Classroom Of The Elite Year 2 Volume 9

Part 5

I had informed Kei in advance about meeting Kanzaki and the others today.

Kei doesn't have a connection with Kanzaki and the others and doesn't understand my relationship with them well, so she was a little curious, but didn't pay much attention to it...

"That's the case."

"Can't you make even a little time? What are you doing tomorrow?"

I'll be spending time with Ichinose.

It's easy to deceive her by not telling her, but just like when I talked about Kanzaki and the others, the drawbacks of keeping it a secret are too big.

Ichinose's existence is already noticeable enough, and if I'm with her, rumours of Restlessness will spread.

In addition, Kei has many friends, and those students will be her eyes and ears.

"I'm meeting Ichinose."

"......With Ichinose-san?"

Kei immediately froze, her reaction was markedly different when I mentioned meeting Ichinose, compared to when I told her I was meeting Kanzaki.

"Who else is there? Like Kanzaki-kun or Himeno-san?"

"No one else for now. Only Ichinose."

"What's that supposed to mean? I don't really understand. Meeting with a girl alone on a holiday?"

It was clear that she was in a bad mood, but it was understandable.

Even if the situation was reversed, a normal guy would have shown a similar reaction.

"That's right."

I glanced at Kei's expression and she met my gaze with a glare.

"So?"

"So what?"

"Normally, you explain the reasons and talk about it properly. Like, 'We're meeting alone, but don't get the wrong idea. There's a reason for this.' You shouldn't make your girlfriend feel anxious like that."

"That's true. There are several reasons why I'm meeting with Ichinose, but one of them is that Kanzaki and the others asked me to."

"......Kanzaki-kun and the others asked you? Huh?"

With Kanzaki's name being mentioned, Kei felt slightly relieved.

"It hasn't been announced publicly yet, but Ichinose resigned from the student council. There's confusion because of that."

"Wait a minute. Really? I don't really understand why though."

"Isn't it strange? Kanzaki and the others want to know the truth. Being a part of the student council has a positive effect on the class as well. With the class falling to D now, it's understandable that classmates would be upset about Ichinose leaving the student council, which could mean losing even more points."

Ichinose leaving the student council, which could mean losing even more

points."

Even with this brief explanation, Kei could somehow sense the anxiety that Kanzaki and the others were feeling.

"But Kanzaki and the others are afraid to ask Ichinose directly. Hearing from Ichinose herself that she's given up on pursuing A-class would be unbearable for them."

"Does that mean that Kiyotaka will be the one to find out the reason instead?"

"That's right."

"I understand the situation, but...why is Kiyotaka getting involved with Ichinose's class? Wouldn't it be better to just leave it alone? If we help them, they might become our rivals again."

It was a reasonable question to ask, but this was not a story that could be shared with Horikita and the others.

"There is a reason why we are sending salt to our enemies. However, I can't tell you about it yet."

"You can't tell me ......? You think I would ever tell anyone?"

"That's not it. I know that you can keep a secret. I just don't want to share what I'm planning with anyone right now."

Kei's expression tightened a bit as she spoke in a rigid, dismissive manner.

But it was natural that Kei couldn't simply accept it.

"I know Kiyotaka is thinking about a lot of things. I understand that he must be doing something to help the class that I don't know about, and that he's trying to get information from Ichinose-san because of Kanzaki-kun's request. But...I don't like it. It's uncomfortable for me that you are meeting with a girl on a holiday... there must be other ways, like meeting at school or only during lunch break, right?"

With a pout, Kei turned her head to the side.

It would be easy to say that she was the only one who mattered and apologise, but in love, it was important to reassure the other person. I had learned that already.

So what would happen if it were the opposite?

I had an idea of the answer, but I couldn't say I understood it until I actually reached it.

"Do you want to get in my way then? Just go ahead and disrupt us when I'm with Ichinose."

"W—why would I do that———"

"You wouldn't, right? There's no benefit in doing something like that. Then, let's end this discussion here. We'll go buy Christmas presents together next week, and there shouldn't be any problems."

Just by omitting a few consoling words, a sudden heaviness descended upon the atmosphere.

The joyful image of Kei eagerly awaiting my arrival under the chilly skies had vanished.

"Okay, it's fine. Kiyotaka has his own plans, I have no right to say anything."

Not only her expression, but her emotions too seemed to have escaped somewhere far away.

"I'll stop by the convenience store on the way back. You can go ahead."

With that, she ran towards the convenience store without looking back.

However, her pace was quick yet slow, and I could tell from her back that she was expecting me to chase after her.

I could just quickly catch up to her and apologize, and think of a way to meet Ichinose.

That would improve her mood, just like before.

But I decided to break my gaze away from her back and head back to the dormitory.

By doing this, the gap between us would deepen.

It would be a good opportunity to experience how Kei would react and what attitude she would show, and how I would feel and act in response.