I came, I saw, I lost! (Classroom of the Elite Fanfiction)

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"Ayanokōji-kun."

The brutal Deserted Island Exam had finally ended. With all the tension and chaos behind him, Ayanokōji wanted nothing more than to enjoy the remaining days of his vacation in peace.

But instead of a well-deserved break, a goddess of death approached him.

He turned to address her.

"What is it, Horikita?"

Horikita stood before him with her usual cold expression, arms crossed. But Ayanokōji could tell—there was something on her mind. A question only he could answer.

"I don't understand. How did we win?"

"Well..."

Ayanokōji could explain it to her, but honestly, it sounded like a pain. However, knowing what kind of person Horikita was, there was no way she'd let him get away without an answer. If anything, she was even more stubborn than Kumagawa.

But before he could respond—

"Horikita-san!"

Ayanokōji and Horikita turned toward the voice.

Karuizawa and the rest of their classmates approached, their faces beaming with excitement.

"I heard about it from Hirata-kun first! He said you figured out the leaders of Class A and Class B. That's why we got so many points! Because of you, we got first place! Thank you so much!"

"H-Huh? Wait a minute, I didn't—"

"There's no need to be humble, Horikita-san. We won because your answers were absolutely correct!"

"Wait. Ayanokōji-kun, what did you—"

Horikita turned to him, eyes filled with suspicion. But before she could press him for answers, she was suddenly surrounded.

"Horikita-san, you were incredible! Seriously a genius!"

Boys and girls alike bombarded her with praise.

Ayanokōji clasped his hands together in silent prayer for her survival. While she was busy dealing with them, he quietly took the opportunity to slip away.

Class D took first place, and Horikita gained popularity. It was the best possible outcome.

Considering her usual composure, she would probably handle it just fine. He, on the other hand, had no interest in getting caught up in the celebration. So he made his way back toward his room.

However—

Just as he thought he was free, another Goddess of Death blocked his path.

"May I have a word with you?"

Ayanokōji sighed.

"...I don't really feel sociable. Is it okay if I refuse, Chabashira-sensei?"

"..."

He met her gaze for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh of resignation. It was clear she had no intention of letting him walk away.

He wondered if what she said back then, at the start of the exam—was really the truth.

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『—Flashback—』

Ayanokōji was now heading to the theater stage at the back of the ship. It was an unusual occurrence, so he was definitely... excited.

That wasn't quite the right word. Maybe "curious" fit better. Either way, he found it hard to believe something truly interesting would come from this.

Upon arriving, he saw the person who had called him here.

"You're late."

Ayanokōji met Chabashira-sensei's gaze and responded flatly.

"You called me here out of nowhere."

"You might expect good things when you're asked to come to this secluded place by your beautiful teacher, but contrary to your expectations—"

"Please don't compare me to Kumagawa."

Ayanokōji glanced around. Even though there was no one else here, calling this place "secluded" felt strange since they were out in the open.

"So, what did you want to talk about? I'm busy enjoying my summer vacation."

"That's funny. I thought you didn't have any friends?"

"I have friends."

He threw out the response immediately. The fact that Chabashira-sensei saw him as some loner was mildly annoying.

"Oh? Then tell me—who is the name of your friend?"

"It's...."

His sentence died midair.

The fact that the first name that came to mind was Kumagawa was... concerning.

Sure, he could talk to a few others. But categorizing them as "friends" was difficult. At best, they just knew his name.

"I thought so."

"..."

Ayanokōji had no comeback.

"I called you here today because I wanted to tell you my personal story."

'A story?'

This was headed in a very different direction than he had expected. He didn't understand why she'd summoned him just to talk about herself.

"It's something I haven't talked to anyone about since becoming a homeroom teacher. It's silly, but please listen."

"How do I appear to you as Class D's homeroom teacher?"

"...Is it okay if I say I think you're beautiful?"

She didn't even twitch an eyebrow at the joke. It seemed she had been desensitized by Kumagawa's frequent sexual harassment remarks.

Still, compared to the other homeroom teachers, she wasn't as friendly as Hoshinomiya-sensei from Class B, nor was she as supportive as Sakagami-sensei from Class C.

Chabashira-sensei paused, looking up toward the ceiling as if recalling a distant memory.

"I was once a student at this school. I was in Class D, just like you." 

