Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Self-Test

Vol. 1: Chapter 2.1 - Small Talk

Not long after my speech, every one of us prepared to leave. As I got up, I immediately gave Hirata a look. He nodded and came to me as I walked in Kushida's direction. When she noticed us, she stopped talking with her friends and turned to me.

"Ayanokouji-kun, do you need something?" Kushida asked in a slightly serious manner.

"Is it alright if the three of us walk together on our way to the gymnasium?" I offered.

"I see. I don't mind," said Hirata.

"Alright. I'll go with you two." Surprisingly, Kushida also agreed.

The two of them could help me a lot in the future. Their looks and social abilities are both top-tier. I would like to get close to them as soon as possible.

"Mii-chan, Ruri-chan, Kokoro-chan... I'll be going ahead with Ayanokouji-kun and Hirata-kun for now. Is that alright?" Kushida asked permission from her friends.

"I-It's alright, Kikyou-chan. I bet it's something important so don't mind us," said the twin-tailed, blue-haired girl surnamed "Wang".

Around Wang, Kushida's other friends nodded in unison. How enviable. Kushida has such gentle friends. I looked at them and nodded my head, to which they responded with a slight bow.

"Everyone, let's all come to the gymnasium together. There shouldn't be any need to form lines while heading there, but let's observe proper behavior and etiquette when we reach the place." Hirata announced with an amicable tone.

As expected, it was the right choice to choose him. While only the students near his seat gave an audible reply, everyone practically agreed in their minds.

Whilst walking, Hirata immediately spoke to me.

"This is the first time that we've actually talked. I'm Hirata Yousuke. Nice to meet you, Ayanokouji-kun. You don't need to be formal with me, so calling me Yousuke is fine." He offered his hand, and I shook it.

"Nice to meet you. For now, I think I'll just call you Hirata. I'm not used to calling other people around my age by their first names, you see," I replied.

"That's totally fine," smiled Hirata.

If I was a girl, I would've already been smitten by that smile.

"Thank you for getting my signals earlier. The assistance that you and Kushida-san gave me was the deciding factor that made me convince the class." I thanked the two of them with a slight bow.

"What are you saying, Ayanokouji-kun? I honestly think we barely helped. As Chabashira-sensei said earlier; if it wasn't for your quick thinking, who knows what could've happened to our class..." Kushida returned the praise to me. Not saying "class points" exhibited her superb awareness.

"Yeah... Thinking about it now, you really saved the entire class..." Hirata said.

"All's well and done now, so we can only move forward. We can't really talk about anything crucial while walking to the gymnasium since we'll be in close proximity with students from other classes soon. So for now, I think I just want to get to know you two a little bit better. Do you mind if the three of us exchange contact info?" I spoke as naturally as I could, but according to my research, getting the contact information of your classmates is a pretty hard and delicate ordeal. I hope they don't reject me.

"Sure! Have you been a step behind, I would have asked for yours instead, Ayanokouji-kun," smiled Kushida.

"Somehow, I feel a sense of deja vu..." I said, not trying to make the same mistake as I did with Horikita earlier, I commented in a joking manner.

"Here's my mail address and number, Ayanokouji-kun. Wait, 'deja vu'? Do you two know each other from your previous school? I didn't see you guys talk to each other when you came inside the classroom earlier, but Ayanokouji-kun already knew Kushida-san's name." Hirata asked, noticing my comment.

"You're wrong about that, Hirata-kun. Ayanokouji-kun and I rode the same bus this morning. I first talked to him there." Kushida chuckled in response.

"Yeah, and Kushida said something about doing something, have I been a step behind. That's a lot of somethings..." I joked while adding context to her words.

I pretended to not remember the specifics of that event. I called Kushida without honorifics, but I don't think it matters that much anymore.

"Hahaha. Ehh... So the two of you didn't go to the same middle school then?" Hirata asked, after laughing at my second attempt at cracking a joke. I don't know if what I said was really funny for him, but his laugh sounded genuine so I'll just stop thinking about it.

"Nope, but I do know that Ayanokouji-kun came from abroad," Kushida answered proudly.

"That's unexpected. Which country?" Hirata asked with his mouth slightly agape.

"America," I answered immediately.

"Ohh, how was it there?" Hirata continued with his questions.

"I can't say anything but 'normal'. Enough about me though. What about you, Hirata? Tell us about yourself," I said.

It was a sloppy attempt to dodge the question, and I'm sure these two noticed it.

"Yeah, yeah," followed Kushida.

"Don't be relaxed now, Kushida-san. You're next, you know?" chuckled Hirata.

"Ehhh..." Kushida replied cutely.

"Well, first, I like soccer a lot. I think I'll join this school's Soccer Club whenever the student club fair starts," he said.

The three of us continued to talk about each other as we walked along the hallways. More and more students from other classes started blending in with us, Class D, as they headed towards the gymnasium. From an outsider's perspective, we probably looked like good friends who hit it off on the first day or old friends who reunited after graduating from junior high... Granted, I'm not as talkative as these two. Given my hasty preparation and zero experience, there's no way I can keep up with naturals like them. However, it's still a pleasant feeling.

Is this what it feels like to hang out with friends?

"Hirata-kun, did you know? The specific line that Ayanokouji-kun was talking about earlier with the deja vu was "Have you been a step behind, I'd be the one to speak up for the poor old lady's sake, you know?". You see, when we were riding the bus this morning, one of our classmates, Kouenji-kun, was arguing with an office lady," narrated Kushida.

While I was lost in thought, I suddenly heard Kushida drop my name. She's seriously gonna tell that story...? Well, whatever, I guess.

"Oh... He was the blond boy sitting in the middle, right? What were they arguing about?" Hirata asked curiously.

"Well, he was sitting on one of the priority seats with no intention of giving it up for a poor old lady." Kushida declaimed with a sad expression on her face.

"Seriously? With the imposing aura that he exuded in the classroom, I guess that's not an impossibility... However, that sort of behavior leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I can't say I like it." Hirata's expression didn't change much, but even I can tell how displeased he was upon hearing the story.

"Yeah... I tried to take action before things get out of hand, but before I could step in and help, Ayanokouji-kun got up from his own seat and offered it to the old lady!" she said, excitedly.

"As expected, you really are a good person, Ayanokouji-kun." Hirata gave me a warm smile.

"You guys give me too much credit. I just wanted the commotion to end. It was painful to watch their argument unfold," I said.

"See, Hirata-kun? Not only is he kind, but he's also super modest!" Kushida's enthusiasm didn't wane in the slightest. She even used my own words against me. As expected of her...

Our small talk continued for a short while until we reached the gymnasium to attend the entrance ceremony.