Classroom of the Elite: Liquid Inspiration

Vol 0. Chapter 2.2 - Memories

Ayanokōji Kiyotaka

After having lunch, the three of us decided to head back to the mansion, with Eiichiro calling Tsubasa's mother to tell her about her whereabouts. 

We had been here for about an hour now, and I must say that it... had been quite uneventful. For all his claims of a spontaneous hangout being more fun, I had expected something more.

But perhaps it was just my expectations that made it feel uneventful to me. 

Although Tsubasa, who was seated across me, seemed to be having fun listening to Eiichiro's stories about school.

"I'm telling you guys, the next time I see Okada, I'll smack him on the back of the head," he claimed.

Eiichiro was talking about one of his school friends who apparently told Eiichiro's crush that he might have a crush on her, much to the dark-haired boy's embarrassment. 

He wasn't ready to confess, he said.

"Then you should have been mindful of who you share your secrets with," I quipped.

That had been my role over the past half an hour, listening and, sometimes, telling Eiichiro what I had to say.

"Kiyotaka! You were supposed to take my side," Eiichiro replied with mock indignation. "You should have been like, 'I'll back you up, Eiichiro! Let's kick Okada's ass' or something more encouraging."

"Ah... is that so?"

Eiichiro threw his hands up in defeat and shook his head in amusement. "I was just kidding, Kiyotaka. But at this point, I'm finding it hard to tell if you're still that ignorant or if you just find it amusing to see how I'd react."

Tsubasa, who had been silent for most of the conversation, spoke up, "So you're not actually going to hit Okada-san?"

The dark-haired boy snorted in response. "I wasn't planning on actually hitting him. But maybe he'll learn from a headlock."

"I didn't know you were a bully in school, Eiichiro. Guess we learn new things every day," I said off-handedly as I opened the small ice cream tub that Asuka had given me earlier.

Eiichiro's eyes widened, and he quickly waved his hands in front of him. "No, no, it's not like that! I'm not a bully. It's just... Okada and I have this kind of friendship where we mess with each other. It's all in good fun, I promise."

"I just don't understand why people think it's like social suicide if their crush found out about their crush on them," I replied. "People are odd."

Statistically speaking, the likelihood of developing a successful relationship with one's crush tends to be higher for those who confess their feelings compared to those who choose inaction. 

After all, 0.01% is still higher than 0%.

"Eh... not exactly social suicide," Eiichiro chuckled. "People just fear rejection, and I guess I'm part of that crowd too."

"If Hayasaka-san rejects you, I don't think it'd be the end of the world, Eiichiro-kun," Tsubasa thoughtfully said.

"Easier said than done, Tsubasa-chan," Eiichiro sighed, leaning back and staring at the ceiling as if it held the answers to his predicament. "It's not just about being rejected. It's about everything changing. I like things the way they are now, even if I wish they could be... different."

From what Eiichiro had shared, he and Hayasaka were very close friends who bonded after being seatmates this year. They also share a lot of interests and would even hang out after classes.