Lelouch even at what he did best.
"I take it you have no complaints, then?"
"None at all," Lelouch answered. "To make it fair, let's choose the teams by using a draft-like system. We can play rock-paper-scissors to decide who gets to choose first."
Akashi looked a little surprised. "Rock-paper-scissors?"
"Is that a problem?"
"No. But allow me to warn you: you cannot beat me at Rock-paper-scissors."
He didn't give off the impression that he was just talking to psyche out his opponent. No, he spoke as if he genuinely believed he couldn't lose.
"Are you joking? It's game of chance!" Lelouch said something everybody would probably agree with. Well, everyone except Akashi Seijūrō.
"Perhaps for you, it's a game of chance. However, for me, it's a game of certainty."
Lelouch narrowed his eyes. "We'll see about that."
Lelouch stepped closer to Akashi, and held a fist out. "We'll go on 'shoot'."
Akashi looked expressionlessly down at Lelouch's hand. "It doesn't matter. Yōsuke, as a neutral arbiter, could you count down for us?"
"Oh, me? Uh, sure," Hirata said, apparently not expecting to be singled out so suddenly.
"I should tell you beforehand," Lelouch said. "I'm going to pick 'Rock'."
This was a good way to introduce an element of psychology into what would otherwise be a coin-flip.
Was it a bluff? Or perhaps a double bluff? If you were intelligent, you could manipulate the mental state of your opponent like this, and read what they would throw.
Horikita had finished setting up the battle arena by now, so at this moment, all eyes were fixated solely on the first, minor confrontation between the two elite students standing before them.
"Rock," Hirata started, prompting the pair to get ready.
"Paper."
"Scissors," with that word, the hands of the two began to lift into the air.
Lelouch's eyes were directed only at his opponent, as if studying him, but Akashi's were somewhere else entirely. His pair of differently coloured eyes widened slightly, as he directed a laser-focused gaze at Lelouch's moving hand.
Is he going to try to react to the shape of Lelouch's hand as he moves it back down on 'shoot'? Was that kind of thing even possible?
You would have to have extremely keen eyes to observe the shape of the hand while it was in motion. Then, you needed the brain processing speed to comprehend what your eyes saw, and adjust your own hand accordingly.
Maybe somebody with abnormal mental abilities like Shiro would be capable of it, but Akashi? He didn't feel like somebody who possessed such monstrous ability.
"Shoot!"
Within a second, the two hands shot down into place. All of the students, the two involved included, could do nothing but stare at the results for a couple of seconds.
Lelouch had thrown scissors, an extremely safe option. If Akashi believed the bluff regarding Lelouch's intent to throw rock, then Akashi would have thrown paper, and lost.
Conversely, if he saw through the bluff, then Akashi would also throw scissors, reasoning that the only thing he knew was that Lelouch wasn't throwing rock.
Either way, Lelouch would be safe; the chance of Akashi throwing rock himself was extraordinarily low in these circumstances. It was a move intended to feel out the psychology of the opponent. If he happened to win, then it was fine, but what Lelouch was really after was information to use in Round 2.
However, Akashi had thrown... rock.
"I am absolute."
Having achieved victory, he said those three words. He was absolute, meaning all-seeing and undeniable.
"W-Why the hell would you throw rock?!" Lelouch yelled.
"Huh?" For the first time since the start of the game, Akashi moved his eyes away from Lelouch's hand, and instead looked him in the eye.
"It made no sense to throw rock! If you were wrong about the bluff, you would've condemned yourself to defeat! And even if I was being truthful, you only would've gotten a draw!"
Indeed, on the surface, Akashi's actions seemed incomprehensible.
"I don't understand," Akashi said. "You threw scissors, and so I chose the option that crushes scissors: Rock."
That kind of logic only really made sense if the one saying it was a time-traveller. Everyone else in the class seemed to think the same, as they stared at Akashi with puzzled expressions.
