Classroom of the elite: The upheaval of my ordinary life(Reaction)

A story from junior high

Kushida was waiting for us. When she saw Horikita and me, she gave a small wave and smiled brightly.

"Kushida-san. Sorry to have kept you waiting," Horikita said.

Horikita POV

This was bad. 

I had the foolish hope to expel Kushida-San without giving her the chance to exposes people's secrets. 

There was ice in Kushida-San's eyes. The moment she got the opportunity, she would destroy our cohesion. Depending on what happened here, she would probably sabotage us in the next exam as well, as to get revenge.  

Ayanokouji-Kun looked as composed as ever. Now it was clear why. Compared to what he went through, this was a no-pressure situation for him. Having been one of the ones to push him to help the class and me, I felt incredibly guilty. 

I shook my head. This was not the time to wallow in regrets. I needed to be ready to keep our class morale high. The worst-case scenario has been averted for now, as Kushida-San could not directly air the dirty laundry of everyone. 

"It's all right. There's still a little time left before we were scheduled to meet. What were you talking about with Honami-chan?" asked Kushida.

"Nothing important."

"I'd still like to know. Is it something you can tell me?" 

Kushida's tone of voice and smile remained unchanged, but the tension rose.

"Sure. After all, it's completely unrelated to you," said Horikita. 

"I asked her how I could talk to people equally, without showing distinction or favoritism."

"Oh?"

"I'm not going to lie. I was asking about you, Kushida-san," said Horikita.

"Listen here, Horikita-san. While you and I may not get along, I'd much rather talk about this without Ayanokouji-kun," said Kushida. 

"Or could it be...that Ayanokouji-kun and Ichinose-san now know something?"

"And what were you going to do, declare war on Honami-San?" Asked Kanzaki-Kun. 

His whole class looked to be ready to defend Ichinose-San. 

"Don't think your class is immune to what I'll say. Don't make it worse on yourself, Kanzaki-Kun." Kushida-San.

She started talking in her usual voice, yet her eyes were still cold. 

After Ichinose-San's class heard what she said, some had panicked looked on their faces. Kushida-San's popularity was not limited to our class. She was universally popular. 

"Our class isn't like others. If there are indeed people who have problems with themselves or others, we will pull together and help them." Kanzaki-Kun said with a finality in his tone. 

Kanzaki-Kun's words were like a warm blanket for his class. His charisma was different from Ichinose-San's or Hirata-Kun's. Even in their situation and the disagreement between Ichinose-San and Kanzaki-Kun, they were still the class with the most trust and cohesion. 

She glared at us. Horikita, however, didn't flinch.

"Sorry, Ayanokouji-kun, but could you head back without me?" saidHorikita.

"Looks like I'm getting in the way," I muttered.

I left them and made my way toward the exit. After changing my shoes, I headed to the dormitory. En route, I got a call from Horikita and answered it. I heard Horikita's muffled voice through the phone's speaker.