Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Self-Test

Vol. 1: Chapter 15.2 - The Strings Have Been Tied

I checked my phone and saw a notification.

[25,000 private points have been successfully transferred to your account.]

Received from: Horikita Suzune.

Just in time.

"Do you wanna start talking about it, or should we wait until we get to your room?" Kushida asked with a smile.

"Let's just talk about it in my room. We might accidentally get heard out here... You never know. Someone could be eavesdropping from behind," I replied.

"Ahaha! There's no way! Look around us, the other students are merrily talking with each other. They wouldn't care about our conversation," she chuckled cutely.

"You're right... Well, for now, let's just talk about other things. How's your study session going?" I asked.

"Ohh. Well..."

Kushida and I started chatting about mundane school stuff. She shared a few interesting things about our classmates but they were useless gossip at best. But still, the fact that she knows this much just goes to show how wide Kushida's social network was. We talked about each other's day until we reached the dorms. Finally, the two of us exited the elevator and entered my room.

"It's been a few weeks since I've been in your room, Ayanokouji-kun," commented Kushida.

"Yeah, make yourself comfortable on the bed. I'll take a seat here," I said, sitting on the office chair in front of my desktop computer.

"So? Start spilling it~! I'm guessing that it's Hasebe-san or Horikita-san~! Or... maybe it's Sakura-san~?" Kushida happily started the conversation.

A small part of me is saying that I should just improvise the conversation and talk about girls instead. But of course, that's not possible at this point.

"Kushida," I turned to her with a serious expression.

"Y-Yeah?" Kushida acted like she was nervous while wearing an adorable face.

"After this... I wholeheartedly hope that we can still be close friends..." I said.

Kushida finally sensed that something was off. I wasn't going to talk about some girl and plan a love confession.

"What are you talking about, Ayanokouji-kun? Is everything alright?" Kushida had a weary expression, but of course, she still had the same angelic attitude.

"It's alright, Kushida. You don't need to keep that face up right now."

When she heard those words, Kushida's pupils dilated in shock.

"Ayanokouji-kun... What's the problem? Why are you saying such things right now...?" Kushida said with a concerned face.

Her incessant act didn't stop. She's determined to keep this up until the very last minute, huh?

"I'm just telling you the truth. Apart from the angelic and friendly girl that everyone loves, there's another side of you, isn't there?"

Kushida's eyebrow twitched and her lips trembled slightly.

"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun. This is weird... What are you saying? This isn't like you!" Kushida's tone remained unchanging, but her composure started to crumble.

"Kushida... It's fine, really. You don't have to keep acting anymore," I said before continuing. "After all, I was there yesterday, when you let your feelings out at the rooftop."

Snap.

I felt something break inside Kushida. Her eyes, which were briefly hidden for a second, turned to look at me.