Everyone except Kōenji, anyway. His face indicated that he understood exactly what had happened, somehow.
"I told you: I am absolute!"
Akashi had won the actual battle there, but more importantly, he had won a psychological battle, too. Lelouch's confidence looked shaken by his unexpected loss.
Akashi turned to address the class.
"I will choose first, then. As I said before, each team only consists of nine boys, which means there are two that are sitting out. Sotomura Hideo is one of those two, but the other? Hmm... Rokusuke, you may also sit out. I know you must find this too troublesome."
A few students seemed ticked off by the apparent special treatment given to Kōenji, as he was allowed to take a rain check while everyone else was forced to participate. Some of the more astute classmates, however, were more interested in a different part of what Akashi had said.
"Why is Sotomura-kun required to not participate?" Horikita asked.
I was just thinking that same question, too. At this point, though, nobody doubted Akashi - he seemed to have a reason for everything. Rather, Horikita simply wished to understand these reasons.
"Hideo will be performing a unique role now, and for the rest of our time training in preparation for the sports festival. Right?"
Akashi spoke once again as if he already knew he was going to win, and take control of the class for certain. In fact, it looked like he had already made preparations.
"A unique role?" Horikita, and a few of the other students like Yukimura and Kushida, repeated in confusion.
*****************************************
It was lunch time at the Advanced Nurturing High School, on the same day that the ballot for the Class B students' distribution was set to take place. The representative for Class E, Akashi Seijūrō, had decided to eat lunch in the classroom on a whim.
When he arrived there, though, he found somebody already there. A slightly chubby boy wearing glasses sat by himself in his usual desk, fiddling with a laptop in front of him.
Akashi was a bit surprised - if he had expected anyone to be eating here, he imagined it would be a loner like Horikita Suzune, not somebody who seemed to get on well with a number of other guys in the class.
Curious, he approached the green-eyed boy.
"Sotomura Hideo?" He addressed him, standing beside his desk.
"Huh? Oh, Akashi-dono. Have you come here to eat as well?"
"Yeah," Akashi answered. Then, he directed his gaze to the laptop screen. "What are you doing?"
On it were displayed the images of a cute-looking 2-D girl, who quite contrastingly, had a gigantic sword stuck to her back. Next to that, 'The Professor' seemed to be playing around with a spreadsheet of some kind.
"Ah, this is for a video game, you see. I'm analysing the stat allocations for the character using the damage formulas used by the game to try and find the optimal build," Sotomura explained with a hint of passion in his voice.
Akashi simply remained silent, listening to the explanation, and trying to figure out what exactly he was looking at.
Sotomura noticed Akashi's expression, and let out a deflated sigh. "You think it's stupid because of the visuals."
"No, that's not the impression I meant to give," Akashi reassured him. "Is it interesting?"
"I suppose if you're interested in the technical aspect of games... but the other guys in our class think it's weird. They're all obsessed with real girls and the like, while I have no interest in such things."
"Is that why you're eating here by yourself?" Akashi questioned.
"I guess so..."
By now, Akashi himself was no stranger to spending time by himself. However, he didn't particularly mind it; if he didn't have company, he was dedicating time to practice basketball, or the violin.
You'd expect a diligent individual such as Akashi to also practice his studies, however, this was not the case. Akashi's father had made him take advanced education classes ever since he was a child, and consequently, by now, he had already acquired sufficient academic knowledge to ace any high-school exam with ease. There was no need for him to study.
He noticed though that, unlike him, Sotomura didn't seem to particularly appreciate the solitude. He was fine playing games, of course, but it sometimes got lonely, especially when he saw everybody else having fun together.
"Why don't you try speaking to some of the others, like Yōsuke or the girls? I'm sure that their hobbies are a little more... sophisticated."
Sotomura blinked. "That's impossible, Akashi-dono. They all think I'm a weird, creepy pervert. They wouldn't even get to know me without rejecting me."