"I must say that's surprising. I would've thought you were morecapable, Chabashira-sensei." 

"Huh... Well, in my time, the class difference wasn't as extreme. You could say that we were in a four-way battle, not a three-way one. Up until we approached graduation in the third semester of our third year, the difference between A and D wasn't even 100 points. It was a close battle, where even one trivial mistake could knock you off balance."

"I'm guessing someone made a trivial mistake, right?" 

"Yes. It happened rather unexpectedly. Class C went to hell becauseof my mistake. In the end, my goal of reaching Class A and mydreams were shattered."

"Is that so....?"

Ayanokōji didn't feel as though she were bragging. Rather, her story felt like one of regret. But having her bring up her past was really troublesome. If anything, it felt uncomfortable.

"I'm not catching your drift. What does this have to do with me?"

"I feel that your presence will be vital to reaching Class A."

"What am I supposed to say to that? You're joking, right?"

He felt a vague sense of satisfaction at the unexpected praise, but he wasn't sure how to respond.

"A few days ago, a certain man contacted the school directly. He said, 'Expel Ayanokōji Kiyotaka.'"

"...He said to expel me?"

Ayanokōji's expression didn't change, but inwardly, he felt a mild sense of annoyance.

"Well, that's nonsense. I don't know who it was, but you ignored his request and won't have me expelled. Right?"

"Of course. We can't just expel someone on a third party's whim. As long as you are a student at this school, you are protected by the rules. However... if you cause any problems, that's a different story. Smoking, bullying, stealing, cheating... If you cause any scandal, expulsion is unavoidable."

"I'm sorry, but I don't intend to do anything."

"It has nothing to do with your intentions. If I determine that something seems like an issue, it will become reality."

"...Are you threatening me?"

Ayanokōji found her wording suspicious.

"Here's the deal, Ayanokōji. You are going to aim for Class A for me. I will follow up as extensively as I can in order to protect you. Don't you think that sounds like a good offer?"

"That's quite the proposal, but..." He paused. "Wouldn't it be better to ask Kumagawa instead?"

Chabashira's expression twitched, but she quickly regained her composure.

"You're joking."

"I'm being serious."

"You can't possibly expect anything from him," she said flatly.

"Why not?"

"....."

Chabashira remained silent.

As far as Ayanokōji was concerned, Kumagawa had his pros. But beyond that, it was anyone's guess. Whether he would bring the class up or drag it down wasn't Ayanokōji's problem.

"Can I go now? I'll give you Kumagawa's number later."

With that, Ayanokōji turned to leave the theater. He thought that Chabashira-sensei had changed a lot since he first met her, but he never imagined she would go this far—blackmailing a student.

"That's too bad, Ayanokōji. You will be expelled."

His steps halted. He turned back to look at her. Her words weren't just threats—she seriously intended to cut him loose.

"Let me ask you once more. Will you aim for Class A? Or be expelled? You choose."

Ayanokōji exhaled through his nose. Then, with his left hand, he reached over and grabbed Chabashira by the collar.

No one was here to witness this moment. That was good. It would be annoying if someone saw.

"At first, I'd thought you would lead Class D voluntarily, but we don't have time to waste. You have to decide here and now. Will you help me or not?"

"You'll probably regret trying to use me."

"Relax. My life is already full of regrets."

Her words felt empty, but Ayanokōji knew he couldn't afford to gamble with his school life. Losing his freedom in order to protect it...

How ridiculous.

『—End of Flashback—』

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"Is it safe to say that for the time being, you're satisfied?" Ayanokōji asked.

"..."

Ayanokōji was confused by the lack of response. Chabashira-sensei usually spoke without hesitation, yet now she seemed to be carefully choosing her words. Was it because she had to acknowledge that Class D had won? Or was it something else?

After a brief silence, she spoke again.

"This result... Does it have anything to do with Kumagawa?"

It wasn't an unreasonable question. Given how absurd Kumagawa's actions were throughout the exam, it wouldn't be surprising if he had done something that tipped the scales.

Ayanokōji, however, didn't have a definitive answer.

"I don't know," he said. "Speaking of Kumagawa, how is his condition?"

"That's the strangest part," she admitted. "By all logic, he should still be in critical condition. The number of injuries he sustained during the exam, should have left him bedridden for at least a few months. Yet, despite that, he's been walking around as if nothing happened."

