Classroom of the Elite: Free Will

V3: Chapter 2 - Class D

Matsushita Chiaki POV

Arriving at the river, the first thing I did was to locate the spot mechanism. I was installed on an unnaturally placed boulder. Everyone began setting up the tents and other necessities for our camp near the river.

"Okay. The water is beautiful, and there's shade that blocks the sunlight. The terrain is level. This might be the ideal place for our base camp here. Amazing, Ike-kun!" Hirata said.

"Heh heh heh, I know, right?"

The river was about ten meters wide, and the water flowed gently. It certainly was a good spot, even if it was easy to spy on it since deep forests and sandy roads surrounded the river completely.

"So, how do we show that this is ours now?"

From the corner of my eye, I saw Ayanokouji-kun and Horikita-san walking by the river.

"To claim the spot, we need to choose a leader," I commented getting everyone's attention.

"So, this will be our base camp?" Yukimura-kun asked

"We already decided that this would be it! If we don't choose this spot, what will we do?" Ike-kun complained.

"We have other choices. If we claim this place, there are obvious merits; we can monopolize the river, for one. Also, we can gain some points by holding this area. However, that requires us to update it once every eight hours, and since the designated leader is the only one who can handle that operation, it'll be serious trouble if he or she is seen. We still don't know if someone might be watching."

Even if that was my main concern about staying here, I really didn't see any other option, the other classes had most likely secured some spot and roam around all over the island for who knows how long to find another place just wasn't worth it.

"Hmm, so if we stay hidden and protected, it'll be fine, right? We can keep the area surrounded."

Although there were risks, Ike was correct. If we made our base camp in this area, there was no way to pin us down. If students from another class took this place, it would become impossible to use the river. Both guys and girls agreed with Ike-kun on this. With a consensus we then decided to occupy this spot.

"Okay. Well, the next question is, who will be the leader?"

This was an important, if not the most important choice. A mistake here could make us lose this exam if our leader was discovered. Kushida-san asked everyone to form a circle.

"I thought a lot of things over. I have to say, Hirata-san and Karuizawa-san just stand out too much, like it or not. However, a leader's no good unless that person has a sense of responsibility, right? I think that Matsushita-san meets the criteria. What do you think?"

I was taken by surprise, I wouldn't have thought that Kushida-san would nominate me to be the leader, perhaps she was after something? Either way, I couldn't accept the nomination. With everyone's eyes on me, I refused Kushida-san's offer.

"I'm sorry everyone, but I don't think I can be the leader, after Sudou-kun's trial I might've attracted some attention from other classes, especially Class C. However, I believe Horikita-san would be a far safer option, she's not only responsible but also cares a lot for the class. She helped us both during the midterms and the trial, you don't have to forget that."

With my words, everyone's eyes turned to Horikita-san. She looked unsure at first, but after meeting my eyes she nodded slightly.

"I understand. I accept."

Hirata-kun immediately went over to Chabashira-sensei to pass on Horikita-san's name. Before long, he returned with a card and entrusted it to Horikita-san. Taking into consideration the possibility that we were being watched, we had everyone touch the device without it activating. This was to camouflage the leader, so a spy wouldn't know who he or she was.