Akashi raised a hand to his chin, thinking deeply.
"You would be more popular if you displayed talent to our classmates," he said eventually.
Akashi also thought that it would be a great help if Sotomura improved his appearance - perhaps drop a few pounds and pay more attention to personal hygiene and grooming. However, he respectfully kept those thoughts to himself.
"I'm not really smart like you and Horikita, nor am I athletic like Sudō and Hirata-dono. Unfortunately, I don't have any such talents."
"That's not true. The ability to gather data, organise it in an easily digestible manner and analyse it to find the optimal process is one desired by all fields," Akashi told him. "Up until now, you've been subconsciously correlating your abilities with video games only, when really your strength extends far beyond that."
Sotomura's eyes lit up as he heard this. "R-Really?! Is that true?"
The cruel reality is, that as a teenage boy who wasn't exactly popular, this was probably the first compliment Sotomura had ever received from anybody outside of his own family.
Something as simple as this will go a long way; Sotomura will remember these words for a long time, and consequently, will always look at Akashi as a dependable ally and friend regardless of what happens.
"Yeah. I would like you to lend that strength to the class, so that we can win," Akashi smiled.
"I'm sure that all the others will start to look up to you, too," he added.
Without even realising it, Sotomura had become the very first pawn at Akashi's disposal. The very first cog in the hyper-efficient machine that Akashi envisioned Class E will become.
"Right!" Sotomura even lost his usual, strange manner of speech due to the situation. "I-I won't let you down, Akashi! I promise!"
Akashi placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I have full faith in you."
*****************************************
'The Professor' set up shop off go the side of the battle arena, quite overly-equipped with a laptop, camera, binoculars and a voice recorder.
"D-Does he really need all that?"
All of Class E seemed to stammer those words out simultaneously.
Akashi, though, simply gave everyone a smile. "He simply likes to work with a certain flair. You'll see, though, that despite how it looks, he is extremely valuable."
People still looked a little sceptical, but took his word for it for the most part.
It seemed like Akashi had seen something in this unassuming boy, and recruited him shortly after taking over the class.
I found myself more and more impressed as Akashi's abilities, which were previously hidden in the dark, were revealed by gradual lighting.
Just recently, my classmates and I were pondering over the seemingly paradoxical behaviour by the school: they had left at least one suitable leader in each class, except for Class E. Nobody could figure out why they were an exception.
That was, until now. Class E had contained Akashi Seijūrō all along.
"It's about time to pick the sides, don't you think?" Lelouch said impatiently.
"Yeah, you're right," Akashi turned and scanned his eyes over the boys.
It was his turn to pick first. I wonder who he would go for? Perhaps the obvious choice, Sudō, as the ace of the team?
Or perhaps a more nuanced choice, like Hirata? He wasn't the strongest student, but he was by no means weak, and possessed the ability to rally everybody around him.
"Kiyotaka."
To everyone's surprise, my own name was called. I was Akashi's first choice.
Lelouch appeared unphased, but on the inside, I knew he was panicking. He hadn't expected to be robbed of the one person fully aligned with himself, especially when much more appealing options were available.
As per the rules, though, I obediently made my way over to Akashi, who stood on one side of the arena.
"I wasn't expecting you to choose me first," I commented as I joined him.
"Regardless of the fact that I don't know the level of your combat ability, you are the only one capable of effectively carrying out more complicated instructions."
I could certainly see where he was coming from, but couldn't he have picked Hirata in that case? It was unnecessarily troublesome to be singled out.
No, it was likely also true that Akashi, who didn't know the extent of my abilities, was wary of me, and decided that it was worth securing me to his team for the peace of mind alone.
"It seems you've already planned out your strategy."
Akashi nodded. "It is imperative that the commander's battle tactics are simple to understand. For the best chance of winning, the team needs to be on the same page."
Even if your strategy is better than your opponent's, if your men don't fully comprehend what they're supposed to do, then you will still lose.