Ayanokōji could understand why she found it strange. Kumagawa had taken damage that would have incapacitated a normal person for months, yet he acted completely fine.

"Even the medical staff were baffled."

Chabashira keeps walking toward the deck. Ayanokouji followed silently slightly behind her. After arriving, Chabashira took out a ciggarate from her pocket and took a quick puff.

"Well, enough about Kumagawa. Tell me something, is it really true? Did he demand I be expelled from school?"

Chabashira-sensei leaned against the railing and looked toward the sky.

"Do you have any basis for saying that the story is true?"

"I know quite a lot about you. Might not that be the reason, more than anything else? Other teachers don't know about your true abilities. But I have no doubts."

Ayanokōji certainly had his doubts. It was true that he stood out during the entrance examination, but that alone shouldn't have been enough for the teachers to take notice, let alone single him out. The sequence of events was odd.

"That man—no, your father—said this: 'Sooner or later, Kiyotaka will gladly chase the means of his expulsion from school.'"

Ayanokōji remained silent, but to hear it directly from Chabashira was still unsettling.

"Is that so....."

With that, Ayanokōji turned his back to her and walked away.

No matter what, he would do anything to protect his freedom.

Even if it meant sacrificing it.

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After meeting with Chabashira, Ayanokōji returned to his room. For some reason, today felt exhausting.

The first thing he did was take a shower and change into fresh clothes. The feeling of a new fabric on his skin was oddly satisfying—maybe because he'd been stuck wearing the school tracksuit for the past seven days.

Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.

"...."

For the last five minutes, his phone hadn't stopped buzzing. There was only one person stubborn enough to keep calling nonstop. Ayanokōji silently saluted her dedication. He checked the call history, and lo and behold—it was filled with nothing but incoming calls from Horikita.

Scary.

He figured she'd stop if he ignored her long enough, but it seemed that strategy had failed. Without much of a choice, he sent her a short email before heading to the lounge to relax.

The school really hadn't held back with the cruise ship. The carpet beneath his feet was thick and plush, absorbing every step. The walls gleamed under the soft glow of expensive chandeliers. Everything from the neatly arranged furniture to the quiet, well-dressed staff exuded an air of luxury. It was easy to forget that this was a school trip rather than a high-class vacation.

Soon, a quite angry Horikita met up with me, radiating a silent pressure.

Before long, Horikita arrived. Even though she wasn't saying a word, the silent pressure she radiated was almost suffocating.

"What do these test results mean? What in the world happened?"

Straight to the point as always.

"You look like you don't have any idea at all."

"I just can't imagine it. I don't understand it at all. I have a mountain of questions."

She ordered a drink from an attendant. It was clear she wouldn't let him go without an answer. If he wanted to escape, he'd probably have to do something drastic—maybe jump off the ship. But thankfully, Ayanokōji wasn't Kumagawa, who would resort to such an absurd action without a second thought.

"I'll tell you everything. However, my one condition is that you stay quiet on this matter. I won't compromise on this."

Horikita narrowed her eyes but eventually nodded.

"What would you like to ask?"

"What were you doing during the test? Tell me."

A much better question than he expected. She wanted to hear everything at once.

"When the special test was announced, I didn't focus on anything except for the additional rules. I roughly understood how to manage the 300 points, but you couldn't manipulate them as an individual."

"But the additional rules were really difficult to understand. If you did things normally, you wouldn't have been able to identify the leaders. Right?"

"Yeah. First of all, I volunteered to join the search for the base camp. Able to move freely, I planned to search out spot locations ahead of everyone else."

"You make it sound simple, but no one should have known the spot locations."

"That's not true. The school already gave us hints about the locations when we were sailing around the island."

Several people noticed this when the ship circled the island at an unusually fast speed. Kouenji and Katsuragi is among those who noticed. Maybe Kumagawa, but he doesn't know if he even looks at the island or not, but Ayanokouji was certain he noticed it when the school used strange exression like "significant scenery."

"Then, Me and Kumagawa reached the cave. I thought it was the most important base."

Horikita was confused by the mentions of Kumagawa, but Ayanokouji continued.

"There I discovered the leader's identity."

Ayanokouji explains the why and how he reaches such conclusions. At that time, he noticed Katsuragi holding the leader's card openly—something a true leader wouldn't do. Instead, Yahiko had been the one to occupy the cave, likely out of short-sighted greed. Katsuragi, being cautious, wouldn't have taken such a risk himself but had no choice but to cover for Yahiko's mistake. This led Ayanokōji to conclude that Yahiko, not Katsuragi, was the true leader.

