Classroom of The Elite : The Marionette

Satonaka Ayase's SS: Girl's Talk

Today Sensei made an announcement that made all the students extremely happy. Unfortunately, the joy didn't last long because Kurose-kun revealed another thing that was hidden by the school. My classmates were disappointed by it but at least it could be said that we had a little time to prepare ourselves for whatever was to come during the summer holidays. After school, I hung out in Kirino-chan's room.

Currently, there are me, Kirino-chan, Tsuyu-chan, and Miwa-san. Several other girls will come later. The four of us sat around the coffee table which was covered with snacks and drinks that we bought from the convenience store. While waiting for them, my friends couldn't stop talking about what happened in the morning.

"This school is very cruel, I tell you... maybe the cruelest in all of Japan," Tsuyu-chan complained in an exaggerated pitiful tone. Even so, I sympathize with her. Even I, a student council member, never realized this until Kurose-kun mentioned it.

"I know right?" Kirino-chan chimed in. "How dare they say they will take us on holiday but then throw this bullshit at us."

"Well, we don't know what kind of additional activities we will do. It could be fun," in contrast to the other two girls who kept complaining, Miwa-san remained optimistic. "At least the part with the cruise ship wasn't a lie, like sensei said we can still have some fun during the trip."

"I wish I could be as carefree as you Mitsuki," Kirino-chan sighed.

"Apart from that, if you look at it from another perspective, we are quite lucky, you know," Miwa-san added. "At least Kurose-kun pointed it out for us before we went on vacation."

Kirino-chan nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Speaking of Kurose-kun, he's very amazing. This is the second time he has saved this class."

"The second time?" Tsuyu-chan looked surprised.

"Oh, I haven't told you, do you remember the midterm exams? When we lower grades to lower the passing grade? Actually, that was Kurose-kun's idea?"

Tsuyu-chan stared. "Is that true? I thought you guys thought of the idea together?"

"No, Kurose-kun was the one who actually persuaded us to do it. Right? Ayase-chan?"

Kashiwagi Kirino was one of eleven students who at that time deliberately lowered their grades during mid-term exams. Actually, Kurose-kun asked us to keep this a secret and I was quite surprised to see the girl just blurted it out like that. Since it had already been said, there's no reason to deny it. Besides, mid-term has long passed and Kurose-kun deserves more credit. I will apologize to him next time.

"Yes, it is true. It was all Kurose-kun's idea." Even though I feel a bit guilty for violating his request, Kurose-kun is quite good at solving problems so I think our class will be better if he can be more proactive and lead the other students. Because of that, I decided to tell them about his deeds so that they knew they could trust him.

"Uwaah, then he's really great, but why didn't you guys stay silent about this until now?" Tsuyu-chan asked.

"Because Kurose-kun himself doesn't really want to be mentioned. He didn't want the students to thank only him but also the other students who had sacrificed their grades." I explained.

It seems like Kurose-kun also tends to be not so confident about himself. When we first started school, he could already see through the point system but only said it to me and Kasai-san, during midterms he started to have the courage to convey his ideas to some people, and now it seems he has decided to directly participate in helping the class. Somehow I feel like a mother watching her child grow up. Apart from that, I also feel relieved because from now this class has someone to rely on.

"Not only smart, athletic, and good-looking but also kind," Tsuyu-chan began to fantasize while resting her chin. "Reminds me of a manga character. Damn, if Minami-kun wasn't around maybe I would fall in love with him."

"Well, I already fell for him..." Miwa-san said so nonchalantly that it shocked us all. Seeing the expressions on our faces all the girls chuckled. "Come on, guys, there's no need to be so shocked...I was only half joking..."

"Half?" Kirino-chan repeated her words.

"Yeah, I was half joking half serious. I was interested in him but not to the point where I wanted to chase him. My heart is not that easy, you know."

"Is that so?" Tsuyu-chan looked skeptical. "I thought you were the type who would immediately snatch anyone who caught your eye."

Miwa-san scowled. "Then you need to learn how to judge people..."

"Well, leaving that aside..." Kirino-chan interrupted before they got into a fight. "Speaking of Kurose-kun, don't you think he...tends to give more attention to Nanahara?"

"Well, now that you mention it, he does seem to care quite a bit about that girl," Miwa-san said with a grin. "Every morning, he always took the time to greet her. During the mid-term exam yesterday he was also the one who persuaded Nanahara to join the study group, he failed of course."

"Actually, I was the one who told Kurose-kun to keep an eye on her," I said. "Nanahara-san always keeps her distance, and Kurose-kun is the only one who still occasionally talks to her so I thought maybe he could do something..."

"I see...so him attending the trial is also because of your request?" Kirino-chan asked.

"Not really. He helped out of his own accord..."

"Hm..." The three girls exchanged glances. I don't know why the conversation has turned to this. They would definitely think that Kurose-kun has a crush on Nanahara-san simply because he always helped her. I think Kurose-kun did that because he was kind and not because he had other intentions. But I also understand why they think like that because I can't deny that it did cross my mind before.

"He has a crush on her...I'm pretty sure..." Tsuyu-chan stated her opinion.

Kirino-chan nodded in agreement. "Yes, I also agree. But what did he see in that girl? I know she's pretty cute but she's also really annoying and treats everyone like insects..."

"Don't talk like that..." I reprimand her in a firm tone. "She's not that bad, besides she already apologized, right?"

Kirino-chan hastily corrected her words. "Eh, sorry Ayase-chan. I didn't mean to speak ill of her. What I mean is that her behavior wasn't very good before so I'm just a little surprised about why Kurose-kun likes her?"

"Perhaps he prefers rough women?" Miwa-san answered in a joking tone while smirking.

"How about we talk about something else?" I proposed. "I know you guys really like gossiping like this, but I think all of these are just baseless assumptions. I mean we don't even know for sure whether Kurose-kun really likes her or not. It could be that he just wants to help his friend, right?"

"Hm...Ayase-chan is right," said Miwa-san. "We don't know for sure yet...that's why we're going to find out!"

I was a little surprised when she said that. "That's not what I..."

"Come on, Ayase-chan, don't be a party pooper. Aren't you curious? There are several girls who are also interested in Kurose-kun in our class, but they are still reluctant because they think he is interested in other girls. Not to mention the fact that he's quite close to the kids in class B. Therefore, to give our classmates peace of mind, I'll personally find out whether Kurose-kun has a crush on Nanahara or not."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Tsuyu-chan asked. "I mean, how are you going to find out? Ask him directly?"

"Don't forget that I'm in the same study group as him, so you could say I know him quite well. No need to worry, I will definitely get a spicy story from him."

This girl...she just wanted to entertain herself. Stopping her may also be useless. Sorry Kurose-kun, but it seems like you're going to be bothered by some girls who are hungry for gossip. I hope Nanahara-san will never find out about this or else, things could get ugly.

***

I was always wanted to give more screentime to other characters, but doesn't have the chance to do that in this arc. Especially when the plot has been set in motion. I hope I can develop some side characters in the next arc.