"I'll give you more creative freedom to do as you see fit, as a kind of support presence for the team as a whole."
Akashi probably planned to form up the other eight students in more rigid formations. As a result, my role was to roam around the fight, lending a hand where it's most needed; this was to compensate for any weak links that may appear in the structure.
The chain is only as strong as its weakest link, as they say, and it was especially applicable here. If the structure crumbles for even a moment, then you won't be able to recover. The job I had been assigned was a vital one that relied mostly on decision-making ability, something that Akashi was certain that every student of Class B possessed in spades.
While we were talking, Lelouch had apparently made his choice. Sudō stomped over to the other side of the battlefield with a fire in his eyes.
"Ora!" he smacked his fist again his chest. "I'd rather not go up against Akashi, but still! I'll show everyone my power!"
I raised an eyebrow. "Does he know you well? He sounded a little concerned about fighting you."
Akashi gave a small chuckle in response.
"We are teammates on the school's basketball team, that's all."
Basketball? Akashi definitely didn't give off the vibe of a basketball player.
Typically, you'd imagine someone big with a lot of muscle to put behind their body. However, Akashi was the same height as me, with similar build as well.
However, if even Sudō was hesitant to face off against Akashi, it meant that he must he much stronger than his appearance would lead you to believe. I had to be careful around him.
After that, the draft continued until all male students, aside from The Professor and Kōenji, had been assigned to one of the two teams.
After Sudō and I were gone, Akashi had selected yet another surprising choice: Miyake Akito.
At first, I wondered what was up. However, two things quickly became apparent.
The first thing was that, as Miyake removed his blazer and instead put on one of the coloured vests that Akashi had picked out to differentiate the two teams, his body was revealed to be much more athletic than the school uniform allowed you to see.
The second was that he was perhaps the only student out of the fourteen boys remaining who maintained confident body language. It suggested that he was capable of handling himself to a decent extent, at the very least.
Hirata was the next to go, being added to Lelouch's arsenal. I had expected Hirata to have his reservations about the whole thing, but he appeared calmer than anticipated.
Perhaps, he understood that much was done to ensure that nobody got seriously hurt, and that the competition was a good-natured one. If somebody like Ryūen was involved, I expect that Hirata would be much more concerned.
Due to Kōenji's absence, the rest of the options were relatively unremarkable. As a result, the rest of the choices from both leaders were almost entirely dependent on the confidence in the postures of each student.
If the physical ability was about the same, then the next factor to consider was the mental state of each individual. One's performance can vary greatly depending on their mentality, so it was important to make sure your team had their heads in the game.
After our team was assembled, Akashi looked over at the girls.
"Suzune, can you act as the neutral referee for this match?" From his pocket, he produced a whistle, and threw it into the hands of Horikita.
"Huh? Okay, sure?"
Horikita looked a little uncertain, but didn't really have a reason to refuse the request. Her presence as an arbiter would ensure that no underhanded tactics would be used, such as hitting your opponents.
All eyes fell expectantly on Horikita, who looked a little uncomfortable at suddenly being thrust into the spotlight.
"Um, the commanders will now be given a brief period time in which to discuss their tactics with their teams. After that, I will commence the start of the contest," she declared after momentary hesitation.
With that, everybody huddled around in a circle, their ears all giving 100 percent of their attention to Akashi.
Despite the fact that the competition wasn't directly between them, the boys still had their own personal pride; nobody wanted to be on the losing team.
"Okay," Akashi began. "Here's what we'll do..."
A/N: 6140 words, I originally intended to make this all just one chapter, but it would turn out to be suuuuuper long, so I've had to split it up rather abruptly like this.
How was the previous chapter? I left out the A/N on purpose to add to the feel of it, I was trying to create feeling of discomfort as you read it similar to what you'd feel if you were actually in the same situation as Sora and Shiro. But it was very different to the other chapters I've written, so it might have come across as just weird lmao.
Thank you for reading <3