"I'm still not convinced. If he figured out the spot's location at such an early stage, and if he were acting alongside a lot of other people, shouldn't he have avoided trouble? Even if he just had someone standing watch by the cave, it should have been sufficient claim of ownership. Why would they occupy it?"

"That was probably Class A's disadvantage. Their class appears perfect at first glance, but it actually has a huge schism in it."

That was why his methods had revealed Class A so easily.

Horikita fell silent, deep in thought. She was likely surprised, but with her sharp mind, she should be able to piece things together without much difficulty.

She then shifted the topic.

"Then, about the final score... It doesn't make sense."

"I thought so too," Ayanokōji agreed. "But before we get to that, we should talk about Class C first."

"Class C?"

"It's likely that Class C knew the identities of all the class leaders."

"W-wait, he found out the identities of all of the leaders... So not only Class D, but also the leaders for Classes B and A? But that's strange."

"W-wait, you're saying Ryūen found out every leader? Not just Class D's, but also Class A and B? But that's strange. If that were the case, then Class C should have scored over 100 points... Yet, they only ended up with 71. That's just a one-point difference from Class B."

Her reasoning was correct. If Class C had correctly identified every leader, their final score should have been significantly higher. Yet, they had finished in second place with an oddly specific 71 points.

"This is a little difficult to explain, but that's the reason why Kumagawa retired."

"Huh?"

Ayanokōji pulled a card from his pocket and handed it to Horikita.

The moment she read the name engraved on it, her eyes widened in shock.

"Wait... why does this say...?"

The name read "Ayanokouji Kiyotaka."

"The test had to be fair. The rules were fundamentally created to be fair."

That much was obvious—anyone would have noticed it if they had carefully read the additional rules. Only one person could be chosen as the leader. The leader could not be changed. Only the leader held the rights of exclusive possession.

"What do you think would happen if the leader retired due to an accident?"

"That's... The leader would be absent. So the rights of exclusive possession would disappear..."

"Wrong. The manual states, 'It is impossible to change the leader without suitable justification.' Don't you think accident is suitable enough justification?"

It was a loophole, one designed to account for unexpected situations like illness or injury. The rule was made to be broken under specific circumstances.

"So then, does that mean Kumagawa...?"

Horikita's expression stiffened. The idea that Kumagawa had deliberately discovered such a rule and used it unsettled her.

Ayanokōji noticed her discomfort.

"I know what you're thinking, but that doesn't necessarily mean Kumagawa was aware of this rule. It's just as likely that he suffered misfortune at the right time and the right moment."

"Right..."

Horikita exhaled slowly, regaining her composure. That explanation made more sense.

In the first place, Ayanokōji had intended to make Horikita the leader when he realized she was sick. It was a simple and straightforward approach to tackling the exam.

He had planned to use her to win.

But Kumagawa's self-nomination had been unexpected.

At the time, Ayanokōji hadn't anticipated him taking the initiative. He had tried to steer the class toward Horikita instead, but Kumagawa had pushed back. If Ayanokōji had insisted any further, it would have drawn too much attention.

So he had to adapt

And now, looking at the final results, he realized—

If things had gone according to his plan, the outcome of this exam would have been very different.

Ayanokōji then shifted the conversation.

"There's also the matter of Ibuki."

Horikita's expression turned serious.

"Ibuki?"

"She was a spy from Class C," Ayanokōji stated plainly.

Horikita frowned. "How can you be so sure?"

"When we visited Class C's base camp on the beach, I noticed a transceiver sitting on a table nearby. It was probably for communicating with Ibuki. And then, there was the digital camera I found in her bag." He explained.

Horikita's brows furrowed.

"A camera? What was it for?"

"For now, its purpose isn't important, what matters is that it went missing." Ayanokōji replied.

Missing?"

"That's right," he continued. "During the commotion with the Karuizawa incident, when you shoved me inside the girls tent, I checked her bag again. The camera was gone."

"Are you sure she didn't just hide it? If she knew you had been snooping, it would make sense for her to move it somewhere safer."

"That's a fair point, but it doesn't add up. Think about the timing of Karuizawa's underwear incident."

Ayanokōji explained his reasoning. The timing of the incident was too convenient. It wasn't some random perverted act—it had to be planned. No one would be stupid enough to steal a girl's underwear and plant it in their own bag.

That was the giveaway.

Ibuki had to have orchestrated it.

Ayanokōji also pointed out how Ike had been the one accused. Ike might have been a simple person, but he wasn't so idiotic that he would frame himself. The fact that the evidence had been conveniently discovered in his bag meant that a third party was involved.

Horikita listened carefully, her frown deepening as she considered the explanation.

"...I see. That does make sense," she admitted.

"...But that still doesn't answer one thing." Horikita looked straight at him. "If Ibuki set everything up just to get her hands on the camera... then who stole it in the first place?"

"That, I don't know."

But he had a strong suspicion. Based on the timeframe, there was only one person he had lost track of during the exam. Especially the night before.

"Speaking of things going missing, there's also Kumagawa's leader card." Ayanokōji continued,

"Right. I assume Ibuki also had something to do with this?"

"I assume Ibuki needed the camera for some reason, and that's the most likely explanation. But think about it—why would she need a camera in the first place? If she just needed to find the leader's card, she wouldn't have had to steal it. A quick glance would've been enough."

"Did Ryūen-kun not trust Ibuki?"

"That wasn't the issue. Think again."

Horikita narrowed her eyes. She felt as if she were being tested like a student in class, and it annoyed her. But Ayanokōji didn't care—he wanted her to think for herself this time.

Still, she was smart. It didn't take her long to piece it together.

"She wanted to make absolutely sure...? Was there someone involved who didn't trust Ibuki and needed evidence!?"

"Correct. From here on out, I don't have any concrete proof. Consider this my intuition—Class A and Class C were connected, working together behind the scenes. Ibuki needed to obtain proof and hand it over to someone in Class A."

"Class A?" Horikita was vonfused by the suddent mention of class A.

Ayanokouji thought that this was getting troublesome, but since Horikita would not let him go if he didnt finish his explanation, she would pester him non stop 24/7 for three years.

"Remember how Class A ended up with 20 points at the end of the exam?"

"Yes."

"Their result shouldn't have been possible unless they had an alliance with another class. If they didn't, they would've ended up with zero points."

Horikita still looked confused.

Ayanokōji continued.

"Given their initial 270 points, in order to end up with 20 points at the end of the exam, they would have had to not spend a single point from their starting supply."

Horikita's eyes widened slightly as the realization clicked.

Class A had begun the exam with 270 points. If they ended with exactly 20, that meant they had lost 250 points—but without spending anything.

That meant no purchasing extra supplies. No securing advantages. No conveniences.

Which was strange.

It was natural to assume that a class with such a huge advantage would use their points for food, tools, or even just small comforts. Yet, if Ayanokōji's analysis was correct, they had deliberately avoided spending any of their own points.

There was only one explanation for that.

"...They were using other classes' resources," Horikita muttered, her tone serious.

Ayanokōji nodded. "Exactly. Which is why I said their final score doesn't make sense unless they had a deal with another class."

"Class C?"

"Highly likely. Ryūen must have struck a deal with Katsuragi—Class C would spend their exam points while Class A hoarded theirs. In return, Class A would compensate them with private points later."

Ayanokōji could think of no other reason why Katsuragi would willingly allow his class to take such a risk.

"But why Class A? Why not work with Class B instead? Shouldn't Ryūen be trying to take down Class A, not help them increase their points?"

"Do you really think Ichinose would resort to underhanded tactics like that?"

Horikita frowned, but didn't argue.

Ichinose's personality was the complete opposite of Ryūen's. A kind-hearted person like her wouldn't willingly work with someone like him—especially if it meant exploiting others for an advantage.

"...I see," Horikita muttered. "But then... how did the scores end up like that?"

Ayanokōji thought for a moment.

"It likely had to do with Kumagawa."

"Kumagawa?"

"Unlike me, Kumagawa went with a completely different strategy."

"What do you mean?"

Ayanokōji gave a small shrug. "I think you should ask him yourself."

He tilted his chin, prompting Horikita to follow his gaze.

There, standing casually on the deck despite the warm weather, was Kumagawa—dressed in his signature black uniform, bandages wrapped around his body.

Noticing their attention, he raised a hand and waved with a carefree smile.

『END』

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